Gee, I take a day off from blogging to play some Medal of Honor (I'm officially addicted) and Karl Rove launches his super-cunning October surprise. How he managed it, I have no idea- quite possibly it involved some sort of ninja mind control- but he was able to dupe John Kerry into slandering the men and women of the American armed forces just days before the election. What's even more absurd is that Kerry's a former military man himself. Does that mean he thinks he's stupid too? I'm beginning to think that he's actually a Rovian plant- he loses an election to the world's most unpopular man, George Bush, and now this. Seriously, is he really a double agent?
What a tool. Anyway, Rove's evil plan to scupper the Dem's sure thing seems to be working, despite the mainstream media's stalwart damage-control efforts. Bless 'em.
Genius, Karl, just genius.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
FoxNotes
It suddenly occurred to me today that it might be quite handy to be able to write in Firefox - I tend to have it open most of the time, usually with multiple tabs and it just seemed easier to be able to jot things down there rather than have to open and close Word as the notion took me.
Text editor extension for Firefox- sounds simple but apparently there isn't such a thing. Not that I can find anyway. Perhaps I'm the only one who has a need for it? Anyway, I did a bit of poking around and eventually came across FoxNotes. You can set it to open in a tab and then write away to your heart's content- and there's even a nice little "save" button at the bottom. What's also neat is that the single FoxNotes tab has six sub-tabs all of its own to work with. That might come in handy.
The big disadvantage is that you can't use it to open any existing text files. And Firefox 2.0's spell checker doesn't seem to function with it. I was rather hoping it would.
If you happen to know of a text editor extension for Firefox please do let me know.
UPDATE - Quicknote is the way to go.
Text editor extension for Firefox- sounds simple but apparently there isn't such a thing. Not that I can find anyway. Perhaps I'm the only one who has a need for it? Anyway, I did a bit of poking around and eventually came across FoxNotes. You can set it to open in a tab and then write away to your heart's content- and there's even a nice little "save" button at the bottom. What's also neat is that the single FoxNotes tab has six sub-tabs all of its own to work with. That might come in handy.
The big disadvantage is that you can't use it to open any existing text files. And Firefox 2.0's spell checker doesn't seem to function with it. I was rather hoping it would.
If you happen to know of a text editor extension for Firefox please do let me know.
UPDATE - Quicknote is the way to go.
Monday, October 30, 2006
N.I. Terror
Amazing- Tony Blair et al assure the people of Northern Ireland that there's no more terrorist threat here, and he proceeds to dismantle security posts, border watch-towers, he sends troops home and even goes so far as to disband the Home Service battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment. And all because the still armed IRA are engaged in peace talks.
Shame he didn't bother to consider any other nationalist groups out there.
Irish police believe they have disrupted a bomb plot aimed at hurting the Northern Ireland political process.
A large amount of explosives were found in Kilbranish, Mount Leinster, County Carlow on Friday night and made safe by Irish Defence Forces on Saturday.
It is believed the Real IRA were testing bombs in the area, RTE said.
Earlier this week it was reported that dissident republicans were preparing to launch a major gun or bomb attack in a bid to derail political talks.
Shame he didn't bother to consider any other nationalist groups out there.
Irish police believe they have disrupted a bomb plot aimed at hurting the Northern Ireland political process.
A large amount of explosives were found in Kilbranish, Mount Leinster, County Carlow on Friday night and made safe by Irish Defence Forces on Saturday.
It is believed the Real IRA were testing bombs in the area, RTE said.
Earlier this week it was reported that dissident republicans were preparing to launch a major gun or bomb attack in a bid to derail political talks.
Additional resources have been deployed to a number of areas across Northern Ireland by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to counter the threat.
A number of individuals have also been warned that they could be under threat.
But hey, this is all out of the blue, isn't it? I mean, why would Blair pander to the demands of Sinn Fein/IRA to destroy Northern Ireland's anti-terror capacity if he knew about other threats?
Successive reports by the Independent Monitoring Commission have said that both the Real and Continuity IRA are recruiting members, trying to acquire weapons and identifying possible targets, including police officers and loyalist paramilitaries.
Earlier this year, the police intercepted a 250lb bomb in Lurgan, and also foiled a plot to import a large quantity of weapons, which included machine guns and ground to air missiles.
So, what is it Tony? Is appeasing the IRA more important than the safety of the citizens of this country?
N.I. Werewolf Movie
The BBC website reports on a film-in-progress that's to be made here in Northern Ireland, Mourne.
Set in the fictional village of Mourne a group of American paranormal investigators arrive to look into the claims of a panicked farmer that a werewolf has attacked his sheep.
Set in the fictional village of Mourne a group of American paranormal investigators arrive to look into the claims of a panicked farmer that a werewolf has attacked his sheep.
They soon discover that a dark legend lives and split into groups to track the fearsome beastie.
What's odd about the BBC article is that they seem to believe that a horror film made here is a first. Haven't they heard of Zombie Genocide or the more recent Wilderness? The former is a real low budget affair but I like it- made in the days before digital cameras and desktop editing, it was filmed in sequence on tape. The latter is a bigger budget survival-horror film about a group of young offenders on a remote island being stalked by a killer complete with some grisly death scenes. Sean Pertwee makes an appearance and although it falters a little towards the end I found it a very enjoyable watch.
I'm hopeful that Mourne does get made- and not only because there's a dearth of werewolf movies; it would be pretty cool to have a movie-making industry here.
Mourne's homepage is here.Sunday, October 29, 2006
Theocracy Alert
Hey Libs- this is the sort of thing that happens in a theocracy. You may want to note that George Bush and Christianity are not involved in any way.
Retired American policeman Randal Barnhart, who was subjected to a 2am raid by religious enforcement officers, is reconsidering his plan to make Malaysia his second home.
On Oct 12, Barnhart, 62, and his wife Carole, 61, were in their rented condominium in Kuah when enforcement officers continuously knocked on their door at 2am, accusing them of committing khalwat (close proximity).
Retired American policeman Randal Barnhart, who was subjected to a 2am raid by religious enforcement officers, is reconsidering his plan to make Malaysia his second home.
On Oct 12, Barnhart, 62, and his wife Carole, 61, were in their rented condominium in Kuah when enforcement officers continuously knocked on their door at 2am, accusing them of committing khalwat (close proximity).
He said the officers demanded to see his marriage certificate, although he had told them that they were Christians and should not be subjected to Islamic law.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Survey Results
From LGF-
Do you consider yourself to be a Muslim first, an American first, or both equally?
MUSLIM FIRST - 214
AMERICAN FIRST - 4
BOTH EQUALLY - 86
UNDECIDED - 3
Is violence by Muslims against the American military overseas acceptable, in retaliation for the American government’s actions in the Muslim world?
YES - 134
NO - 154
UNDECIDED - 19
The survey makes for alarming reading and was taken at a meeting of the Islamic Society of North America. There's much more over at LGF.
Do you consider yourself to be a Muslim first, an American first, or both equally?
MUSLIM FIRST - 214
AMERICAN FIRST - 4
BOTH EQUALLY - 86
UNDECIDED - 3
Is violence by Muslims against the American military overseas acceptable, in retaliation for the American government’s actions in the Muslim world?
YES - 134
NO - 154
UNDECIDED - 19
The survey makes for alarming reading and was taken at a meeting of the Islamic Society of North America. There's much more over at LGF.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Military Commissions Act
I wrote a little while ago about a gun-control wish list. It makes for pretty scary reading- a complete handgun ban, a ban on ammunition that is "high powered" or "wounding" (hunters pay attention). In other words, a complete negation of the Second Amendment- I wonder how groups openly campaigning to usurp, say, the First Amendment would fair? In the comments an anonymous contributor agreed that it was a bad list but went on to say that with the Military Commissions Act the President could label anyone an enemy combatant, including anyone who criticised the government.
Well, that's not quite true- and today I see that Kim du Toit has done his homework and read all of the law, trying to apply it to himself, an American citizen.
Habeas corpus can be suspended only for furriners—ie. terrorists apprehended either overseas or in the United States. In other words, not only can we try by military tribunal terrorists captured overseas, but also terrorists captured in these here United States.
Worth reading it all to cut through the Lefty gnashing of teeth about Bush and his evil plans to take over the world.
Well, that's not quite true- and today I see that Kim du Toit has done his homework and read all of the law, trying to apply it to himself, an American citizen.
Habeas corpus can be suspended only for furriners—ie. terrorists apprehended either overseas or in the United States. In other words, not only can we try by military tribunal terrorists captured overseas, but also terrorists captured in these here United States.
Worth reading it all to cut through the Lefty gnashing of teeth about Bush and his evil plans to take over the world.
Flight of Fantasy
A little Adam Hughes to start the day- another great picture of Wonder Woman. Joss Whedon needs to see some of AH!'s work, and cast a girl who looks like this in the upcoming movie.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Firefox 2.0
After all the hype Firefox 2.0 is finally here- and I've got to say that I'm a little underwhelmed. It's a little different cosmetically and it has a few features which so far I've found to be useful additions but somehow I was expecting more. Oh well, always version 3.0 to look forward to.
Apart from the slightly different look the major benefits to the new version (for me anyway) are a neat spell-checker (look for a few less typos here), buttons on the tabs to shut them down, the ability to re-launch Firefox with all the tabs from your last session in place (huzzah), and a History option for recently closed tabs- I really like that because I'm always closing sites down and then realising a few minutes later that there was something else there I wanted to read. One thing that I haven't quite gotten used to yet is the way that lots of open tabs are treated- before they just got smaller and smaller and eventually disappeared off the right hand side of the browser- now they only get a little bit smaller and there are some handy little arrows on each side of the tab bar so that you can zoom left and right along the row of tabs. It's a great idea but it seems so odd on the screen.
Actually, now that I see all the features I like perhaps this new version is more appealing than I first thought. I've read a few comparisons with IE7 and the two browsers seem to be about neck and neck now- it'll take an awful lot for me to want to go back to IE again.
Apart from the slightly different look the major benefits to the new version (for me anyway) are a neat spell-checker (look for a few less typos here), buttons on the tabs to shut them down, the ability to re-launch Firefox with all the tabs from your last session in place (huzzah), and a History option for recently closed tabs- I really like that because I'm always closing sites down and then realising a few minutes later that there was something else there I wanted to read. One thing that I haven't quite gotten used to yet is the way that lots of open tabs are treated- before they just got smaller and smaller and eventually disappeared off the right hand side of the browser- now they only get a little bit smaller and there are some handy little arrows on each side of the tab bar so that you can zoom left and right along the row of tabs. It's a great idea but it seems so odd on the screen.
Actually, now that I see all the features I like perhaps this new version is more appealing than I first thought. I've read a few comparisons with IE7 and the two browsers seem to be about neck and neck now- it'll take an awful lot for me to want to go back to IE again.
Bad Car
Britain's nanny government really doesn't like SUVs- even though the government itself s quite happy to be driven around in gas guzzling fleets of Jaguars and the like. It's a case of do as I say, not do as I do. The latest attack on the SUV comes in a "tax" on parking permits - the bright idea is to charge people with high emission cars such as SUVs (or amazingly enough Jaguars) £750 a year (as opposed to the current £200) to park outside their own homes.
The council hopes other authorities will be encouraged to follow its lead.
All because of the dreaded ogre of climate change- something must be done toline the council's pockets help the earth.
If the plans are approved by the council's cabinet on November 6, the cost of parking the most polluting vehicles would rise from £100 to £300.
The council hopes other authorities will be encouraged to follow its lead.
All because of the dreaded ogre of climate change- something must be done to
If the plans are approved by the council's cabinet on November 6, the cost of parking the most polluting vehicles would rise from £100 to £300.
And those with more than one car would have to pay 50% more for extra permits - thus a household owning two high-emissions cars could pay £300 for the first, and £450 for the second, or £750 in total.
I'm sure that this will have a drastic effect on the unproven human-caused global cooling warming climate change. And fill the council's coffers at the same time.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Race or Religion?
While these guys seem to be nothing more than drunken yobs who deserve to get nicked, what I don't understand is why their attack on a mosque is being treated as "racially motivated assault".
THUGS burst into a mosque and savagely attacked the imam and several others as they prayed.
A man, aged 37, from Eccles and a man, aged 19, from Davyhulme have been arrested on suspicion of racially-aggravated assault. Vandals attacked the mosque in November 2004, destroying religious artworks.
Would an attack on any other religious establishment other than a mosque be treated as some sort of racism? The article reports that "racial abuse" was shouted by the attackers, but we don't know what they said- were they trying to insult Muslims, or were they actually insulted the race of the people present? Is it a more serious crime to assault someone for racial reasons than any other? I'd really like to know- why should someone be punished differently for attacking a person because of their race? It makes no sense to me- surely assault is assault and it should all be treated the same. A guy could be walking down the street and just happen to glance at some drunken yob and be assaulted for it. Why should that crime be treated differently than, for example, a black man being attacked because he just happened to come across a drunken yob and be attacked?
The thing is that while the reports have the incident down as being racially motivated, Mohammed Shafiq of the local Islamic Ramadhan Foundation, blames it on Jack Straw and his comments about the veil. According to him, this was an attack specifically on Muslims-
"This is another example of Muslims being attacked and persecuted and the responsibility lies with the politicians who have been on a feeding frenzy attacking Muslims and giving ammunition to thugs' hatred towards us."
If that's the case, then this has nothing to do with race at all- Islam is a religion- so why all the talk about racially motivated attacks? An attack on a mosque, or a church or a synagogue or a temple, is not racist but religiously motivated.
THUGS burst into a mosque and savagely attacked the imam and several others as they prayed.
A man, aged 37, from Eccles and a man, aged 19, from Davyhulme have been arrested on suspicion of racially-aggravated assault. Vandals attacked the mosque in November 2004, destroying religious artworks.
Would an attack on any other religious establishment other than a mosque be treated as some sort of racism? The article reports that "racial abuse" was shouted by the attackers, but we don't know what they said- were they trying to insult Muslims, or were they actually insulted the race of the people present? Is it a more serious crime to assault someone for racial reasons than any other? I'd really like to know- why should someone be punished differently for attacking a person because of their race? It makes no sense to me- surely assault is assault and it should all be treated the same. A guy could be walking down the street and just happen to glance at some drunken yob and be assaulted for it. Why should that crime be treated differently than, for example, a black man being attacked because he just happened to come across a drunken yob and be attacked?
The thing is that while the reports have the incident down as being racially motivated, Mohammed Shafiq of the local Islamic Ramadhan Foundation, blames it on Jack Straw and his comments about the veil. According to him, this was an attack specifically on Muslims-
"This is another example of Muslims being attacked and persecuted and the responsibility lies with the politicians who have been on a feeding frenzy attacking Muslims and giving ammunition to thugs' hatred towards us."
If that's the case, then this has nothing to do with race at all- Islam is a religion- so why all the talk about racially motivated attacks? An attack on a mosque, or a church or a synagogue or a temple, is not racist but religiously motivated.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Vampire Killer?
I hadn't realised that CZ had gone into the vampire slaying business- but here's the evidence, a CZ-75 SP-01 Tactical complete with bayonet.
Someone better let Blade know.
BTW, the folks over at Smallest Minority seem to have confirmed that this is a genuine item.
Crazy.
Watch This
No, really, go and watch it now- especially if you're an American and/or a gun-owner. Then make sure that everyone you know watches it too.
Click here and see how in a time of crisis the police decided that the Constitution didn't matter a damn- and how they treated a frail looking lady who just happened to have a legally owned weapon to defend herself from lawlessness with. Note too how the gun is in her hand the whole time that these people are in her home - camera crew in tow- and see how the cops react when they eventually notice it.
The term jackbooted thugs springs to mind.
Hat tip to Smallest Minority.
And here's the big lesson to be learned- it doesn't matter if you are a shooter, a hunter or just a person who wants to be able to exercise their rights and defend their home/family; you all need to stick together to fight for those rights every day.
Click here and see how in a time of crisis the police decided that the Constitution didn't matter a damn- and how they treated a frail looking lady who just happened to have a legally owned weapon to defend herself from lawlessness with. Note too how the gun is in her hand the whole time that these people are in her home - camera crew in tow- and see how the cops react when they eventually notice it.
The term jackbooted thugs springs to mind.
Hat tip to Smallest Minority.
And here's the big lesson to be learned- it doesn't matter if you are a shooter, a hunter or just a person who wants to be able to exercise their rights and defend their home/family; you all need to stick together to fight for those rights every day.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
CAIR Complains
Wow, CAIR is gnashing its teeth because Pat Robertson and Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch aren't Muslims- they *gasp* don't believe!
INCITEMENT: ROBERTSON CALLS QURAN 'FRAUDULENT,' SPENCER AGREES
How dare he not believe in the Koran, what is he, some sort of infidel or something?
Spencer puts the CAIR Action Alert into context-
Robertson asked me during the segment -- I am working from memory -- if I would be willing to say that Muhammad's claim to be receiving divine revelations was fraudulent.
INCITEMENT: ROBERTSON CALLS QURAN 'FRAUDULENT,' SPENCER AGREES
How dare he not believe in the Koran, what is he, some sort of infidel or something?
Spencer puts the CAIR Action Alert into context-
Robertson asked me during the segment -- I am working from memory -- if I would be willing to say that Muhammad's claim to be receiving divine revelations was fraudulent.
I responded, "Of course." Because after all, I am not a believer in Islam. Robertson's word choice was not politically correct, and it may hurt feelings; indeed, it is not a word I would have chosen. But essentially the only two choices on this question are these: either Muhammad received divine revelations, or he didn't. Non-Muslims do not believe Muhammad was a genuine prophet. That means that they believe that the things that are claimed to be revelations are not genuine revelations -- even if this view is presented with consummate tact and delicacy.
Accordingly, when Robertson asked me this question, I could do nothing but answer the way I did, simply because I am not a Muslim. To present this as "incitement" is, of course, trying to provoke the "hate crimes" that CAIR professes to abhor, but actually uses politically with consummate skill. The idea that someone would be incited to commit violence against Muslims because I stated that I do not believe Muhammad was a prophet is beyond asinine -- but of course it is also part of CAIR's larger attempt to control the national debate about Islam. Not only do they now protest against statements critical of Islam or Muslims, but even against rather simple and mild non-affirmations of Muslim belief by non-Muslims.And they will keep doing this, because there is no shortage of willing stooges who will happily restrict themselves to an ever narrower sphere of discussion about Islam in order to appease the all-powerful gods of multiculturalism.
And so the steady drip-drip-drip of complaints and protests continues, drawing a noose tighter and tighter around freedom of speech.
Kerry To Tell The Truth
I wish them well with this one- the Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation has filed suit against John Kerry over his career-making Congressional testimony-
A lawsuit filed in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas will test the very foundation of Kerry’s anti-war persona for the first time. It isn’t dubious medals or Kerry’s disputed service record in Vietnam that is being called into question. This time Kerry may finally be forced to answer for the events that launched his public career, one that made him an anti-war hero for many American liberals and a turncoat for millions of Vietnam veterans.
The lawsuit (Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation, et al. v. Kenneth Campbell, et al.) challenges the basis, the factual accuracy of then-Lt. (j.g.) Kerry’s acrimonious testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971. It was there Kerry’s public career was catapulted with his now ubiquitous portrayal of American soldiers as murderers, rapists and torturers "who ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam . . . [and] razed villages in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan."
Many if not all were members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), an organization led by Kerry and financed by Jane Fonda during the early 1970s. Now, a number of those "witnesses" will be required to testify, under oath for the first time ever, about what they really did and saw in Vietnam.
Perhaps we'll finally get a little closer to the truth about what Kerry actually did and saw in Vietnam.
A lawsuit filed in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas will test the very foundation of Kerry’s anti-war persona for the first time. It isn’t dubious medals or Kerry’s disputed service record in Vietnam that is being called into question. This time Kerry may finally be forced to answer for the events that launched his public career, one that made him an anti-war hero for many American liberals and a turncoat for millions of Vietnam veterans.
The lawsuit (Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation, et al. v. Kenneth Campbell, et al.) challenges the basis, the factual accuracy of then-Lt. (j.g.) Kerry’s acrimonious testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971. It was there Kerry’s public career was catapulted with his now ubiquitous portrayal of American soldiers as murderers, rapists and torturers "who ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam . . . [and] razed villages in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan."
Many if not all were members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), an organization led by Kerry and financed by Jane Fonda during the early 1970s. Now, a number of those "witnesses" will be required to testify, under oath for the first time ever, about what they really did and saw in Vietnam.
Perhaps we'll finally get a little closer to the truth about what Kerry actually did and saw in Vietnam.
Compare and Contrast
Here's a telling LGF post- sort of a before and after of the famous Gaza greenhouses that Western liberals cued up to donate money to buy for the poor, beleagured Palestinian folk.
Just look what wonderful work they've done with them since then. Bill Gates must be so proud.
Just look what wonderful work they've done with them since then. Bill Gates must be so proud.
Hamas Speaks
It really is a marvel to see the moderating effect that coming to power has had on Hamas. Once we knew them to be homicidal terrorists but now, why, they are so much more "moderate" now that they are in office and they, you know, have to deal with real world problems.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar of Hamas told demonstrators in Gaza on Friday that Israel is an abomination in the Middle East that will some day disappear.
"We will never recognize Israel, and the end the [fate of] Zionists will be like that of the Crusaders, the Persians and the English, who left. We want all of Palestine, every centimeter, from the river to the sea, from Rosh Hanikra to Rafah. If we can form a state within the 1967 borders we will do so, but this doesn't mean that we will relinquish our right to every centimeter of Palestine's land," he said.
In his speech, Zahar also addressed the Palestinian prisoners in Israel and promised them that Hamas will do all that it can to secure their release, including kidnapping more Israeli soldiers.
Just imagine what they would be like if they hadn't mellowed so.
Hamas keeps speaking like this- is anyone actually listening?
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar of Hamas told demonstrators in Gaza on Friday that Israel is an abomination in the Middle East that will some day disappear.
"We will never recognize Israel, and the end the [fate of] Zionists will be like that of the Crusaders, the Persians and the English, who left. We want all of Palestine, every centimeter, from the river to the sea, from Rosh Hanikra to Rafah. If we can form a state within the 1967 borders we will do so, but this doesn't mean that we will relinquish our right to every centimeter of Palestine's land," he said.
In his speech, Zahar also addressed the Palestinian prisoners in Israel and promised them that Hamas will do all that it can to secure their release, including kidnapping more Israeli soldiers.
Just imagine what they would be like if they hadn't mellowed so.
Hamas keeps speaking like this- is anyone actually listening?
Special Treatment?
I'm sure that this isn't a case of special treatment of Muslims in the eyes of the law. I mean, they're bound to not arrest people wanted for breaking the law during other religious festivals. Right? I mean, there were all those reports about Sikhs and Hindus not being arrested during Diwali...oh, nevermind.
Police in Manchester have been told not to arrest Muslims wanted on warrants at prayer times during Ramadan.
Just being good little dhimmi coppers.
Police in Manchester have been told not to arrest Muslims wanted on warrants at prayer times during Ramadan.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed it had asked detectives not to make planned arrests during those periods for reasons of religious sensitivity.
Sure, sensitivity. Nothing to do with fear of a violent backlash from the Muslim community at all.Just being good little dhimmi coppers.
Drive-By Journalism
Newsbusters reports on a recent Newsweek article which painted the campaign in Afghanistan as an unmitigated disaster. The Department of Defense responded and refuted their claims in detail.
Did Newsweek publish a correction? A follow-up story allowing the DoD to present their side of the argument? Well, not exactly, Newsweek is now claiming that its story was only, in fact, analysis- and they will allow the DoD to respond with a "concisely written letter".
Newsbusters concludes, fairly I'd say-
Did Newsweek publish a correction? A follow-up story allowing the DoD to present their side of the argument? Well, not exactly, Newsweek is now claiming that its story was only, in fact, analysis- and they will allow the DoD to respond with a "concisely written letter".
Newsbusters concludes, fairly I'd say-
So here we have a mainstay of the MSM that - when confronted with a serious challenge to its reporting on a matter of crucial national interest - attempts to downplay a major piece as mere "analysis." And rather than either replying seriously to the Pentagon's systematic refutation, or covering those arguments in its own pages, offers the Pentagon no more than the barest opportunity to respond.
Is this evidence of a news organization with a burning desire to get to the truth, or another lamentable example of drive-by journalism?
Marvellous, isn't it?BBC Owns Up
At last.
It was the day that a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.
Why are all TV owners in Britain forced to pay for the BBC again?
At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians.
Surprisingly no mention thus far of their bias in Middle Eastern coverage.
It was the day that a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.
Why are all TV owners in Britain forced to pay for the BBC again?
At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians.
Surprisingly no mention thus far of their bias in Middle Eastern coverage.
Treason
Can we start the treason trial already?
In his book, which came out this week, Kengor focuses on a KGB letter written at the height of the Cold War that shows that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) offered to assist Soviet leaders in formulating a public relations strategy to counter President Reagan's foreign policy and to complicate his re-election efforts.
The letter, dated May 14, 1983, was sent from the head of the KGB to Yuri Andropov, who was then General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party.
In his letter, KGB head Viktor Chebrikov offered Andropov his interpretation of Kennedy's offer. Former U.S. Sen. John Tunney (D-Calif.) had traveled to Moscow on behalf of Kennedy to seek out a partnership with Andropov and other Soviet officials, Kengor claims in his book.
Specifically, Kennedy proposed that Andropov make a direct appeal to the American people in a series of television interviews that would be organized in August and September of 1983, according to the letter.
"Tunney told his contacts that Kennedy was very troubled about the decline in U.S -Soviet relations under Reagan," Kengor said. "But Kennedy attributed this decline to Reagan, not to the Soviets. In one of the most striking parts of this letter, Kennedy is said to be very impressed with Andropov and other Soviet leaders."
It looks like not much has changed- Democrats believing that the biggest risk to world security is not the enemy of the United States but the president himself. Maybe it's just me but if these allegations had been made about a Republican the Dems would be screaming it from the rooftops- and demanding hearings. Can we please have the same? An elected representative of the USA making secret advances towards an enemy regime at the height of the Cold War in the hopes of derailing an election. In other words, putting lust for power ahead of country. Sounds like treason to me. Surely there should be an official and public investigation into this to see if the claims are indeed true.
Will the Republican leadership really let a matter like this slip?
In his book, which came out this week, Kengor focuses on a KGB letter written at the height of the Cold War that shows that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) offered to assist Soviet leaders in formulating a public relations strategy to counter President Reagan's foreign policy and to complicate his re-election efforts.
The letter, dated May 14, 1983, was sent from the head of the KGB to Yuri Andropov, who was then General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party.
In his letter, KGB head Viktor Chebrikov offered Andropov his interpretation of Kennedy's offer. Former U.S. Sen. John Tunney (D-Calif.) had traveled to Moscow on behalf of Kennedy to seek out a partnership with Andropov and other Soviet officials, Kengor claims in his book.
Specifically, Kennedy proposed that Andropov make a direct appeal to the American people in a series of television interviews that would be organized in August and September of 1983, according to the letter.
"Tunney told his contacts that Kennedy was very troubled about the decline in U.S -Soviet relations under Reagan," Kengor said. "But Kennedy attributed this decline to Reagan, not to the Soviets. In one of the most striking parts of this letter, Kennedy is said to be very impressed with Andropov and other Soviet leaders."
It looks like not much has changed- Democrats believing that the biggest risk to world security is not the enemy of the United States but the president himself. Maybe it's just me but if these allegations had been made about a Republican the Dems would be screaming it from the rooftops- and demanding hearings. Can we please have the same? An elected representative of the USA making secret advances towards an enemy regime at the height of the Cold War in the hopes of derailing an election. In other words, putting lust for power ahead of country. Sounds like treason to me. Surely there should be an official and public investigation into this to see if the claims are indeed true.
Will the Republican leadership really let a matter like this slip?
Election Fever in Iraq
It looks like the Iraq arm of the Democrat election campaign machine is working full time now-
Between 18 and 20 people were killed and dozens were wounded Saturday in an attack at an outdoor market in a Mahmoudiya town, Iraqi authorities said.
And-
Police and members of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia fought in another southern Iraq town on Saturday, leaving nine people dead.
Between 18 and 20 people were killed and dozens were wounded Saturday in an attack at an outdoor market in a Mahmoudiya town, Iraqi authorities said.
And-
Police and members of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia fought in another southern Iraq town on Saturday, leaving nine people dead.
A gun battle erupted in Suwayra, in Wasit province nearly 40 miles south of Baghdad.
This comes after an eruption of violence this week in Amara between police and the militia, known as the Mehdi Army.
I'm not in any way trying to suggest a link between the Dems and the terrorists but only the most naive would believe that the terrorists are unaware of the impending election and the effect that a surge in violence may have on the electorate.Friday, October 20, 2006
Scared Reporters
Not so long ago I posted a quote by Einstein about how the so-called champions of freedom, the universities and the press were quickly silenced in the face of Nazism. Here in Britain the journalists are running scared of offending Muslims after the Daily Star planned to run a special spoof page.
The page purported to show how the paper would look under Muslim law. It included material that would have given great offence to the Muslim community.
What's of note here is that while the management was all in favour of the spoof the journalists themselves, the supposed lovers of freedom of speech are too terrified to do it.
After 25 minutes, the NUJ chapel passed a motion saying that the article was “deliberately offensive” to Muslims.
The page purported to show how the paper would look under Muslim law. It included material that would have given great offence to the Muslim community.
What's of note here is that while the management was all in favour of the spoof the journalists themselves, the supposed lovers of freedom of speech are too terrified to do it.
After 25 minutes, the NUJ chapel passed a motion saying that the article was “deliberately offensive” to Muslims.
The motion read: “The chapel fears that this editorial content poses a very serious risk of violent and dangerous reprisals from religious fanatics who may take offence at these articles. This may place the staff in great jeopardy. This chapel urges the management to remove the content immediately.”
I guess Einstein's words still stand then. It's plainly clear that offence has nothing to do with the decision- it's motivated by pure unadulterated terror. Self-censorship in the face of an expected violent reaction- didn't some Danish fellows have something to say about that recently?Thursday, October 19, 2006
Dirty Tricks
So a Republican politician has been outed. It's a pretty sleazy move at election time and it seems to be utterly at odds with Democrat's supposed tolerance and support for homosexuality. Obviously if they think being gay is a good thing they wouldn't be doing it to harm someone's chances of winning an election. What gets me is that the outing has been done with no verifiable evidence- it's nothing more than an allegation made that the Republican in question will find hard to disprove if it's false.
Captain Ed has an excellent summation-
Once again, the Left shows its obsession with sexuality, but it's really more than that. The Left obsesses over identity politics in all forms, and that obsession comes out in pathological terms. Rogers reveals this in his blog post, demanding that gay staffers on the Hill identify their orientation publicly, or else he will do it for them. Sexual identity is everything to him, and the concept of sexual privacy has no value to him at all. He wants to humiliate gays who prefer to keep their sexual activity private, forcing them to wear the virtual pink triangle against their will to experience obloquy and castigation.
Captain Ed has an excellent summation-
Once again, the Left shows its obsession with sexuality, but it's really more than that. The Left obsesses over identity politics in all forms, and that obsession comes out in pathological terms. Rogers reveals this in his blog post, demanding that gay staffers on the Hill identify their orientation publicly, or else he will do it for them. Sexual identity is everything to him, and the concept of sexual privacy has no value to him at all. He wants to humiliate gays who prefer to keep their sexual activity private, forcing them to wear the virtual pink triangle against their will to experience obloquy and castigation.
Uninformed and in power
This does not bode well- if those in positions of power don't even understand the basics of the people we're dealing with, how can they ever hope to effectively combat the threat?
FOR the past several months, I’ve been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: “Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?”
But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies.
Charles Johnson sums it up best- Clueless in Washington.
Maybe this explains all of the badly informed pronouncements coming out of D.C. And also the "tiny minority of extremists hijacking a peaceful religion meme". Is they can't tell a Sunni from a Shi'ite do they know anything about the exhortations to jihad in Islam?
FOR the past several months, I’ve been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: “Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?”
But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies.
Charles Johnson sums it up best- Clueless in Washington.
Maybe this explains all of the badly informed pronouncements coming out of D.C. And also the "tiny minority of extremists hijacking a peaceful religion meme". Is they can't tell a Sunni from a Shi'ite do they know anything about the exhortations to jihad in Islam?
Americans For Jihad
This is so utterly insane that I am flabbergasted.
Democratic strategist and former Michael Dukakis campaign manager Susan Estrich, and the former American Civil Liberties Union president in Massachusetts, Harvey Silvergate, recently joined the attorneys representing two alleged Boston al Qaeda funders.
Emadeddin Z. Muntasser and Muhammed Mubayyid face charges in U.S. District Court of Massachusetts for the soliciting and expenditure "of funds to support and promote the mujahideen and jihad, including the distribution of pro-jihad publications."
In their motion, attorneys Mrs. Estrich, Malick Ghachem, Norman Zalkind and Elizabeth Lunt, argue that the defendants merely exercised their religious freedom and obligation to give "zakat" (Islamic charity).
Their motion cites Chapter 9, verse 60 of the Koran, which describes "those entitled to receive zakat." According to the definition of zakat in The Encyclopedia of Islam, "category 7" of eligible recipients are "volunteers engaged in jihad" for whom the zakat cover "living expenses and the expenses of their military service (animals, weapons)."
Incredibly, the suspects' attorneys also argue that such charitable giving, to support the jihad and mujahideen, is rightfully tax-exempt under U.S. constitutional protection of religious freedom.
Funding the self-declared enemies of America is protected by the Constitution? What the heck are these guys thinking?
Democratic strategist and former Michael Dukakis campaign manager Susan Estrich, and the former American Civil Liberties Union president in Massachusetts, Harvey Silvergate, recently joined the attorneys representing two alleged Boston al Qaeda funders.
Emadeddin Z. Muntasser and Muhammed Mubayyid face charges in U.S. District Court of Massachusetts for the soliciting and expenditure "of funds to support and promote the mujahideen and jihad, including the distribution of pro-jihad publications."
In their motion, attorneys Mrs. Estrich, Malick Ghachem, Norman Zalkind and Elizabeth Lunt, argue that the defendants merely exercised their religious freedom and obligation to give "zakat" (Islamic charity).
Their motion cites Chapter 9, verse 60 of the Koran, which describes "those entitled to receive zakat." According to the definition of zakat in The Encyclopedia of Islam, "category 7" of eligible recipients are "volunteers engaged in jihad" for whom the zakat cover "living expenses and the expenses of their military service (animals, weapons)."
Incredibly, the suspects' attorneys also argue that such charitable giving, to support the jihad and mujahideen, is rightfully tax-exempt under U.S. constitutional protection of religious freedom.
Funding the self-declared enemies of America is protected by the Constitution? What the heck are these guys thinking?
This Explains A Lot
Clayton Cramer presents a theory of why the Bush=Hitler meme is so commonplace today. Unsurprisingly, it seems to be based on complete ignorance of history- and what evils Hitler actually perpetuated.
Students are arriving at college with almost no knowledge of history. She found out from her students today that in Meridian school district, their world history class devoted one paragraph to the Nazi concentration camps. In Boise school district, if her students are to be believed, the subject didn't come up.
What little her students know about concentration camps comes from watching Schindler's List. While a fine film, this describes a rare and unusually fortunate outcome of the Holocaust. The disturbing films of the liberation of the concentration camps? Her traditional age students have apparently not seen them. Their knowledge is woefully inadequate. It would appear that Hitler's greatest crime, at least from the statements made by students, was aggressive war about the Soviet Union. (And now you can understand Bush=Hitler!)
Students are arriving at college with almost no knowledge of history. She found out from her students today that in Meridian school district, their world history class devoted one paragraph to the Nazi concentration camps. In Boise school district, if her students are to be believed, the subject didn't come up.
What little her students know about concentration camps comes from watching Schindler's List. While a fine film, this describes a rare and unusually fortunate outcome of the Holocaust. The disturbing films of the liberation of the concentration camps? Her traditional age students have apparently not seen them. Their knowledge is woefully inadequate. It would appear that Hitler's greatest crime, at least from the statements made by students, was aggressive war about the Soviet Union. (And now you can understand Bush=Hitler!)
Dems in Power
Election time is drawing close in the States and Kim du Toit has a reminder of just what is at stake if you're a hunter, survivalist (and want to have a stockpile of weapons or ammo for instance), paintballer, airsofter or just plain gun owner- Handgun Control Inc's wish-list. It makes for some pretty scary reading. As he points out the Republicans have not endeared themselves to their base recently but the prospect of Republicans staying home and not voting, or protest voting for someone else, would mean a Democrat win- and if you think that a Republican leadership was bad, then you're in for some nightmare times under the Dems. And at this critical juncture in the war on terrorism, a Democrat win would seriously embolden the enemies of the West. Don't believe me? Watch this and think on that this will be the mindset of those with a majority.
Anyway, here's the Brady Bunch's list- spread it around.
1. National Licensing of all handgun purchases.
2. Licenses for Rifle and Shotgun owners.
3. State Licenses for ownership of firearms.
4. Arsenal Licenses (5 guns and 250 rounds of ammunition).
5. Arsenal License Fees (at least $300.00, with a cap of $1,000.00).
6. Limits on Arsenal Licensing (None in counties with populations of more than 200,000).
7. Requirement of Federally Approved Storage Safes for all guns.
8. Inspection License. (Gun safe licenses, yearly fee for spot inspections).
9. Ban on Manufacturing in counties with a population of more than 200,000.
10. Banning all military style firearms.
11. Banning Machine Gun Parts or parts which can be used in a Machine gun.
12. Banning the carrying a firearm anywhere but home or target range or in transit from one
to the other.
13. Banning replacement parts (manufacturing, sale, possession, transfer, installation) except
barrel, trigger group.
14. Elimination of the Curio Relic list.
15. Control of Ammunition belonging to Certain Surplus Firearms. (7.62x54R and .303).
16. Eventual Ban of Handgun Possession..
17. Banning of Any ammo that fits military guns (post 1945).
18. Banning of any quantity of smokeless powder or black powder which would constitute
more than the equivalent of 100 rounds of ammunition.
19. Ban the possession of explosive powders of more than 1 kg. at any one time.
20. Banning of High Powered Ammo or Wounding ammo.
21. A National License for Ammunition.
22. Banning or strict licensing of all re-loading components.
23. National Registration of ammunition or ammo buyers.
24. Requirements of special storage safe for ammunition and licensing.
25. Restricting Gun Ranges to counties with populations less than 200,000.
26. Special Licensing of ranges.
27. Special Range Tax to visitors. ($85.00 per visit per person).
28. Waiting period for rentals on pistol ranges.
29. Banning Gun Shows.
30. Banning of military reenactments.
PLUS:
Ban of all clips holding over 6 bullets.
Elimination of the Dept. of Civilian Marksmanship.
Ban on all realistic replica and toy guns (including “air soft” and paintball).
The right of gun-violence victims to sue, with financial assistance from government programs,
the gun manufacturers.
Taxes on ammo, dealers, guns, licenses to offset medical costs to society.
The eventual ban on all semi-automatics regardless of when made or caliber.
Anyway, here's the Brady Bunch's list- spread it around.
1. National Licensing of all handgun purchases.
2. Licenses for Rifle and Shotgun owners.
3. State Licenses for ownership of firearms.
4. Arsenal Licenses (5 guns and 250 rounds of ammunition).
5. Arsenal License Fees (at least $300.00, with a cap of $1,000.00).
6. Limits on Arsenal Licensing (None in counties with populations of more than 200,000).
7. Requirement of Federally Approved Storage Safes for all guns.
8. Inspection License. (Gun safe licenses, yearly fee for spot inspections).
9. Ban on Manufacturing in counties with a population of more than 200,000.
10. Banning all military style firearms.
11. Banning Machine Gun Parts or parts which can be used in a Machine gun.
12. Banning the carrying a firearm anywhere but home or target range or in transit from one
to the other.
13. Banning replacement parts (manufacturing, sale, possession, transfer, installation) except
barrel, trigger group.
14. Elimination of the Curio Relic list.
15. Control of Ammunition belonging to Certain Surplus Firearms. (7.62x54R and .303).
16. Eventual Ban of Handgun Possession..
17. Banning of Any ammo that fits military guns (post 1945).
18. Banning of any quantity of smokeless powder or black powder which would constitute
more than the equivalent of 100 rounds of ammunition.
19. Ban the possession of explosive powders of more than 1 kg. at any one time.
20. Banning of High Powered Ammo or Wounding ammo.
21. A National License for Ammunition.
22. Banning or strict licensing of all re-loading components.
23. National Registration of ammunition or ammo buyers.
24. Requirements of special storage safe for ammunition and licensing.
25. Restricting Gun Ranges to counties with populations less than 200,000.
26. Special Licensing of ranges.
27. Special Range Tax to visitors. ($85.00 per visit per person).
28. Waiting period for rentals on pistol ranges.
29. Banning Gun Shows.
30. Banning of military reenactments.
PLUS:
Ban of all clips holding over 6 bullets.
Elimination of the Dept. of Civilian Marksmanship.
Ban on all realistic replica and toy guns (including “air soft” and paintball).
The right of gun-violence victims to sue, with financial assistance from government programs,
the gun manufacturers.
Taxes on ammo, dealers, guns, licenses to offset medical costs to society.
The eventual ban on all semi-automatics regardless of when made or caliber.
Flight of Fantasy
Has it really been so long since I last posted here? Here's a quickie to make up- a Catwoman cover by Adam Hughes.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Another Islamophobe Speaks
Darn those pesky elected representatives of the British people, always sticking their nose into business that has nothing to do with them!
A minister has been accused of "reckless intervention" after he said a Muslim teaching assistant suspended for wearing a full veil should be sacked.
Phil Woolas told the Sunday Mirror that Aishah Azmi, 23, had "put herself in a position where she can't do her job".
And just who does this guy think he is?
The Muslim Council of Britain said Mr Woolas, whose brief covers race relations, should not have interfered.
Well, of course- an infidel having the gall to speak out about Muslim matters! How dare he? In actual fact, Woolas' brief is for race and faith. Who does he think he is, commenting on a Muslim matter?
Labour peer Lord Ahmed said: "It's unprecedented - in fact quite extraordinary - that a minister can be calling for a sacking of a school classroom assistant."
Of course, why on earth should a local politician express an opinion on a matter like this which is being discussed in the national press? Here's what he had the nerve to say- brace yourself, it's quite shocking-
"The head teacher says that she's not able to do her job...and if the head teacher says that that's the action that needs to be taken, then so be it."
I know, I know- a shocking and no doubt inflammatory statement.
He [Lord Ahmed] added that the minister should be concentrating on "discrimination in the Muslim community" rather than attacking it.
In other words, be a good dhimmi and keep your mouth shut.
A minister has been accused of "reckless intervention" after he said a Muslim teaching assistant suspended for wearing a full veil should be sacked.
Phil Woolas told the Sunday Mirror that Aishah Azmi, 23, had "put herself in a position where she can't do her job".
And just who does this guy think he is?
The Muslim Council of Britain said Mr Woolas, whose brief covers race relations, should not have interfered.
Well, of course- an infidel having the gall to speak out about Muslim matters! How dare he? In actual fact, Woolas' brief is for race and faith. Who does he think he is, commenting on a Muslim matter?
Labour peer Lord Ahmed said: "It's unprecedented - in fact quite extraordinary - that a minister can be calling for a sacking of a school classroom assistant."
Of course, why on earth should a local politician express an opinion on a matter like this which is being discussed in the national press? Here's what he had the nerve to say- brace yourself, it's quite shocking-
"The head teacher says that she's not able to do her job...and if the head teacher says that that's the action that needs to be taken, then so be it."
I know, I know- a shocking and no doubt inflammatory statement.
He [Lord Ahmed] added that the minister should be concentrating on "discrimination in the Muslim community" rather than attacking it.
In other words, be a good dhimmi and keep your mouth shut.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Britain Today
Right now in Britain it feels like the inmates are running the asylum.
A Christian British Airways employee is suspended for wearing a cross. Muslims and Sikhs are permitted to wear headscarves and turbans. She had just been on diversity training.
Non-Muslim pupils wanting to attend a new school in Leicester will be required to wear the headscarf as "part of the uniform". It is an Islamic school but under government regulations they have to accept a percentage of pupils from other faiths. What gets me about this is the repeated attempt to make it look like the headscarf is a mere item of uniform like a tie or shirt. I wonder if Muslims would be so accepting of a Christian school that required Muslim pupils attending to wear a cross as "part of the uniform"?
A Christian British Airways employee is suspended for wearing a cross. Muslims and Sikhs are permitted to wear headscarves and turbans. She had just been on diversity training.
Non-Muslim pupils wanting to attend a new school in Leicester will be required to wear the headscarf as "part of the uniform". It is an Islamic school but under government regulations they have to accept a percentage of pupils from other faiths. What gets me about this is the repeated attempt to make it look like the headscarf is a mere item of uniform like a tie or shirt. I wonder if Muslims would be so accepting of a Christian school that required Muslim pupils attending to wear a cross as "part of the uniform"?
Friday, October 13, 2006
Policing the Schools
The LGF headline says it all "Jawdropper of the day".
A teenage schoolgirl was arrested by police for racism after refusing to sit with a group of Asian students because some of them did not speak English.
You can be arrested for being racist?
After questioning on suspicion of committing a section five racial public order offence, her mother Nicola says she was placed in a bare cell for three-and-a-half hours then released without charge.
I'll leave the last word to Robert Whelan of the Civitas think-tank-
"A lot of these arrests don't result in prosecutions - the aim is to frighten us into self-censorship until we watch everything we say."
Exactly.
A teenage schoolgirl was arrested by police for racism after refusing to sit with a group of Asian students because some of them did not speak English.
You can be arrested for being racist?
Codie was attending a GCSE science class at Harrop Fold High School in Worsley, Greater Manchester, when the incident happened. The teenager had not been in school the day before due to a hospital appointment and had missed the start of a project, so the teacher allocated her a group to sit with.
“She said I had to sit there with five Asian pupils,” said Codie yesterday. “Only one could speak English, so she had to tell that one what to do so she could explain in their language. Then she sat me with them and said ‘Discuss’.”
According to Codie, the five - four boys and a girl - then began talking in a language she didn’t understand, thought to be Urdu, so she went to speak to the teacher.
“I said ‘I’m not being funny, but can I change groups because I can’t understand them?’ But she started shouting and screaming, saying ‘It’s racist, you’re going to get done by the police’.”
Codie said she went outside to calm down where another teacher found her and, after speaking to her class teacher, put her in isolation for the rest of the day.
A complaint was made to a police officer based full-time at the school, and more than a week after the incident on September 26 she was taken to Swinton police station and placed under arrest.
And there's the real kicker- it wasn't a spur of the moment thing, some sort of kneejerk reaction. I wonder what others kinds of non-Groupthink thoughts and beliefs will be outlawed next?After questioning on suspicion of committing a section five racial public order offence, her mother Nicola says she was placed in a bare cell for three-and-a-half hours then released without charge.
I'll leave the last word to Robert Whelan of the Civitas think-tank-
"A lot of these arrests don't result in prosecutions - the aim is to frighten us into self-censorship until we watch everything we say."
Exactly.
Clinton's Big Plan
So Hillary Clinton thinks Bush is making mistakes in Iraq- not to worry though because she has three years experience on the Armed Services Committee and she has a plan to fix the problem.
She told the Daily News she had long advocated helping Iraq establish an oil trust that would assure Sunnis they had a stake in the proceeds but said the Bush administration is dragging its heels on the matter.
Of course! The jihadis will lay down their arms and embrace democracy if only Bush would make Iraq set up an oil trust. That centuries long rift between Sunni and Shia will just evaporate overnight.
Right.
She told the Daily News she had long advocated helping Iraq establish an oil trust that would assure Sunnis they had a stake in the proceeds but said the Bush administration is dragging its heels on the matter.
Of course! The jihadis will lay down their arms and embrace democracy if only Bush would make Iraq set up an oil trust. That centuries long rift between Sunni and Shia will just evaporate overnight.
Right.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
A Big List
There's been much discussion of the NIE report which claimed that Iraq was causing extremism. Hugh Fitzgerald begs to differ.
Ninety-Five Other Things That Also Fuel Muslim Extremism
Some, especially in Lutheran lands, may be satisfied with these 95 theses. Others may prefer to round out the polemical embonpoint by adding another five items to the list. Still others may wish to keep adding to the list from the rich profusion of items offered by each day’s Jihad news -- items in keeping with the nature and quite unnecessary nurture of the belief-system of Islam. It took very little time to compose this list. It would not take much longer to add another hundred, two hundred, three hundred items to the list of things that “fuel Muslim extremism.”
Check the link for the full 95 items.
Ninety-Five Other Things That Also Fuel Muslim Extremism
Some, especially in Lutheran lands, may be satisfied with these 95 theses. Others may prefer to round out the polemical embonpoint by adding another five items to the list. Still others may wish to keep adding to the list from the rich profusion of items offered by each day’s Jihad news -- items in keeping with the nature and quite unnecessary nurture of the belief-system of Islam. It took very little time to compose this list. It would not take much longer to add another hundred, two hundred, three hundred items to the list of things that “fuel Muslim extremism.”
Check the link for the full 95 items.
"Honour" Killing
I guess this guy didn't get that memo about there being no compunction in religion?
A RELIGIOUS feud between a Muslim father and his teenage daughter may have sparked a bloody domestic dispute on the Gold Coast which left the man’s wife dead and him fighting for life in hospital.
A RELIGIOUS feud between a Muslim father and his teenage daughter may have sparked a bloody domestic dispute on the Gold Coast which left the man’s wife dead and him fighting for life in hospital.
Police are investigating suggestions the violence erupted after the 17-year-old girl told her father she wanted to opt out of the Islamic faith and convert to Christianity. The girl’s mother is believed to have stepped in to protect her daughter, only to be fatally stabbed with a kitchen knife.
Gay Pride
It's from The Onion I know but even so...
The mainstream acceptance of gays and lesbians, a hard-won civil-rights victory gained through decades of struggle against prejudice and discrimination, was set back at least 50 years Saturday in the wake of the annual Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade.
"I'd always thought gays were regular people, just like you and me, and that the stereotype of homosexuals as hedonistic, sex-crazed deviants was just a destructive myth," said mother of four Hannah Jarrett, 41, mortified at the sight of 17 tanned and oiled boys cavorting in jock straps to a throbbing techno beat on a float shaped like an enormous phallus. "Boy, oh, boy, was I wrong."
It's worth reading the whole thing.
The mainstream acceptance of gays and lesbians, a hard-won civil-rights victory gained through decades of struggle against prejudice and discrimination, was set back at least 50 years Saturday in the wake of the annual Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade.
"I'd always thought gays were regular people, just like you and me, and that the stereotype of homosexuals as hedonistic, sex-crazed deviants was just a destructive myth," said mother of four Hannah Jarrett, 41, mortified at the sight of 17 tanned and oiled boys cavorting in jock straps to a throbbing techno beat on a float shaped like an enormous phallus. "Boy, oh, boy, was I wrong."
It's worth reading the whole thing.
Allison Weber, 43, an El Segundo marketing consultant, also had her perceptions and assumptions about gays challenged by the parade.
"My understanding was that gay people are just like everybody else–decent, hard-working people who care about their communities and have loving, committed relationships," Weber said. "But, after this terrifying spectacle, I don't want them teaching my kids or living in my neighborhood."
Hat tip to Clayton Cramer.Farsi BBC
Curious. Is the British government hoping to inspire a popular overthrow of the tyrannical regime in Tehran?
The British Broadcasting Corp. announced Tuesday that it plans to launch a Farsi-language cable and satellite channel for Iran. The BBC said the London-based television service would begin broadcasting for eight hours a day in early 2008 and would be available to anyone with a satellite dish or cable connection in the region. The channel will be run by the BBC's international broadcasting arm, the World Service. Treasury Chief Gordon Brown said the government would supply the 15 million pound (US$28 million, €22 million) annual operating cost.
The British Broadcasting Corp. announced Tuesday that it plans to launch a Farsi-language cable and satellite channel for Iran. The BBC said the London-based television service would begin broadcasting for eight hours a day in early 2008 and would be available to anyone with a satellite dish or cable connection in the region. The channel will be run by the BBC's international broadcasting arm, the World Service. Treasury Chief Gordon Brown said the government would supply the 15 million pound (US$28 million, €22 million) annual operating cost.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Algorithm March
Big hat tip to MadOgre for this one- a great tune with some carefully constructed choreography. And ninjas. Genius.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Khatami
I'm not at all surprised by St. Andrews university's decision to reward Khatami with an honorary degree.
Muhammad Khatami is to be made an honorary doctor of laws by Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader who is also the university’s chancellor.
The Liberal Democrat party remember is home to Jenny Tonge, the MP would said that she would consider becoming a suicide bomber herself if she were Palestinian. While she was very publically sacked over the comments after complaints from the public, she was later put forward, by then Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, to become a Baroness in the House of Lords. That happened in a rather quieter manner as a "reward for her years of service"; nevermind the expressed desire to commit mass murder of innocent civilians. You can read more about this despicable woman here.
Though Kennedy has been replaced, it seems that the Lib Dems continue to support the violent and bloodthirsty.
Muhammad Khatami is to be made an honorary doctor of laws by Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader who is also the university’s chancellor.
The Liberal Democrat party remember is home to Jenny Tonge, the MP would said that she would consider becoming a suicide bomber herself if she were Palestinian. While she was very publically sacked over the comments after complaints from the public, she was later put forward, by then Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, to become a Baroness in the House of Lords. That happened in a rather quieter manner as a "reward for her years of service"; nevermind the expressed desire to commit mass murder of innocent civilians. You can read more about this despicable woman here.
Though Kennedy has been replaced, it seems that the Lib Dems continue to support the violent and bloodthirsty.
Labour Gives Up
It looks like Labour's new policy of governing Britain is simply to throw its hands in the air and give up.
A move to transfer criminals to open prisons is to go ahead, despite ministers admitting the policy will 'inevitably' lead to more break-outs.
The revelation came in a leaked memo which suggested Home Secretary John Reid was prepared to 'take the risk' of more prisoners absconding.
The policy is being introduced in a bid to solve the growing prison population crisis.
I mean, why build more prisons? Pah, instead we'll just let some of them escape and thus create more room for other prisoners. Genius.
The memo, from governor Fiona Radford, warned Dr Reid of the likely consequences of the policy.
He 'accepted as inevitable' that escapes would rise, according to Ms Radford, of West Sussex's Ford Open Prison.
She added: 'Ministers have apparently been briefed to this effect and are taking this risk.'
The memo also revealed ministers expected drug abuse to increase among prisoners as a result of the policy.
Again, all part of the programme. "Acceptable" escapes, "acceptable" drug abuse, and, no doubt, an "acceptable" rise in crime once they're back out on the streets, some of them with a habit to feed.
A move to transfer criminals to open prisons is to go ahead, despite ministers admitting the policy will 'inevitably' lead to more break-outs.
The revelation came in a leaked memo which suggested Home Secretary John Reid was prepared to 'take the risk' of more prisoners absconding.
The policy is being introduced in a bid to solve the growing prison population crisis.
I mean, why build more prisons? Pah, instead we'll just let some of them escape and thus create more room for other prisoners. Genius.
The memo, from governor Fiona Radford, warned Dr Reid of the likely consequences of the policy.
He 'accepted as inevitable' that escapes would rise, according to Ms Radford, of West Sussex's Ford Open Prison.
She added: 'Ministers have apparently been briefed to this effect and are taking this risk.'
The memo also revealed ministers expected drug abuse to increase among prisoners as a result of the policy.
Again, all part of the programme. "Acceptable" escapes, "acceptable" drug abuse, and, no doubt, an "acceptable" rise in crime once they're back out on the streets, some of them with a habit to feed.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
A Hint of Things To Come?
It looks like the infidel Jack Straw doesn't know his place- a spokeswoman for the MPACUK says that he "shouldn't be allowed" to comment on women wearing the full-face veil. Veil-rage is brewing in the UK as a result but all Straw is guilty of is asking Muslim women wearing the veil to consider removing it when they come to speak to him. He believes that it's best to actually see the face of the person he's speaking with.
Of course, that is an entirely unreasonable position for him to take in the eyes of the Muslim spokespeople the BBC discussed the matter with.
Interesting that this takes place so soon after another Muslim, Abu Izzadeen, shouted out-
Of course, that is an entirely unreasonable position for him to take in the eyes of the Muslim spokespeople the BBC discussed the matter with.
Interesting that this takes place so soon after another Muslim, Abu Izzadeen, shouted out-
"How dare you come to a Muslim area when you have arrested so many Muslims in this area."
"I am furious I am absolutely furious - John Reid should not come to a Muslim area, we do not want to see him."
So in the view of at least some British Muslims elected representatives should not be allowed to comment on "Muslim issues" or go into "Muslim areas". It seems that the divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims in the UK are widening as each day passes. Who knows what the future will hold?
Lone Liberal Supports Free Speech
I never thought I'd find this headline on Kos- In Defense of Michelle Malkin. Wow. Credit to the poster, ptristam, for pointing out that while he is opposed to the politics Malkin stands for, the issue of free speech should trump such partisan politics. Shame that some of the commentators there can't get beyond it. In fact, there seems to be no support whatsoever- here's a little example of some of the posts:
I don't care if YouTube shows or doesn't show this video, but it sounds pretty dumb to me. Juxtaposing images of preposterous protests over the Dutch cartoons with suicide bombings is false equivalency at best; an outright attempt to conflate at worst.
YouTube is privately-owned so they can censor whatever the hell they feel like.
But we are not in the business of legislating ethics. We leave that bullshit to the right.
Your diary reeks of bullsh*t
the problem with the diary in these lines seems to lie in the fact that the oppression by Christian theology here in America isn't touched upon.
These cartoons weren't published 35 years ago--they were published less than a year ago and are a direct affront to those practicing Islamics.
This is a woman whose every written word bespeaks intolerance. It is naive to consider her an advocate of the tolerance that free speech implies, simply because her political message happens on one occasion to be swimming with the stream of tolerance, instead of against it.
Many ideas and ideals liberalism should defend but intolerance (and the intolerant)...no, I think the line needs to be drawn somewhere.
And that seems to sum up the Kos-brigade in a nutshell- "We like free speech, but only if you're saying the same thing as us."
I don't care if YouTube shows or doesn't show this video, but it sounds pretty dumb to me. Juxtaposing images of preposterous protests over the Dutch cartoons with suicide bombings is false equivalency at best; an outright attempt to conflate at worst.
YouTube is privately-owned so they can censor whatever the hell they feel like.
But we are not in the business of legislating ethics. We leave that bullshit to the right.
Your diary reeks of bullsh*t
the problem with the diary in these lines seems to lie in the fact that the oppression by Christian theology here in America isn't touched upon.
These cartoons weren't published 35 years ago--they were published less than a year ago and are a direct affront to those practicing Islamics.
This is a woman whose every written word bespeaks intolerance. It is naive to consider her an advocate of the tolerance that free speech implies, simply because her political message happens on one occasion to be swimming with the stream of tolerance, instead of against it.
Many ideas and ideals liberalism should defend but intolerance (and the intolerant)...no, I think the line needs to be drawn somewhere.
And that seems to sum up the Kos-brigade in a nutshell- "We like free speech, but only if you're saying the same thing as us."
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Blair's Appeasement
You may have heard of the IMC report released recently which announced that the IRA has changed radically and is not seeking a return to violence. The report's conclusions are an amazing coincidence considering that Blair and Peter Hain are getting impatient with the lack of a devolved government here- Blair must want to be seen to have "brogut peace" to the province before he stands down. In their view it's high time that the DUP stopped mucking around worrying about an armed terrorist organisation getting into government here. I mean, really, who do those elected representatives think they are?
In actual fact the IMC report isn't all rosy. What it does say is that the IRA is currently unable to mount a sustained campaign and that some of its command and control structures have been dismantled. It doesn't actually say that the IRA can't or won't mount a limited campaign of terrorist violence if they don't get their way. The IMC also can't say for sure that the IRA were responsible for the murder of a British spy recently but to them, and Blair's government, that doesn't seem to matter. A mere trifle.
The IMC do say that the IRA aren't "targeting, recruiting or training, or trying to procure weapons" at the moment. What they don't say is that the terrorist group are still armed- they appear to be getting what they want and they still have an unknown amount of weaponry so it doesn't surprise me that they aren't looking to buy new weapons right now. There's also no mention of the multi-million pound Northern Bank robbery which the IRA was apparently behind, but they're quick to allege that any IRA criminal activity (read, "organised crime") doesn't seem to be based on orders from above. Well, that's all right then- we've got a local mafia, still armed terrorists, questions about a major robbery (and what exactly the IRA needed all that money for) and an unsolved murder of a British agent. Not to mention the fact that security sources say that the IRA possesses the ability to go back to an armed campaign if it changes its mind.
Gee, now why would the DUP be worried about those sorts of people being involved in the government of Northern Ireland?
In actual fact the IMC report isn't all rosy. What it does say is that the IRA is currently unable to mount a sustained campaign and that some of its command and control structures have been dismantled. It doesn't actually say that the IRA can't or won't mount a limited campaign of terrorist violence if they don't get their way. The IMC also can't say for sure that the IRA were responsible for the murder of a British spy recently but to them, and Blair's government, that doesn't seem to matter. A mere trifle.
The IMC do say that the IRA aren't "targeting, recruiting or training, or trying to procure weapons" at the moment. What they don't say is that the terrorist group are still armed- they appear to be getting what they want and they still have an unknown amount of weaponry so it doesn't surprise me that they aren't looking to buy new weapons right now. There's also no mention of the multi-million pound Northern Bank robbery which the IRA was apparently behind, but they're quick to allege that any IRA criminal activity (read, "organised crime") doesn't seem to be based on orders from above. Well, that's all right then- we've got a local mafia, still armed terrorists, questions about a major robbery (and what exactly the IRA needed all that money for) and an unsolved murder of a British agent. Not to mention the fact that security sources say that the IRA possesses the ability to go back to an armed campaign if it changes its mind.
Gee, now why would the DUP be worried about those sorts of people being involved in the government of Northern Ireland?
Optional Law Enforcement
I've blogged before about the decline of once "Great" Britain. This story is certainly a stark illustration of that sad degeneration.
A Muslim police officer was excused from guarding London's Israeli Embassy after he objected to the duty on 'moral grounds'.
PC Alexander Omar Basha - a member of the Metropolitan Police's Diplomatic Protection Group - refused to be posted there because he objected to Israeli bombings in Lebanon and the resulting civilian casualties of fellow Muslims.
A Muslim police officer was excused from guarding London's Israeli Embassy after he objected to the duty on 'moral grounds'.
PC Alexander Omar Basha - a member of the Metropolitan Police's Diplomatic Protection Group - refused to be posted there because he objected to Israeli bombings in Lebanon and the resulting civilian casualties of fellow Muslims.
In a move which has caused widespread astonishment at Scotland Yard, senior officers in the DPG agreed that that PC Basha should be given an alternative posting.
Since when do the police get to pick and choose who in this country they decide to protect from lawlessness? Will this officer protect any Jewish or Israeli people he sees in our capital from crime? Can you believe that a member of the BNP in the police would be allowed to be exempt from protecting African embassies? Are Christian officers exempt from protecting Muslim embassies?
What's happened to Britain?
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Indoctrination?
So much for separation of church and state in the U.S.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday by evangelical Christian students and their parents who said a Contra Costa County school district engaged in unconstitutional religious indoctrination when it taught students about Islam by having them recite language from prayers.
The court, without comment, left intact a ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last November in favor of the Byron Union School District in eastern Contra Costa.
The suit challenged the content of a seventh-grade history course at Excelsior Middle School in Byron in the fall of 2001. The teacher, using an instructional guide, told students they would adopt roles as Muslims for three weeks to help them learn what Muslims believe.
She encouraged them to use Muslim names, recited prayers in class, had them memorize and recite a passage from the Quran and made them give up something for a day, such as television or candy, to simulate fasting during the month of Ramadan. The final exam asked students for a critique of elements of Muslim culture.
Can you imagine how quick the ACLU and others would be on the case if teachers had students pretend to be Christians for three weeks, including saying Christian prayers? Dhimmi Watch has more details on the indoctrination.
Talk about double standards. Pastorius (who wrote the original post I'm linking to) compares this case to the treatment a young girl in America recevied when she read a Bible at recess-
Amber Mangum was a frequent reader during lunch breaks at her Prince George's County middle school, silently soaking up the adventures of Harry Potter and other tales in the spare minutes before afternoon classes. The habit was never viewed as a problem -- not, a lawsuit alleges, until the book she was reading was the Bible.
A vice principal at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel last month ordered Amber, then 12, to stop reading the Bible or face punishment, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by Amber's mother. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, alleges that the vice principal's actions violated the girl's civil rights.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday by evangelical Christian students and their parents who said a Contra Costa County school district engaged in unconstitutional religious indoctrination when it taught students about Islam by having them recite language from prayers.
The court, without comment, left intact a ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last November in favor of the Byron Union School District in eastern Contra Costa.
The suit challenged the content of a seventh-grade history course at Excelsior Middle School in Byron in the fall of 2001. The teacher, using an instructional guide, told students they would adopt roles as Muslims for three weeks to help them learn what Muslims believe.
She encouraged them to use Muslim names, recited prayers in class, had them memorize and recite a passage from the Quran and made them give up something for a day, such as television or candy, to simulate fasting during the month of Ramadan. The final exam asked students for a critique of elements of Muslim culture.
Can you imagine how quick the ACLU and others would be on the case if teachers had students pretend to be Christians for three weeks, including saying Christian prayers? Dhimmi Watch has more details on the indoctrination.
Talk about double standards. Pastorius (who wrote the original post I'm linking to) compares this case to the treatment a young girl in America recevied when she read a Bible at recess-
Amber Mangum was a frequent reader during lunch breaks at her Prince George's County middle school, silently soaking up the adventures of Harry Potter and other tales in the spare minutes before afternoon classes. The habit was never viewed as a problem -- not, a lawsuit alleges, until the book she was reading was the Bible.
A vice principal at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel last month ordered Amber, then 12, to stop reading the Bible or face punishment, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by Amber's mother. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, alleges that the vice principal's actions violated the girl's civil rights.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Bag's Rants
I don't know how I missed this one- Bag's Rants is a blog which I've been reading and commenting on for some time now, and I've only just realised that I don't have a link on my page. D'oh!
That's been fixed now, so why not head on over and have a look around.
That's been fixed now, so why not head on over and have a look around.
Esmay Yet Again
I'd hadn't planned on visiting or writing about Dean Esmay again but I see today from Jihad Watch that he's off on another ill-informed rant.
This time it's about the topic of abrogation, where verses in the Koran revealed chronologically later supercede those "revealed" earlier. He demands, "please cite for me where the Koran says that a verse recorded later necessarily supercedes a verse recorded later. I don't think you can."
Of course, Robert Spencer does just that. And even I knew of that verse. Is Esmay deliberately lying or does he just not know what he's writing about? I can't tell.
Anyway, that's not the worst of it-
Which is why, by the way, everyone at Hot Air and Michellemalkin.com are poseurs (and possible traitors in the War On Terror) until they find a Muslim co-blogger.
Is this some new twist on the chickenhawk argument- you can't comment on Islam unless you're a Muslim or close friends with one? Absolutely bizarre. He has officially lost the plot.
This time it's about the topic of abrogation, where verses in the Koran revealed chronologically later supercede those "revealed" earlier. He demands, "please cite for me where the Koran says that a verse recorded later necessarily supercedes a verse recorded later. I don't think you can."
Of course, Robert Spencer does just that. And even I knew of that verse. Is Esmay deliberately lying or does he just not know what he's writing about? I can't tell.
Anyway, that's not the worst of it-
Which is why, by the way, everyone at Hot Air and Michellemalkin.com are poseurs (and possible traitors in the War On Terror) until they find a Muslim co-blogger.
Is this some new twist on the chickenhawk argument- you can't comment on Islam unless you're a Muslim or close friends with one? Absolutely bizarre. He has officially lost the plot.
Future Visions
Clayton Cramer has a very thought-provoking post up, discussing the possible solutions to the current fight against Islamofascist terrorism. Let me make one thing clear first- Cramer doesn't advocate these measures, he's merely wondering about what the future may hold if we can't get the situation in Iraq to work.
-
1. "Fortress America": We secure our borders against terrorists entering either legally (as the 9/11 hijackers overwhelmingly did), or illegally (as could easily happen across our unsecure borders). But how do we do that? The ACLU (the fourth branch of the U.S. government) already objects to enforcement of the existing immigration laws. The dramatic increase in security to actually make us safe from terrorists coming here would be impossible, unless the ACLU ceased to have the influence in currently enjoys.
Along with terrorists, we also have to worry about WMDs. It would not be at all difficult to ship all sorts of nasty weapons into the U.S., either with long period timers on them, or with one legal resident of the U.S. prepared to set off the weapon when it arrived. The current volume of international trade is huge. To adequately secure against the arrival of WMDs would almost certainly cause a dramatic reduction in international trade--with deleterious effects on the U.S. economy.
2. Make al-Qaeda happy. Unfortunately, contrary to the fantasies of the left, it is not enough to withdraw U.S. forces from the Middle East. Al-Qaeda believes that interfering with rape and genocide in Darfur is also a sign of "Crusaders" and it was Australian interference in the gang rape of girls in East Timor by Islamofascists that led al-Qaeda to the Bali bombing. (Yes, feminists, there is a philosophy more oppressive to women than Christianity.) We would have to not only cut off aid to Israel, but stand by while Iran carries out its mission of extermination. Al-Qaeda has also repeatedly stated that conflict is inevitable until all nations are Islamic. I used to think this was so absurd that I questioned this premise of the novel Prayers for the Assassin. With the way that Americans are beginning to take the short view of this matter, maybe this is only very unlikely--not impossible. poor.)
The next three possible strategies would require enormous will, not only from the U.S., but from our allies. This will does not currently exist. Would it exist if there were a Beslan incident every month? You betcha. Why, even liberals might start to figure out that playing nice with al-Qaeda doesn't work.
3. Treat Muslim nations the way they have treated every other nation. Invade them; occupy; convert their mosques into churches; send in troops with orders to kill anyone that gives them any lip; assess a special tax on Muslims; pass laws that give Muslims less legal rights than non-Muslims, not just in ways that matter (say, a ban on Muslims possessing anything more deadly than a butter knife), but in ways intended to degrade them, like the laws that Muslims nations had prohibiting non-Muslims from riding horses. (Christians and Jews could only ride donkeys.) If we were prepared to do this as vigorously as Islam did to what had been the Byzantine Empire, in four generations, Islam would be a minority religion everywhere our soldiers went.
4. A war not to change hearts and minds, but to humble Islam. Remember last year when Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) suggested that a terrorist nuclear attack on the U.S. might cause us to use nuclear weapons on Mecca? I was horrified that he would say such a thing. The more that I think about it, the more I find myself wondering if it may come to that.
At least part of the core problem we are having with Islamofascism is that Muslims believe that they have a specially favored status before Allah--and at the same time, recognize that they are generally poor and miserable compared to the non-Muslim world--in spite of sitting on oceans of oil. These two positions create cognitive dissonance, which can force a rational person suffering it to abandon or modify one of those postions. Now, one rational response would be to solve the poverty problem by modernizing their economies. But unfortunately, Islamofascists seem more intent on destroying the economies of the West, so that this cognitive dissonance ends, because the West is as desperately poor as most Arab countries. (This may also be the reason the left is so sympathetic to al-Qaeda--they can end world poverty by making everyone poor.)
That horrifying concept of nuking Mecca? While Mecca itself isn't "special" to Islam, as I understand it, it would be difficult for Muslims to continue to hold on to this belief that they are "special" to Allah if they can't go on pilgrimage to the holy sites anymore. (The pilgrimage to Mecca is something that every Muslim is supposed to do at least once, if they can.) Such a destructive act would have to be thoroughly explained to the Muslim world to clarify its purpose: "You think that you are something special because you are Muslims? Sorry, you aren't. You won't rein in the monsters like al-Qaeda; this is a reminder that you worship a false god. Keep it up, and we'll nuke every significant religious site in the Muslim world."
5. There's one more step, if that doesn't work, and it is far more horrifying than that. Don't stop at nuking religious sites. If you are familiar with Randy Newman's satirical song "Political Science" you may think that I am being fiercely satirical. I'm not. This is a horrifying prospect--but I can see how, if Islamofascism can't be stopped by less barbarous methods, a generation from now this may be the only alternative to living in the Islamic States of America posited by Ferrigno's Prayers for the Assassin.
-
Over at Infidel Bloggers Alliance there has been a growing concern that a more radical reaction to Islamic terrorism may take place as the creeping dhimmitude and terrorist violence continues. Cramer's options seem to clarify exactly what those concerns are about. It's a pretty frightening picture of what the coming years may hold.
-
1. "Fortress America": We secure our borders against terrorists entering either legally (as the 9/11 hijackers overwhelmingly did), or illegally (as could easily happen across our unsecure borders). But how do we do that? The ACLU (the fourth branch of the U.S. government) already objects to enforcement of the existing immigration laws. The dramatic increase in security to actually make us safe from terrorists coming here would be impossible, unless the ACLU ceased to have the influence in currently enjoys.
Along with terrorists, we also have to worry about WMDs. It would not be at all difficult to ship all sorts of nasty weapons into the U.S., either with long period timers on them, or with one legal resident of the U.S. prepared to set off the weapon when it arrived. The current volume of international trade is huge. To adequately secure against the arrival of WMDs would almost certainly cause a dramatic reduction in international trade--with deleterious effects on the U.S. economy.
2. Make al-Qaeda happy. Unfortunately, contrary to the fantasies of the left, it is not enough to withdraw U.S. forces from the Middle East. Al-Qaeda believes that interfering with rape and genocide in Darfur is also a sign of "Crusaders" and it was Australian interference in the gang rape of girls in East Timor by Islamofascists that led al-Qaeda to the Bali bombing. (Yes, feminists, there is a philosophy more oppressive to women than Christianity.) We would have to not only cut off aid to Israel, but stand by while Iran carries out its mission of extermination. Al-Qaeda has also repeatedly stated that conflict is inevitable until all nations are Islamic. I used to think this was so absurd that I questioned this premise of the novel Prayers for the Assassin. With the way that Americans are beginning to take the short view of this matter, maybe this is only very unlikely--not impossible. poor.)
The next three possible strategies would require enormous will, not only from the U.S., but from our allies. This will does not currently exist. Would it exist if there were a Beslan incident every month? You betcha. Why, even liberals might start to figure out that playing nice with al-Qaeda doesn't work.
3. Treat Muslim nations the way they have treated every other nation. Invade them; occupy; convert their mosques into churches; send in troops with orders to kill anyone that gives them any lip; assess a special tax on Muslims; pass laws that give Muslims less legal rights than non-Muslims, not just in ways that matter (say, a ban on Muslims possessing anything more deadly than a butter knife), but in ways intended to degrade them, like the laws that Muslims nations had prohibiting non-Muslims from riding horses. (Christians and Jews could only ride donkeys.) If we were prepared to do this as vigorously as Islam did to what had been the Byzantine Empire, in four generations, Islam would be a minority religion everywhere our soldiers went.
4. A war not to change hearts and minds, but to humble Islam. Remember last year when Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) suggested that a terrorist nuclear attack on the U.S. might cause us to use nuclear weapons on Mecca? I was horrified that he would say such a thing. The more that I think about it, the more I find myself wondering if it may come to that.
At least part of the core problem we are having with Islamofascism is that Muslims believe that they have a specially favored status before Allah--and at the same time, recognize that they are generally poor and miserable compared to the non-Muslim world--in spite of sitting on oceans of oil. These two positions create cognitive dissonance, which can force a rational person suffering it to abandon or modify one of those postions. Now, one rational response would be to solve the poverty problem by modernizing their economies. But unfortunately, Islamofascists seem more intent on destroying the economies of the West, so that this cognitive dissonance ends, because the West is as desperately poor as most Arab countries. (This may also be the reason the left is so sympathetic to al-Qaeda--they can end world poverty by making everyone poor.)
That horrifying concept of nuking Mecca? While Mecca itself isn't "special" to Islam, as I understand it, it would be difficult for Muslims to continue to hold on to this belief that they are "special" to Allah if they can't go on pilgrimage to the holy sites anymore. (The pilgrimage to Mecca is something that every Muslim is supposed to do at least once, if they can.) Such a destructive act would have to be thoroughly explained to the Muslim world to clarify its purpose: "You think that you are something special because you are Muslims? Sorry, you aren't. You won't rein in the monsters like al-Qaeda; this is a reminder that you worship a false god. Keep it up, and we'll nuke every significant religious site in the Muslim world."
5. There's one more step, if that doesn't work, and it is far more horrifying than that. Don't stop at nuking religious sites. If you are familiar with Randy Newman's satirical song "Political Science" you may think that I am being fiercely satirical. I'm not. This is a horrifying prospect--but I can see how, if Islamofascism can't be stopped by less barbarous methods, a generation from now this may be the only alternative to living in the Islamic States of America posited by Ferrigno's Prayers for the Assassin.
-
Over at Infidel Bloggers Alliance there has been a growing concern that a more radical reaction to Islamic terrorism may take place as the creeping dhimmitude and terrorist violence continues. Cramer's options seem to clarify exactly what those concerns are about. It's a pretty frightening picture of what the coming years may hold.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Huzzah!
Jurassic Park, here we come!
When paleontologists find fossilized dinosaur bones during a dig, they usually do everything in their power to protect them, using tools like toothbrushes to carefully unearth the bones without inflicting any damage. However, when scientists found a massive Tyrannosaurus rex thigh bone in a remote region of Montana a few months ago, they were forced to break the bone in two in order to fit it into the transport helicopter. This act of necessity revealed a startling surprise: soft tissue that had seemingly resisted fossilization still existed inside the bone. This tissue, including blood vessels, bone cells, and perhaps even blood cells, was so well preserved that it was still stretchy and flexible.
The scientists have discovered a remarkable similarity to modern day ostriches, adding further evidence to the dinosaur-bird link. The next step is a search for proteins which may give a definitive answer to the warm blooded-cold blooded debate.
Does this discovery of soft dinosaur tissue mean that scientists will soon be able to clone a Tyrannosaurus rex? Probably not – most scientists believe that DNA cannot survive for 70 million years. Then again, before this discovery, most scientists believed that soft tissue could not survive for 70 million years either.
Precisely.
When paleontologists find fossilized dinosaur bones during a dig, they usually do everything in their power to protect them, using tools like toothbrushes to carefully unearth the bones without inflicting any damage. However, when scientists found a massive Tyrannosaurus rex thigh bone in a remote region of Montana a few months ago, they were forced to break the bone in two in order to fit it into the transport helicopter. This act of necessity revealed a startling surprise: soft tissue that had seemingly resisted fossilization still existed inside the bone. This tissue, including blood vessels, bone cells, and perhaps even blood cells, was so well preserved that it was still stretchy and flexible.
The scientists have discovered a remarkable similarity to modern day ostriches, adding further evidence to the dinosaur-bird link. The next step is a search for proteins which may give a definitive answer to the warm blooded-cold blooded debate.
Does this discovery of soft dinosaur tissue mean that scientists will soon be able to clone a Tyrannosaurus rex? Probably not – most scientists believe that DNA cannot survive for 70 million years. Then again, before this discovery, most scientists believed that soft tissue could not survive for 70 million years either.
Precisely.
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