Freedom in Dubai

It's curious to watch how the Left is portraying the cartoon drama - most seem to view the cartoons as the product of a rght-wing paper trying to cause trouble. And that's about as far as it goes. I guess it's hard to hold onto their meme of a "tiny minority of extremists" when there are so many riots, embassies being burned to the ground, people being killed and terrorist attacks and murders being threatened.

In the midst of it all an American teacher at a school in Dubai has been fired for showing the cartoons to her class of students. The Minister of Education for Dubai had her sacked and in doing so he displayed a rather curious concept of freedom of speech:

Shaikh Nahyan emphasised that there is freedom of opinion and expression in the UAE, as well as academic freedom enjoyed by all educational institutions, but what happened in Zayed University does not relate, in any sense, to any relevant concept of freedom.

He pointed out that what had happened was an individual act and that Zayed University and all other educational and academic institutions were functioning within the framework of total compliance with Islam.

"We can never accept any offences against Islam, or any of its teachings and noble values," he said.

Free speech is okay- but not about Islam. The worst thing is that that's not just the message coming out of Dubai- but also the UK and USA where the cartoons have (virtually) not been published.

Funny that the Left is so adamant about the threat to freedom that Bush poses, so dedicated to the cause of freedom of speech- except when it happens for real. Then, there's silence. I've heard an awful lot of nonsense about Bush and his plans for a Christian theocracy in the United States, where true freedom will be trampled under the jackboot; but when a real religious theocracy suppresses freedom of speech, when a religion demands that nothing ever dare be said about it anywhere in the world, the Left is strangely silent on the matter. The message seems to be- "we'll stand up against you dangerous Christians who get upset at attacks on your faith, but these here Muslims- hey, we have to respect their faith. Those guys might hurt us."

Cartoon Crisis Double Standard

Unless you've been relying on the MSM you'll know by now that in addition to the 12 relatively inocuous cartoons made for the Danish press, the Danish imams who seem to be at the centre of this controversy showed not only the original cartoons but three others too (one of a pig-nosed Mohammed, one of him being "mounted" by a dog and one of a devil-horned sketch of him with the slogan "Den Paedofile "profet" Muhamed"). They also apparently claimed that there were 120 cartoons, not just 12 and "that the Danish government would censor the Koran, burn the Koran, and that Danes were planning to make a blasphemous movie about Mohammed."

Michelle Malkin quotes Paul Belien on the matter-

"However, these imams created their own three Muhammad images. They have even presented a French clown as being Muhammad. Because the twelve JP cartoonists are not Muslims, the Muslim blasphemy laws do not apply to them. But these laws do apply to the imams. Consequently, these imams deserve death. They – and no-one else – depicted the prophet as a pig – the highest imaginable insult in Islam."

Seems like the man has a point- the Muslim world is incensed by the 12 cartoons, the worst of which depict Mohammed with a bomb turban, but have they yet to become infuriated by the imam created image of Mohammed being taken by a dog? Have there been death threats issued against the imams?

I don't think it'll happen- when the Koran flushing incident turned out to have been caused not by an American guard at Guantanamo but by a Muslim prisoner the whole incident was quietly dropped. Seems like it's okay for a Muslim to denigrate the holy book, but not an infidel. I guess we'll see exactly the same thing happen here- Muslims will threaten to behead Danish infidel artists, to bring a repeat of the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks (how ironic to threaten a terrorist attack because you're upset over the portrayal of Mohammed as a terorrist icon), to bring a "real" holocaust to Europe because the dirty infidels insult their prophet, but when their own religious leaders do it- and they really did produce insulting images- well, that seems to get a pass. Death to the infidel but not a word said against the imams? It figures.

BTW, there's a great collection of cartoons about the whole controversy here. Definitely worth checking out.

Will Hamas Become Moderate?

In the wake of their election victory there was much discussion of Hamas being "forced" to become moderate by their new position of power. Somehow I don't think that's going to happen. The following is from Memri, a transcript of a speech by Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al at the Al-Murabit Mosque in Damascus. There is a fair bit here but please do take the time to read it all.

"They do not understand the Arab or Muslim mentality, which rejects the foreigner. Our Arab forefathers, before the advent of Islam, rejected the aggressors and the foreigners.

"I say to the [European countries]: Hurry up and apologize to our nation, because if you do not, you will regret it. This is because our nation is progressing and is victorious. Do not leave a black mark in the collective memory of the nation, because our nation will not forgive you.

"Tomorrow, our nation will sit on the throne of the world. This is not a figment of the imagination, but a fact. Tomorrow we will lead the world, Allah willing. Apologize today, before remorse will do you no good. Our nation is moving forwards, and it is in your interest to respect a victorious nation.

"Today, you are fighting the army of Allah. You are fighting against peoples for whom death for the sake of Allah, and for the sake of honor and glory, is preferable to life. You are fighting a nation that does not tire, even after 1,000 years of fighting. Today, you are facing peoples filled with faith, with the love of Allah, with the love of Allah's Prophet, with bravery, glory, and pride - a nation that knows its way, a nation that knows what it is, a nation that respects itself. How can you possibly defeat us?

"Before Israel dies, it must be humiliated and degraded. Allah willing, before they die, they will experience humiliation and degradation every day. America will be of no avail to them. Their generals will be of no avail to them. The last of their generals has been forgotten. Allah has made him disappear. He's over. Gone is that Sharon behind whose back they would hide and find shelter, and with whom they would feel relatively secure. Today they have frail leaders, who don't even know where our Lord placed them.

"Allah willing, we will make them lose their eyesight, we will make them lose their brains.

"Hamas has a vision. Hamas has a plan. Hamas can manage the political battle, just like it managed the military battle, but in a different language, with different tools, and recognizing Israel is not one of them. Nor is giving up the rights, giving up the right to resistance, and nor is giving up the weapons of the resistance.

"Nevertheless, we want to deal with politics, but there is a difference between the politics of the weak and defeatists, which we will constantly repeat - the kind of politics that does not impress the enemy and so it does nothing - because, like in the marketplace, products praised too much become cheap. If we continue to praise our products, constantly saying: 'We love peace,' 'We have given up the option of war,' 'Peace is our strategic option,' 'For God's sake, Israel, give us a few scraps of land' - By Allah, we will be degraded in the eyes of our enemies."

At one point the crowd chants: "Death to Israel. Death to Israel. Death to America."

I'll say it again- time for America to stop giving these people millions of dollars in aid.

Tiny Minority of Extremists

Nearly two fifths (37 per cent) believe that the Jewish community in Britain is a legitimate target “as part of the ongoing struggle for justice in the Middle East”.

Is that what qualifies as a tiny minority these days?

Mohammed Cartoons Again

I'm a bit under the weather at the moment so instead of a post I'm just going to provide some links today. Please do check them out if you haven't already-

Islam Unhinged

Cartoon Controversy in Context

Sensitivity Can Have Brutal Consequences

Hundreds Of Millions Of Muslims Ready To Die For Allah [the merciful]

And, on related themes-

Rumsfeld Gets It

I Am A 16 Year Old Girl From Pakistan Who Needs Your Help

Smith and Wesson's AR

Just picked up the latest copy of Guns and Ammo- featuring a review of a new Smith and Wesson Military and Police model, the AR-clone "M&P 15".

I haven't yet read the review but I did have a quick peek at the SW website- no mention of the carbine there as yet other than this press release. There are going to be two versions available- a standard and a "tactical" package with railed fore-end and folding sights. It's an interesting development. Sadly they do not seem to have had the foresight to include a gas piston.

Flight of Fantasy

An image of Inara from Firefly/Serenity by Joshua Middleton.

Just to pretty the place up a little.

Democrats?

Funny how Democrats came out to protest about Google censoring the internet in China, but they have nothing to say about the freedom of the press and freedom of speech issue surrounding the Mohammed cartoons.

What are we to take from this? Corporate censorship in the pursuit of profits is bad, but Islamic censorship of the world's press is good?

Images From London

Michelle Malkin has a collection of images from the protest by the Religion of Peace. They include-

"Europe you will pay, your 9/11 is on its way"

"As Muslims we unite, we are prepared to fight"

"Europe you will pay, your extermination is on the way"

"Be prepared for the real Holocaust"

So these Muslims are protesting the freedom of speech used to print some cartoons of Mohammed, but it's okay for them to use that same freedom of speech to threaten terrorist attacks against Europe?

At the same time the US State Department has labelled the cartoons "as unacceptable incitement to religious or ethnic hatred."

I wonder what they'll have to say about the protest?

Update- Well, it seems the US State Department's position is not quite so clear cut-

"while we share the offense that Muslims have taken at these images, we at the same time vigorously defend the right of individuals to express points of view. We may — like I said, we may not agree with those points of view, we may condemn those points of view but we respect and emphasize the importance that those individuals have the right to express those points of view."

London Protests

I just caught the morning news coverage of the protests in London by Muslims against the Mohammed cartoons. The BBC has this to say-

UK Muslims have denied that the reaction to the cartoons' reproduction has been a threat to freedom of speech.

It was a "question of exercising good judgement", said Inayat Bunglawala, from the Muslim Council of Britain.

They mention briefly -

Some demonstrators chanted "7/7 is on its way" while also waving placards and burning flags, during a march through London to the Danish, French and German embassies.

They do not mention the signs being carried by the protestors either. They included-

Death to those who insult Islam

Behead those who insult Islam, and,

Freedom of Speech Go To Hell

The news report (from ITV) concluded with a former newspaper editor explaining that the solution to the whole problem is one of respect- saying that it was just not on to go around insulting the minority immigrant population of the country.

Thus far in this debate that's a stance I've heard several times. However, no one has asked that Muslims respect our tradition of free speech.

Update - The Guardian adds this detail to the protests-

Several of the demonstrators chanted "Down, down UK" and "Down, down EU" as well as other anti-British slogans. A group of around 20 women, covered by the traditional Islamic burqa, yelled slogans and held large banners proclaiming: "Kill the one who insults the Prophet."

Update 2 - Michelle Malkin has a collection of images from the protest by the Religion of Peace. They include-

"Europe you will pay, your 9/11 is on its way"

"As Muslims we unite, we are prepared to fight"

"Europe you will pay, your extermination is on the way"

"Be prepared for the real Holocaust"

So these Muslims are protesting the freedom of speech used to print some cartoons of Mohammed, but it's okay for them to use that same freedom of speech to threaten terrorist attacks against Europe?

Boycott

A couple more Hollywood "stars" who won't see a penny from me ever again, Billy Zane and Gary Busey-

In the most expensive Turkish movie ever made, American soldiers in Iraq crash a wedding and pump a little boy full of lead in front of his mother.

They kill dozens of innocent people with random machine gun fire, shoot the groom in the head, and drag those left alive to Abu Ghraib prison - where a Jewish doctor cuts out their organs, which he sells to rich people in New York, London and Tel Aviv.

Road Rage Update

John Lott has an analysis of the "road rage gun owners" research I mentioned. It seems that the "science" behind it is even more flawed- remarkably so- than I first imagined.

Among the findings are-

The paper also has some funny results. For example, Liberals are apparently much more likely to engage in road rage than conservatives and the difference is larger than the difference between those who did and did not have a gun at least one time in their car over the last year.

I must have missed New Scientist's call to ban liberals for "injury and violence prevention".

Mohammed Cartoons

While papers across Europe have republished the Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed, British papers have not followed suit. The Times instead provided a link to the images off-website and included an editorial explaining why they were not joining in-

To present them in front of the public for debate is not a value-neutral exercise. The offence destined to be caused to moderate Muslims should not be discounted.

They then likened the cartoon linking Mohammed to terrorism as "incendiary". No mention of the many calls for violence against Infidels in the Koran. They then added-

The Times would, for example, have reservations about printing a cartoon of Christ in a Nazi uniform sketched because sympathisers of Hitler had conducted awful crimes in the name of Christianity.

It's news to me that Nazism was conducted in the name of Christianity. Shame on them.

The Guardian and The Telegraph also provided off-website links to the cartoons while the Daily Express and the Daily Mail do not.

The Guardian defended their position by arguing -

Every newspaper in the country regularly carries stories about child pornography, yet none has yet reproduced examples of such pornography as part of their coverage.

The Sun, the top British tabloid, also did not provide a link and in their thinly disguised editorial (by Muslim journalist Anila Baig) on the fuss they said-

To have ANY picture of the Prophet would be proclaimed blasphemous but one that ridicules and insults is, obviously, highly offensive.

It’s hard in today’s increasingly secular world to put this into context. But imagine someone making fun of your parents or someone you hold very dear and then multiply it a million times. This is how Muslims feel, as if they have been personally attacked.

They even questioned why the original cartoons were reproduced, adding in the paper's real editorial piece their reasons for not printing the cartoons-

"the cartoons are intended to insult Muslims, and The Sun can see no justification for causing deliberate offence to our much-valued Muslim readers."

So much for freedom of speech in Britain. Only the TV news programmes offered fleeting glimpses of the cartoons in images of the papers in which they were printed. And Muslim groups in Britain have generally slammed them for it.

The press here, it seems, don't have the nerve to print the cartoons. It seems like the Muslim sensibility trumps freedom of expression in the UK.

The Grip Pod

This is an simple but excellent idea- the Grip Pod, a foregrip that incorporates a button-release bipod.

The system is apparently fast gaining favour with Special Forces units in the US and is going to be available as an accessory with the FN SCAR rifle.

Make sure to check out the video page to see the Grip Pod in action.

Praise for Democrats

I rarely have anything good to say about the Democrats but this is an exception- Tom Lantos of California has criticised Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! and Cisco for aiding "China's efforts to restrict the flow of information and to punish people who have the courage and determination" to fight for democracy and freedom.

"They caved in to Beijing's demands for the sake of profits," Lantos said. "These massively successful high tech companies...should be ashamed."

I couldn't agree more.

Another Democrat, Ohio's Tim Ryan added, "American citizens have every right to demand that companies use this technology to advance freedom rather than support oppression."

All of the companies mentioned are due to attend a Congressional hearing on the matter on February 15th.

Anti-Gun Propaganda

This is a new argument to me- and it seems that the anti-gun lobby must be getting desperate if this is what they are reduced to. I guess they have to find some way to respond to the fact that more people legally carrying guns results in less violent crime.

A study carried out by the Harvard School of Public Health has discovered- from a sample of 2,400 drivers- that motorists who carry guns are more likely to indulge in road rage than those whom are not armed-

"Some 23 per cent of gun-toting drivers admitted making rude signs, compared with 16 per cent of those who did not carry guns"

Of course the conclusion reached by this desperate state of affairs is-

"Our findings indicate that the people driving around with guns in their cars are not among the most responsible and best-behaved people on the road," says Vriniotis. "In the interests of injury and violence prevention, it probably makes more sense to tighten rather than relax restrictions on gun carrying in motor vehicles."

So a 7% difference between armed and unarmed in "road rage" (definition- self-admittedly driving aggressively and making rude gestures but not attacking other drivers, or shooting them). I guess guns must be causing this wide gap in behaviour- but what on earth makes those 16% of unarmed people act like asses when they are behind the wheels of their cars?

I like the way the researcher extrapolates from being an aggressive driver and making rude gestures to "injury and violence prevention". Gee, he couldn't have any bias against a free and armed citizenry could he?

What makes this even more irritating is that it was the top story of the New Scientist newletter. Surely they couldn't have an agenda too?

Update here.

IRA Still Up To No Good

Some time ago we were informed that the IRA has disposed of "all" of their weapons. It was supposed to be a giant leap forward in the so-called peace process here in Northern Ireland.

Of course the fact that the IRA is still actively gathering intelligence, is involved in organised crime and has held onto to some of its weapons comes as no surprise to some of us.

The Independent Monitoring Commission, which reported on the IRA intelligence operation, still believes that the IRA are "moving in the right direction".

They said that the IRA were attempting to penetrate public and other instituitions with the intent of "illegally obtaining and handling sensitive information". They also said that arms had been retained by the IRA. That's moving in the right direction?

The Minister for Northern Ireland called the report "positive"and said that there was enough evidence of progress that talks should be resumed. Obviously terrorists lying about destroying their weapons is evidence of their goodwill towards the democratic process?

Tony "tough on terror" Blair's response was that the report was evidence that the IRA leadership had "made a strategic decision to give up the armed struggle."

Of course they have! Why else would they need to keep their firearms and operate a spying operation?

Mohammed's Problem

Cox and Forkum comment on the Mohammed cartoon situation.

Free Speech in France

A French newspaper published the Danish Mohammed cartoons, along with several other European papers (none in Britain that I know of yet)- along with another cartoon of their own devising-

"showing Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy figures sitting on a cloud, with the caption "Don't worry Muhammad, we've all been caricatured here"."

However, unlike the Danish newspaper, the editor of the France Soir paper has been sacked- by the paper's Egyptian owner "as a powerful sign of respect for the intimate beliefs and convictions of every individual".

Journalists at the paper published a picture and editorial on the front page in protest, defending their right to free speech and French MP Herve Marition said the sacking was "in total contradiction to the tradition of press freedom."

I wonder if UK papers will have the nerve to follow through in support of this attack on freedom of the press?

Heartwarming Story

Now this is the sort of news I like to hear about-

Two guys picked the wrong 15-year-old girl to try to rob Monday night.

The teenager was walking on a Dartmouth street when the men tried to yank her knapsack off her back -- and police said that's when it all went wrong for the suspects.

The girl is skilled in martial arts. Police said she knocked one of her attackers to the ground with a hard punch to the face, and then kicked the other in the groin and punched him.

Police said the men fled.

The girl told police she may have dislocated the second man's shoulder or elbow.

The Hamas Charter

The Times has very handily provided extracts from Hamas' founding charter. It makes for interesting reading, particularly for those who think that winning the recent elections will make Hamas suddenly become "moderate":

"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it"

"Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitably should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and Allah's victory is realised."

"Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes."

"Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement."

"It is necessary to instill in the minds of the Muslim generations that the Palestinian problem is a religious problem, and should be dealt with on this basis."

No More Aid For PA

Condoleeza Rice is ruling out funding for Hamas-

"The United States is not prepared to fund an organization that advocates the destruction of Israel, that advocates violence and that refuses its obligations."

The US will continue to provide US taxpayer's money to Abbas' current government- it will also continue to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian people "many of whom are poor and unemployed" on a case-by-case basis. Perhaps that poverty would be aleviated if the Palestinians stopped the violence and created a stable environment where businesses would actually want to invest?

The PA's current annual budget is $1.6 billion. $1 billion of that comes from overseas donors, with Europe providing more than half that figure. The rest of the billion dollars comes from international donor agencies, Arab and Asian governments and the USA- which gave "$70 million in direct aid to the PA last year". The United States also spent $225 million of it's citizen's money on humanitarian projects through USAID last year- with a further $88 million on refugee assistance.

Just how long have those refugees been there? And how long does it take them to get back on their own feet and stop relying on foreign aid for their survival?

Update - It looks like the EU is going to give Hamas some time to think things over-

"European Union foreign ministers ruled out an immediate cutoff of financial aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian government, saying the movement deserves a chance to give up its armed struggle and embrace peace with Israel."

Take the "Great" out of Great Britain

I had to check to make sure that I hadn't slept in today and it wasn't April 1st when I read this story- a school in London has banned pupils from raising their hands to answer questions in class. That's bad enough - the principle says "children often wave their arms in the air, but when teachers try to involve less adventurous pupils by choosing them instead, it leads to feelings of victimization" - but it gets worse.

Can it get worse than that, you say? Absolutely-

"To spare embarrassment of the students who do not know the answer, the school has incorporated a "phone a friend" system, allowing one child to nominate another to take the question instead."

WMDs

I first became aware of the Iraqi WMD story after reading about it on Michelle Malkin's and Clayton Cramer's blogs. If you haven't heard about this- presumably- important story (there was the small matter of a war started over such weapons wasn't there?) I wouldn't be at all surprised. Out of curiosity today I did a search on the BBC news website for "WMDs" and also for the General at the heart of the story "Georges Sada". Neither turned up a result for the story in question.

Not a single mention of the story that a senior Iraqi military figure claims that the WMDs were shipped out of Iraq in civilian airliners to Syria before the war began.

Now perhaps this man's story- he was second-in-command of the Iraqi airforce- will turn out to not be true. Perhaps. But it seems incredible to me that the vast majority of people will not even hear about this story at all because it's being completely ignored by the MSM here in Britain.

As Clayton Cramer notes, 20 tons of chemical weapons agents were brought from Syria to Jordan for an attempted terrorist attack. And the Jerusalem Post also points out that Israel warned that Iraq was smuggling it's WMDs to Syria at the time too.

Could it be that this is being ignored because it might prove that Bush was *gasp* right afterall?

Buy Danish

It seems as if an international boycott is being promoted over the Danish newspaper cartoons of Muhammad

"Artistic representations of the human form are forbidden in Islam, and pictures of Muhammad are especially taboo."

Arla Foods is at the centre of the boycott-

"One Saudi Arabian chain of supermarkets has already removed Arla products from its shelves and called for an official apology."

If you'd like to support the company at this time you can find a list of their products here-

UK
USA

Google

I haven't chimed in yet on Google's policy of standing up to the US government's request for information but submitted to Communist China's demands that searches be censored. Murdoc points out today that Google's "principles" have now changed from-

Google does not censor results for any search term. The order and content of our results are completely automated; we do not manipulate our search results by hand. We believe strongly in allowing the democracy of the web to determine the inclusion and ranking of sites in our search results.

To-

It is Google's policy not to censor search results. However, in response to local laws, regulations, or policies, we may do so. When we remove search results for these reasons, we display a notice on our search results pages. Please note: For some older removals (before March 2005), we may not show a notice at this time.

It looks like their quest for more money trumps their motto of "Don't be evil". And Google already does censor the internet- in France and Germany Nazi sites are banned.

BTW, I had a quick trawl through some of the lefty blogs and couldn't find a single one that commented on the Google/China scandal. Now, I admittedly didn't take a very large sampling but it seems odd that the Left-wing lovers of free speech have so little to say about censorship on such a massive scale. I guess they're all too busy wishing for an Alito-filibuster.

There's an open letter to Google here. Spread the word.

The Future of the PA?

Clayton Cramer comments on possible events in the ME now that the terrorist group Hamas is in power-

1. Hamas continues its unofficial attacks on Israel.
2. Israel eventually says, "Wait a minute! You guys are the government now! This means war!"
3. Israel invades the Palestine National Authority's areas.
4. Iran tells Israel to withdraw, or get nuked.
5. Israel makes a lot of radioactive glass in Iran.

It'll be interesting to see if the US and the rest of the Western world pulls its funding to the PA too if these attacks on Israel continues. I can see no reason why they would not- the PA no longer has the excuse of saying that Hamas is nothing to do with them.

I wonder how long it will be before the next attack on Israel?

Update: Hugh Fitzgerald of Jihad Watch also has his opinions on such aid.

This is Modern Britain

A small hamlet is to have its mail-to-the-door delivery ended after a visit by a Royal Mail health and safety inspector. The mail has been delivered there for as long as living memory- but not any more.

The inspector's report "identifies three potential ways a postman would be killed if he tried to bring a sack of letters up the slope. The grassy pastures hide 23 hazards capable of inflicting major injury, six that could cause serious injury and two risking minor injury."

There are no details in the report of the number of postmen killed, maimed or otherwise injured delivering to what must surely be one of the most hazardous areas in the United Kingdom. Funnily enough though, the hamlet lies on the Brecon Beacons National Park path and as such entices thousands of ramblers to stroll along its route every year. Again, the health and safety report makes no mention of what percentage of these adrenalin-addicted, thrill-seeking hikers are horribly wounded negotiating the route.

The Royal Mail defended its decision by saying "What looks like a quite pleasant country walk could be a lethal stroll for a postman on a dark winter morning."

Quite.

Biased BBC

I was just in the car and I happened to hear a little bit of the Radio 1 news. They were talking about the Palestinian Prime minister offering his resignation due to the success of Hamas in the elections. Of that group they said, "They have carried out some suicide bombings but they do build schools and hospitals."

I guess that makes up for the indiscriminate mass slaughter of innocent people then?

Oleg Volk

Thanks to MadOgre I found this site- run by a chap called Oleg Volk. There are a good number of excellent images on display there, I suggest you check it out. This was only one of many which caught my eye.

Winchester Update

It looks like the Winchester brand will live on- but only their modern rifle lines are to be continued, and they will no longer be made on American soil. The New Haven factory looks like it will be closed- though it is up for sale it seems unlikely that the Winchester name will be sold along with it. The traditional Winchester lever action will no longer be made.

I know that Marlin make exceptional lever action rifles, along with many other companies, but it seems to me that this is the death of a real American icon.

What's the point of Winchester without their lever action line up?

Hat tip to Survival Blog.

Flight of Fancy

Been a while since I posted any images so here's one for you- a Shanna sketch by Adam Hughes. The rifle is incredibly malformed- not at all like AH!'s usual work- but it's a small criticism.

Today's Must Read

I can't possibly top what the superlative Michelle Malkin has written on the case of Haleigh Poutre so I won't even try. It's an important story and I strongly urge you all to read the article. Here's hoping that Haleigh, whose life thus far seems to have been one filled with far too much suffering, makes progress.

"A day after the state's highest court ruled that the Department of Social Services could withdraw life support from a brain-damaged girl, the agency said yesterday that Haleigh Poutre might be emerging from her vegetative state."

Invasion of Privacy

It seems that in the process of resurrecting an anti-pornography law, the Bush adminsitration has subpoenaed Google for "a broad range of material from its databases". This includes "1 million random Web addresses and records of all Google searches from any one-week period." If the government wants to see what's on the internet can't they just go look for themselves? Can't they go to Yahoo's Buzz page and see what the top searches are?

The law in question is the 1998 Child Online Protection Act which "would have required adults to use access codes or other ways of registering before they could see objectionable material online".

I don't quite see how this could possibly be enforced given that adult sites which didn't require any sort of registration could be based overseas and outside of US jurisdiction. Also to prove you're an adult what sort of information will be required? And who will run these registration sites? Who is that information going to go to? I sure don't want the government poking its nose into what I do on the internet, but nor do I want a private firm having access to my details or what I do either. I don't even like allowing cookies onto my system if I can help it- can you imagine the flood of spam this initiative might cause? Not to mention the risks of identity theft. I also don't see why the Federal government should be getting involved in this in the first place- surely it's up to parents to regulate their children's activities? I for one will not be letting my children have free and unfettered access to the internet when they're old enough to use it.

And just who exactly is to say what is "objectionable"? That's a pretty broad term and a lot of sites which don't usually carry adult material may occasionally link to or have an image which may be "NSFW". Are these sites supposed to register all their users or just stop doing what they do?

The original Act, it must be pointed out, was signed into law by Clinton (before being struck down by the Supreme Court) so this is not an example of Bush's desire to create some sort of Christian theocracy. Just in case that's what you Moonbats out there were thinking. This is an example however of how the Evil Party and the Stupid Party can both get things wrong. You'd think that they'd have more pressing concerns on their hands right now anyway- the WOT, Social Security Reform, Energy Independence, reforming the education system. I think there are too many people in Washington with too much time on their hands.

The End of Winchester?

This is disheartening news - CNN reports that Winchester may be going out of business if a buyer cannot be found for their firearms factory in New Haven. The city is trying to find a buyer before the closing date of March 31.

"The company has been plagued by slumping firearm sales. More than 19,000 people worked there during World War II, but the plant employs fewer than 200 now."

This comes as fairly surprising news to me- I'd always thought of Winchester as being one of the biggest manufacturers in the States.

Let's hope the name survives this.

Are Non-Black People Banned?

I'm fairly sure that if a white mayor said that the city he was rebuilding had to remain dominated
by whites there would be a colossal indignation over those remarks. If a black mayor says it there doesn't seem to be much of a problem.

Mayor Ray Nagin on Monday called for the rebuilding of a "chocolate New Orleans" that maintains the city's black majority, saying, "You can't have New Orleans no other way."

Must Read

If there's an award for fisking the work of clueless journalists, then I reckon Kevin over at Smallest Minoroty should win it. His latest dissection "Apparently Along with the Chocolate Rivers come Rainbow Skies and Gumdrop Smiles, too!" is a must read:

So, would you please explain how, if "the availability of handguns is murderous," the addition of at least sixteen million handguns - an increase of about twenty-five percent - resulted in a reduction in homicides nationally - of over 42%?

Unless, of course, your premise is entirely in error.

Nah, couldn't be. You're a journalist.

Kettlebell Update

As some long time readers may know I am a big fan of kettlebell training. For those of you who aren't familiar, a kettlebell resembles a cannonball with a handle on top. A Russian device, the kettlebell is used in a unique form of strength training involving predominantly ballistic movements. I first got interested because I suffer from a bad back- an injury some years ago has developed into arthritis. I've tried all sorts of things to try and help myself (Western medical technology having progressed only so far as "take these painkillers"). Thus far, only kettlebell training is helping.

I started off in Christmas 2004 with a 16kg (35lbs) KB. I quickly found it to be an effective and enjoyable alternative to lifting weights and doing cardio. Unfortunately my health deteriorated somewhat during 2005 and I had to give up virtually all physical activity- until around October. And as I started to feel a little better I started back to work with the KB. In the space of a little over a month I dropped about a stone in weight. Fast results- and bear in mind that I have to take it relatively easy while training.

Just before December was out I decided to switch up to my 32kg (70lbs) KB. There are intermediate weights available but I was on a pretty tight budget when I bought them and my male ego demanded I go for the bigger weight. It's only when you heft a cast iron ball weighing 70lbs in one hand that you realise just how heavy it really is!

Anyway, this is a seriously heavy item and I wasn't strong enough to lift it straight away so I began by doing small sets of two-handed swings and butt-to-ground squats with the KB. After a week of this my strength had developed enough for me to add the one-handed clean to the routine. In the past few days I've added one-handed swings too. It's not a big workout- I'm doing sets of between 3 and 5 reps and between two and five sets of each exercise.

Since the beginning of January I've dropped 2% bodyfat and added 5lbs of muscle- not bad going for a guy with a knackered back. Within the week I hope to add the snatch or the clean and jerk.

Kettlebell is by far the most effective form of exercise I've ever done- and if I can do it, anyone can.

Who watches the watchers?

A correspondent over at War on Guns has come up with this excellent suggestion-

I propose making law enforcement officers wear cameras that can record audio and video while on duty. This would cut down on them screwing around, possible corruption, excessive force, etc. There'd be penalties if they deliberately tampered with it. At the end of each day they have to turn in the cameras. If there's any complaints against them, the video is reviewed by a civilian panel on that particular day on the incident that a complaint was received about.

As he points out we're continually fed the line- we shouldn't worry about Big Brother-style surveillance if we've got nothing to hide. Right? Surely the upstanding citizens who police us have nothing to hide either? Why on earth could they possibly object to such a sensible, reasonable suggestion? It's not like they have anything to hide is it?

Words Fail Me

Green House Gas Culprit

It looks like a significant contributor to global warming...sorry...climate change is not *gasp* caused by humans- it's those pesky plants. They produce between 10 and 30% of the methane found in the atmosphere every year. Live plants emit between 10 and 100 times more than dead ones.

I guess that means that we'll have to restart all those deforestation programs now?

Avian Flu

Well it looks like we might be looking at the beginnings of a major outbreak. According Frau Budgie's blog today, 50 people are currently infected in Turkey. This would make an excellent time for those of you who are NOT prepared for hard times to start. If the flu does spread then your best option is to quarantine yourself- cut down on all unnecessary contact with other people. One way of doing this is to stock up on food now- canned goods, freeze dried meals, rations, whatever will last. This will also safeguard any any possible food shortages caused by a massive pandemic and government imposed quarantines on goods and people entering and exiting their countries.

Hopefully, this will be contained. If it isn't, then it will pay to be prepared.

Big Brother is here

The UK is fast forwarding to becoming a police state. The latest installment of this sorry tale is the news that we're to get a system whereby the movements of all vehicles will be tracked and the data maintained in a national database for a minimum of two years.

There are already plans afoot to extend the storage period to five years. The police are also in talks with supermarkets and petrol stations to incorporate their feeds into the system. The police say that this will be a boon for "crime prevention".

How long before they add facial recognition to the system and feed in CCTV from all public places and private businesses? For the greater good of course.

Hat tip to Survival Blog.

Spare A Moment

My household is in full swing gearing up for Christmas Day tomorrow- my eldest daughter is particularly impressed by NORAD's Santa tracker which you can access here. I'm hoping that you're all having a good Christmas too. Take a moment though to think about the servicemen of the Coalition currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan- indeed, everywhere in the world- placing themselves in harm's way far from home for us. Think too of those who have fallen in the fight against terrorism and whose families will be spending Christmas without their loved ones.

I'm proud and thankful for the service they are giving to their respective countries.

Why not head on over to Soldier's Angels and give them a little Christmas present?

Upcoming Movies in 2006

Not a complete list by any means but it's a good indication of the movies coming to cinemas next year.

Happy Christmas everyone.

BDS- Hollywood Style

Another actor suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome opens their mouth. This time it's Viggo Mortensen-

"I'm not anti-Bush; I'm anti-Bush behavior. In other words, I'm against cheating, greed, cruelty, racism, imperialism, religious fundamentalism, treason, and the seemingly limitless capacity for hypocrisy shown by Bush and his administration. Cindy Sheehan and how badly Katrina was bungled are two shots to the heart. I hope the beast does fall down soon."

Maybe he should give the politics a miss and stick to acting.

Kerry The Jerk

I've been taking a little break from blogging and staying abreast with current affairs- the news is just too damn depressing sometimes. Well, today I dipped my toe back into the blogosphere and practically the first thing I read is that John Kerry thinks it's US troops doing the terrorising in Iraq. I'm dumbfounded. Is this guy for real? Is this what the Democrat Party has sunk to in their hatred of Bush and his policies?

"And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the--of--the historical customs, religious customs."

I think I got back in the water too soon. Thank goodness this jerk didn't win the election.

Be Careful

This has to be one of the most terrifying stories I've ever read-

"It turns out that someone went through an unlocked gate, and through the unlocked door from the back yard in to the garage. (Both of these security holes have now been fixed.) The dachshunds apparently made a serious effort to stop the intruder, but this guy was very intent on getting in.

He went to the room of Brett's daughter who was visiting from college (Brigham Young University), and actually entered her room--but by this point, Brett was up, and beginning to try and figure out why the dogs were making such an extraordinary racket. His wife then told Brett that there was an intruder. Brett grabbed a gun, and started searching the house. The intruder apparently hid in a bathroom until Brett got past him, and then ran down the stairs and out the front door."

This was the second night that the intruder was at the house- and he entered it despite the two dogs, passed a snoozing son crashing on the couch and went upstairs in a fully occupied home to the daughter's bedroom. And it wasn't an isolated dwelling either. Luckily nothing happened but it's a stark reminder that your home security always has to be as tight as it can be. Don't take any chances folks. And if you live somewhere where you can own a firearm, go buy one and learn how to use it. Now.

The End Days of Great Britain

While Kevin of Smallest Minority muses on the future America faces in March of the Lemmings

A couple of important events happened in the past few days. First of all there was a bit of a fuss about the EU flag being flown over British council offices. As the laws stand it is unlawful to fly anything but the national flag unless prior permission has been approved. Of course citizens of Northern Ireland have been subjected to the Irish tricolour being flown for years.

In the case mentioned the council approved their own decision to fly the EU flag. What this story doesn't mention is that Labour plans to change the law next year so that the EU flag does not require special permission to be flown- in essence granting it the same status as our national flag.

The second event which occurred is the EU decision to create pan-European law- seven offences have been listed which it will force member states to enforce. For the first time in British history law-making will not be done by our duly elected representatives. The EU has more crimes in mind to add to the list at a later date.

" (and it's a bleak outlook, one that worryingly seems to becoming more common), I'm actually watching in real time as Great Britain self-destructs, actually voluntarily handing over our sovereignty to the montrous European Union. The announcement is strongly opposed by Britain and many other member states. The Commission is using powers granted by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the EU’s supreme court, and governments fear that there is little they can do to prevent it. The court ruled that the EU had the right to require member states to create criminal offences, and could dictate the length of prison sentences."

The European Superstate moves another few steps closer.

Outrageously Petty Behaviour

From The War on Guns-

"A Gary, IN woman was robbed at knifepoint at a CITGO station--and the clerk refused to dial 911! If you have a blog, please consider telling your visitors about this, along with CITGO's contact information."

Unbelieveable. What's worse is that this seems to be standard practice, not an isolated incident.

The word "boycott" springs to mind.

Jacko's Anti-Semitism

My second Michael Jackson post- who'd have thought it?

The "singer" was recorded on voice mail blaming his financial troubles on a Jewish conspiracy-

"They suck ... they're like leeches ... I'm so tired of it," Jackson told former adviser Dieter Wiesner in one of the messages. "The Jews do it on purpose."

Nothing to do with his spending money like it's going out of fashion then?

The Great Betrayal

A bill went before Parliament which would allow 150 terrorists on the run from justice to return to Northern Ireland-

"paramilitary fugitives would have their cases heard by a special tribunal, but, if found guilty, would be freed on licence without having to go to jail."

The bill by passed by 310 votes to 262.

Secretary of State Peter Hain bizarrely "denied the fugitives were getting an easy option."

"It's part of bringing closure to NI's past, just as after the Agreement over 400 paramilitary prisoners were released on licence."

Yes, and it was bad enough seeing convicted murderers released from prison and back onto the streets where they had committed their crimes in an effort to appease an active terrorist organisation. Blair has sent a loud and clear message to all terrorists that Britain is not strong in the face of terrorism- rather, if the terrorists keep up their activities long enough, the British will buckle under the pressure and give in to any demands they make simply to secure "peace". Blair's Britain is a nation I no longer know- never before have we grovelled before aggressors like this, never before has this nation surrended to a band of ruthless bullying murderers for the sake of a quiet life. It is a contemptible, spineless reaction in the face of terrorism. An insult to all of those who were murdered in the long war against the IRA. A final full-stop in the victory of terrorism over a free government.

"Ulster Unionist MP Lady Sylvia Hermon said the bill was "so morally wrong and so morally bankrupt" she could never vote for it."

If only a few more MPs had the sense of this woman.

Quote of the Day

Alcohol

Tobacco

Firearms

Should be a convenience store, not a government agency.

With thanks to Collegiate Warrior.

Border Problems At Crisis Level

There are already serious issues concerning border control along the US-Mexico frontier. Perhaps it's worse than we all thought though.

Murdoc highlights the story of, wait for it, an illegal immigrant in the business of smuggling people across the border, working for the Border Patrol. Bad enough that they didn't discover that he was an illegal immigrant when they hired him but he also had been arrested for trying to smuggle people into the country.

As if that wasn't bad enough, War on Guns has the sort of story I didn't think I'd ever hear-

U.S. Border Patrol agents were backed down this week by armed men, dressed in what appeared to be Mexican military uniforms and carrying military weapons, who seized a captured dump truck filled with marijuana from the U.S. agents and dragged it across the border into Mexico with a bulldozer.

So in essence the United States was invaded by a foreign enemy armed with military weapons. What was the local law enforcement response to this affront to American sovereignty? Well, I'll let Hudspeth County Chief Deputy Mike Doyal tell you that-

"We are very fortunate ... no one got hurt. Everyone had the presence of mind not to cause an international incident, or start shooting."

Isn't that fabulous? Doesn't it make you sleep easier in your bed at night knowing that men like this are all that stand between you and foreign drug dealers, terrorists and invaders? Isn't it fortunate that foreigners were able to reclaim their illegal drugs from law enforcement agents?

Time to sort this mess out once and for all- I'm not sure anyone wants to see what it looks like when it gets worse than it already is.

BTW, this clown Doyal also says that the bulldozer used "is believed to be used regularly to make makeshift crossings over the Rio Grande." If that's the damn case why don't they take it out of operation? Seriously, what's going on down there?

Galloway's A Traitor

I don't know what else this man has to say to be charged with treason-

"So I say to you, citizens of the last Arab country, this is a time for courage, for unity, for wisdom, for determination, to face these enemies with the dignity your president has shown, and I believe, God willing, we will prevail and triumph"

He might be speaking about America but America is Britain's ally in this fight- he had chosen his side and it's not the side the British people are on.

Why the hell haven't charges been pressed against him for lying to the Senate?

The Punishers

I'm sure that by now you'll have read Michael Yon's latest dispatch, The Punisher's Ball. As always it's a wonderfully written tribute to the men of Deuce Four and I just wanted to take the time to highlight this piece. And to take a moment to thank Bruce Willis for attending the ball-

"Bruce had taken the time to fly in as a guest speaker to thank the members of the Deuce Four. He gave the most impassioned speech I can remember, using clear terms—including some well-selected profanities to describe terrorists—to express his admiration and support for the troops. Bruce’s speech was so accurate in his description of the war, and so charged with emotion, that he seemed ready to lead the troops himself back to Iraq; and they were ready to go."

It was damned decent of him to take the time to meet with the men of Deuce Four. However there is another part of the post I want to take a moment to focus on-

"The ghosts of the fallen took their places alongside widows and family of the fallen comrades. One young wife, overtaken by despair, had taken her own life shortly after her husband died in Mosul. The widow of another soldier killed in an attack that I witnessed was left alone to parent four children. A mournful fog skirted the edge of the dance floor all night."

I try to give a few dollars to Soldiers Angels whenever I can but I'd also like to do something for the widows of those men who have fallen in Iraq. I can't begin to imagine what suffering they're going through right now and in a few weeks some of these kids are going to have their first Christmas without their father. If ANYONE can suggest a way to aid them please leave a comment here. Is there a charity set up already to help provide for these women and children?

I'll look into it and see what's around but if you know of something drop me a line here.

UN At Work

We all heard of the single UN employee sacked over the Oil-for-Food scandal-

"Joseph Stephanides, fired May 31...violated staff rules by showing preference to one bidder for an oil-for-food contract."

Of course this being the UN, that bastion of ethics, this isn't quite the end of the story- they've hired him back.

Yep, that's right, he broke the rules in a scandal that benefited a homicidal dictator but the UN has decided that his punishment for doing so was, "too harsh."

Too harsh? No mention of the untold suffering caused to the Iraqi people by the UN's corrupt and simply inept management of the program. Stephanides was sent a letter, signed on behalf of Kofi Annan, stating that-

"the sanction that was imposed on you has been reconsidered in light of all the circumstances in the case and the principle of proportionality."

I'm nit sure what circumstances have been revealed which make this man's crimes less serious, but a UN appeals board has not only reinstated him, they've also,

"issued a written apology and paid about $200,000 — about two years' back pay — for the emotional suffering and damage to his reputation caused by Annan's handling of his case."

If this is UN justice as work they can keep it.

Retraction

It seems that I may have been a bit hasty in providing the link published on Clayton Cramer's blog on the weapons/tactics report from Iraq. The article has also appeared elsewhere on the internet (Survival Blog and Nation of Riflemen forum to name but two) and its provenance has been called into question for several inaccuracies in the piece. Most recently it has appeared on Frontpage. I have contacted them to see if they can shed further light on the author of the article.

The inaccuracies are minor and it could just be that they are a matter of the father of the Marine making simple errors in reporting what his son has told him. They are as follows-

Interceptor body armour weighs 16lbs, not 6lbs.
The M24 rifle is issued to Army, not Marine units and although the action was designed to handle the .300 Win Mag cartridge, it has apparently not been issued in that calibre.
There has been no mass re-issue of the .45ACP pistol or the M14 rifle. According to mil-blogger Collegiate Warrior (currently serving in Iraq) the only units using the .45ACP sidearm are the MEU SOC and SF.
The AK-47 is not chambered for .308 Russian (although as 7.62mm NATO and .308 are generally considered interchangeable this may explain that rare terminology).

It is fairly minor stuff but it has been enough to make some people question the veracity of the whole piece. My advice is to not take it as gospel- and instead read the Collegiate Warrior's take on the piece.

Of course this shows the power of the blogosphere- factual inaccuracies are quickly called into question. I'll keep updating the story as and when more information becomes available.

Bush Gets It!

Maybe George Bush understood it all along but couldn't say it for some reason or another, but now that time is past- and he's (finally!) come out and said it-

"These militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that reaches from Indonesia to Spain. If they are not stopped, the terrorists will be able to advance their agenda to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to break our will and blackmail our government into isolation. I make you this solemn commitment: That's not going to happen so long as I'm the President of the United States."

And he doesn't stop there either, he pounds those Democrats who were pro-war at a time when it suited them to be and are now anti's-

"Some of our elected leaders have opposed this war all along. I disagreed with them, but I respect their willingness to take a consistent stand. Yet some Democrats who voted to authorize the use of force are now rewriting the past. They are playing politics with this issue and they are sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy. And that's irresponsible.

As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them into war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory."

As I'm sure others have already said- Bush needs to give speeches just like this from now on. He has to get this message out- and should have been doing so for about a year now.

Liberal Dubai

It looks like Michael Jackson is settling in Dubai quite nicely. He "accidentally" used the ladies bathroom at the Ibn Battuta Mall to adjust his make-up. He just happened to be wearing a ladies' headscarf at the time. When he "mistakenly" was in the ladies' room he was spotted by a woman teacher, who began to take photos of him on her mobile.

"He then reportedly chased after her and a mall security guard attempted to take her phone. She refused to hand it over without compensation and called the police."

Unfortunately for her the police told her she wasn't entitled to any compensation and they took the phone anyway. It looks like the Dubai police are quite happy for Michael to pop into the ladies' whenever he wants. Who'd have thought that they would be so open and liberal about men using the ladies' facilities?

Sadly Celebrity Nooz doesn't have direct links, but the blog can be found here.

Senate Delays Affected War on Terror

"The Defense Department's top spokesman expressed frustration last week over a slow Senate confirmation process that he said is causing challenges within the department."

This is not good- politicians are playing games while the DOD is trying to fight a war. The problem is that Gordon England, the current Secretary of the Navy, has been nominated for the post of Deputy Defense Secretary, but due to Senate foolishness, he has not been able to take over that position. In the meantime, his replacement as Secretary of the Navy has been confirmed- so two men are not stuck in the same post.

"It is unfortunate, and it isn't necessary," Di Rita [the Army spokeman] said of the delays. "The people nominated are eminently qualified people. Nobody has addressed their qualifications. It all has to do with other, unrelated issues, and it's unfortunate."

Politics and point-scoring is one thing, but when the Army's top PR guy has to come out and says that they are having problems because of the Senate's refusal to make an appointment enough is enough- time for the politicians to do what they're getting paid for and stop degrading their own country's ability to conduct a war.

Blair won't back down

It looks like Tony Blair's need to have a 90 day detention period hasn't gone away- despite his embarrassing defeat in the Commons. He intends to re-introduce the legislation with a single caveat, a one year sunset period. If the security services cannot show that it has been used repsonsibly and without curtailing civil liberties then Parliament will be able to get rid of the measure in a year's time. Of course, the chances of Parliament removing a piece of legislation that the police will then claim is "essential" are slim. Just in case this new measure is defeated the government also has another fall-back position- a 60 day internment period.

The compromise measure floated when Blair first introduced this measure was 28 days. In the space of a week, we've doubled the "compromise". The current period is 16 days. I suppose when 90 days is the choice, 60 seems a tad more reasonable.

And amid worries that the step is the first along the line towards a police state, the Labour Party mobilised senior police officers across the country to lobby for the new 90-day legislation. Former Conservative minister Stephen Dorrell has this to say-

“We need to ensure that the distinction is maintained between the process of policymaking, which is properly for the Government, and the enforcement of law, which is properly for police.”

Of course in Tony Blair's brave new world, the police can demand measures and those measures are then proposed as law. This is the same Blair who has done more to transform the British tradition of government than anyone in hundreds of years- and its not a coincidence that he's been stacking the House of Lords with Labour cronies during his time in power. They serve as less of a counter-balance to the excesses of the Commons now and more of a rubber-stamp for Blair policy.

Democrats Need New Hats

In a blow to the right wing uber-conspiracy to take over the world, students at MIT have uncovered one of the most ingenious pieces of propaganda of the VRWC- tin-foil hats don't protect your brain from mind-control signals, they actually serve to amplify them.

Now that the secret is out, the DNC and associated moonbats are expected to rush to alter their preferred headgear for something more effective.

Karl Rove is said to be in the final stages of drafting a contingency plan now that the secret is out. His top-rated mole in the moonbat movement, codenamed "the Deaniac", is due to release the new "information" to the masses this weekend.

In totally unrelated news, there are still NO plans for a draft. The VRWC timetable for the creation of a radio controlled zombie army has not been affected by the MIT leak.

Essential Read

This is a MUST READ for anyone interested in the military or Iraq- Clayton Cramer's awesome blog has a post detailing the opinions of a Marine serving in Iraq on the weapons used in that fight.

Here's a sample-

The M-16 rifle : Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. Jordan says you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They like the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picattiny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits can't be reliably counted on to put the enemy down. Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents shows a high level of opiate use.

I'll say it again, time for the M16 weapon system to be replaced with something more reliable.

UPDATE- It seems that this article may not be 100% accurate. Please read here for more information.

Damn

It's Remembrance Day today- spare a thought for Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe and the other men of his squad-

He was commanding a Bradley fighting vehicle that was struck with a roadside bomb, catching fire. The loading ramp jammed, trapping eight inside. The crew was forced to escape through a much smaller hatch in the top of the vehicle. All but one made it out. The medic was left behind, apparently unable to get out. Without concern for his own life, my hero went back in to the burning vehicle to retrieve his friend.

As BlackFive reports, SFC Cashe died of the wounds he suffered that day. In addition-

Staff Sergeant Alexander died of his wounds on October 22nd, Sergeant Robertson died of his wounds on October 25th, Specialist Howe, who was going to try out for Special Forces after his tour in Iraq was over, died of his wounds on November 3rd.

SFC Cashe was, at least, surrounded by his family when he died. Take the time and read about this courageous man and keep him and others like him in your thoughts today.

Now this is frightening

The threat of a terrorist bio attack has always been a huge fear- well it seems that it might be much easier for terrorists to get their hands on the materials required than previously thought. A New Scientist investigation has discovered that-

Armed with a fake email address, a would-be bioterrorist could probably order the building blocks of a deadly biological weapon online, and receive them by post within weeks.

They contacted a number of companies involved in gene sequencing and found that they carry out virtually no security checks whatsoever- including screening the material they're asked to work on for their bioterror threat. Only five out of the sixteen companies, found via Google, screened every gene sequence they were asked to work on.

some firms freely admit that they run no sequence screens. "That's not our business," says Bob Xue, a director of Genemed Synthesis in South San Francisco.

Given San Fran's recent record this "nothing to do with me" attitude is hardly surprising. And it's despite the fact that open source "Blackwatch" software is available to scan for threats. The problem is that terrorists could,

order genes that confer virulence to dangerous pathogens such as the Ebola virus, and engineer them into another virus or bacterium. They could also order genes for a hazardous bacterial toxin - although many of these are also available by isolating the microorganisms from the environment.

So in effect a terrorist could create a super-Ebola-like virus to be used as a weapon. As terrifying as this possibility is, the response is utterly ineffectual-

The US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, set up last year to advise the US government on which advances in biology could be exploited by terrorists, is also considering the issue.

Avian flu is a threat which may or may not occur and yet governments are spending billions of dollars on the possibility of a pandemic- terrorists are a very real clear and present danger and yet there's no security set up with these firms to prevent highly virulent disease strains being "weaponised".

Must be a slow news day

The BBC has a story about how the president of Brazil watched a pirated DVD- just like hundreds of thousands of other people.

I cannot believe that this is a news-worthy item in any way.

Someone got paid to write that story. British TV licence-payers money in action.

American Citzens Pay for Palestinian Ammo

I've written before about the bad deal the United States is involved in- giving money to the Middle East hand over fist and receiving nothing in return but hatred. Seems that it's not just money that the Palestinians are getting from America now-

The Palestinian Authority security forces, many of whom either moonlight as members of various terror organizations or were hired directly from their ranks as part of negotiations between the groups and the ruling Fatah militia, will be receiving new ammunition over the next few days, including rifle bullets – paid for by the United States and delivered from Egypt with the approval of PM Sharon's cabinet.

Maybe it's time the US re-evealuated what exactly its taxpayers money is being used for.

What Hero Are You?

You scored as Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones is an archaeologist/adventurer with an unquenchable love for danger and excitement. He travels the globe in search of historical relics. He loves travel, excitement, and a good archaeological discovery. He hates Nazis and snakes, perhaps to the same degree. He always brings along his trusty whip and fedora. He's tough, cool, and dedicated. He relies on both brains and brawn to get him out of trouble and into it. Lara Croft 75% Indiana Jones 75% Neo, the "One" 71% Maximus 67% The Terminator 63% Batman, the Dark Knight 63% William Wallace 58% James Bond, Agent 007 58% Captain Jack Sparrow 54% The Amazing Spider-Man 42% El Zorro 13% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

Thanks to Cowboy Blog for the link!

Betrayal

The British government likes to portray itself tough on terrorism, but closer to home things are much, much different.

The government has announced an "historic" review of 2,000 unsolved deaths in Northern Ireland- and British soldiers, some of whom served in SAS operations, could be facing criminal proceedings. The inquiry involves 160 police officers and is expected to last up to a decade. The cost will most likely exceed the Blody Sunday inquiry which cost £150 million.

Patrick Mercer, the shadow homeland defence minister and a former infantry commanding officer, said: "This is the most appalling betrayal of every British soldier who did his duty during the Troubles against a very treacherous enemy."

Bad enough that troops are to be put on trial for fighting terrorist killers- and that there are NO similar plans to investigate the terrorist atrocities carried out which remain unsolved- but it gets worse-

The disclosure [of the Army investigation] comes days after ministers admitted that dozens of IRA and Loyalist terrorists who are "on the run" will in effect be pardoned for their crimes, which will also form part of the review. Many of them are multiple murderers.

Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland Secretary, told MPs that terrorists on the run would be prosecuted, but a letter from David Hanson, the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, reveals that the terrorists will not be required to attend court and will be released on licence immediately.

Microsoft isn't ALL bad

They're certainly not the evil corporation that people paint them to be- they've made a deal with the British Library to scan 100,000 out of copyright books and to make them available online. That's about 25 million pages available for free.

MS has plans to expand the project to more titles in the future and they are paying an initial $2.5 million on the project.

Windows might not be perfect software but I'm much more fond of the company since they brought out XP- it's a bit clunky on old machines but it's a heck of a lot better than 98 and Millennium.

Sheehan is a Traitor

I hadn't thought that I'd ever want to post about Cindy Sheehan again but her speech at the San Francisco World Can't Wait event warrants close attention. Remember, this is the woman described as "the mother of the peace movement"-

"The people that are being killed in Iraq are not terrorists. They're citizens of Iraq, they're members of the human race. They're our brothers and sisters."

Got that? The people responsible for the death of her son are NOT terrorists.

These people have officially sided with the enemy in my opinion.

Thanks to zombie for covering the event. I honestly don't know how he could stomach it.