America - Not Interested in Charles and Camilla

In fact, they're not remotely interested in them.

At least 81% of Americans are "not remotely interested" in the visit by Prince Charles and his new wife Camilla.

The Prince of Wales will introduce Camilla to the American public later but the crowds are by no means queuing to roll out the welcome mats.

The US media have largely ignored the impending Royal tour, writing off its itinerary as worthy and dull.

"It's the un-Diana tour, in which a couple of middle-aged, earnest eccentrics from the English countryside take an educational holiday abroad," declared the Miami Herald.

An article reprinted in several US newspapers advised Americans to "be nice".

A new poll revealed that 81% of Americans are not remotely interested in the newlyweds and less than one in five wants to meet them.

If Americans are not "remotely interested" in the pair and almost no one wants to meet them, why the advice to be nice?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Senior Al Qaeda Killed

After a tip off from locals.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A Saudi-born member of al Qaeda involved in smuggling foreign fighters into Iraq was killed Oct. 29 as he attempted to flee Coalition Forces.

Multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens led Coalition Forces to a location near Ubaydi where a senior Saudi al Qaeda foreign fighter facilitator known as Sa’ud (aka Abu Sa’ud) would be located. Upon arrival at the location, Coalition Forces attempted to secure the vehicle containing Sa’ud and other terrorists when the driver tried to escape. Coalition Forces shot at the vehicle, killing Abu Sa’ud and three unknown terrorists.

Abu Sa’ud, a Saudi extremist, was a senior al Qaeda terrorist who funneled foreign fighters and suicide bombers into Iraq. Intelligence sources believe that Sa’ud recently arrived from Saudi Arabia to shore up the leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter and terrorists cells whose previous leaders have been captured or killed in recent months. [Ooops]

Coalition Forces were informed that an alleged meeting was being arranged in the coming days in which Sa’ud was to take control of foreign fighter facilitation in the al Qaim and Husaybah region. It was also believed that Sa’ud would take on a more active role in the planning and execution of operations against Coalition Forces.

Sounds like they had someone on the inside.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - Corruption: The Clinton Legacy

Corruption under Clinton.

RECORDS SET

- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates*
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly
- First president sued for sexual harassment.
- First president accused of rape.
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- First president to be held in contempt of court
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad
- First president disbarred from the US Supreme Court and a state court

And don't forget Monica.

Also, don't forget what the Democrats were saying about Iraq's WMDs.

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998 Source

"We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and security of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction." - Madeline Albright, Feb 1, 1998 Source

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998 Source

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 Source

Gee, I wonder what happened to all those WMD's the Democrats say Saddam had?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Galloway's Day is Coming

The Belmont Club has two good post on the Galloway affair.

The first one deals with something I said at the time he appeared in front of the Senate, namely, that Sen. Coleman is a former prosecutor and stated at the time that the reason Galloway was there was so the Senate could get Galloway's statement on the record - under oath.

On May 23, 2005, while newspapers were waxing delirious over the rhetorical drubbing that George Galloway was apparently administering to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, the Belmont Club on the old site noted something peculiar about the apparent passivity of the Senators towards Galloway's barbs.

The really striking thing about the Galloway's testimony as transcribed by the Information Clearing House is how the Senators and the Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow were pursuing a non-collision course. Galloway had come to score press and public relations points at which, by all accounts, he was successful at doing. But Senator Coleman and Levin seemed totally uninterested in responding to Galloway's sharp political jibes. It was almost as if the Senators were deaf to his political posturing. Instead, they focused exclusively and repeatedly on two things: Galloway's relationship with Fawaz Zureikat and Tariq Aziz. Zureikat was a board member of Galloway's Mariam foundation who is also implicated in the Oil For Food deals. Tariq Aziz was Saddam's vice president.

Be sure and read the transcript.

And now we know why.

The second post deals with the possibility that Zureikat may turn on Galloway.

If all that stands between Galloway and a conviction for perjury is the defense that he was misled by Zureikat, it follows that Zureikat must agree to cover for him. The Simply Appalling blog has an interesting reference to a dead link in the Independent, which hints that Zureikat may not be so willing to go down with Galloway.

Well, Kim Sengupta and Terri Judd of the UK's Independent were able to reach Mr. Zureikat for comment, and he had some interesting things to say.

The Jordanian businessman accused of passing oil money from Saddam Hussein to George Galloway has revealed that he is once again trading in Iraq and making trips to America with the approval of the US authorities. Fawaz Zureikat was speaking publicly for the first time since he was named by a US Senate investigative committee examining the United Nations oil-for-food programme. He told The Independent that neither the new government in Baghdad nor US officials had raised any objections to him renewing his trade with Iraq.

There's a new government in Baghdad, which is incidentally trying Galloway's old pal Saddam Hussein for capital crimes, and Mr. Zureikat would understandably be anxious to carry on his business with the current government. He would be in a potential position to remember names, locations, other witnesses and documents that may cast doubt on George Galloway's assertion that he knew nothing of the provenance of the money that showed up in the Mariam Appeal accounts.

Not only that, Galloway sent the Mariam records to Zureikat in Jordan the day the Charity Commission launched their investigation. While Galloway maintains the Commission cleard him the Commission actually gave up the investigation when Galloway failed to turn over the records. That investigation has now been reopened.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Syria - UN Orders Arrest of Assad's Brother

The Times (UK) reports.

The United Nations Security Council today passed a resolution ordering Syria to co-operate with the investigation into the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri - or face "further action".

The resolution demands that the Syrian President Bashar Assad hand over his own brother to answer questions posed by the UN's investigating commission.

As a concession to China and Russia, which had promised to veto any direct threats against Syria, it stops short however of threatening economic sanctions against Syria if he refuses to comply.

Nonetheless the resolution orders Damascus to arrest and freeze the assets of anybody the UN suspects of involvement in the killing. It was passed unanimously.

So far, the UN has named Mr Assad's brother, Maher Assad, and his brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, Syria's chief of military intelligence, as possible suspects in the assassination of Mr Hariri, who was killed along with 20 other people in an explosion in Beirut on February 14.

These are the names Koffi Annan had removed from the UN's investigation report.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iran Wants War With America

Don't take my word for it, just listen to what the Iranians are saying.

In his speech he [Iranian President] said:

We are in the process of an historical war between the World of Arrogance [i.e. the West] and the Islamic world, and this war has been going on for hundreds of years. ...

The issue of this [World without Zionism] conference is very valuable. In this very grave war, many people are trying to scatter grains of desperation and hopelessness regarding the struggle between the Islamic world and the front of the infidels ...

Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism? But you had best know that this slogan and this goal are attainable, and surely can be achieved...

So how would the Iranian regime achieve this?You only need to listen to Ahmadinejad's chief strategic guru Hassan Abbassi, for the answer. Abbassi is the architect of the so-called "war preparation plan" currently under way in Iran. This is the same Hassan Abbassi who said:

We have a strategy drawn up for the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization... we must make use of everything we have at hand to strike at this front by means of our suicide operations or by means of our missiles. There are 29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and in the West. We have already spied on these sites and we know how we are going to attack them. [...]

But it is not only the US that Abbasi wants to take on and humiliate. He has described Britain as "the mother of all evils". In his lecture he claimed that the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and the Gulf states were all "children of the same mother: the British Empire." As for France and Germany, they are "countries in terminal decline", according to Abbasi.

"Once we have defeated the Anglo-Saxons the rest will run for cover," he told his audience.

And as for sanctions from the UN...

The Americans are not ready to send a million men (to defeat the Islamic Republic)," Abbasi said. "Even economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic will fail thanks to opposition from the Western public opinion and the refusal of most countries to implement (them). ...

He's right about that part. Just look at the just passed UN resolution against Syria.

The three co-sponsors agreed to drop a direct threat of sanctions against Syria in order to get support from Russia and China, which opposed sanctions while the investigation is still under way. Nonetheless, the resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which is militarily enforceable.

The resolution was merely going to threaten santions if Syria didn't cooperate, but they couldn't even do that.

So it appears that in the short term, the regime is hoping to start a limited war with the USA that it believes it can survive, since they don't believe that the West has the will nor the means to occupy Iran at this time. This will buy them time for their longer term strategic plans for the world. Why is no taking these threats seriously?

Why indeed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Arabs Blocked Saddam Exile Deal

The United States backed the deal that would have prevented the war. Tigerhawk has the details.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - Charles: United States intolerant of Islam

I posted yesterday that in fact, the west is too tolerant and it is Muslims who are the intolerant ones. Here's more from Charle's beloved ones.

Russia’s Islamic revolt is spreading.

THE diehard gang of Muslim extremists responsible for last week’s attack on the southern Russian city of Nalchik consisted mainly of local militants intent on creating a strict Islamic state independent of Moscow, according to security sources in the region.

Police say Islamist terrorists are targeting Netherlands' ruling eltite.

While radicals responsible for the deadly train bombings in Madrid and London chose anonymous commuters as victims, jihadists in the Netherlands appear bent on killing vips. Last week, police there arrested seven Dutch nationals of Moroccan origin in four cities and sealed off government buildings in the Hague in response to what Dutch Interior Minister Johan Remkes described as an "acute terrorism threat."

Security officials said they'd obtained evidence that Islamist extremists were planning assaults on politicians and government facilities.

Islamic group linked to blasts [Delhi]

A man called a news agency in Indian-controlled Kashmir to say that the Front for Islamic Uprising had staged the bombings, which also wounded 210. [and killed 60]

Islamic Terror cell 'smuggled missiles into Europe'

An Islamic terror cell has smuggled two surface-to-air missiles into Europe in a plot to shoot down planes at one of France's main airports, it was claimed yesterday.

So much for being against the war in Iraq.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Islam - Muslim hypocrisy

That's what Judith Apter Klinghoffer calls it.

Judith Apter Klinghoffer, senior associate scholar at the Political Science department at Rutgers University, and author of Vietnam, Jews and the Middle East, writes this at History News Network about the Denmark Muhammad cartoon controversy:

So, here we are: part of the Muslim community is in the thrall of a totalitarian ideology which turns young Muslims into human bombs. Photos of Muslim and non Muslim civilian body parts flying in the middle of markets, mosques, discos and hotels have become routine. Beheadings of Christian and Jewish men and women are no longer surprising. And what do the ever-silent and passive-defensive Muslim countries, Organization of Islamic Conference and the Arab League vociferously condemn? They are condemning the publication of cartoons featuring Muhammad in a Danish paper. The absurdity of this action is only matched by its hypocrisy.

I agree.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - Galloway in the dock

The Scotsman has a good round up of the Galloway saga.

One thing that still seems to be overlooked by the media, is did the Galloways report the income to the Inland Revenue? If not, there could be more charges for George.

Even the left are deserting Galloway.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - Prince Charles to plead Islam's cause

Here is why London is called Londonistan.

The Prince of Wales will try to persuade George W Bush and Americans of the merits of Islam this week because he thinks the United States has been too intolerant of the religion since September 11.

Would he feel that way had Muslim terrorists been successful in crashing a plane into Parliament on that same day?

Would he still feel that way had Muslim terrorists been successful in their planned Sarin gas attack on Parliamen.

If Charles thinks we're the ones that are "intolerant" how does he explain all these Muslim crimes against Christians?

Ancient Buddhist statues destroyed by Muslims -- no worldwide riots or murders by Buddhists recorded in response.

One of the holiest Churches in Christendom occupied by Muslims; altar shat and pee'd upon; religious artifacts stolen; Bible torn up and pages used as toilet paper -- no worldwide riots or murders by Christians recorded in response.

Sacred ancient Jewish tomb destroyed by Muslims; ancient Torah scrolls burned; mosque is built on the ruins -- no worldwide riots or murders by Jews recorded in response.

Ancient historical and religious artifacts found at Judaism's holiest site systematically dug up and destroyed by Muslims -- no worldwide riots or murders by Jews in response.

More than 900 churches in Indonesia fire-bombed by Muslims since 1998 -- no worldwide riots or murders by Christians in response.

Hundreds of ancient Orthodox Christian churches and cemetaries defiled and destroyed by Balkan Muslims -- no worldwide riots or murders by Christians in response.

And from the Adventuress:

Hence, while we in the West anxiously monitor our words and deeds for even the slightest offense against Islamic sensibilities, we receive in exchange no such consideration; indeed, our eager protestations of respect merely excite more contempt. Thus even as we protest our respect for Islam, Jews continue to be vilified with anti-Semitic rhetoric redolent of Nazi Germany, Palestinian terrorists befoul one of Christianity's most sacred churches, the Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem still sits on the site of the Jewish Temple, and in Istanbul Hagia Sophia, once one of Christendom's greatest churches, is still a mosque.

Charles thinks we should be tolerant of the Muslims who behead teenage Christian girls.

Three teenage Christian girls were beheaded and a fourth was seriously wounded in a savage attack on Saturday by unidentified assailants in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi.

The girls were among a group of students from a private Christian high school who were ambushed while walking through a cocoa plantation in Poso Kota subdistrict on their way to class, police Major Riky Naldo said.

[...]

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but Central Sulawesi has a roughly equal number of Muslims and Christians. The province was the scene of a bloody religious war in 2001-2002 that killed around 1000 people from both communities.

At the time, beheadings, burnings and other atrocities were common.

Charles seems to think we should be tolerant of Iran's call for Israel to wiped off the map.

If we're intolerant Charles and Muslims are the tolerant ones, how do you explain all this?

Christians detained in Saudi Arabia

Forty Christians living in Pakistan have been arrested by Saudi Arabian police for praying together at a house in the Muslim nation. Local newspapers said a group of men, women, and children were praying together when police raided the house. The practice of any religion other than Islam is illegal in Saudi Arabia.

[...]

Saudi Arabia is usually included on annual lists of nations that restrict religious freedom. Last year, the US State Department included the kingdom on the list of the worst abusers of religious freedom.

Pakistan's Christians
extremely fearful of Muslims

Over 100 Pakistani Christians gathered in front of the country's
Consulate to denounce the attack on three Christian enclaves in
the Pakistani district of Multan, earlier this month. [...]

"Pakistan's Christians are extremely fearful," he said, alluding
to the fact that the previous government of Pakistan Prime
Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League oversaw
implementation of an Islamic Constitution, setting the stage for
the country's infamous blasphemy law which grants death
penalty to anyone found guilty of blasphemy towards Islam or
its Prophet Mohammed.

Muslim mob attacks Indonesia Christians

At least 12 people have been killed by a Muslim mob which attacked a Christian village in the Moluccan islands in eastern Indonesia.

The violence then spread to the regional capital, Ambon city, where a bomb went off, and a centre for Christian and Muslim children and one of the city's main churches were set on fire.

India's Christians Resist Move to Register Conversions

In an environment of increasing religious intolerance, two state legislatures in India may require individuals to register a change of religion with local officials. [...]

In another Indian state, Orissa—where missionary Graham Staines and his sons were murdered last year—newly enacted restrictions require individuals to obtain official permission before changing religion.

And on and on it goes around the world. Is Charles blind or just stupid?

Prince Charles, who is about to embark on his first official foreign tour since his marriage to the Duchess of Cornwall, wants Americans - including Mr Bush - to share his fondness for Islam.

Well, I guess that answers that question.

If anything the west is too tolerant.

A year and a half ago, I mentioned in this space the Florentine Boar, a famous piece of porcine statuary in Derby that the council had decided not to have repaired on the grounds that it would offend Muslims. [...]

Alas, the United Kingdom's descent into dhimmitude is beyond parody. Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (Tory-controlled) has now announced that, following a complaint by a Muslim employee, all work pictures and knick-knacks of novelty pigs and "pig-related items" will be banned. Among the verboten items is one employee's box of tissues, because it features a representation of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. [...]

And aren't we all? When the Queen knights a Muslim "community leader" whose line on the Rushdie fatwa was that "death is perhaps too easy", and when the Prime Minister has a Muslim "adviser" who is a Holocaust-denier and thinks the Iraq war was cooked up by a conspiracy of Freemasons and Jews, and when the Prime Minister's wife leads the legal battle for a Talibanesque dress code in British schools, you don't need a pig to know which side's bringing home the bacon.

Just do a search of this blog using the term "muslim appeasement" and you'll see Britain is in full Muslim appeasement mode.

Meanwhile, the war goes on.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iran - Downplaying the Threat

Yesterday the Guardian tried to downplay the threat of Iran and the Iranian President's remarks calling for Israel to be wiped off the map. Their headline originally was "Diplomats play down Ahmadinejad remarks". Seemingly he didn't really mean to call for the destruction of Israel.

In the article the Guardian didn't mention that Iran's president attended an anti-Israeli demonstration and reitereated his call for Israel to be wiped off the map. The Guardian stealth edited the report to include these facts and changed the headline to "Tehran defiant over Israel slur"

So what happened to the Iranian diplomats that said Ahmadinejad didn' really mean to call for the destruction of Israel? Ahmadinejad fired them for starters but who knows what fate awaits them back home.

Tehran, Oct. 28 – Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fired his country’s ambassadors to Britain, France, and Germany, and ordered 18 envoys to be recalled to Tehran, a government official in the Iranian capital told Iran Focus.

“Ahmadinejad has been angered by what he sees as the envoys’ meek reaction to the global condemnation of his Wednesday speech against Israel and the West”, the official, who requested anonymity, said. “He made the speech with the full blessing of the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] and has his green light to stifle any dissenting voice within the government”.

The official said that while there was broad consensus within the clergy-dominated regime on the hard-line President’s vow to “wipe Israel off the map”, some Iranian diplomats voiced concern that the international backlash could be too costly for the Islamic Republic.

On Friday, an array of top political and military figures in Iran lined up behind Ahmadinejad’s fiery speech. The Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, the Speaker of Parliament, the Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council and the powerful Minister of Intelligence and Security (Iran’s secret police) were among those who fully endorsed the President’s diatribe and made equally strong invectives against Israel.

“The Supreme Leader and his inner council see a window of opportunity for Iran right now, as the Americans are stuck in Iraq and the Europeans are divided over what to do”, he said. “They are telling everyone not to be afraid of threats of military action by the West, as this is only a bluff”.

The ambassadors who are being fired were appointed during the administration of ex-President Mohammad Khatami.

It's becoming increasingly clear that Iran is preparing for war.

But the real reason for Ahmadinejad's Jihadist outburst may well be his deep conviction that it is the historic mission of the Islamic Republic to lead the Muslim world in a "war of civilization" against the West led by the United States. One of the first battlegrounds of such a war would be Israel.

Since his election in June, Ahmadinejad and his "strategic advisers" have used a bellicose terminology as part of their program to put Iran on a war footing. In the past few weeks, the regime has been massively militarized with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmadinejad's main power-base, seizing control of almost all levers of power.

According to Gen. Salehi, one of Ahmadinejad's military advisers, a clash between the Islamic Republic and the United States has become inevitable. "We must be prepared," Salehi says. "The Americans will run away, leaving their illegitimate child [i.e., Israel] behind. And then Muslims would know what to do."

The war talk has given the Iranian economy the jitters, prompting the biggest crash ever of the Tehran Stock Exchange.

Remarkably, the new foreign policy aimed at provoking war with Israel and America has never been properly debated in the parliament, or even within the Cabinet. Some of Iran's senior diplomats, speaking anonymously, say they, too, have not been consulted.

The left and the lying liberal media want you to believe it is Bush and Blair who are racheting up the calls for war with Iran, but it's clear who is putting their country on a war footing. Dictators never learn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iran - Ahmadinejad's Power Play

Here's what may be behind his latest rant.

But the real reason for Ahmadinejad's Jihadist outburst may well be his deep conviction that it is the historic mission of the Islamic Republic to lead the Muslim world in a "war of civilization" against the West led by the United States. One of the first battlegrounds of such a war would be Israel.

Since his election in June, Ahmadinejad and his "strategic advisers" have used a bellicose terminology as part of their program to put Iran on a war footing. In the past few weeks, the regime has been massively militarized with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmadinejad's main power-base, seizing control of almost all levers of power.

According to Gen. Salehi, one of Ahmadinejad's military advisers, a clash between the Islamic Republic and the United States has become inevitable. "We must be prepared," Salehi says. "The Americans will run away, leaving their illegitimate child [i.e., Israel] behind. And then Muslims would know what to do."

The war talk has given the Iranian economy the jitters, prompting the biggest crash ever of the Tehran Stock Exchange.

Remarkably, the new foreign policy aimed at provoking war with Israel and America has never been properly debated in the parliament, or even within the Cabinet. Some of Iran's senior diplomats, speaking anonymously, say they, too, have not been consulted.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - Hypocrisy of the Left

Gotta love it.

Michael Moore, the biggest mouthpiece of the anti-hypocrite Left, constantly denounces Republicans as racists for opposing affirmative action. Schweizer reports that Moore almost never hires black people. Moore insists, "I don't own a single share of stock." He denounces clever Enron style schemes to conceal wealth and rails against Haliburton as the Mother of All Evils. He told C-Span's Brian Lamb in his best prolier-than-thou voice that he wanted nothing to do with the stock market. "That's the rich man's game."

Well, it turns out Moore's got another game going. As Schweizer reports, Moore told the IRS his home is the headquarters of his tax-free foundation, to which he contributes some of his millions for the write-off. The foundation, in turn, not only bought stock — its holdings are a Who's Who of "greedy" corporations, including Halliburton.

Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, accepted the Cesar Chavez Award from the United Farm Workers Union in 2003. She constantly spouts about the imperative of hiring union labor. But she contracts out the grape-picking on her own vineyard to non-UFW firms. She's also a part owner of some restaurants and a hotel. No union labor there, either.

MIT Professor Noam Chomsky, who regularly denounces the Pentagon as a "fascist institution" and has mounted a campaign to expel ROTC from his school, has garnered millions in grants from the Pentagon for his linguistics research.

And so on.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Galloway's Money Trail

The Times (UK) reports on Galloway's oil money.

GEORGE GALLOWAY faced new questions last night after a UN inquiry tracked additional payments of Iraqi oil money into his wife’s bank account.

Days after a US Senate committee tracked a $150,000 (£84,000) payment to the MP’s now estranged Palestinian wife, the UN inquiry reported that Amina Naji Abu Zayyad had earlier received a series of transfers totalling $120,000.

And the Telegraph's libel appeal is looking better everyday.

The Volcker report cited Iraqi Oil Ministry records showing that Mr Galloway received allocations of million of barrels of oil to support the Mariam Appeal. Allocations of more than 18 million barrels went to Mr Galloway directly or indirectly through his Jordanian friend Fawaz Zureikat, the report says. Mr Zureikat paid $434,000 to the Mariam Appeal.

The plot thickens.

The Volcker inquiry tracks additional payments to Ms Abu Zayyad from a British-Iraqi businessman and prominent supporter of the Conservative Party named Burhan Chalabi. The report says that Mr Chalabi received an allocation of four million barrels of oil from Iraq on December 17, 1999, for “Galloway’s campaign”.

Delta Services, Mr Chalabi’s company, received $472,228 in commission payments on the allocation from the Fortum oil company. “Soon after each deposit, a series of payments totalling over $120,000 were transferred from the Delta Services bank account to the bank account of . . . Mr Galloway’s wife,” the report concludes. [...]

Mr Galloway told the UN panel that his wife denied that she had ever received $120,000 from Mr Chalabi or anyone else. Ms Abu Zayyad told the Senate committee she had never received “any proceeds of any oil deals”.

Galloway is still in denial.

Yesterday Mr Galloway angrily rejected Mr Volcker's charges that he personally had benefited from Iraqi oil sales and said that he had never heard of Delta Services, which allegedly made payments to his wife. “This is all a tissue of lies and a lie doesn't become a truth through repetition,” he said.

I guess George doesn't consider the UN to be a "...lickspittle Republican committee, acting on the wishes of George W Bush."

Note this from that BBC article:

The Senate report said the documents it used to make the allegations "have no relation" to those discussed in the Daily Telegraph piece.

So, the Telegraph has documents, the Senate has documents and now the UN has documents showing Galloway got oil money.

Remember what Galloway said?

“This is all a tissue of lies and a lie doesn't become a truth through repetition,” he said.

But repeatedly finding documentation that you got oil money is the truth George.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - Stage set for clash with Bush after Canada bars visit

What did you think when you read the headline to this story?

Did you think Canada had barred Bush from visiting? You'd be wrong.

DISAPPOINTED fans of the monarchy in Canada will have to look on from the sidelines when the Prince of Wales travels across the Atlantic for his first royal tour accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The couple wanted the Commonwealth country to be their first foreign port of call but the Canadian Government banned them over fears that a visit could be “too politically hot”.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - Arabs Love US

Now here's something you don't read every day.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Arabs may dislike U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East but when they want to indulge in some escapism, many turn to American popular culture, which has taken Arab television screens by storm in the last three years.

Free-to-use satellite channels show little else but U.S. sitcoms, chat shows and real-time news broadcasts like ABC's "Primetime." The American shows are subtitled in Arabic and cut out kissing or other scenes considered sexually provocative.

Saudi-owned Middle East Broadcasting Center has expanded from its main Arabic news and entertainment channel, MBC 1, to include a channel dedicated to Hollywood movies, MBC 2, and another showing U.S. sitcoms and talk shows, MBC 4.

In Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, One TV was launched in late 2004 and offers the same mix of American fare. Like the other stations, it does not disclose how much the channel costs.

The three channels have become hugely popular across the Arab world and advertisers are chomping at the bit to buy air-time because of their growing audience in affluent Gulf Arab countries, media analysts say.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - "something decent unfolding"

It certainly is, despite all the anti-war types best efforts to stop it.

These others - the overwhelming majority of Iraq's people - have repeatedly given every indication of valuing their newfound freedom: voting in two elections at the risk of their lives, preparing for a third, writing and ratifying a constitution granting more freedoms than exist in any country in the entire Arab Middle East. "The secret is out," says Fouad Ajami. "There is something decent unfolding in Iraq. It's unfolding in the shadow of a terrible insurgency, but a society is finding its way to constitutional politics."

Ajami is no fool, no naif, no reckless idealist, as Scowcroft likes to caricature the neoconservatives he reviles. A renowned scholar on the Middle East, Ajami is a Shiite, fluent in Arabic, who has unsentimentally educated the world about the Arab predicament and Arab dream palaces. Yet having returned from two visits to Iraq this year, he sports none of Scowcroft's easy, ostentatious cynicism about human nature, and Iraqi human nature in particular. Instead, Ajami celebrates the coming of decency in a place where decency was outlawed 30 years ago.

It is not surprising that Scowcroft, who helped give indecency a 12-year life extension, should disdain decency's return. But we should not.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iran - President Repeats Calls for Destruction of Israel

The Guardian tries to downplay the furor with this headline "Diplomats play down Ahmadinejad remarks" and story.

Iran today attempted to row back from its president's call for Israel to be wiped off the map as the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, joined an international chorus of condemnation.

A statement released by the Iranian embassy in Moscow said Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, "did not have any intention to speak up in such sharp terms and enter into a conflict".

The Guardian even note an anti-Israeli demonstration today in Iran.

Tens of thousands of Iranians today staged anti-Israel protests, repeating Mr Ahmadinejad's call for the country to be wiped off the map.

Multiple demonstrations in Tehran and other major cities saw protesters carrying banners displaying anti-Israeli slogans including "Death to Israel, Death to America".

What the Guardian fail to tell you is that Ahmadinejad was at the demonstration and repeated his calls for the destruction of Israel.

Iran's president has defended his widely criticised call for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

Attending an anti-Israel rally in Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his remarks were "just" - and the criticism did not "have any validity." [...]

Many carried posters and placards sporting the slogan "Israel should be wiped off the map".

Joining the protest, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "My words were the Iranian nation's words.

"Westerners are free to comment, but their reactions are invalid," Mr Ahmadinejad told the official Irna news agency.

That sound like "row[ing] back" to you?

UPDATE 29 Oct

I see the Guardian has now stealth edited the report to include Ahmadinejad's appearance at the demonstration calling for the destruction of Israel and his refusal to retract his statements.

Remember the headline used to read "Diplomats play down Ahmadinejad remarks". Now it says "Tehran defiant over Israel slur"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Russian, Chinese and French Against Iraq War

Because they were bribed.

By far the biggest beneficiaries of Saddam-era contracts were Russian, Chinese and French firms. The UN said this was the result of an Iraqi policy to bribe countries in the hope of swinging their votes in the UN Security Council.

"Iraqi leaders gave preferential treatment to France, Russia and China because these countries were permanent members of the Security Council and perceived to be more favourable to the lifting of sanctions," the authors said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Good News From Iraq: Terrorists Split

Good News in Iraq and reported by the Guardian no less!

Abu Theeb is the leader of a band of Sunni insurgents that preys on US targets north of Baghdad. Last week he openly defied al-Qaida in Iraq by actively supporting the referendum. Ghaith Abdul-Ahad spent five days with him - and uncovered evidence of a growing split in the insurgency [...]

This left Abu Theeb, a man who has devoted himself and his resources to fighting the Americans, in a curious position. His battle on polling day would be to secure a safe and smooth voting for his people - in a referendum organised by the enemy. In doing so he would be going up against the al-Qaida forces, and risking a split in the insurgency in Iraq.

I spent five days with Abu Theeb and his people last week, and I witnessed a very curious thing: a bunch of mujahideens talking politics and urging restraint. "Politics for us is like filthy dead meat," Abu Theeb told me. "We are not allowed to eat it, but if you are passing through the desert and your life depends on it, God says it's OK." This is a profound shift in thinking for these insurgents, a shift that might just change the way things develop in Iraq.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Galloway Named In UN Report

I'm still trying to download the whole PDF report, but Galloway is listed starting on page 79. From what I can gather so far, the UN's internal report backs up what the Senate is saying. So, Galloway can't claim this is a smear job by a lone Senator.

I'll post details when I get them.

UPDATE

I've got to out just now (family business) and won't have time to post details. For some reason the UN disabled copy and paste and we'll have to do this manually or wait for someone else.

Suffice to say Galloway asked the Senate last time to show him the money, well the UN did just that. The part on Galloway takes up nearly 20 pages.

I should imagine Galloway's neck size just got a whole lot smaller.

UPDATE

Waiting for the wife to get ready. I'll post a few details.

According to the UN, Galloway got 18 million barrels of oil allocations in his name and/or Zureikat (his agent). 11 million barrels of oil allocations were directly to Galloway.

The UN report details the payments to Galloway's wife.

The UN report details how the bogus chairty appeal, the Mariam appeal, was used to launder the oil money. There were just small amounts donated by a few individuals.

Iraqi Oil Ministry documents document the oil transactions to Galloway.

Iraqi officials confirm the oil allocations were to aid Galloway in his anti-war campaign.

Whew! There's lots more but I got to go.

The UN report looks far more damning than the Senate one, but they back each other up.

Bye bye Galloway.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Did The Media Lie Over WMD's?

While the left want to blame it on Bush, The Washington Post has a different take.

Many critics outside the Times suggest that Miller's eagerness to publish the Bush administration's line was the primary reason Americans went to war. The Times itself is edging closer to this version of events.

There is a big problem with this simple narrative. It is that the Times, along with The Post and other news organizations, ran many alarming stories about Iraq's weapons programs before the election of George W. Bush. A quick search through the Times archives before 2001 produces such headlines as "Iraq Has Network of Outside Help on Arms, Experts Say"(November 1998), "U.S. Says Iraq Aided Production of Chemical Weapons in Sudan"(August 1998), "Iraq Suspected of Secret Germ War Effort" (February 2000), "Signs of Iraqi Arms Buildup Bedevil U.S. Administration" (February 2000), "Flight Tests Show Iraq Has Resumed a Missile Program" (July 2000). (A somewhat shorter list can be compiled from The Post's archives, including a September 1998 headline: "Iraqi Work Toward A-Bomb Reported.") The Times stories were written by Barbara Crossette, Tim Weiner and Steven Lee Myers; Miller shared a byline on one.

Just add this to the Bush lied campaign collapses list.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - Losing Cindy Sheehan

Or, more like Cindy is losing - support that is, as Tim Blair notes.

Cindy Sheehan and other peace activists plan to “die symbolically” for the next four days outside the White House to represent the American soldiers who have died in Iraq.

Sheehan, whose son Casey died in Iraq last year, organized the vigil as the U.S. military death toll in the war neared 2,000.

"I’ll be laying down and not getting up,” Sheehan said Tuesday to a small crowd in which the number of journalists exceeded the number of protesters. “When they let me out, I’ll do the same thing if I get arrested."

Uh, and who cares?

Cindy seems unaware that the Iraqis voted for their new constitution and could care less where she lays down.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Israel: Remove Iran from the UN

That's what some are calling for. More like the UN will send a letter telling the Iranians just how upset the UN is. That'll do the trick.

A day after Iranian President - in a conference titled 'The World Without Zionism' - called to "wipe Israel off the map", Prime Minister Ariel Sharon instructed Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Dani Gilerman to take action in order to remove Iran from the international organization.

Sharon was prompted into action by Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who sent a missive in which he wrote, "It is inconceivable that the head of a nation that is a member at the UN would call for genocide. His call stands against the UN charter and constitutes a crime against humanity."

Peres, who addressed his remarks to Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, said that the severity of Ahmadinejad's comments only underline the danger in light of Iran's attempts to develop nuclear weapons and acquire long range missiles.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iran - Israel Will Be Destroyed

I bet you thought all the Palestinians wanted was there own state, didn't you? Not according to the Iranians.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's hard-line president called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and said a new wave of Palestinian attacks will destroy the Jewish state, state-run media reported Wednesday.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (search) also denounced attempts to recognize Israel or normalize relations with it.

"There is no doubt that the new wave (of attacks) in Palestine will wipe off this stigma (Israel) from the face of the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad told students Wednesday during a Tehran conference called "The World without Zionism."

Riiiiight. So tell me again Ahmadinejad, old boy, just why do you want nukes again?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - George Galloway: Fascist Pimp and Prostitute

By Christopher Hitchens naturally.

For George Galloway, however, the war would seem to be over. The evidence presented suggests that he lied in court when he sued the Daily Telegraph in London over similar allegations (and collected money for that, too). It suggests that he lied to the Senate under oath. And it suggests that he made a deceptive statement in the register of interests held by members of the British House of Commons. All in all, a bad week for him, especially coming as it does on the heels of the U.N. report on the murder of Rafik Hariri, which appears to pin the convict's badge on senior members of the Assad despotism in Damascus, Galloway's default patron after he lost his main ally in Baghdad.

Yet this is the man who received wall-to-wall good press for insulting the Senate subcommittee in May, and who was later the subject of a fawning puff piece in the New York Times, and who was lionized by the anti-war movement when he came on a mendacious and demagogic tour of the country last month. I wonder if any of those who furnished him a platform will now have the grace to admit that they were hosting a man who is not just a pimp for fascism but one of its prostitutes as well.

Ouch!

I'm not sure it's true, but I heard a newscast that said the taxman is now looking into the Galloway's for not reporting the income. Oh, dear.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - Heyward Steps Down As CBS News President

That's the AP News headline. But look at the first paragraph:

NEW YORK (AP) - CBS announced Wednesday it is replacing embattled CBS News President Andrew Heyward with Sean McManus, chief of CBS Sports, who will keep both jobs.

Sound like he stepped down to you?

CBS still hasn't named a replacement for Dan Rather, who stepped down in March as anchor of the third-rated "CBS Evening News," and network chief Leslie Moonves had expressed discontent over ideas presented to him for revamping the broadcast.

Heyward presided over the delicate transition at his best-known broadcast, "60 Minutes," replacing founder Don Hewitt at the helm without any real impact in the show's popularity. He also established the spinoff "60 Minutes II," which was canceled this spring due to poor ratings.

CBS News' reputation took a severe hit with last September's pre-election story critical of Bush's military service after an independent panel found the network rushed the story onto the air without ever proving that documents upon which it was based were real. Three news executives were forced to resign and the piece's producer, Mary Mapes, was fired.

Actually, the panel concluded the documents were not authentic - forgeries to you and me.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - 'MUSLIMS KEEP EXTREMIST LITERATURE'

You'll never guess why.

Muslims rarely throw away leaflets containing possible extremist references because it is forbidden by their religion, a childhood friend of a failed Derby suicide bomber told a court.

Oh, that's ok then.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - Government beaten on Religious hatred bill

This is good news, which explains why the BBC put it at the bottom of the political page.

The government has been heavily defeated in the Lords over plans to outlaw incitement to religious hatred.

Peers voted by a majority of 149 in favour of a cross-bench move to put freedom of speech safeguards into the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill.

Opponents say proposed legislation is drawn too widely and could outlaw criticisms of beliefs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Germany - Four Terrorists Convicted

But I thought Germany was against the war in Iraq? What kind of payback is this then?

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) - A court Wednesday convicted four Arab men of plotting to attack Jewish targets in Germany and found three of them guilty of being members of a terrorist organization.

Mohamed Abu Dhess, Ashraf al-Dagma and Ismail Shalabi were given sentences ranging from six to eight years in prison for their roles in planning the attacks and for forming a terrorist cell of al-Tawhid in Germany.

A fourth man, Djamel Mustafa, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in plotting the attacks and for supporting a terrorist organization.

Al-Tawhid is a radical Palestinian network believed to be linked to al-Qaida and headed by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who also leads al-Qaida in Iraq.

Seems Iraq isn't the root cause of terrorism after all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - BBC Hung Up On Vietnam

The BBC sure want you to forget Iraq approved its constitution in a hurry don't they? What better way than to compare Iraq to Vietnam with the announcement that the 2000th US soldier has died?

The BBC's defence correspondent, Rob Watson, says the war in Iraq has dramatically exposed both the strengths and weaknesses of America's armed forces.

The initial invasion of Iraq demonstrated the extraordinary firepower, speed and technological sophistication of the US military. In just three weeks it toppled the Iraqi government at the cost of less than 150 US casualties.

But the US military has been markedly less successful since then in fighting insurgents and "nation-building".

Well Rob, there are many more thousands of dead and captured insurgents who would disagree with that.

As for being less successful in nation building, the 8 million Iraqis who voted in the last election and the over 65% of Iraqis who voted for their first constitution would certainly disagree with you on that score.

So, how is this affecting military recruitment?

Throughout it all though the US armed forces have continued to enjoy a good reputation at home, where public opinion has also remained remarkably and strikingly tolerant of American casualties.

That said the deaths in Iraq are taking their toll on recruitment with all branches of the US military struggling to attract new men and women.

The BBC seems surprised that despite theirs and the rest of the worlds media to portray Iraq as an illegal and immoral war, Ameircans just aren't buying it.

Notice also that the BBC limit the impact of the war on recruitment to "new" recruits? Part of that can be attributed to the anti-war movements assualts (actual physical assualts) on recruiting stations, recruiters and ROTC members on college campuses. Combine that with the Left and the media's distortion and outright lies about what's going on in Iraq and it's no wonder recruitment is down slightly. If in fact it is down. I dont' have the time to look the figures up just now.

What the BBC doesn't tell you is that re-enlistment is way up, especially amongst those who have seen combat in Iraq.

Every one of the Army's 10 divisions — its key combat organizations — has exceeded its re-enlistment goal for the year to date. Those with the most intense experience in Iraq have the best rates. The 1st Cavalry Division is at 136 percent of its target, the 3rd Infantry Division at 117 percent.

Among separate combat brigades, the figures are even more startling, with the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division at 178 percent of its goal and the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Mech right behind at 174 percent of its re-enlistment target.

With the ink still wet on Iraq's new constitution the BBC can't help but throw up Vietnam.

As the war has continued, comparisons have been made to Vietnam, though that was a conscript war which saw nearly 60,000 US casualties.

Comparisons made by whom? The BBC of course.

The BBC spread another Vietnam myth with their "conscript war" statment.

Myth: Most Vietnam veterans were drafted.

2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. (Westmoreland papers) Approximately 70% of those killed were volunteers. (McCaffrey Papers)

See here for more.

And what's the overall affect on America?

But, like Vietnam, the conflict in Iraq is sure to have a profound and long-lasting effect on US attitudes to war and how and when it should be waged,...

Says who?

"...our defence correspondent says"

Care to explain why Bush was re-elected, Republicans gained in both houses of Congress and won more Governorships in the last elections, Rob?

The BBC go on and lend a mouthpiece to the anti-war crowd.

Iraq is a huge success by any measure and the BBC are too blinded by their anti-American bias to admit it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Iraqis Approve new constitution

There goes the Left's hoped for civil war.

A senior United Nations official in Iraq, Carina Perelli, said the election had been conducted to the highest standard.

"It has been audited, controlled - it has been done really in a very professional way," she said.

"The result is accurate. It has been checked according to the processes that we all follow when we have elections."

Laith Kubba, spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, told the BBC the results were a "victory for the political process".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - New Evidence Against Galloway

The BBC reports on the mounting evidence against Galloway.

Respect MP George Galloway has denied new claims that he profited from Saddam Hussein's oil-for-food programme and lied about it under oath.

The US Senate committee claims the anti-war MP lied to its members when he testified in Washington in May.

The committee says it has seen bank records linking Mr Galloway and his wife with Iraqi government vouchers.

At the time he testified, big media were falling all over themselves portraying Galloway in a David vs Goliath senario. The world's media all chimed in that Galloway had given it to the Senate but good.

But as I said at the time, if you read the transcript of the exchanges, it was clear that all the committee wanted to do was get Galloway's statement on record - they even said so. I don't know the possible legal implications of a British MP lying to the US Senate under oath, but they must have had their reasons for getting him on record.

The Independent has a lot more detail.

In a report issued here, Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman and his colleagues on the Senate Subcommittee for Investigations claim to have evidence showing that Mr Galloway's political organisation and his wife received vouchers worth almost $600,000 (£338,000) from the then Iraqi government.

"We have what we call the smoking gun," said Mr Coleman, who will send the report to the US Department of Justice and the British authorities. The MP could face charges of perjury, making false statements and obstructing a Congressional investigation. Each charge carries a possible jail term of five years and a fine of $250,000.

But would Britain hand him over to the US? What do the Iraqis get to say in all of this? It's their money after all.

More from Reuters.

According to the report, evidence showed that Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the Iraqi government for 23 million barrels from 1999 to 2003. It said Galloway's wife received about $150,000 (85,000 pounds) in connection with the allocations and a fund he started, the Mariam Appeal, received at least $446,000. [...]

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the subcommittee's top Democrat, said the report contained "strong new evidence" that the Iraqi government "granted repeated, substantial oil allocations" to Galloway.

The report, which included copies of banking documents and wire transfers, said that Fawaz Zureikat, a Jordanian businessman and a friend of Galloway's, received money in connection with an oil allocation and transferred "a significant portion of that money" to Galloway's wife and to the Mariam Appeal fund.

It also said former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, under questioning by the subcommittee, said he had discussed oil allocations with Galloway and confirmed a letter in which Galloway requested a bigger oil allocation.

The report also cited Iraqi Ministry of Oil documents, interviews with an oil trader who said he has discussed the oil allocations with Galloway and a written statement from another oil trader who said he negotiated with Galloway's agent to buy Galloway's oil allocation.

No wonder the BBC left out so much detail.

Note that these Ministry of Oil documents are not the same ones as the Telegraph's as Galloway claims. These documents are from a different time period.

And the noose tightens Mr. Galloway.

And there is much more evidence from The Times (UK) here and here.

UPDATE

More on the money trail from The Telegraph here and here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - UN Oil for Food Scandal Deepens

It's revealing how most big media are not interested in this story.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Syria - UN Cover Up

The UN is trying to cover for the Syrians just as they are trying to cover for Koffi Annan in the UN oil for food scandal.

THE United Nations withheld some of the most damaging allegations against Syria in its report on the murder of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister, it emerged yesterday.

The names of the brother of Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria, and other members of his inner circle, were dropped from the report that was sent to the Security Council.

The confidential changes were revealed by an extraordinary computer gaffe because an electronic version distributed by UN officials on Thursday night allowed recipients to track editing changes.

The mistaken release of the unedited report added further support to the published conclusion that Syria was behind Mr Hariri’s assassination in a bomb blast on Valentine’s Day in Beirut. The murder of Mr Hariri touched off an international outcry and hastened Syria’s departure from Lebanon in April after a 29-year pervasive military presence.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - More Democrats Convicted in Vote Fraud

Funny how big media ignore all these voter fraud convictions of Democrats.

Here is a great round up of voter suppresion by Democrats.

And the Democrats have been caught committing massive voter fraud in the last Presidential race.

Ironically the Democrats paid for the research that found:"Overwhelmingly," this report said, "these problems were reportedly traced primarily" to four Democratic political allies who supported Mr. Kerry ACORN, America Coming Together, the AFL-CIO and the NAACP National Voter Fund.

And there's a new report that says:The report finds that paid Democrat operatives were far more involved in voter intimidation and suppression activities than were their Republican counterparts during the 2004 presidential election. Examples include paid Democrat operatives charged with slashing tires on GOP get-out-the-vote vans in Milwaukee and an Ohio court order stopping Democrat operatives from calling voters telling them the wrong date for the election and faulty polling place information.

Keep this handy for the next time you have an argument with a Democrat.

You have to wonder, just how much greater Bush would have won by if the Democrats hadn't tried to steal the election.

And before any of you lefties try and claim Gore won the first election, read this and weep.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Israel - Biased BBC Reporters Leave

Biased BBC reports on the departure of two of the BBC's most anti-Israeli reporters - Plett and Guerin. Too bad they aren't leaving the BBC full stop.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Thousands Demonstrate Against Saddam

Does this mean Saddam didn't really win his last election by 100%?

BASRA, Oct 21 (KUNA) -- Thousands of demonstrators in the province of Dhi-Qar in south Iraq took to the streets after Friday prayer demanding swift execution of the former Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein.

The domonstration took place in the provincial city of Nasseria, led by a chief cleric, who headed the proceedings as the crowd of demontrators meandered around the streets of the city, witnesses told KUNA by phone.

The chief cleric, Muhammad al-Nasseri, spoke to the crowds, saying that a speedy trial of Saddam Hussein would satisfy millions of Iraqis who suffered excruciatingly from the brutal policies of the former strongman.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Afghanistan - Islamics outraged over burnt bodies

Taleban bodies that is.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Islamic clerics expressed outrage Thursday at television footage that purportedly shows U.S. soldiers burning the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters to taunt other militants and warned of a possible violent anti-American backlash.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the alleged desecration and ordered an inquiry. The operational commander of the U.S. military in Afghanistan, which launched its own criminal probe, said the alleged act, if true, was "repugnant."

Where was the outrage when Americans were tortured, killed, mutlilated, burned and hung from a bridge in Falluja?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Muslim woman in hijab legal fight

Fighting not to wear it, that is. Now here's a switch.

Samira Haddad, 32, a Dutch Muslim woman, is taking legal action against The Islamic College in Amsterdam after it refused to employ her because she did not want to cover her head.

Her insistence on her legal right not to wear a headscarf, or hijab, is a contrast to the campaign fought by Muslim groups across Europe for the right to wear one.

Interesting.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - IRAQ: NEPHEW OF SADDAM ARRESTED

Guess who turned him in? Syria.

Baghdad, 20 Oct. (AKI) - Iraqi police have arrested one of Saddam Hussein's nephews. Officials say Yassir Sabhawi Ibrahim - son of the deposed dictator's half-brother Sabhawi Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti - was arrested in a Baghdad apartment on Wednesday, accused of being one of the main financiers for the insurgency activities in Iraq. His arrest came just a few days after the Syrian authorities forced him to return to Iraq, the officials said, describing his capture as a "serious blow to terrorist networks".

Syria is said to have "pushed" Ibrahim into Iraq and informed the US authorities of his whereabouts in Baghdad, rather than handing him over. The Iraqi security forces then carried out a "fast, easy" raid on his apartment, a defence ministry official said. He is thought to have been handling Baath Party funds in Syria, Jordan and Yemen and coordinating a huge network of militants inside Iraq, as well as acting as go between for the Baathist insurgents and the terror group of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - Mixed Saudi Reactions to Saddam’s Trial

But they all agree he's guilty.

JEDDAH, 20 October 2005 — The appearance of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in a Baghdad court yesterday (along with seven co-defendants), which is trying him for a 1982 massacre of 150 Shiites in the village of Dujail, evoked mixed reactions among Saudis who gathered around television sets across the country to watch the trial. Yet they all agreed on one thing: That Saddam deserves the punishment that he will get at the end of the trial.

Others in the region would do well to heed this:

Muhannad Ali, a student, disagreed, saying: “Saddam was a dictator, and all dictators have very bad endings. He should have predicted his own end by reading history. If he looked at people before him, like Hitler and Mussolini, he should have known that he was no different from them and that he would have the same fate they had at the end. At least he will stand and face justice. I think at the end he will receive the death penalty.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

United Nations - Study: Fewer wars, less deadly

Not surprising to those of us who follow such things, but a shocker to those who rely on traditional media for their news. You can read about the report here.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A study issued paints a surprising picture of war and peace in the 21st century: Armed conflicts have declined by more than 40 percent since 1992, and genocide and human rights abuses have plummeted around the world.

The only form of political violence that appears to be getting worse is terrorism -- a serious threat but one that kills markedly fewer people than open warfare, it said.

The first Human Security Report, financed by five governments, said the end of the Cold War and breakup of the Soviet Union in 1989-91 was the most important factor in the decline in armed conflicts: It ended the East-West ideological battle, stopped the flow of money to proxy wars in the developing world, and most importantly allowed the United Nations for the first time to begin to play the role its founders intended.

[...]

Armed conflicts have not only declined by more than 40 percent since 1992, but the deadliest conflicts with over 1,000 battle deaths dropped even more dramatically -- by 80 percent. The number of international crises, often harbingers of war, fell by more than 70 percent between 1981 and 2001, the report said.

And who is largely responsible for this outbreak of peace? America.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Israel - Media Bias

Check out this headline from the Guardian.

Gunmen Kill Three Israelis in West Bank

Gunmen? They're not even militants anymore, much less terrorists. When it's Israelis who defend themselves and shoot Palestinian terrorists attacking them, the headlines scream "Israelis kill Palestinians". But when Palestinian terrorists murder innocent Israeli civilians, they're merely "gunmen".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Media Caught Faking it on Video

Add this to the media faking it collection.

If you still don't believe the media fake stories watch this video of a newswoman in a canoe reporting on a flood when two men walk in front of the camera with water about ankle deep. Priceless!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - How the BBC Misinforms the Public

Take this report on the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington, for example. Look at the opening paragraph.

Tens of thousands of African-Americans have been taking part in a rally in Washington to mark the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March.

And yet four paragraphs later we are told:

Neither the police nor the organisers gave an estimate for the size of the crowd.

So the BBC just dreamed one up. It could have been 500 or 1,000 for all we know.

And the BBC are happy to be a mouth piece for these race pimps.

The leader of the Nation of Islam movement, Louis Farrakhan, told the audience the federal government was guilty of failing to react more quickly to the disaster.

"I firmly believe if the people on those rooftops had blond hair and blue eyes and pale skin, something would have been done in a more timely manner," he said.

"We charge America with criminal neglect."

Well Farrakhan, you might want to start with the mayor and the chief of police, both of who are black by the way, for failing to carry out their own emergency plan. Then you can move on the the white govenor, who by the way, is a Democrat.

Another staple of the BBC is leaving out important details in the story, details like who is behind these protests. For that you have to rely on bloggers.

Speaking of history, oppression, and damaged relations between men and women, it's worth remembering Karenga's own past. Paul Mulshine at Front Page Magzine reported on Karenga's conviction for torturing two women who were members of "US (United Slaves)," a black nationalist cult Karenga founded:

Search my blog for more on the truth behind the Katrina disaster and who is really to blame for relief failings (hint: not the Federal government) and Instapundit has some links to more.

Just another example of BBC bias. See the Case Against the BBC for more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq - The Big Story Behind Yesterday's Voting

Is it demostrates conclusively that al Qaeda has failed in Iraq. It's been reported that during the last elections, al Qaeda mounted 347 attacks and during yesterday's elections managed only 13.

Instapundit has a round up of links and here with video.

Whether they vote yes or no doesn't matter. What matters is that they are using the ballot and not the bullet. As some have suggested, this is as monumental as the fall of the Soviet Union or the Berlin wall. How long before the people of Iran move to secure the same freedoms as Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pakistan - Earthquake: Who's to Blame?

Last week I asked how long would it be before Muslims attributed the Pakistan earthquake to God as punishment for their "sins". I noted that many of the victims were school children and wondered what "sins" they may have committed. Or, perhaps the childrens deaths were punishment to the parents for their "sins". Either way Muslims must surely believe in a cruel God.

Well, it didn't take long.

Preaching from the ruins of his once beautiful mosque, the Mullah of Battal offered a simple answer to the question posed time and again since the Pakistan earthquake: why?

''Allah has sent this great punishment on account of our misdeeds," he said, jabbing a finger at the open sky. "We must now end our rebellion against the orders of Allah and submit ourselves again to his ways."

I guess it just as well for the Mullah that his followers haven't learned about plate techtonics. He would have done them a better service to expose those who are really to blame so it doesn't happen again.

In this small town, perched on the mountain along the Silk Route to China, more than 100 children were killed when their school collapsed.

The destruction of schools where many buildings are still standing has exposed the racket of contractors who skimp on building materials to fatten their profits.

As the mullah's voice cracked, so did the expressions in the front row. Its mostly elderly faces shed tears at the mention of those who were gone.

Earthquakes aren't the only thing the Mullahs lie to their followers about.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - TV License Supported Despite BBC Turnoff

Understandable, seeing as the Guardian is as rabidly anti-American as the BBC.

Here are some things I found interesting in in this Guardian report.

The BBC has figures to show that 81% of people think the licence fee - currently £126.50 - is good value for money and that 41% would be happy to pay twice as much.

I bet the BBC has those figures, and probably from a BBC lunch room poll. Ask yourself, do you know anybody that would "be happy to pay twice as much" for anything?

It is always possible to argue that the BBC is asking for too much. Few will be surprised if the government cuts the bid back a bit.

Given the figures "the BBC has" I would have thought everyone would be surprised, especially those that are "happy to pay twice as much".

And in closing...

At a time when many of our traditional industries have lost their international reputation, the BBC has managed to maintain a blue chip brand of global excellence by combining technological innovation with editorial independence. It has proved a winning combination that is well worth backing for the future.

Perhaps the Guardian could explain the BBC's steep decline in viewing and listening figures then.

The BBC's viewing figures have been falling at about 5% for each of the last two years.

Oddly enough, The Guardian itself reported on the BBC's steep decline in listeners.

BBC digital radio loses listeners

Every one of the BBC's five digital radio stations has lost listeners over the second quarter of this year, despite the corporation ploughing more than £70m into the services.

Audiences have fallen across the board from April to June, compared to the previous three months, with only two of the five stations recording increased audiences over the past year.

And The Guardian calls this a success?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

France - U.N. Oil For Food Scandal Update

The noose tightens again.

PARIS (AP) - France's former U.N. ambassador has been taken into custody as part of an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in the Iraq oil-for-food program, judicial officials said Tuesday.

Jean-Bernard Merimee, 68, who also was ambassador to Italy from 1995-98 and to Australia in the 1980s, is suspected of having received kickbacks in the form of oil allocations from the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. He was also a special adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 1999 to 2002.

[...]

Saddam manipulated the program under a scheme by which he essentially sold oil at a reduced rate to favored buyers, who could then turn around and sell the oil at a hefty profit.

Ten French officials and business leaders - including a former adviser to former Interior Minister Charles Pasqua - are suspected of having received oil allocations as kickbacks from Saddam's regime.

Now you know why France opposed the liberation of Iraq.

How long before they finally get Galloway?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Islam - What Do They Want?

Just what the word means - submit.

A jailed Muslim terrorist, Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), spells out the aims of the jihad:

'What can the West, especially the US, do to make the world more peaceful?

ABB: They have to stop fighting Islam. That's impossible because it is sunnatullah [destiny, a law of nature], as Allah has said in the Koran. If they want to have peace, they have to accept to be governed by Islam.

SA: What if they persist?

ABB: We'll keep fighting them and they'll lose. The batil [falsehood] will lose sooner or later. I sent a letter to Bush. I said that you'll lose and there is no point for you [to fight us]. This [concept] is found in the Koran… Osama believes in total war. This concept I don't agree with. If this occurs in an Islamic country, the fitnah [discord] will be felt by Muslims. But to attack them in their country [America] is fine.

SA: So this fight will never end?

ABB: Never. This fight is compulsory. Muslims who don't hate America sin. What I mean by America is George Bush's regime. There is no iman [belief] if one doesn't hate America.

SA: How can the American regime and its policies change?

ABB: We'll see. As long as there is no intention to fight us and Islam continues to grow there can be peace. This is the doctrine of Islam. Islam can't be ruled by others. Allah's law must stand above human law. There is no [example] of Islam and infidels, the right and the wrong, living together in peace.'

Remember this next time someone tells you terrorism exists because of Western aggression.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - Telegraph fights Galloway ruling

I hope the Telegraph wins.

What the Guardian leave out of the story is the fact that the document's authenticity has never been called into doubt. Here is a good round up of the evidence against Galloway.

More here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iraq charter talks 'breakthrough'

This looks like good news from Iraq. Strange to find it on the BBC website.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britain - BBC Bias Continues

I've been busy with the kids while they are on school holiday but thankfully, Biased BBC has kept up with the BBC's bias. Just start at the top and scroll down.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - BBC Downplays US Earthquake Aid

Just like they did with the tsunami aid.

Having just praised the BBC for finally getting the Katrina story right, I find another one where they get it wrong. Not hard to do since we're talking about the BBC after all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America - Katrina: BBC Finally Gets It Right

It's a rare day that I have anything good to say about the BBC and it took them a long time, but they finally got it right about Katrina.

Notice what is glaringly missing from the BBC article? George Bush is not mentioned once.

Note who the BBC blames for the Katrina failures.

"Some of the actions of the mayor, and even the governor of Louisiana, were highly questionable.

"I don't think that the people that have to make these very difficult decisions realised the magnitude of this particular event, which is frustrating for people like me, because we're very much involved in forecasting.

"We'd been telling people all over the world that New Orleans was a nightmare waiting to happen, and certainly, someone at the state level and the local level have got to be held responsible for that."

[...]

A great many of them believe they were let down by their government, at local and state level, and were left there without food, water, medical help, transport out or security. It is those failings that Governor Kathleen Blanco and Mayor Ray Nagin will have to answer for.

Mr Nagin in particular is accused by some of spending much of the time before Katrina hit trying to work out the legalities of whether he could order a mandatory evacuation, rather than simply ordering people out of the city.

[...]

Governor Blanco was unavailable to talk to Assignment.

But some officials at the Louisiana office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness have two different views of Governor Blanco. While in public they defend her, in private, many are very critical.

One senior official accused her of playing politics throughout the emergency. Another told Assignment that he thought she and her staff had mishandled the crisis from the very start.

How many people will read this as opposed to the propaganda blaming Bush that the BBC put out over the airwaves?

via Scott.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------