US - Memorial Day: A salute to our troops

Thanks to all our men and women who give the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We salute you all!!!


Get this video and more at MySpace.com


Get this video and more at MySpace.com


Get this video and more at MySpace.com
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US - Kerry wants to re-fight the Swift Boats

Bring it on! Here's a few links to get you started. Instapundit and Powerline.
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UK - 20 Islamist terror plots revealed

The Sunday Times reports.

TWENTY “major conspiracies” by Islamist terrorists in Britain have been uncovered by the security services, John Reid, the home secretary, has disclosed.

How many do we not know about?

You would have thought this would be front page news for the BBC, or at least reported somewhere on their site. As of this writing I can't find any report on it. Oh, wait a minute. It involves Muslims and terrorism. The BBC must still be trying to figure out how to report it without mentioning Islam or Muslims. Watch for a story about conspiracies by plumbers.
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UK - BBC fabricates Army desertion story

Folks here is a classic example of the BBC fabricating a "news" story.

The BBC headline blares "More than 1,000 desert UK forces"

If you read or listen to the BBC you already know the reason. But just in case you missed it, the BBC tell you why they think soldiers are deserting.

More than 1,000 members of the British military have deserted the armed forces since the start of the 2003 Iraq war, the BBC has discovered.

Oh my God! You're thinking. That's terrible. Our armed forces must be on the brink of revolt. Just to make sure you get the picture the BBC add this.

During 2005 alone, 377 people deserted and are still missing. So far this year another 189 are on the run.

Some 900 have evaded capture since the Iraq war started, official figures say.

Read those figures and dates again. Keep them in mind for they are going to be very important in a minute.

Just in case you think you might do a little research on your own, the BBC tell you not to bother.

The Ministry of Defence is very secretive about the number of men and women who desert from the armed forces.

Well gee then, I wonder how the BBC came up with these figures, don't you? The fact that the BBC don't want you to investigate is all the more reason to. For me, the mere fact that the BBC report on Iraq is reason for me to be suspicious and ivestigate.

Again, just to make sure you don't investigate on your own, the BBC repeat the figures.

'Definite increase'

But the BBC has been told that more than 1,000 military personnel went absent without leave and failed to return since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003.

Some were subsequently arrested but about 900 have evaded capture, according to official figures.

During 2005 alone, 377 people deserted and are still missing. So far, this year, another 189 are on the run.

You see? The exact same paragraph repeated over again. Why?

Ok. I've kept you waiting long enough. Here's why from a blast from the past and the BBC itself. As you read, remember, this BBC report is from Sunday, 4 June, 2000 - before Afganistan or Iraq.

Here's the BBC headline for this 2000 report:

"Army desertions at record levels"

Official figures show that record numbers of soldiers are deserting from the British Army.

Hey, didn't the BBC just tell us that "The Ministry of Defence is very secretive" about these figures?

Since this report is from 2000, before Afganistan or Iraq, what reasons did the BBC give back then for the "record levels" of desertions?

Bullying within army ranks and pressures placed on soldiers and their families are some of the reasons given for the sharp rise.

A problem that still exists today.

Now for the bombshell. Remember all those numbers and dates from the first BBC report? Over 1000 deserted since the Iraq war began in 2003. That's over 1000 in 3 years or about 330 per year during the Iraq war.

Guess how many deserted in 1999, when there was no war going on? The BBC reports:

"There were nearly 2,000 recorded cases of desertion last year [1999]..."

Read that again. 2000 in just one year!!

And why did they desert?

"...some of which were spurred on by mistreatment or bullying by army superiors."

So, Army desertions have plummeted from 2000 a year during peace time, to 330 during a time of war.

But that doesn't stop the BBC from fabricating a story that the British Army is almost in revolt over Iraq. And they use some interesting people to bolster their claim.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence from military personnel that they are demoralised by the continuing conflict in Iraq and the fact that, despite their best efforts, there's little improvement in the situation there.

Really? I've just given you evidence that Army desertions have plummeted from peace time records to war lows. Dispite claiming to have "plenty of anecdotal evidence" what does the BBC give us as their proof?

Ben Griffin was a member of the elite SAS. He told his commanding officer, earlier this year, that he was not prepared to return to Iraq because he said he saw American forces carrying out what he thought were illegal acts.

The BBC goes on to give Griffin plenty of air time. But note, Griffin never states what those alleged illegal acts were. He just didn't like the American troops.

Why did the BBC choose Griffin as their spokesman? Well, he was in, not just the Army, but the SAS, he served in Iraq and refuses to go back. Perfect for the BBC. Ah, but it gets better.

You see, Griffin is on tour with the Communist led Stop the War Coalition. Appearing in places like Wandsworth and Swindon where he appeared along side momma moonbat Sheehan and the cast of the anti-war elite.

Opening session: Andrew Murray, Tony Benn, Lindsey German, Kate Hudson, Professor Elaheh Koolaee, Phyllis Bennis, Sami Ramadani, Mazin Younis, Ayatollah Khalisi. [Both German and Hudson are Communists]

Military families: Cindy Sheehan, Andrew Burgin, Judy Linehan, Rose Gentle, Ann Lawrence, John Miller, Ben Griffin, Kelly Dougherty, Chris Nineham, Medea Benjamin, Peter Brierley, Judy Cuniglio and Reg Keys.

Holding Bush and Blair to account: Tariq Ali, Ann Wright, Paul Ingram, David Swanson, John Rees, Craig Murray, Walter Wolfgang and Amani Deghayes.

Building an international movement: George Galloway, Ishmael Patel, Herbert Docena, Judith LeBlanc, Sabah Jawad, Dr Azzam Tamimi, Jeremy Corbyn, Andrew Murray.

And one more thing. What is the truth of the state of the British Army? For that, let's ask the soldiers themselves.

But the MoD said almost two-thirds were very satisfied with their army career. The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey also revealed that one in ten soldiers rated morale as very low, while 39 per cent said it was neither high nor low, while half of all officers and two out of five soldiers said their workload was "high".

Although 22 per cent of soldiers agreed with the statement "I intend to leave the services at the earliest opportunity", more than half disagreed.

The British Army has problems to be sure, they need to get aggressive and put a stop to the bullying. But the dramatic drop in desertions during a time of war, prove the British Army is still one of the finest and loyal in the world.

The BBC owes the Army an apology.

UPDATE

Rather than apologise, the BBC have now heavily stealth edited the "story". So much so the reporter has had his picture and name removed from it!! Thankfully, Drinking from Home has the screen shots to prove it.

You think they read my blog?

This once proud institution of Britain is now the shame of Britain. Add this to my long list of evidence against the BBC.

UPDATE

Seems the BBC are following my expose on them.



Here's who the IP address belongs to.

inetnum: 132.185.0.0 - 132.185.255.255
netname: BBC
descr: British Broadcasting Corporation
descr: *******************************************************
descr: * This address space is used for BBC Staff members *
descr: * accessing the internet. In case of any problems *
descr: * with users of this address space (spam, attacks, *
descr: * illegal activity, etc) please email abuse@bbc.co.uk *
descr: *******************************************************

UPDATE

Folks, if you're new to my site and think this might be a one off by the BBC, you might want to read my huge collection of evidence that the BBC can't be trusted.

And you might want to visit Biased BBC where they have a great team that has been exposing the BBC for longer than I.
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Iraq - Knowing who's important

Everybody knows momma moonbat Sheehan. She's the darling of the Left and the left wing media. Here are the people you really should know. Remember them this Memorial weekend.
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Gaza - Four killed by Zionists

No, I think you can blame this one on stupidity.

GAZA CITY: Four Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza yesterday as Israel fired dozens of artillery shells into the territory.

But the shells didn't actually land on them and kill them.

Three men died and five other were wounded in a house when a family member brought in and accidentally set off an unexploded Israeli shell that landed near the area, Palestinian security sources said.

But to make sure you get the point....

Israeli troops have in recent days fired dozens of artillery shells into north Gaza.

Which are in response to the Palestinians firing dozens of rockets into Israel and continued attempts by suicide bombers.
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Palestinian child abuse - video

Notice the kids dressed as terrorists and the one with the suicide vest. Also notice the Israeli flag being used as a floor covering. These people don't want peace.


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Saudi Arabia - Teaching hate in school

We are constantly being told that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. We're told that those Muslims who act otherwise are a minority, militants who have hijacked the religion.

I recently posted about Saudi school children being taught hate and intolerance. Now, the left wing National Public Radio, has noticed.

Saudi officials have told Washington that their reformed curriculum encourages tolerance and understanding of other religions and cultures.

But a recent investigation found otherwise.

The textbooks "reflect an ideology of hatred against the other, against Christians, Jews other Muslims, for instance, Shiites and the majority Sunni Muslims and all others who do not subscribe to the Wahhabi doctrine," Shea says.

The center's report cites numerous examples. It quotes a fourth-grade text as telling students to "love for the sake of God and to hate for the sake of God." The report says that textbooks instruct students that Christians and Jews are "apes and pigs" and warns students not to "greet," "befriend" or "respect" non-believers.

It's not just in Saudi Arabia. All around the world Muslims everyday are being taught this. Remember this next time someone tells you Islam has been hijacked.
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Science - Invisibility cloaks are in sight

This sounds cool.
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US - Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I'll post a few tribute videos to our troops over the weekend. Here's to all our troops. Enjoy!


Get this video and more at MySpace.com
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US - The forgeries of Jesse MacBeth

continue.

See here for background. And here for his forged video.

MacBeth and those behind him should be prosecuted.

UPDATE

Somebody needs to tell this moron that when you're in a hole stop digging.

MacBeth posted his altered DD214 (discharge papers) on his MySpace account. Notice the name he's using - Shadowhart. Back in 2004, Shadowhart was claiming to be a Navy Seal.



Lot's more here.
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US - What's Nancy Pelosi smoking?

Judging from this it must be powerful stuff.

So we have to do what we have to do. I’m not about whining, I’m about winning. Whatever it is we have to do -- we have to do it to get our message out there. It was important to us to spend time building unity in the party because that has its own appeal. We’re united around core principles. [inaudible]

But do what?

We have to have a strategy and we have to have priorities. What we do has to have consensus but it has to be bold. I’m not here for any milquetoast politics. [inaudible] Go home and criticize us, but don’t slow us down. Don’t slow us down. This is no convoy, this is a bandwagon. It has to have consensus and it has to have clarity. In order to have to have that clarity, we can’t have every issue in the book. We can bring it around the frames of fairness, of responsibility, of community, of real security…[inaudible].

That clear to you? "It" seems to be a plan. What that plan is Pelsoi doesn't say. The Democrats always have a plan, it's just that no one, including them, know what it is.

Listen now as Nancy gets real clear.

Let me just say this and you’ll understand. If I said, “a microphone is on the table is the message,” 10 Republicans around the table would say a microphone is on the table, a microphone is on the table, a microphone is on the table. Ten Democrats around the table would say a microphone is on the table, it’s next to a glass, there’s all these people sitting around, it’s in a room with a chandelier, there are windows in the room… Now why are you doing that? Just say what we’re going to say! Just say it! This is what we want them to know! But I think if I said it that way, they would understand it better, there’d be more context… They have this much time for us -- you got to get in before the window closes. The microphone is on the table! [inaudible]

Does anyone have a clue what this moonbat is talking about?!?
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UK - Muslim group behind death threats?

Is Inayat Bunglawala, media secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, behind death threats to blogger Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs? Given the MCB's history, I wouldn't be surprised. And given al Reuters track record, I'm even more unsuprised.

Stay tuned.
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US - Libbygate takes a bad turn

for the prosecution.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Time magazine must give I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby drafts of articles so the former White House aide can use them to defend himself against perjury and other charges in the CIA leak case, a federal judge ruled Friday.

So, why were the news organizations against Libby getting the material?

All of the news organizations had asked Walton to review the materials sought by Libby's lawyers in hopes of convincing him that the information was not relevant and that the defense was on a "fishing expedition."

And they may have hooked some big ones.

Walton said Time magazine must turn over drafts of first-person stories that reporter Matthew Cooper wrote about his conversations with Libby because the judge found inconsistencies between them. [...]

During that review, Walton said, he found "a slight alteration between the several drafts of the articles" Cooper wrote about his conversations with Libby and the reporter's first-person account of his testimony before a federal grand jury.

"This slight alteration between the drafts will permit the defendant to impeach Cooper, regardless of the substance of his trial testimony, because his trial testimony cannot be consistent with both versions," Walton wrote.

Slight alterations between drafts may not be a big deal, but the Judge says the drafts are inconsistent with Cooper's testimony before the grand jury. That is a big deal.

Cooper's not the only one who may have consistency problems.

Walton said The New York Times might have to turn over drafts of articles and other information during Libby's trial if former Times reporter Judith Miller contradicts her previous statements about the case when she testifies as a government witness.

In other words, Walton's putting Miller on notice that he's seen the drafts and she better not commit perjury.

No wonder the prosecution didn't want the defense to get these documents.

And no wonder the AP released this after 6pm on a Friday.
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UK - Muslim: "I’m going to bring this country down."

So says "Rashad Akhtar, a twenty-seven-year-old British Muslim".

"I’m not talking about Muslims in the Park Royal vicinity, or in the U.K. I’m talking about globally. Everyone who sees this is going to be offended..." [...]

"I am going to try my best in life, so that these people do not operate in a single Muslim country again, so that we get an apology to every single Muslim on this planet in their language, in their country, on a national TV station:" [...]

"They chuck it away. That is disrespectful. Don’t throw it away. Keep it as evidence. A reminder of what these people are doing every single day of our lives. " [...]

"I feel humiliated. I want to humiliate the person who did this to an extent that he never works again. I’m going to make him see that it was the biggest mistake in his life. I want to meet the guy. I want to ask the guy, “What does this mean to you?” then never see his face again.

In a way, I’m glad he did this to me. It has opened my eyes. The fear of God, the love of God, the love of not letting anyone disrespect God. Even though it means nothing to some people and may mean nothing to some Muslims in this country, this is my jihad. I’m not going to rest until I find the person who is responsible. I’m going to bring this country down. "

So, what's got this British Muslim so "humiliated" that he embarks on jihad and says "I'm going to bring this country down."? An ice cream cone. I'm not joking. Here's the offending cone.



Notice a couple of things? You have to turn the cone sideways, you have to be able to read arabic and even then you have to use your imagination.

But Burger King caved in and withdrew the offending cone. Just another step in the Islamization of Britain.

Well, I for one, choose to fight back. So, here are the Muhammad cartoons.


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UK - The origins of the great war of 2007

Niall Ferguson explains.
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UK - Losing trust

In just about everyone according to this graph. They're certainly right not to trust the Media, especially the BBC. As bloggers continue to grow and expose the lies and bias of news organizations, expect peoples trust in the media to continue to fall.


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Iran - Students rioting

Gateway Pundit reports.

We need to give those who oppose the mad mullahs all our support.
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US - Huffington and Gore rewrite history?

This sure sounds like it.

This looks like it would backfire to me. The last Democrat who touted his French connections and wanted to be President, lost.
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UK - Death threats from Reuters?

It will be interesting to see if Reuters responds to this.
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UK - A call for sanity for the Left

From the Left.

That is the actual geography, with four regions, not three. A significant segment of the international left lost touch with some of its most important values.

Conceived in a small blogospheric space because of a hunch that there were people out there in the world who found this state of affairs troubling, the Euston Manifesto stepped out. And the hunch has been confirmed.

Why has it taken so long for some on the Left to speak out against some of the insanity coming from a large portion of the Left?
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UK - Galloway: murder of Blair would be 'justified'

And he accuses Blair of war crimes.

The Respect MP George Galloway has said it would be morally justified for a suicide bomber to murder Tony Blair.

In an interview with GQ magazine, the reporter asked him: "Would the assassination of, say, Tony Blair by a suicide bomber - if there were no other casualties - be justified as revenge for the war on Iraq?"

Mr Galloway replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it - but if it happened it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq - as Blair did."

I'm not a lawyer, but a sitting MP alleging the Prime Minister committed war crimes I think would be illegal.

Currently Britain's Communist and terrorists loving MP is Cuba toasting his dictator pal Castro.

The Cuban president, in his customary military fatigues, looked on approvingly as the British MP said Mr Castro was a symbol of dignity.

"The Cubans are the only people in the entire world who have a leader who can say that he doesn't possess one dollar to his name," said Mr Galloway.

Well, George "Wormtounge" Galloway, that might be because the Cuban currency is the Peso. Besides, with nearly a billion in the bank, Castro can have it in any currency he wants.

As usual the BBC misinforms its readers.

The MP said he too had been slandered as a thief, when unproved claims were made that he had profited from the Iraq oil-for-food programme.

What the BBC doesn't tell you is that Galloway is still under investigation here and in the US for his involvement in the UN's oil for food scandal. The investigation has uncovered oil for food monies deposited in Galloway's wife's account when they were still together.

In addition, the Charities Commission has reopened its investigation into Galloway's sham appeal, set up to launder the oil for food money, based on new evidence provided by the UN. The original investigation was abandoned becasue Galloway sent the appeal's records to Jordan. He was never cleared by the Commission as he claims.

With any justice we will one day see Galloway behind bars where he belongs.
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UK - BBC misleads on alleged CIA flights

No surprise there is there? As usual with the BBC, they intentionally leave out important information that refutes the story. Now, why do you suppose that is?

Here's how the BBC try and pull the wool over your eyes.

The government insists there is no evidence of secret prisoner flights.

But allegations about the so-called "renditions" have continued.

It's not just the "government insists there is no evidence". Two seperate EU investigations found the same thing.

BRUSSELS -- Investigations into reports that US agents shipped prisoners through European airports to secret detention centers have produced no evidence of illegal CIA activities, the European Union's antiterrorism coordinator said yesterday.

The investigations also have not turned up any proof of secret renditions of terror suspects on EU territory, Gijs de Vries told a European Parliament committee investigating the allegations.

So who is making the "allegations"?

But so far investigators have not identified any human rights violations, despite more than 50 hours of testimony by human rights activists and individuals who said they were abducted by US intelligence agents, de Vries said.

''We've heard all kinds of allegations, impressions; we've heard also refutations. It's up to your committee to weigh if they are true. It does not appear to be proven beyond reasonable doubt," he said. ''There has not been, to my knowledge, evidence that these illegal renditions have taken place."

See here.

And there is no evidence of so called secret prisons.

STRASBOURG, France, Jan. 24 - An inquiry by the Council of Europe into allegations that the C.I.A. has operated secret detention centers in Eastern Europe has turned up no evidence that such centers ever existed, though the leader of the inquiry, Dick Marty, said there are enough "indications" to justify continuing the investigation.

Where does Mr. Marty get his "indications" from?

Drawing from news reports, Mr. Marty contended that "more than a hundred" detainees have been moved anonymously and illegally through Europe under the program.

See here.

"Drawing from news reports"!!!

I would imagine some of those news reports came from the BBC.

If this story is worth reporting by the BBC, they owe it to the public to tell the whole story.
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Iraq - Predator catches IED plant: Hellfire employed

I hope this happend often.

Click here to watch 'Predator-finds-IED-emplacers-blows-up-their-car'
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Iraq - A reminder for the Left

Which is sorely needed.
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US - Economy Dashes Ahead at 5.3 Percent Pace

From the AP.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Emerging from a year-end rut, the economy dashed ahead in the opening quarter of this year at a 5.3 percent pace, the fastest in 2 1/2 years and even stronger than previously thought.

The new snapshot showed gross domestic product during the January-to-March period exceeded the 4.8 percent annual rate initially estimated a month ago, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

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Bali - JI training in chemical weapons

According to this report.

TERRORISTS linked to the group blamed for the Bali bombings are being trained in the use of chemical weapons that can cause widespread death and destruction.

Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna has warned that the authorities have proof Jemaah Islamiah has been training its operatives in chemical warfare.

Dr Gunaratna said authorities had recovered a training manual from the home of a senior JI leader instructing terrorists on how to develop and launch an attack with the deadly chemical, hydrogen cyanide.

"The chemicals and biological agents discussed in the manual were similar to those that al-Qa'ida had been experimenting with and producing in laboratories in Afghanistan," Dr Gunaratna said. "Al-Qa'ida has conducted experiments on dogs and rabbits exposing them to the fumes and forcing them to die harrowing deaths."

This will get the civil rights people in a twist.

Mr Keelty said yesterday one of the breakthroughs from this week's conference was the launch of a web-based criminal database linking member nations and the Interpol database. He said the database would allow authorities to track the movements of criminals and terrorists throughout the region.

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UK - Customs 'investigating WMD case'

Customs!! Customs!! According to the BBC customs is investigating a case of weapons of mass destruction. I sure as hell hope there's more than customs involved.

Pressed by the former Conservative defence minister, Sir John Stanley, Mr Fuchter confirmed that the investigation involved components or materials related to weapons of mass destruction.

Sir John said the case was "clearly of profound significance" and he wasn't aware that it had previously appeared in the public domain.

Was it?

This story raises more questions than it answers. You know, the usual journalistic basics like, who, what, why, where, when, etc. Take this one paragraph for instance.

It would be the first case using new powers imposing penalties on British nationals for some offences committed abroad that involve trafficking in torture equipment or long-range missiles.

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UK - London club 'bombing plan' taped

And the BBC's "mouth" is taped shut so they don't utter the word "Muslim". Despite the fact that these Muslims wanted to blow up a place where "If you went for the social structure where every Tom, Dick and Harry goes on a Saturday night, yeah, that would be crazy."

The fact that Muslim terrorists continue to try and destroy western societies simply because they dispise our way of life, is central to the story. But as usual the BBC censor anything that portrays Muslims in a bad light.

And here's something else we need to worry about.

In the secret security recordings, Omar Khyam, 24, of Crawley, West Sussex, is heard apparently discussing targeting utility companies with the help of recruits with inside knowledge, to cut off essential supplies around the country.

Who are they and where are they.
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Palestinians teaching children to hate:video

This is what the Palestinians teach their children.


Get this video and more at MySpace.com
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US - CAIR "Islamophobia" Propaganda at VOA

LFG has the story.

Now we're paying to spread CAIR's propaganda?!?

Unreal.
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Europe rethinks its 'safe haven' status

Better late than never I suppose.

The sentiment isn't isolated. Earlier this month, Austria's Interior Minister Liese Prokop announced that 45 percent of Muslim immigrants were "unintegratable," and suggested that those people should "choose another country."

In the Netherlands, one of Europe's most integrated refugees and a critic of radical Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, resigned her seat in parliament in the wake of criticism that she faked details on her asylum application to the Netherlands in 1992. And France's lower house of parliament last week passed a strict new immigration law, now awaiting Senate approval.

Indeed, recent rumblings from the top echelons of governments across Europe suggest that the continent is rethinking its once-vaunted status as a haven for refugees as it becomes more suspicious that many immigrants are coming to exploit its social benefits and democratic principles.

Bingo!
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US - Cheney may be called in CIA leak case

So much for Truth Out's claim thae Cheney had been indicted.

The AP uses this article to continue to spread the Wilson lie.

In the Times article, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence on Iraq to justify going to war. In 2002, the CIA sent Wilson to Niger to determine whether Iraq tried to buy uranium yellowcake from Niger to build a nuclear weapon. Wilson discounted the reports. But the allegation wound up in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

Yeah, Wilson discounted the reports because he wanted to discredit the Administration. Subsequent investigations revealed that Wilson's information bolstered the case that Iraq tried to obtain uranium from Niger.

Here's a recent Washington Post article on the subject.

The affair concerns, once again, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV and his absurdly over-examined visit to the African country of Niger in 2002. Each time the case surfaces, opponents of the war in Iraq use it to raise a different set of charges, so it's worth recalling the previous iterations. Mr. Wilson originally claimed in a 2003 New York Times op-ed and in conversations with numerous reporters that he had debunked a report that Iraq was seeking to purchase uranium from Niger and that Mr. Bush's subsequent inclusion of that allegation in his State of the Union address showed that he had deliberately "twisted" intelligence "to exaggerate the Iraq threat." The material that Mr. Bush ordered declassified established, as have several subsequent investigations, that Mr. Wilson was the one guilty of twisting the truth. In fact, his report supported the conclusion that Iraq had sought uranium.

That doesn't stop AP reporters like this one from twisting the truth.
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Ireland - Muslim abuse on the rise

Guess whose fault it is? Ours.

According to the Equality Authority, negative portrayals of Muslims in the media are leading to more attacks.

Of course the "honor killings", gang rapes, persecution of women, gays and all other religions, not to mention all manner of atrocities commited by Muslims around the world, have nothing to do with it. They never do.

The folks in Ireland can't be reading the BBC because the BBC censor any negative reporting of Muslims. The BBC only portray Muslims in a good light or as the victims.
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Iraq - Bill Clinton claims Iraq has WMD

Here's a blast from the past. Listen to Bill Clinton send American forces to destroy Iraq's WMD.

There is a slight pause before the audio starts, so be patient.

Click here to watch 'Bill-Clinton-claims-Iraq-has-WMD'

Did Bill Clinton lie us into war then?
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Germany - 32,000 Islamist extremists in country

Now, this is whistling past the graveyard.

22 May 2006

BERLIN - The number of Islamist extremists based in Germany increased slightly last year but the country faces far lower threat of terrorist attacks than states which took part in the Iraq war, an official report said Monday.

There were 32,100 Islamists living in Germany last year - an increase of about 300 from 2004, said the report by Germany's domestic security agency, the Verfassungsschutz.

Germany has a Muslim minority of about 3 million out of a total population of 82 million, said the report.

The biggest Islamist group is Milli Gorus, a Turkish movement with 26,500 members.

Other groups are Hamas with about 300 members, Hezbollah with 900 and the Muslim Brotherhood with 1,300.

The Verfassungsschutz has no figures for the number of al-Qaeda members based in Germany, the report said.

Nope, no problem there. Of course, maybe Germans should fear your everyday Muslim more.

Hamburg - In Hamburg, a 40-year-old man beheaded his wife (39) . Afterwards, he ran, his wife’s head in his hand, to a nearby gas station and turned himself in to police. At the time of the brutal murder, both daughters (6 and 13) were in the apartment of the married couple.

The cops are clueless and struggle for a motive.

Investigators now try to figure out the motive for this unbelievable homicide. The situation escalated without any reason, according to homicide detectives. Atilla S., who had been living in this apartment for 10 years together with his wife, has not been registered for any criminal offense.

Might this give cause for alarm?

“We were not very close to him and his family”, says a relative. “ He is very conservative and attended the mosque on a regular basis. The rest of the family has a very Western lifestyle.”

This created a gap between husband and wife.

Poor choice of words?
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Iraq - Antiwar myths about Iraq, debunked.

This is the kind of thing that needs repeating often to counter the moonbats. More here.

The fact that the anti-war movement has been exposed as a Communist front organization, whose myths have been thoroughly debunked, may explain why they resort to forging documents and using fake war vets in anti-war videos.

John Kerry did the same thing with his Winter Soldiers during Vietnam.
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UK - BBC Questions Terror Arrest

Here are more reasons to stop funding the BBC.
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US - Wrong About Rove?

Howard Kurtz writing in the Washington Post notes Truth Out's credibility problem. In so doing, he asks a question, maybe the question, that also destroys the left's calim that Bush lied us into war in Iraq.

I reported yesterday (and if you missed it, start paying attention!) that the liberal Web site Truthout.org was standing by its claim that Karl Rove had been secretly indicted in the CIA leak case, despite strong denials by the White House aide's lawyer and spokesman.

Why the Rove team would lie about information that, if true, was certain to come out soon was never quite clear.

The same could be asked about team Bush. "Why the Bush team would lie about information that, if true, was certain to come out soon was never quite clear."

If Bush lied and knew there were no WMD in Iraq, didn't he and his advisors know they would be found out? If so, wouldn't they have at least planted some WMD?

Fortunately, we now have all the proof we need that Bush didn't lie.
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US - Jessie MacBeth's bogus war video

Here's Jessie MacBeth's bogus war video. See here for links exposing MacBeth as a fraud. He was never in the Rangers and those involved with making this video should be prosecuted for treason.

This is the Left for you. John Kerry with his Winter Soldiers lied about war crimes in Vietnam. Dan Rather and CBS used forged documents to smear Bush. The Democrats and the Left are the real "culture of corruption".


Get this video and more at MySpace.com

UPDATE

Google Video still has the original - for now.





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Iraq - Fake war crimes video

Remember how the Left say they don't support the war but they support the troops? Well now they've been caught faking a video alleging war crimes by US troops in Iraq during a time of war.

Since we are at war, shouldn't Jessie MacBeth and Pepper Spray,who produced the film, be proscecuted for treason? The film was of very good quality and well produced; this was no amateur production.

And shouldn't those invovled who belonged to Iraq Veterans Against the War that were involved in in it's production also be prosecuted? Here's what they are currently running on their website.

IVAW Statement on MacBeth Video

Iraq Veterans Against the War recently learned of a video interview with Jesse MacBeth that directs viewers to IVAW’s website and phone number. IVAW was not made aware of the creation of this video program and our input on it was never sought by its producers. Jesse MacBeth is not a spokesperson for IVAW and any claims made by MacBeth about his service have not been verified. We are currently investigating these claims and will have a full statement pending its resolution.

While Pepper Spray announce on their website that the video is no longer for sale at the request of the IVAW, it still carries MacBeth's bogus and treasonous claims.

Army Ranger's testimony shows war crimes were ordered from higher up the chain of command, and were common...

There is a current story in the US press about a squad of Marines that are being investigated for "war crimes" after they murdered a whole Iraqi family one night a few months back. US officials are approaching this story as if this wasn't standard procedure, and are focusing on holding the individual Marines accountable. Jessie Macbeth blows the lid off that story.

Macbeth is a former US Army Ranger, who served in Iraq for 16 months before being wounded and ultimately discharged. His squad did night raids, using the same techniques the Marines are accused of, 4 or 5 times a night for many months. Macbeth, who is now a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War was interviewed for the public access TV show "Indymedia Presents."

In this interview Jessie describes killing children to make the parents talk. He describes one episode where his squad responded to the much-reported incident in Falluja where 4 US mercenaries were killed and hung from a bridge. Shortly after Iraqis killed the mercenaries, according to Macbeth, his squad of Rangers gunned down Iraqis praying inside a mosque on a holy day, then hung some of the bodies from rafters, and defaced the mosque with graffiti.

None of it's true.

The US Army says he was never in the Army and the left have pulled the video from Youtube and MySpace. I managed to do a screen grab of the video. It's not great quality and is 58mb. I may see if I can reduce it and put it on the web. People need to see how treasonous the left really are.

Here's a screen grab of Pepper Spray's ad for Jessie.



Peace Films hosted the video but as you can see have now taken it down. But here's the cache copy of the website. Right click and click "open in new window" to see larger image. Note the Peacefilm link at the top and the title of the video "Jessie MacBeth: Former Army Ranger and Iraq war vet".



Has anyone seen MSM reporting on this scandal?

Whoever is responsible needs to go to jail - starting with Jessie MacBeth.

If all of this sounds familiar, it should. John Kerry and his Winter Soldiers did the exact same thing during Vietnam. John Kerry was never prosecuted.

UPDATE

Lot's more information here.

Have you noticed how quiet the left of the blogsphere is after having jumped all over the "scandal"? Just like they did over CBS's forged documents.

UPDATE

See the video here.

Technorati tagJesse MacBeth
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US - Fox News clobbers the competition

Which means, thankfully, more people are getting the truth.

CABLE NEWS RACE
MON., MAY 22, 2006
VIEWERS

FNC O'REILLY 2,105,000
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,666,000
FNC GRETA 1,494,000
FNC HUME 1,341,000
FNC SHEP SMITH 1,215,000
CNN KING 885,000
CNN DOBBS 702,000
CNN BLITZER 592,000
CNN COOPER 590,000
CNN ZAHN 527,000
CNNHN GRACE 487,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 471,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 406,000

With MSNBC's low numbers, it's amazing Hardball and Olbermann are still on.
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US - Google biased to the Left?

Well, there's certainly a lot of evidence that points in that direction. See here and here.

So, why did Google News ban New Media Journal? This is by no means scientific, but looks interesting. Here's the results for a Google fight between New Media Journal and "screw them" Kos.



Michelle Malkin and Charles Johnson were banned long ago, so who knows what their actual results could have been. Here are their fight results.





Fortunately, there is an antidote to "screw them" Kos.


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UK: Muslim Scout Groups Choose Segregation

Western Resistance reports on how Muslims continue to refuse to integrate into British society. The irony of what some of these Muslims are saying is just too rich.

Sample:

The Welsh group's leader, Salah Aboulgasem, said: "If [the parents] know they are with other Muslims who can understand them and treat them better - and suit their needs - then they will be more than happy to bring them along."

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US - Left wing media wolves

So, you don't think the left wing media are a bunch of wolves, just waiting to attack the Administration at the mere thought of blood? Then check out this tid bit in the Washington Post.

The claim that President Bush's top political strategist had been indicted in the CIA leak investigation was written by a journalist who has battled drug addiction and mental illness and been convicted of grand larceny. That didn't stop more than 35 reporters -- from all the major newspapers, networks and newsmagazines -- from calling Luskin or Rove's spokesman, Mark Corallo, to check it out.

The reports appeared on the liberal Web site Truthout.org, run by Marc Ash, a former advertising man and fashion photographer in California. Jason Leopold, the author of the stories, directed inquiries to Ash, who says that "we stand by the story. We have multiple points of independent confirmation of what we originally reported. Our problem is, the prosecutor's office is under no obligation to go public."

Leopold acknowledges in a new book, "News Junkie," that he is a past liar, convicted felon and former alcoholic and cocaine addict. An earlier version of the book was canceled by publisher Rowman & Littlefield last year.

It's been ten days and still nothing.

Byron York shoots down the Left's latest loony theory.
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US - Google censoring the Right

I've commented in the past on Google's support for the Left. The American Thinker reports the problem is getting worse.
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US - Democrats and oil for food

Here's one more reason the Democrats have dropped their "culture of corruption" theme.
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US - Warship built out of Twin Towers wreckage

I haven't seen any thing about this in the US media, so it's interesting to see the UK media reporting it.

IN A city still emerging from the floods of Hurricane Katrina, a ship has begun to rise from the ashes of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Bringing together America’s two great calamities of the 21st century, the USS New York is being built in New Orleans with 24 tonnes of steel taken from the collapsed World Trade Centre.

There is no shortage of scrap metal in New Orleans these days, but the girders taken from Ground Zero have been treated with a reverence usually accorded to religious relics. After a brief ceremony in 2003, about seven tonnes of steel were melted down and poured into a cast to make the bow section of the ship’s hull.

Some shipworkers say the hairs stood up on the backs of their necks the first time they touched it. Others have postponed their retirement so they can be part of the project.

What a great idea.
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UK - George Galloway: You ask the questions

and he tells the lies.

Here's the proof to refute much of what Galloway says in that Independent article.

There are currently at least 3 seperate investigations into Galloway and it would be nice to know the status of them. As I understand it, the Charities Commission has reopened their investigations based on new information provided by the UN and the US Congress.

This isn't over yet and with a bit of luck we may see Galloway in prison yet.
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UK - 230 terror suspects free to stay

and we pay them to stay!

MORE than 230 foreigners identified by MI5 and Scotland Yard as suspected terrorists have been allowed to stay in Britain as asylum seekers.

Home Office records show that nearly a quarter of the 963 people arrested in counter-terrorism operations in England and Wales since September 2001 have claimed refugee status, saying their human rights would be violated if they returned to countries such as Algeria, Iraq and Somalia.

While their applications are processed, all are entitled to state benefits such as free housing and legal aid to pursue their claims that they would be persecuted in their home countries.

Critics say the figures make a mockery of a much trumpeted announcement by Tony Blair after last July’s London bombings that the government would automatically refuse asylum to anyone engaged in terrorism.

Yes, it does.
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Iraq - Tips Lead Coalition Forces to IED Factory

The coalition get these kinds of tips all the time but MSM ignore them.

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2006 – Based on tips, coalition forces located and killed six terrorists, detained three and destroyed a safe house and multiple weapons caches in Ramadi during a search May 17 for a wanted terrorist known as the "Prince of IEDs," military officials in Baghdad reported today.

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Saudi Arabia - Islam hasn't been hijacked

Whenever there is an atrocity committed by Muslims, we are told that it's a minority or militant group who is hijacking Islam and that Islam is a peaceful, tolerant religion. This dispite all the evidence to the contrary. Time and again, in secret recordings made in mosques, we have seen this is not the case. Jews and Christians are often called apes and pigs and there are calls for their deaths.

These teachings are not spread merely in the mosque at prayer time. Muslims are taught in school from first grade to hate Jews and Christians. Here is a sampling of what is in the official Saudi textbooks.

First Grade: " Every religion other than Islam is false."

Fifth Grade: "It is forbidden for a Muslim to be a loyal friend to someone who does not believe in God and His Prophet, or someone who fights the religion of Islam."

Eigth Grade: "As cited in Ibn Abbas: The apes are Jews, the people of the Sabbath; while the swine are the Christians, the infidels of the communion of Jesus."

Tenth Grade: The 10th-grade text on jurisprudence teaches that life for non-Muslims (as well as women, and, by implication, slaves) is worth a fraction of that of a "free Muslim male."

That's the religion of peace and tolerance the left love so much.
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US - Heard the Good News?

Michael Barone reports on how well America, indeed most of the world, are performing.

"Things are better than you think. Yes, I know, most Americans are in a sour mood these days, convinced that the struggle in Iraq is an endless cycle of bloodshed, certain that our economy is in dismal shape, lamenting that the nation and the world are off on the wrong track. That's what polls tell us. But if we look at some other numbers, we'll find that we are living not in the worst of times but in something much closer to the best. What do I mean?"

Since there's a Republican in the White House most of the left wing meida either ignore or downplay the good numbers.
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US - Tape Shows Democrat Taking Bribe Money

The AP reports.

A [Democrat] congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer.

At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa.

As Glenn notes, this may explain why Jefferson had the National Guard secure his home after Katrina.

"Some readers may recall that Jefferson also used the National Guard to secure his home in New Orleans during the Katrina aftermath. Another triumph for Louisiana politics! However, the bribery story puts a new spin on this bit from the story about Jefferson's urgent visit to his home amid the flood: "Finally, according to the source, Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck." Hmm."

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UK - BBC bias tricks

Here's another bias trick the BBC use.

The headline, in scare quotes, reads thus: US 'must end secret detentions'

Notice how the BBC make you think they are quoting someone, presumedly an important person, saying the US "must" end secret detentions. And they also imply that such facilities exist.

Now read the story.

The US should close any secret "war on terror" detention facilities abroad and the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba, a United Nations report has said.

The UN Committee against Torture urged the US to ensure no one was detained in any secret facility.

The report followed the first US appearance before the committee since the 11 September 2001 attacks.

A legal spokesman for the US state department said the report contained "factual and legal inaccuracies".

Which is usually true of BBC reports.

The US has been holding hundreds of terror suspects arrested since 11 September at facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and Cuba. It has been accused of operating secret prisons and transporting some detainees to states which use torture.

Accused by whom? The BBC does not say of course. Nor does the BBC mention that two EU investigations found no evidence that any such facilities has ever existed.
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UK - Islamic charity worker arrested by Israel

Of course you wouldn't know he worked for an Islamic charity if you relied on the BBC as they censor out anything that shows Muslims in a bad light.

A British charity worker has been arrested in Jerusalem, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

The Guardian doesn't seem to have that problem.

A British worker for a Birmingham-based Islamic charity has been arrested by Israeli military authorities, and further detained without charge at two hearings yesterday.

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UK - BBC: Wrong man in the right place

This sounds about right.

And much fun was to be had at the BBC’s expense afterwards. Here, after all, was the emperor revealed brazenly in the altogether; News 24, with its constant parade of expert commentators pontificating upon important events — well, actually, who is to say they’re experts at all, that we should pay any attention to their perorations? Maybe they are all as divested of expertise as Mr Goma. It’s not journalism at all, really — just a cheap and mindless method of filling up airtime. People who know nothing interviewed badly by people who know even less.

And he knows what he's talking about.

Many years ago I was a youthful producer on BBC Radio Four’s World at One; it was a good time to be a journalist because the world was in joyous tumult with the end of the Cold War. I was extraordinarily proud of myself to have secured for my programme an interview with Georgi Arbatov, head of the Soviet Institute for American Studies and an adviser to every Soviet president from Khrushchev to Mikhail Gorbachev. What a coup! As the Soviet Union dissolved and geopolitical relations were being turned on their head, I had tracked down and persuaded one of the five or six most crucial and significant people in the world to talk to us live on air, in the lead slot. It was a good interview, too. Georgi said he wanted better relations with the USA and was in favour of world peace and disarmament. ‘We must all now be frentz, yes?’ he asked at the end, with benevolent rhetoric. His broadcasted comments were duly written up in the following day’s broadsheet newspapers.

But as I discovered when I spoke to him after the interview, they were not the views of Georgi Arbatov, close adviser to Mikhail Gorbachev, but the views of Georgi Arbatov, an insurance salesman from Minsk. Thank God, I mused later, reading the delighted reaction to his comments from Western politicians, that he was not a hawkish insurance salesman from Minsk: the missiles might have been leaving the silos.

He concludes with this:

So thank you, Guy Goma and News 24, for reminding us of our infinite fallibilities and of the chasm between what is said and what is understood. We should treat everything we see, hear or read with measured scepticism — and when it emanates from people breathlessly described as experts, all the more so.

And when it emanates from the BBC we should treat it with total scepticism.
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UK - Media groups unite against BBC

Better late than never I suppose.

The submission attacks the BBC Trust, saying its independence and accountability is "largely illusory" and that there is a lack of truly independent safeguards to stop the corporation abusing its position to damage commercial operators.

Not to mention the damage the BBC is doing the the security of the free world.

And there's this.

Do you agree with me that if the BBC can't do better than this it is going to have difficulty justifying its licence fee?" he asked.

Mr Straw said he would pass his remarks on but editorial decisions were a matter for the BBC, not for MPs.

"On the issue of accuracy, all journalists, including the BBC, have a responsibility to ensure that quotations are attributed accurately," he said.

Good luck with that.
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UK - Europe: Facing the terror of Fidel Castro's Cuba

VACLAV HAVEL writes in the Scotsman.

Who better than Europeans, who brought communism to life, exported it to the world, and then paid dearly for it over many decades, know about the torments inflicted upon the Cuban people?

Humanity will pay the price for communism until such a time as we learn to stand up to it with all political responsibility and decisiveness.

EU states meet in June to review policy on Cuba. They should weigh up the consequences of accommodating Castro and show they will not ignore his practices or neglect the suffering of prisoners of conscience. We must not forget seemingly anonymous victims of Castro's "acts of rejection".

Tell that to London's mad mayor, Red Ken Livingstone, who wrote this in the Guardian.

"In order for me to perform a U-turn on inviting Fidel Castro to London (Diary, March 1), I would first have had to invite him. Of course, if Castro came to London he would be an honoured guest."
Ken Livingstone
London mayor

And tell it to Castro loving MP George Galloway.
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Italy - Robot performs heart surgery by itself

This is interesting.

Reminds me of the first Star Wars movie where Luke gets a new hand fitted by a robot. We're a long way from that but we're headed that way.
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Iraq - "Thank you"

You're welcome.

COLORADO SPRINGS - An Iraqi mayor stood before troops lined up on the lawn at Fort Carson on Friday morning and said only two words in English.
But those two words brought the crowd to its feet.

"Thank you."

It was a telling gesture from Tal Afar Mayor Najim Al Jibouri, who spoke for about 20 minutes in his native tongue praising the 3rd Armored Cavalry for saving his city from certain ruin.

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US - Media's 'scandal' double standard

It certainly is.

Ten years ago, when the Clinton administration was rifling through the FBI files of former Republican officials, it was extremely distasteful to object. Here is Brian Williams in June of 1996, after the [Clinton] White House admitted collecting FBI reports on 338 GOP officials (later revised upward to more than 900) and after Bob Dole compared it to Nixon's enemies list: "The politics of Campaign '96 are getting very ugly very early. Today Bob Dole accused the White House of using the FBI to wage war against its political enemies, and if that sounds like another political scandal, that's the point."

At that time, Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz admitted the press blew the FBI-files story. Why? There was a "feeling that ... a political snooping operation was not the kind of thing they expected from the Clinton White House, whereas if hundreds of files had been obtained by Ed Meese in the Reagan administration on Democrats, I think this story would have rocketed to the front page."

Now we're observing that role reversal. Granted, the scope of the NSA database is much larger. But it's also less personal than FBI files, full of raw personal allegations. How's that for a double standard: The Clintons built a treasure-trove of personal data on their political adversaries, and the networks called the Republicans who objected "ugly." But when NSA builds a database to discover terrorists in America, it's time to impeach the dictator.

The Clintons were absorbed in database creation -- not to protect the country, but to protect and perfect their grip on power. "Secret System Computerizes Personal Data," declared a June 26, 1996, front-page article in The Washington Times. Reporter Paul Rodriguez detailed how the White House Office Data Base tracked personal information on those who visited the Clintons, including their Democratic National Committee donation records. Network coverage? Not a word on ABC, CBS or NBC.

Seven months later, the Los Angeles Times and Time magazine "broke" the story again, discovering the Clintonites routinely turned over personal information of supporters to the DNC, mingling White House funds and party-building activities. Then CBS and NBC aired one story. ABC did not. But again, it was a Republican allegation, not a Los Angeles Times story.

What else would you expect from the left wing media?
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Iraq - World leaders welcome new government

As Annan put it, "the first constitutionally elected government of Iraq", that is.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- President Bush vowed on Saturday that Washington would stand by Baghdad as he joined world leaders in welcoming Iraq's new government.

"The United States and freedom-loving nations around the world will stand with Iraq as it takes its place among the world's democracies and as an ally in the war on terror," Bush said in a written statement.

Bush was the latest in a string of world leaders to welcome the formation Saturday of the new Iraqi government -- the first full-term administration since Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003 in a U.S.-led invasion.

The birth of a nation is a painful and yet joyful event, as all births are. The Iraqis have held 3 successful elections, adopted a constitution and now have a constitutionally elected government of the people, by the people and for the people. Some quagmire, eh?

So, here's a toast to the brave, proud and free people of Iraq! Here's to victory for the Iraqi people and defeat for the terrorists!


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Spain seeks to stem tide of immigrants

More immigration crackdown.

The diplomats will seek over a three to six month period to reach deals on the repatriation of illegal immigrants similar to accords already concluded with Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Nigeria.

Illegal immigrants can only be expelled if such agreements exist and above all if their countries of origin can be determined. Otherwise the Spanish authorities have to free them after 40 days with a notice of expulsion that cannot be implemented.

The scale of the problem is illustrated by figures showing that with well over 1,000 arrivals in the Canary Islands this week alone, the total for the year to date is now 7,384. That compared with 4,751 for the whole of last year and 8,500 in 2004.

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Iraq - Baghdad's Lionel Richie Obsession

Intersting.

Richie says he was told Iraqis were playing "All Night Long," on the streets the night U.S. tanks rolled into the country in 2003.

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US - FBI searches Democrat's office

More from the party of corruption.
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US - Combat veteran reenlistments still high

Some of these guys have been to Iraq twice.

Their mission is to retain these combat veterans and other experienced Marines despite the possibility of deployments and hardships while a conflict overseas continues.

Yet they still meet their goals and have since Headquarters Marine Corps established new mission goals five years ago. As of April 15, 1st Marine Division was at 84.4 percent of its goal for fiscal year 2006, said Gunnery Sgt. Patrick Whitaker, base career planner.

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US - Rove story bogus

The Left in the blogsphere were wetting thier pants last week over a bogus story that Rove had been indicted.

At a fundraiser attended by Hilary Clinton they held a standing ovation at the news. This dispite the fact that not one major news outlet carried the story - and for good reason. The story was bogus.

Now, the source of the story has issued partial apology. Is that like being a little bit pregnant?

Now, will the Left report on this "apology" as forcefully has the reported on the bogus story?
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Iraq - Parliament Approves New Cabinet

Fox News reports.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's parliament approved the country's new Cabinet Saturday, opening the way for the inauguration of a national unity government three years after the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.

Incoming Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki told the 275-member parliament that he would make restoring stability and security the top priority of his new administration.

Approval of the Cabinet is the final stage in formation of a national unity government the United States hopes can calm the violence raging in the country.

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US - Democrats bluff called - again

The Democrats moaned and complained that they were not given the opprotunity to vote on keeping the troops in Iraq or bring them home. Bush called their bluff and held two votes and surprise surprise, the Democrats voted to keep the troops in.

Now Nancy Pelosi, in response to the Administration's claim that Democrats have been regularly briefed on NSA programs, moaned that if such briefings actually occurred, why doesn't Bush release details of the briefings? And again Bush called their bluff.

Guess whose name is on the list?

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.: six.

That's the Democrats for you, playing politics with our national security.
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Iraq - "Lazy Ramadi"

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Iraq - "The Real Iraq"

As opposed the left wing media fabricated one. Amir Taheri reports.

Read the whole thing but here's a snippet.

Since my first encounter with Iraq almost 40 years ago, I have relied on several broad measures of social and economic health to assess the countrys condition. Through good times and bad, these signs have proved remarkably accurateas accurate, that is, as is possible in human affairs. For some time now, all have been pointing in an unequivocally positive direction.

The first sign is refugees. When things have been truly desperate in Iraqin 1959, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1980, 1988, and 1990long queues of Iraqis have formed at the Turkish and Iranian frontiers, hoping to escape. In 1973, for example, when Saddam Hussein decided to expel all those whose ancestors had not been Ottoman citizens before Iraqs creation as a state, some 1.2 million Iraqis left their homes in the space of just six weeks. This was not the temporary exile of a small group of middle-class professionals and intellectuals, which is a common enough phenomenon in most Arab countries. Rather, it was a departure en masse, affecting people both in small villages and in big cities, and it was a scene regularly repeated under Saddam Hussein.

Since the toppling of Saddam in 2003, this is one highly damaging image we have not seen on our television setsand we can be sure that we would be seeing it if it were there to be shown. To the contrary, Iraqis, far from fleeing, have been returning home. By the end of 2005, in the most conservative estimate, the number of returnees topped the 1.2-million mark. Many of the camps set up for fleeing Iraqis in Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia since 1959 have now closed down. The oldest such center, at Ashrafiayh in southwest Iran, was formally shut when its last Iraqi guests returned home in 2004.

A second dependable sign likewise concerns human movement, but of a different kind. This is the flow of religious pilgrims to the Shiite shrines in Karbala and Najaf. Whenever things start to go badly in Iraq, this stream is reduced to a trickle and then it dries up completely. From 1991 (when Saddam Hussein massacred Shiites involved in a revolt against him) to 2003, there were scarcely any pilgrims to these cities. Since Saddams fall, they have been flooded with visitors. In 2005, the holy sites received an estimated 12 million pilgrims, making them the most visited spots in the entire Muslim world, ahead of both Mecca and Medina.

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Afghanistan - Top Taleban commander 'arrested'

The BBC reports.

A top Taleban leader, Mullah Dadullah, has been captured in Afghanistan, Afghan officials have told the BBC.

The senior military commander was said to have been detained by international troops in southern Kandahar province.

Mullah Dadullah was a member of the Taleban's 10-man leadership council before the US-led invasion in 2001.

Of course the BBC downplay the good news and play up the terrorists.

Up to 100 people have died this week in some of Afghanistan's fiercest fighting since US-led forces ousted the Taleban.

What the BBC doesn't tell you is that about 90 of those killed were Taleban. But just to make sure you get the message that we're losing and the Taleban is on the rise, the BBC has this brilliant insight.

Our correspondent says there is no doubt the strength of the insurgents has been increasing and the thousands of British and international troops moving into the south will have their hands full.

Well the BBC's correspondent would say that wouldn't he? Now, let's look at the truth.

First let's visit the Counterterrorism Blog

The news reports of a major Taliban offensive in southeastern Afghanistan are inaccurate, as Coalition offensives and Taliban attacks have been lumped together to give the impression of a coordinated Taliban assault in multiple provinces. A reading of the various reports indicates that while the Taliban has launched a major strike on a police station and government center in Helmand province and a small scale attack on a police patrol in Ghazni, as well as two suicide attacks against U.S. contractors in Herat and an Afghan army base in Ghazni, the fighting in Kandahar was initiated by Afghan and Coalition security forces during planned operations. Over 100 have been reported killed during the fighting, with 87 being Taliban. Well over half of those killed were killed during the Coalition offensives in Kandahar.

There were two separate major engagements in Kandahar province, and both were initiated by the Coalition. Coalition forces conducted a raid and subsequent air strikes against a Taliban safe haven in the village of Azizi. As many as 27 Taliban are believed to have been killed during the operation. A joint Canadian and Afghan security force conducted a sweep in the Panjwai district of Kandahar, and killed 18 Taliban and captured 26 in the process. One Canadian officer was killed and three Afghan police were wounded during the operation.

It's an impression the BBC are happy to provide.

Strategy Page has more on the low quality of terrorists the Taleban are able to field and how they're failing.

The Taliban have been taking a beating. Despite having the advantage of surprise, they have encountered a largely hostile, and well armed, population that fights back. The government security forces are not as well trained and equipped as American or NATO forces, but they are more than a match for the Taliban. Desperate for a major "victory" (like capturing a town long enough to make some propaganda videos), several large attacks have been launched. All have failed. The Afghan and Coalition forces have developed tactics that make it very difficult for the Taliban to succeed. The Afghan security forces have radios now. If the Taliban hit, one call brings in Afghan and Coalition "quick reaction forces." These units arrive via ground or air transportation, and don't give the Taliban enough time to capture a town, or do much of anything else except try to flee. Pursuit is not pleasant, not with all those UAVs, helicopters and warplanes up there. To make matters worse, the Afghans have made deals with Pakistani forces just across the border, and often there is a Pakistani army reception committee waiting for any Taliban survivors who make it across the border. All of this is hurting Taliban recruiting. But the Taliban have a lot more money this year, and can pay what it takes to get more fighters.

No doubt they are still dangerous and fighting will continue, but as usual, things are not as bad as the BBC reports and would like.
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US - Harpers publishes Muhammad cartoons

Now this is odd. When an obscure magazine published the cartoons, Borders Books refused to sell the magazine and issued this statement:

“For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority.”

Which in itself was odd since Borders had already carried a magazine with the cartoons and Islam is supposed to be a religion of peace.

Now that a mainstream magazine like Harpers publishes the cartoons, suddenly, Borders has no problem with "safety and security of our customers and employees".

Maybe they are more concerned about profits.
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UK laws are biased, say most Muslims

This survey says "An overwhelming majority of Muslims believe that British laws are biased and that the country's legal system is unfair..."

It would be interesting to know which laws they think are biased and unfair.

The government has amended the tax laws and created Islamic mortgages for Muslims. And they were considering a change to allow Muslims to leave their estate to up to four wives in accordance with Islamic law. Instead, the govenment is shutting down so called "trusts" that Muslims use to get around the law and leave their estate to four wives; even though having more than one is illegal.

We are given a hint at their complaints.

Three quarters of respondents to a qualitative questionnaire stated that the British legal system was unfair and cited reasons such as anti-terrorism legislation and practices and double- standards.

It would be helpful to know what those practices and double standards are. For instance, police already have to take their shoes off when entering a Muslim home, must be careful not to raid a Muslim house during prayer time and are not allowed to use bomb sniffing dogs so as not to offend Muslims.

Every judicial system could use some improvements but it's hard to know what to improve if you don't know what the complaints are.

An earlier survey showed that 40% of Muslims in the UK want Islamic law adopted as the law of the land. The government, in some cases, is bending over backwards to make that happen.

That's what this is really all about - turning Britain into an Islamic state.
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