Britain - Attack: Muslim Leaders React

The BBC reports on the reactions of some Muslim leaders.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie of the Muslim Council of Britain said he utterly condemned the attacks.

"We are simply appalled and want to express our deepest condolences to the families.

"These terrorists, these evil people want to demoralise us as a nation and divide us.

One thing for sure, according to Sacranie, they weren't Muslim terrorists who did this. Speaking of Britain's proposed religious hate bill, Sacranie had this to say:

'There is no such thing as an Islamic terrorist. This is deeply offensive. Saying Muslims are terrorists would be covered by this provision'.

Daniel Pipes points out that while Sacranie was knighted in an attempt at Muslim appeasement, "Sacranie has been one of the most important advocates of radical Islam in the United Kingdom – so what could be more appropriate than to reward him with a hoary English title? "

And the BBC, in their "The Power of Nightmares", would have you believe this is all just a "myth".

Meanwhile Britian is choosing the appeasement route. See
here, here and here.

Going further, Gordon Brown has enacted some Islamic law.

Gordon Brown, the chancellor, has already made one significant concession to adapt to the dictates of sharia. In the 2003 Finance Act he spared Muslims from paying stamp duty twice on their properties when they took out “Islamic mortgages” that complied with the sharia ban on paying interest.

And the Inland Revenue is planning more Islamic law for Britain.

THE Inland Revenue is considering recognising polygamy for some religious groups for tax purposes. Officials have agreed to examine “family friendly” representations from Muslims who take up to four wives under sharia, the laws derived from the Koran.

The problem is that some Muslim leaders consider democracy and sharia to be incompatible. And you'll be surprised at their plans for Britain.

On a Channel 4 programme called "Shariah TV", A panel of learned Muslims were questioned by young UK Muslims.

Is western democracy incompatible with Sharia law? Yes.

Should sharia law be introduced in the UK? Yes.

Do we want the restoration of the Caliphate? Yes.

Some Muslim groups are already taking direct action.

A website giving advice on how to vandalize billboards and listing potential targets has been set up by a group calling themselves Muslims Against Advertising (MAAD).

MAAD, based in Birmingham, gives an index of defaced ads in the city, including Levis, Wonderbra, PaddyPower, a radio station and a strip club.

So, none of the appeasement seems to be working and we therefore should not be surprised at yesterday's attack. If fact, some British Muslims have been calling for just such an attack for for some time now.

Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammed, leader of the now officially disbanded Islamic militant group Al Muhajiroun told United Press International Saturday that as the covenant of security under which Muslims previously lived in Britain has been broken, Muslims must now consider themselves at war.

"And I declare we should ourselves join the global Islamic camp against the global crusade camp," he said.

And they declare bin Laden is their leader.

He called on Muslims to form a new coalition united behind al-Qaida with Osama Bin Laden as their leader.

And he issued a call to arms.

All the Muslim brothers and sisters, even the children, must now start their preparations, another speaker urged.

"Whether they be stones, whether they be sticks, whether they be knives, whether they be bombs, whatever they may be, prepare as much as you can," he said.

"It is our responsibility as Muslims to prepare, to fight," he said, calling on the crowd to "give up your lives for the sake of Allah."

Therefore, you might want to read Islam's War Plan.

Those on the left will say this attack on London was in response to Britain's support of America in Iraq. If you encounter this flawed logic, point out to them that the 9/11 attacks on America happended before the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq.

bin Laden's training camps in Afghaistan included thousands of people from all over the world, including Britain. These people were not being trained to attack just America, they were being trained to help re-establish the caliphate - around the world. Yesterday's attack was just part of that war.

Knowledge is power and I highly recommend the following books:



Our thoughts and prayers are with those that lost their lives and their loved ones. But let this be a wake up call to all of us. This is a war like no other and like it or not you're in it.

UPDATE

Hitchens has more and ends with this.

It is ludicrous to try and reduce this to Iraq. Europe is steadily becoming a part of the civil war that is roiling the Islamic world, and it will require all our cultural ingenuity to ensure that the criminals who shattered London's peace at rush hour this morning are not the ones who dictate the pace and rhythm of events from now on.

Unfortunate that he used the word "criminals" in describing these terrorists.
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Britain - al Qaeda Attack!

The BBC reports.

Two people died and large numbers of casualties were reported after at least six blasts on the Underground network and a double-decker bus in London.
A police spokeswoman confirmed there had been two deaths at Aldgate and UK home secretary Charles Clarke said the explosions caused "terrible injuries".

The BBC's Frank Gardner said Arab sources said the blasts were probably the work of al-Qaeda.

Perhaps the BBC would care to explain to the victims and their families, how this could happen since, according to the BBC's "The Power of Nightmares", this is all just a "myth".
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America - Targeting Journalists - Foleygate

Last month I emailed several people in the journalistic community in an attempt to get them to speak out about Linda Foley's unsubstantiated and slanderous claims that the US targets journalists. Here is what Foley said:

Journalists . . . are not just being targeted verbally or politically; they’re also being targeted for real, in places like Iraq. What outrages me . . . is that there’s not more outrage about the number and the brutality, and the cavalier nature of the U.S. military toward the killing of journalists in Iraq. . . . And it’s not just U.S. journalists. They target and kill journalists from other countries, particularly Arab countries . . . They actually target them and blow up their studios with impunity.

Out of about two dozen emails, I got one reply, from Mike Hoyt of the Columbia Journalism Review. Mr. Hoyt said they would address the issue in their next issue and here it is.

Target and kill? Foley has been under attack since she said those words. And should be. Even the infamous killing of journalists by tank fire at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad was found not to have been deliberate, in an extensive investigation by Reporters Without Borders. Some facts: according to The Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 36 journalists have been killed in action in Iraq since March 2003, along with 18 media support workers; insurgent actions account for 34 of those 54 deaths; U.S. military fire accounts for at least 11. The committee says the record shows that “the military seems indifferent and unwilling . . . to take steps to mitigate risk.” But target and kill? The committee finds “no evidence to conclude that the U.S. military has deliberately targeted the press in Iraq.”

So on that subject here’s what Foley should have said: nothing.

While claiming Foley "should be" attacked for her words, The CJR does a lame job. If Foley should have said nothing, then shouldn't the CJR be calling for her to retract what she did say?

Since Foley cannot produce any evidence to back up her claim and the CJR has evidence to refute her, why is the CJR not calling for Foley to resign?

We are constantly being told that while the left does not support the war, they do support our troops and yet MSM are still covering for Foley. Why?
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Iraq - Zarqawi Guest Commentary

at Iowahawk.

Read it, it's pretty funny. I like the ending.

And the next time one of you chicken martyrs puts on a keffiya and starts babbling about “solidarity with the resistance,” remember this: just because we are planning to kill you last doesn’t make you our buddy.

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America - Chickenhawk Doesn't Fly

Whenever someone speaks in favor of war, the left's response is unless you or someone you love serves in the military, you're a chickenhawk. The follow up taunt is, why don't you send your children to war then?

Let's dispense with this nonsense, shall we?

I'll start with the second one as it's the easiest to shoot down (pun intended).

The left seem to think our military is made up of children. This is demeaning, no surprise there, and inaccurate. The military is an all volunteer force made up of adults. So, one cannot "send" "children" to war. Our sons and daughters who are adults must make up their own minds on how they stand on war.

The chickenhawk slur is a little more subtle. I've had this slur tossed at me on many occasions. My response is, I've done my time having served 20 years active duty and 10 years reserve in the Navy. But that doesn't really address this ploy of stifling argument by the left.

You can actually turn the slur against the left by saying, if you haven't served you cannot speak out for or against war. See how it stifles debate - both ways?

Winds of Change shows how this ploy can be used in many other arguments.

No one who could be and isn't serving should speak out on Iraq;

No one except women of child-bearing age should speak out on abortion;

No one who isn't poor should speak out on welfare;

No one who isn't in school should speak out on education;

No one who isn't (I can't decide on this one between 'a criminal' and 'a victim of crime') should speak out on criminal justice.

There are many other examples in the comments section of the WOC post.

Keep these in mind next time some leftie tries to stiffly debate.

UPDATE

Donald Sensing has more.
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Africa - Stop the Aid

That's what Kenyan economics expert, James Shikwati, says.

The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Shikwati, the G8 summit at Gleneagles is about to beef up the development aid for Africa...

Shikwati: ... for God's sake, please just stop.

SPIEGEL: Stop? The industrialized nations of the West want to eliminate hunger and poverty.

Shikwati: Such intentions have been damaging our continent for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor.

SPIEGEL: Do you have an explanation for this paradox?

Shikwati: Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid.

Read the whole thing.
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America - Ted Rall: "bloviating ignoramus"

So, says Michelle. And she's right.

Says Rall:

As far as we know, no one on what passes for the "left" (which would be the center-right anywhere else) has betrayed the United States in the GWOT. No anti-Bush progressive has made common cause with Al Qaeda, Hamas, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or any other officially designated "terrorist" group...

Points out Michelle:

Lynne Stewart Convicted on Aiding and Abetting Terrorism Charges

Sheik's U.S. Lawyer Convicted Of Aiding Terrorist Activity

Game, set and match.
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Canada - 50 Terror Groups Operating

50 Terror Groups Believed to Be in Canada

TORONTO - Though many view Canada as an unassuming neutral nation that has skirted terrorist attacks, it has suffered its share of aggression, and intelligence officials believe at least 50 terror groups now have some presence here.

They are from Sri Lanka, Kurdistan and points between and include supporters of some of the best-known Mideast groups, including al-Qaida, authorities say.

I wouldn't worry about it too much Canadians, the BBC in their infamous "The Power of Nightmares", assures us that it's all just a "myth".
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New Zealand - Muslim MP: Stoning Ok

This article highlights the fundamental problem facing Islam - reformation. Since Muslims believe the Koran to be the literal word of God, how can the Koran be wrong, criticized or reformed?

Muslim MP Ashraf Choudhary will not condemn the traditional Koran punishment of stoning to death some homosexuals and people who have extra-marital affairs.

But the Labour MP - who has struggled with his "role" as the sole parliamentary representative of the local Muslim community - is not advocating the practice here.

Mr Choudhary once again found himself between a rock and a hard place on questions of Islam when he appeared on TV3's 60 Minutes programme last night.

It was examining warnings about extreme fundamentalism within New Zealand's Islamic community.

Mr Choudhary was asked: "Are you saying the Koran is wrong to recommend that gays in certain circumstances be stoned to death?"

He replied: " No, no. Certainly what the Koran says is correct.

"In those societies, not here in New Zealand," he added.

So, the Koran does not apply to Muslims living in New Zealand!?!

Since New Zealand's Labour party does not support capital punishment of any kind, religious or otherwise, Prime Minister Helen Clark, asked Choudhary to clarify his position.

Dr Choudhary later issued a short statement which said he personally abhorred the practice of stoning.

"I have been a devout Muslim all my life and stand by the teachings of the Koran," he said.

"But as a matter of personal belief, I abhor stoning and am strongly opposed to violence."

In trying to have it both ways Mr. Choudhary personally abhors violence but stands "by the teachings of the Koran".

What would happen if a Christian fundamentalist MP had called for stoning of gays? The media would be in an uproar and the MP forced to resign but since he's a Muslim, that's ok then.

And Mr. Choudhary has been involved in attempts to remove Christian symbols from public places.

Rt Hon Winston Peters has told the Labour list MP Ashraf Choudhary that he has a cheek joining the debate in Palmerston North about whether the cross should be removed from the city clock tower.

Mr Peters said that it was a bit rich, that Dr Choudhary, a Muslim, should be advising locals to get rid of a Christian symbol.

Dr Choudhary is reported as saying that he had all respect for the Christian faith, but society had moved on and that other religious and ethnic groups might oppose the presence of the cross in the city centre.

Can you imagine the riots around the world if a Christian tried to get an Islamic symbol removed?

Such is Muslim hypocrisy.
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Africa - Bush Has Done More

The New York Times reports, surprisingly, on how much more Bush had done for Africa than he is given credit for.

Those who care about Africa tend to think that the appropriate attitude toward President Bush is a medley of fury and contempt.

But the fact is that Mr. Bush has done much more for Africa than Bill Clinton ever did, increasing the money actually spent for aid there by two-thirds so far, and setting in motion an eventual tripling of aid for Africa. Mr. Bush's crowning achievement was ending one war in Sudan, between north and south. And while Mr. Bush has done shamefully little to stop Sudan's other conflict - the genocide in Darfur - that's more than Mr. Clinton's response to genocide in Rwanda (which was to issue a magnificent apology afterward).

So as the G-8 summit meeting convenes this week, focusing on Africa, it's worth acknowledging that Mr. Bush, and conservatives generally, have in many ways been great for the developing world. At their best, they bring a healthy dose of hands-on practicality to their efforts.

The liberal approach to helping the poor is sometimes to sponsor a U.N. conference and give ringing speeches calling for changed laws and more international assistance.

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North Korea - Capitalism Weakening Communism

The LA Times takes an inside look at the failing North Korean regime.
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Africa - Bush Ups Ante on EU

Bush has upped the ante on EU leaders.

I'll drop farming subsidies if EU does the same, says Bush

PRESIDENT BUSH yesterday challenged EU leaders to scrap massive subsidies paid to their farmers, saying free trade with Africa would eliminate the need for Third World aid.

Mr Bush, on the eve of the G8 summit in Gleneagles, said that Europe paid “tremendous” agricultural subsidies, and that the US was ready to drop its own payouts to American farmers if Europe had the courage to do the same.

Scott Burgess points out the biased reporting of Bush's comments by some newspapers in Britain.

If more and more people knew just how much they were being so mis-led by the Guardian, I wonder how long it would remain in business.
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America - "the last, best hope of mankind"

The Scotsman gets it.

Unlike every other western country, the US retains a purpose greater than maintaining the comfort of its present circumstances. Highfalutin words such as liberty and progress have not been stripped of their meaning and - at its best - modern America still looks to the future with confidence, not trepidation, confident in its ability to stare destiny in the eye and not shirk from the challenges ahead.

This confidence can be disconcerting when first encountered but - as any honest survey of public opinion in eastern Europe or the world's remaining dictatorships will demonstrate - it is also inspiring.

And

But it is also important to say, this 4 July , that one need not have ever visited the US to feel in tune with what it means to be an American. It is an empire of the mind (and the imagination) as much as it is a military and economic superpower. The principles of the American Revolution remain sound. The World Trade Centre no longer stands, but the language of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights does.

No other country has embedded the "pursuit of happiness" - the great goal of mankind - in the foundations of the state; nowhere else is the idea of liberty so revered. There is such a thing as an American sensibility and it can be felt from the Baltic to the Pacific.

Could the United States be doing better? Wrong question. If not America, then who? No-one, that's who. At its best, America and American ideals remain, in Lincoln's famous words, "the last, best hope of mankind". The United States still believes in a place called hope. As it celebrates its 229th birthday today, we should too.

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Britain - Steyn On Live 8

Mark Steyn writes on Live 8 in The Telegraph (UK).

Be sure to read the whole thing but here is the conclusion.

Once upon a time, rock stars weren't rated by Moody, they were moody - they self-destructed, they choked to death in their own vomit, they hoped to die before they got old. Instead, judging from Sir Pete Townshend on Saturday, they got older than anyone's ever been. Today, Paul McCartney is a businessman: he owns the publishing rights to Annie and Guys & Dolls. These faux revolutionaries are capitalists red in tooth and claw.

The system that enriched them could enrich Africa. But capitalism's the one cause the poseurs never speak up for. The rockers demand we give our fokkin' money to African dictators to manage, while they give their fokkin' money to Winthrop Stimson Putnam & Roberts to manage. Which of those models makes more sense?

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Iraq - Terrorists Squeezed From All Sides

The New York Times reports (registration required) "Syrian security forces clashed with men believed to be militants connected to Iraq's insurgency and former bodyguards for Saddam Hussein."

And The Telegraph (UK) reports "American troops on the Syrian border are enjoying a battle they have long waited to see - a clash between foreign al-Qa'eda fighters and Iraqi insurgents."

The Telegraph's lead in seems mis-leading as the story says local tribes were fighting al-Qaeda and not Iraqi insurgents.

Tribal leaders in Husaybah are attacking followers of Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist who established the town as an entry point for al-Qa'eda jihadists being smuggled into the country.

The reason, the US military believes, is frustration at the heavy-handed approach of the foreigners, who have kidnapped and assassinated local leaders and imposed a strict Islamic code.

In a recent attempt to take over a Police station, the terrorists were soundly defeated after the Police were aided by 55 calls from the public, alerting them to terrorists movements.
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France - Chirac: Mad Cow Jibe

From The Telegraph (UK)

The president, chatting to the German and Russian leaders in a Russian cafe, said: "The only thing [the British] have ever given European farming is mad cow." Then, like generations of French people before him, he also poked fun at British cuisine.

"You can't trust people who cook as badly as that," he said. "After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."

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America - Happy Birthday!

Iraq - Another Zarqawi Aide Captured

Iraqi forces capture Zarqawi's aide in northern Iraq

Closing in.
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Iraq - Everyone Loves a Winner

Putin urges help for U.S. in Iraq

"All of the disagreements on the Iraqi problem must remain in the past," Putin said Sunday.

"We should be pooling efforts with the United States and with the countries that are present in Iraq today and that have assumed the function of promoting stability in that country in order to help the Iraqi people assume responsibility for its future."

Nice words, let's see some action.
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Africa - "Are you listening?"

That's the question I've seen and heard asked many times ever since Geldof announced the Live 8 concert. The question is directed at the G8 leaders and is a reference to the world's appeal for them to give money, debt relief and trade concessions to African nations.

But there is something new being said here, something that many seemed not to have heard over the loud music. I heard Geldof say it at yesterday's kick off of Live 8 in London and he wrote it in yesterday's Sun Newspaper on page 2 of the live 8 souvenir pull out. I've even seen a subtle reference to it on the BBC website, of all places. And while many accuse the G8 leaders of not listening to the world, I wonder if the world is listening to the this new message from people like Geldof?

Listen carefully to what Geldof says in his open letter to the G8 leaders published in the Sun.

Let this be absolutely clear before the first note is played. Everyone taking part in these concerts is there because the many millions watching will not tolerate the further pain of the poor while we have the financial and moral means to prevent it.

What does Geldof mean by "moral means to prevent it"? Moral means being concerned with right and wrong. Is Geldof suggesting that we have the power to right the wrongs in Africa and we should use that power because "the many millions watching will not tolerate the further pain of the poor"? The left will not tolerate the use of power to help Africa. The left will size on Geldof's words and say he meant we have the moral obligation to help financially.

But this is not the same Geldof of 20 years ago when we had Live Aid. Here is what he says a few paragraphs later in the same article.

Let it be equally clear - at the same time, African governments must be free from corruption and thuggery and put in place recognised practices of good governance, accountability and transparency towards their own people and to the world.

That sounds like a pretty good description of democracy to me. Left unsaid is how exactly to bring all this about.

In this BBC article Fergal Keane bemoans the over use of "never again" when genocide occurs again and again.

We have been here before.

A government threatened by rebellion turns on a segment of its own people. It uses militia, as well as its own military, to do the killing.

There are mass graves and there is mass rape. Men and boys are taken away to be killed.

Then the government denies the scale of the violence. It keeps journalists out, blocks aid workers.

Many more die from hunger and disease. The world expresses concern but does too little, invariably too late.

Sounds like Keane is talking about Iraq, doesn't it? And look what happened to the US when she decided to stop expressing concern and do something before it was too late.

In his attempt to chastise the west for expressing concern but doing nothing, Keane winds up demonstrating the utter failure of the BBC's beloved UN. And by condemning the west for doing nothing, Keane implies the west should do something. Here again, that "something" is left unsaid. Does the left finally get it? Do they now realize that doing "something" involves military intervention, i.e. war?

But that move came nearly two years after the violence erupted. The five permanent members of the Security Council - the US, Britain, France, China and Russia - collectively failed to act in time.

Each had different reasons.

The US and Britain did not want arguments over Darfur to get in the way of securing a peace deal for Sudan's other tragedy, the civil war in the south which had run for 30 years and claimed two million lives.

And they were preoccupied with Iraq and in no mood for military adventures elsewhere, let alone an Arab state like Sudan.

Sudan also had allies on the council, like the Chinese who resisted putting Darfur on the agenda.

These are the diplomatic details but they speak to a fundamental crisis that has dogged the United Nations from its birth 60 years ago.

The national interests of member states will usually take precedence over the suffering of people in Africa.

Substitute any country in the world for Africa and the same still applies. That is, until 9/11 and Bush decided to back up his words of never again with action. Since that time the left have deamonized America - for doing something.

The question "Are you listening?" needs to be asked, not of the G8 leaders, but of the rest of the world. The new message seems to be, money alone will not solve Africa's problems, democracy is also required. Only democracy will end poverty, suffering and ensure long term prosperity and stability for all Africans. Indeed, isn't that true for the whole world? And in fact, isn't that just what George Bush has been doing - spreading democracy?

Are we reaching one of those "tipping points" where the world finally realizes that democracy is the final solution to Africa's problems and force may be needed to bring it about?

Is the world listening to what Geldof and others on the left are now saying?

"Are you listening"?

UPDATE

Here is what Geldof told BBC News.

But Geldof told BBC News: "There's one plan. It's debt; trade and aid and governance. Prime, pump an economy, create good government and we'll get people out of poverty.

Again, left unsaid is just how Geldof plans to "create good government".

Bono had this to say, "We are not looking for charity, we are looking for justice."

Modonna went further: "Are you ready to start a revolution? Are you ready to change history? I said, are you ready?"

"Looking for justice", "start a revolution", "create good government", are these people seriously talking about, dare I say it, regime change?
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Britain - Another Guardian Smackdown

Scott is getting good at this.

Here is a snippet of his latest smackdown of the Guardian.

Of course, Ash doesn’t want you to get the wrong idea. He still thinks Americans, or at least Republicans, are embarrassingly unaware.

"One is still gobsmacked by things American Republicans say. Take the glorification of the military, for example. In his speech, Bush insisted "there is no higher calling than service in our armed forces". What? No higher calling! How about being a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, an aid worker? Unimaginable that any European leader could say such a thing."

I suppose it may well be unimaginable, which is probably why it fell to the US to spend 40 years and untold billions defending Europe during the Cold War. Such a virtue, that European disdain for the military. But really, who can take seriously a man who is “gobsmacked” by the notion that a national leader, speaking in front of a military audience and trying to rally the support of his fellow citizens, might suggest that serving one’s country during a time of war is among the most noble tasks one can undertake? Talk about embarrassing.

It still amazes me that the Guardian is still in business considering the writers they have.
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Iraq - Ameirca's Left Supports Terrorists

You don't have to take my word for it, here is what Daniel Lazare, who is a writer for the Nation magazine, has to say.

Michael Medved: Now, do you think that – do you feel some sympathy for the so-called insurgents in Fallujah?

Daniel Lazare: Oh, absolutely yes, total sympathy, total solidarity.

Michael Medved: You do?

David Horowitz: So who's the sophist here?

Daniel Lazare: Of course, absolutely. The insurgents in Fallujah are repelling a foreign invasion. They have every right to do it. Now, I’m not going to support every last action by every last fighter there, obviously, but certainly they have a right to repel a foreign invasion of their country.

David Horowitz: The people Lazare is referring to are the terrorists, of course; they're not the Iraqi people. They're a tiny minority of Sunni Muslims who are really upset because a monster has been taken down – their monster. This is the same ruse leftists used to rationalize their support for a Communist victory in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh – an operative of Stalin’s Comintern who spent most of his life in Paris – was alleged to be the “George Washington of Vietnam.” Here we have a classic example of how the Left operates. Daniel Lazare is defending the Sunni terrorists in Iraq – the oppressors of the Iraq people – and pretending that he's doing it in the interest of the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people – the Shiites, the Kurds, the vast majority of the Iraqi people – hate the “insurgents” that we're fighting in Fallujah, but the American Left is choosing that side, the terrorists’ side, of this war.

Lazare goes on to play the left's usual Nazi card. The more the left talks the more the world can see just how anti-American they are. America can see it, that's why the left continute to lose elections and will continue to do so.

Be sure to read the whole transcript. And be sure to get Horowitz's Book "Unholy Alliance : Radical Islam and the American Left".

Iraq - Majority of Americans Support the War

Seems Bush's speech resonated with Americans. CQ reports on Gallup's snap poll after Bush's speech.

Gallup announced yesterday that it had taken a snap poll after the speech given by George Bush on the war in Iraq from Fort Bragg. The poll showed some movement bolstering support for the war. In fact, it showed Bush picking up ten points on whether we are winning in Iraq (up to 54%), twelve points on keeping troops in Iraq until the situation improves as opposed to setting an exit date for their evacuation (now at 70%/25%), and seven points on whether Bush has a clear plan for handling the war in Iraq (up to 63%/35%).

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America - Deranged Funeral Update

This post is an update to the Fred Phelps, "Deranged Protest at Military Funeral".

Well, my, my, bless my soul and file this under "Will you lookie here".

The left, anti-war movement and Democrats (I know I'm repeating myself), went absolutely crazy over my post lumping Phelps in with them. Most of the comments were name calling and trying to put as much distance between the left and Phelps as possible. Here is one example:

"If you had gotten off your lazy ass and done some research, you would have found that these protesters aren't democrats or lefties or anti-war;..."

So, let's investigate and see just how much distance, if any, there is between Phelps and the left.

Here is a Phelps time line from The Southern Poverty Law Center. Note these:

1988
Phelps provides rooms for Democrat Al Gore's presidential campaign workers. Though the Phelps-Gore connection will grow increasingly distant, Phelps' oldest son, Fred Jr., is invited to the first Clinton-Gore inauguration in 1993.

Did you know that Phelps ran for the governor of Kansas - as a Democrat!

1990
Phelps, undertaking a run for governor of Kansas, begins disseminating flyers attacking his gubernatorial competitors and other state politicians in unusually personal terms. He loses the Democratic primary, but garners 11,634 votes, 6.7% of the total.

And Log Cabin Republicans, who bill themselves as "the nation's largest gay and lesbian Republican organization", report that Gore is no friend to Gays.

Gore, who was quoted by the Nashville Tennessean in 1984 saying homosexuality is not "an acceptable alternative that society should affirm" and said in his 1984 U.S. Senate race that he would not accept money from gay rights organizations and that he opposed a "gay bill of rights," reportedly sought the support of the Phelps family in his 1988 presidential campaign, and invited the Phelps' to the Clinton-Gore inaugurations of January 1993 and January 1997.

The site even has a few nice family photographs of Democratic Vice President and former failed Democratic Presidential contender, Al Gore, posing with Fred Phelps.

Fred Phelps (left) and Al Gore (center)Fundraiser at Phelps HomeTopeka, Kansas



And here is one with the whole family!

Left to right: Fred Phelps, Tipper Gore, Betty Phelps, Al Gore



No wonder the leftoids were pissing all over themselves in their attack on me. They were desperate to cover up Phelps' history as a Democratic candidate and Democratic Al Gore's, "the real president", buddy.

You see, there is no distance between Phelps and the left. The left calls for the deaths of our troops and Phelps protests at their funerals. As I said in my original post, one enables the other. Here is a picture of the left calling for the deaths of our troops and Phelps protesting at a military funeral.



All on the left may not share Phelps' views on Gays but they sure as hell support him against our troops. Which, after all, was the original point of my first post.
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Iraq - Oil For Food Scandal Widens: Again

More French officials under investigation.

The report, obtained by the newspaper Le Monde, says that "Most of the individuals who received [oil] allocations were expected to spread a positive image of the Iraqi regime by taking a pro-Iraqi position," and specifically names Mr. Boidevaix and Gilles Munier, secretary-general of the Franco-Iraqi Friendship Society.

Mr. Boidevaix is a former president of Franco-Iraqi Economic Co-operation Association and frequently denounced UN sanctions against the Hussein regime before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Among the others on the judge's list are Charles Pasqua, a former French interior minister and political ally of President Jacques Chirac, and Jean-Bernard Mérimée, a former French ambassador to the UN. [...]

Although Mr. Boidevaix insisted in the interview that all the investigations into the oil-for-food program are baseless -- "You're looking for problems where there are none," he said -- his privileged position with the Iraqis is evident from a letter written by Iraqi oil minister Amir Muhammad Rashid to vice-president Taha Yasin Ramadan in November of 1998, outlining oil allocations for the next two months. The document was disclosed at a Senate committee meeting in May.

In the letter, the oil minister proposed that 80 million barrels of crude be distributed to "friendly nations, companies and political establishments . . . for the superpowers as shown below: Russia, 40 per cent; France, 15 per cent; and China, 11 per cent."

I wonder if Galloway is included in those "political establishments"? And since Volcker has not cleared Annan yet, is he in that group as well?
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Presiden'ts Approval Plunges to 21%

The President's approval rating plummeted to just 21% in a recent poll.

Of those asked 77 percent said they did not have confidence in the president, 21 percent said they did have confidence, and another two percent had no opinion.

Now why haven't we seen this plastered all over the newspapers and discussed ad infinum on the news channels?

Because it is Chirac and not Bush, that's why.
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America - Bush: "Liar" Cheney: "Thief"

Words from terrorists or some other enemy of Ameirca? Nope. These words come from none other than Congresswoman Maxine Waters

"The president is a liar," she continued. "Dick Cheney, the chief architect of the Big Lie, is not only a liar, he is a thief."

And Howard "Dean has at various times called Republicans “evil”, “corrupt”, and “brain dead”, and claimed that Republican voters have “never made an honest living in their lives.”

Hat Tip Scott
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Britain - Not Immune From Islamic Violence

While Muslim intolerance manifests itself in violence around the world, here in the UK, Britain has chosen the appeasement route.

But as this BBC report shows, Britain cannot escape the violence from the "Religion of Peace and tolerance".

Two men have been jailed for life for killing a man wrongly targeted in a dispute between Sikhs and Muslims.

Wrong! This wasn't a dispute between Sikhs and Muslims, this was Muslim intolerance, plain and simple. Why was this man murdered?

The men believed Mr Gill's Sikh son was in a relationship with a young Muslim woman, Stafford Crown Court was told.

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America - Support the Troops This 4th July

It's easy, just fill in this simple form to send your message of support to our troops.



Click here for the online form.

Hat tip Media Slander
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Britain - Fisking the Guardain

Scott does a great job of fisking Simon Tisdale's nonsense.

Snipptet.

Then Tisdale even has the gall to claim that it is Bush’s advisors who are fostering domestic political hostility.

"Off-stage, Mr Bush's chief adviser, Karl Rove, was busily drawing divisive domestic battlelines, lambasting Democrats and other "liberals" who he said wanted "to offer therapy and understanding for our attackers".

Is it possible that Tisdale is so astonishingly ignorant of American politics that he is unaware of what the Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has been saying in the last 6 months? Dean has at various times called Republicans “evil”, “corrupt”, and “brain dead”, and claimed that Republican voters have “never made an honest living in their lives.” But Tisdale would have you believe that it is Rove who is drawing divisive domestic battlelines? If ignorance is not to blame for this ludicrous judgement, then surely it must be contempt for the intelligence of his audience.

The contempt for the intelligence of their audience is what the Guardain counts on.

The Guardian reported at lenght on the Democrat's charge that Republicans were responsible for widespread voter fraud in last years presidential elections. They are strangely quiet now that the Democrats own investigation found wide spread voter fraud in Ohio - by Democrats. Or on the convictions of Democrats for voter fraud in St. Louis.
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Islam - More Violence From the ROP

In Pakistan 200 Christian homes are burned.

At 3 p.m. Tuesday, police came to the home and arrested Masih. Insulting Islam, the Prophet Muhammad or the Quran can be punishable by death under Pakistan's harsh anti-blasphemy laws. Following the arrest, a group of angry Muslims came to the home and began to beat Masih's three sons, the report indicated.

Muslims returned to the area at about 10 p.m. that night and burned an estimated total of 200 houses in Lama Veera, CMH and Saran. Many houses were looted by the attackers, who stole TVs, refrigerators and other items. The mob beat Masih's sons and his brother, Yaqoob.

In Thailand, 3 Buddhists shot dead, teachers' homes attacked.

More than 720 people have died in near-daily attacks or clashes with security forces since January 2004, when a bloody raid on a weapons depot triggered an uprising in the three majority-Muslim southern provinces bordering Malaysia.

In Narathiwat province, suspected Islamic insurgents spray gunfire at teachers' homes, resulting in at least one teacher being shot in the arm.

And there are these:

Buddhist couple beheaded.

Man beheaded in teashop.

Girls school set on fire.

Second Islamic murder in a week.



In Saudi Arabia the persecution of Christians is relentless.

And around the world Muslims try and annihlate all other religions. Indeed, Iran's new leader, who wants nuclear weapons, is calling for a world wide Islamic revolution.

Meanwhile, Britain chooes the appeasement route.
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America - Founding Fathers "Terrorists"

That's according to MSNBC's Brian Williams. Michelle Malkin has the story with lots of links to the blogsphere's reaction including a video link.

Michael Moore equates the terrorists in Iraq to our Minutemen, Sen. Durbin equates our troops to Nazis and now Williams equates our founding fathers to terrorists.

Here is what Williams had to say.

It is a story that will be at or near the top of our broadcast and certainly made for a robust debate in our afternoon editorial meeting, when several of us raised the point (I'll leave it to others to decide germaneness) that several U.S. presidents were at minimum revolutionaries, and probably were considered terrorists of their time by the Crown in England.

Really? I don't remember reading about any beheadings in my history studies. Can Williams point to us to any recorded history where the founding fathers either killed or had killed, innocent men, women, children and civilians? Whenever British troops surrendered, their officers were treated like officers, their men cared for and repatriated back to Britain. Today's terrorists seem to have missed out on the manners classes.

And America was founded on freedom for all religions and not with the intent of imposing one religion on all, as is the case with Islam.
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Islam - The Growing Muslim Threat

David Watkins has an excellent artilce on why you should be worried.

All ten of the most rapidly growing nations are in Africa and the Middle East. Nine out of these ten nations were all primarily Christian before Mohammad took the Jihad to all the surrounding nations outside of present day Saudi Arabia. Since then, they have force the indigenous Christians out of their lands such as in Sudan. Most of this violent mass annihilation has essentially been financed by the larger Middle Eastern Muslim countries with Saudi Arabia as the primary financier.

All ten of these nations are listed on Amnesty International’s web site as nations facing the worst possible genocide in the history of man kind.

Another fact largely overlooked by the governments and media of America and most European countries is the fact that over the course of the last ten years, the bulk of these nations are now being run by Arab nationals, not African’s. These minority governments are largely financed by rich Muslim nations with the intent of creating puppet Muslim nations while killing all non-Muslim natives, allowing indigenous natives to remain if they convert to Islam.

Their ultimate goal?


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Iraq - Britain Important Link In Jihadist Networks

That's according to this report. No wonder the BBC cooked up the "Power of Nightmares" calling such networks "myths".

Terrorism experts say Britain appears to be an important link in an international network that is recruiting suicide bombers and jihadists for Iraq. They say the network has links via Damascus to the Iraqi border.

And 570,000 illegal immigrants doesn't help matters.
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Islam - Muslim Hypocrisy

Here is a perfect example of why we need to stand up to Muslims and stop this appeasement bs.

De Croo, president of parliament's lower house, had been due to entertain the speaker and members of the Iranian parliament Friday during their visit to Belgium -- famous for its diversity of beer brands.

But he said lunch had been canceled because the Iranians, who as Muslims do not drink alcohol, wanted their hosts to do the same.

Rangers Football Club should have done the same thing.

Now, from the same story, get this:

The visit ran into further trouble after Iran's parliament speaker Gholamali Haddadadel insisted he would not shake hands with the female president of Belgium's Senate.

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Scotland - Smoking Ban Law Passed

Ban starts 26 March 2006.
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Iraq - Iraqis Tip Off Troops to Explosives

Yet another sign ordinary Iraqis have had it with the terrorists.

KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq – Iraqi citizens assisted Coalition forces in finding more than 4,000 pounds of high explosives, near Kirkuk Air Base over the past two days in two separate incidents.

Officials received a tip from a local Iraqi about buried explosives June 29. Explosive Ordnance Disposal Airmen assigned here found a cache of 400 artillery projectiles buried approximately 12 km south of the base.

In response to another tip June 30, EOD recovered an ammunition cache of approximately 270 artillery projectiles approximately 7 km north of the base.

More than 670 potentially dangerous munitions have been destroyed due to the efforts of Iraqi citizens coming forward with this information.

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Guantanamo - Another Koran Flushing Story

After sparking riots around the world, Newsweek was forced to retract its bogus Koran flushing story. But that doesn't stop The Guardian and AP reporter, JIM HEINTZ, from having another go at it.

Here's the Guardian's headline:

Muslim Cleric: Gitmo Guards Defiled Quran

Now pause for a moment. If you're a Muslim would you read any further? Probably not. A Muslim cleric said it therefore it must be so. Except it's not so.

MOSCOW (AP) - A Muslim cleric formerly held at Guantanamo Bay prison said Tuesday that U.S. guards there regularly desecrated the Quran by putting it into a toilet, although he added he never witnessed it himself.

Now I wonder why the Guardian doesn't report on Mulims desecrating other religions symbols? Like using the Bible as toilet paper, for example.
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Islam - The Politically Incorrect Guide

Robert Spencer's new book will be out soon.

You know Spencer is on to something when he gets and endorsement like this:

"May Allah rip out his spine from his back and split his brains in two, and then put them both back, and then do it over and over again. Amen." -- "Praise" for the author on RevivingIslam.com

Spencer liked it so much that he changed to cover of the book to include it at the top.
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Iran - Spreading Islamic Revolution

That's what Iran's new leader wants to do.

TEHRAN (Agencies): Iran’s president elect Mahmood Ahmadinejad hailed his election triumph as a new Islamic revolution that could spread throughout the world, in a shift away from previously moderate post-vote rhetoric. “Thanks to the blood of the martyrs, a new Islamic revolution has arisen and the Islamic revolution of 1384 (the current Iranian year) will, if God wills, cut off the roots of injustice in the world,” the IRNA agency quoted the ultra-conservative as saying. “The era of oppression, hegemonic regimes, tyranny and injustice has reached its end,” he said, in an apparent reference to Iran’s arch-foe the United States. “The wave of the Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world.”

Now if I remember correctly the Muslim world went crazy when Bush used the word "crusade" in regards to the war on terror. But it's ok for them to call for an "Islamic revolution"? Sounds like jihad to me.
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Iraq - Another al Qaeda Leader Caught

Recently I posted about al Qaeda's leadership being decimated in Iraq. Now comes news they've caught another one.

Iraq says its forces have arrested one of the leaders of the Al-Qaeda network allegedly responsible for kidnapping Iraqis and foreigners.

A government statement says Sami Ammar Hamid Mahmud, also known as Abu Aqil was arrested two days ago in Baghdad.

The statement also referred to Abu Aqil's cell as managing and leading operations outside Iraq as well as being responsible for kidnapping Iraqis and foreign nationals for ransoms to fund terror acts

The fact that many of these guys are being arrested would indicate that either the Iraqis are getting good intelligence or they are being tipped off.
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America - Democrats Guilty of Vote Fraud

The Democrats have been squealling like a stuck pig ever since last years elections that the Republicans were guilty of widespread voter fraud. They were so convinced of it that they paid for an investigation into the critical state of Ohio. They were stunned when the investigation found that indeed there was voter fraud in Ohio.

"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.

Now comes more voter fraud by the Democrats.

The defendants were found guilty on all counts following a four-week trial in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.

Four of the defendants -- Jessie Lewis, Sheila Thomas, Yvette Johnson and former city official Kelvin Ellis -- were found guilty of conspiracy to commit election fraud and election fraud. All worked for the Democratic Party during the election last November.

Democratic Party boss and former City Councilman Charlie Powell was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit election fraud.

The five were charged with paying voters up to $10 a vote to vote for Democratic candidates during the Nov. 2 general election.

So, the next time some leftoid Democrat starts crying that there was voter fraud in the last elections, show him this and laugh.
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America - Left Calls for Murdering Troops

The left are always going on about how they are against the war in Iraq but they support our troops. Yet here is a transcript and video of "little Eichmanns" Ward Churchill calling for our troops to murder their officers.

Churchill: "For those of you who do, as a matter of principle, oppose war in any form, the idea of supporting a conscientious objector who's already been inducted in his combat service in Iraq might have a certain appeal. But let me ask you this: Would you render the same level of support to someone who hadn't conscientiously objected, but rather instead rolled a grenade under their line officer in order to neutralize the combat capacity of their unit?"

"...Conscientious objection removes a given piece of cannon fodder from the fray. Fragging an officer has a much more impactful effect." - Ward Churchill, Portland, Oregon- 6/23/05

For those leftoids out there that want to dismiss Churchill's statment as the lone rant of one man, here are some lefty moonbats marching and calling for the murder of our troops.



Are all these calls for mudering our officers being answered?

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Army National Guard staff sergeant has been charged with premeditated murder in a “fragging incident” that killed two senior officers at a U.S. base near Tikrit last week, the U.S. military said Thursday.

Perhaps Churchill would like to explain his remarks to the families of the two slain officers.
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Iraq - US Troops Shot Journalist Claim

Knight Ridder accuses US troops of killing one of their journalist but offer absolutely no proof.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Yasser Salihee, an Iraqi special correspondent for Knight Ridder, was shot to death in Baghdad last Friday.

The shot appears to have been fired by a U.S. military sniper, though there were Iraqi soldiers in the area who also may have been shooting at the time.

Appears to whom? And just who were the Iraqi soldiers shooting at - terrorists? Were there terrorists shooting back?

Witnesses at the scene have offered conflicting accounts of what happened.

So, why does it "appear" to KR that US troops shot him?

An early report said Salihee was shot by a passing U.S. convoy when he failed to heed hand signals or shouts from soldiers. That later turned out to be untrue.

But since Linda Foley and Eason Jordan say US troops target journalists, it had to have been US troops.

The incident is still under investigation and will have to wait and see what that reveals. But it's clear that Foley's and Jordan's unsubstantiated claims have found traction in media organizations like KR.
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Iraq - The 9/11 Connections

Andrew McCarthy has a round up of them.
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Iraq - Iraqi Police Defeat Terrorists - Alone

Folks, this is proof positive that the terrorists have lost and the Iraqis have won the war in Iraq. This marks the final turning point in the war. Read on!

Recently I posted about Newsweek's, of all places, claim that the terrorists in Iraq can't win.

July 4 issue - I don't see how Iraq's insurgency can win. It lacks the support of at least 80 percent of the country (Shiites and Kurds), and by all accounts lacks the support of the majority of the Sunni population as well. It has no positive agenda, no charismatic leader, virtually no territory of its own, and no great power suppliers. That's why parallels to Vietnam and Algeria don't make sense. But despite all these obstacles, the insurgents launched 700 attacks against U.S. forces last month, the highest number since the invasion.

And just last week al Qaeda's ledership was being decimated.

Then we have the New York Times reporting on terrorists fighting each other. And the America hating BBC reporting on the American hating Arab press turning on the terrorists in Iraq.

And you know things have turned the corner when CNN reports on good news from Iraq and Koffi Annan does an article in The Washington Post declaring "... much progress has been made in the face of daunting challenges."

All of this has been too much for Kool Aid Kos, who now claims "We have accomplished what we set out to do bring freedom to Iraq and rid the region of the specter of Saddam's terror." Which prompted this from Chrenkoff.

And isn't it nice to hear Kos say all these lovely things? Particularly, after cautioning us last month, "in case anyone is buying the administration's line that we went to war in Iraq over 'freedom' or 'democracy'." Wasn't it all "about needing shiny new barracks in a Middle East nation with a friendly and compliant puppet regime" anyway? Beats me.

Be sure and read my post, complete with photos, on Kool Aid Kos's u-turn on Iraq.

Now from The Guardian, (dare I say it), of all places, comes proof that the Iraqi themselves are now defeating the terrorist - on their own. Don't worry too much, the Guradian tries to spin it into a defeat but this is clearly the first major battle the Iraqis faced the terrorist on their own and won.

Over 100 terrorists used a "...combination of heavy shelling, diversionary feints, infantry thrusts and suicide vehicles - the "precision-guided" equivalent of tanks - left parts of the district of Hi al-Elam a smoking ruin. If the objective was to overrun the station and free its prisoners the offensive failed. The attackers retreated after two hours, leaving dozens dead and captured."

Now the spin.

But if the objective was to send a message of power and determination it succeeded.

Oh yeah, I'm sure the sight of over 100 terrorists getting their buts kicked by the Iraqi police is looked upon as a success for the terrorists by the locals.

The sentries, pinned down by fire from the rooftops, did not respond when they heard the approaching suicide bombers. One vehicle exploded at the main entrance, killing at least four officers but without breaching the compound.

A nearby Iraqi army base was simultaneously targeted by mortars, gunfire and a suicide bomber, trapping the soldiers inside. Gunmen attacked the police station from four sides and came close to overrunning it. From bases in southern Baghdad US and Iraqi ground troops rushed for Baya'a only to confront insurgents at Derwesh Square and on the Doura highway tasked with slowing the relief force. At least three suicide car bombers had been held back for this purpose.

So, pinned down, attacked from four sides with RPGs and car bombs, the Iraqi Army and US forces unable to help, the Iraqi police, on their own, stood their ground and repulsed and attack by over 100 terrorists and "The attackers retreated after two hours, leaving dozens dead and captured".

And folks if you want the final proof that the Iraqis are winning and the terrorist losing, read this:

By 6.30am a police machine-gunner on the roof at Baya'a helped turn the tide, firing volleys which forced attackers to take cover and enabled his comrades to take better positions. Residents of the mixed Shia and Sunni neighbourhood made at least 55 phone calls informing the police of insurgent movements.

Got that? Both Shias and Sunnis called in intelligence against the terrorists.

This marks the turning point in the war and spells the end for Zarqawi. Here you have Iraqi police aided by ordinary Iraqi citizens working together to defeat the terrorists - on their own!
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Iraq - Kool Aid Kos: "We" brought freedom to Iraq

You have to laugh at the left. No, you really do; most of the electorate did in the last round of elections. As President Bush's vision spreads democracy around the world, the left's attacks on his policies get nuttier and nuttier. Now they want to take credit for Bush's policies.

In the vein of Mr. Nuance's, "I voted for it before I voted against it", Chrenkoff gives us this from the Kool Aid drinking Kos.

Now that we've liberated Iraqi, through war, Kos wants to turn the left's anti-war stance into a victory parade.

Democrats must ride that wave [of growing anti-war sentiment] into 2006, and can do so in ways where they don't sound like hippy retreads.

Ooops! Too late! Kos's "screw them" rants already sound like "hippy retreds".

Now, before you read this next bit, remember the left's charge is that the Iraq war was about oil and American imperialism and had nothing to do with bringing democracy to Iraq. And no matter what our intentions were, the left are unanimous that we have failed to bring democracy to Iraq, the elections were a sham which resulted in a puppet government and the place is a Vietnam quagmire. All of which makes Kool Aid Kos's statements the more bizarre. Follow Chrenkoff's link to the "Amazing Kool Aid Kos" and read it for yourselves.

Promoting a withdrawal - We have a lot to be proud of over the past three years. We have freed the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator and given them their first taste of freedom. Iraq held successful presidential elections earlier this year, and the nation is now run by a democratic-elected government.

We have accomplished what we set out to do -- bring freedom to Iraq and rid the region of the specter of Saddam's terror.

But now it is time to let the Iraqis take charge of their own lives. The future belongs to a free democratic Iraq, but it is a future they must fight for themselves.

What's this we shit Kos?!? If it were up to you dictator loving, flower power, "not in my name", "we support the troops when they kill their officers", "screw them" asshats, Saddam would still be in power and those Iraqis now enjoying "their first taste of freedom", would be in mass graves.

Now that Bush's policies are seen as successful in bringing democracy, not just to Iraq, but the wider Middle East and beyond, Kool Aid Kos wants on the bandwagon.

And Chrenkoff notes this:

And isn't it nice to hear Kos say all these lovely things? Particularly, after cautioning us last month, "in case anyone is buying the administration's line that we went to war in Iraq over 'freedom' or 'democracy'." Wasn't it all "about needing shiny new barracks in a Middle East nation with a friendly and compliant puppet regime" anyway? Beats me.

There you have it folks, in Kool Aid Kos's own words. Thank you Kos for reminding us just how successful we have been in Iraq. And now, here are some visual reminders of how the Kool Aid Kid Kos "We" wanted to free "the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator and given them their first taste of freedom".



UPDATE

Ooops again! Looks Kool Aid Kos is on the wrong side of history - as usual. While he and his Kool Aid gang want to withdraw from Iraq, "...only one in eight Americans currently favors an immediate pullout of U.S. forces while a solid majority continues to agree with Bush that the United States must remain in Iraq until civil order is restored..."

Everytime the left opens its mouth, Rove smiles - and so do I.
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Iraq - Good News: From CNN?!?

Yeah, I know hard to believe isn't it? But here it is.

GHANI AL-ISAA, JUDGE (translator): There is an increase since the income of all sectors of Iraqi people has gone up.

ECCLESTON: Measuring Iraq's economic health is not an exact science, but those in work, like the 350 judges trained in the past two years, are better paid, thanks to U.S. subsidies.

The Iraqi dinar holds its value. Gone is the rampant inflation of the '90's. There are more goods in the shops, in part, thanks to low import duties and a thriving black market.

It's estimated that there's five times more traffic on Baghdad's roads than there was pre-war and then, there is, what some call, the freedom index. In January, nearly 60 percent of Iraqis voted, choosing from a wide variety of parties. The assembly they voted for is meeting and is beginning to frame a new constitution for Iraq and 25 Sunni delegates are participating.

Internet cafes, unknown under Saddam, have sprung up in Baghdad. There are more than three million telephone subscribers, compared to fewer than a million before the war and many of them are on cell phones. Some 170 independent newspapers and magazines offer competing opinions and there are 80 commercial radio stations.

Wealthier Iraqis have satellite dishes and watch channels from around the world, a luxury unthinkable three years ago. Much of the country away from the Sunni dominated north and west is not racked by sectarian violence and some 150,000 Iraqi security forces are trained, equipped, and playing a larger role in battling the insurgents.

Oh, don't worry CNN isn't going to let that stand.

ECCLESTON: Now, despite the undeniable progress in Iraq, one year after the handover of sovereignty, the grinding violence, the lack of personal security, the hardships of day-to-day living, not enough power, not enough water, inadequate sanitation, this limits most Iraqis ability to believe their governments and American assertion that life is indeed improving...

What Eccleston fails to point out is that the improving life style of ordinary Iraqis is contributing to the drain on power and other resources. The explosion in power draining electrical goods is putting a strain on the improving electrical power grid, a power grid that is having to be completely rebuilt after decades of neglect under Saddam.

For a complete round up of all the good news from Iraq, be sure to visit Chrenkoff's Good News Iraq - Part 30.
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Guantánamo - Detainees Treated Well

That's how both Republican and Democrats saw it on their resent trip, according to this article - buried on page 19. You may recall that the bogus Koran desecration story was platered all over the front pages of MSM. It's as if MSM throw the Right a bone now and then so they can proclaim, "See we're fair and balanced".

WASHINGTON, June 27 - Senators from both sides of the aisle competed on Monday to extol the humane treatment of detainees whom they said they saw on a weekend trip to the military detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. All said they opposed closing the center.

"I feel very good" about the detainees' treatment, Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said.

That feeling was also expressed by another Democrat, Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

On Monday, Senator Jim Bunning, Republican of Kentucky, said he learned while visiting Guantánamo that some detainees "even have air-conditioning and semiprivate showers."

Another Republican, Senator Michael D. Crapo of Idaho, said soldiers and sailors at the camp "get more abuse from the detainees than they give to the detainees."

I suspect this quote is why they buried it. "All said they opposed closing the center".

Now contrast The New York Times article and placement with this Washington Times front page article.

Asked how they knew they were seeing real operations rather than a staged display, both Republican and Democratic senators said that they had access to everything and that they trusted the troops they talked with from their own states.

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Iraq - "Don't Son Me"

The anti-war moonbats make all kinds of absurd claims and remarks about war. Chief among them is "would you send your son (daughter) to fight in Iraq". This is nonsense, as is the case with most of their arguments. That fact that America is a free country whose military is made up of adult volunteers escapes them.

Christopher Hitchens has an article for the moonbats.

Here is a snippet but be sure to read the whole thing.

I don't intend a taunt in the above sentence (it's more of a tease, really, as well as a serious question to which I have heard no answer), but I resent the taunt that is latent in the anti-war stress on supposedly uneven sacrifice. Did I send my children to rescue the victims of the collapsing towers of the World Trade Center? No, I expected the police and fire departments to accept the risk of gruesome death on my behalf. All of them were volunteers (many of them needlessly thrown away, as we now know, because of poor communications), and one knew that their depleted ranks would soon be filled by equally tough and heroic citizens who would volunteer in their turn. We would certainly face a grave societal crisis if that expectation turned out to be false.

But when it comes to the confrontation in Iraq, the whole notion of grown-ups volunteering is dismissed or lampooned. Instead, it's people's children getting "sent." Recall Michael Moore asking congressmen whether they would "send" one of their offspring, as if they had the power to do so, or the right? (John Ashcroft's son was in the Gulf, but I doubt that his father dispatched him there, and in any case it would take a lot more than this to reconcile me to Ashcroft, as Moore implies that it should.) Nobody has to join the armed forces, and those who do are old enough to vote, get married, and do almost everything legal except buy themselves a drink. Why infantilize young people who are entitled to every presumption of adulthood?

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UN - Annan Calls For Reforms

The Guardian reports on Koffi Annan's calls for UN reforms. In light of the UN oil for food scandal and the numberous sex abuse scandals, the best thing Annan can do is resign.

I found this bit interesting:

Annan told the General Assembly that the United Nations had seen many successes, such as helping eradicate smallpox and polio nearly everywhere in the world, as well as failures including the 1994 genocide in Rwanda that saw 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus slaughtered.

I bet Annan didn't point out that he was the UN man in charge that allowed the genocide to happen.

See here for the Case Against the UN.
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America - Media Making It Up

Main stream media sneer at bloggers, claiming that we are unregulated, out of control and no one checks our work like their editors do theirs. Yet time and time again we find it is MSM who are faking it. And now today comes more media faking it.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A newspaper investigation of a former columnist for The Sacramento Bee could not verify 43 sources she used in a sampling of 12 years of her work.

They could not verify 43 sources in 12 years!?! Obviously no one ever checked her work!

What's even more disturbing is the paper admits this is only a "sampling" of her work.

No wonder the media's credibility is in the tank.
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Islam - Reviewed: "Islam Unveiled"

Here is my review of Robert Spencer's book "Islam Unveiled".

Most westerners remained blissfully unaware of the teachings of Islam - until 9/11/2001, I among them. In the immediate aftermath of that catastrophe, there was a rush by some not to blame Muslims for what had happened; bin Laden was a terrorist carrying out yet another, albeit more stunning, attack on America. In his book “Islam Unveiled”, Robert Spencer, using the very words of the Koran and both historical and recent events, demonstrates how this is not only naïve but dangerous.

America was founded on religious freedom and many western countries pride themselves on their religious tolerance. That makes it all the more difficult to criticize Islam, and it does need criticizing, difficult that is, until you realize that religion, the state, and the law are all one and the same in Islam.

What’s worse, the Koran is considered by Muslims to be the actual words of God as revealed to Muhammad and therefore, unchangeable, unchallengeable and no further manmade laws, knowledge or science are needed. In short, the Koran is the final word.

This final word stance by Muslims on the Koran is why reformists and critics are always met with derision, hostility, death threats and even death itself; how can you reform or criticize the perfect word of God?

It is the excuse Muslims use to riot over bogus stories of Koran desecration by the infidels while around the world Muslims blow up mosques and untold Korans in the process.

It is why after so much progress, Muslims turned their backs on science while the west embraced it. Since the Koran is the pure word of God what other knowledge is needed? It is why the west flourished while Islam declined and it is evident in the stark comparisons between third world countries and the west today. Only now are they embarking on desperate attempts to catch the great Satan.

This stance has led Muslim leaders to blame fellow Muslims for all of Islam’s ills. If only they would be good Muslims and follow the Koran to the letter, their misery and suffering at the hands of the great Satan would end and Islam would rule the world once again. In short, radical Islam is the way forward.

This in turn allows them to deny women’s rights. Islam’s record on women’s rights is well known and abysmal. Women are forced to wear the hijab, not allowed to vote or hold office, their word is worth less than a mans, there are so called “honor” killings, stonings, they are not allowed to drive, must be accompanied by a male relative when venturing out, if they claim rape, they have to have four male witness, on and on it goes.

One by one, from religion of peace to religion of tolerance, Spencer explores the myths surrounding Islam and demonstrates why tolerating the current state of affairs and remaining ignorant of Islam, is dangerous.

Europe is being slowly but surely converted. Europe’s aging population coupled with a need for cheap labour have fuelled an influx of Muslim immigrants; immigrants who fail to integrate as the Koran teaches them not to. The new buzzword applied to deal with this situation is multiculturalism; its former name was appeasement. All over Europe women are being forced to wear the hijab, so called “honor” killings are rarely prosecuted, Britain has introduced some Islamic law and in the biggest display of appeasement, Spain changed its government.

If you want to start learning about Islam, “Islam Unveiled” is a good place to start.

You can buy it here:


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Iraq - 70 British Muslims Join Terrorists

The Sunday Times reports.

ABOUT 70 young Muslim men have left Britain to join the insurgents who are fighting coalition troops in Iraq, senior security sources have revealed.

At least three have been killed in combat, including one whose role in an Iraq suicide bombing in February was disclosed by police only last week.

The growing problem of militants from Britain travelling to Iraq has been highlighted by Eliza Manningham-Buller, director-general of MI5, in recent briefings to Tony Blair.

But didn't Iqbal Sacranie, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain,
tell us: 'There is no such thing as an Islamic terrorist.'

So how are these jihadist doing in Iraq?

Although an estimated 70 had gone in the past two years, few had returned, the source said.

Oh, dear.

Larger numbers of terrorist recruits left Britain during the late 1990s to fight the “holy war” in Bosnia, Chechnya and Afghanistan.

And their fate will be the same in Iraq.

From a "rebel" commander, Abu Ahmad, terrorist to you and me, we learn this:

He said that Al-Qaeda had “branches, supporters and financiers” in Britain as well as in France, Spain and Germany.

Hey listen, don't worry about it. Sacranie, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, says there is no such thing as an Islamic terrorist and the BBC, in their famous "The Power of Nightmares", tells us that international terror networks are "myths" and "illusions".
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Australia - Wood "insensitive" to terrorists

That's what Andrew Jaspan, editor-in-chief of The Age, Australia's most Left-wing daily newspaper, says.

Andrew Bolt reminds us that the "...the men who'd snatched him, kicked him in the head, kept him blindfolded and bound for 47 days, shaved him bald, killed two of his colleagues, made him beg for his life, and -- says a fellow hostage from Sweden -- shot several other prisoners in front of him."

Let's not forget Wood would also have seen all the reports of beheadings if not the actual videos of beheadings.

Said Jaspan: "I was, I have to say, shocked by Douglas Wood's use of the a---hole word, if I can put it like that, which I just thought was coarse and very ill-thought through and I think demeans the man and is one of the reasons why people are slightly sceptical of his motives and everything else.

"The issue really is largely, speaking as I understand it, he was treated well there. He says he was fed every day, and as such to turn around and use that kind of language I think is just insensitive."

This shows how far deranged the left really are. And as I said in an earlier post today:

Since the terrorists have "no positive agenda, no charismatic leader, virtually no territory of its own, and no great power suppliers", and lacks the support of ordinary Iraqis, why does the world press support them and attack America so much?

Becuase this is not about defeating terrorism, this is about defeating America, even if it means letting terrorists win. Such is the inverted world the left and the media have created.

So what was Wood's real sin that warranted this attack from Jaspan?

INSTEAD, he roared "God bless America" and praised the US-trained Iraqi soldiers -- Iraq's real freedom fighters -- who saved him, saying he was "proof positive that the current policies of the American and Australian governments is the right one".

It seems that to a Leftist, this makes Wood the boorish inferior of the killers who beat him and held him captive. It is why journalist Tracee Hutchinson, in an Age column, calls him a "blustering buffoon", moaning: "It was enough that his words God bless America had been played over and over on his release."

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America - Operation Simply Shred

Turning the tables on the anti-war moonbats. Be sure to see the link at the end for a slideshow of their efforts.

More and more Americans are getting fed up with these moonbats and are starting to counter protest, Americans like Protest Warrior.

We need more of these please.
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Britain - Bogus Muslim March

Seems some people missed Newsweeks retraction.

MUSLIMS in Bedford marched into St Paul's Square yesterday to protest against American treatment of the Koran.

Earlier this month the Pentagon admitted that soldiers at Guantanamo Bay detention centre had dishonoured the Koran.

According to a report, prison guards threw water balloons on to the book, a two-word obscene phrase was written in English on the inside cover and an American soldier had flushed a detainee's copy down the toilet after urinating on it.

But Newsweek retracted the story.

"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker said in a statement issued Monday afternoon.

Now do a Google search of Mosque bombings. How many Korans do you think were blown up all these bombings?

And what about all the desecration of other religions symbols Muslims?

Bedford Muslims need to take a long hard look at their own religion.

Recently in DC there was a march held by Muslims to protest against terrorism. None of the major US Muslim organizations either took part or endorsed the march and only 50 people showed up. Muslims around the world need to take a long hard look at their religion.
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