Worth Reading - Short Takes, 3/31/08

Short takes is Freedom Fighter's way of cramming a lot into a small space..kind of like the young gentleman above. Here's a brief rundown of some of today's items of interest:

What the Press Should Ask Obama About Wright - Peter Wehner, NRO - Wehner posits a hypothethical interview with the Chosen One by posting a number of perfectly polite and logical questions on this subject - which of course means that there's not a chance they'll ever be asked, let alone answered.

Marash quits English al Jazeera over the (British) anti-Americanism The Augean Stables chronicles the story of lefty commentator Dave Marash,who departed Nightline for the English-language outlet of al-Jazeera only to call it quits when faced with rabid British hatred for America!

CAIR Portrays ‘War on Terrorism’ as Malicious ‘War on Islam’. - Steve Emerson has another impressive, must read piece on CAIR, America's fifth column for theMuslim brotherhood and Salafism.

In Gaza, Hamas’s Fiery Insults to Jews Complicate Peace Effort The New York Times has an amazing revelation...Hamas hates Jews. Shocking! Who woulda thunk it?

Obama's handwriting found on liberal statements he 'never saw'... The Politico has an article on notes found in Obama's own handwriting on leftoid politicalposition papers he previous ly claimed to know nothing about. GW at Wolf Howling has a nifty take on this as well.

Iran authenticates Tehran poll result - Pakistan's Daily Times has a good recap of th elatest Iranian `election' to the majlis,or parliament.

Enjoy!

Mookie Surrenders!!

Well,that was quick.

In response to the devastating offensive by the Iraqi government into the heart of his strongholds, Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered what's left of the Mahdi Army to cease fighting the Iraqi troops and to lay down their arms forthwith.

The al-BBC story I linked to above references `240 dead'(actually over 300) without mentioning that almost all of the deceased were Mookie's fighters.

The nerve of that Moqtada al-Sadr!

Here the dinosaur media were all geared up to report endlessly ad naseum on the `quagmire' and the `cycle of violence' and Mookie pulls the plug on them.

Doesn't he have any respect for working, agenda driven journos with a 24 hour news cycle to fill?

Jokes aside, this is a major victory for the Iraqi people and the Maliki government, and I fully expect Mookie to slither off to Iran any day now.

Black Liberation Theology

Since the dinosaur media was finally forced to acknowledge the issue of Jeremiah Wright and the UCC Trinity Church,the phrase `black liberation theology' has surfaced. Obama himself referred to this obliquely, talking about the sort of conversations he claims routinely occur in black churches -a stereotyped generalization if ever I've heard one.

But what exactly is meant by the phrase 'black liberation theology'? Where did it come from? And what does it reveal about who Barack Obama is?

Black liberation theology is an ethnocentric outgrowth - some would call it a tumor - of 'liberation theology', which was essentially a highly selective interpretation of the Gospels in an attempt to co-opt Christianity to promote communism and marxism. Liberation theology began with the Catholic Church in Latin America and elsewhere, and was used by radical priests and nuns who supported Fidel, Che Guevara, the Shining Path terrorists in Peru and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Later, it spread to some of the mainstream Protestant denominations in other areas.

Black liberation theology mixes this ideology with racist rhetoric derived from the black power movement back in the 1970's.

Jeremiah Wright himself was originally a member of the Nation of Islam, but later returned to Christianity as he latched onto the views of two race based theologists who became his mentors, Dwight Hopkins and James Cone.

Wright himself acknowledged this in a bizarre interview with Fox News on March 15th with Sean Hannity.

Both Hopkins and Cone are now tenured radicals in academia. Hopkins is a professor at the University of Chicago's Divinity School; Cone works out of New York's Union Theological Seminary.

Back in the late 1960's and the early 1970's theologians like Hopkins and Cole essentially decided that blacks were the Chosen People. James Cone, the dean of the 'black liberation' theological school of thought, teaches that Jesus Christ himself is black, rather than a Jew:

"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community ... Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love. "

(from William R Jones, "Divine Racism: The Unacknowledged Threshold Issue for Black Theology, in African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology")

Or, to put it more simply, unless G-d hates whitey, black people have no use for him!

Movements like black liberation theology reject the idea of G-d's universal nature in favor of race based superiority. The largely secular Nazis used a similar logic to co-opt the German churches with the "Aryan Christianity" movement in Nazi Germany, which claimed that Jesus was not a Jew but an Aryan Galilean, and that the Aryan race was the "chosen people".

Substitute `black' or `Afro-American' for Aryan and that is exactly where the UCC Trinity Church and Jeremiah Wright are coming from.

And this is what Obama was referring to in his March 14 speech when he said: "I knew Reverend Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago."

Interesting the way the dots connect, isn't it?

Unfortunately for Barack Obama, leftist academia is by its very nature a lot more tolerant of racism and anti-Semitism when it comes from people like Cone, Hopkins and Wright than America as a whole.

So the question remains...does Barack Obama actually believe this claptrap?

Impossible to say.

Political life in black America is centered around churches, and Obama had political ambitions. Trinity United happens to be Chicago's largest and most politically active black church, and as a black man in that part of Chicago with political ambitions, it may be that he merely used the Trinity United Church of Christ as a political stepping-stone for his election to the Illinois State Senate.

On the other hand, he and his wife have been active members for two decades, and have a long standing close personal relationship with Jeremiah Wright..or as Obama himself put it, this racist and anti-Semite is `like family.' Even more damning as far as I'm personally concerned is that he allowed his children to listen to and be indoctrinated by Wright during their formative years. One customarily doesn't do that with one's children unless one agrees with what is being taught on a deep level.

I think the answer lies in the conflicted nature of Barack Obama himself.

Growing up almost entirely outside of the perspective of an American black, by his own admission Obama deliberately sought that kind of militant black street cred back in his college years, almost as if he were trying to fill a hole within himself by pretending.

It would be ironic, but quite fitting if Obama, the great pretender now gets bitch slapped because of what he may have been pretending to be for years.....selah.

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The Mahdi Army Taking A Beating In Iraq

I know I shouldn't be by now, but I continue to be astounded by the way the dinosaur media is reporting on the latest offensive by Iraqi and American forces on the remaining strongholds Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

To read the headlines, you'd think that this was an ill-advised, risky assault that 're-ignited the cycle of violence', and that the Iraqi troops haven't measured up and have been defecting to al-Sadr en masse.

The truth of the matter is quite different.

The Mahdi army have suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Iraqi army and their American allies. Some estimates from legitimate reporters on the ground like Bill Roggio and Michael Yon are estimating that in the past 5 days of fighting,the Mahdi Army has lost over 2% of its estimated combat force,suffering over 300 dead:

A look at the open source press reports from the US and Iraqi military and the established newspapers indicates 145 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 81 were wounded, 98 were captured, and 30 surrendered during the past 36 hours.

Since the fighting began on Tuesday 358 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 531 were wounded, 343 were captured, and 30 surrendered. The US and Iraqi security forces have killed 125 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad alone, while Iraqi security forces have killed 140 Mahdi fighters in Basra.

While the size of the Mahdi Army is a constant source of debate, media accounts often put the Mahdi Army at anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 fighters. With an estimated 1,000 Mahdi fighters killed, captured, wounded and surrendered, the Mahdi Army has taken an attrition rate of 1.5 to 2.5 percent over the past five days.

Now, that's what I call some heavy duty cockroach stomping.

What's even more impressive is that the Iraqi government is united behind the offensive against the Mahdi Army and the Iran 'special groups' and PM Maliki,who referred to the Mahdi Army as 'worse than al-Qaeda' and was quoted as saying that
"Our determination is strong ... those who break the law are punished, and those who draw their weapons in the face of the state are punished."

As for Iraqi soldiers and police defecting to the Sadrists, there's beena grand total of 15, according to Iraqi Major General Qassim Atta in a briefing today in Baghdad..out of about 50,000 personnel.

Only a year ago,when Mookie appeared to have Maliki in his back pocket, I wouldn't have thought this possible.

As to why a lot of the reporters of the dinosaur media are trying their damndest to turn a successful operation like this into a defeat and disaster, I have some answers, but they're admittedly not too pleasant so I'll simply move on an dlet you speculate on your own.

If this keeps up, don't be surprised if Mookie flees back to Iran.

The Palestinian's New Racket - Counterfeit Medications!

To understand the Palestinians, all you need to know is something about the Mafia.

Protection rackets, embezzlement, hijacking, drugs, prostitution, no-show jobs...the Palestinian Authority's leaders have used all of them to line their personal pockets and to divert money into private slush funds like the $1.5 billion Palestine Investment Fund. That will continue as long as the UN and gullible western donors continue to ante up.

Their latest racket has a real touch of genius to it, I have to admit.

In response to the so-called 'humanitarian emergency' in the Palestinian occupied areas of Gaza,Judea and Samaria (AKA the West Bank) lots of valuable drugs and medications have been donated by groups like OxFam, the International Red Cross, the EU and the UN and of course, the American taxpayer.

Apparently,it's been recently discovered that for years, senior Fatah officials controlling what passes for the Palestinian Authority health system made a bundle by systematically stealing these valuable medications and replacing them with worthless placebo pills!

The placebos, which had no medical value whatsoever, were sent along to clinics and hospitals, where they were given to patients,without anyone saying a word about it.

The real stuff was taken to warehouses in Ramallah and Shechem(Nablus) for sale at premium prices on the black market.

And as I said,it's apparently been going on for years.

This is just another in a long line of scams perpetrated by the various functionaries of the Palestinian authority over the years. Sufah Arafat's $20,000 per month hush money and her luxurious villa in Paris isn't coming out of thin air.

Just as a useful contrast, here's how the 'brutal Zionist occupiers' treat Palestinians in need of urgent medical attention - as opposed to their own rulers.

Watcher's Council Results, 3/28/08

The Council has spoken! A complete list of results can be found at the site of our fearless leader, the infamous Watcher of Weasels

Council News: There is a vacancy available in the Watcher's Council. As you can tell from the quality of the work here ( disregarding my own humble efforts), the talent in this group is quite something. This is a superb opportunity for a blogger. If you think you qualify, go here and apply to the Watcher.


This week's winner was Get Your Grim Milestone Today? at Done With Mirrors - Callimachus' piece fisking the the glee of the dinosaur media over the 4,000th casualty in Iraq.

In second place (for the second consecutive week) was What Would You Do? by Bookworm Room, Ms.Bookworm's fine piece on race and responsibility.

Also getting votes were Beer-Soaked Politics by Cheat Seeking Missiles, It's All in the Branding by Soccer Dad, and Question "Authority"by The Colossus of Rhodey.

In the non-Council category there was a tie, with the Watcher annointing the winner, Stake Through Their Hearts by Michael Yon.

In second place was CAIR Exposed: Part 1 by Steve Emerson at The Investigative Project on Terrorism.

Hearty congratulations not only to the winners, but to the rest of the entrants.

Israeli Humor...

A biker was riding by the zoo when he saw a little girl leaning into the lion’s cage. Suddenly, the lion grabbed her by the cuff of her jacket and tried to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents.

The biker jumped off his bike, ran to the cage and hit the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumped back and let go of the girl. The biker then took her to her terrified parents, who thanked him endlessly.

A reporter saw the whole scene, and addressing the biker, said, “Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I’ve ever seen a man do in my whole life.”

“Why, it was nothing,” said the biker, “really. The lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right.”

“I noticed a patch on your jacket,” said the journalist.

“Yeah, I ride with an Israeli motorcycle club,” the biker replied.

“Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist with The New York Times, you know, and tomorrow's papers will have this on the front page.”

The following morning the biker bought the paper to see if it indeed brought out the news of his actions. On the front page was the headline:

“ISRAELI GANG MEMBER ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH”

(Just another little sample of that typical dry,self-deprecating Israeli humor..todah rabah to Jack D. in Ashdod!)

"Fitna" Goes Viral In The Blogosphere!

Liveleak and YouTube may have been threatened into pulling Geert Wilder's new film, but enough bloggers downloaded it during the brief period it was up to spread it far and wide - millions have already seen it.

These sort of things never say suppressed for long.


Below are a number of links where you can see it as well if it's pulled again. All versions are in English, or with subtitles:

Alain Jean-Mairet Fitna (version anglaise)

EXCLUSIF BIVOUAC-ID : FITNA EN FRANCAIS !

Video: Fitna the Movie: Geert Wilders' film about the Quran (English)

Fitna the Movie by Geert Wilders - English (download torrent) - TPB

RapidShare: 1-Click Webhosting

Pravda o isl mu Blog Archive Fitna (s česk�mi titulky)

The Genie is well and truly out of the bottle...

"Fitna" Pulled From Liveleak

Geert Wilder's film on Islam was pulled from Liveleak , the film's British internet site after its employees were threatened with death.

"Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature and some ill-informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, LiveLeak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove 'Fitna' from our servers," the company said in a statement.

The film was posted on Liveleak Thursday and taken down Friday - after being seen by an estimated 3 million viewers.

The amusing thing is that by physically threatening Liveleak's staff and forcing the film's American outlet, Network Solutions to yank the film, the Islamists have virtually proved the point for him that Geert Wilder's film was intended to make - that Islam is a danger to freedom.

Charges Dropped Against Fifth Marine In Haditha Case

The case for the prosecution in the so-called 'massacre' continues to unravel, as all charges were dropped against Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, the fifth defendant out of eight to have all charges dismissed:

Lance Cpl Stephen B. Tatum became the fifth Haditha defendant out of eight to see charges dropped in a case that brought international condemnation on U.S. troops in Iraq. Three Marines, including accused ringleader Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, still face court-martial later this year.

Though prosecutors had reportedly offered Tatum, 26, immunity to testify against Wuterich, defense attorneys said no such deal had been struck.

"Lance Corporal Tatum is not trading his testimony for this dismissal," defense attorney Jack Zimmermann told Reuters in an interview. "He may very well be called as a witness for the prosecution or the defense, but he is going to be a neutral witness and will tell the truth, as he's always done."

Zimmermann said he believed the case was abandoned because it was "weak from the start."

Weak it is, in spite of the nonsense spouted by a certain US congressman/buffoon, John Murtha, who referred to the Haditha eight as 'cold-blooded murderers' on national TV before they were even tried.

"I think when the prosecution realized we were going to trial and that he was going to tell the truth, as he has all along, this experienced set of prosecutors realized it wasn't really fair to dump all this on a lance corporal who was responding the way he was trained," Zimmermann told Reuters.

The Marines offered little explanation, saying in a statement only that the case had been dropped "in order to continue to pursue the truth-seeking process into the Haditha incident." A Marine spokesman declined to elaborate.

"To ensure the remaining cases are brought to closure in a fair and just manner, further discussion of this case is inappropriate at this time," Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said.

Sounds like bolshoi to me.

I'd be interested to see what the marine brass has to say to these five brave men that were unjustly smeared and put through hell simply for political reasons. Not to mention the other Haditha defendents, when they're acquited, as they likely will be,although I expect they will probably try to hang some token minor charge on Sargeant Wuterich, just as a face saving gesture.

Palestinians Win Court Victory On Judgments For Murder Of US Citizens

Fatah and the Palestinian Authority ,won a victory in US courts today, as a $200 million dollar judgment against them in favor of a widow and her six children for complicity in the terrorist murder of their father in Israel was vacated to allow a new trial.

You'll remember that that the Palestinians had been lobbying the Bush Administration to intervene in favor of the Palestinian Authority to give it immunity from judgments already entered in US courts against them for the murder of US citizens...and after wrestling with the matter for awhile,the Bush Administration declined to intervene - at least formally.

However, they DID note in a statement to the court that the Bush Administration was was concerned that lawsuits by victims of terrorism could harm the "financial and political viability" of the Palestinian Authority..and that was all it took for the judge, Victor Marrero to make the ruling for a new trial.

Such rulings are rare, and the judge, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero, said that he would vacate the previous legal victory only if the Palestinian Authority put up a $192.7 million bond to ensure that it does not default again if it loses in court. In a ruling Wednesday, he also ordered the Palestinians to reimburse the plaintiffs for previous legal expenses.

But Marrero's decision gives the Palestinian government hope that it can escape from lawsuits that its officials said threatened to bankrupt it. Top Palestinian officials, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, had urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to intervene in the case.

Leslye Knox, a 46-year-old mother of six children and widow of Aharon Ellis, had sued under a law passed by Congress in 1990 after the murder of Leon Klinghoffer by terrorists who seized the Achille Lauro cruise ship. Ellis, a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed along with five other people by a Palestinian militant in 2002 in Hadera, Israel.

The Palestinian Authority initially argued that it had sovereign immunity, meaning that as a state it was beyond the reach of the U.S. legal system. But U.S. courts rejected that claim, noting that Palestine is not a state.

With the Palestinian Authority refusing to defend itself in court, a federal judge in 2006 ordered the PLO and the Palestinian Authority to pay Knox and other Ellis relatives nearly $174 million. Nothing has been paid. Marrero ordered a $192.7 million bond to also cover interest.

It never ends with these scum. And to me,it's absolutely amazing that our president,who once said `You're either with us or with the terrorists' could side with them against an American widow and her six children.

As I've said before, for all my disagreements with him,I used to at least think he was a decent man, at the core.

Speaking of indecent,here once again is the contact information for Mark Rachon at Miller and Chevalier, the legal cockroach who is representing the Palestinians in trying to defraud widows and orphans out of their just compensation. I invite members of Joshua's Army to let him know what you think of him..just keep it relatively civil:

inquiries@milchev.com

Washington, DC
655 Fifteenth Street, N.W.
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005-5701

Phone: 202-626-5800
Fax: 202-626-5801

US Passports 'Outsourced' to Thailand; Illeagal GPO Profits Under Scrutiny

Absolutely astounding....Bill Gertz in the Washington Times:

The inspector general of the Government Printing Office today said his office is conducting an "end-to-end" review of the agency's production of electronic passports.

GPO Inspector General J. Anthony Ogden said the review is part of the office's work plan and will look at the outsourcing of some passport components, such as computer chips embedded in travel documents.

The comments follow a report in today's editions of The Washington Times quoting congressional and GPO officials who raised security questions about the use of foreign contractors in the process.

The Washington Times reported that the GPO had contracted with two European companies to produce computer chips with a wire antenna assembled at a plant in Thailand. The company in Thailand, Smartrac, charged in a court filing in Netherlands last year that its technology was stolen by China.

The outsourcing has raised concerns among investigators over the security of passports. GPO and State Department officials have sought to play down security concerns and have said they conduct regular checks of overseas manufacturers.

So I guess manufacturing electronics and printing passports are now under the catagory of Jobs Americans Won't Do???

It's not only the threat of counterfeit passports that has Congress investigating. It appears that by outsourcing and overcharging American citizens the GPO illegally took in over $100 million in profits:

Documents and interviews with Bush administration officials said the GPO made about $100 million in profits on the production of electronic passports since 2006 and their sale to the State Department far beyond the costs.

The profits are raising questions among congressional investigators about whether the GPO is complying with laws that limit its business activities to recovering printing costs on a break-even basis.

And what did the GPO spend that $100 million on? Bonuses, gifts and trips:

..the GPO made about $100 million in profits on the production of electronic passports since 2006 and their sale to the State Department far beyond the costs.

{...}

When the government's main printing agency booked $100 million in unexpected profit it went on a spending spree: large bonuses to top managers, trips to Paris and Las Vegas, and an official photo of the boss that cost $10,000.

The bonuses, some nearly as high as $13,000, and travel are raising questions among congressional investigators and Government Printing Office officials about whether the agency is misusing its newfound wealth and whether it received the proper authority for some of the larger compensation payments from the Office of Budget and Management.

Additionally, investigators are looking into whether Public Printer Robert C. Tapella paid close to $10,000 for photographs of himself for his office and during his swearing-in ceremony in November.


Our tax dollars at work!

Geert Wilder's 'Fitna ' - for real, this time!

Here's a link to the movie 'Fitna' released on Live Leak rather than the dhimmified You Tube..watch it!

Warning: there are some graphic images in the film..definitely not work safe.

The Battle Of Basra

While the dino media is busy chronicling the 4,000th US Iraq death, our warriors and their Iraqi allies are making the real news and wiping the floor with the jihadis.

The new front is the southern port of Basra.

As you might recall, our British allies were supposed to secure things here but retreated precipitously instead, leaving the valuable oil port in the hands of various Iran backed Shi'te militias, most notably Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

Unwilling to cede this area to Mookie and his pals, the Iraqis and the Americans have gone after the Mahdi Army with a vengeance, not only inBasra but in Mookie's strongholds in the Shi'ite parts of Baghdad and the towns of Hilla, Kut and Diwaniya in the south.

Dozens have already been killed, and Maliki is inBasra personally to supervise the campaign, giving Mookie and his boys an ultimatum of 72 hours to surrender and lay down their arms or be annihilated.

While both the Iraqis and the Americans are careful to say that this is just a `cleanup' rather than a war against the Mahdi Army, the fact is that that the operations have been directed against them and the battles have mostly been between the Mahdi Army and their allies andthe Iraqi Army and the Americans.

Iraq isn't secured yet by a long shot, but I could never have imagined a scenario a year ago where the Iraqi Army would be attacking the Mahdi Army and fighting them effectively,

That's the real news out of Iraq...in spite of what the dinosaur media would have you believe.

Watcher's Council Nominations, 3/26/08

Every week, the Watcher's Council members nominate two posts each, one from the Council members and one from outside for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week's Council nominations can be found at the site of our fearless leader, the infamous Watcher of Weasels

Do take the time and check out the non-Council links..they are always rewarding.


Council News: There is a vacancy available in the Watcher's Council. As you can tell from the quality of the work here ( disregarding my own humble efforts), the talent in this group is quite something. This is a superb opportunity for a blogger. If you think you qualify, go here and apply to the Watcher.



Here's this week's lineup...enjoy!

1. Genocide By Inches
   Joshuapundit - Call this a meditation on the eternal problem of evil and how one deals or doesn't deal with it, sparked by a link I see between the brutal murder of eight young religious students at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, an associated Biblical text and the recently celebrated Jewish holiday of Purim.
   
   This was unpleasant to write and possibly to read,but it sort of intruded itself on me in spite of myself - especially as it deals with larger themes than just Israel.
   
   
2. Get Your Grim Milestone Today?
   Done With Mirrors - Callimachus is fed up with the unholy glee of the dinosaur media rejoicing in the 4,000th casualty in Iraq.
   
   
3. A Taxonomy of Mea Culpas
   The Glittering Eye - Dave does a fine job of cataloging the various excuses for pundit error on Iraq.
   
   
4. It's All in the Branding
   Soccer Dad - Soccer Dad reflects on American progress in the battle for hearts and minds in the war on jihad. In one sense,I agree with him - al -Qaeda has become discredited in many circles. In another sense, wahabism and salafism have become mainstream in the west through the Saudi funded mosques and madrassas and Muslim Brotherhood front groups like CAIR....there's a great deal of progress left to make.
   
   
5. What Would You Do?
   Bookworm Room - Ms. Bookworm has an interesting post this week on race and responsibility, in light of the Obama/Wright fracas and insistence on White Guilt for all that ails them.
   
   
6. Beer-Soaked Politics
   Cheat Seeking Missiles - Laer has a fine post this week illustrating how far afield the 'hate America' crowd will go for ammunition...even to using a beer cap!
   
   
7. A Conversation With Sa'ad
   Wolf Howling - GW plays host to an Iraqi translator and reveals a fascinating ground level view of what's going on there.
   
   
8. Municipal Internet -- Deader Than a Doornail?
   Rhymes With Right - Greg writes about the debacle of municipal internet,yet another examp[le of how much fun it is for government to spend somebody else's money..
   
   
9. Question "Authority"
   The Colossus of Rhodey - The Angry Left invades the world of comic books..and Laer reports.
   
   
10. Virgina Taxpayers Made To Pay For Criminal's Rampage
    The Education Wonks - The Commonwealth of Virginia has proposed a tax payer funded payoff to the victims and families of the Virginia Tech shootings - and EdWonk is agin' it,on general principles.
    
    
11. Welcome To a Brave New World
    Right Wing Nut House - Rick writes about a story I've been following here on JoshuaPundit, the likely consequences of the recent election of an anti-American government in Pakistan, the forcing out of US ally Musharraf and the new government's likely live-and -let -live withal-Qaeda and the Taliban.
    
    Aside from providing a secure base for Islamist terrorism, one of the consequences will assuredly be the jeopardizing of our efforts in Afghanistan as some of our NATO allies continue to avoid their responsibilities.

Creepy Liars....

" Liar!! Creepy liar...!" - Donkey operative Larry O'Donnell, out of control on CNN in 2004


Ho-o-kay...so it's official.

Both Hillary and Obama are incapable of telling the truth about a whole lot.

Ain't that news?

In Lady Macbeth's case, yet another whopper has turned up to be added to the Clinton tally.It turns out she 'misspoke' about descending in Bosnia amidst sniper fire. Someone actually dug up a tape of the little greeting ceremony she attended, complete with yer standard little girl reciting yer standard little poem....and nobody running for cover.

Of course, with the Chosen One, we have his early dissembling about his Muslim background, his constant lame explanations of what he really meant when he gets caught making ridiculous statements, his connections to criminal slumlord Tony Rezko, and of course, Trinity Church and Rev Wright, whose racism and bigotry he wanted us to believe he somehow missed while attending the church for two decades and having Wright as his spiritual mentor and campaign adviser.

All politicians lie, that's a given. No less a student of government than Plato believed that only the heads of state should be allowed to lie, but strictly in performance of their duties in service to the State - not to enhance or advance themselves. The author of Da Republicca certainly didn't have the sort of lame gibberish in mind that dribbles ceaselessly from the likes of Hillary and Obama...and to add to mix, not only are they outrageous liars, but they're not even particularly good or smart about it.

Here in our Beloved Republic,we've done pretty well with our rather unique two party system, and I'm rather fond of it. But when one of those parties appears to have gone
irredeemably insane and irresponsible at least when it comes to its presidential front runners, when it consistently can't come up with people who are at least minimally competent....well,it's becoming embarrassing.

Mexican Murderer And Rapist To Fry As Bush Spanked By Supreme Court

Justice, at last....even with the current occupant of the White House trying his best to stifle it.

You may remember a piece I did about an amazing assault on US law and sovereignty spearheaded by President Bush. I'm referring of course to the case of ,Jose Medellin, a Mexican national living illegally in the US who was found guilty beyond any reasonable presumption of participating in a particularly hideous kidnap, gang rape and torture murder of two underage girls in Houston, Texas back in 1993, when he was 18 years old.

Jennifer Ertman was only 14, and friend, Elizabeth Pena was only 16 when they were abducted,gang raped and then strangled with their own shoelaces.












Medellin has been gaming the justice system and enjoying himself on death row for longer than the entire life span of one of his victims. This case went to the Supreme Court not over any question about whether he had committed the crime, but over the fact that as a Mexican national, he was not told he could contact the Mexican Consulate for assistance...even though he'd been living illegally in the US since he was nine years old.

Mexico actually sued the United States on behalf of this creature in 2003 over the consular issue in the International Court of Justice at The Hague, and won the case a year later.

In response, President Bush actually announced that the U.S. would comply, and he would order courts in Texas and elsewhere to review the cases of Medellin and about fifty other illegal aliens on death row for murder.

The Texas Courts re-examined Medellin's conviction and confirmed the death sentences, as did the appellate courts.The Texas courts also made the point that Medellin and his attorneys failed to mention or complain at his original trial about any violation of his consular rights and had therefore waived them.

The Bush Administration intervened at that point, actually filing a brief in federal court on behalf of Jose Medellin to overturn his conviction!

When the courts in Texas refused, the Bush Administration had the temerity to take this to the Supreme Court,pushing for a decision that would have subordinated our laws to the whims of U.N. resolutions and regulations, and cut a substantial hole in our country's sovereignty.


Happily, this egregious assault on our liberty and on simple decency failed:

The justices held 6 to 3 that judgments of the International Court of Justice, as the court is formally known, are not binding on U.S. courts and that Bush's 2005 executive order that courts in Texas comply anyway does not change that.

The decision, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., was a rebuke to the government in a case that involved the powers of all three branches of government, the intricacies of treaties and the international debate over the death penalty.

It placed the president on the side of Ernesto Medellin, a brutal murderer, and the rulings of the World Court, and against the authority of his home state's courts.

It's beyond grotesque that our president, sworn to uphold the law would try and shove this down our nation's collective throat.

I've disagreed with our president on many things but I always felt that at his core he was an essentially decent man. Shilling for a vicious murderer and rapist who should never have been allowed to pollute our Republic with his presence in the first place goes beyond the pale.

For his part in this foul drama, he deserves to be shunned on the streets by his fellow citizens, and especially by the proud denizens of his native state.

Fitna - Geert Wilder 's Film On Islam

Dutch MP Geert Wilders has finally released his film on Islam, and it's a must see, with an all star cast that includes Walid Shoebat, Bat Yeor, Robert Spencer,Serge Trifovic and others.Wilders, of course,was already under death threat by adherents of the Religion of Peace...

It's been suppressed in many outlets, but I have it here...thanks and a hat tip to Eye On The World





Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4



Part 5



Part 6



Part 7



Part 8



Part 9



Part 10



Part 11



Part 12

Obama The Builder

by CakeSecret, courtesy of Ace, a killah Obama-themed vid set to a wonderfully appropriate Cake song....yowzah!!

Worth Reading - Short Takes, 3/23/08

Short takes is Freedom Fighter's way of cramming a lot into a small space..kind of like the young gentleman above. Here's a brief rundown of some of today's items of interest:

So Much for the 'Post-Racial' Candidate - Mark Steyn, OC Register: A masterful fisking of Obama's shuck n' jive on Pastor Wright.

The Speech: A Brilliant Fraud - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post :And another one, just as a chaser...

Nancy Pelosi Makes Tibet Plea The Speaker of the House is in Dharmsala, India today...walking arm in arm with the Dalai Lama and showing her support for Tibet. It just might be one of the most courageous, selfless things she's done in her political life.

Britain's Broken Heart Melanie Phillips in the Daily Mail - Mel mourns for her beloved nation and puts her finger on the heart of the problem....and the possible cure.

Marine, Iraq Dog Reunited in San Diego... OK, so I'm a sucker for a heartwarming story with a dog in it...

Enjoy!

New Pakistan Coalition Government Ready To Negotiate With Terrorists

The late Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People’s Party and ex-PM Nawaz Sharif’s Islamist Muslim bloc have agreed to form an anti-Musharraf coalition government headed by the PPP's Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister, who is set to be sworn in Tuesday.

Gilani, the former speaker of Parliament is an interesting choice, as he is basically a party hack noted for following directions. This fits in with my theory that he's only there temporarily, and that the real power in the PPP remains with Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari. Zardari will likely seek election to parliament as soon as possible and then take over the prime minister's chair,replacing Gilani.


The new coalition came together with two broad aims: first, to negotiate a live-and-let-live ceasefire with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and the other Islamist factors which will end Pakistani military action against these groups and give them a free hand to continue their war against NATO in Afghanistan from secure bases.

Second, the two factors are united in ousting US ally President Pervez Musharraf and moving Pakistan away from any alliance with the US and towards either a closer alliance with the Saudis, Iran and the Islamist bloc (favored by the Muslim league and Sharif) or towards Russia and China (favored by the PPP). As a codicil to this, the coalition government has come out strongly in favor of ending the house arrest of rogue Pakistani scientist and illegal nuclear proliferator A.Q. Kahn, in defiance of the west and particularly the US.

We will probably see a strong move shortly towards kicking Musharraf out of power by reinstating the judges he had fired, especially Chief Justice Choudrey and having them declare his election by parliament in October illegal.

Musharraf has publicly declared his support for the new government, but then,it's not like he has much choice in the matter. He is likely putting most of his attention on seeing how deep his support is in the army and in the ISI intelligence services.

Depending on the answers he comes up with,we may either see another army coup (unlikely,but possible)or Musharraf `retiring' overseas with a large amount of purloined cash, the usual pattern for these things in Pakistan.

Again,let's review - this is an unstable country giving people like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda pretty much free range over its territory and providing them with a safe haven and secure base to train and recruit.

And Pakistan has nukes and ICBMs.

Add the two facts together, and what you come up with isn't exactly very reassuring..

Weekend Monkey And The Real Banana On Politics, 3/22/08

And now, it's time to slither through the fetid jungle of politics with my close personal friend, ex-Democrat candidate for president Weekend Monkey!

WM: Hideyho, primates!

FF: Hey Monkey...so what have you been up to lately?

WM: Ehhh! A couple of personal appearances here and there on the college circuit, pimping the mugs, posters and teeshirts, working on putting together the book deal, the usual stuff.

FF: I notice I haven't received any freebies, Monkey. What's that all about?

WM: Keep your underwear on, FF...I'll talk to Gruppstein about it, OK?

FF: And what's that about a book deal?

WM: Still in the works...just an inside look at my time on the campaign trail.

FF: You could call it, `The Audacity of Monkey'. Or maybe `A Swingin' Thing'.

WM: Hah hah, very funny FF. Not!

FF: Well,Monkey, the chickens have certainly come home to roost..

WM: You're talking about Obama Yo' Mama, right? I dunno,FF. Let's face it. None of this stuff with the whack job preacher or that church was exactly a secret..you and a lot of other people have been writing about it for months. A big chunk of the dinosaur media is still gonna give that jerk a pass, no matter what.

FF: Even if it means they're giving Obama a pass for essentially rationalizing racism? Giving a pass to someone saying that Ameri-KKK-a had 9-11 coming to it?

WM: You betcha, FF. I can tell you first hand now that I'm no longer a candidate, a lot of the scum in the dino media ain't the most loyal when it comes to their own part of the jungle. That's just how it is. And Obama Yo' Mama danced around things just enough to give them wiggle room, if they really wanted to find it.

FF: The amazing thing about the Pastor Wright stuff to me is that none of this was secret...all this stuff came from videotapes and DVDs the Trinity Church is promoting for sale.

WM:Hee hee hee! Yeah, the stuff Obama Yo' Mama claims he didn't know anything about!

FF: Y'know, Monkey, Obama kinda reminds me of all those 'Good Germans' after the Nazis were defeated. Never knew nothin' about Hitler,never supported the Nazis, never even noticed how all those Jews disappeared suddenly, even if they were living down wind from the camps.

But of course,with the Versailles Treaty,unemployment, the Jewish International Bankers and the Bolsheviks and Germany needing more lebansraum to fulfill its destiny, those 'Good Germans' were telling us how we had to understand where Hitler and the Nazis were coming from, right? And hey, a lot of Germans were having those conversations - can't disown `em, hmmm? That's exactly what Obama is - a 'Good German.'

WM: Y'know FF,Obama Yo' Mama threatened to have his security thugs beat me to a halal pulp for saying a whole lot less than you just did.

FF: It just fries me,Monkey.America is the most racially diverse country in the world, and one of the few places where you can still make it no matter what race or ethnicity you are. And it didn't get that way by chance...thousands of people worked and sweated for it, some even died, and while it ain't perfect, it's pretty damn good. And the last thing I want to see is for us all to take a big step backwards just so this opportunistic, smug little con man can play presidential candidate.

WM: Whooo,FF! You're on a roll tonight!

FF: You disagree with me, Monkey?

WM: Well, I didn't exactly say that, but you're pretty harsh on Obama there. Remember, FF, this is about politics not right and wrong. A lot of Obama Yo' Mama's supporters probably agree with this Reverend Wright. Was he supposed to just throw them under the bus in the middle of a tight campaign?

FF: What,Monkey!?!? Are you serious?

WM: Well...hey,get that look off your face, you're making me nervous...

FF: I'll answer your question Monkey..Y-E-S.Because if America means anything,it means that we don't have to put up with this tired racist BS no matter where or who it comes from. And still less with people that apologize for it,rationalize it, make it mainstream and poison the waters. And that shouldn't matter whether it spews from black,white, brown, yellow or polka-dot as far as I'm concerned.

WM: Well, I ...

FF: I'll go even farther with you on this riff, Monkey. As far as I'm concerned, black folks in general should be leading the charge on zero tolerance for black racism and anti-Semitism, because they should be able to see how much things have changed in America in the last fifty odd years or so. It was white people who passed the civil rights legislation, ended Jim Crow and ended the slave trade. And it was white people who led the charge to get Don Imus fired, to get Trent Lott ousted as Senate majority leader,to bust Texaco and Denny's. Black folks could not have done it without the support of the vast majority of white folks. And as far as I'm concerned the payback for all that - what black foks owe America - ought to be zero tolerance for black racists like Al Sharpton. Louis Farrakhan or Reverend Wright. And that includes smarmy apologists for racism like Obama, as far as I'm concerned. We've come too far for that.

And here's another little tidbit for you to think about,Monkey. Part of ending racism and bigotry in this country involves educating young people away from it. And Obama and his whiny Buppie wife have had their two kids sitting in that church, soaking up this bile for years now.

WM: Ummm, well...I never really though about it quite that way FF.

FF: You and a lot of other people,Monkey. Anyway....let's dish a little political dirt. Didn't mean to get on the soapbox.

WM: No,it's OK FF. Besides, that psychotic, about-to-go-off look you get sometimes is sorta appealing, in a crazed, demented kind of way...

FF: Can it, Monkey. So, did you see where Bill Richardson endorsed Obama?

WM: Yeah, I got quite a chuckle out of that!

FF: Did you see where Carville called Richardson a Judas?

WM: Hee hee hee hee! Hey,FF it's pretty simple. Richardson is a doofus, always was,but he was a long-time Clintonista and he was hoping to get the nod for VP, y'know? The way the campaign's shaping up, even if Shrillary gets the Donkey Crown, she wouldn't have been picking him, because she needed somebody black and/or further to the Left to bring the nut-roots back into the fold. So Richardson figured, being Hispanic,his endorsement was worth more to Obama than to Shrillary.

FF: So Carville was right?

WM: Yeah, essentially. But it's hardly surprising, if you've been following the antics of this guy Richardson.

FF: So, how do you see this going with the Dems, Monkey?

WM: It ain't over yet,that's for sure. I wouldn't be surprised to see Shrillary win Pennsylvania by ten points or more, but Obama Yo' Mama will just spin it to say that he was always going to lose there anyway. He's gonna concentrate on places like North Carolina and Indiana, where you have a lot of black Democrats. As a matter of fact, I think North Carolina's gonna be a major deal.

FF: How so?

WM: Obama Yo'Mama might be able to spin a big loss in PA,but North Carolina is a different matter. North Carolina is made to order for the big baboon - it's a predominantly Rethug state, with large college towns, a big black population, and higher than average income for a Southern state. And he was always leading there, and expected to win.

Now,with the Wright thing going down,the latest polls are showing Obama and Shrillary neck and neck there, which is freaking everybody out.

The deal for Shrillary to win is to convince the superdelegates,who are mostly professional pols that Obama Yo' Mama has no chance of winning in the general,can't carry the big traditionally Democrat states except for maybe Illinois. If she wins Pennsylvania real big and beats Obama in North Carolina, she has a pretty fair shot at doing that, I think.Actually,if she just gets close in North Carolina, especially if Obama gets below 35% of the non-black vote, she still has a decent shot,especially if she wins in Indiana.

FF: I think you've got something there,Monkey. I mean,have any of your Democrats noticed that Obama is winning mostly caucuses and mostly Republican states? There's no way that will happen in the general.

WM: I think it's been noticed, among the pros. But it's going to be hard to shut Obama out at this point without splitting the party - which could still happen, by the way. Plus,the Dems might just have written off Michigan and Florida if they don't figure something out pretty quick.

FF: As far as Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana go, you could see stuff like what happened in Ohio and Texas, where Republicans actually crossed lines to vote for Hillary in the primaries now that McCain has locked up the GOP race.

WM: Yeah, that could complicate things!

FF: Any numbers,Monkey?

WM: Nah. There's a little money floating on how much Obama will lose in PA by, but the spread is ridiculous! Save your shekels. Shrillary will win Pennsylvania by at least ten points, probably more. As for the other races, too soon to call.

FF: Fair enough, Monkey...talk to you later. Tell Gruppstein and Baby Monkey I said hello.

WM: See ya, FF. Smell ya later, primates!

The Balkans Continue To Heat Up

" Some damn fool thing in the Balkans" - German General Von Hindenburg's reply in 1911 when asked what would cause the next war.

There's major trouble brewing under the wire in Southeast Europe.

I've written before about the absolute disaster of Kosovo, with the US, the UK and others ignoring international law and backing what amounts to the enfranchisement of a jihadist Muslim enclave in Europe's soft underbelly while ignoring the widespread ethnic cleansing of Christian Serbs in Kosovo.

Not only that, but President Bush put some halal icing on the cake by clearing the way for the KLA and Kosovo to receive military aid from the US!

These moves undoubtedly placated the Saudis, who have spent millions turning Kosovo and Bosnia into hardline wahabi outposts...but it amounts to giving Islamism a foothold on one of the traditional invasion routes for jihad.

Now, the front has expanded, as Macedonia comes under Islamist pressure.

Macedonia saw The Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)leave the ruling coalition in Skopje over recognition of Kosovo, as well as other demands that were essentially seperatist in nature:

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the leader of DPA Menduh Thaci had a telephone conversation today on the six demands of DPA, over which this party quit the ruling coalition.

"PM Gruevski and Mr. Thaci held talks today, during which Mr. Thaci requested discussions on the six demands of DPA," government's spokesman Ivica Bocevski said.

He pointed out that Gruevski "has never refused talks on any subject relating the future of Macedonia, but the Prime Minister won't accept talks based on blackmails and conditions."

The Democratic Party of Albanians left the government after the Prime Minister did not respond on the party's six ultimatum demands, including resocialization of NLA's fighters, making the Albanian language and flag official, urgent recognition of Kosovo, increasing of representation of Albanians in the public administration and closing of the four Hague cases.

The ethnic Albanians of the DPA are the largest Muslim faction in Macedonia, and are essentially the same ethnically as the Kosovars. Their demand that Macedonia recognize their militia, language and flag and recognize Kosovo would have heightened ethnic tension in the country itself as well as heightened tensions with neighboring Serbia.

Like the rest of the Balkan nations, including the Serbs, Macedonia suffered under the heel of the Ottoman Turks for five centuries. It was a brutal and despotic rule and non-Muslim Macedonians are not exactly in favor of allowing Muslims in the country what amounts to seperatism and autonomy.

As it is, Macedonia may have little choice.

The way the lines are drawn, Macedonia is almost one third Muslim, with ethnic Albanians composting the vast majority, and both Muslim Albania and Kosovo on its borders.

The ultimatum presented to Macedonia is to either legitimize what amounts to a state within a state in their own country or risk ethnic tension and probably terrorism if they refuse. Either way, it's easy to see what lies at the end of it - ethnic violence, UN action dominated by the Islamist bloc and a push for yet another Kosovo in Macedonia.

Or more properly, a Greater Albania, pointed towards Serbia and the Balkans...and ultimately, towards Central Europe.

The map tells it own story...even if it's just a reprise of the old one.



Hat tip to the Baron at Gates of Vienna

Easter

My sincere wish for a blessed and joyous Easter to all of my readers.

Watcher's Council Results, 3/21/08

The Council has spoken! A complete list of results can be found at the site of our fearless leader, the infamous Watcher of Weasels

Council News: There is a vacancy available in the Watcher's Council. As you can tell from the quality of the work here ( disregarding my own humble efforts), the talent in this group is quite something. This is a superb opportunity for a blogger. If you think you qualify, go here and apply to the Watcher.


This week's winner was Fisking the Obama Speech by Rhymes With Right - Greg's fine analysis of the latest outpouring by The Chosen One.

In second place was Judge Not Lest You Be Judged by Bookworm Room, Ms.Bookworm's interesting look at recognizing and reacting to evil.

Also getting votes were Should We Ignore Reverend Wright? by Right Wing Nut House, The Problem Is... by Done With Mirrors and Talking With Terrorists by Soccer Dad

In the non-Council category the winner was David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal' in The Village Voice..umm welcome to the light, David.

In second place was my nominee Doron: Story of a True Tzaddik at Lazer Beams..the story of one of the young Torah students murdered at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem and a truly amazing tale of spiritual quest.


Hearty congratulations not only to the winners, but to the rest of the entrants, some fine stuff this week.

Genocide By Inches

And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword....And the Lord said unto Moses, "Write this for a memorial in the book and tell it unto the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven..the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."- Exodus 17:14

That's the way the Big Boys talked in the old days,when conversations with the Lord were commonplace and Amalek and his pals were freely labeled as the rabid dogs they were for picking off stragglers and attacking and killing Jews out of hand just for the pure sport and profit of it as the Jews moved through the desert after leaving Pharaoh's Egypt. No illusions there...you have to defeat evil, not negotiate with it. G-d said so,and He most likely knew what He was talking about.In any event He'd been right enough times so that Moses, Aaron and Joshua weren't about to argue the point.They defeated Amalek utterly and then proceeded on their way in peace.

Nowadays, the UN would be thumping for a state for Amalek and shrugging off the murder of Jewish women and children as 'resistance'. For that matter,Condi Rice would be leading the charge for an Amalek-stan, and the Bush Administration would be giving them millions in foreign aid while warning the Jews against a 'disproportionate response.'

Note one thing about the above passage...it says there will be war with Amalek from generation to generation,and gives the Jews the responsibility of fighting in that war to defeat evil wherever it rears its ugly head.

The Jews commemorate one victory over a latter day manifestation of Amalek tommorow night, when they celebrate Purim, the victory of Queen Esther and Mordecai over the evil Haman, who tried to manipulate the King of Persia into signing on to the murder, enslavement and plunder of every Jew in Persia.

The Megillah, which is read in every synagogue in the world at Purim relates how Queen Esther,wife of the king could have reacted the way a great many people would have, by simply pretending that what was going on didn't concern her,and rationalizing it. Instead, she realized that a threat to her people was a threat to her, even as high up and removed as the King's palace. She took the commandment to battle Amalek to heart and risked her life and position to defeat Haman and his evil allies and, along with her brother Mordecai, lead her people to victory.

Among religious Jews, a different portion of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses is read and studied each week,starting with Beresheet (Genesis) in September or so at the New Year and continuing onwards through the year. It's sometimes eerie how closely the portions or parshas can relate to what's going on in the real world.

The verse above comes from the parsha read around the time eight young religious students, just kids really, were murdered in the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem by one of Amalek's minions.

Not only were these defenseless boys deliberately targeted and gunned down in cold blood, but the murderer's compatriots celebrated en masse and memorialized the murder and the murderer as something holy to be worshiped and emulated.

Amid the shock and grief, a number of people,myself included tried to figure out what all this meant.

I think I have an answer. Horrible as it was,it was G-d's way of trying to get our attention.

Let no one think that I believe G-d is 'punishing' the Jews by murdering children. That's not how things like this work in the great cosmic scheme of things. No, in the end, it's always a result of that two-edged sword of our own free will. What is happening in Israel today is merely the logical result of choices made by Israel's governments since the Oslo Accords.

Since Oslo, the Jews of Israel have been experiencing the same thing the Jews experienced in the desert on the way to the Holy Land - a war of attrition with Amalek, the deliberate murder of the straggler, the unwary and the defenseless, by people who almost overwhelmingly rejoice in slaughter and who have mostly divorced themselves from what we would consider civilized human norms.

It is genocide by inches. And with each horrific murder,each bloody deed certain people continue to attempt to rationalize new attempts to negotiate with Amalek, all common sense to the contrary, thinking that this time, the butcher's bill for 'peace' will be paid with just another retreat and a little more blood of the innocent.

It will never be paid.

You cannot negotiate with evil...you have to defeat it utterly, drive it away from you into the desert.

That's the message G-d gave Moses on how to deal with Amalek, and that's the message being sent with the massacre at the Yeshiva, I think, plain and simple. And yet some of the Jews of Israel- or at least the government in power - still avoid it. So do some Jews living outside of Israel.

Faced with the same choice that confronted Esther, they've chosen to pretend to temporize and to rationalize rather than to act. And until they do, I can't help but believe in my heart of hearts that the carnage will not only continue, but will get worse.

That isn't just limited to the Jews, by the way. They're merely the first to be assaulted. It applies to the people of the western democracies as well, no matter how divorced from the situation they might think they are.

When Esther was agitating over what to do about the impending massacre of the Jews in Persia, her brother Mordecai said to her, "Think not that thou shalt escape in the King's house, more than all the Jews."

As we've already seen, Israel was the testing ground for Islamist terrorism, and the methods first used there have reappeared elsewhere. If Israel is destroyed, then it will not be long before Amalek attacks us in our own house as well, with even greater fierceness and vigor.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, even if the player's names on the backs of the jerseys seem different sometimes.

For their part, the Jews of Israel have a clear choice. They can trust in the ancient message G-d gave them, destroy Amalek and risk the displeasure of the White King's House, or they can continue to suffer genocide by inches until they are finally overwhelmed and destroyed.

That choice becomes more and more apparent with every rocket that slams into Israel and with every bloody attack by Amalek on the innocent.

It's long past time to end this.

Soon come, soon come.

Osama bin-Laden Threatens Europe And The Pope

In a lovely new message timed to coincide with a day Muslims celebrate as Mohammed's birthday (as well as the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq) Osama bin-Laden surfaced once again,in an internet message produced by al-Qaeda's propaganda arm, As-Sahab.

Osama was obviously upset over the re-publication of the MoTunes, which happened after a couple of adherents of the Religion Of Peace were caught trying to murder 72-year-old Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard and collect a million dollar fatwa on his head.

"Your publications of these drawings -- part of a new crusade in which the Pope of the Vatican had a significant role -- is a confirmation from you that the war continues," said the Saudi-born militant leader, addressing "those who are wise at the European Union".

He accused the Europeans of "testing Muslims ... the answer will be what you shall see and not what you hear."

That could, of course, mean that a terrorist strike may very well have been planned for Europe.

"Animosity among people is very old but wise people ... have always been keen on maintaining the manners of disagreement and the ethics of fighting ... but you have abandoned many of these ethics although you use them as slogans." he said.

Of course, there were also the usual bromides about the Evil Crusaders killing Muslim women and children,yadda yadda.

In Denmark itself, and even in some parts of Europe there appears to be a new feeling that it's high time they took a stand for freedom of expression.

As Flemming Rose, the publisher of the Jyllands-Posten where the Motoons originally appeared put it in a recent interview,"At the time, in 2006, there were good journalistic reasons for other newspapers to publish the cartoons because few people had seen them then, so they were news. Now the journalistic justification is almost nonexistent because everyone knows what they look like, so it’s more about solidarity than about news.”

McCain In Israel

Senator John McCain spent the day in Israel today.

The above photo shows him praying at the Kotel, also known as the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

However, he also spent time in Sderot with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack:

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Wednesday showed vigorous support for Israel, where he made a highly symbolic visit to a town hit by near-daily rocket fire from Gaza.

"No nation in the world can be attacked incessantly and have its population killed and intimidated without responding," McCain said in the southern town of Sderot, where he visited a house hit by a rocket fired by Islamists in the Gaza Strip, just a few kilometres (miles) away.

The Arizona senator was in Israel on a fact-finding mission which has also taken him to Iraq and Jordan and has been widely seen as a bid to polish his credentials as a statesman.

"Seeing it first-hand, the situation here is one that is very compelling," McCain told reporters in Sderot after touring the town with Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

"Nine hundred rocket attacks in the last three months; this puts an enormous strain on everyone here, especially the children."

McCain warned in an interview with the Jerusalem Post that Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia threatened not only the Jewish state but also US and Western interests.

"If Hamas-Hezbollah succeed here, they are going to succeed everywhere.

"They are dedicated to the extinction of everything that the US, Israel and the West believe and stand for," the Republican candidate added.

Politics? Maybe. But I haven't exactly seen too many politicians willing to put themselves on the firing line by going to a place where residents have about 50 seconds warning before a Qassam hits. Even Olmert doesn't dare show his face there.
Certainly President Bush and Condi Rice, who pressured the Israelis into a follhardy retreat from Gaza and bear direct responsibility for the carnage in Sderot would never be found there.

There are a lot of things one could say about John McCain, but lack of guts isn't one of them. And like the famous movie line, guts may just be enough.