Love Thy Neighbor

It is quite probably impossible to explain what causes terrorism and possibly arrogant to even try. So, why do it?

Some would say to be effective in overcoming terrorism, we need to be able to identify our enemy, and we need to understand why it occurs. "This is not because we empathise with the terrorists or because we want to give in to their demands, but simply because any effective strategy against terrorism requires knowing what motivates this form of violence against innocent civilians."

The "need" to try and identify what causes terrorism is strong and quite natural. It is human nature; this need to "understand". To understand gives us comfort. It gives us hope - sometimes falsely - that we can overcome, or correct, that which is wrong or troublesome. It is no different when it comes to terrorism. We feel "root causes have to be there."

There must be an explanation for the inexplicable: why a teenaged Palestinian girl would blow herself up in an attempt to kill as many Jews as possible, or privileged young men of the Arab world plot to kill themselves while murdering thousands of American civilians. But much as the frequently asked question

(often coming from the Left),

"Why do they hate us?" had flawed premises and yielded flawed answers, framing the question as "What are the root causes of terrorism?" leads too easily to looking at the usual suspects: "poverty," "injustice," "exploitation," and "frustration." Like the man in the parable who looks for his lost keys under the streetlight instead of where he lost them because "the light's better," it's easier to look in these familiar areas than to face and address the real problems.

"Terrorism is born of psychologically warped minds. As John Locke observed, the mind begins like a blank slate. There is no predisposition towards terrorism. But neither is mankind born with natural virtue. Moral acuity and decency must be cultivated to prevent civilization from degenerating into anarchy and a war of all against all. As Hamlet observed, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

"It is sparked by indoctrinating Muslims to despise Christians and Jews as infidels, and the United States and Israel as enemy states. Imams in madrassas and mosques around the world regularly instruct their followers in the necessity of jihad. Islamic textbooks frequently teach scorn or contempt for Christianity or Judaism."

"These Islamic fulminations do not ordinarily provoke instant violence. They aim to plant seeds of fanatical hatred in the expectation that time will ripen those vile thoughts into terrorism against the alleged infidels. Those indoctrinated in jihad live in a demented intellectual universe."

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says "we must not merely uproot terror but also plant the seeds of freedom. Only under tyranny can a terrorist mindset be widely cultivated. It cannot breed in a climate of democracy and freedom. In short, the reason why some resort to terror and others do not is not any absence of rights, but the presence of a tyrannical mindset. The totalitarian mind knows no limits. The democratic mind sets them everywhere.

There is a name for the doctrine that produces this evil. It is called totalitarianism. Indeed, the root cause of terrorism is totalitarianism. Only a totalitarian regime, by systemically brainwashing its subjects, can indoctrinate hordes of killers to suspend all moral constraints for the sake of a twisted cause."

What got me thinking about this today was because writer Robert Ringer and author of New York Times #1 best selling book, Looking Out for #1, e-mailed me a piece he wrote entitled "Prerequisite to Loving Your Neighbor."

In it he writes,

From Charles Manson (who orchestrated the brutal and bloody murders of actress Sharon Tate and her friends in 1969) to John Wayne Gacy (neighborhood clown who murdered, then sexually assaulted 33 mostly teenage boys)...

From Jeffrey Dahmer (serial killer and cannibal) to Ted Bundy (smooth-talking, preppy-looking young man who murdered at least 30 women in four different states)...

From Dennis Rader (the infamous BTK serial killer) to Joseph Edward Duncan (vile predator who recently kidnapped and raped eight-year-old Shasta Groene and killed her nine-year-old brother, Dylan)...

Psychologists are pretty much in agreement that all of these less-than-human creatures had, or have, two things in common: a lack of self-respect and an abundance of self-hatred. It seems clear that the inner conflicts and self-hatred of such heinous murderers comprise a significant part of their motivation to wreak vengeance on others."

[SNIP]

If a person dislikes himself and has a low regard for his own abilities, he is unlikely to respect others.

[SNIP]

This is why self-love (not narcissism!) is the foundation of a peaceful society. If you don't love yourself, how can you "love thy neighbor as thyself"? As Joshua Liebman phrased it, "We must have good domestic relations with ourselves before we can have good foreign relations with others."

[SNIP]

Rid yourself of the delusion that people of great wealth and/or fame are superior to you.

[SNIP]

A second factor in possessing self-respect is showing respect for others.

[SNIP]

Strive to lead a concentric life. By this I mean make certain that your actions align with what you know, in both your mind and heart, to be right. Pretension and hypocrisy are among the most vile human traits, so be vigilant about always displaying who you really are.

[SNIP]

Remember, self-respect comes from within. You do not have the right to demand respect from others.

[SNIP]

As a general rule, however, the more you demonstrate that you respect yourself, the more likely others are to respect you. Self-respect is an essential component in creating a life worth living. As such, it should be perpetually nurtured.

I see a common thread here to what we are experiencing around the globe with the Islamic fascists and their murderous bombings. A link... a parallel, if you will, as demonstrated by Thomas Friedmans' column where he says,

Some of these young Muslim men are tempted by a civilization they consider morally inferior, and they are humiliated by the fact that, while having been taught their faith is supreme, other civilizations seem to be doing much better," said Raymond Stock, the Cairo-based biographer and translator of Naguib Mahfouz. "When the inner conflict becomes too great, some are turned by recruiters to seek the sick prestige of 'martyrdom' by fighting the allegedly unjust occupation of Muslim lands and the 'decadence' in our own."

A group which sees itself as being tragically oppressed, will seek freedom or prosperity through the annihilation of an 'evil' group of oppressors. This does not mean they are in fact oppressed; but they see themselves as oppressed. Someone "feeling oppressed" certainly is going to feel that they are a victim and will be lacking self-respect. If you feel you are a "victim", there must be a "perpetrator", i.e. the West ..... particularily Israel and the U.S.

If this feeling of victimhood and lack of self- respect (or embarrasment that their culture/religion isn't "measuring up" to other cultures) can be turned into hatred (enter the hatred of the West that is preached by clerics and imams worldwide), bingo; you've now got your army of terrorists.

It would not be fair to say that economics, oppression, and the feeling of hopelessness play no part whatsoever in this complex picture, but there are many more people who fall into this category that do not resort to this sick insanity than those that do. It takes someone to "prime the pump", so to speak. Again, this is where the radical imams and clerics fit into the equation with their desires of a totalitarian theocracy and their indoctrination process to build their army of terrorists.

That is why Dr. Michael Radu is correct in saying “Islamic terrorism, just as its Marxist or secessionist version in the West and Latin America was, is a matter of power—who has it and how to get it—not of poverty.”

The non-war against terrorism

Few governments are actually fighting.

"The dubious excuse for not violating the sovereignty of terror host countries has become part of the much larger problem where terrorists are allowed to find safe haven countries whether openly approved or not by the host government. The threat of mega-terror attacks on major western urban centers is more than imminent. However, governments such as that of the U.S., the U.K., France and others, continue to hobble around in a fog of intelligence blindness, paralyzed by refined but totally useless diplomatic maneuvers, careful not to offend leaders of countries where terrorist elements are spreading like a bushfire.

The November 2002 CIA missile launched from a drone in Yemen killed six alleged al-Qaida members in one of the very few cases where a pro-active operation to kill terrorists was undertaken by the U.S. The psychological effect of such an attack is at least as valuable as the kill itself. When the enemy cannot tell when and where you are coming from it will expect you in fear anytime and everywhere.

Although U.S. leaders and lawmakers are aware of the imminent terrorist danger, especially in lieu of a mega-terror possibility, it is obvious very little is done to prepare and educate the public. The first and most significant component missing is the political will to tell the people they are at war.

Too many politicians running for office achieve their ambition through votes coming from so-called “ethnic communities.” Too many of them lack the will, and possibly the courage, to put harsh realities on the table for everyone to see and understand. A nation cannot be expected to successfully cope with the realities of a cruel war when its leaders demand so little of themselves and do even less to confront the enemy with resolve and determination. "

FromG2B

British Appeasement?

Cabinet members in Blair’s government were surprised to learn classified information on what one MI5 operative described as “an old live-and-let-live policy.” According to one source, British governments reached several agreements of understanding with many radical Islamic groups, including a variety of mujahedeen, Kurdish groups, Libyan dissidents and many others.

The nature of these understandings was that the organizations would be allowed to operate freely in their propaganda as long as there were no terror attacks in Britain. In reality the relative calm enjoyed by the British in the last 10 years was achieved by accepting terrorist presence in the kingdom.

History has shown time and again; appeasement DOES NOT WORK!

China's endgame strategy

It's about much more than Taiwan

What is China's ultimate strategic objective?

"Some shortsighted might suggest is annexing Taiwan through diplomatic and political pressure or by military action. But the Taiwan card is nothing but a smokescreen and a well-calculated tactic of testing, time and again, the U.S. resolve to defend politically and militarily three main countries – Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, all three at the forefront of technological and industrial developments."

Sources say the Chinese administration receives daily reports on U.S. geo-political and strategic conditions. They believe situations such as the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with socio-economic problems in the U.S. and the Americas, will in the short and long terms weaken the U.S.

The recent Pentagon report on China’s massive military build-up on her way to become a first-class superpower also indicates China is deeply involved in scientific and technological developments including plans for long-term military procurements.

China watchers say the leadership in Beijing has targeted 2020 as the year when the Chinese military is assumed to have achieved an optimal stage of development and upgrading enabling the People’s Army to act on the Taiwan issue if a political resolution has not been reached beforehand.

One of the more urgent matters on the agenda of the Chinese ministry of defense is the development of a long-range nuclear patrol submarine fleet armed with multiple missiles capable of carrying both conventional and WMD warheads.

The Chinese desire to slow down the U.S. missile defense project while establishing monitoring facilities in Asia and beyond, coincides with her global naval ambitions.

Some evaluations point to the fact most of the Chinese 2,5 million standing army including reserves, is far from being upgraded to an optimal battle readiness standard.

Carrier fleets can be eliminated while more attention is paid to procuring submarines, long-range missiles along with massive development of air bases capable of serving modern long-range super sonic bombers designed for deep penetration. Some are being developed with stealth capability.

The U.S. administration lightly brushed aside a threat made on July 14 by Chinese General Zhu Chenghu who brazenly said China would launch a nuclear attack on the continental U.S. if confronted militarily over Taiwan. A more responsible evaluation of such a dangerous expression would consider China’s capability to fulfill such a threat.

The Chinese general’s expression indicates a Cold War era balance of fear is developing between Beijing and Washington, this at a time when pacifying policies aimed at Russia have shifted to a low gear with some experts saying U.S.-Russian strategic relations have hit the tip of an iceberg. Lack of a swift American reaction to General Zhu Chenghu’s words can be perceived as U.S. hesitancy, not to say an expression of weakness, especially at a time when the U.S. economy is experiencing growing dependency on the Chinese labor market and industry.

The most important facts the Chinese have recently become more aware of are Russia’s strategic shift, her return to rapid military development including upgrading forces, and increasing Russian influence and penetration into two main areas – the world’s energy market and the unrelenting hunger of numerous countries for modern weapons. Russia will sell her military products to any interested party, no strings attached, thus reducing competition with U.S. sales which are often dependant on political conditions and restraints. The Chinese, therefore, do not have to comply with any U.S. demands and can easily purchase their military hardware from Russia.

The Chinese, who were always interested in Russian military products, now have the option to purchase equipment and hardware directly from the Russian industry. The Russians are investing billions in upgrading various systems, which ultimately China can benefit from, saving both funds and efforts. In what one could ironically term as somewhat bizarre the Chinese not only prosper through funds earned from U.S. outsourcing deals, they can also use that money to develop their own military technologies or to pay for purchasing Russian products.

At the end of the day China is becoming a major threat to the U.S. by establishing a modern military funded among others through jobs shifted from the U.S. to China.

Undoubtedly the Pentagon’s report on China’s military build up will not deter nor bring to a standstill China’s quest for the status of a first class super power, a target not very far from being achieved.

Excerpts from G2 Bulletin

North Korea offers nuclear retreat
by Burt Herman
Washington Times

North Korea offered yesterday to abandon its nuclear weapons if the two sides in the Korean War sign a peace agreement to replace the 1953 cease-fire that halted hostilities but did not resolve the conflict.
Full article. (registration required)

See No Evil

By Christopher Orlet

Following the July 7 London bombings Muslims leaders in the West were quick to denounce the attacks as un-Islamic. Nearly all of the denunciations carried the now-familiar qualifier that no matter how unjustly Muslims are treated, no matter how persecuted they might be nothing justifies blowing apart innocent people. This qualifier conveniently returned partial responsibility to the British people.

In other words, the most moderate voices in European and American Islam partly fault the British people for the subway bombings. It has always been thus.

[SNIP]

Terrorism is not just a problem for the infidel; it is a problem within the Muslim community as well. In the midst of this fog of unreason and religious fanaticism, one thing seems clear: the U.S. and Britain cannot successfully fight terror if moderate Muslims continue to sit the war out.

Full article.

"If confirmed, Judge Roberts will be sworn in, possibly with his hand on a Bible, and asked to pledge his devotion to the Constitution. Liberal Senate Democrats and the numerous liberal advocacy groups will demand he swear an allegiance to Roe v. Wade if he expects to sit on the court."

--- Cal Thomas

You are all to blame.............

TONY Blair was last night urged to deport Muslim fanatic Omar Bakri Mohammed after the cleric blamed the people of BRITAIN for London’s suicide murders.

Twisted Bakri, 45, pinned responsibility for the al-Qaeda Tube and bus bombings on voters who re-elected the Prime Minister last May.

He said yesterday: “I blame the British government and I blame the British people. The British people did not make enough effort to stop its government committing atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Syrian-born Bakri’s rant came as The Sun found a taped message in which he called on followers to “sacrifice their lives” and turn Britain into an Islamic state.

Full article at The Sun Online.

The Birth Dearth

"The 'birth dearth' is what demographers call plummeting birth rates in most of the industrialized world. Throughout Western Europe and East Asia, the birth rate is well below 2.1 births per woman -- which is the minimum needed to maintain a stable population. ... Throughout history, societies in demographic decline, usually as a result of disease, have faced two unattractive options: a decline in their standard of living or the replacement of their native population with a more fertile immigrant one. Europe has, essentially by default, chosen the latter. But as last week's bombings in London illustrate, turning millions of Islamic immigrants into 'Europeans,' however you define the term, is a dubious proposition. ... It's hard to imagine a better example of the importance of worldviews, and specifically in this case, the Christian one. [Mark] Steyn is right when he says that Europe's decline is directly linked to its hostility towards Christianity."

--Chuck Colson

U.K. Poll Shows Support for London Bombers

A new poll says about a quarter of British Muslims sympathise with the motives of the London bombers, if not their methods.

And the survey in London's Daily Telegraph shows one-third of British Muslims believe Western society is immoral.

The poll asked Muslims if they felt the July the 7th suicide attacks in which 56 peopled died were justified, and six per cent said they were.

71 per cent said they weren't justified at all, and 11 per cent said they weren't justified on balance.

But asked whether they had sympathy with the feelings and motives of the four British Muslim bombers, 13 per cent said they had a lot of sympathy and another 11 per cent had a little.

A similar poll for The Sun newspaper showed 91 per cent of the Muslim respondents didn't feel the suicide bombings were justified by the Islamic holy book, the Koran.

From the Daily Demarche

Citizens from the following countries are exempted from the need for a visa to travel for tourism or business:

Andorra, Iceland, Norway, Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Italy, San Marino, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Finland, Monaco, Sweden, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, United Kingdom.

Let’s examine that list for a moment: France has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe, largely unassimilated, and purportedly making up 70% of the prison population in that nation. Anyone think there might be some radicalizing of young men happening there? Spain saw its government elected on the strength of jihadi simultaneous attacks- and responded by blaming American foreign policy. In the Netherlands a film maker was brutally murdered for criticizing Islam. The Dutch response? Open a center for Arab cultural studies. At least some of the September 11th hijackers are known to have spent time studying in Germany. I think we can safely assume they have friends there. No one needs to be reminded about what took place in London recently.

London Bombings

From Chrenkoff
"This is, perhaps, the most poignant story to come out of the London bombings:

One of the last victims of the London bombings to be named by police was a young Afghan Muslim whose parents were killed by the Taleban.

Ateeque Sharifi, 24, who was living in Hounslow, West London, fled Kabul three years ago to seek refuge in Britain. He was the only male member of his family to escape death at the hands of the Taleban. He died in the explosion set off by bomber Jermaine Lindsay as their Piccadilly Line train approached the station at Russell Square.

Eight months after arriving in Britain, Mr Sharifi enrolled in West Thames College and began mastering the English language, working in his spare time at a take-away pizza restaurant. Most of his wages were sent to Afghanistan to his younger sister who still lives there.

The jihadis demand that we withdraw our troops from Iraq - and Afghanistan, and from every other Muslim country (and the Jews, presumably, withdraw themselves altogether from their country). These demands are accompanied by nods of agreement from much of our intelligencia and the commentariat, who agree that such withdrawal would stop terrorism and make all our current problems go away.

Yet, all the talk about withdrawing foreign "crusader" troops from the Middle East and Central Asia is but a ruse. It is not really about withdrawing troops per se, but about giving Islamofascists the free hand to overthrow all the current governments throughout the region, many of whom actually or tacitly rely on Western assistance, and replace them with Taliban clones.

So yes, maybe - or maybe not - the withdrawal would temporarily diminish international terrorism, but at a price of helping to create a monster - a totalitarian jihadi superstate in control of most of the world's oil resources and in possession of weapons of mass distraction.

This is absolutely crucial to understand: all the talk about the war on terror being the Third (or the Fourth, depending how you're counting) World War, or the new Cold War, obscures the fact that it is in reality a largely pre-emptive war to smother in the cradle, while it's still relatively weak, the menace which if allowed to grow would in a decade or two confront us with a specter of a genuine, apocalyptic world war.

As cruel and callous the calculus might sound to the victims and their loved ones, thousands are dying today so that millions will not have to die years from now."

Insightful Writing

One of my favorite authors, Victor David Hanson, has an excellent piece "And Then They Came After Us; We’re at war. How about acting like it?" Go read it at NRO, or at his website VDH Private Papers.

Random is not a Strategy

In a piece appearing on NRO, and written by Heather McDonald, she writes:

Time to get real: Only Muslims commit Islamic terrorism. By definition. Ask Osama bin Laden, who called on Muslims, and Muslims only, to kill Americans wherever they can find us.

Yet the New York Police Department has promised that its new policy of subway bag checks will be scrupulously random. This senseless sacrifice to political correctness will waste precious police resources with little improvement in public safety.

To be sure, random checks have a certain logic. There is always a chance that al Qaeda will be able to persuade a Minnesotan grandmother, say, to carry a bomb onto a New York subway. If law enforcement pays extra attention to people of apparent Muslim origin, it risks ignoring the non-conventional Islamic terrorist. Full column here.

China's Military

Based on the Pentagon's annual report on the status of China's military, China not only continues to concentrate forces in an effort to intimidate Taiwan, but also to develop long-range missiles, jets and warships intended as a challenge to U.S. hegemony. According to the report, in the "next several years" China will deploy the DF-31 mobile, solid-fuel ICBM and the JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile, as well as continue to streamline and mobilize the People's Liberation Army, now numbered at 2.5 million. Additionally, Beijing can activate ten-million men under organized militias, plus another 900,000 in paramilitary, police and reserve forces. Mobile short-range missiles numbering between 650 and 730 are now stationed in range of Taiwan, together with 700 aircraft. China continues to modernize its air and naval forces through purchases from Russia, together with domestic development and production.

Advanced precision offensive and defensive weapons appear to be taking on a new priority. Two new Russian-made Sovremennyy class guided-missile destroyers, equipped with advanced anti-ship cruise missiles and air-defense systems, are deployed with the East Sea Fleet, and two more have been ordered. Diesel submarines are in serial production, and the Chinese navy's first nuclear attack sub, the Type 093, is expected to enter service this year.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has released two reports showing that states going for President Bush in the last election are considerably poorer than the ones that went for Kerry. The higher the per capita income of a state, the more it trends Democrat. The top ten blue states had a per capita income 20 percent higher than the top ten red states. So much for Howard Dean-esque stereotypes of Republicans who've never worked a day in their lives....

From the Federalist Patriot

Britain Cracking Down

Britain, long-known for its liberal immigration policies, is cracking down on militants with a blacklist to keep known terrorist sympathizers out of the Kingdom and to deport those already there.

Airline Missile Defense

U.S. to soon start testing anti-missile lasers on passenger airliners. Designed to fool heat-seeking, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, the lasers will first be tested on out-of-service aircraft. If the testing is successful and the airlines are ordered to provide their fleets with them, it would probably cost the U.S. taxpayer over six billion dollars.

News from the Swamp...

In the House
There's very little noise coming from the Social Security front. Four House Republicans -- Sam Johnson, Paul Ryan, Jim McCrery and Clay Shaw -- will take the limelight next week to push for SS privatization, now dubbed "Grow Accounts." Further, Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas, Speaker Denis Hastert and other powerbrokers are fully supportive of the newly-minted Grow Accounts and are prepared to cast the debate in terms of genuine investment in personal-retirement accounts versus continued pork-barrel spending on the Hill.

In the Senate
Further attempts to cut Amtrak loose were derailed again when the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a reinstatement of the railroad's $1.4-billion operating subsidy. The move rightfully earned an immediate veto threat from the administration, which sought to cut the subsidy and set aside $360 million for emergency funds in case Amtrak goes bankrupt. Amtrak has made only modest improvements in service over the years and has been a continuous black hole of government money. Like all subsidized companies and industries, there is no incentive for the railroad to improve its service or technology in any way, nor is there any incentive to operate in the black.

Elsewhere, in a remarkable change of direction, indications in the Senate suggest that Republicans are coming very close to the 60 votes needed to end the infamous death tax. With tacit support from Demo Senators Mark Pryor and Ben Nelson, and with a compromise being crafted by Demo Sen. Max Baucus -- up for reelection in the very red state of Montana -- the death tax could soon be capped at 15 percent, and only on estates of $5 million and above. The tax would be eliminated entirely for estates under the $5 million threshold.

Fighting Terrorism

From The Federalist Patriot

The FBI calculates there is a high probability that homicide bombers, like those who hit London two weeks ago, will target U.S. commercial centers. However, both our military and intelligence sources estimate that far more devastating attacks are on the horizon, indicating it is only a matter of time until domestic Jihadi cells take delivery of fissile weapons (if they have not already) using Russian cores and Iraqi or Iranian technology previously acquired with assistance from Syria by al-Qa'ida. Those estimates indicate Jihadi targets are urban centers in the Northeast and/or in Southern California. Make no mistake, time is on their side.

Given the fact that there are Jihadis already staged in American urban centers (like those who struck on 9/11), terrorists who will take, or already have taken, delivery of devastating fissile weapons, the U.S. must have a capable tactical and strategic homeland defense, one that is not hamstrung by obsolete constraints instituted when the primary national-security threats were external and symmetric -- the USSR and China.

Domestic Jihadi sleeper cells in the U.S., many of which were seeded prior to 9/11, are virtually invisible, supported by hordes of Islamists in domestic mosques, Islamic schools and associations, and other domestic breeding grounds for Islamist hatred. The two most important tools in our domestic inventory to detect and prosecute these cells are DHS and law-enforcement agencies empowered by the Patriot Act -- though neither, ultimately, will provide complete protection from the Jihadi threat.

The most critical defense against the Jihadi threat is the ability of law-enforcement agencies to function within the full limits of their constitutional authority when investigating and prosecuting these terrorist threats. The Patriot Act, as passed by overwhelming majorities of the House and Senate in 2001, clearly defines that authority and removes obstacles which prevented law-enforcement and intelligence agencies from cooperating in these investigations.

Since its passage, more than 400 suspects have been arrested as a result of federal terrorism investigations, and most of them were convicted. Terrorist cells have been dismantled in New York, Oregon, Virginia and Florida, and their support groups have been prosecuted in California, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio.

President Bush has said, "In our free and open society, there is no such thing as perfect security. To protect our country, we have to be right 100 percent of the time. To hurt us, the terrorists have to be right only once."

Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified before Congress: "You want to catch a terrorist with his hands on the check instead of his hands on the bomb. You want to be many steps ahead of the devastating event. The way we do that is through preventive and disruptive measures, by using investigative tools to learn as much as we can, as quickly as we can, and then incapacitating a target at the right moment."

The Senate should not delay renewal of all these provisions because they enable investigators to use the same methods to investigate terrorists that are now used in routine criminal investigations, and they authorize investigators to track computer espionage and cyber-terrorism. To address civil-liberty concerns, the Patriot Act comports with constitutional constraints, requiring, for example, a federal judge's approval to wiretap a foreign terrorist's phone, to track his calls, or to search his property.

Congressional Democrats have attempted to hold critical Patriot Act provisions hostage as political fodder, and the consequences of their folly could be catastrophic.

"The fact that native-born Muslim Europeans are committing terror acts within their own countries shows that this Islamist malignancy long predates Iraq, long predates Afghanistan and long predates 9/11. What Europe had incubated is an enemy within, a threat that for decades Europe simply refused to face. Early news reports of the London bombings mentioned that police found no suspects among known Islamist cells in Britain. Come again? Why in God's name is a country letting known Islamist cells thrive, instead of just rolling them up? ... Decadence is defined not by a civilization's art or music but ultimately by its willingness to simply defend itself."

--- Charles Krauthammer

"In view of these...repeated acts of terror, the incitements against all things Western, Jewish and Christian in who knows how many mosques in Britain and the U.S., the teaching of seditious ideas in radical Islamic schools funded by our 'friends' the Saudis, and the refusal of most Muslim communities to assimilate and learn the language, history and practices of their host countries, why do Britain and the United States continue to allow such things to exist within their borders? Unless we are prepared to accept continued terrorist attacks as 'normal' because of some sick understanding of tolerance and pluralism, we had better do whatever is necessary to root out these radicals and to forbid any more from entering our countries."

---Cal Thomas

"If it is the plight of the Palestinians that drives them, why, every time it looks as if Israel and Palestine are making progress, does the same ideology perpetrate an outrage that turns hope back into despair? If it is Afghanistan that motivates them, why blow up innocent Afghans on their way to their first-ever election? If it is Iraq that motivates them, why is the same ideology killing Iraqis by terror in defiance of an elected Iraqi government? What was 11 September 2001 the reprisal for?"
--British Prime Minister Tony Blair

"There have always been people without judgment but this is the first era in which being non-judgmental is considered good -- though how anything can be considered good if you are non-judgmental is another puzzle." --Thomas Sowell

Musharraf urges holy war on terror

This article is from The Washington Times. It is a significant step forward on the fight against radical Islam and terrorism. It is a start and should not be downplayed. Let's hope it is not just rhetoric. Let's hope that President Pervez Musharraf has some success. Let's also hope that other Muslim countries, leaders, both political and religous leaders, join the fight.

The Washington Times
From combined dispatches
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Pervez Musharraf called on Pakistanis yesterday to join a jihad, or holy war, against preachers of hatred and violence and announced steps to rein in militant Islamic schools and organizations.
In a televised address to the nation after security forces detained nearly 300 militant suspects in a crackdown following the July 7 London bombings, Gen. Musharraf said all Islamic schools, or madrassas, would have to register with authorities by December.
The speech was recorded before yesterday's fresh wave of attacks on the London transit system, which brought Britain expressions of support from around the world.
The Pakistani leader said, "I urge you, my nation, to stand up and wage a jihad against extremism and to stand up against those who spread hatred and chaos in the society."
He also said banned militant groups would not be allowed to reorganize under new names or to raise funds, while keeping unauthorized arms would be strictly prohibited and action would be taken against the distribution of literature designed to spread hatred.
The tough action followed public demands from British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the world's Islamic community to face its responsibility to curb the "evil ideology" behind the London attacks.
However, Gen. Musharraf said Britain also had a lot of work to do to counter terrorism, and that the two countries should not point fingers at each other.
While three of the July 7 London bombers were of Pakistani descent, he said, they were born and brought up in Britain, where extremist Islamist organizations also exist.
"We are together in the fight against terrorism. We need to remain together and fight it together," he said.
Renewed determination to fight terrorism was also voiced by leaders from many other countries after reports of the latest attacks on London.
In Washington, President Bush was briefed on yesterday's explosions and said the terrorists "understand when they kill in cold blood it ends up on our TV screens and they're trying to shake our will. And they're trying to create vacuums in which their ideology can move."
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said, "We certainly ... stand with our British friends and allies in response to this act, as we have in response to the many challenges we face together brought by those who seek to undermine our commonly held values and common way of life."
The European Commission said the second attack in London "unfortunately confirms that terrorism constitutes a permanent threat from which nobody is safe."
"It is also vital to focus on measures which aim at preventing terrorism and particularly preventing young people from becoming radicalized," the commission said.
French President Jacques Chirac, who had swept aside Franco-British squabbles over the future of the European Union to support Mr. Blair after the deadly July 7 attacks on London, reiterated France's solidarity with Britain.
"I wish to express to the British people and to Prime Minister Tony Blair the solidarity and support of France, and I want to reiterate our determination to fight terrorism together," he said during an official visit to Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco, whose country was hit by deadly urban bomb blasts two years ago, said the latest attacks in London were "criminal, cowardly acts that go against the noble religious ideals of peace, tolerance, living together and the sanctity of the right to life."
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, whose country has also been targeted in bomb attacks, said "we condemn terrorism wherever it strikes and whatever its goals are."
And Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who was lunching with Mr. Blair, said his country would remain steadfast with Britain.
"The determination of the British people to continue with their daily lives is something that we have always seen as one of the great characteristics of the people of this remarkable country," he told reporters, standing beside Mr. Blair at No. 10 Downing Street.
"Terrorism is about the perverted use of an ideology for evil intent and for evil objectives," added Mr. Howard, a close ally of Britain in the Iraq war."

I Saw This One Coming..................

Democrats demand legal papers by Charles Hurt, The Washington Times (registration required)

"Democrats said yesterday they will demand that the Bush administration hand over internal legal memorandums written by Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. while he was a government lawyer -- something the White House has refused to do in the past."

It should be noted, to be fair, that past administrations have also refused to do this since it is a violation of the separation of powers.

"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"

Spiegel interviews 35 year old African Economics expert, from Kenya, James Shikwati. Shikwati says that "aid to Africa does more harm than good. He is a proponent of "globalization" and talks about the "disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem."

When asked to comment on the fact that, because of G8 summit, the international community is about to significantly increase economic aid to Africa, Mr. Shikwati's response was "... for God's sake, please just stop."

After Mr. Shikwati commented that

"it makes no sense whatsoever that directly after the new Kenyan government was elected -- a leadership change that ended the dictatorship of Daniel arap Mois -- the faucets were suddenly opened and streams of money poured into the country,"

the interviewer from DER SPIEGEL displayed typical Western naiveté and remarked,

"Such aid is usually earmarked for a specific objective, though."

It apparently does not occur to the interviewer that even though we might tell them how to use the money that we give them, it just might not be used that way.

Thanks to the reader who made an anonymous comment and furnished me with the link to this article from DER SPIEGEL.

Go read the entire interview, for it is good.

LIFE AFTER THE SETTLEMENTS

Palestinians Fear Israeli Pullout Will Create New Problems

"The Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have long yearned for the Israelis to abandon their settlements there. But with the withdrawal imminent, many Palestinians fear the region could struggle mightily with the task of rebuilding. And with the enemy gone, they would have only themselves to blame." By Carolin Emcke more... (Emphasis added)

Gives You a Warm Fuzzy Feeling, Eh?

The Supreme Court in Bush's Image

"On Tuesday evening Bush announced his nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court. Though they might not necessarily support the political leanings of the conservative judge, most German editorialists conclude that Roberts was a "smart choice." more...

We have the approval of the German press. Whew, I was worried.

Our Educational System at Work .............

"Ebonics is a different language -- it's not slang as many believe. For many of these students Ebonics is their language, and it should be considered a foreign language. These students should be taught like other students who speak a foreign language." -- Mary Texeira, a sociology professor at Cal State San Bernardino

Fuel Prices

"At the end of the day, the best remedy for high gasoline prices is...high gasoline prices, which provide all the incentives necessary for motorists to conserve, for oil companies to put more product into the marketplace, and for investors to look into alternatives fuel technologies. Government has never demonstrated an ability to do better." --Peter Van Doren

"The next time someone demands a timetable for the war in Iraq, ask them to name just one war -- anywhere -- that had such a thing."
--Thomas Sowell

Africa's Woes

Oh, boy - I love Walter Williams and he sums up my feelings on Africa in two succinct sentences when he says,

What Africa needs, foreign aid cannot deliver, and that's elimination of dictators and socialist regimes, establishment of political and economic freedom, rule of law and respect for individual rights. Until that happens, despite billions of dollars of foreign aid, Africa will remain a basket case."

"Fidelity to the original intent of the Constitution must be the sole ideological criterion used to evaluate any nominee. Everything else is noise. Originalism alone produces a body of law evincing the will of America's citizenry."
--Steven Geoffrey Gieseler

"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home."
--Edward Murrow

"An ambassador is a person who, having failed to secure an office from the people, is given one by the Administration on condition that he leave the country." --Ambrose Bierce

Making Demands

President Bush should take notice and try this. From The Washington Times, Blair takes on Islamic extremism by David R. Sands.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who yesterday called for an international conference on Islamic extremism, is proving far more willing than President Bush to demand that Muslim leaders confront their own failings in the global war on terror."

Mid-East Democracy

"Can the spread of democracy in the Middle East have an effect on the war against the Islamists? That is a question that only the history of the coming decades will conclusively answer. Skeptics rightly claim that if Arab countries were democracies rather than autocratic tyrannies, Islamists, not liberal democrats, would win. But liberalization of the Islamic world, and the eradication of regimes that use hatred of Israel and the West to control the rage of their subjugated peoples, is the only possible way to change the culture of hate that animates the terrorists and their supporters. Concessions by Israel or the West will not end the jihadist dream. The transformation of the Arab and Islamic world into one where freedom -- rather than fundamentalism -- rules may seem like a fantasy. Without it, this war on Islamist terror will go on without end."
--Jonathan Tobin, Editorialist

Short memories and politically correct lies

"Political correctness started out as an externally applied pressure placed by academic elites on regular people not to say certain things that were judged improper. But it has become a more dangerous phenomenon now.

Government, law enforcement, military officials and many regular citizens are beginning to internalize the politically correct mentality. If government officials, the media and increasing elements of the public actually begin to believe that there is no relationship between Islam as currently practiced by some percentage of the Muslim population and the mortal threat of terrorism -- then it will be hard if not impossible to mount an effective defense.

The first lesson of war is to know thy enemy. While we should never put people in that category who don't fit, it is suicidal to refuse to acknowledge the accurate nature of the enemy."
--Tony Blankley

Mr. Blankley, for seven years, "served as press secretary to then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. Blankley also appears regularly on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, as well as CNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, Rivera Live, The News with Brian Williams and MSNBC. In June 1999, Blankley joined The Washington Times as a weekly political columnist. In June 2002, he was named editorial page editor."

His complete article can be read here at Townhall.com.

"The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded."
--C. L. De Montesquieu (1689-1755) was a French philosopher and political scholar.

A universal peace, it is to be feared, is in the catalogue of
events, which will never exist but in the imaginations of visionary
philosophers, or in the breasts of benevolent enthusiasts."

-- James Madison

Supreme Court

"If the Constitution is to again be seen as a finished document that has been refinished in recent years, the president must foreswear any talk of 'moderation' and 'conciliation' in his choice of court nominees. Truth cannot be moderated. ... The president owes the country an ideological battle, which he can win if he is willing to fight it. ... He should not only campaign for his nominee(s), he should act like a teacher, quoting the Federalist Papers and the Constitution and making his case that this great document served America well until some judges began tampering with it."
--Cal Thomas

The article is worth reading in its' entirety and can be found here at Townhall.com. Cal Thomas is Americas most widely syndicated op-ed columnist, appearing twice weekly in more than 550 newspapers. He also hosts a daily radio program syndicated to more than 300 stations nationwide.

UPDATE:
Early reports have John Roberts being President Bush's judicial choice.

WASHINGTON DECEIT D.C.

Who knew that the "D.C." in Washington D.C. stood for discontinued coverage?

"Sometimes it seems [the news media] are less interested in legitimate news than they are in proving their knowledge and wisdom is superior than ours. The most frustrating thing is when I have the facts to prove them wrong but cannot reveal those facts without endangering security or wrecking some plan we're engaged in."
--Ronald Reagan

True Cost

Should we be apprehensive about the cost of apprehension? What does it cost to arrest someone crossing the Mexican border illegally? Maybe the real question should be, "what is the cost of lax border patrol?"

Oh, Goodie....

Trash coming to America.

Back to first principles

"Modern Europe lacks a first-order purpose. That lack discloses itself in the London explosions.

Europe is full of second-order purposes: enjoyment, economic security and vacations. What does Europe exist to affirm? It's doubtful if Europeans know any more.

Not Christian transcendence. In most of Europe, Christian practice barely exists. The famous, now dormant, European Union constitution lacked any acknowledgement of the historical fact of the continent's Christian past.

... The bishop of London, Richard Chartres, preaching at St. Paul's Cathedral the day after Bloody Thursday, recoiled from attacking Islam as a religion. He probed more deeply. He saw 'a spiritual vacuum' into which 'false religion' had intruded itself -- a religion, heedless of God, 'awesomely powerful and destructive.' The strayed or departed Christians of Europe -- of Britain -- might on such a reading reproach themselves for creating an opening for the murderous radicals of Islam to reach through and plant their explosives.

The evil purposes of murderous bombers are just the present problem. Evil itself is the original and enduring problem -- one that, as Europe for centuries maintained and preached, reflects humanity's willing breach of its relationship with God. Is it back, now, at last, to first principles for Europe? Is there, indeed, a shred of a choice?" --Bill Murchison, Townhall.com

What Causes Terrorism

Dr. Demarche at The Daily Demarche writes, "I have long argued that the favorite leftist mantra that poverty causes terrorism is easily proved wrong by the vast preponderance of amazingly poor people who do NOT blow themselves up on a regular basis in order to seek a better life for their people."

He then goes on to post a couple excerpts from a fine piece written by Thomas Friedman.

But virtually all suicide bombers, of late, have been Sunni Muslims. There are a lot of angry people in the world. Angry Mexicans. Angry Africans. Angry Norwegians. But the only ones who seem to feel entitled and motivated to kill themselves and totally innocent people, including other Muslims, over their anger are young Sunni radicals.

And this from Friedman:

Some of these young Muslim men are tempted by a civilization they consider morally inferior, and they are humiliated by the fact that, while having been taught their faith is supreme, other civilizations seem to be doing much better," said Raymond Stock, the Cairo-based biographer and translator of Naguib Mahfouz. "When the inner conflict becomes too great, some are turned by recruiters to seek the sick prestige of 'martyrdom' by fighting the allegedly unjust occupation of Muslim lands and the 'decadence' in our own."

The "good Doctor" then expresses that he is "glad to see an Arabist promote this idea. Shame and humiliation coupled with religious indoctrination are easily forged into hate."

'Tis hard for HeavyHanded to disagree.

"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon

Witherspoon, John (1723-1794), was the sixth president of Princeton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and from 1776 to 1782 a leading member of the Continental Congress. He came from Scotland in 1768 to assume the presidency of the college and held office until his death a quarter of a century later.

Left's list for high court seen as setup
by Charles Hurt, The Washington Times

"Democrats are floating candidates who they consider acceptable Supreme Court nominees primarily to ensure that they can complain later about not "really" being consulted by President Bush when none are selected, according to conservatives."

My prediction is that GW will attempt to placate the Dems by nominating a more moderate justice than conservatives will like, antagonizing them, but yet still not liberal enough for the Dems, and by gosh, a fillibuster will ensue.

Durbin abuse case not verified
by Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times

"Military investigators did not substantiate major charges of prisoner abuse contained in one FBI agent's e-mail that was read on the Senate floor by Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin as an example of U.S.-sanctioned torture at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."

It's amazing isn't it .... that an e-mail ... an unverified email ... can be read on the Senate floor, and by God, once read on the hallowed senate floor, it becomes gospel? Now you will have 40 % of the population believing this trash, no matter how many inquiries you have, even if they all come to the same conclusion that the story was rubbish from the get-go.

"Religion in a Family is at once its brightest Ornament and its best Security."

-- Samuel Adams

Who Outed Valerie Plame?

So far, I have stayed away from blogging on the Valerie Plame "outing". I have followed it somewhat, but others such as Captain Ed at Captain's Quaters and Powerline have done a superb job reporting and analyzing it. I have come to the general conclusion that it is really a non-story.

With that being said, I do have a question or two and a couple of thoughts I wanted to throw out into the blogosphere.

Jack Kelly asks, "Why is special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald pursuing so zealously the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame, since it is all but impossible to prove that the leaker or leakers committed a crime?"

"The reporter Cooper is a free man because Rove gave him explicit permission to talk about their conversation. Miller, the reporter, is in jail because her source didn't; indicating he or she is someone other than Rove."

"Liberals want Rove's scalp." Why would Miller protect Rove, if he were the source since Rove is the one they are trying to bury with the allegations?

Kelly states, "Maybe Rove -- or someone else -- lied to the grand jury. Or maybe Fitzgerald is investigating a different crime. What if someone in the CIA was leaking classified information to influence the 2004 election?"

Uncovering that crime would be worthy of Fitgerald's zealous and dogged investigation.

Kelly postulates that the biggest shoe in this case hasn't dropped yet, and the liberal journalists won't like the results when it does.

Now for the kicker. Could the CIA leaker who outed Plame turn out to be Valerie Plame herself?

SOCIAL SECURITY

I have posted on this topic before, but it has been awhile, and I think it is is time to revisit Social Security. So let's get at it.

Michael D. Tanner of Cato Institute asks:

"Do you know where your Social Security taxes are? Some of them went to pay for the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The same monies helped the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines pay for the development of exhibits for the World Food Prize. And we should all be happy that some of our Social Security surplus funded a study of mariachi music for the Clark County (Nevada) School District."

We should all know by now (that is if you have an IQ equal or greater than that of a pine cone) Social Security is in need of long term, comprehensive reform if we are going to be able to fix the many problems it faces. Using an analogy, Mr. Tanner points out that "before a doctor operates on a patient, the first step is to stop the bleeding". And the same must be done with Social Security - stop the bleeding. Therefore, " the first step toward Social Security reform should be to stop Congress from spending Social Security money on anything except workers' retirement."

The way Social Security is set up, workers don't own their Social Security funds. This is problematic because workers don't own their money. Hence, Congress treats the money as if it is their money, and feel free to spend it on whatever they decide. "And spend it they do, on everything from the war in Iraq to the International Fertilizer Development Center" he notes. "In return, the Social Security Trust Fund is given a bond, essentially an IOU, which will eventually have to be repaid out of future taxes."

"It's the ultimate insult" he says, adding, "Congress spends our Social Security taxes then expects us to pay more taxes to repay its borrowing. To date, Congress has borrowed and spent more than $1.7 trillion of Social Security taxes. This year it will borrow another $60 billion."

Put another way by Dr. Jack Wheeler, "In 2004, Social Security payroll taxes brought in $151.5 billion more than the total of Social Security benefits paid out to recipients. This surplus was not set aside, invested, deposited, or in any way kept within the Social Security system. It was spent, spent by the federal government on general government expenses. Every dime. In its place are $151.5 billion of IOU’s issued by the Treasury Department. These T-bond IOU’s are not an asset, they are debt, a liability. A liability on which the government must pay compound interest."

As Greenspan noted, the 2004 federal deficit was officially $412.5 billion – and “would have been $564 billion,” if Social Security revenue hadn't been included in the budget.

Mr. Tanner points out that this has been going on for some time now ... for more than 20 years. This has taken place under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Both parties have rejected any attempt to keep their hands out of the cookie jar. Some members, as a matter of fact, seem to be proud of what they are doing and Mr Tanner cites a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi where she says, "There's nothing wrong with Social Security lending money with the prospect of returning it … There is a surplus in Social Security, and under the law Social Security can lend that money to the government for other purposes."

This attitude by our politicians must change. And since they cannot be trusted with our retirement money, the only real way to keep them from spending our Social Security taxes "is to get that money out of Washington".

"Now, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Representatives Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Sam Johnson (R-Tex.), and others have proposed legislation that would rebate Social Security surpluses to workers in the form of contributions to personal accounts. The money would belong to the worker, in an account with his or her name on it."

The “lockbox” proposed by Al Gore in 2000, that Democrats claim to want, that even Greenspan is demanding, would be owned and operated by the government. The Democrat lockbox is one where the government still keeps the surplus. The only difference is that the money is actually put aside somewhere, unspecified, and not folded into general tax revenue and spent.

The DeMint-Ryan-Johnson proposal would represent a true "lockbox," devoting that money solely to the worker's retirement. No politician could touch it. What to watch for now is the Republican Real Lockbox, which would return the surplus to taxpayers. It will work like this.

"Whatever percentage of the total Social Security receipts for a given year exceeds total payments, that percentage of payroll taxes paid by an individual taxpayer is returned to him or her in the form of a check. The check is marked: 'For deposit into a Social Security Roth IRA account only.' Thus the return of the surplus to taxpayers is not a refund, it is a deposit." It should be noted that people would be allowed to return the check and have it credited to their traditional Social Security account.

The plan would have other benefits as well. Because workers would own the funds in their accounts, when they die they could pass money on to loved ones. And, without Social Security surpluses to hide behind, Congress would have to face up to the choices of running higher deficits, raising taxes, or, hopefully, spending less.

"For sixty years, the Federales have stolen trillions of dollars from Social Security and spent it on non-Social Security expenditures, for the purpose of buying votes and expanding government. The Real Lockbox stops the stealing, creates Social Security solvency, and gives retirees a dependable and safe retirement fund of their own."

And now Dr. Jack Wheeler writes in his TTP Intelligence Bulletin that the REAL LOCKBOX [is] BECOMING REALITY.

"The real fix of Social Security being devised by Republicans in Congress, superior to President Bush’s and designed to drive Democrats up a defensive tree." It "is fast becoming legislative reality."

"Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has introduced a bill – S.1302 – officially entitled The Stop the Raid on Social Security Act of 2005. He has 10 initial co-sponsors: Rick Santorum (R-PA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Sununu (R-NH), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), John Cornyn (R-TX), Trent Lott (R-MS) and Sam Brownback (R-KS). The list will grow."

"To read the bill, go to the Library of Congress’ Thomas website (named after Thomas Jefferson) and enter the bill number (S.1302) into the Search Bill box. This brings up the bill as a series of links to the bill’s sections. So click on “Printer Friendly Display,” and up will come the full text."

"You can also read the text of Senator DeMint’s press conference , where he and his co-sponsors called on Congress to 'stop the raid and start saving the surplus' in personal accounts legally owned by workers and not the government."

"These Senators will now be putting serious pressure on President Bush to exchange his proposal with theirs, which ends all talk of cutting benefits, terminates Congress’ secret slush fund (it just spends the Social Security surplus on government boondoggles – never a dime of it is saved), invests the surplus payroll taxes into private accounts (what objection can AARP have to that?), and cleans the Democrats’ clock on the issue."

"DeMint is confident he can get GW on board."

Whose fault is it anyway?

"It was Jeane Kirkpatrick at the 1984 Republican Convention in Dallas who identified the Liberal Democrat compulsion to 'blame America first.' In any confrontation between America and any other country or disaffected group, liberals could be trusted to say it was their own country’s fault. This compulsion seems to be a defining characteristic of liberals to this day, from Baghdad Jim McDermott (D-WA) to Dick Turban Durbin (D-IL) to Howard Dean and Teddy Kennedy."

The thinking goes that the problem with terrorism is, well .... it’s all our fault. We brought the terrorism on ourselves – America .... and, but of course, the Jews.

"If America would only take its soldiers out of Iraq, no Moslem would think of blowing up 18 Iraqi children in Baghdad as one of them did recently. If Israel would just cease to exist then no Moslem from the 'Occupied West Bank' would have to blow himself up trying to kill Jews in Netanya as happened the other day."

What would drive Americans to such craziness?

"Let’s not pussy-foot around and face the core ugliness squarely. The cause is anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism trumps patriotism to America. Hatred of Israel causes a desire for America’s defeat. 'Blame-America-First' Americans hate Israel more than they love America, they hate Jews more than they love their country."

Query... poser:
"Ever wonder why so many Jews remain Democrats? Because they remember the days when Republicans wouldn’t allow them to join their country clubs. Those days may seem long ago – but not to Jews who see how many Republicans tolerate an anti-Semitic screed that dares to call itself “American Conservative,” rather than denouncing it as neither."

"Republican conservatives need tolerate this travesty no longer. And until they cease doing so, Jews in droves will remain leery of the political party and the political ideology they should otherwise embrace: pro-capitalist, pro-liberty, pro-individual."

JW TTP

Blair: Uproot 'evil ideology'

By Mark Trevelyan , The Washington Times

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday the "evil ideology" of al Qaeda must be pulled up by the roots as the death toll from the July 7 London subway and bus bombings rose to 55.

"[T]he city of Paris lost the chance to host the 2012 Olympics. Apparently they're very bitter about it. The Parisians are disappointed because they were looking forward to being rude to thousands of new people." --Conan O'Brien

"Some Democrats are simply uncomfortable about America having a strong and unapologetic role in the world. This isn't treason; it's weakness. And weakness in the dangerous world we face is an invitation for more terror. Be warned."
--James Taranto

"Can anyone doubt that these smear campaigns make judicial appointments less attractive to some -- perhaps many -- highly qualified people, who tend to have alternative careers available to them, almost invariably at far higher pay? It is one thing to be willing to sacrifice income in order to serve your country, it is something else to have a lifetime reputation for integrity, honesty, and dignity destroyed by noisy and shameless politicians playing to the gallery of special interests."
--Thomas Sowell

"The Supreme Court has reconstituted itself as a permanent constitutional convention, amending the Constitution at will to suit the ideology of the majority. If that weren't enough, the Left is convinced that it has a divine right to determine the philosophical composition of the high court, regardless of the outcome of elections." --Don Feder

Mr Feder is a full-time columnist for the Boston Herald, and most of his life was spent in preparation for becoming a syndicated columnist. Read the rest of his bio here.

"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." --Thomas Reed

Reed was a U.S. Republican Party leader who, as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1889–91, 1895–99), introduced significant procedural changes (the Reed Rules) that helped ensure legislative control by the majority party in Congress.

Welcome to the Real World

Saddam and al Qaeda;
There's abundant evidence of connections.

BY CLAUDIA ROSETT, Opinion Journal

On the National Security front...

From The Federal Patriot

The Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation's bid for oil giant Unocal is attracting plenty of attention this week, with questions raging over the wisdom of placing U.S. energy concerns in the hands of Red China, which is eager to augment its military might with monetary power.

The House Armed Services Committee took testimony about the dangers of CNOOC taking over Unocal and its energy resources and development capabilities. "This is a national-security issue," said former CIA Director James Woolsey, in testimony before the committee. "China is pursuing a national strategy of domination of the energy markets and strategic dominance of the western Pacific."

Remember this is the country that just threatened to use nukes on the U.S. if we interfere in the Taiwan situation. This is, indeed, a national security issue.