Egypt Tipped off U.S. About Atta ?

Among the ABLE DANGER hubbub, the G2 Bulletin is reporting that Atta was marked as 'person of interest' before he entered the United States.

They are reporting that long before Atta entered the U.S, Egypt's military intelligence alerted us about Atta and the potential danger he posed to us.

For many years, Egyptian officials have been fighting jihadist groups and watching "cells" in Germany and Great Britain and had ear-marked him as "a person of interest."

Supposedly, the Defense Intelligence Agency had received info on Mr. Atta from Egyptian military intelligence, shooting down the story that Atta had been accidentally stumbled upon as a security risk through the Able Danger program.

Egypt felt that the philosophical link between Atta and the legendary Lt. Khaled Islambuli was more important than his ties with al-Qaida's Ayman al-Zawahiri. Islambuli is believed to have carried out the assassination of Egypt's President Anwar Sadat.

If Atta was known to be connected to al-Qaida, it would have been a foregone conclusion that he was a "security risk". Please consider the fact that within 4 days after 9-11, all ninteen hijackers were identified and connected to al-Qaida. That's awfully fast work, and one has to believe that information on him (as well as the others) was known and fairly extensive well before that fateful day.

What is so Signicant About the Gaza Strip ?

Well, perhaps Iran plans to turn it into a terrorist fortress.

"Both Hezbollah and Iran are in touch with various groups of mujahedeen as well as with al-Qaida, promising to turn the Gaza Strip into a paradise for terrorists, a state within a state, just like Lebanon was until the 1982 Israeli invasion. From their point of view after the withdrawal of the Syrian troops from Lebanon and the slow return of that country to exercise its sovereignty, and against the backdrop of the situation in Afghanistan following the ousting of the Taliban regime, there is no convenient location left to establish a terror haven paradoxically protected by international law as a state or semi-state.

The Gaza Strip, separated by Israeli territory from the greater part of the Palestinian community in the West Bank, is exactly what the jihadi concept needs. Thus the Gaza Strip will function as a lawless territory with support budgets for civilian matters provided by the U.N. and goodwill relief organizations. It will have a harbor, an airport, easy access via Egypt and no real military force capable of stopping guerrillas and terrorists from setting up shop and literally turning the entire strip into one huge reservoir for logistics, manpower pools and an operations’ base for worldwide terrorism.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who just recently resigned from the Ariel Sharon government over the Hit’Natkut program, reiterated in a televised interview, a warning voiced by chief of the army intelligence branch to members of Knesset on the danger of the Gaza Strip becoming a base for al-Qaida and an acute danger to all those committed to the global war on terrorism.

Israeli troops involved these days in the extraction of Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip are in one of the most difficult positions the IDF has ever had to face. The open question is whether Israel will be politically able to strike back when the time comes. Israeli strategists are confident they will not have a military problem in destroying an attempt to turn the Gaza Strip into the terrorism capital of the world. What does bother them is how the U.S. administration will react should Israeli artillery and fighter bombers destroy jihad bases and how much radical Islamic activity Egypt will tolerate and support in her own backyard.

The answer to this distressing question will come in about six months when the last Israeli soldier has left the Gaza Strip. When the first mega-terror attack against Israel or the free world will be devised and exercised from the territory, more attention will be given to the new terrorist breeding ground."

So How is it Going in Kosovo These Days?

Atrocities by Muslims against Christian's are being ignored by the free world.

Just another burned-out church in Kosovo.

Welcome to 'peaceful' Kosovo ---


"As the war against jihadi terrorism rages in Iraq and Afghanistan, militant Islam goes unchallenged in a U.S. battlefield of the 1990s.

The immediate victims of the jihad in Kosovo are the minority of 210,000 Christians who found themselves on the short end of the stick after the U.S. and NATO forces interceded on behalf of the Muslim, Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army, organized in part by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network."

"The fate of Kosovo in the southern part of Serbia, surrounded by Albania to the west, Macedonia to the southeast, and Montenegro at the west, remains unsolved. Politically suspended in mid-air Kosovo has become subject to Islamic tyranny gnawing at the Christian population's historic civil and religious rights."

"The unsettled issue of independence for Kosovo continues to be what the Central Intelligence Agency diplomatically describes as an 'international dispute.' "

Reportedly, the "Kosovar Albanians overwhelmingly support Kosovo's independence, while Serbia opposes it. Thus the province's problems continue to brew, as one Kosovar Orthodox priest described: 'Add to the problem the destruction of the civil war, the refugee issue and the growing force of Islam, you can only expect the pressure cooker to burst."

"A major danger to security, and therefore a problem for all those involved with the U.S.-led war on terrorism, derives from Islamic militants moving with full force into the vulnerable province. The international community, represented by UNMIK and the Serbian and Montenegro armed forces, is a mere scarecrow defense lacking any significant power to control the Islamic onslaught. Only when it comes to the sheer physical protection of Kosovo's Christians, especially those who live in the Prizren Bulge stuck between Albania and Macedonia, does the international force take any action. As a result tens of thousands of Kosovar Christians fled their homes, the remainder live in fear of attacks and pogroms, such as the events of March 2004 when churches and ancient cathedrals were burnt to the ground and desecrated."

"The Muslim Albanians who destroyed churches are now building mosques on the ruins. They have attacked churches, burned buildings and torn down crosses while French and German U.N. troops stood by because their mission is to protect lives not property.

On the other hand, U.S. and Italian members of the U.N. Interim Mission in Kosovo risked their lives in an effort to save historic Christian monuments dating back to the Byzantine era from being razed."

"The strong Islamization move in Kosovo is now attracting also the attention of intelligence and counter-terror experts. During an Aug. 12 congressional staff briefing, a video of Muslim ferocity was shown and details of the situation were described by a number of former State Department officials. A day earlier, U.S diplomat Thomas Patrick Melady called for a significant increase in international pressure in Kosovo. Melady, a seasoned ambassador, was obviously deeply upset by the information he himself provided, especially over the desecration of churches.

Frederick Peterson, an analyst on counter-terrorism with the Institute for Security Studies at the University of Nevada, and Joseph Griebosky, president of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, referred to Kosovo's numerous new mosques funded by Saudi and Iranian funds. Currently these mosques are mostly empty, but their mere existence reflects plans to indoctrinate residents with the radical Wahabi form of Islam and a plan to gradually convert more and more Christians. The new mosques carry plaques acknowledging funding from Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

The situation in Kosovo is of great importance to those at the forefront of counter-terrorism. The province has become a magnet for jihadists, who regard the Balkans as an important bridge on their way to west Europe's heart. Intelligence analysts believe the cities of Pristina and Prizren are part of a terror and narco-terror smuggling pipeline going across Serbia, through the city of Uzice all the way to the Croatian border. From there the way to Western Europe is short and relatively easy. Jihadists have become quite familiar with the area due to their involvement in the civil war, which brought an end to Yugoslavia as an integrated entity.

They lean heavily on the support of Islamic radicals, even Albanian Muslim rank and file, in an elaborate plan to turn Kosovo into a jihadi base. The fact that most of the funds for the so-called Islamic revival of Kosovo come from Wahabi Saudi Arabia and from the Iranian Shia ayatollahs should be a wakeup call for the west, perhaps even more so to the U.S., which during the Clinton administration was the motivating force in bringing down Yugoslavia. The U.S., more than any other country, stood up for the protection of the Muslim minority in Yugoslavia even though the KLA was organized by bin Laden.

Summarizing a presentation on Capitol Hill, defense analyst Peterson said: 'With final status changing from Serbian Orthodox hegemony into at very best a gray line, the dividing line between the Christian and Islamic world moves closer to the European Union, and we are at great risk of tolerating what should not be tolerated in order to buy some peace in our time.'

Many analysts who expect the Kosovo power keg to explode anytime now share this view. In their eyes opinions expressed on Capitol Hill should be amplified across the free world in time to confront a cultural and religious war gaining momentum in Western Europe's backyard.

Said Peterson: 'We have three choices: convert, submit or die, but there is a fourth choice -- and that's to fight. What is going on in Kosovo today is the future of Europe tomorrow.'

From G2 Bulletin
(Emphasis mine - H.H.)

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Across the pond:

Firms to sue over textiles row

EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Chinese negotiators will meet again on Sunday in Beijing for a fourth day of talks to hammer out an agreement after Brussels' decision to slap quotas on Chinese textiles. Talks on Saturday failed. At least 75m items of Chinese-made clothing are piling up in European ports, including sweaters, trousers, T-shirts, bras and tons of flax yarn.

Lockheed plans new export version of joint strike fighter

AMERICAN defence firm Lockheed Martin is laying plans for special export version of the $250bn (£139bn, E203bn) joint strike fighter aircraft (JSF), depressing any hope of quick breakthrough on the contentious issue of transatlantic technology transfer.

Growth diverges across EU economies

THE performance of the euro zone's 15 economies is continuing to diverge, fuelling fresh fears for the future of the single currency, a top French bank will warn this week.

Kriss suspects set for return to UK

THREE men who fled to Pakistan following the murder of Scottish teenager Kriss Donald could be back in Scotland within three weeks after they faced their final extradition hearing in Islamabad, yesterday.

Terror rockets fly from Gaza

Qassam hits Negev city of Sderot while Israel preps final withdrawal.

Driving home fears Palestinian terror groups will use land gained by Israel's Gaza evacuation to launch rockets deeper inside the Jewish state, two Qassams today were fired at western Negev towns as Israeli troops prepared the Gaza Strip for handover in the next few weeks. Story.

Kelo Fallout

"If you are upset about the fact that private property is at risk, you are not alone! Private property rights are foundational to a free and prosperous society."

"Churches occupy prime city properties all across America, but what will happen if local governments seeking more revenue set their sights on them?" asked Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, in an e-mail.

I have been contemplating this very fact.

The PR Machine Behind Cindy Sheehan

ABC7 Looks At The Financing Of 'Camp Casey'
By Mark Matthews

With the President back at his Crawford ranch, the anti-war protest right outside his ranch is getting a lot more media attention. ABC7 looks at who is financing the operation and who's providing on-the-ground support.

With the president back at his Crawford Ranch, the anti-war protest right outside his ranch is getting a lot more media attention. ABC7 looks at who is financing and who is providing on the ground support.

The camp at Crawford is full of Cindy Sheehan supporters, people from all walks of life, but off to the side are a small group of professionals skilled in politics and public relations who are marketing Cindy Sheehan's message.

Cindy Sheehan kneels before a cross with her son's name on it, touches his picture, wipes her tears. It's an outpouring of emotion that is part of a scheduled news event organized daily for the television, radio and print reporters who crowd in to capture a mother's grief.

Cindy Sheehan: "I'm never going to see him again, I'm never going to hold him again, I'm never going to hear his voice again."

Sheehan's message hasn't changed since she got here, but the support staff interested in getting that message out to the world has grown considerably.

Organizers are set up in a house trailer. Their meetings closed to reporters.

Leading the group is Fenton Communications employee, Michele Mulkey, based in San Francisco. Fenton specializes in public relations for liberal non-profits.

Complete article.

Oh, Oh !!!! Losing it Big Time !

CAMPED OUT IN CRAWFORD
Casey in heaven 'calls Bush idiot'
Cindy quotes slain son in afterlife, says 'tens of thousands of angels' back her.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is now purportedly "channeling" her slain son, Casey, from heaven, suggesting he's calling President Bush "an idiot," and she claims to have "tens of thousands of angels" supporting her cause to bring home immediately American troops serving in Iraq.

"When I get up [to heaven], he's gonna say, 'Good job, mom,'" the California woman said in a speech last night upon her return to Crawford, Texas. "He's not going to say, 'Why'd you make me spin in my grave?' you know. And I can just hear him saying, 'George Bush, you are really an idiot. You didn't know what you were doing when you killed me. You didn't know what you were getting into.'" Full story.

Militant cleric gaining support from Iraqi youth
Firebrand Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is rapidly gaining support among Iraqi youth, raising fears he could eventually unify Shi'ites and Sunnis against American forces.

The Slippery Slope.........

Across the pond we have this story:

Charlotte's parents fail to overturn court order to let her die

THE parents of seriously-ill Charlotte Wyatt yesterday lost the latest round of their battle to overturn a court order allowing doctors not to resuscitate the 22-month-old if she stops breathing.

In the Sciavo case, we had a battle within the family as to whose wishes should be granted in the situation where the victim could not speak for herself.

In this case, there is no such family battle. The parents of a not-quite 2 year old girl only want resucitation rights in the event she stops breathing and apparently losing their battle. Where is this leading us?

Don’t Blame the Neocons

TheSpectator.co.uk

It has become fashionable to say one of two things about al-Qa’eda (or to say both of them, if you’re really on the cutting edge). The first is to point out, as London Mayor Ken Livingstone did after the 7 July bombings, that al-Qa’eda has its origins in Western intervention in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Then, Reagan and Thatcher pumped billions of dollars into the anti-Soviet mujahedin (including Osama bin Laden’s Office of Services) and trained these erstwhile holy warriors in urban warfare, bomb-making and sabotage — the very skills that some of them use against us today. The other fashionable thing to say is that al-Qa’eda is largely the invention of American neocons. Post-9/11, apparently, Bush and co. transformed a small gang of deluded nihilists — who could no more restore the Islamic Caliphate than they could set up a base of operations on the moon — into The Greatest Threat Facing Humanity, in a desperate bid to continue winning the votes of a fearful and thus docile American electorate.

Of course, the fact that these statements are fashionable doesn’t stop them from being true (-ish). But they only tell half the story. We hear an awful lot about the birth of al-Qa’eda in the 1980s and the exaggeration about al-Qa’eda since 9/11, but very little about what happened to al-Qa’eda in the decade in between. This is peculiar because, as the US journalist Charles Krauthammer pointed out in Time magazine after 7 July, the 1990s were ‘the seminal period of al-Qa’eda recruitment’; indeed, that was ‘the period during which it created its entire worldwide infrastructure’. Or as the Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland argued (in case you would prefer to hear it from someone a little less gung-ho than the war-supporting Krauthammer), ‘the big surge in growth of extremist groups came not after 9/11 or Iraq, but in the mid-1990s.’ The seed for al-Qa’eda may have been sown during the twilight of the Cold War, but something in the Nineties allowed this terror group to metamorphose from being one small part of an Afghan-specific guerrilla army into a global, transnational, nihilistic network. What was that?

In a nutshell, in the 1990s al-Qa’eda became the armed wing of Western liberal opinion. The mujahedin may have been set up, supported and armed to the hilt by the right in the 1980s, but they fought alongside the Left in the early to mid-1990s. This was the period of the mujahedin’s second outing, when hundreds of them moved from Afghanistan following the final withdrawal of Soviet forces in 1992 to Bosnia, to fight alongside the Bosnian Muslims in a holy war against the Serbs. They moved there under the approving eye of the Clinton administration and were armed and trained by Clinton’s allies in the region, the Army of Bosnia Herzegovina (ABiH). Some of the mujahedin, especially those from Europe, including from Britain, were inspired to fight in Bosnia after watching or reading news reports in the Western media — especially the liberal media — which presented the civil war in Bosnia as a simplistic battle between good (the Muslims) and evil (the Serbs). Full story here. Free registration required.

Update on Bolton at Turtle Bay

In its initial conception, the UN was to be a deliberative body capable of developing negotiated resolutions to international solutions. Now, after fifty years of decay, the UN General Assembly is only a vehicle for the conveyance of Third World kleptocrats to New York City, whence they come to dine, dance and damn the very country that acts as their host.

Now, the UN is seeking to recreate its role as an international arbiter of international disputes. That site set, the United States is the clear target of the UN's "Draft Outcome Document of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly of September, 2005"—not a meeting to which U.S. representatives were privy.

The plan would commit the U.S. to "meeting all commitments and obligations under the Kyoto Protocol"; to "maintain a moratorium on nuclear-test explosions pending the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and call upon all States to sign and ratify"; and authorize "the commencement, without delay, of negotiations on... effective measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer space"—all policies that the President has firmly rejected. The UN Outcome Document also mandates a global tax and a United Nations army.

More UN-nik pie in the sky? Well, the strategy undertaken by Kofi Annan & Co. to overcome any U.S. "reticence" was to present this package to Mr. Bush as a little September surprise at a special summit meeting slated for next month. After all, he couldn't refuse to sign without looking the part of the much-maligned "cowboy president," could he?

Enter John Bolton. When Ambassador Bolton got wind of the document, the roof was razed at Turtle Bay—thank heavens for that. If ever a U.S. President needed tenacity in an ambassador to the UN, it's now. We hope Mr. Bolton's recess appointment becomes a fixed reality in the coming congressional term.

---The Fedralist Patriot

Spending Like a Drunken Sailor

Former Reagan consultant and direct mail specialist Richard Viguerie has blasted the "Washington wing of the GOP," accusing them of betraying conservatives who constitute the base of the party. In an open letter to conservatives, Viguerie said that after decades spent defeating Rockefeller Republicans, "we have a new enemy—the Washington wing of the GOP. They're not just wasting money; they're...massively growing government."

Citing the recent Highway Bill, "the most expensive public-works legislation ever," Viguerie said conservatives' duty is to their principles, not particular politicians. "If... Democrats... engaged in this level of...spending, every conservative in America would be raising their voice. We must not do less when...Republicans [are guilty]. The price of silence is hypocrisy."

---The Federalist Patriot

Regarding the redistribution of your income...

Reaganomics rides again! As it stands, federal tax revenues continue to increase at an annualized rate of 13 percent, and state tax coffers show a similar trend. Even with an estimated seven percent climb in federal spending in 2005, the deficit will still shrink by $100 billion. Indicative of the economy's growing momentum, corporate income-tax receipts are up 40 percent, and even non-withheld personal income-tax receipts are up by one-third. Payroll taxes are $75 billion over this year's projections, generating an eight percent increase in payroll-income receipts.

What does this mean? The Bush tax cuts worked: Lowering tax rates increases income, thus raising tax revenues. Democrats, of course, still don't get the magic of the Laffer Curve and are intent on hiking capital-gains taxes from 15 percent to the old rate of 20 percent. If Americans continue to vote their own pocketbooks and not Uncle Sam's, budget deficits—and the number of elected Democrats—can be expected to continue to shrink. If only Republicans could show a little self-control with spending!

---The Federalist Patriot

"Since her first meeting with the president, she has called him a 'lying bastard,' 'filth spewer,' 'evil maniac,' 'fuehrer' and the world's 'biggest terrorist' who is committing 'blatant genocide' and 'waging a nuclear war' in Iraq... Sheehan is symptomatic of something that in 2008 could cause the Democratic Party a sixth loss in eight presidential elections. That something is a shrillness unlike anything heard, in living memory, from a major tendency within a major party... Do Democrats really want to embrace her variation of the Michael Moore and 'Fahrenheit 9/11' school of political discourse?"

---George Will

"The news media have done Cindy Sheehan no favor. They only let a grief-stricken mother embarrass herself; it has been painful to watch. It's past time to shift the spotlight back to her brave son and his surviving comrades, where it has always belonged."

---David Gelernter, writing in The Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times? Yes, The Los Angeles Times!

"A time of war is a time of sacrifice, and a heavy burden falls on our military families. They miss you and they worry about you. By standing behind [their sons and daughters] they are standing for America. America appreciates the service and the sacrifice of the military families. Now we'll honor their sacrifice by completing their mission."

---President George W. Bush

USEFUL IDIOTS

"V.I. Lenin called Western Leftists who sided with Socialists in political debates "useful idiots." He's been dead for 81 years, but there appears to be no shortage of Michael Mooronic idiots lending aid and comfort to those seeking to destroy the "beacon of liberty" today.

Recently, this column warned that re-emerging anti-American movements were gaining momentum. That essay "Spitting on The Few, The Proud..." outlined the Left's anti-war modus operandi between 1968 and 1973, noting how elitist politicos like George McGovern and Ted Kennedy, joined by glitterati like Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden, came together to rally adolescent fervor. The resulting spectacle—one created by young protesters and promoted by Walter Cronkite and the Left's nightly newscast dezinformatsia machine—was a major factor in dissuading public support for the defense of South Vietnam.

That spectacle also, by extension, cast a pall over everyone in a military uniform, including those coming home in flag-draped caskets. American military personnel were viewed with seething glares and subject to spitting and name-calling from "enlightened youth" and their protagonists who tagged all military personnel personae non gratae. The entirety of them were even labeled "war criminals" by none other than John Kerry.

Today, Kennedy, Kerry, Fonda and their ilk are still at it, but they have not had much success since 9/11, when America virtually and rightly united behind President George Bush's campaign against asymmetric Jihadi threats and their host nations—collectively known as "Jihadistan".

In recent weeks, support for the Iraq campaign of the "Long War" has begun to wane in some circles—not because of 58,000 casualties as in Vietnam, but because, once again, as America's finest are defending liberty at home by fighting for freedom in critical regions abroad, the beleaguered Left has recruited a pawn to pitch (perhaps hurl) its phony anti-war agenda across the nation. For a solid month, the Leftmedia has focused its broadcasts and headlines on Ms. Cindy Sheehan and her well-funded road entourage. The network talkingheads have in fact awarded her "Peace Mom" heroine status—which provided a big political break for the Left.

Sheehan's 24-year-old son was killed in action in Iraq last year. President Bush met with her shortly after his death at her request, and Sheehan said of that visit, "I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us. I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss, and I know he's a man of faith."

What a difference a few media lights can make. Now this peacenik poster child says Mr. Bush is an "evil maniac," a "lying bastard," and a "filth spewer and warmonger." In addition, she's asserted that the President and his "band of neo-cons" wanted the 9/11 attack "to get their neo-con agenda through." "We are not waging a war on terror in this country," protests Sheehan, "we're waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush!" Sheehan has been hounding the President around the countryside asking for another meeting, but why would President Bush dignify such remarks by meeting with her?

Army Specialist Casey Sheehan enlisted, and then re-enlisted in April of 2004, in order to go to Iraq. Two weeks after arriving there, he volunteered for a rapid-rescue force deployed to help save fellow soldiers from an ambush by Shiite militia outside Baghdad. Casey died valiantly—heroically serving "the men beside him."

Cindy Sheehan, of course, has every right to free speech, but Ms. Sheehan is also responsible for the exercise of that right. Her crusade is not about "grief," as her Angry Left cronies claim; it is about the arrogance and selfishness that uniformly characterize the Left's causes célebres. Her fallen son deserves the gratitude of all Americans, yet Ms. Sheehan's actions merely minimize his noble sacrifice.

Despite Sheehan's disgracing of her son's sacrifice, the rest of his family issued the following statement: "[We] lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country and our President, silently, with prayer and respect." The statement was signed "sincerely" by "Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins."

Indeed, those closest to the President, and most objective observers, would agree with this assessment of his sense of obligation as Commander in Chief. "I've been with the President of the United States when he has met with the families of those brave young men and women who have sacrificed all," says Senator John McCain. "I have seen his compassion, I have seen his love, I have seen his concern. So any charge of insensitivity or uncaring on the part of this president is absolutely false... I'm sure he wouldn't like to hear me say this, but I saw him afterwards. He was very, very grieved."

Objectivity, however, has never been the guiding principle of Leftmedia "journalists." To wit, no headlines have featured or news leads have featured comments from the parents of Army Cpl. Forest Jostes, 22, who served with Casey Sheehan in the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry. On 4 April 2004, Forest died beside Casey in the same battle with Jihadis.

Last week, Forest's parents, Von and Diane Ibbotson, had this to say about his death: "We were at a crossroads, but we decided from the day he died that we were going to honor him, his sacrifice. We support the President, and we have made a conscious effort to not make this political."

Of Ms. Sheehan's behavior, Forest's parents said, "We both lost sons in the same battle, but the similarities pretty much end there. Cindy Sheehan has a right to protest, wave signs, march or whatever, a right she wouldn't have had it not been for men like our sons. My son gave his life for the freedom we enjoy in this country; I hope that the Iraqi people have that someday. We feel sympathy for Mrs. Sheehan, but we're angry because she presumes to speak for so many. I resent the fact that she says she 'speaks for the millions' and is the face of the Gold Star families. That is not so."

President Bush echoed those sentiments on Monday, saying, "She doesn't represent the view of [families of those KIA] I have met with."

Cheers completely overwhelmed the jeers this week as President Bush addressed thousands of military families in Idaho. While there, the President introduced Pocatello resident Tammy Pruett, who now has four sons in Iraq, and whose husband and a fifth son served there last year. "Tammy says this—and I want you to hear this: 'I know that if something happens to one of the boys, they would leave this world doing what they believe, what they think is right for our country.' America lives in freedom because of families like the Pruetts."

Of course, so do our nation's anti-war protesters. As was the case three decades ago, the revived anti-war movement is casting its long shadow over our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. Nowhere is this more regrettably evident than at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC, where hundreds of Patriots are recovering from severe wounds suffered in Iraq.

This week, protesters marched outside the facility's entrance, chanting amid mock flag-draped caskets with signs reading "Maimed for Lies" and "Enlist here and die for Halliburton." They taunted veterans entering and leaving the facility with angry slogans like "George Bush kills American soldiers." Walter Reed has been a primary treatment facility for American Patriots of all ranks for nearly a century. It's the place where Generals Pershing, MacArthur and Eisenhower died. It certainly should not be defiled by such contemptible rabble.

Protest organizer Medea Benjamin, one of Ms. Sheehan's backers, has also backed communists in Vietnam and Nicaragua and recently said of her visit to Cuba, "It seemed like I died and went to heaven." (Perhaps she should return posthaste!) So, we've come full circle. As was the case decades ago, the so-called "anti-war" movement is really the manipulation of useful idiots like Cindy Sheehan in support of a much larger political agenda—that inspired by V.I. Lenin.

If Sheehan and her lemmings were really interested in preventing senseless death, their attention is grossly misguided. In the two years since 19 March 2003, there have been approximately 1,450 Patriots killed in action defending our nation as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Consequently—indeed, since 11 September 2001—our Armed Forces have kept the warfront with Jihadistan far away from our homeland. Perhaps Ms. Sheehan should become the spokesperson for the 14,500 men, women and children who died on American highways last year as a result of alcohol abuse."

From the Federalist Patriot

FAIR USE NOTICE: The above may be copyrighted material, and the use of it on Heavy Handed Politics (drivethrupolitics.blogspot.com) may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available on a non-profit basis for educational and discussion purposes only. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 USC § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Tehran is Waging a War

Excerpt from ToThePoint (paid subscription required):

"Just as Time [magazine] says, Tehran is waging a war to split Iraq apart and create a Greater Iran Empire by incorporating Shia Iraq. What the story doesn’t discuss is how suicidally stupid is such an attempt.

Iraq breaking apart will inevitably lead to Iran breaking apart. This is because less than half the people in Iran are Iranian – that is, ethnic Persian.

Note the New York Times story above is about Kurds in Iran – not Iraq. The Kurds are a separate ethnic identity, neither Arab nor Persian nor Turk. There are more than five million Kurds in Iraq (20% of the total population of 26 million) – but there are more than six million Kurds right across the border in Iran (9% of 67 million).

The riots and unrest that the NYT reports have been going on for weeks now confirm that, if Iraqi Kurdistan splits from Iraq, Iranian Kurdistan will very violently split off from Iran and join it. An organization has been formed to do just that: The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

We all know that an independent Iraqi Kurdistan terrifies the Turks, because all of southwest Turkey adjoining Iraq and Iran is Kurdish (14 million or 20% of 70 million), so Turkey would be dismembered. It should terrify the Mullahs in Tehran as well, for it would be only the start of the break-up of Iran.

To Iran’s north along the Caspian Sea is the former Soviet colony and now independent Republic of Azerbaijan. The folks who live here are Azeris, a Turkic people converted to Shia Islam by the Persians and stayed that way even after Czar Alexander I (remember him?) kicked the Persians out of the northern third of Azeri territory.

That northern third is Azerbaijan, with a population of eight million. The southern two-thirds is northwest Iran, inhabited by three times as many Azeris – over 24 million or 36% of the total population of Iran. They hate the Persians as much as the Kurds do, and have now organized a secessionist movement – The South Azerbaijan Liberation Movement (SALM) – to break off northwest Iran to create a Greater Azerbaijan.

Then there are the two million Baluchis in southeast Iran who hate the tyranny of Persian Tehran and want to join Pakistan’s province of Baluchistan, and the three million Turkmen who would like the Iran-Turkmenistan border shifted south to encompass them.

Now let’s add to all these enmities the biggest of all: Shia Arabs (they’re in Iraq) vs. Shia Persians (they’re in Iran). Persians and Arabs hate each other whether Sunni or Shia. Shia Islam began in Iraq, with Karbala and Najaf the most revered pilgrimage sites. The Persian Shias’ attempt to replace them as the Shia holy cities with their city of Qom is despised by Iraqi Shias. There is no way Tehran is going to successfully colonize Shia Iraq.

So if the Mullahs are crazy enough to crank up the Persian Ratchet by going after Shia Iraq, George Bush may be happy to crank it all the way until Iran shatters. As he does so, his message to the Persian people will be whispered into their ears:

“The only way to stop Iran torn asunder is to conduct a democratic revolution and get rid of the Mullah Tyranny before it is too late.”

Out of the mouths of babes and crackpots…

"There's no doubt Pat Robertson has a penchant for saying manically crackpot things like warning the city of Orlando, Florida in 1998 that if it allowed a Gay Pride parade, God would punish the city by sending “earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor.”

The press has had a field day this week reciting past wacky Patisms in an attempt to deride his call for the assassination of Venezuela’s Marxist dictator Hugo Chavez. And yes, the point is well made that Christian ministers are not the sort of folks who should advocate such things. But what Pat said is nonetheless true.

Of course, we or somebody, anybody, should knock off Chavez. Doing so would be one of the greatest contributions to peace and freedom in the world today."

-- Dr. Jack Wheeler, TTP Intelligence Bulletin (paid subscription required)

His reasonings are:
(1.)At his direction, his generals now run much of the cocaine smuggling out of Colombia through Venezuela into the US. His oil billions are funding the Marxist narco-terrorists in Colombia, Hezbollah terrorism in Iraq, and Hamas terrorism in Israel. His Chavista thugs have murdered thousands of Venezuelans opposed to his dictatorship.

(2.)Then there was his suspected attempt to assassinate the President of the United States, George W. Bush, in November of last year in Santiago, Chile and possibly again in Cartagena, Colombia.

"A judiciary independent of a king or executive alone, is a good thing; but independence of the will of the nation is a solecism, at least in a republican government."

-- Thomas Jefferson

Taunting the Wounded

It's often said that one lesson the "antiwar" left learned from Vietnam is not to vilify American soldiers. True enough, by and large you don't hear the kind of demonization that was the stock in trade of anti-Vietnam agitators like John Kerry*.

But that doesn't mean the left respects the troops. Instead, it seeks to exploit their sacrifice by describing them as "children" and as victims. Sheehanoia is the most obvious manifestation of the former, and CNSNews.com describes a particularly sick example of the latter:

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the current home of hundreds of wounded veterans from the war in Iraq, has been the target of weekly anti-war demonstrations since March. The protesters hold signs that read "Maimed for Lies" and "Enlist here and die for Halliburton." . . .

Code Pink Women for Peace, one of the groups backing anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan's vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford Texas, organizes the protests at Walter Reed as well. . . .

Kevin Pannell, who was recently treated at Walter Reed and had both legs amputated after an ambush grenade attack near Baghdad in 2004, considers the presence of the anti-war protesters in front of the hospital "distasteful."

When he was a patient at the hospital, Pannell said he initially tried to ignore the anti-war activists camped out in front of Walter Reed, until witnessing something that enraged him.

"We went by there one day and I drove by and [the anti-war protesters] had a bunch of flag-draped coffins laid out on the sidewalk. That, I thought, was probably the most distasteful thing I had ever seen. Ever," Pannell, a member of the Army's First Cavalry Division, told Cybercast News Service.

"You know that 95 percent of the guys in the hospital bed lost guys whenever they got hurt and survivors' guilt is the worst thing you can deal with," Pannell said, adding that other veterans recovering from wounds at Walter Reed share his resentment for the anti-war protesters.

"We don't like them and we don't like the fact that they can hang their signs and stuff on the fence at Walter Reed," he said. "[The wounded veterans] are there to recuperate. Once they get out in the real world, then they can start seeing that stuff (anti-war protests). I mean Walter Reed is a sheltered environment and it needs to stay that way."

The Code Pinkos, of course, have the right to express their opinions, but perhaps this is an occasion on which Congress should impose some reasonable time, place and manner restrictions. If a woman on her way to an abortion clinic is entitled not to be harassed by noisome protesters, isn't the same true of men like Kevin Pannell, who have made the penultimate sacrifice for a noble cause?

* The haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat, who by the way served in Vietnam.

From the Opinion Journal

From the Opinion Journal

Whatever!
Nancy Reid and Harry Pelosi, the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate (though not necessarily in that order), have an op-ed in USA Today criticizing the Bush administration for being "passive" with respect to Iran's and North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons: "The administration's policy has been one of 'hands off' and 'it's someone else's problem,' " they complain.

It's true that anyone who expected the administration to resolve the Iran and North Korea nuclear questions has thus far been disappointed, and we know of no reason to expect that will change soon. But is this the administration's fault? Or, to put the question another way, to what extent is the problem amenable to a U.S.-led solution, and to what extent is it intractable?If you think the U.S. can solve the problem, your argument will be a lot more persuasive if you have a plausible explanation as to how. So what approach would Reid and Pelosi take? Here's what they say:

We propose a program of "carrots" combined with an old-fashioned, American "big stick." That means pursuing diplomacy and trying to convince these nations to act in their own best interests. But it also means backing that up with a real commitment to use whatever form of pressure is most likely to produce results.

A real commitment to . . . whatever! Brilliant, huh?

Now, just because Reid and Pelosi don't know how to solve the problem doesn't mean it can't be done. Maybe a solution is possible but no one's thought of it yet. But if airy truisms are the best Reid and Pelosi have to offer by way of an alternative policy, it seems fair to put their criticisms of the administration down to sheer partisanship.

NEWS HEADLINES

--Top CIA, Military Men Agree with Pat Robertson

--Stephanopoulos Urged Foreign Assassination

--Specter Plans Hearings on Able Danger Claims

--Pirro Blasts Hillary on 9/11 Record

--China Begins 'Unrestricted Warfare' with Computer Attacks

--China Blocks Rupert Murdoch TV Channel

--Abortion Foes Dispute 'No Pain' Fetus Claims

Liberals expand scope of attack on Roberts
Liberals have broadened their attack on federal Judge John G. Roberts Jr. beyond just his position on abortion to include accusations of a more general hostility toward women and privacy.
(Registration required.)

Pro-war kin take down crosses at Sheehan site
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Military families disturbed by a sea of crosses erected by anti-war protesters near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, have removed crosses bearing the names of their fallen children and transferred them to another site to show support for American troops in Iraq.
Anti-war protesters "never asked for my permission to put up a cross for my son for their cause," said Gary Qualls, whose son was killed in Iraq. "They are not respecting our sons and daughters."

The rival cross camps are evidence of a growing public backlash against the anti-war campaign of California activist Cindy Sheehan, who blames Mr. Bush for son Casey's death in Iraq and has called for immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan. (Registration required.)

Britain to expel for 'hate' speech
Britain outlined tough new rules yesterday under which "preachers of hate," who promote or glorify terrorism, will be thrown out of the country or banned from entering it.

(Registration required.)


Clarke unveils tough new rules for deporting preachers of hate
Unlike the United States, Britain has no First Amendment.

(No registration needed.)

Iraq's Federalist Papers

The WSJ's Opinion Journal has a good piece (editorial) about the draft of the Iraqi's new constitution.

The constitution empowers legislators, not clerics.

"Iraq's first freely elected government continues to vindicate the belief that the Mideast can be transformed, starting with Saddam Hussein's former tyranny. Its draft constitution, which appears headed for parliamentary approval tonight, reflects a remarkable spirit of compromise--and even enlightenment--among the country's political, ethnic and religious factions.

The word "compromise" is key here. If we were drafting the document, there are many things we might have done differently. But the point of democracy is that countries have to find their own way on difficult issues. Americans also shouldn't be too quick to conclude that anything that sounds odd or unfamiliar to liberal ears is evidence of failure. While this constitution does indeed contain general appeals to religion, it is fundamentally a document that empowers legislators, not clerics."

Full Editorial

Homeland chief vows border crackdown

WASHINGTON - Stung by an explosion of illegal immigration, the nation's homeland security chief promised yesterday to overhaul protective measures along the Southwestern border, including tougher treatment for illegals already in the U.S.

"We have decided to stand back and take a look at how we address the problem and solve it once and for all," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said.

Acknowledging that the flow of illegals has inflamed public opinion and border-state politicians, Chertoff said yesterday the Bush administration believes immigration regulations must be revamped.

The homeland security czar said a top-to-bottom review of border security policy was under way before the Democratic governors of Arizona and New Mexico recently declared an immigration "emergency" in their adjoining states.

A department spokesman said Chertoff has declared the illegal influx a major priority for homeland security and will ask for beefed-up budgets to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of illegals.

The homeland security review, which should be completed within the next several weeks, will examine how best to tighten U.S. borders while catching, detaining and deporting immigrants already in the country, Chertoff aides said."

From New York Daily News

HOW TO STOP BEING A LIBERAL

I received this e-mail and decided to post it. I am not sure of its' origin.

Step 1: Admit that you're a liberal:

This is the first step for every liberal on the way to recovery. It is important to understand that you're not "progressive", "moderate", or "enlightened". You're a liberal, and you need to be honest with yourself about that fact.

Step 2: Pledge to suport your beliefs with facts:

Realize that truth is more important than moral superiority and is the only way to come over to reality. You must research beyond propaganda from the Sierra Club, Hilllary Clinton, and CNN to understand things as they really exist in the world. You can no longer argue based on "feelings" or emotion. You will actually need to back up your arguments with real information. This is a difficult step, because it means you can't be lazy any more.

Step 3: Love America:

This may be the most difficult step for those of you who are hippies and peaceniks. Admitting that the country you hate actually stands as a beacon to defend freedom throughout the world can make some of you physically ill. You might want to make a visit to a military cemetery to better understand that these men and women gave their lives so that you could spew hatred. Otherwise, you would currently be living in a police state that would never let you wear that nasty patchouli oil, let alone speak out against your government.

Step 4: Take a college level economics class:

A Socialist is defined as someone who's never taken an economics class. Most Socialists have a hard time balancing their checkbooks, let alone explaining the simple concept of supply-and-demand. It's time to flush your complete ignorance of basic economics down the toilet and understand how the world actually functions. This concept will be very important for the next steps that involve communism, facts about corporations, and the inefficiencies of government.

Step 5: Say "no" to Communism and Socialism:

While this concept is obvious to most of the free world, it is an important step in your recovery process. If you have difficulty with this step, spend a week living and working in Cuba.

Step 6: Corporations are not evil:

If you're reading this article on-line or in an email, it's thanks to corporations. If you get some kind of paycheck, you can thank corporations. If you work for a nonprofit or the government, you still have to thank corporations. The nonprofit sector and the government wouldn't have any money to pay you without corporations. It is also important that you understand that making a profit doesn't equate to "greed" or exploitation. Capitalism has created the greatest society in our world's history. Even communist countries need corporations to survive, so enjoy a nice, hot cup of reality.

Step 7: The government is inefficient:

If you are one of those liberals who believe the government should tax us more in order to take care of society, you need to pay special attention to this step. You need to realize that government bureaucracy will waste most of your tax dollars, while the private sector will put your money to much better use. Even most Democrat politicians understand this to some degree, which is why Hillary's socialist healthcare proposal was voted down by a majority of both Democrats and Republicans. Go to your local post office, the DMV, or call the IRS to ask a tax question if you need a reminder about government inefficiency.

Step 8: The earth is not your "mother", and she's not dying:

The time has now come to stop your donations to Greenpeace, The Sierra Club, and every other EnviroNazi organization to which you belong. Face the reality that the earth, society and our environment are better off today than ever in recorded history and that they are continuing to improve. I realize that many of you tree huggers will have a very difficult time letting go of the Douglas Fir on this one. I would suggest reading The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg. Mr. Lomborg is a former member of Greenpeace and is currently a statistics professor at a university in Denmark. He set out to prove the world was in bad shape and ended up surprising himself by proving the exact opposite.

Step 9: Stop smoking the wacky tobacco:

Okay, some of you might need to enter another 12-step program to complete this step. Marijuana is distorting your sense of reality, and you need to stop using it. Besides, you'll save a fortune on snacks.

Step 10: Eat a hamburger:

If God didn't intend for us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat. You can put your sprouts and tofu on the hamburger, but get some meat into you. You'll look and feel better than you ever imagined. You can always remind yourself that Nazi propaganda hailed Adolf Hitler as a vegetarian to get you through this step.

Step 11: Stop re-writing political history:

It's now time to admit that Bill Clinton is a lying-cheating-sexist-racist-rapist jackass, Hillary Clinton is one of the worst role models for women in this country, Al Gore really did lose the 2000 election by every vote tabulation you attempt, Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War and didn't create the homeless problem, John McCain is not a typical Republican, and Jimmy Carter is a nice man but has one of the worst presidential records of anyone in history.

Step 12: Be a missionary:

Once you have completed the previous steps to overcoming liberalism, it's time for you to share this awakening with others who are not as fortunate. Go out amongst the liberal sheep and spread the good word of your freedom from the chains of ignorance that once bound you.

Congratulations, and welcome to reality.

A Big Hooray for Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan backs U.S. operations in Central Asia
Kazakhstan's foreign minister yesterday pledged his country's support for U.S. military operations in Central Asia and said his country worked to water down neighboring countries' efforts to evict American troops from the region.

Warner urged to declare emergency in illegals crisis

State legislators said yesterday that Virginia is facing an immigration crisis on par with Arizona and New Mexico and urged Gov. Mark Warner to declare an emergency like the governors of those two states did last week.

Chertoff assures Arizona of help on border

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The Department of Homeland Security, responding to a state of emergency declared last week by Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano because of illegal immigration, says it wants to help Arizona combat alien smuggling, ease related prison overcrowding and train state police officers.
"We are moving forward quickly and aggressively to fashion a comprehensive plan with real solutions," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the governor in a letter delivered Monday. He said the agency wants to "build a partnership with Arizona."

It's about friggin' time! Full story here. Registration required.

HA..HA..HA..HA..HA..HA..HA

The .. ha ha .. great ha..ha.. bloviator has spoken:

"No one has an automatic right to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court. A nominee to the high court must first demonstrate that he has a core commitment to constitutional rights and liberties. He must show that he is in the mainstream of modern judicial thought and that he would not use an ideologically motivated interpretation of our Constitution or laws to reverse the hard-fought gains we have made to make this nation more just."

—Teddy Kennedy

Can't ... stop ... laughing....

"Whether you be man or woman you will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor."

---James Lane Allen

"The official line is that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which a few thousand Jews have occupied in the 38 years since Israel gave an Arab coalition of the not very willing a devastating country whipping in the Six-Day War, is that the withdrawal is a demonstration of trust that will make Israel's borders easier to defend. No one who has read a newspaper or watched a television newscast on almost any single day over the past decades really believes the trust part. The Arabs, who know themselves better than anyone else, don't even trust each other."

---Wesley Pruden

"They're not children in Iraq; they're grown-ups who made their own decision to join the military. That seems to be difficult for the left to grasp. Ever since America's all-adult, all-volunteer army went into Iraq, the anti-war crowd have made a sustained effort to characterize them as 'children'."

--—Mark Steyn

HeavyHanded says,"God bless 'em." And yes,indeed, these are not children; for many of these young adults have more wisdom and maturtity than those who refer to them as children.

For the record, HeavyHanded has a nephew in Iraq, in East Baghdad, a gunner sargent, and no - he is not a child.

"I bet after seeing us, George Washington would sue us for calling him 'father'."

--—Will Rogers

"Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grand-children are once more slaves."

--—D. H. Lawrence

The angry left website Daily Kos is ready to take on the Democratic Leadership Council. This what Markos had to say on his site:

Ultimately, this is the modern DLC--an aider and abettor of Right-wing smear attacks against Democrats. They make the same arguments, use the same language, and revel in their attacks on those elements of the Democratic Party that seem to cause them no small embarrassment.

Two more weeks, folks, before we take them on, head on.

No calls for a truce will be brooked. The DLC has used those pauses in the past to bide their time between offensives. Appeals to party unity will fall on deaf ears (it's summer of a non-election year, the perfect time to sort out internal disagreements).

We need to make the DLC radioactive. And we will. With everyone's help, we really can. Stay tuned.

Is the Democratic party coming apart at the seams?

Destabilized if You Do, Destabilized if You Don't

From Opinion Journal
"We think we've solved the mystery of why the press pays so much attention to Chuck Hagel, the Republican senator from Nebraska. Consider this quote from the Associated Press:

"We should start figuring out how we get out of there [Iraq]," Hagel said on "This Week" on ABC. "But with this understanding, we cannot leave a vacuum that further destabilizes the Middle East. I think our involvement there has destabilized the Middle East. And the longer we stay there, I think the further destabilization will occur."

This just makes no sense. Going in to Iraq destabilized the Middle East (as opposed to the stability that prevailed pre-9/11?), so we need to pull out because our being there destabilized the Middle East, but we don't want to leave a vacuum that destabilized the Middle East. Whatever, dude!"

HeavyHanded is wondering, "Is this the rhetoric of a candidate with presidential aspirations?"

"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power."

--- Alexander Hamilton

U.S. pressures Taiwan to focus on defense policy
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

HONOLULU -- U.S. officials have been warning Taiwan that it must do more to prepare its own defense against a potential attack from China rather than rely largely on the United States -- and that if it doesn't, the United States may feel less obligated to come to its rescue.

Publicly, that warning has been delivered by officials of the American Institute in Taiwan, the quasi-official embassy in Taipei that functions in the absence of normal diplomatic relations, and two prominent Washington think tanks with ties to the Bush administration -- the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.

Privately, U.S. officials said, that advice had been delivered by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld by way of retired senior U.S. military officers visiting Taiwan and by active-duty U.S. colonels who visit Taiwan to confer with Taiwanese officers. "Some of the investments that Taiwan would like to make are not optimized for the defense of Taiwan," said one senior officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The U.S. pressure on Taiwan appears to be bipartisan and long in the making. Former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, a Republican who served under President Clinton, told an audience in Taiwan: "You cannot expect the American people to burden ourselves the way we are to carry out responsibilities for other countries if there is no corresponding effort being made for self-defense." FULL STORY. Registration required.

TO ANOTMO

SPEAKING OF LYING EYES.......I bet you did not see these, I know I did not. Could our eyes be lying to us?

REPOSITIONING HIMSELF

N. Mexico leader hits lax border security,The Washington Times

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said yesterday that he has not seen the Bush administration make progress on U.S.-Mexico border security and that is why he declared an emergency in four border counties this week.

Sure. Now he blasts the federal government for not showing "the commitment or the leadership to deal with border issues." He is also demanding that officials on the Mexican side bulldoze an abandoned town on the border that serves "as a staging area for illegal drugs and illegal aliens."

But John Fund points out,

Mr. Richardson sang a different tune in late 2003, when he showed up at a rally for the "Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride" and told them, "¡Viva la raza! . . . Thank you for coming to Santa Fe. Know that New Mexico is your home. We will protect you. You have rights here." Jaime Becerril, one of the organizers of the freedom ride, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the participants favored a new amnesty program. He called immigration "a byproduct of colonialism and capitalism."

Further evidence of the governor's zigzag policy on immigration came in April when he vetoed a "No Fear" bill, which would have prohibited state and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal authorities to detect or apprehend people based solely on immigration status. But then he quietly issued an executive order that had much the same effect. Earlier this year, he also signed legislation giving some illegal aliens the right to in-state tuition rates at public universities.

'China's widening income gap threatening social stability', says government.

China's rapidly widening income gap has reached dangerous levels, risking social instability by 2010 if the present trend continues, a government report warns.

"China's growing income gap is likely to trigger social instability after 2010 if the government finds no effective solutions to end the disparity," the Ministry of Labour and Social Security warned in the China Daily.

Su Hainan, president of the ministry's income research institute, found income disparity in China had reached the crucial "yellow" stage -- the second most serious in a scale of four defined by the institute.

The situation would deteriorate to the most dangerous "red" stage in 2010 if no effective measures were taken within the next five years, he said.

Violent protests and riots have become common among Chinese frustrated by soaring social inequality, massive corruption and illegal land requisitions, sparking government fears of triggering mass-scale social instability.

Widening income gap? Soaring social inequality? Massive corruption? Illegal land requisitons? This sounds like the American left describing the U.S.

What the hell? How can this be? I thought China was a communist country. Yo, euphorians..I thought communism was THE panacea. Could it be you're wrong?

Full news story here.

Russians: Terrorists Seeking WMD
Terrorist groups are actively seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction in Russia, including nuclear and biological weapons, said the director of the FSB, the nation's Federal Security Service.

"We have such information," Nikolai Patrushev told colleagues from other former Soviet republics this past Friday. "Our mission is to deny them such access."

Iran and Diplomacy

From The Opinion Journal

How the negotiating strategy is working so far.

"For two years now, the Bush Administration has willingly taken a back seat to European diplomacy to induce Iran to abandon its nuclear-weapons program. In the last few weeks, the world has been able to see what this non-cowboy strategy has achieved:

• Iran's new president has called for "a wave of Islamic revolution."

• Last week, Iranian police opened fire on a peaceful demonstration of Iranian Kurds in the city of Mahabad, reportedly killing four of the protestors.

• On the nuclear issue, denouncing The EU's offer, Tehran has resumed an early-stage uranium enrichment process at its nuclear site in Isfahan.

Recently, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Hosein Musavian, said on Iranian TV: "Thanks to the negotiations with Europe, we gained another year, in which we completed" Isfahan. Iran suspended enrichment "in Isfahan in October 2004, although we were required to do so in October 2003. . . . Today we are in a position of power. We have a stockpile of products, and during this period we have managed to convert 36 tons of yellowcake into gas and store it."

The Iranians themselves are now admitting that all of this is no happenstance but is a calculated effort to exploit what the mullahs perceive to be American weakness and Europe's lack of will.

And why shouldn't the mullahs believe this, given Europe's reaction to President Bush's routine recent comments that "all options are on the table" regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions? German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, facing an uphill election campaign, seized on the remark as an opportunity to repudiate even the possibility of using force. "We have seen it doesn't work," he declared, in a reference to Iraq. (Saddam Hussein might argue from his holding cell that it does.)"

See the entire commentary here.

"The foes who wield terror against us are not animated by grievances, real or perceived, as much by a totalitarian political ideology. Its stated goal is a global caliphate under a Taliban-like religious code. Withdrawal under fire—surrender by any other name—will not 'stop the terror.' It will ensure there is more of it here, en route to subjecting the U.S. and every other nation to the Islamofascists' dominance and Shari'a."

--—Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.

"At the time of its writing, many of the Founding Fathers opposed the Bill Of Rights being included in the Constitution because the enumeration of certain rights—which are restrictions on the federal government—might tempt the government to trample on those not spelled out. The compromise drafted to satisfy the opposition became the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. The Tenth states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. This meant that whatever was not in the Constitution or amended into it, was in the power of the states to decide. And while this amending was done as required some seventeen times after the Bill Of Rights was ratified, today, changes have simply been declared by the courts, often resulting in the trampling the founders so feared. Liberal courts aided by their legislative and media counterparts are perverting the Bill of Rights one by one. With the exception of quartering federal troops in private homes, almost all of the first ten amendments have been twisted and deformed..."

--—Lisa Fabrizio

"There's a change happening in America. Realignment is real. What the American people see is that the other party just keeps going in circles. And that's just like...when you get lost in the woods; if every time you come to a decision you lean to the left, you will wind up going in circles. Now, in contrast, we're going forward with confidence and with gusto. Gusto—that's Republican for vigor... One of the reasons the American people have turned to us is that we don't waver from our commitment to do what's necessary to keep our country safe and to secure the blessings of liberty for our children and our children's children."

--—Ronald Reagan

"The immigration business is so screwed up by government mismanagement on both sides of the border that it's hard to decide how to come down, even if you want to take a principled stand for human liberty... A good starting point is to take a lesson from the war on terror. We can't solve the problem by just beefing up internal security and remaining indifferent to those nations that breed the problem. Similarly, we have to figure out how to handle the immigration problem domestically. But we also must do something to get our neighbor to the south to clean up its act."

--—Star Parker

"Like the March of Dimes' victory against polio in the U.S., civil rights organizations can claim victory as well. At one time, black Americans did not enjoy the same constitutional guarantees as other Americans. Now we do. Because the civil rights struggle is over and won doesn't mean that all problems have vanished within the black community. A 70 percent illegitimacy rate, 65 percent of black children raised in female-headed households, high crime rates and fraudulent education are devastating problems, but they're not civil rights problems. Furthermore, their solutions do not lie in civil rights strategies. Civil rights organizations' expenditure of resources and continued focus on racial discrimination is just as intelligent as it would be for the March of Dimes to continue to expend resources fighting polio in the U.S. Like the March of Dimes, civil rights organizations should revise their agenda and take on the big, non-civil rights problems that make socioeconomic progress impossible for a large segment of the black community."

--—Walter Williams

Sunnis act to stop carve-up

IRAQ'S constitutional crisis deepened yesterday, prompting Sunni Arabs to appeal to the US to stop Shiites and Kurds from carving up the fledgling democratic state between them.

ABLE DANGER

The national media is not giving much attention to the Able Danger story. Why is this?

Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA), vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, sent a letter to the former 9/11 Commission members, also known as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, in which he refutes the Commission's claim that they were not briefed on "Able Danger". Click here to see a copy of the letter sent by Congressman Curt Weldon to the former 9/11 Commission members.

The following is a compilation of headlines and links on Able Danger for any of you who want to read up on it.

Senate Eyes Able Danger Hearings
The Senate is considering holding hearings into claims that an elite military intelligence unit had identified lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta two years before the attacks but was ordered not to alert law enforcement by Clinton administration lawyers at the Pentagon.

Bush Admin. Briefed on Able Danger After Attacks
Two weeks after the 9/11 the attacks, the Bush administration was told that a special military intelligence unit code named Able Danger had developed actionable intelligence two years earlier that could have foiled the 9/11 plot, a member of the Able Danger team revealed on Wednesday.

Officer Says Military Blocked Sharing of Files on Terrorists
A military intelligence team repeatedly contacted the F.B.I. in 2000 to warn about the existence of an American-based terrorist cell that included the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a veteran Army intelligence officer who said he had now decided to risk his career by discussing the information publicly.

Able Danger's hidden hand
The report of the September 11 Commission, once a best seller and hailed by the news media as the definitive word on the subject, must now be moved to the fiction shelves.

The commission concluded, you'll recall, that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon couldn't have been prevented, and that if there was negligence, it was as much the fault of the Bush administration (for moving slowly on the recommendations of Clinton counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke) than of the Clinton administration.

Able Danger has changed all of that.

Able Danger Whistleblower Blasts 9/11 Probers
An Army intelligence officer said Wednesday he told staff members from the Sept. 11 commission that a secret military unit had identified two of the three cells involved in the 2001 terrorist strikes more than a year before the attacks. Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, who said he was associated with the "Able Danger" unit, said that during a 2003 meeting in Afghanistan, he mentioned that the unit had identified Sept. 11 ringleader Mohamed Atta along with three other hijackers as terrorist suspects.

Lt. Col. Shaffer: Able Danger Docs Disappeared
Documents detailing the work of a top secret military intelligence unit that identified lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta before the 9/11 attacks have disappeared, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency's liaison for the group, code named Able Danger.

Able Danger: Just Another 9/11 Commission Omission
The biggest unreported story of the year -- at least, unreported by the "mainstream" media -- may be the story of Able Danger. A top secret Pentagon task force identified three of the 9/11 hijackers as terrorists in advance, including ringleader Mohammed Atta, but was told it couldn't touch them by government bureaucrats. This should be above-the-fold news in every paper in America, right? The problem is, this happened during the Clinton administration, so don't expect too much from the Liberal press, even though "Able Danger" is a cool-sounding name for a counter-terrorism operation.