"You can say 'tough' all you want and still be a wimp. Or a politician."
— Thomas Sowell

FRENCH INSANITY DIPLOMACY

"Iran [is] a great country, a great people and a great civilization which is respected and which plays a stabilizing role in the region." —French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy

"John Bolton has had a year on the job as UN ambassador to prove his worth, his ability to get things done and to prove wrong those who questioned his suitability for the job. Bolton's recess appointment will expire in January, if he is not confirmed by the Senate. And the fact is he has been the right man for the job for the past year and remains exactly the guy this nation needs at the Security Council table going forward. Is he Secretary-General Kofi Annan's favorite fellow? Not likely. But that's a good thing. Bolton has made it abundantly clear that in the wake of the oil-for-food scandal the United Nations had a lot of reforming to do within, and that job is far from over. Meanwhile he has also provided able leadership resulting—at last—in a Security Council resolution on North Korea's nuclear ambitions. He has also been tireless in pursuing UN consensus on Iran's nuclear threat. Only those blinded by political partisanship would fail to see that Bolton's leadership at the UN is even more critical in the difficult days ahead."

—The Boston Herald

TIME TO WAKE UP

"Until the American and European publics have become convinced of the present danger to them, we will continue to stumble, take half measures and fail to adequately defend ourselves." — Tony Blankley

PASSING JUDGEMENT

"Hearing the world pass judgment on the Israel-Hizballah war as it unfolds is to live in an Orwellian moral universe. With a few significant exceptions (the leadership of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and a very few others), the world—governments, the media, UN bureaucrats—has completely lost its moral bearings." — Charles Krauthammer

THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE

"State control is fundamentally bad because it denies people the power to choose and the opportunity to bear responsibility for their own actions. Conversely, privatization shrinks the power of the state and free enterprise enlarges the power of the people."
— Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

"If you have 10,000 regulations, you destroy all respect for the law."
— Sir Winston Churchill

"No one ever heard of the truth being enforced by law. When the secular is called in to sustain an idea, whether new or old, it is always a bad idea, and not infrequently it is downright idiotic." — H. L. Mencken

LAWS OF MAN

"The laws of man may bind him in chains or may put him to death, but they never can make him wise, virtuous, or happy." — John Quincy Adams

United Nations must take away Hezbollah arms
The Courier News - Elgin,IL,USA
... responsibility. A decision must be made by the United Nations to adopt the Bush administration's plan for a lasting cease-fire. ...

ACLU Accused of Profiting at Taxpayer Expense

The American Civil Liberties Union is guilty of “judicial blackmail,” according to the American Legion, which is pushing for legislation to end one of the ACLU’s streams of revenue... MORE..

WORTH FIGHTING FOR

"If you are not profoundly grateful for what you have, you will not fight for it.

Because they do not see how precious and remarkable our country is, and the great values of Western Civilization that it represents and defends are, they do not have the willingness to fight for it.

People cannot be passionately committed to what they have come to take for granted, and these people have come to take for granted the blessings of this country and this culture. The very blessings that our enemies seek to destroy.

Many of us have become too accustomed to our blessings. When you form habits, get used to the opportunities that you have, and take things for granted, one of the casualties can be your willingness to fight for it.

It is important to actively remind yourself of your blessings, so that you will have it in you to maintain and protect them." -- Dr. Joel Wade

THE PROPOGANDA WAR

"Hezbollah and its sponsors, Iran and Syria, are relying upon our soft hearts and softer heads to destroy us.

What constitutes "victory" for Hezbollah is the imposition of a cease fire that will prevent Israel from crippling the terror group, and would permit Syria and Iran to rearm it.

There is little Hezbollah, Syria or Iran can do to impose such a cease fire by force of arms. The terror group can "win" only by so tugging on heartstrings in the West that we act contrary to our interests (again).

The propaganda war matters more than ever before, but still matters less than what happens on the battlefield, where Hezbollah is getting its clock cleaned, though that's difficult to tell from the news coverage." -- Jack Kelly

Regime officials reassure Cubans

Cuba's communist leadership mounted a campaign yesterday emphasizing the revolutionary roots of Fidel Castro's brother and designated successor, Raul, while attempting to reassure Cubans that the regime remains stable after the leader's hospitalization. Read on.

Israel blasts Lebanon's last outside link

Israeli warplanes destroyed four key bridges on Lebanon's last untouched highway yesterday, severing the country's final major connection to Syria and deepening its isolation. Read more.

Hezbollah executes Lebanese 'collaborators'

Brazen display took place just feet from Israeli soldiers

The Galil Report is reporting:

"Hezbollah members yesterday executed several south Lebanese villagers it suspected of helping the Israeli army's military campaign, according to Israeli military sources.

The executions took place near Israeli positions at Bint Jbail, about two and a half miles from the Israel-Lebanon border. The village, which houses one of the largest Hezbollah infrastructures in close range to the Jewish state, was the scene last week of fierce fighting that left eight Israeli soldiers dead.

The Galil Report last week broke the story that during its initial incursion into Bin Jbail, the IDF received significant help from locals who did not flee ahead of the battle, according to military sources.

The sources said villagers provided the IDF with intelligence on the locations of Hezbollah members, buildings, institutions and, in one case, an underground bunker in which troops found war rooms with advanced eavesdropping and surveillance equipment made by Iran. The IDF also found large caches of weapons and communications devices.

"The locals see Hezbollah as having held them captive for years, using their village to fire rockets and plan attacks. They are eager to get Hezbollah out of their town," a military source told the Galil Report last week.

According to military officials, Hezbollah earlier this week took several locals from in and near Bint Jbail captive and executed them in front of dozens of witnesses yesterday just outside of town. Hezbollah accused those it executed of "collaborating" with Israel.

While the IDF was not within sight of the executions, it was operating within one-fifth of a mile from the execution site. Hezbollah continues to operate in and near Bint Jbail. About 50 to 100 Hezbollah members are thought to be in the immediate vicinity. The bodies of the executed villagers were retrieved by locals and returned to family members.

'It was a brazen display by Hezbollah,' said a military source."

By paid subscription only.

FAIR USE

THE LEFT

"I believe the Left has been wrong on virtually every great moral issue in the last 30 years. During that period, it was wrong on the Cold War—it devoted far more energy to fighting anti-communism than to fighting communism. It was wrong for attacking Israel for its destruction of Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor. It was wrong on welfare. It was wrong in its demanding less morally and intellectually from black Americans than from all other Americans. It was wrong in advocating bilingual education for children of immigrants. It was wrong in generally holding American society rather than violent criminals responsible for violent crime. It was wrong in imposing its view on abortion on America through the courts rather than through the democratic process... It was wrong in identifying 'flag waving' with fascism. It was wrong in supporting the teachers' unions rather than students and educational reform. It was wrong in allying itself with trial lawyers and blocking tort reform. It was wrong in blocking the military from recruiting on campuses and teaching a generation of young Americans that 'war is not the answer' when war is at times the one moral answer... In just about every instance, one could say that the Left was foolish, the Left was naive, the Left was wrong, even that the Left was dangerous." —Dennis Prager

"The national debate about what to do in the Middle East falls into several specific categories. There's the 'do it now' crowd and the 'do it later' crowd. It should be noted that there is also a 'let's not do anything' or a 'let's run away' crowd who are called liberals and/or Democrats. The 'do it now' crowd is now rooting for Israel to get rid of Hezbollah in Lebanon. The 'do it later' crowd advises that waiting is best, proudly pointing to how we patiently waited for the former Soviet Union to implode. But history is filled with examples of why 'do it now' is a better idea, because failure to respond to Big Trouble almost always results in Even Bigger Trouble." — Alan Caruba

"Nations crumble from within when the citizenry asks of government those things which the citizenry might better provide for itself... [I] hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts." —Ronald Reagan

"Only the morally obtuse—or perverse—cannot recognize the difference between a terrorist group that targets civilian population centers with anti-personnel weapons designed to maximize civilian casualties and a democracy that seeks to prevent terrorism by employing smart bombs designed to minimize civilian casualties. [UN Secretary General Kofi] Annan knows better than to suggest a moral equivalence. He is fully aware of the tactic employed by terrorists of launching their rockets from, and hiding behind, civilian shields, so as to make democracies have to kill some civilians to get at the terrorists... [E]ven worse than the one-sided condemnations that ignore Hezbollah and Hamas are the numerous statements that perversely suggest moral equivalence. The UN peacekeepers on the Lebanese border have turned out to be collaborators with Hezbollah, videotaping the Hezbollah kidnapping of three Israeli soldiers in 2000 and then refusing to release the video—which could have helped in the rescue—on the grounds that it might compromise their 'neutrality.' This is a real test for the UN. If it cannot—or will not—distinguish between terrorists who target civilians and a democracy that seeks to stop the terrorism while minimizing civilian casualties, it has become part of the problem, rather than part of the solution." —Alan Dershowitz

Keep John Bolton at the United Nations
Belleville News-Democrat - Belleville,IL,USA
For the last year, Ambassador John Bolton has more than ably represented the United States at the United Nations, forcefully articulating US policy and ...

Housing Bust: Just Kidding!

Some reports finally call housing market shift 'good news for buyers' after years of predicting a bubbly catastrophe ... but others stick with seller-centric 'nightmare.'

By Amy Menefee
Business & Media Institute

“Well, that noise you hear may be the sound of a bubble bursting,” said NBC’s Natalie Morales on the July 21 “Today” show. Or it could be reality pricking the hyper-inflated predictions of a bubble-happy media.

Just a moment after Morales’ comment, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was shown saying, “The downturn in the housing market so far appears to be orderly.”

As the Business & Media Institute has documented, the media have been warning of a bursting housing “bubble” for almost five years. And some reports are still emphasizing the negative. NBC continued its series titled “Housing on the Bubble” on July 25. And on July 29 ABC continued the seller-focused housing gloom. But some reporters have had to admit that previous claims of economic catastrophe were exaggerated. Continue reading.

Lebanon needs big force: France

The Peninsula On-line

"PARIS • France, which could lead a new international peace-keeping force for Lebanon, said that such a force must be big, sufficiently well armed and have precise guidelines when it comes to opening fire.

The force must be bigger than the current United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and be more than the 10,000 suggested by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said in an interview published yesterday.

Military officials in France, which has emerged as a possible leader, have said the new Lebanon force should be 15,000-20,000 strong. “There is no question of it being a UNIFIL Mark Two,” Alliot-Marie told the Le Monde daily.

“It must be a very large international force with very precise missions. It must be well-armed, have substantial firepower and armour. It must be credible and capable of making itself respected by everyone,” she added." Continue.

General briefed Murtha after murder comment, Corp says

Reuters

"WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Marine Corps briefed Rep. John Murtha on the Haditha case after the vocal war critic publicly said Marines had killed innocent civilians in that Iraqi city, the Corps said on Thursday.

A group of Marines, while suspected in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians, has not been charged, and official results from the military's investigation remain outstanding. A U.S. defense official said on Wednesday, however that evidence indicates Marines deliberately shot to death unarmed civilians.

Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is being sued by one of the accused Marines for libel. He had told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Gen. Michael Hagee had given him the information on which he based his charge that Marines killed innocent civilians.

But a spokesman for the Marine Corps said Hagee briefed Murtha on May 24 about Haditha. Murtha had made comments on the case as early as May 17.

On May 17, for example, he said at a news conference, 'Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.'

A spokeswoman for Murtha was not immediately available." More.

Dems Still Trying to Figure Out Where They Stand on Iraq War

Democrats revise strategy on Iraq
The Washington Times

"Democratic strategists yesterday said a revised proposal to begin withdrawing some U.S. troops from Iraq by year's end is a more appealing campaign position than an immediate pullout that draws little voter support.

'That is how the Democrats are going to frame this debate for the voters and that's the choice before them in this election,' former Clinton administration official John Cowan said of the proposed withdrawal, which was outlined Monday in a letter to President Bush from top congressional Democrats.
With polls showing that only a third of Democratic voters support immediate troop withdrawals, Democrats yesterday said their latest plan would offer voters a deadline-free choice between Mr. Bush's indefinite 'stay the course' approach and 'a new strategy' to pressure the Iraqi government to handle more of the fighting on their own."

An Estate Tax Twist Reverses Party Roles On Minimum Wage

"For years, organized labor has worked hard to raise the minimum wage, while business groups have campaigned to block such a change. This week in the Senate, however, the AFL-CIO is pushing to kill the wage increase while practically the entire business lobby is demanding that it pass."

OSAMA'S EVIL SPAWN IN LEB

New York Post

"A son of Osama bin Laden has gone from Iran to Lebanon with the mission to organize terror attacks against Israel, it was reported yesterday.

Saad bin Laden, 27, one of the terror mastermind's eldest sons, was released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard last Friday, according to the German daily Die Welt.

'From the Lebanese border, he has the task of building Islamist terror cells and preparing them to fight with Hezbollah,' the paper said, quoting intelligence sources.

'Apparently, Tehran is counting on recruiting Lebanese refugees in Syria for the fight against Israel, using bin Laden's help,' it added.

The young bin Laden was supposedly under house arrest in Iran" Details.

U.S. to Help Train, Equip Lebanon Army

Las Vegas SUN

"WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States plans to help train and equip the Lebanese army so it can take control of all of its territory when the warfare between Israel and Hezbollah eases, the State Department said Thursday.

The program was approved by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to take effect 'once we have conditions on the ground permitting,' said department spokesman Sean McCormack." Read on.

Australian PM Rejects Call to Softon on Hizballah -

"A Muslim advisory group set up by Australian Prime Minister John Howard to combat extremism in the Muslim community urged him Thursday to remove Hizballah from a list of outlawed terror organizations, but he refused." More..

Murtha On The Defense

WJACtv.com - Johnstown,PA,USA

Johnstown -- Thursday morning, members of the veterans group Swiftboat will meet in front of Congressman Murtha's office in downtown Johnstown to announce a ..."

WHERE IS THE UNITED NATIONS GOING?

Free Market News Network - Pompano Beach,FL,USA

"Is the United Nations losing its effectiveness? Look at some examples: In Haiti, 9,000 peacekeepers dare not venture into crime-infested ..."

Amnesia on Israel

Townhall.com
By David Aikman

Iran's President Ahmadinejad doesn't think the Holocaust actually happened and he wants Israel wiped off the map of the world. He claims that European countries created Israel after World War II by dumping into Palestine survivors of the Holocaust, in which, illogically, he doesn't believe.

Ahmadinejad has got historical amnesia. The League of Nations recognized the right of Jews to form their own state in the 1920s, confirming Britain's Balfour Declaration of 1917. In 1947 the United Nations actually voted for two states in Palestine, Arab and Jewish. The Jews accepted this vote but the Arabs didn't.

Iran is a recognized member state of the United Nations. So is Israel. It's quite without precedent for one member state to call publicly for the elimination of another. What have you got to say about that, Mr. Kofi Annan?

JUST SAY, "NO, THANK YOU"

Sheridan offers to strip on last day of trial

"TOMMY Sheridan offered to disrobe yesterday to prove how hairy he was, as he made an emotional final plea to jurors and insisted he was not a swinger or an adulterer."

Israelis take six prisoners in key raid

"A nighttime raid into the heart of Hezbollah-controlled territory, collecting several prisoners, has energized Israel's war effort, which previously had been limited to areas along the Israeli-Lebanese border."

A MUCH NEEDED AND MUCH NEEDED ABOUT FACE

Senate votes to fund the fence
"The Senate did an abrupt about-face yesterday, voting overwhelmingly to begin paying for 370 miles of fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, just three weeks after voting against the same spending."

Muslim nations demand ceasefire

Swissinfo - Switzerland
... 'We must show preparedness to contribute forces for peacekeeping operations under the United Nations banner,' Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia's prime minister ..." More..

Well, may I make a suggestion? If we could get Hezbollah (with help from Syria and Iran) to stop doing this:

Hezbollah fires most missiles yet
"Hezbollah fired its heaviest and deepest volley of rockets into Israel yesterday as Israel retaliated with 8,000 soldiers on the ground and heavy bombing." More..

Senate backs expanded offshore drilling

"The Senate wants to expand oil and gas drilling to a large chunk of the Gulf of Mexico that has been off limits to energy companies." Continue reading.

Iraq vows security takeover this year

"BAGHDAD, Iraq — President Jalal Talabani said Wednesday that Iraqi forces will take over security in all provinces in the country by the end of the year. U.S. forces currently are responsible for security in 17 of Iraq's 18 provinces." Read on.

Report: China has deployed missiles giving it second-strike capability against U.S.

Insight
"The U.S. intelligence community has determined that Beijing has developed and deployed a series of missiles that would give China second-strike nuclear capability in any confrontation with the United States. The determination of a sea-based deterrent is said to have significantly increased Beijing's threat to the United States.

'It is clear to me that China is now embarking on a significant investment in a second-strike capability to ensure the survival and, thus, viability of its nuclear forces,' said Richard Fisher, a researcher at the International Assessment and Strategy Center and a leading U.S. expert on China." Continue...

The Mideast and common sense

World Tribune.com
"Imitating American academics often practicing what one writer called social science as voodoo, the Soviets misappropriated from physics the phrase “correlation of forces” to describe the general world scene at a given moment. Others have called it the bandwagon effects, the tendency of people to join a winning side were it not their first choice. Modifying, slightly, Vince Lombardi’s famous sports quip: “winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing [in the short term].”"

Looking around the world, the combination of the Americans’ failure to achieve a quick victory in Iraq has emboldened democracy’s enemies. Added now is the result of an Israeli strategic mistake for not immediately using maximum force and its hell-for-leather effort to recoup before the world imposes a truce. Read more....

China to upgrade Iran's refinery in $2.7 billion deal

NICOSIA — Teheran has signed another major energy deal with leading energy client China which will alleviate Iran's gasoline shortage problems.

Officials said Teheran signed a $2.7 billion oil refinery upgrade deal with China to expand Iran's gasoline supply. They said China's Sinopec would increase capacity at the Arak refinery from 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day to 250,000 barrels.

"Currently, Arak refinery produces about six million liters of petrol a day, and when the upgrade operation is done the figure will reach about 16 million liters," Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh said.

Nematzadeh said the project would be completed by 2010. Iran produces 40 million liters of gasoline per day, 55 percent of its daily consumption.

"In the first place, there is not a syllable in the plan under consideration which directly empowers the national courts to construe the laws according to the spirit of the Constitution, or which gives them any greater latitude in this respect than may be claimed by the courts of every State."

-- Alexander Hamilton

The Right Position

Townhall.com
By Terry Eastland

As promised, George Bush vetoed legislation that would authorize funding of research on embryonic stem cells. These cells are harvested by destroying embryos created but not used in fertility clinics.

Unfortunately, confusion has arisen as to why the veto was cast. Some have read into comments by the president's spokesman that Bush vetoed the bill because he thinks the destruction of human embryos is "murder." Of course, if the President believes that, then he ought to propose a bill outlawing this form of murder.

The more precise way to put the president's objection is to say that the federal government shouldn't be a party to the destruction of nascent human life. It's also reasonable to see the veto in terms of federalism: That is, the federal government should leave to the states whether or not to fund something that is legal but draws strong moral objections. The Hyde Amendment is just such a federalism measure, for it leaves abortion funding to the states.

US Marine accused in Haditha case to sue Murtha

Washington Post
... John Murtha for libel after the war critic made public comments about the case and accused the serviceman of murder, attorneys said on Wednesday. ...

Well.....which is it?

So, we have Chuckie Schumer saying on July 30, as reported by The New York Sun:

A Democratic filibuster of John Bolton's nomination as United Nations ambassador is "unlikely," Senator [Chuck] Schumer said yesterday.

Mr. Schumer supported an effort last year to block Mr. Bolton's nomination from gaining a full Senate vote, but he confirmed that he is considering changing his position.

New York's senior senator said he was weighing Mr. Bolton's backing of Israel against his unwillingness to work with other countries at the United Nations. "There's a good part of Bolton. He's been a staunch and very good defender of Israel," Mr. Schumer said on CNN's "Late Edition." "There's a bad part of Bolton. He seems to have a 'go it alone' attitude at a time when we need the nations of the world on our side. We've seen that in Iran and North Korea."

But, on Thursday, July 27, in the hallowed halls of the Senate, John (I served in Viet Nam) Kerry, during a verbal sparring match with U.N. Ambassador nominee John Bolton, had this exchange:

KERRY: Well, the most that you seem to want is to go back to a six-party talk that isn't in existence.

BOLTON: No, no, quite the contrary. We said expressly ...

KERRY: Are you prepared to go to bilateral talks?

BOLTON: Quite the contrary. We said expressly that what we wanted from North Korea was not simply a return to the six-party talks, but an implementation of the September 2005 joint statement from the six-party talks which would mean their dismantlement of their nuclear weapons program.

KERRY: But this has been going on for five years, Mr. Ambassador.

BOLTON: It's the nature of multilateral negotiations, Senator.

KERRY: Why not engage in a bilateral one and get the job done?

BOLTON: I would say, Senator, that we do have the opportunity for bilateral negotiations with North Korea in the context of the six-party talks, if North Korea would come back to them.

KERRY: But what I'm trying to get at is the policy foundation itself – why insist on a six-party talk process which, it seems to me, never joins the fundamental issues between the United States and North Korea, which go back a long, long time, over Republican and Democratic administrations?

BOLTON: I think the reason for that is that the disagreement is not fundamentally a bilateral disagreement between North Korea and the United States. It's a disagreement between North Korea and everybody else about their pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability.

And the aspect of the six-party talks that we think was most important was not negotiating over the head of South Korea, which was the consequence of the agreed framework, but bringing in all of the regional partners, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China, to address this question collectively, since it was in all of our interests to do so.

So let me get this straight. Senator Flip-Flop wants Bolton and the administration to engage in bilateral talks with North Korea... and complains about six party talks ... and then 3 days later ... Chuckie-boy Schumer gives Bolton a semi-vote of confidence with a backhanded compliment as he complains about Bolton's go-it-alone style with North Korea. Which is it fellas? Is this what we will get with the Dem's in control?

ISRAEL

1. Israel is losing this war.
2. The consequences of an Israeli defeat would be ugly.

UK NATO general issues warning to Taleban

THE British commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan warned yesterday he will "strike ruthlessly" when required against Taleban rebels, after taking over command in the insurgency-ridden south of the country from the United States.

The Castro Love Affair

Reuters

Reuters reports,

Cuban President Fidel Castro, the world's third longest serving head of state, stepped down temporarily on Monday after intestinal surgery, handing over power for the first time to his brother Raul Castro, state television announced.

President? Can someone tell me when Fidel was last "elected" by the Cuban people? Just when was that election held and what is the term length specified in their "constitution"? 60 years?

Castro gave the reins of the ruling Communist Party, the post of commander in chief of the armed forces and president of the executive council of state to Raul Castro, 75, his younger brother and constitutional successor.

[Fidel] Castro, who will be 80 on August 13, said in a statement read out on television that he overexerted himself this month on a trip to a summit of South American leaders in Argentina and celebrations of his 1953 assault on a military garrison.

"This caused an acute intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obliged me to face a complicated surgical operation," he said in the "proclamation" read out by his personal aide Carlos Valenciaga.

"The operation obliges me to remain for several weeks resting, away from my responsibilities and duties," it said.

As Opinion Journal points out, some of his enthusiasts among Western journalists apparently were surprised by the relevation that Castro is a mere mortal like the rest of us.

The Associated Press 'reports' that the Cuban people obviously must be morons and were clueless to the fact that Castro was mortal, up until recently that is:

Talk of Castro's mortality was taboo until June 23, 2001, when he fainted during a speech in the sun. Although Castro quickly recovered, many Cubans understood for the first time that their leader would eventually die.

Reuters joins the love fest:

The left-wing leader has enjoyed a revival in international support. . . . Castro is admired in many Third World nations for standing up to the United States and providing free education and health care. He has won friends. . . . Castro was greeted by crowds like a rock star. . . . Anti-globalization youths see him as a hero. . . .

Yet, at home critics say Castro has subjected Cuba's 11 million people to collectivized poverty in a police state.

Plan folds for UN Lebanon peacekeepers

HOPES of a swift end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah were dealt a serious blow yesterday as the United Nations indefinitely postponed a crucial meeting to plan a new peace-keeping force for Lebanon.

Fidel Castro

A Profile:

Court OK's Look at Times' Phone Records

"Federal prosecutors investigating a leak about a terrorism funding probe can see the phone records of two New York Times reporters, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned on a 2-1 vote a lower court's ruling that the records were off limits unless prosecutors could show they had exhausted all other means of finding out who spoke to the newspaper.

The judges said a grand jury investigation of the disclosures wasn't likely to go anywhere without help from the reporters or access to their records.

'There is simply no substitute for the evidence they have,' Judge Ralph K. Winter wrote." Read on.

Poll: Johnson Leads McKinney by 15

"A new InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion poll for the Democratic primary runoff in Georgia’s 4th Congressional district shows challenger Hank Johnson maintaining his lead over incumbent U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney by a full 15 percentage points as the runoff election looms closer.

McKinney’s totals moved up from the last poll late last week, but she still sat well behind former DeKalb County Commissioner Johnson." Continue.

Related: McKinney, Johnson Debate Monday Was Nasty

UNSC gives Tehran Aug 31 deadline
Pakistan Dawn - Karachi,Pakistan
UNITED NATIONS, July 31: The United Nations Security Council on Monday passed a watered down resolution which urged Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment by ...

United Nations in decline

Regional bodies more effective in developing co-operative approaches to security and defence, says Jennifer Welsh

August 1, 2020 (New York) — Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, Jasmine Basran, is taping up the last of her boxes as the movers empty out her large office on Manhattan's Second Ave. "We just couldn't justify such a large space when our mission to the UN has been so reduced." There was barely a whimper in Canada when the Department of Foreign Affairs announced in 2018 that staffing for Canada's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York would be cut from more than 30 to fewer than 10. "Our diplomatic presence now needs to be concentrated elsewhere, particularly at the Canadian mission to NATO in Brussels," Basran explains. More.

Israel on high alert

From The Galil Report
(Paid subscription only)

Israel on high alert for massive attack
Fears terrorists will open '3rd front' alongside Gaza, Lebanon

"Aside from the usual threat of suicide bombings inside Israel, the Jewish state is on high alert after receiving information Palestinian terrorist groups are looking to open a "third front" by carrying out a massive attack "much bigger" than a suicide bombing, according to intelligence officials."

Galil Report sources in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the so-called "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, said they signed a letter this week pledging to aid Hezbollah. The letter – also signed by the leaders of Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees terrorist groups – promises attacks against Israel. It states Palestinian groups are ready to coordinate "resistance activities" to coincide with Hezbollah operations.

The Al Aqsa sources said Palestinian terrorist groups would attempt a "big attack" inside Israel.

The Galil Report has learned Israel last week thwarted a large-scale bombing after it arrested members of Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees crossing into the country from Jordan. The terrorists had planned to carry out an attack in the south of the country, possibly against a hotel in Eilat or on the Dead Sea."

US Navy seizes 6 tons of cocaine on Peruvian boat
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
... seas. Peru, located in South America's notorious drug-producing "Silver Triangle," produces nearly 300 tons of cocaine every year.

VERNON ROBINSON

If you have not heard or seen the video of Vernon Robinson's commercial, go here. Mr. Robinson is running as a Republican for Congress in the state of North Carolina. I saw it a couple of weeks ago and then it slipped from my memory. I actually think the commercial is pretty good.

Bolton of lightning at U.N.

Thursday, July 27, 2006 in the hallowed halls of the Senate, an alleged war hero received his first ''earned'' Purple Heart. During a battle with U.N. Ambassador nominee John Bolton, John F. (I served in Vietnam) Kerry received life threatening political wounds and a good old-fashioned bloody nose. This time the wounds were real, well documented and likely requiring far more treatment than the wounds that earned Senator Kerry his first three Purple Hearts." Continue.

Terror's playbook

Al Qaeda manual is a blueprint for hate that reveals a sinister plot to invade & conquer: Few realize magnitude of al-Qaida threat Few realize magnitude of al-Qaida threat.

By WILLIAM F. McCANTS

Most Americans know that Al Qaeda and its franchises are willing to sink to any depth to destroy the United States. But few people realize just how deep those depths are. Read on.

Who's really riding the weaker horse?

"When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse."

– Osama bin Ladin

"In examining the events of the past five years, it is increasingly apparent that Western leaders and commentators alike have fundamentally misconceived the relative positions of the primary parties in this third great wave of Islamic expansion. While there are nearly as many grand strategic recommendations floating around the Internet as there are editorialists, it is intriguing to note that virtually none of the Western analysts have grasped the basic reality that from the perspective from which a clash of civilizations must be considered, it is the West that is the weak horse.

The overwheening confidence which so often colors statements from men such as bin Laden and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad always rings strange in Western ears. It stands so powerfully at variance with what we know of Western wealth, technology and military advantages that it seems to be indicative of false bravado at best, at worst, clinical insanity. The fact that this sort of thing sounds exactly like Baghdad Bob's surreal rantings only makes it that much more difficult for anyone to take it seriously." Continue.

French ban nudity

The Daily Telegraph: "PARISIAN sunbathers will no longer be allowed to go nude or wear g-strings on the capital's artificial beaches and risk a fine if they are caught baring their breasts or buttocks.
City hall has issued a decree banning indecent clothing to preserve the tranquillity of the sandy beaches created on the banks of the River Seine every summer since 2001.

'People must behave according to good standards to maintain tranquillity, security and public order,' the decree said, according to Saturday's edition of Le Parisien. 'Notably indecent attire (nude sunbathing, g-strings and toplessness etc) is forbidden.'

The city police will be enforcing the rules, and anyone caught baring too much flesh risks a 38 euro ($A63) fine.

Defending the decree, city hall sports official Pascal Cherki told Le Parisien that indecent clothing 'could have led to temptations and dangerous behaviour on the banks of the river.'"

Gitmo Guards Often Attacked by Detainees

"The prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay during the war on terror have attacked their military guards hundreds of times, turning broken toilet parts, utensils, radios and even a bloody lizard tail into makeshift weapons, Pentagon reports say.

Incident reports reviewed by The Associated Press indicate Military Police guards are routinely head-butted, spat upon and doused by 'cocktails' of feces, urine, vomit and sperm collected in meal cups by the prisoners." Read on.

Photos that damn Hezbollah

Herald Sun:
"THIS is the picture that damns Hezbollah. It is one of several, smuggled from behind Lebanon's battle lines, showing that Hezbollah is waging war amid suburbia.

The images, obtained exclusively by the Sunday Herald Sun, show Hezbollah using high-density residential areas as launch pads for rockets and heavy-calibre weapons."

For photos and full article, go here.

Israel Approves Wider Ground Offensive

"Israel's prime minister declared Monday that there would be no cease- fire with Hezbollah guerrillas, apologizing for the deaths of Lebanese civilians but saying 'we will not give up on our goal to live a life free of terror.' His Security Cabinet approved widening the ground offensive.

Israeli warplanes hit Hezbollah fighters battling with soldiers near the border as the guerrillas fired mortars into Israel. But an Israeli suspension of most airstrikes in Lebanon - and a pause by the guerrillas on rocket attacks in northern Israel - brought both countries their quietest day since the conflict began three weeks ago." Read on.

Israel not to blame for Qana deaths?

WorldNetDaily:
"TEL AVIV – Israel might not be to blame for the collapse of a building yesterday in south Lebanon that reportedly killed 58 civilians, drawing worldwide condemnation and calls for an immediate end to the Jewish state's attack on Hezbollah's infrastructure, according to an initial investigation.

The Israel Air Force yesterday fired a missile at a building in the Lebanese town of Qana, believing the structure was used as a refuge by Hezbollah members.

The Israeli army last week and again this weekend warned Qana residents to vacate the area. Israeli drones picked up images of Hezbollah members entering and exiting the vicinity of the targeted building, military officials say. They said Hezbollah likely used the building to take refuge immediately following the launching of rockets from the area." Read on.

Raise readiness, Assad tells Syrian Army

Reuters.com:
"DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the Syrian military on Monday to raise its readiness, pledging not to abandon support for Lebanese resistance against Israel.

In an annual address on the anniversary of the foundation of the Syria Arab Army, Assad called on the military to 'work on more preparedness and raise readiness of all units.

'We are facing international circumstances and regional challenges that require caution, alertness, readiness and preparedness,' Assad said in the written address." More.

Judge's decision kills family-friendly flicks

WorldNetDaily:
"Recent legal battles have taken a devastating toll on CleanFilms, Family Flix and other companies that edit scenes containing sex, nudity, profanity and excessive violence from mainstream movies to provide a viewing alternative for families concerned over explicit video content.

In a letter to customers, CleanFilms Chief Executive Officer Ken Roberts regretfully announced that a Colorado ruling has forced the company to close the business. The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado sided with major film studios July 6, contending that the 'mechanical editing parties' violated copyright law." More.

Michael Moore claims: Republicans hug me now

"Controversial film director Michael Moore now claims that Republicans who once strongly opposed his political point of view are warming up to him, even hugging him in public.

'If you were to hang out with me here it won't be five or 10 minutes before you see a Republican hug me. That is almost as entertaining as some of the films,' Moore told Reuters."

Click here for audio.

Click here for rest of story.

WHY CAN'T WE DO THIS?

SNP plans for smaller government

A RADICAL plan to curb the size of government in Scotland - including cutting the number of Executive departments, appointing fewer ministers and reducing civil service numbers - will be at the heart of the Scottish National Party's Holyrood election manifesto.

Courts cater to Spanish speakers

Maryland and Virginia court officials say their budgets for Spanish-language interpreters have increased about 10 percent annually over the past decade as more immigrants and illegal aliens have settled in the area. Read on.

Remember This

The next time you hear how evil the United States is, which could be any minute now, since the "Global Community" likes to proclaim this as often as they can and the media is more than willing to accomodate, remember this:

GULU, Uganda -- When he was 6, Sam was kidnapped. He spent the next six years as a captive of a rebel army, where he was forced to kill other children, sometimes by biting the skin off a screaming victim who would slowly bleed to death.

For nearly two decades, northern Uganda has faced the terror of an army of child predators. The children live in a wilderness of towering elephant grass and attack at night. They have been known to attack villages -- killing all but the children between 6 and 15, whom they take away.

The abducted children either face a horrible death or end up like Sam, now 12, who was rescued in April by the Ugandan army. Girls have the added burden of being assigned as "wives" to senior commanders of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Its leader Joseph Kony, is said to have about 50 wives.

Northern Uganda is like the Darfur crisis in slow motion -- a tragedy that is too tiny to attract the attention of movie stars and others with the ability to focus international outrage.

Sam's rescue has given him a fleeting chance to recover a tiny piece of a stolen childhood. But as he enters his teen years, and his dimpled soft features begin to harden, he faces a new hurdle: His parents fear him and were reluctant to take him back.

Like nearly 20,000 other children who have been rescued or managed to escape their captors, Sam has gone through a brief period of rehabilitation with trained counselors.

Yet the program is too short to deal with what often becomes a lifetime struggle with nightmares, flashbacks, fear and unexpected mood swings, known in the West as the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Full article at the Washington Times.

Sri Lankan Troops Move Closer to Rebel-Held Water Supply

The Sri Lankan Air Force says it has bombed Tamil Tiger positions in the northeast after the insurgents fired at troops advancing on a rebel-held irrigation canal.

The government says the soldiers came under mortar fire Sunday, adding that the troops’ advance is also being slowed by land mines in the area.

The military accuses the Tamil Tigers of blocking a sluice gate in Trincomalee district to choke water supplies to thousands of Sinhalese farmers on government land.

The Tamil rebels have threatened the army with severe consequences if it enters territory they control." Read more.

Castro Goons Attack U.S. Reporter

By Humberto Fontova

U.S. Reporter Attacked by Castro Goons in Argentina
It only took fifity years but a U.S. reporter finally asked Fidel Castro a pertinent question. This journalistic landmark took place last week while Castro visited Argentina. Castro (naturally) went ballistic. Why, the NERVE!!”You’re a mercenary paid by the Bush!” he shrieked. “Who pays you? You’ll probably try to assassinate me with a bomb!”

As Castro yelled and sputtered, his bodyguards pounced on the offending reporter placing him in a choke hold and threatening much worse if he persisted in his impertinence.

The reporter who provoked Castro’s wrath in Argentina is Cuban-born Juan Manuel Cao, who works for a Spanish-language TV station in Miami.

He simply asked why Castro refused to let one of his subjects, Mrs. Hilda Molina, leave Cuba to visit her son and grandchildren in Argentina." Continue...

Whither Bush Concern for Americans and the US Constitution?

By John Lillpop

As illegal aliens continue to invade America across our unsecured southern border, GW Bush, America’s alleged war-on-terror chief, is said to be unwilling to take a hard-line approach to stop the invasion.

The president’s refusal is said to be based on ‘concern’ about offending illegal aliens.

Concern about offending illegal aliens? What in the hell is this naive president smoking?

How about some good old -fashioned presidential concern for American citizens, Mr. President?" Read more.

Based on a Big Lie, the UN Condemns the US for Executing Murderers

By Jim Kouri, CPP

With terrorists indiscriminately killing civilians throughout the world, Muslims committing genocide in Africa, and a legitimate government being overthrown in Somalia, the United Nations has truly stepped up to the plate and condemned … the United States.

The US government should suspend all death sentences, a United Nations human rights committee announced on Friday. The supposedly unbiased group based its citation on the fact that capital punishment appears to be disproportionately imposed on minority groups and poor people, which most studies show is The Big Lie about the death penalty." Read more of The Big Lie.

Is Viktor B. Flying for Somali Islamists?

By Douglas Farah

Twice in one week the airport at Mogadishu, Somalia, was the scene of something almost unseen in the past decade-the landing of two large Soviet-era IL-76 cargo planes, among the biggest in the world, capable of carryng more than 50 tons in its hold. The airport is under the control of the Islamis militias that are intent on turning Somalia into an Islamic nation governed by a radical vision of what sharia law implies. Few flights have landed there at all in the past decade.

News reports from the scene said the aircraft unloaded large amounts of boxes believed to be weapons, into the waiting trucks of the Islamist militias. Little more could be garnered because the militiamen drove off onlookers and journalists.

On the first flight, the plane was painted with the "UN" markings denoting Kazakstan registration, with no other identifiers. The second flight may have been the same aircraft, and if not, was a similar Il-76, and was met by at least six trucks to facilitate the offloading of the cargo.

The BBC reported that "credible sources said that flight originated in Eritrea carrying anti-aircraft guns, uniforms, AK47s and several senior Eritrean officers." AFP managed to squeeze off one picture showing trucks on the ground unloading the aircraft.

From Counterterrorism Blog.

Belgian's Thought Police Harassing Journalist

Belgian Regime Keeps Harassing The Brussels Journal
By Paul Belien

This morning, a police officer from the 'Projectcel Mensenhandel en Vreemdelingen' (Project Cell Human Trafficking and Foreigners) came to my door to question me about alledged 'racist' articles on this website. I was not in. My son was told to tell me to contact the police asap in order to make an appointment for interrogation. Apparently crime statistics in Belgium are so low that the police have nothing better to do than harrass journalists. However, since my lawyer is on vacation they will have to wait. The Belgian regime has decided to intimidate me in the hope to close down this website.

Mr. Belien also tells us that he is becoming "quite a regular" at his local police station. Last month they questioned him for something so dastardly ...... so grievous ...... they questioned him about ..... homeschooling his children. How can they properly turn those young brains into mush if they learn at home? It is a crime of horrific proportions, I tell you.