Trouble in Darfur - it's all a conspiracy theory!

The Sudanese president - he who has presided over a genocide - has declared that the US and Britain are "conspiring against the country as diplomats to adopt a resolution, giving the UN authority over the region as peacekeepers." He said there is a move to "colonize" his country. The audacity of this man knows no bounds. This same man earlier blamed Jewish organizations for pushing for peacekeeping troops. The fact that this man is a leader of a nation - allowing a genocide of his own countryman - and then has the gaul to say such statements is enough to make one vomit. A genocide is okay - but let's not take away Sudan's autonomy! Oh no, that would be...bad! *rolls eyes* It's also, sadly, typical of the attitude of the radical Muslim world. "We can do whatever atrocity we want against our own people. We can genocide, rape, maim, kill, and/or mutilate our own people. But don't you dare stop us, because otherwise you are 'in it for the oil,' or 'colonizers,' or 'out to control the world,' or 'hate Muslims.' Never mind that these bastards are free to - and freely - call for the death of nonMuslims and a return to Sharia law. Never mind that they themselves actually hate nonMuslims. They will cry bloody murder if you insinuate that THEIR actions are wrong. Just sad, sad, sad. The worst part about it is that we are buying into it. We actually believe there are things we can do to appease these bastards, when in fact appeasing them makes them believe they can ask for more. You give them a finger, they want a hand. You give them a hand, they want an arm, and so on. I am so sick of a dialogue that even takes a man like the Sudanese president seriously. I am so sick of a media that accepts such a cretin as a member of the human race!

I'm aliiiive!

Hey all! I just thought I would say hello, and that I am back from Toronto. I had the absolute time of my life in Toronto - it was just what I needed. While I prefer NYC, I felt like I could actually live in Toronto. I cannot say I felt the same about any other city, save London. Who knows what the future will bring? In any case, I will definitely be back in Toronto, because I feel that I left a part of myself in that fair city. I also have started work - having started last week - so my life has gotten much more hectic. More updates will follow. It is just hard for me to think of what to say at this point. It seems there is so much rhetoric being bandied about that the truth gets lost. We are all stuck in our truthiness worlds. I was at a party last weekend, and I spoke to someone who considers herself a religious Jew, and yet she is "anti-zionist," and "pro-Israel." I have no freaking clue how one can consider oneself that, and be a member of the group of people I call "reality-based." The facts on the ground are that it is absolutely impossible to have a "one state solution," unless one desires an Israel that is terrorist run. Fun times, eh? Overall, it just felt good to sort of step away from this situation for two weeks, take a breather, and recharge myself. I am thinking of ways to reach out to those on the fence and others like them, but honestly, at this point, I am sort of out of ideas. I just hope that the fence sitters decide to open their eyes and read the tremendous amount of hate out there being broadcast against Jews and the US - go to memri.org, and then report back. It really is an eye opening experience. The media is not exaggerating the hate. Rather, the hate is being minimized by the mainstream media. But I am happily calm and relaxed at the moment. I guess that's what Canada and a major car accident en route to Canada does to a person! (yes, I was in a car accident, yes I am fine)

Oxford Animal Lab protests

This is a video made by the animal rights group Speak. It will give you a flavour of the atmosphere in Oxford when those protests take place. The fact that there is an injunction banning large protests from certain parts of Oxford seems to be ignored by Speak. Though it has to be said the police do tend to get heavy handed during most protests that take place around the UK. There is a counter protest group called Pro-Test which was started by a 16 year old. It is time for a rational debate about medical research using animals as test subjects. I'm only for medical research using animals when the experiments can be justified using the scientific method. As for people who say we can use computers instead of animals ? Computers are as yet not advanced enough to model living organisms accurately. Though there will come a time when computers can model living organisms in real time.

Airport security scare

Turns out a second round of tests of on suspect liquids turned out to be negative for explosives. But at least this shows that airport's in america do pick things up that are no longer allowed on planes in the handbaggage. The liquids have been sent off to the FBI for further tests, thats probably to make a final check on what the liquids are. BBC Report CNN Report

Oh, and P.S....

Alaa said that he is planning a campaign to help Hala. Let's hope that's true and he is able to help her.

Going to Toronto

...Will be back on Sunday. I hope the world doesn't go too much to hell until then! Kevin will be in charge while I am away. :-)

Hitler, The Mufti Of Jerusalem And Modern Islamo Nazism

MUST WATCH VIDEO! I am shaking in horror, watching this video. Of course, I have known about the ties between Hitler and the Mufti for years now, but seeing this video just brings it all to a chilling reality. Next time you have some person looking into "why they hate us," ask them if it mattered why Hitler hated the Jews. The bottom line is that Hitler had to be defeated, just as the Islamofascism MUST be defeated. Please send this video to all your friends! (and thanks to Little Green Footballs for linking it) Simply chilling.

This is for real! A letter by Vernon Chong, Major General, ASAF, Retired

My dad forwarded me the following email written by a general in the US Air Force. I think it sums up the war we face with Islamofascists quite well. Go take a read: -------------------------------- This WAR is for REAL! Dr. Vernon Chong, Major General, USAF, Retired Tuesday, July 12, 2005 To get out of a difficulty, one usually must go through it. Our country is now facing the most serious threat to its existence, as we know it, that we have faced in your lifetime and mine (which includes WWII). The deadly seriousness is greatly compounded by the fact that there are very few of us who think we can possibly lose this war and even fewer who realize what losing really means. First, let's examine a few basics: 1. When did the threat to us start? Many will say September 11, 2001. The answer as far as the United State is concerned is 1979, 22 years prior to September 2001, with the following attacks on us: * Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979; * Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983; * Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983; * Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988; * First New York World Trade Center attack 1993; * Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996; * Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998; * Dares Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998; * Aden, Yemen USS Cole 2000; * New York World Trade Center 2001; * Pentagon 2001. (Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist attacks worldwide). 2. Why were we attacked? Envy of our position, our success, and our freedoms. The attacks happened during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2. We cannot fault either the Republicans or Democrats as there were no provocations by any of the presidents or their immediate predecessors, Presidents Ford or Carter. 3. Who were the attackers? In each case, the attacks on the US were carried out by Muslims. 4. What is the Muslim population of the World? 25%. 5. Isn't the Muslim Religion peaceful? Hopefully, but that is really not material. There is no doubt that the predominately Christian population of Germany was peaceful, but under the dictatorial leadership of Hitler (who was also Christian), that made no difference. You either went along with the administration or you were eliminated. There were 5 to 6 million Christians killed by the Nazis for political reasons (including 7,000 Polish priests). (see http://www.nazis.testimony.co.uk/7-a.htm ) Thus, almost the same number of Christians were killed by the Nazis, as the six million holocaust Jews who were killed by them, and we seldom heard of anything other than the Jewish atrocities. Although Hitler kept the world focused on the Jews, he had no hesitancy about killing anyone who got in his way of exterminating the Jews or of taking over the world - German, Christian or any others. Same with the Muslim terrorists. They focus the world on the US, but kill all in the way -- their own people or the Spanish, French or anyone else. The point here is that just like the peaceful Germans were of no protection to anyone from the Nazis, no matter how many peaceful Muslims there may be, they are no protection for us from the terrorist Muslim leaders and what they are fanatically bent on doing -- by their own pronouncements -- killing all of us "infidels." I don't blame the peaceful Muslims. What would you do if the choice was shut up or die? 6. So who are we at war with? There is no way we can honestly respond that it is anyone other than the Muslim terrorists. Trying to be politically correct and avoid verbalizing this conclusion can well be fatal. There is no way to win if you don't clearly recognize and articulate who you are fighting. So with that background, now to the two major questions: 1. Can we lose this war? 2. What does losing really mean? If we are to win, we must clearly answer these two pivotal questions We can definitely lose this war, and as anomalous as it may sound, the major reason we can lose is that so many of us simply do not fathom the answer to the second question - What does losing mean? It would appear that a great many of us think that losing the war means hanging our heads, bringing the troops home and going on about our business, like post Vietnam. This is as far from the truth as one can get. What losing really means is: We would no longer be the premier country in the world. The attacks will not subside, but rather will steadily increase. Remember, they want us dead, not just quiet. If they had just wanted us quiet, they would not have produced an increasing series of attacks against us, over the past 18 years. The plan was clearly, for terrorist to attack us, until we were neutered and submissive to them. We would of course have no future support from other nations, for fear of reprisals and for the reason that they would see, we are impotent and cannot help them. They will pick off the other non-Muslim nations, one at a time. It will be increasingly easier for them. They already hold Spain hostage. It doesn't matter whether it was right or wrong for Spain to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Spain did it because the Muslim terrorists bombed their train and told them to withdraw the troops. Anything else they want Spain to do will be done. Spain is finished. The next will probably be France. Our one hope on France is that they might see the light and realize that if we don't win, they are finished too, in that they can't resist the Muslim terrorists without us. However, it may already be too late for France. France is already 20% Muslim and fading fast! If we lose the war, our production, income, exports and way of life will all vanish as we know it. After losing, who would trade or deal with us, if they were threatened by the Muslims. If we can't stop the Muslims, how could anyone else? The Muslims fully know what is riding on this war, and therefore are completely committed to winning, at any cost. We better know it too and be likewise committed to winning at any cost. Why do I go on at such lengths about the results of losing? Simple. Until we recognize the costs of losing, we cannot unite and really put 100% of our thoughts and efforts into winning. And it is going to take that 100% effort to win. So, how can we lose the war? Again, the answer is simple. We can lose the war by "imploding." That is, defeating ourselves by refusing to recognize the enemy and their purpose, and really digging in and lending full support to the war effort If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. If we continue to be divided, there is no way that we can win! Let me give you a few examples of how we simply don't comprehend the life and death seriousness of this situation. President Bush selects Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation. Although all of the terrorist attacks were committed by Muslim men between 17 and 40 years of age, Secretary Mineta refuses to allow profiling. Does that sound like we are taking this thing seriously? This is war! For the duration, we are going to have to give up some of the civil rights we have become accustomed to. We had better be prepared to lose some of our civil rights temporarily or we will most certainly lose all of them permanently. And don't worry that it is a slippery slope. We gave up plenty of civil rights during WWII, and immediately restored them after the victory and in fact added many more since then. Do I blame President Bush or President Clinton before him? No, I blame us for blithely assuming we can maintain all of our Political Correctness, and all of our civil rights during this conflict and have a clean, lawful, honorable war. None of those words apply to war. Get them out of your head. Some have gone so far in their criticism of the war and/or the Administration that it almost seems they would literally like to see us lose. I hasten to add that this isn't because they are disloyal. It is because they just don't recognize what losing means. Nevertheless, that conduct gives the impression to the enemy that we are divided and weakening. It concerns our friends, and it does great damage to our cause. Of more recent vintage, the uproar fueled by the politicians and media regarding the treatment of some prisoners of war, perhaps exemplifies best what I am saying. We have recently had an issue, involving the treatment of a few Muslim prisoners of war, by a small group of our military police. These are the type prisoners who just a few months ago were throwing their own people off buildings, cutting off their hands, cutting out their tongues and otherwise murdering their own people just for disagreeing with Saddam Hussein. And just a few years ago these same type prisoners chemically killed 400,000 of their own people for the same reason. They are also the same type of enemy fighters, who recently were burning Americans, and dragging their charred corpses through the streets of Iraq. And still more recently, the same type of enemy that was and is providing videos to all news sources internationally, of the beheading of American prisoners they held. Compare this with some of our press and politicians, who for several days have thought and talked about nothing else but the "humiliating" of some Muslim prisoners -- not burning them, not dragging their charred corpses through the streets, not beheading them, but "humiliating" them. Can this be for real? The politicians and pundits have even talked of impeachment of the Secretary of Defense. If this doesn't show the complete lack of comprehension and understanding of the seriousness of the enemy we are fighting, the life and death struggle we are in and the disastrous results of losing this war, nothing can. To bring our country to a virtual political standstill over this prisoner issue makes us look like Nero playing his fiddle as Rome burned -- totally oblivious to what is going on in the real world. Neither we, nor any other country, can survive this internal strife. Again I say, this does not mean that some of our politicians or media people are disloyal. It simply means that they are absolutely oblivious to the magnitude, of the situation we are in and into which the Muslim terrorists have been pushing us, for many years. Remember, the Muslim terrorists stated goal is to kill all infidels! That translates into ALL non-Muslims -- not just in the United State, but throughout the world. We are the last bastion of defense. We have been criticized for many years as being 'arrogant.' That charge is valid in at least one respect. We are arrogant in that we believe that we are so good, powerful and smart, that we can win the hearts and minds of all those who attack us, and that with both hands tied behind our back, we can defeat anything bad in the world! We can't! If we don't recognize this, our nation as we know it will not survive, and no other free country in the world will survive if we are defeated. And finally, name any Muslim countries throughout the world that allow freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, equal rights for anyone -- let alone everyone, equal status or any status for women, or that have been productive in one single way that contributes to the good of the world. This has been a long way of saying that we must be united on this war or we will be equated in the history books to the self-inflicted fall of the Roman Empire If, that is, the Muslim leaders will allow history books to be written or read. If we don't win this war right now, keep a close eye on how the Muslims take over France in the next 5 years or less. They will continue to increase the Muslim population of France and continue to encroach little by little, on the established French traditions. The French will be fighting among themselves, over what should or should not be done, which will continue to weaken them and keep them from any united resolve. Doesn't that sound eerily familiar? Democracies don't have their freedoms taken away from them by some external military force. Instead, they give their freedoms away, politically correct piece by politically correct piece. And they are giving those freedoms away to those who have shown, worldwide that they abhor freedom and will not apply it to you or even to themselves, once they are in power. They have universally shown that when they have taken over, they then start brutally killing each other over who will be the few who control the masses. Will we ever stop hearing from the politically correct, about the "peaceful Muslims"? I close on a hopeful note, by repeating what I said above. If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. I hope now after the election, the factions in our country will begin to focus on the critical situation we are in, and will unite to save our country. It is your future we are talking about! Do whatever you can to preserve it. After reading the above, we all must do this not only for ourselves, but our children, our grandchildren, our country and the world. Whether Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal and that include the Politicians and media of our country and the free world! Please forward this to any you feel may want, or NEED to read it. Our "leaders" in Congress ought to read it, too. There are those that find fault with our country, but it is obvious to anyone who truly thinks through this, that we must UNITE! If you would like to see who this fellow is go to this Air Force web sight and look him up. http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5000

What you can do for Hala

As I have written, Hala Helmy Botros is having her life threatened and was forced to shut down her blog, because it was critical of the way Egypt treats the Coptic Christian population. Well, I decided to start a campaign to SPEAK OUT against such censorship. PLEASE: write to your local Egyptian consulate. Tell them that you will NOT stand for such censorship by a 'democracy,' and that you value freedom of speech. The website with consulate addresses is right here. The address of the Egyptian consulate for the United States is as follows: The Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt 3521 International Ct. NW Washington DC 20008 Phone (202) 895 5400 Fax (202) 244 5131 (202) 244 4319 embassy@egyptembdc.org PLEASE contact your local embassy, and tell them you will not stand for this. Together, we can make a difference. UPDATE: I have written a template letter for you all to copy and paste into your emails. To whom it may concern: I am writing about Hala Helmy Botros, a young lady whose family's life was harassed, and was forced to shut down her website, simply because it was critical of the way Egypt treats Coptic Christians. The story was chronicled on the Reporters Without Borders website right here: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18563 Ms. Botros now has to live with her phone wiretapped and her moves followed - merely because she spoke her mind. In short, there is a policy of intimidating, in the effort of shutting her up. Egypt is supposed to be a 'democracy,' and it is the third largest recipient of U.S. aid money in the world. For a democracy to act this way is simply unacceptable. Actions must be taken to rectify this situation immediately. In order for a 'democracy' to flourish, citizens must feel free to speak their minds without censorship and intimidation. I hope this matter receives the attention it deserves. Sincerely, ________, concerned citizen

Great Muslims Part III

This Muslim is possibly the bravest and greatest of the ones I have chronicled thus far. Her story is also terribly tragic and speaks volumes about the lack of women's rights in the Muslim world. However, it's a story of hope and survival, and is actually incredibly inspirational. This is the story of Mukhtaran Bibi. Bibi was gang raped by tribesmen in retaliation for the supposed (false) crimes of her brother (oooh, he had a girlfriend, the horror!). You can call it an "honor gang rape." (pukes at the concept) The usual response to such an atrocity is to stay silent - out of fear of death. But unlike others, Bibi refused to stay silent. She went to file charges. However, the disgusting fact is that in Pakistan, four male witnesses are needed to confirm any rape. In the case where there are even four male witnesses, it is usually because the men were all responsible for the rape itself. She was supposed to have committed suicide after the rape. She refused to do this. When Bibi went public with her brutal rape, she refused to stay at the local level - she went international. This even made Time Magazine. Eventually, the government of Pakistan awarded her the equivalent of $8,500 in compensation for her rape. Bibi used the money to build two local schools: one for girls, and one for boys. There were previously no local schools for girls and no way for girls to get an education. Her attackers were also sentenced to death, but eventually acquitted. Later, when Bibi was to fly to London at the behest of Amnesty International, Pakistan put her on a no-fly list, a move that prompted protests aroound the world. Nick Kristoff of the NY Times reported that she was under house arrest. Eventually it was revealed that Musharaff put Bibi on the no-fly list in order to "protect Pakistan's image abroad." (ironically, this move made Pakistan look ten times worse) Eventually, Bibi was allowed to travel at will, and was awarded the "Woman of the Year" award by Glamour Magazine. Bibi has spoken at the United Nations about women's rights, and on October 31, 2006, is scheduled to release her memoirs. Her story is an incredible tale of hope and survival. It is inspirational to the world. It is an example of how one woman can fight injustice and barbarism, and come out ahead, despite all odds.

Is the proverbial sh*t hitting the fan?

Mustapha over at Beirut Spring is not impressed with Nasrallah's latest speech, where he vowed NOT to disarm. And evidently, neither are many other Lebanese. Is the tide turning? Ammar over at Amarji-Heretic's Blog thinks calls Assad a "Village Idiot" for aligning with Hizballah. Lebanese Political Journal weighs in, and is very unhappy with Hizballah and thinks assassinations of the politicians who don't support Hizballah are to follow. All of these bloggers never supported Hizballah, but they also never supported Israel's actions in Lebanon. With Nasrallah's speech, however, they seem to have reached the level of exasperation. Maybe the world will see him for the monster that he is. (doubtful) Maybe the world will see that the UN "cease fire" is a flat out joke. Maybe. When Nasrallah and Assad give the speeched they are giving...maybe people will finally wake up and take notice. Naaaaaaah. They didn't notice before when Nasrallah called for the death to all Jews, and no one did anything when Assad's daddy massacred Syrians at Hama, so why exactly would anyone listen or care to what Nasrallah and Assad Jr are saying now? The world doesn't care. The world is too stymied to sit up and take notice when mass murderers openly call for genocide. The only time they listen is when an actual genocide is already in full swing, and thousands, if not millions, of people have already died. Such is the case in the Darfur right now, where no one cares or is listening to the cries of the Sudanese, such was the case of the Rwandans, such was the case of the Khmer Rouge...and such was the case for the Jews during the Holocaust. No one cares until there is such a mass number of deaths, that caring is sort of unavoidable. It's easier to place one's head in the sand and ignore the problem. But guess what: problems don't go away by ignoring them. And I see already the buddings of the acknowledgement of this.

Great Muslims - Part Two

The second person in my "great Muslims" series is Fareed Zakaria. Fareed Zakaria was born in India in 1964 and is a writer and journalist specializing in international relations. Zakaria is a regular roundtable member of This Week with George Stephanapoulos, an analyst for ABC News, and hosts his own show on PBS, Foreign Exchange. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, he received his B.A. from Yale, where he was president of the Yale Student Union, and his PhD from Harvard. Zakaria regularly interviews world leaders, and has written three books, most recently one titled The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad. A great interview with Zakaria can be found in the Village Voice, right here. Dubbed "an intellectual heartthrob" by Jon Stewart, his opinion is widely sought after as one of the few public intellectuals who can make sense of the rise of Islamofascism. Fluent in many languages and a man of many interests, Zakaria was even Slate Magazine's wine columnist at one point. The Future of Freedom was published in the spring of 2003 and became a New York Times bestseller as well as a bestseller in several other countries. It has been translated into over eighteen languages. In it, he argues that democracy works best in societies when it is preceded by "constitutional liberalism," which he defines as the rule of law, rights of property, contract, and individual freedoms. He has written that historically liberty has preceded democracy, not the other way around. This is something I tend to agree with, and it is why I am cynical about the chance of democracy succeeding anytime SOON in Iraq. (but believe there is a chance for its long term survival) Zakaria is my second "Great Muslim." Third on my list will be a noted Muslim feminist.

Michael Totten writes of his travels to Northern Israel

...and it sounds much like Lisa Goldman's. Go read it! Michael Totten is very eloquent. I think there is simply the widespread phenomenom to tune out extraneous details in order to get through the day. For instance, after 9/11, I moved to NYC and started working in Times Square, in the Conde Nast building. I knew I was working in a target - a famous building where movies have been filmed, in the heart of Times Square, that produces magazines such as Vogue and Glamour - I am sure the Islamofascists ain't happy with such magazines! But, I never really thought about it. I went to work and pretty much ignored the terror threat. That's what all New Yorkers did and do. It's called the human coping mechanism, and it's how we get through the day. If we thought about terror threats all the time, not only would the terrorists win, but we'd go mad. And so we don't think about it. But the trouble is, there is a fine line between the human coping mechanism and complacency. I hope to never be complacent.

Chad Vader: Day shift manager

Thanks to Chiefmommyowl for posting this video, hysterical! Enjoy!

More than a day has passed...

...And not a word from Manalaa.net re: the Hala story. We're waiting.

Southpark outdid itself

Must see Emmy Poster. I hope South Park wins!

Arab-Israeli rights

As you may or may not know, I believe in the notion that I have penned to be "culture for all," and that includes for Arab Israelis. And so when twosret challenged me on Sandmonkey's site to post the following story about Rt. Rev. Riah H. Abu El-Assal, an Arab Israeli Christian reverand who was prevented from getting on a plane because he didn't have the right papers, I say, sure. This is nowhere near as bad as the Hala story - not on the same universe - but I do believe in Arab Israeli rights, and so it is getting disseminated. Israel does have a problem with Arab Israeli rights, I am not denying it, but then again, Arab Israelis have committed terror against Israelis, including espionage for Hizballah, so the situation is complicated. Still, if this guy had his papers and was no terrorist, he should have been let on the plane. Fair's fair. There is no indication he was a terrorist, so he should have been let on the plane.

Sri Lankans kill 61 children over air raids...UN, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch silent

Yes, it's true, and it is a tragedy. I do not know what went into the decision for the air raid, and so I will not say it is Sri Lanka's fault per se...but where is the righteous indignation for this from the press, or from the world, for that matter? You know that if this were U.S., or (nonexistent) god forbid, Israel, it would be front page news all over the earth. As Andrew Sullivan points out, this is just an example of the press's bias towards Israel. But that said...I am impressed that the BBC covered this. Good for them. My thoughts are with the families of everyone involved. *sighs* Humans are such beautiful and ugly creatures, dontcha think? Unlike, say, Qana, the UN here are investigating before proclaiming anything. Talk about double standards. Anyway, politics aside, this is a horrific event, and it chills me when children die. Whyever the children died, whyever the children were there, it is a tragedy.

Olmert government must go

GREAT column written by Caroline Glick in the Jerusalem Post outlines exactly why the Olmert government must go. Go read it! Olmert has failed miserably. The "cease fire" is a sham, as all UN-led operations are, lately. After all, the UN, as I have repeatedly stated, is a terror-supporting, inept, ineffectual, pathetic League of Nations of our times. Worse than the League of Nations, which was merely weak. The UN actively supports terrorism. And Israel trusts them to get the job done. Thanks, Olmert! *rolls eyes* Olmert must go. Someone competent must take over, and that person is NOT Livni, despite what Sandmonkey thinks, who herself is also incompetant.

Muslim Brotherhood is pro-Hizballah

The Sphinx should read the following post by Big Pharoah, where he shows the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is siding with Hizballah - PRAISING Hizballah - and saying "we are like Hizballah." This is important to remember, when the Muslim Brotherhood pretends they are puppy doggish and benign. I am no fan of Mubarak, but I believe the Muslim Brotherhood would be far worse, ESPECIALLY after seeing images such as these: According to Big Pharoah, the poster reads: "Resistance until victory. The picture of Nasrallah is placed right under Hamas' Sheikh Yassen and Rantisi. The logo on the bottom right corner tells who placed this poster all over the walls: the Muslim Brotherhood." And remember, Sharia law would be bad for everyone. Furthermore, the Iranian Revolution started as a liberal, leftist cause. It was taken over the Islamists, and the Ayatollah Khomeini betrayed the principles of freedom and justice that the revolution fought for. There is every reason to believe that the Muslim Brotherhood would do the same. Do not believe the lie that the Muslim Brotherhood will be peaceful puppy dogs.

JUSTICE for Hala.

I read on Sandmonkey's blog today that blogger Hala Helmy Botros is being investigated by the Egyptian authorities for creating a blog that is critical of the treatment of Coptic Christians in Egypt. This is a big story, or should I say, should be a big story. Botros's phone lines were cut, she was harrassed, and her father was beaten up by two strangers who said "this is from your daughter." The overall goal is to silence her. Hala was going to leave the the country to attend a Coptic Christian conference in the US, but she was told she cannot leave the country and is under investigation. Her crime is "disrupting the harmony of Muslim and Christian communities" and "spreading false news." Hala finally gave in and shut down her blog. It is clear that the Egyptian government is trying to silence dissent. This cannot be tolerated. Read more about it on Reporters without borders. There is also a report about this on "The Free Copts." As you all know well, when blogger Alaa (who is hugely anti-Israel, by the way), was jailed, the blogosphere, including many Israeli bloggers, rallied to his cause. I hope he rallies to Hala's cause. I also hope the blogosphere rallies to Hala's cause in general. To support this endeavor, I photoshopped an image that I hope you will all spread. Pass this along!

Lisa's great journey

Another must read post - written by Lisa Goldman, of her travels in Northern Israel, complete with pictures. I think this is so important, because as Shlemazl says, we rarely see much about the Israeli suffering, and yet they are suffering and do suffer. Israelis are people too, and they didn't ask for this all. Hopefully there will be a good resolution to this violence, but I doubt it.

Lebanese Political Journal sums up the political atmosphere in Lebanon

MUST READ! This brings up points I haven't really thought through before. Please read the post, it is thoughtful and intelligent. It will be interesting to see what happens next with the ceasefire agreement, though I still maintain the stance that the ceasefire agreement was a bad idea.

Great Muslims - Part One

I know I have been critical of Muslims a lot lately, and so this post is part one in a series dedicated to praising the great Muslims - the ones who have been making the world a better place. And there are many of them! The first one in my series is Ahmed H. Zewail. This man is an Egyptian muslim who won the Nobel prize in chemistry in 1999 for his work in femtochemistry, as a pioneer in the field. Femtochemistry is, according to wikipeida, "the science that studies chemical reactions on extremely short timescales, approximately 10–15 seconds (this is one femtosecond, hence the name)." The Nobel Prize website states:

This year's laureate in Chemistry is being rewarded for his pioneering investigation of fundamental chemical reactions, using ultra-short laser flashes, on the time scale on which the reactions actually occur. Professor Zewail's contributions have brought about a revolution in chemistry and adjacent sciences, since this type of investigation allows us to understand and predict important reactions.

Go to the Nobel prize website to learn more about Femtochemistry, and Professor Zewail's contributions to it. This series is going to highlight the good Muslims not only for my Western audience out there. Really, this series is for the Muslims. There are some great and inspiring Muslims out there - heroes to look up to. There are many reasons to value life, learning, advancement, and achievement, because Muslims have achieved and contributed a great deal to this world. So this is only part one in what hopefully will be a long series, showcasing these great achievements. Thanks to The Sphinx for pointing out Professor Zewail to me!

British Muslims and the response to Terrorism.

The Terrorist threat from fundamentalist Islam is a threat to all. They do not distinguish between Christians, jews, Muslims or secular western people, when they commit acts of mass Terrorism.

So what do the Community of British Muslims do about it ? Not a lot it seems. They appear to be obsessed with playing the victim anytime a young Muslim is arrested for terrorist related offenses and to be fair they do have some room to complain. But in a perverse way they have set themselves up as victims by not tackling the problem of radical Islam. In fact they tend to hide behind the Koran and say that those who commit acts of Terrorism are misguided and others who are thinking about following the same path need to be taught what Islam is really about. But the funny thing is they don't appear to be teaching those young men and women those lessons at all.

Even after the 7/7 bombings in London the families of some of the bombers would not be believe there children, brothers etc had committed such acts of barbarity.

Muslims in the UK seem to be in denial about the threat of Fundamentalist Islam.

Now one of two things will happen:

1. Muslims will wake up to the threat and help those angry young men channel their anger about British policy in Iraq etc through democratic means.

2. They will carry on being in denial and more Terror attacks that kill all sections of the UK population will become a regular occurrence.

This will of course feed the likes of the British Nationalist Party who will use it as propaganda to attack Muslims. So Muslims will become victims of hate crimes and that will also fuel the fires of radical Islam in the UK. So we all have to work together to get this problem sorted out and under control as i do not want to have to go through 30 years or more of terrorism. I may sound racist, but I'm not really.

I would love for all sections of the UK's multicultural society to get along with one another. As it is beneficial for everyone if that happens. There are some long and dark days ahead of everyone in the UK, no matter what religion you might follow.

Hugo Chavez: hero or villain?

Famously, Pat Roberston called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, el presidente of Venezuela, last year. At the time, he was branded a lunatic. I still think it was ridiculous for him to go on TV and call for the assassination of anyone. Robertson has mental problems. But was he wrong about Hugo Chavez, a man that Harry Belafonte consider a great man? Then again, Belafonte also said Bush was "the world's great terrorist," so consider the source. Let's examine the evidence, shall we? While I find Amnesty International is a joke over how it covers Israel, they at least did cover Venezuala under Chavez, and what they found is not pretty. Chavez was being investigated by the International Criminal Court. He was let off on a technicality. Documentation of suppression of free speech. There is rampant corruption in his regime. Chavez's unwillingness to utilize the private sector has resulted in a crumbling infrastructure in Venezuela. Chavez also backs Islamofascists. His government has a close relationship to Iran. (last two articles in Spanish, but you can get a web translator) In short, the man is not exactly a great guy. In time, it is possible that Chavez will have to be dealt with. Pat Robertson, while a lunatic, was not completely off the wall in naming Chavez as a threat. This gets lost, because Hugo Chavez is a hero of the far leftist groups, such as Cindy Sheehan. They love to close their eyes and ignore the reality of Chavez. "Ra ra ra, he hates Bush, so he MUST be great!" Sadly, the world is far more complicated than the far leftist groups want to acknowledge. It is possible for someone who hates Bush to also be independently bad - as hard as that is to fathom!

When will the Muslims of Britain stand up and be counted?

Lord Stevens wrote a powerful and absolutely dead on balls accurate column about terrorism. MUST READ! I want to add that there have been instances of Muslim Brits standing up against terror - but let's face it, few and far between. The Muslims as a community need to disavow terror, and they haven't. And that's a tragedy. There are good Muslims and there HAVE been demonstrations...but why not more? Why equivocations in the stance against terror? And why are the largest Muslim civil rights organizations RUN BY TERRORISTS? This needs to change. There is no reason for this. We must all unite and take a strong stance against terror, and cannot be afraid to say the politically incorrect truth.

Apologize to Geraldo

I thought this was extremely entertaining: I love the daily show.

The gorilla and me!

I was looking at you tube today, when I found an amazing video I have to share with you all. See: "Me and a gorilla." Amazing stuff! I cannot believe how close they got to a gorilla of that size! I think I would have fainted if I saw something like that. Very impressive!

Here is why I believe a UN ceasefire is a bad thing:

First things first, the details of the ceasefire resolution are right here. But secondly, my analysis. I believe that a ceasefire prior to winning sends the wrong message. It sends the message that terror is okay. It sends the message that Israel does not have the cajones to go after the bastards with the might necessary to get the job done. (that said, I do not believe that Israel does have requisite cajones under Olmert, but that is a different story) More than that, this ceasefire accomplishes nothing. It will allow Hizballah to rearm and reestablish themselves as a terror threat. It does not directly demand the release of the Israeli soldiers who were captured. And it involves the UNIFIL forces, who are inept, and not even allowed to fire guns unless directly shot at. Please. These UNIFIL soldiers were also there to enforce UN Resolution 1559, and we all saw how well THAT turned out! The UN is a hapless, corrupt, terror supporting organization. It legitimizes terrorists. They aid and abet Hizballah. And this will be the same UN to enforce a peace??? Oh, and to top it all off, it will be lead by FRANCE of all countries. This is the nation that brought us modern antisemitism, under the Dreyfuss Affair. And it is a nation that continues to have an anti-Israel foreign policy. THIS is the nation we are entrusting with the lives of Israeli citizens? It is disgusting that Bush would hypocritically push for this ceasefire. Israel gets one month in Lebanon, and the US gets 3 1/2 years+ in Iraq, and almost five years in Afghanistan??? Talk about hypocrisy! This is what I have been saying for years now. I wouldn't vote for Bush based on Israel alone, because I didn't know if I trusted him per se on Israel. After all, the Republicans also brought us James Baker and G.H.W. Bush. Bush Jr is now proving he can live up to the standard his old man set. I wish I was surprised. This policy is doomed, a ceasefire prior to Israel winning is doomed, and you know that Israelis are turning against Olmert when even a Haaretz columnist is calling for Olmert to resign. Shlemazl said that he was for the ceasefire because Israel was not making any traction in the war. Well, of course they were making no traction! Given the incompetence of Olmert in delaying boots being on the ground in Lebanon, how was Israel going to really accomplish what needed to be done? Israel was being constrained in its ability to fight Hizballah from day one, and so it is not surprising that they would accept this ceasefire. But make no mistake about it...the ceasefire will be seen as a sign of weakness in the Arab world. All I can hope for is, as Atlas Shrugs is hoping for, Nasrallah will be too stupid to accept the ceasefire, just as Arafat was too stupid to accept the Barak plan, and will save Israel from themselves.

Pallywood productions

Found via Little Green Footballs, this is an INVALUABLE LINK. See: Pallywood Productions. Think of this as you ponder the suicidally stupid acceptance of the ceasefire that Olmert incompetently accepted.

Debbie Schlussel examines Hizballah High

Very scary stuff. We cannot ignore the growing numbers of Islamofacists who exist in this country. We would do so to our detriment. Debbie Schlussel is a brave woman who is doing the job that I hope to be doing one day. But right now, first things first, I have to learn Hebrew and Arabic!

On the sanctity of the dead

Must read post by Sandmonkey! This sums up an essential problem in the propoganda war quite well.

It's not a wonderful night for Oscar

Here is a comedically AWFUL youtube clip that I found via a link on my friend entercenter's site. Er...enjoy...and please read entercenter's commentary!

David Mamet tells it like it is on HuffPost

His column is the stuff of sheer brilliance. It is a must read, but because it is THAT GOOD, I am going to quote the column.

Many Jews are upset with Mel Gibson because they believe in something called "the public relations war."

Israel, these co-religionists think, is endangered because the Arabs, sworn to the annihilation of the Jewish State, are, somehow, putting a better spin on their case.

Israel is a sovereign nation, founded by United Nations Charter in 1948. Since then, she has been both chronically and acutely under attack. Since 1948 Israel has staved off those invaders dedicated to killing the Jews, and each time, after each war, Israel has given back to those invaders, the land acquired in Israel's defense.

Israel wants peace, the Arabs want Israel gone (in 2000 Arafat on the eve of ending a territorial dispute which would have given him 98% of the land he desired, withdrew and went to war). Yet most of the Western Press, European and American, pictures Israel as, somehow the aggressor, and the Israelis as somehow inhuman, and delighting in blood.

There is no "cycle of violence." Israel wants peace behind the 1949 armistice borders, with some relatively minor variation. There is no indictable "disparity of force." Israeli civilians are being bombed. Hezbollah knows where the Israeli military bases are, but chooses to bomb civilians. Hezbollah murderers put their armaments exclusively in the midst of civilians. The Israeli aim is not to invade Lebanon (they left Lebanon) but to force Hezbollah to stop killing the Jews.

That the Western press characterizes the Israeli actions consistently as immoral is anti-Semitism. What state does not have the right to defend itself - it is the central tenant of statehood.

The Jews are not the victims of bad p.r. They are the victims of anti-Semitism.

Europe has always been devoted to the destruction of the Jews. At times, again, it is acute, it is always chronic. The Inquisition, the Russian Pogroms, the mass-murders of Jews by Crusaders "going to save Jerusalem," and the Shoah are only the more notable examples of a civilization happy to designate a different group the helpless-stateless "other," and rape, steal, and murder them at will.

The supposed "cause" of this hatred changes, "Jews spread the plague, they kill Christian babies, they are money-grubbing, greasy, unpatriotic, as a state they are psychotic murders, they are capitalist banker, they are the Communists" in short, Jews are inhuman.

THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION, is a spurious 19th Century libel of the Jewish people. It purports to reveal that the Jews kill Christian children for their blood, which they used for ceremonial purposes. (The document is widely disseminated today in the Arab world.) A modern, Western person might read the PROTOCOLS with wonder at the naiveté of anyone who would credit it; but the current Western bias against Israel is The Blood Libel, it is, quite simply, the PROTOCOLS, shifting shape.

No, we are told, it is not that Jews, somehow, need Christian blood for their nefarious ceremonies, they need Arab blood, and, for some reason, delight in murder. And much of the Liberal West, thrilled to have a Victim to worship, nods along.

To ask "must there not be a cause for this anti-Semitism?" is an outrage, similar to asking the rape victim "how short a skirt were you wearing?" The question cannot be posited without at least the implication of the victim "having, somehow, at least in part, 'brought it on yourselves.'"

The question cannot be asked of Jews, any more than a European American could ask an African American "why did your people stay in slavery so long...?" But one might ask the question of a non-Jew. And here is one answer:

Twelve hundred years of European anti-Semitism, murder, rape, and theft, may be laid in large part, at the foot of the Gospel of John. ("He would not go about in the Temple, because the Jews sought to kill him," JOHN 7:1 "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires," JOHN 8:44, etc New Oxford Annotated Bible.)

Now, any and every religion has some portion of its foundation text which is morally and ethically repugnant. (C.F. Jewish Morning prayers, where the man "thanks God that he was not created a woman," (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) "the rebellious child must be taken outside the camp and stoned to death.")

The gospels did not cause anti-Semitism, but they licensed it, to Christian Europe.

Beginning with Pope Benedict VI in "Nostra Aetate" published in 1965, down through Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, the issue of Christian anti-Semitism has been addressed, and enlightened Christians around the world, many, people of good faith, having done so independently, are now facing and redressing the issue of anti-Semitism and the Gospels, in an organized manner.

But those things learned in childhood, before we recognize that we are learning them, persist. This is the operative notion of psychoanalysis - that in order to forget we must remember.

I was raised in a time of separate washrooms and water fountains for African Americans. White Americans of my age and experience had and have to confront those racial prejudices imbibed as a matter-of-course, before we knew we were imbibing them. Mel Gibson was raised as a Catholic, and studied the Gospels. Indeed, he made a film of them (I haven't seen the film).It is not impossible that Mr. Gibson, at a time of great stress, reverted to a catch-all solution learned as a child - that he, in effect, "regressed."

Q. What was the catch-all solution? A. "Jews are bad."

This might seem to be a rather tenuous connection, "I was stopped for drunk driving - therefore the Jews are bad." But consider: this is exactly how the Western World acted in the 1930's - the Jews are Bad, "they are bringing the world to the brink of war." Germany is going to imprison, deport, kill, in short, relieve you, Europe, of them.

Q. What is the cause of unrest in 1930's Europe? A. The Jews.

Absurd, one might say, how did "The Jews" cause Hitler to kidnap Europe? But see the same mechanism today. Israel (read "the Jews") we are told, has somehow so inflamed the Arabs, that they (Israel/the Jews) will bring the world to the brink of destruction. Arab Jihadists bomb the West and the West blames "the Jews."

But Israel's Jews are no more the cause of Arab Fundamentalist rage than they were the cause of European Fascism. We, as always, are the miner's canary, singled out as, and the first victims of national or global unrest.

What happened to Mr. Gibson is the same thing that happened to the West faced with the specter of Jihadist killers: he became frightened. He regressed, and started speaking the absurd.

Mel Gibson was pulled over for drunk driving, and, perhaps, because he was frightened - as you or I might be in the same situation - he said something regrettable. Then he apologized. Good for him.

This clearly outlines "why they hate us." They hate us because we exist. And they will not be happy until we die. That is the only condition for peace - our death. Well I am NOT dying anytime soon. If they want me, they will have to fight. And thank (non existent) God that Israel is fighting the fight the US is unwilling to do. Let us hope that Israel's hands will not be too constrained, and they will be able to finish the job. One can hope, right? Next time someone tells you that we have to look within as to why they hate us and see if they have any legitimate demands, remember the words of David Mamet. It is not a "legitimate demand" to desire the annhilation of the West. And the sooner the West and the pathetic, blind, and moral equivalence-riddled media realize this, the better. UPDATE: the commentator aps added a useful sidebar to Mamet's eloquent column.

Shhhhhh. David....You're NOT allowed to mention the "A" word - anti-semitism. Its Taboo. You can mention any other type of bias under the sun - conservative, liberal, democratic, racist, but NOT anti-semitic bias...Its the elephant in the room on one is supposed to talk about.We're supposed to gullibly believe that it's all about genuine concern for human rights. Of course several hundred thousand died in Darfur in the last three years. And the Arab world (in fact most of the world) doesn't give a tinker's damn about that. Or the thousands killed in Chechnya; or the killing in the Kashmir; or any of the other ethnic conflicts going on. Ever hear the Arabs, or the so called "progressives" call for any of them to disappear? Ever hear anyone deny Russia's, Sudan's, or India's right to exist? Of course not. But Israel? Of course.

So why the hypocrisy? Why the double standards? Its not hard to figure out. We all know the reason. Its called anti-semitism. We're just not allowed to say it.

UPDATE: I just want to note that Mamet was factually wrong about a few things. 1) Israel was not formed by the UN resolution. That legitimized Israel's existence. It formed when Ben Gurion declared statehood, and then became a functioning state after it won the war for independence. 2) I think many Israelis would not be content with the 1949 borders, but that is because those borders are not defensible, and have been proven to be indefensible borders.

Andrew Sullivan gets it

He quotes Brigitte Gabriel, and highlights the difference between civilization and barbarism. Read it right here! If only more people got it. But I fear that the majority of the world are either engaging in moral equivalencies of the worst kind (thanks, MSM!), or themselves agree with barbarism. It's depressing to be a human and see humanity on display.

UN Security Council resolution on Lebanon to be presented tomorrow

Go to Carl in Jeruslem's site for an incisive commentary on what this means.

Let he without sin cast the first stone

Must read: judge-penitents on parade, by Benjamin Kerstein.

The Lebanese as a people are not victims

Dershowitz, as per usual, really frames the issue perfectly. He explains, quite convincingly, why the Lebanese are as much victims as the Austrians were during WWII - in other words, not victims at all. Essential reading. Also essential reading is Dershowitz's debunking of the conspiratorial bullshit levvied against him on HuffPost. Truth be told, I only read HuffPost nowadays because he and Bill Maher post on there. Another post of Dershowitz's blasts and debunks Chomsky in a very satisfying way. Last but not least is Bill Maher's great post about Mel Gibson. ("The World is Mel Gibson") The post about how the Lebanese are not victims:

Lebanon has now declared war on Israel and its citizens are bearing the consequences. Lebanon is no more a victim of Hezbollah than Austria was a victim of Nazism. In fact a higher percentage of Lebanese--more than 80%--say they support Hezbollah. The figures were nearly as high before the recent civilian deaths.

This is considerably higher than the number of Austrians who supported Hitler when the Nazis marched into Austria in 1938. Austria too claimed it was a victim, but no serious person today believes such self-serving historical revisionism. Austria was not "Hitler's first victim." It was Hitler's most sympathetic collaborator.

So too with Lebanon, whose president has praised Hezbollah, whose army is helping Hezbollah, and many of whose "civilians" are collaborating with Hezbollah. According to a news report in the New York Times on Sunday, August 6th, Hezbollah is Lebanon and Lebanon is Hezbollah. It is "as much a part of society as is its Shiite faith." As a car mechanic put it, "we are Hezbollah." A café owner was even more direct: "Just because I'm sitting here in this café doesn't mean I'm not a resistance fighter." Of course if he were killed fighting Israel, his death would be listed as a "civilian" casualty. Nor is he alone. He continued: "Everyone has a weapon in his house...There are doctors, teachers, and farmers. Hezbollah is people. People are Hezbollah." Except, of course, when they are killed or injured fighting against Israel--then they become just 'people,' just "civilians." As a doctor asked rhetorically, as he pointed to dead bodies resulting from a battle between Israeli and Hezbollah forces, "Do you see anybody from Hezbollah?"

It is virtually impossible to distinguish the Hezbollah dead from the truly civilian dead, just as it is virtually impossible to distinguish the Hezbollah living from the civilian living, especially in the south. The "civilian" death figures reported by Lebanese authorities include large numbers of Hezbollah fighters, collaborators, facilitators and active supporters. They also include civilians who were warned to leave, but chose to remain, sometimes with their children, to serve as human shields. The deaths of these "civilians" are the responsibility of Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, which has done very little to protect its civilians.

Lebanon has chosen sides--not all Lebanese, but the democratically chosen Lebanese government. When a nation chooses sides in a war, especially when it chooses the side of terrorism, its civilians pay a price for that choice. This has been true of every war.

We must stop viewing Lebanon as a victim and begin to see it as a collaborator with terrorism. Nor is there any excuse for this choice. Lebanon was not "driven" to support Hezbollah by Israel or the U.S., as some Lebanese leaders falsely claim. Lebanon included Hezbollah in its government, knowing that it is a terrorist organization. It abdicated the responsibility for providing social, economic and police services in the south to Hezbollah.

The Nazi party too provided social, economic and educational services to the poor in Germany and Austria. Yet the people who chose to submit to such evil paid a heavy price. People make choices and they bear the consequences of choosing to collaborate with terrorism. Lebanon has chosen the wrong side and its citizens are paying the price. Maybe next time a democracy must choose between collaborating with terrorism or resisting terrorism, it will choose the right side.

Read the rest of the links! I want to edit one thing...I do believe that there are many Lebanese who didn't ask for this and don't support Hizballah. Even if it's 20% of the Lebanese, that is significant. And I do feel bad for them. But as I have said on numerous occasions...war is hell. But sometimes it is necessary.

Obsession: the movie

Found via the Atheist Jew, a link to the movie Obsession, on google video. Please watch this movie!

Hizby cynically staged footage of Qana "massacre"

It's really just beyond belief that the MSM swallows this hook, line, and sinker. Considering this and the recent bruhaha about Reuters doctoring photos...it really makes one wonder about every single image that is broadcast by the MSM.

Question everything. The MSM cannot be trusted.

War not too late to win

Benjamin Netanyahu wrote a great, concise, and to the point article in the Jerusalem Post, summing up the war in Lebanon quite well. (Israel has been putting ground troops into the country) Read it yourself:

The government's decision comes late, very late, but not too late. Destroying Hizbullah's fighting capacity and missile arsenal remains the objective that Israel must achieve. Clearly, air power alone cannot do so and a major ground offensive is necessary. While this should have been done considerably earlier, it nevertheless should be done today.

Firstly, on the military front, our goal should be victory over Hizbullah, a proxy military force for Iran.

Secondly, on the hasbara (public relations) front, we have to fend off the attacks and vilification of Israel in order to gain time for the military objective.

And thirdly, on the civilian front, the government must immediately declare a state of emergency. This is a war that, for the civilians, is worse than previous wars - longer and more costly in lives and property.

These are the objectives that I will support. In war, you must achieve your objectives. It is painful, but it will be much more painful for the country - in lives lost, cities paralyzed and security imperiled - if we have to face future rounds because we did not win this one.

True! Then I read this crap about how Israel has delayed troop expansion into Lebanon because of US pressure. GRR!!! Israel needs to finish the job NOW. Delays will only cost more lives and achieve nothing. There is nothing to negotiate when one side desires the annhiliation of the other. Let Israel negotiate after its won.

Nigeria: more oil workers kidnapped

Two Ukranians and two Norwegians were picked off a coastal town in Nigeria. This appears to not be the first time this has happened. This may very well turn into a developing story!

Privacy shmivacy!

Google claims that government interference is a far greater threat to users' privacy concerns than 'accidental disclosure,' such as when AOL 'accidently' released search queries of 68,000 users. Erm...that's good to know.

In times of trouble...

...I think we all need a phallus! I took this picture at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens yesterday. Enjoy!

Of course there is always the greatest phallus of them all...

Just figured that some light humor would put you in good spirits!

Terrorist plot to blow up planes mid flight.

I woke up hearing this on BBC Radio Five Live this morning. The plot involved using liquid explosives to bring down planes in the US, causing mass murder according to British Police. A quite sophsicated operation, as airports are geared upto dealing with solid explosives ie plastic explosives: BBC News Report CNN Report FoxNews Report Sky News Report This goes to show that the threat of Terrorism hasn't gone away. It's not if but when in regards to another Terrorist attack on the same sort of scale as 9/11 etc. Though this plot would have surpased 9/11 according to what i've caught on Skynews today (Fox news has been tapping into the sky news feed all morning).

Meanwhile in Iraq...

Big Pharoah sums things up perfectly!

Everyday tragedy in New Orleans

The following story was linked to be by valiant_200, a personal friend of mine. It is not an epic tale on the scale of what goes on in the Middle East, but it is an everyday tragedy that gets very little press attention.

A man who police said was depressed after he found out he didn't have enough insurance money to rebuild his Katrina-ravaged New Orleans home was arrested Tuesday after trying to get police to shoot him to death, New Orleans police said.

John McCusker, a photographer for The Times-Picayune, was taken into custody. Police said he will be charged, but were unsure what charges will be filed. He was being held under psychiatric observation. "The individual is a really fine professional who was so depressed that he set out today to commit suicide by cop," said James Arey, commander of the police negotiation team during SWAT and other emergency situations.

Read the rest right here. What is amazing is my personal connection to this man. I am friends with valiant_200, and he is friends with someone who was in a band with John McCusker. The story is just sad all around. Really depresses me about the state of the world. I wish that stories like these received the press they deserve. EDIT: The man who is friends with John McCusker wrote this in his live journal (friends only)

A friend snapped.

Photographer, researcher, historian, tourguide, amateur musician -- real good at all of 'em.

A year ago we got a band together, rehearsing weekly at his house. We elected him the leader, as exuding the most maturity and leadership.

We rehearsed, and our tryout went well. Our second regular gig would have been the day of the mandatory evacuation.

The day after that, the London Avenue Canal levee failed 2 blocks from his house, putting 10 feet of water and a half foot of silt in it.

He stayed in town through the storm and aftermath working for the Picayune.

He looked understandably harrowed when I first got back in town. The Picayune gave him a vacation.

More recently I'd thought he'd been doing better....well...

Like much of the city who didn't have the savings or weren't able to swing a loan to repair or rebuild out of pocket, he was waiting for the fabled money supposedly coming from insurance companies &/or FEMA. He said constantly trying to contact them and doing paperwork in Post-K NOLA was "like doing your taxes every day", an apt line which I've passed around...and...[he snapped]

Just very sad.

Red Cross openly helping Hizballah

No, seriously. It is disgusting beyond belief. Then again, I stopped believing in the Red Cross after Katrina. Note to all Culture for all readers: do not donate one more penny to the Red Cross. They are a corrupt, feckless, terror-supporting organization. Oh yeah, and they hate gay people. Do not support them! The Red Cross should be ashamed of itself.

The HEIGHT of stupidity

I will not link to the terror-supporting blog, wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com. I do not want there to be more links there registered on Technorati, if nothing else. But what may be the height of the stupidity on that blog was found in the following entry (wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com/2006/08/hizbullah-is-not-anti-jewish-i-repeat.html) I urge you to only go to that website if you wish to verify what I said - but for no other reason. This entry actually states that Nasrallah is not anti-Jewish. I fear that the idiots of the far left may actually believe this utterly bullshit nonsense. That could not be FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. Nasrallah has openly called for the extermination of Jews. He is no better than HITLER. This man is NOT a "freedom fighter," he is a genocidal maniac! Do not believe me? Go ahead and read the proof yourself here, here, and here - just for starters. The man is a genocidal Hitler of our times. Anyone who says otherwise is blind, ignorant, or approves of his message. Do not be fooled into thinking he is a legitimate "freedom fighter."

Lieberman lost!

So it seems that Ned Lamont won the primary battle against Joe Lieberman. Joe lost and will run as an independent. The way in which this primary was fought speaks volumes about the Democratic Party. I really am at a loss over what to say, when I agree with Bill O'Reilly. It's a sad day in American politics. Then again, huzzah, it seems Cynthia McKinney is down. So all hope is not lost. :-) It's telling that Bill McKinney, Cynthia's dad, said that it was "J-E-W-S" that lost her the race. She and he are antisemitic pieces of garbage, and I am glad she is out.

Numb to the violence

Lisa Goldman shot a video of Northern Israelis sitting calmly in a cafe while bomb sirens go off. This is how people cope to constant terror - they block it out, and live their everyday lives. Amazing stuff to see, of the power of the human coping mechanism.

Obsession: the movie

I saw the film Obsession on Monday night, and while I didn't learn anything new, it really pieced together disparate elements of Islamofacism into a coherent whole. Essential viewing. Afterwards, I asked Jeff Gaffney, Founder and President of the Center for Security Policy and author of War Footing, "Mr. Gaffney, I am a civil libertarian. How does one maintain the American way of life and essential civil liberties while fighting these bastards? Because I know they are using our civil liberties against us." His response was something I never thought of before. He said "I too value civil liberties, and that is why I advocate the Patriot Act. Because if there is another attack on American soil, there will be even MORE civil liberties taken away, and hence the Patriot Act, as a weapon against the Islamofacists, safeguards civil liberties." I happen to disagree with this. I think there are key provisions of the Patriot Act that are simply not necessary to fight terror. But as an overall point, he makes some sense. (Non existent) God forbid there is another attack on American soil, and it's open season on our civil liberties. In any case, you all should try and see this movie if you can.

Remembering the Sbarro massacre

Hattip - Little Green Footballs Please read about the horrific suicide bombing five years ago, that wiped out Israeli civilians, including Malka Roth, a mere 16 year old. Never forget. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

These Bob Dylan lyrics say it all

Thanks to Sandmonkey for sending them to me! Read the lyrics to "The Neighborhood Bully."

Wikiality

Stephen Colbert really topped himself with his "word," Wikiality. You have to see it for yourself!

On a side note, it seems that this actually did lead to the hacking into Wikipedia of the "elephants" entry. Brilliant!

Obsession: The movie

I received an email in my inbox about a new movie coming out, to be screened in NYC next week, called Obsession. This is a movie that chronicles the rise of radical Islam. The trailer for the movie can be found here. It seems that there will be two screenings in NYC next week, on August 7 and 8, followed by further screenings across North America. These screenings are the world premiere of the movie, and also feature the speaker Frank Gaffney, Founder and President of the Center for Security Policy and author of "War Footing," who will talk about the movie, and be part of a Q&A. This looks to be extremely interesting, and I am definitely going to it. Anyone else interested?

Jamaica, mon!

After I wrote my post earlier today about Jamaica, I figured I owed it to all of you to have a follow up post. For a quick primer on the history of Jamaica, I suggest going to wikipedia. But that is just the beginning! There is this beautiful photo spread - must see - which features Jamaica in its splendor. I also suggest visiting the following online exhibit of Jamaican art. However, most of all, you should check out google news's Jamaica feature. I found out some interesting facts through this site. I found out that the Bahia Principe, a 1,918-room hotel in Runaway Bay under construction and planned to be Jamaica's largest resort, which I saw along the side of the road while I was in Jamaica, collapsed yesterday. It killed one person, and injured 16. The press for this is...oh right, not exactly covered in the cable news shows. Searching the web, I even found a cool recipe for Grandma Audi's tamarid balls. Mmm...I want to make those! But no press concerning the poor in Jamaica - not even from Jamaican publications. This is distressing and not surprising. There was not a single article found ANYWHERE about the big road blockage I encountered, and the Jamaicans who now are 2+ weeks without water. If a tree falls in the forrest and nobody hears it, did it fall?

Manalaa.net spews hate and bile towards Israel

Alaa was the Egyptian blogger who was jailed for months over his protest of the Egyptian government actions. I wrote about his jailing and torture right here. Well, thanks to google's (imperfect but very useful) web translator, I was able to actually read manalaa.net. And it is not pretty. You can read for yourself the hate that is spewed on that site towards Israel. I thought to check this out based on a comment Alaa left on Big Pharoah. Here I thought that Alaa was jailed for being all counter-cultural, and now I find out that that is far from the truth. I cannot wait until Google's web translator from Arabic to English gets out of the Beta stage. Then it can really be put to use!

A tale of two friendships

The tale is very reminiscent of my own fallout with qrswave. In any case, Lisa Goldman wrote a story of the friendship between the editors of Time Out Tel Aviv and Time Out Beirut - and how it has been affected by the war. It's a must read for the personal dynamic of this war.

Pictures of Israeli soldiers you won't see in the press

My cousin in Israel sent these pictures of Israeli soldiers you won't see in the press. I think you will find it quite illuminating. The world is quite different from the way the mainstream media pretends it to be. Enjoy!

Visual proof of the lack of total devastation in Beirut!

Via Sandmonkey, I found a link to visual proof of the lack of total devastation in Beirut. What you see is localized damage, but NOT the levelling of the city.

Culture not for all in New Orleans

The New York Times reviewed a new Spike Lee movie coming out, called When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. It's not pretty. New Orleans is still a disaster, and still is a shadow of what it was. From the looks of it, this movie will be a must see. The tragedy in New Orleans has already been swept under the rug, sadly. And yet people continue to suffer, and the real rebuilding has yet to begin. For more on the tragedy of Katrina from the perspective of personal friends of mine, I suggest reading the following link of Katrina stories. It's not seen in the mainstream media, but it's an honest telling of life on the ground for local residents.

Brian Whitaker speaks of gay Palestinians taking refuge in Israel

MUST READ! I found the link via the always terrific Gay Middle East Journal. I cannot even imagine how horrible it must be to be a gay Palestinian. Thankfully, I don't have to, as I am not a gay Palestinian!

And the band played on...

I am back early from Jamaica. Don't ask exactly why...you don't want to know! But in any case, when I came back, I found a fast paced world with many new developments in the Israaeli-Lebanese conflict. 1. Israel sent in 10,000 ground troops to secure a Southern Lebanese buffer zone. 2. Ahmadinejad said "Israel's destruction is the solution." (well, that's not news, he says that all the time, but yay, let's nuke him up!) 3. More people died - though this includes Palestinians within the West Bank, when Hizballah fired rockets there. 4. Mel Gibson offered an apology for his anti-semitic drunken tirade, and then asked for help "in the healing process." 5. There is mass poverty in Jamaica, and citizens there are without basic necessities for two weeks - but this gets no press. Say what? Oh, that's right, there's more to the world than Israel/the US/Lebanon/Iraq/Middle East in general. Sometimes I guess I forget! But then again, so does the press. Maybe it's because it's not sexy. It's not white people fighting brown people. It doesn't carry the requisite dramatic punch, when the conflict is just poverty, or the strife is between two black people or two brown people. Simply put, Jamaicans are not terrorists. If they were, they would get press coverage, and financial aid. But anyway, I was in Jamaica, and this is the way the poor live:

Yes, that is a shack. No, it's not as bad as it gets. I saw worse shacks in Jamaica, but happened to take a picture of that one. It makes one grateful for being born...well...not there! Then there's the water protest I passed on the side of the road, en route to the airport. I had to take pictures, of course. I actually walked outside of the van, and took pictures...thinking "Hmm...these people may be armed, but I don't care. I just want to take these pictures." Blogger won't let me upload other pictures, so I went to a photo hosting place of mine... and

In any case, the people in Jamaica are some of the friendliest in the world. You want somethingf, and they deliver it with a smile - "Yeah mon, no problem, mon!" Therein lies their problem. Terrorism works, it just works!

As an example...so you see there was this road blockage, using rather primative materials. The van I was traveling in was stuck as a result of this road blockage, but then the protestor immediately helped the van get through the blockage, after he was paid what is American $.75! That is all it took! These people are just nice people! Even their angry protestors are nice people.

And that's why this third world nation gets no press coverage. If they started wearing kafiyehs and terrorizing the resorts, then suddenly their cause would reach international attention, and aid money would fly into Jamaica. It's just so sad, that that's how the world works.

While I was away in Jamaica, the band played on. Only it wasn't the tune I was listening to.