Chutzpah

Hamas is revealing itself to be a duplicitous outfit of thugs again (yeah, I know, no surprise to any reader of this blog). After agreeing to a "truce" with Israel, rockets have continued to rain down on Israeli villages, either fired by Hamas, or by other terrorist groups with Hamas' blessing. Yet, when Israel responds, Hamas screeches with righteous indignation that Israeli is "violating the truce", and therefore, it is freezing negotiations over kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214726212846&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull.

Not that I expect the MSM to ever cover this, because, you know, ONLY Israel is violating the "truce".................

Another conspiracy theory gets shot down

9/11 Truthers are a resilient bunch. Debunk one of their theories and they quickly fire back with two more wacky theories. Now, one of their prize theories, the collapse of World Trade Center Building Seven, is about to be exposed as being nothing more than another crackpot theory. The National Institute of Science and Technology is about to publish its long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated findings on the collapse of the building and--shocker!--it found that the building was NOT destroyed in a controlled demolition: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7485331.stm.

Sorry Rosie O'Donnell, sorry Jesse Ventura, sorry Charlie Sheen. You can all take your toys and run along now............

Here we go again.........

Even MORE dhimmitude out of the U.K. where the Lord Chief Justice has said that Muslims should be allowed to live under Shariah Law: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/07/04/noindex/nsharia.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008. What is in the water there, anyway? Does this politically correct weenie not see the horrible precedent that this sets? Does he not understand that allowing Muslims to love under Shariah Law is a STARTING point for the Islamofascists, not an end point?

Partially right

Mort Kondracke is a pretty straight shooter, so when he discusses a subject, I tend to listen (or read) very carefully. He has an article on Realclearpolitics which gets it largely right in discussing the high price of oil, though he too misses one major cause--the collapse of the U.S. Dollar: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/whos_to_blame_for_4_gas_both_d.html. For the record, I lay that collapse (of the dollar) largely at the feet of President Bush and a seemingly clueless Federal Reserve. Their collective mismanagement has resulted in an economy which is far from healthy (though I'm not prepared to scream that the sky is falling, as the MSM would have use believe).

Happy Independence Day

This is my first Fourth of July as an American citizen, and I welcome it with a sense of awe and humility. No, I don't think that I'm overstating the point at all. This country has provided me with a wonderful home for the last 17 years, and I am grateful for all that it has given me. I only hope that I can give back something in return, and I will do my best to fulfill that goal.

A special thank you on this holiday to all of the past, present and future members of our armed forces. Your sacrifice is always appreciated, and I hope that you have a peaceful and restful holiday, wherever you might be.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Depraved

The ability of human beings to inflict pain and misery on each other can never be overstated. All we have to do is look at what is happening in Darfur to see that. Still, every now and then there is a story which literally takes one's breath away. Such is the case with the murder of two French students in London: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/07/03/noindex/nfrenchstudents.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008. The victims were seemingly chosen at random, and were tortured before dying and then mutilated after they were already dead.

What kind of a sick mind does something like this?

UPDATE (7/4/08, 10:58 a.m.): Police are now investigating whether an earlier burglary in the same flat can provide any clues into this horrific murder: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/07/04/noindex/nstudents.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008.

A different plan

Al Qaeda has already engaged in the "spectacular" terrorist attacks, such as those of 9/11. Now, apparently, it wants to employ a "death by a thousand cuts" strategy: http://www.nypost.com/seven/07012008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/al_qaedas_plan_b_117936.htm?page=1. The logic behind this change in strategic thinking is as understandable as it is chilling. Al Qaeda doesn't think that we in the West in general and the United States in particular have the stomach for a long, protracted fight where there are daily killings, kidnappings, etc. Frankly, I think that this analysis may be correct. Today's society is all about instant gratification, and the fact that we didn't walk into Afghanistan and Iraq and mop the floor up with the enemy and then leave within 6-12 months has stunned people to the point where they want to withdraw immediately. Al Qaeda thinks long term, we dont. That's why they think they'll win.

More seething and whining from Islamic organizations

Their favourite buzzword is "Islamophobia", an "irrational fear of Muslims". Hmm, how irrational is it when Muslims have killed literally thousands of Americans in terrorist attacks over the last 35 or so years? Well, no matter, because to say ANYTHING negative these days about Islam or Muslims is considered to be "Islamophobic". So, now we have this obnoxious Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal, of all places, plaintively calling on Barack Obama to embrace his Muslim heritage: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121504517357224911.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

I guess that my response is, "Why not?" After all, you can't say anything negative about Obama without being called a racist, anyway, so what does he have to lose?

Yet another Angry Left Op-Ed writer goes off the deep end

Chris Satullo writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and in yesterday's newspaper, he penned one of the most vile, hate-filled diatribes against this country I have ever seen published in a major newspaper: http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080701_Chris_Satullo__A_not-so-glorious_Fourth.html. Every word drips with venom towards this country, what it stands for and the troops representing it. It's something which I would fully expect to see on The Daily Kos or The Huffington Post, not in a supposedly "mainstream" newspaper.

That the Inquirer chose to publish this piece has made me re-think my subscription to the paper, to the point where for the first time, I am going to send an e-mail to the publisher about this piece of trash masquerading as a column.

UNIFIL is useless (at best)

Now it doesn't even take a military force to stop UNIFIL from doing its job. UNIFIL troops discovered illicit cables being buried started taking pictures of them. The troops were then surrounded by villagers who threw stones at them until the troops deleted the photos they had taken! I couldn't make this up if I tried: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/998254.html.

UNIFIL may as well just pack up its bags and leave. It serves no purpose.

Still more politically correct insanity

The town of Beachwood (Ohio), has canceled its little league all star game because Karen Carmen, the person who runs the town's recreation department, was worried about the self-esteem of the kids who weren't picked to play in the game. I kid you not: http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=92229.

How in the world can we ever teach our kids how to live life if we don't teach them that life is full of both success AND failure? Self-esteem? Is this woman serious?

I swear, if I had any hair left, I would want to pull it out............

Get a life

Islamic whiners in Scotland are offended because (gasp!)..........are you sitting down............the Tayside police department put out an ad in which it (horror of horrors!!!) used a puppy! No, really, it's true: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1030798/Muslims-outraged-police-advert-featuring-cute-puppy-sitting-policemans-hat.html. The ad did nothing more than give out the new phone number for non-emergency police calls, but some Muslim shopkeepers are so wound up about this that they are refusing to place the ad in their stores. This being the U.K., the police department is of course falling all over itself in apologizing for causing so much offense.

Honestly, with all that's going on the world, THIS is what upsets these people? Un-freakin'-believable..............

Good bye and good riddance

Louise Arbour is stepping down from her job as a United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, ostensibly to spend more time with her family: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/06/30/arbour-steps-down.html. She won't be missed by any supporter of either the United States or Israel. In fact, she harboured a particular dislike for the Jewish state, as became evident during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah when she specifically stated that there was no difference in her mind between Israel and Hezbollah. Talk about being morally bankrupt, or morally blind.

They just figured this out?

There is an article in the Haaretz newspaper which says that Israel needs to "rethink" its policy of trading terrorists for either small numbers of captured Israelis or dead bodies: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/997676.html. Hmm, I wonder what brought on this sudden flash of briliance? Could it be the fact that the Arabs are by no means stupid, and they have quickly realized that kidnappings can lead them to get many of their terrorist comrades set free. Even better for them, they don't even have to keep those who they kidnap alive. So, why WOULDN'T they keep doing this, unless Israel comes up with a better way to respond?

Here's my suggestion: The next time that terrorists kidnap an Israeli, Israel respond by killing 50 terrorists. Do it again and the number doubles, to 100. Do it a third time and the number doubles again, to 200, and so on and so forth. Who cares what the U.N. or "international community" has to say about the subject? They can't stand Israel anyway.

The collective suicide pact

The Islamofascists want to kill most of us, and convert/subjugate those who they don't kill. Our courts seem inclined to do whatever they can to help them do just that. This is not just an American problem, the obvious and justified consternation over the Boumedienne decision notwithstanding. The same problem exists in the U.K., where Courts are forcing the government to set free high profile terrrorists rather than having them deported back to their native countries because doing so would "violate their human rights": http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121486821701117583.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

The radical Islamofascists who run the terrorist networks must laugh themselves sick with every idiotic court pronouncement..............

The enemy of my enemy is my friend

So, we thus have an alliance between radical Islamofascists such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and far left loons such as Hugo Chavez: http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5720. They don't have much in common. In fact, they arguably have only one thing in common: a mutual, shared loathing of the United States and Israel. However, that one single tie is an extremely important and strong one. Those who support the United States and/or Israel cannot afford to ignore the growing power of this unholy alliance. Fueled by obscene oil revenues, it is only going to get stronger.

Even more offensive

I have already commented on how the exchange of Samir Kuntar and other terrorists for the bodies of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser is incredibly offensive. Even worse, we are now finding out that the both of the Israeli soldiers were executed by Hezbollah: http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=19815120&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8.

Isn't that a violation of the Geneva Convention that Israel is constantly accused of violating? Hmm, wonder if we'll hear word one from the U.N. Security Council or the Commission on Human Rights about this? How about the Red Cross? Amnesty International? The silence is absolutely deafening.

The horrible precedent set by this Israeli decision is already being felt, as Hamas has hardened its position with respect to Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped over two years ago: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080630/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians. Why shouldn't it? This is entirely the right move given what Israel just did.

The forgotten terrorist attacks

Everyone--including me--talks about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but it seems as though no one recalls the anthrax attacks that followed in October of that year: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121478249006714421.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. Five people died, 22 more were made ill and the government had to spend millions of dollars cleaning up the contaminated offices. No one was ever arrested or no suspect was ever named.

Doesn't it strike anyone else as odd that this story completely vanished? It's as though this never happened. The one "person of interest", a former government scientist by the name of Stephen Hatfill, successfully sued the government for slandering him, so the trail on this case is ice cold.

Why isn't anyone else concerned not only that this happened but that we have no clue who did it?

A somber video

A friend forwarded this link to me. Why today, I don't know, but it is an extremely well-edited video of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a U2 musical background. Simply put, it's fantastic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNFaJK1I2Lc&feature=related.

Despicable

The spineless, duplicitous Olmert government has apparently decided that it will agree to trade five Palestinian terrorists, including the unbelievably evil Samir Kuntar (just do a search on his name to find out what kind of horror he perpetrated almost 30 years ago) for the remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who now appear to have been confirmed as dead: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=982bd500-328a-47f1-9419-2c17fa396b18.

What does this teach us all? Terrorism works. Starting wars works. Israel will give up eventually.

Great job, Olmert.