MOSQUE DE NOTRE DAME?

INSTAPUNDIT linked to a posting by DANIEL DREZNER (on the recently published NIC/CIA look into the future, through 2020) which included a graphic that Glenn called "troubling."

The graphic is a chart which shows the changing demography of the EU, projected out to 2025. The chart basically shows that - based on current trends (immigration and birth rate/death rate and religious ID trends) - the EU will become very very Muslim; 40% Muslim! Some commentators and historians - like Bat Y'eor - have been making this point for some time: that Europe is becoming Islamicized; some call it "Eurabia."

IS THIS AN IMPORTANT TREND? Can the religion of a nation or continent make a difference? Should we care if Europe becomes a little more Muslim?

Well, the Leftists in the USA are not shy about claiming that Christianity - especially evangelical Christianity - has an effect on OUR politics; they think it has a HUGE effect - and a BAD effect. Self-identified evangelicals comprise about 40% of the US population, according to some polls.

If that's POSSIBLE - if religion can inform politics here in the USA - then it must also be possible in the EU. THEREFORE, Leftists MUST accept that the trend in the CIA graph presents the potential for major social and political change.

I wonder what the Left thinks that change might involve? Do they think it will make the EU more tolerant? More libertarian? Less mysogynistic? Less anti-Semitic? More competitive in commerce and the sciences?

OF COURSE IT CANNOT MEAN ANY OF THOSE THINGS. It probably means the exact opposite of those things. YES: It's a harbinger for bad things, for things getting worse than they are.

Only two leading mainstream politicians in the EU seem to get this: Nicholas Sarkozy and Gert Wilders. I hope they're brave enough to lead a counter-movement - a second enlightenment - that can defeat this INVASION in a way that's consistent with Western values.

Either they do, or the Eiffel Tower will be the Muezzin for the Mosque du Notre Dame!

Don't laugh - it's happened before: in Constantinople, Antioch, Alleppo, Alexandria, and so on. It can happen again. As a matter of fact, according to this BBC REPORT, it may be too late to stop the trend:

"For decades, the Church in France has been living on borrowed time, relying on a body of priests whose average age has steadily increased. That time has suddenly run out." Recent research suggests that French priests have become so old that half of them will die in the next eight years. [...] Fr Cambon - who has more than 30 churches to look after - says his elderly congregation is dying out so rapidly that in 10 years there may be no church in Puy L'Eveque at all. "People kept saying it would be all right," says Fr Cambon, "but they're about to be proved wrong. My fear is that the Roman Catholic Church will disappear altogether in France. That's the path we're on." For French seminaries it is a well-trodden path. Only 150 men completed their training as priests last year, for the whole of France.

The BBC correspondent blames secularization. The CIA/NIC chart reveals that the Christian character of the EU is under assault on another front, too: Muslimization by demography. Add to that the propensity of the CHIC APPEASERATI of Old Europe to pay obesiance to neo-Jiahdists - instead of confronting them and counter-attacking them - and, well, what you've got is a two front war on Judeo-Christianity in Europe in which only one side wants to fight! Unless and until Europe decides to fight back, they haven't got a chance! And Europe had better start fighting back now, on both fronts - or else, as the CIA/NIC chart reveals - it will be soon too late.

WELCOME CHRENKOFF READERS! TAKE A LOOK AROUND. THERE'S ANOTHER POSTING ON THE ISLAMIFICATION OF FRANCE - "PAR-IS-TANBUL; IT HAS A FEW OTHER LINKS. G'DAY! WELOCME MY PET JAWA READERS!

The Road to Damascus Goes Through Beirut

Lebanon is occupied territory. It is occupied by Syria. The UNSC passed UNSCR#1559 demanding that Syria removes its forces. Syria has been stalling. Yesterday, the USA issued a new harshly worded warning to Syria reminding it if its responsibilities uder UNSCR#1559:

The United States has rejected what it called 'procrastination tactics' by the governments in Beirut and Damascus to delay Syria's military withdrawal from Lebanon and asserted that the Bush administration would not let the enforcement of U.N. resolution 1559 be postponed until peace breaks out in the Middle East. "The justification by the governments of Syria and Lebanon that resolution 1559 will be enforced once all other previous resolutions concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict are enforced is a flagrant tactic for not implementing 1559," said Elizabeth Dibble, who heads the Middle East Bureau of the U.S. State Department. "The United States does not intend to delay resolution 1559 pending the implementation of the region's other resolutions," Dibble said in an interview aired by the U.S.-sponsored SAWA Arabic-language radio station Thursday evening. Excerpts of the interview were reported by An Nahar Friday morning. "Resolution 1559 was taken as an independent resolution," she said. "It is clear that we want to see a comprehensive solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict, but we do not intend to delay 1559 pending that day." The Syrian forces, Dibble added, must leave Lebanon. "I believe that the contention that implementation should await comprehensive peace is an additional procrastination tactic by Syria and Lebanon." She charged that Hizbullah "harbors intention to destabilize the region" and said the United States "cannot differentiate between Hizbullah's terrorist activities and it political status."

If Syria fails to withdraw, the US might use the threat of force to compel Syria withdrawal - and to thereby weaken its terrorist client/surrogate Hizb'allah. This would have beneficial effects on the Israeli-Arab "peace process."

The threat of force on the Lebanese "front" and the subsequent withdrawal of Syria troops would also enable Syria to redeploy its army where it's really needed: on the Iraqi border (where they will either seal the border or be destroyed by US forces who would be retaliating against the Baathists and Neojihadists who are using Syria as a base of operations.

IOW: I expect the US to use the Syrian occupation of Lebabnon as a lever. STAY TUNED.

For more on UNSCR#1559 go HERE (to read it) and HERE (for an historical analysis) .

Chic Appeaserati Speaks

GUARDIAN: After meeting with the utterly corrupt French President in Paris, Kerry had this to say:

``I believe there needs to be a larger political reconciliation, as well as a broader involvement of other countries in decision-making in order to build a greater stability in Iraq.''

That's nothing more than the GLOBAL TEST AGAIN! Sheesh! This guy is too much: he wants to give away US authority and says so while overseas! What a jerk! The USA learned during the Kosovo war - (in which the 19 nations of NATO had a veto over Wes Clark and the US military) - that it's best if we don't take orders from other nations during war-time. That's why we did Afghanistan alone. And now: here comes Kerry - months after he's LOST the election - telling our most obstinate and unhelpful allies (Germany and France) that he favors giving them more say over our military!

HEY VIKINGPUNDIT: Can we get a recall going in Massachusetts!?!

THE MSM COLLABORATES WITH THE ENEMY

From BLACKFIVE, written by a soldier in Iraq - in CAMP FALLUJAH:

By LTC Tim Ryan, CO, 2/12 Cav, 1st Cav Div

... Through their incomplete, uninformed and unbalanced reporting, many members of the media covering the war in Iraq are aiding and abetting the enemy. [...] Did it ever occur to the media that this type of notoriety is just what the terrorists want and need? Every headline they grab is a victory for them. Those who have read the ancient Chinese military theorist and army general Sun Tsu will recall the philosophy of "Kill one, scare ten thousand" as the basic theory behind the strategy of terrorism. Through fear, the terrorist can then manipulate the behavior of the masses. The media allows the terrorist to use relatively small but spectacular events that directly affect very few, and spread them around the world to scare millions. [...] This war is not without its tragedies; none ever are. The key to the enemy's success is use of his limited assets to gain the greatest influence over the masses. The media serves as the glass through which a relatively small event can be magnified to international proportions, and the enemy is exploiting this with incredible ease. [...] Almost on a daily basis, newspapers, periodicals and airwaves give us negative views about the premises for this war and its progress. It seems that everyone from politicians to pop stars are voicing their unqualified opinions on how things are going. Recently, I saw a Rolling Stone magazine and in bold print on the cover was, "Iraq on Fire; Dispatches from the Lost War." Now, will someone please tell me who at Rolling Stone or just about any other "news" outlet is qualified to make a determination as to when all is lost and it's time to throw in the towel?

It's a long - very well-written article. GO TO BLACKFIVE AND RTWT. Print it out, and pass it around! The MSM must either be kept honest and kept on their toes - or kept QUIET!

ANNAN BLAMES INTERIM IRAQI GOVERNMENT FOR PRE-ELECTION WOES!

BBC:

"I have always made clear that the elections must be as inclusive as possible, if, as I hope, they are to contribute positively to the political transition in Iraq," Mr Annan said. "Even at this late stage, reaching out to the Arab nationalist component of society, especially the Sunni Arabs is critical to this. I encourage the government to intensify its efforts in this direction."

WILD! First, Annan calls the Baathist/neo-Jihadist counter-revolutionaries "Arab Nationalists (at best a sanitary way of saying "Baathist" - Baathism is first and foremost an Islamic pan-Arabist movement, and secondarily a socialist party). That would have been bad enough, but Annan makes it worse: Annan then blames the difficulties and dangers that Iraqi Sunni Arabs will probably have voting (due to the terror wave committed by the counter-revolutionaries) on the Interim Government!

Annan has got to go!

UPDATED!!! SHARON TO ABBAS: "WE'RE SHUTTING UP UNTIL YOU PUT UP!"

BREAKING NEWS: MSNBC/AP

Israelis cut ties with new Palestinian leader

Ordered by Sharon, boycott comes a day after deadly Gaza attack

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon severed contacts with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas until he acts against militants, a spokesman said Friday, a day after six Israelis were killed in an attack on a Gaza Strip crossing.

As I wrote below: the ball is in Abbas' court; he must make a credible move or else prove that he is not a partner for peace. IT'S NOW OR NEVER. (More from HAARETZ HERE.)

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY: Abbas and the PA are like the Taliban were: they're "hosting" terrorists. Abbas has been given the same ultimatum by the Israelis that we gave the Taliban: "'take care' the terrorists or we will." If Abbas needs help to do this, he can call on Egypt or Saudi Arabia or Jordan for help - they all have experience in squashing Jihadoterrorists. Or, Abbas can ask the IDF to help - or the USA. Any of these could help Abbas eradicate the terrorists, just as they were eradicated in Jenin and Kabul and Fallujah. Abbas must act now - or consign himself and the nationalist cause of his people to irrelevance.

If Abbas doesn't act, then Isreal would no choice except to unilaterally separate on its own timetable, and to borders of its own choosing. This would not necessarily equate with the best possible deal that Abbas might negotiate if he were sincere - and proved it. Since this is completely obvious, and becasue Abbas can ask for assistance to get the job done, one must conclude that if Abbas doesn't reign in the Jihadoterrorists it's because he doesn't want to reign in the Jihadoterrorists.

IMHO (sadly) Abbas is complicit with the Jihadoterrorists. It's sad because continued Palestinian "insurgency" is not rational - it cannot lead to the accomplishment of their goals - in fact, their violence is counter-productive. But then: Jihadoterrorism is not known for its rationaliy, is it?! Just as they lost in Afghanistan, and will lose in Iraq, they will lose in the occupied territories. YES: it seems to me that it's high time we accepted the fact that the victory of democracy and self-determination can only come about AFTER we UTTERLY DEFEAT the enemy - everywhere. May our victory come soon.

UPDATE (JPOST): Erekat spoke with CNN responding to Israel's dramatic move. "We need to resume contacts and negotiations, in order to revive hope in the minds of Palestinians and Israelis that peace is possible. Suspending ties serves nobody's purpose except the extremists on both sides," Erekat said. Erekat said the gesture was extreme, and wholly unjustified, in particular because the PA's chairman-elect Mahmoud Abbas has not yet entered office, and so has not yet been in the position of authority to take steps against the violence. Abbas will be sworn in as PA chairman at noon this Saturday in Ramallah. "How can you blame him?" Erekat demanded. "How can you blame someone who has not yet entered the office of the Palestinian Authority?"

Erekat - a longtime Arafat cohort and expert apologist and propagandist for terror - HAS IT ALL WRONG (and of course neither CNN or the MSM follow up on his LIE): ABBAS is ACTING head of the PNA ALREADY, and CHAIRMAN OF THE PLO, and has all the autority he needs - in addition, he is the a founding leader of FATAH, and was their successful presidential candidate. IF HE WANTED TO ACT HE COULD ON ANYONE OF THOSE FRONTS!

Erekat's lie is the lie of Abbas. And it does NOT BODE WELL. Stay tuned...

ABBAS' FATAH HAILS "MARTYRDOM" ATTACK

JPOST:

Six Israeli security guards were killed and five wounded late Thursday night in a combined bombing and shooting attack at the Karni crossing point from the Gaza Strip, military sources said. Three Palestinian terrorists were reported killed. [...] The Aksa Martyrs Brigades, affiliated with Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah, claimed responsibility, as did Hamas and the umbrella Popular Resistance Committee. Fatah hailed "a martyrdom operation" at Karni, which is the main crossing point for goods transported to and from Gaza.

Now... will Abbas do more than condemn the attack - which his own "political party" hails!?!? Will he discipline his "party!?"

MORE IMPORTANTLY: will Abbas do anything concrete to punish the attackers and to prevent it from happening again!?!?! THIS IS THE TRUE TEST; THIS WILL REVEAL WHO ABBAS REALLY IS!

UPDATE (11:30AM): UPI / WASHTIMES - ABBAS COMMENTS - Gaza, Gaza, Jan. 14 -- Palestinian President-elect Mahmoud Abbas says recent violence between his people and Israel won't help the peace process move ahead. [...] "This Palestinian attack and what the Israeli army had done last week in Gaza killing nine Palestinians and all these mutual attacks would never help the peace process," Abbas said.

This is NOT a condemnation of the Karni attack; this is an artful dodge that merely states the obvious. Unless and until Abbas CONDEMNS all attacks against all Israeli targets, and unless and until he TAKES ACTIONS TO STOP SUCH ATTACKS there is NO repeat ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE THAT THERE WILL BE ANY BILATERAL DEAL. To have a bilateral; deal there has to be TWO sides ready to make a deal; obviously Abbas is NOT ready. He is a poseur a fraud and a terrorist. When he acts to end anti-Israeli attacks, then AND ONLY THE do we have a partner for peace.

IT'S REALLY SIMPLE: if Abbas won't police his people, then the IDF has to. The ball is in Abbas' side of the court. We're waiting...

More form "Reuters" HERE and al Jazeera HERE and the London Times HERE.

NORTH KOREA READY TO REJOIN TALKS?

BLOOMBERG: North Korea Is Ready to Join Nuclear Talks, U.S. Lawmakers Say

Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- North Korea is ready to rejoin six- nation talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear programs, said a group of U.S. Congress members who visited the capital, Pyongyang. The lawmakers, speaking in the South Korean capital Seoul today, said they met North Korea's second in command Kim Yong Nam. The bipartisan delegation, led by Representative Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican, visited North Korea Jan. 11 to Jan. 19 as part of visits to nations involved in trying to persuade North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

RTWT. I hope the Congressmen are right. And I hope that North Korea is ready to negotiate in earnest, and not merely using negotitations as a ploy, a delaying tactic. AGAIN! Then again: we should never base our national security on a "hope." IOW: regime change is still the only REAL answer.

CHIC APPEASERATI TO MEET TODAY IN PARIS

From the Boston Globe:

"PARIS -- Sen. John Kerry will meet Friday with French President Jacques Chirac, U.S. and French officials said."

How do you say Waterloo in French? Nevermind, I'm sure Kerry knows. Seriously, what will they talk about? And why? This has got to be the least savory and least important meeting to take place in Paris since Chirac met with Arafat on Arafat's death bed - (SHEESH, I hope he's bathed since then!).

This visit is typcial of Kerry: meeting with the enemy during a war! It comes on the heels of a meeting he had with Assad in Syria. Before that he was disparaging our efforts in Iraq - WHILE VISITING OUR TROOPS THERE!

Hey, maybe he'll make a nostalgic visit to the Paris hotel where he met with the Vietcong delegation - WHILE ON HIS HONEYMOON!?

What is it about people like Chirac and Kerry and Petain and Chamberlain that makes them think that all we have to do is be a little nicer to our enemies and they'll learn to love us!? Is it naivete? Greed? Are they a willful fifth column. Or are they just dupes? Or cowards?

If this were a multiple choice question, then the answer would be "ALL OF THE ABOVE."

YEAH THAT'S IT - that defines the chic appeaserati: naive greedy dupes willing to suck up to tyranny if it will maintain their high status status quo.

You can hear the chic appeaserati rant: "SPONSOR THE SPREAD OF UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY!? MOI!? I COULDN'T BE BOTHERED! JUST GIVE THE MASSES A PENSION AND HEALTHCARE AND LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE! YOU NEOCONS ARE SUCH TROUBLE MAKERS - MAKING NASTY JIHADIST MOUNTAINS OUT OF LITTLE MUSLIM MOLEHILLS! WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE! CHIRAC, KERRY, ANNAN, SCHROEDER, ZAPATERO - NOW THERE'S LEADERSHIP! INSTEAD, WHAT DO WE HAVE: BUSH - WHO'S CONTROLLED BY ARIEL SHARON AND PAT ROBERTSON AND THE HOUSE OF SAUD! OSAMA!?!? HE WORKS FOR KARL ROVE! MERDE: IF THE AMERICANS WEREN'T SO DAMN STUPID, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE FALLEN FOR ROVE'S DIVISIVE FUNDAMENTALIST CRAP - OR THE WMD LIES - AND INSTEAD ELECTED KERRY - A REAL WAR-HERO. AND THE WORLD WORLD BE AS ONE!"

Well, the chic appeaserati is right about just one thing: Chirac, Kerry, Zapatero, Schroeder, and Annan belong together!

UPDATE: Chirac could dodge trial if made senator-for-life (AFP) - Supporters of French President Jacques Chirac are pushing for a constitutional change that would make him a senator-for-life after he leaves office and thus shield him from the threat of future legal proceedings, newspapers reported Friday. The proposed measure would mean that all former presidents become automatic members of the upper house of parliament - instead of joining the constitutional council, France's highest judicial authority, which they do under the existing arrangement. Chirac, 72, cannot be prosecuted as long as he remains president, but when he steps down he risks being placed under judicial investigation in connection with a series of party-finance scams during his 18-year tenure as mayor of Paris.

What a slime ball!

COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARIES ROB BANK IN RAMADI

HAT TIP BACKCOUNTRY CONSERVATIVE:

Iraqi rebels steal $17.6mFrom correspondents in Ramadi

ARMED men robbed an Iraqi bank in Ramadi, the troubled capital of western al-Anbar province, stealing about $US13.5 million ($17.6 million) worth of Iraqi dinars."At 11am (7pm AEDT), a group broke into the Rashid bank and locked all the employees in a room and took all the money from the bank before escaping," a police captain said.

AS BACKCOUNTRY CONSEVRATIVE ASKED: "Could there be a problem with their usual funding avenues?"

I think this action, and the fact that the counter-revolutionaries are using bigger bombs indicates that they are getting more desperate. And, that we are winning. And that the enemy knows they must do everything between NOW and January 29 to prevent the election. TOM FRIEDMAN knows why we must NOT ALLOW THEM TO DO THIS.

US PLANNING MISSILE STRIKES AGAINST SYRIA

According to UPI/Global Policy Forum, the Bush Adminstration is moving toward retaliating against the "insurgents" inside of Syria by attacking their bases, training centers and camps:

"An administration official said Syria has "camps in which Syrians are training Iraqis for the insurgency and others where Iraqis are training Syrians for the same purpose" which could be hit by U.S. air strikes." [...] One former senior CIA official, usually an administration critic, said, "We should send a cruise missile into south-side Damascus and blow the Mukharbarat headquarters off the map. We should first make clear to them that they are the target."

RTWT! AND STAY TUNED...

NEW IRAQI GROUP DECLARES WAR ON JIHADISTS

Iraqis are taking justice into their own hands, it seems:

An unknown militant group Saraya Iraqna has declared war on extremists acting on the territory of Iraq, reported RIA Novosti citing an article published in the Iraqi newspaper Al Ittihad. The first official message of the group says it aims at “a relentless fight against all kinds of terrorists and Wahabits in the country”. “Our activity will not be selective. It is directed toward all terrorist organizations on the territory of Iraq, no matter what their religion or ethnic origin is”, says the message.

They're a POSSE COMITATUS and counter-counter-revolutionaries. If they kill a lot of Jihadoterrorists (the counter-revolutionaries) they will help prevent Iraq from becoming a tyrannical totalitarian state again. More power to'em! "Viva la revolucion!" - the DEMOCRATIC "revolucion," that is!

NO WMD STOCKPILES IN IRAQ

Okay. Then where are they, in Syria (DEBKA and others reported in early 2003 that they were trucked there by the Russians in late 2002)?

Or was Saddam bluffing - to create a deterrent? Or were his scientists?

IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME. Even if he had no WMD stockpiles, and even if he made none from 1991-2002 - Saddam still violated UNSCR#1441: he had illegal missile programs; and illegal WMD labs & production capabilities; and he had hidden parts necessary for a nuclear enrichment program - ALL BANNED BY ALL THE UNSCRS AND UNSCR#1441! AND HE FILED A FALSE FINAL REPORT! AND HE WAS ABUSING THE OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM! AND HE DRAINED THE GREAT BASRA SWAMP! AND HE WAS STARVING AND TORTURING HIS TYRANNIZED PEOPLE! (SEE: Duelfer's testimony HERE for more proof Saddam was in violation of UNSCR#1441.)

And - strategically - we had to get our troops out of Saudi Arabia (that was after all Bin Laden's #1 complaint & recruiting plank). Removing Saddam was the only way to do that.

ALSO: Iran is now surrounded. ALSO: Iraq is a now magnet for Jihadoterrists; they go there and die; dead ones are a smaller threat to us than lives ones. AND: liberating Iraq from tyranny and establishing a democracy there will begin to eradicate the "root causes" of neo-Jihadism: poverty; ignorance; xenophobia. As Iraq improves - and as Iraqis remain Islamic - (NOT Islamist or Baathist) - other Arabs and Muslims all over the world will begin to see that modernity and Islam can co-exist; NAY: they will see that they can thrive together. And that the only thing that stands between them and the future is tyranny.

YUP: Saddam was one bad-guy who had to go. A few more should join him.

PAKISTAN RELEASING ALQAEDA SUSPECTS INTO TRIBAL AREAS

(AFP) PESHAWAR, Pakistan - "Pakistan is to free up to 25 suspected Al Qaeda-linked militants seized in a volatile region bordering Afghanistan before a Muslim festival next week, the military said Wednesday. All the suspects were arrested or surrendered during two big military operations in March and June last year in the South Waziristan’s Shakai valley, considered a militant stronghold, a military statement said. 'The military authorities in recognition of unprecedented support and cooperation of the tribesmen have decided to release apprehended men of Shakai Valley before Eid al Azha (January 21),' the statement said."

I hope they've implanted chips in these suspects, that they track them and that they're led to Bin Laden's lair. Otherwise, it seems like another step BACK! And on the heels of the escape of a Musharraf assasination suspect, well: it seems to me that Pakistan is rapidly becoming a problem again - at best unreliable; at worst... a foe. STAY TUNED.

ANTI-SEMITIC UN MOVES AGAINST ISRAEL SECURITY FENCE

Hat-tip to the inimitable MARK LEVIN:

The UN is setting up a bureaucracy to assist Arabs in the occupied territories of Israel to make claims against the Government of Israel for losses they assert were caused by the anti-terror security fence . (See other news stories HERE and HERE.)

Levin - tonight, on his syndicated radioshow - made the point that there are DOZENS of other security fences on disputed territories which have NEVER EVER been the subject of ANY UN attack. To prove his case, Levin used information from a posting at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, HERE and HERE.

This new anti-Israel action by Kofi Annan, and the anti-Semites of the UN, comes on the heels many others - including the recent spurious ICJ case against the fence. It's more proof that the UN has a net negative effect on world affairs. UN peace-keeping offices are often overrun with sexual predators; they pilfered the Oil for Food program; they've already mismanaged the tsunami relief effort.

As Levin suggested, it's time to kick the UN out of the US and turn the building into a condo --- a TRUMP CONDO! "PAGING THE DONALD!"

COSBY CORRECTLY BLAMES BAD PARENTING

COSBY -

The problems: "Teenage girls become unwed mothers while males are allowed to walk away without taking any responsibility. The incarceration rate of our youth is accelerating with devastating consequences for our families and neighborhoods. Children are being killed by stray bullets in territorial gang and drug wars. "

The causes: "Most of these ills stem from several factors, but an important one is the lack of education of too many of our young people. Studies show a correlation between inadequate schooling and a wide range of distressing outcomes, including early death, a propensity toward violence and substance abuse. "

The solution: "Proper education has to begin at home. We must demand that our youth have an understanding of spoken and written English, math and science. We must transform our communities with a renewed commitment to our children, and that means parents must show that they value education. We don't need another federal commission to study the problem. What we need now is parents sitting down with children, overseeing homework, sending children off to school in the morning well fed, clothed, rested and ready to learn."

I would only add: if parents demanded better grades from their kids, then the kids would get better grades - and it wouldn't cost another extra dime!

(Proof of this is the different average grades which Koreans and Hispanics get in the same NYC schools - Koreans average "A's" while Hispanics average "C's". Why does this happen? Well, if a Korean kids gets a "B" they get punished; this does not normally occur in Hispanic households unless the child gets a "D". Perhaps if Hispanic parents were as demanding as Korean parents, then Hipanic kids would do just as well as Korean kids. BTW: many Korean homes are bi-lingual, just like the Hispanic homes - so this is NOT a reason for the disparity. Neither is race!)

Because the social cost of a uneducated youths/citizens is HUGE, I believe that we should find a way to incentivize better parenting. Maybe we could increase the amount of the federal child deduction (create a "BONUS") for households in which the children get a "B" average? And decrease it if the children get below a "C" average? Ditto incentivizing the school districts.

VDH ON THE EU(SSR)

From his interview with John Hawkins of RIGHTWING NEWS via IBERIA NOTES:

Hawkins: Why do you think Europeans and Americans seem to have such a dissimilar view of the world these days?

Victor Davis Hanson: I wish it was because of issues that divide us on principle, but I’m afraid a lot of it has to do with the absence of 300 Soviet divisions. During the Cold War, the U.S. subsidized the defense of Europe and it kept Russia from going in and doing to Western Europe what it had done to Eastern Europe. With the demise of the Berlin Wall, the Europeans immediately began to follow up on their socialist utopia.

IMHO: utopianism - and utopianists like Hitler and Stalin and Bin Laden - are the problem. They all believe that an elite of better-informed/enlightened leaders (whether it's a politburo informed by Das Kapital or a council of Mullahs informed by the Koran) can make the world a perfect place. What they ALWAYS end up doing is destroying liberty and prosperity and committing genocide. In fact, only utopianists commit genocide. WHY? Because utopianists think that their vision of "utopia" is so so so so soooooooo perfect that it's worth doing really really really bad things to achieve it. Like denying other "less informed" people their innate rights: the right to the fruits of their labor, their property, and their right to self defense. And the utopianist elites usually end up killing the "infidels" - and thousands like them - if the "unenlightened" insist on getting in the way of the elite's grand utopianist plans.

RTWT. More on the evil twins Hitler and Marx and other dangerous utopianists HERE (scroll around - there's PLENTY!).

SYRIAN-RUSSIAN MISSILE DEAL

Links to dozens of fresh/hot stories HERE at Google News.

The missile deal would upset the current precarious balance of power by giving Syria (and perhaps Hezb'allah) a more powerful and more accurate missile capable of hitting anything in Israel - including Dimona.

IMHO: this is (a) another instance of Putin (who's been increasingly more despotic) screwing us, and (b) another reason why the clock is ticking with regard to Syria: the more hardened are their defenses, the more obstinate they will be - and the likelihood of getting them to be a good neighbor to Iraq and Israel DECLINES DRAMATICALLY.

It really pisses me off that Putin is enabling this. Is Putin trying to protect Assad because that's where Saddam's WMD are (having been transported there in the winter of 2002 - as DEBKA reported in early 2003)?

UPDATE: JANE'S SECURITY NEWS BRIEFS highlight growing concern about Putin's Russia: "The problem of Russia in 2005 - Although the risk of further attacks by international terrorist groups remains the main focus of attention for Western intelligence services, JID's top analysts point to Russia as an increasing cause for concern. In this article, a leading security specialist warns that downplaying the threat the Kremlin poses is no longer an option.[Jane's Intelligence Digest - first posted to http://jid.janes.com - 12 January 2005]"

UPDATE #2 - (HAT-TIP DRUDGE/YAHOO): "The United States warned Russia against selling missiles to Syria amid reports that Moscow was ready to provide Damascus with a sophisticated weapon that could hit any target in Israel. But Russia denied it had any such plans. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Washington could consider sanctions against Moscow if it went through with reported plans to sell Syria its SS-26 Iskander missile. Secretary of State Colin Powell also raised the reported sale in talks here Wednesday with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, according to a State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity. "The US policy on this is very clear," Boucher said. "We're against the sale of weaponry to Syria, against the sale of lethal military equipment to Syria, which is a state sponsor of terrorism." He said the United States was aware of reports a deal was brewing and "we think those kinds of sales are not appropriate. ... The Russians know about this policy. They know about our views." The Russian media carried reports of the planned sale as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad prepared to visit Russia on January 24 for talks with President Vladimir Putin."

UPDATE #3 - HERE. These missiles are shoulder-launched and once in Syria (a state-sponsor of terrorism) they could easily "fall into" the hands of Jihadoterrorists. As Roger L. SIMON points out - HERE - this arms deal is a revival of the old KGB/USSR/ASSAD alliance, and represents another HUGE step back for Putin's Russia.

UPDATE #4 - according to HAARETZ: (a) Russian is denying the sale; and (b) the Israeli miltary is claiming the new missile would NOT alter their defenses. (But then, the IAF is second to only one [the USAF], and all EL AL jets have anti-missile defenses.)

UPDATE#5 - The American Thinker weighs in with a round-up and some excellent analysis of the implications of continued arms proliferation by Russia and the EU (with Iran and China).

STAY TUNED! MORE UPDATES TO FOLLOW!

IRANIAN AMERICAN ARRESTED FOR AIDING IRAN NUKE PROGRAM

NY Newsday: BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- An Iranian-born businessman illegally smuggled equipment to support the Iranian nuclear missile program, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Mohammad Farahbakhsh, 43, an Iranian-born U.S. citizen living in Los Angeles, was arraigned in U.S. District Court Tuesday on charges that he sent pressure sensors and other equipment from Stamford to the United Arab Emirates, where they were to be shipped to Iran. Farahbakhsh was charged in Connecticut because he allegedly ordered pressure sensors from Stamford-based Omega Engineering in 2003. Just 20 months ago, Omega was fined $313,000 for illegally shipping equipment to Pakistan. When the company learned the sensors were destined to Iran, officials notified the FBI.

More from a Connecticutt TV station HERE.

I'm glad that Ascroft's DOJ is on top of this.

ASSAD COMPLAINS TO COMMUNISTS THAT THE USA IS BEING TOO TOUGH

DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a meeting with leaders of the communist party, said the Middle East had entered "a very dangerous period, more dangerous than during World War I. He said he was was resisting "unlimited pressure."

I hope that diplomatic pressure works, though I feel it has about as much a chance of working on Assad as it did on Saddam - which is NIL.

I think when our navy is done helping out with the tsunami tragedy, we should moor them off the coast of Syria, and start the countdown...

FRANCE SENDS ONE SHIP

JANUARY 12 - ON BOARD THE JEANNE D'ARC (AFP/YAHOO) -

The French helicopter-carrier Jeanne D'Arc was heading for northern Indonesia on a mission to deliver humanitarian aid to the tsunami-hit town of Meulaboh. Helicopter pilots on the ship were busy training Tuesday, hauling medicines and other aid into the air and suspending them above the bridge while soldiers sorted the supplies and stacked them in a nearby hangar. The Jeanne D'Arc left Djibouti earlier Tuesday with six helicopters and 600 crew to transport 6,000 food rations, 800 tonnes of water and water treatment equipment, five tonnes of medicine and field medical posts.

Okay: one ship is better than none.

Now let's see... how many did the USA send? As of Jan. 7, America already had more than 12,500 military personnel in place, along with 20 ships, 44 aircraft and 54 helicopters -- with more on the way.

All of this was done without direction from the United Nations. Or France. Heh.

NIXON, CLINTON AND BUSH

Ken Adelman (TCS - 5/28/03):

George W. Bush is a transformational leader. He's willing to take big risks to make big changes. Unlike most modern presidents - Ronald Reagan the notable exception - Bush is in high office not so much to be something as to do something. [...] In contrast to transformational leaders are transitional leaders - those who keep their desk tidy, make managerial decisions, and leave few footprints.

Who'da thunk it! Certainly not this Democrat in 2000! But Adelman was right - 100% right. Clinton was merely a mediocre transitional president. While Bush is transforming more than just foreign policy, the Middle East, and the GWOT - he's taking on long-standing domestic crises as well: Social Security; Medicare; taxes; immigration. He's proposing BOLD policies based on unshakeable FAITH in basic values and universal human rights, and employing them with great CONFIDENCE, if not RESOLUTENESS.

It may take forever for those afflicted with BDS to realize it or accept it, but he's ALREADY a great president!

What is it with the Left, anyhow - that makes them so impervious to the obvious!? Is it merely partisanship!? I dunno, maybe they just need some... perspective. That reminds me: I recently hitched a ride with a Leftie who was STILL BASHING NIXON (I forget why)! I offered a rebuttal to his view - and to what has become CONVENTIONAL WISDOM - that Nixon was bad. I gave him this simple recitation:

"In barely over four years in office Nixon ended the Vietnam War, ended the draft, invented detente and signed an arms limitation treaty with the USSR - and the ABM treaty, opened China, founded the EPA and passed the Clean Air Clean Water Act, tried the bold (and ill-conceived) Wage & Price Controls, made two extraordinary SCOTUS appointments, and realigned the national parties with his southern strategy. So say what you will about the man's obvious "partisan paranoia" (and I mean Watergate - which was NUTS! Heck: he would thrashed McGovern without a single dirty trick!) - Nixon was a transformational president whose good accomplishments have greatly improved the USA and the world in ways we are still benefiting from! What great things did Clinton do in EIGHT YEARS!?"

My friend nodded. He'd never realized - or accepted before how much good Nixon had accomplished, how many bold and important moves he'd made in just four years. The perspective - the distance of 30 years had allowed him to be OBJECTIVE. He had to admit it: Nixon HAD done invaluably great things (and a few bold bad things - like Wage & Price Controls).

And he also had to admit how few great things Clinton had accomplished in EIGHT YEARS: NAFTA, Family Leave, a big tax increase, Kosovo and... what else again? BUT: there sure were big failures, though: Rwandan, Bosnian, and Sudanese genocides; the Somalian debacle; the Haiti debacle; and the Khobar Towers bombings, the 1993 WTC bombing, and the African Embassy bombings, AND THE USS COLE ATTACK ALL UNANSWERED! And Lewinsky. And Impeachment. And shame, shame, shame...

Saying Clinton was "transitional" maybe putting it politely!

So, 30 years from I expect to be having the same type of conversation about Bush 43 with my Leftie friends (if there are still any around!) - and getting the same nods of grudging respect for Bush - God-willing!

RATHER REPLACEMENT PREDICTION

APPOINTMENTS OFTEN SURPRISE. WHOODA THUNK THAT CHERTOFF WOULDA BEEN PICKED FOR DHS? NO ONE.

In that spirit, I predict that Moonves will select LESLEY STAHL to replace Dan Rather.

She has a more impressive CV than John Roberts or Scott Pelli (the two most often cited as potential Rather replacements by the Old Media), and she has more gravitas, and a higher Q rating (more of the public knows who she is). PLUS: she's a woman - which will help CBS create some product differentiation without subverting the product or the brand (since she is a respected reporter/moderator/host and an old CBS hand).

DOWNSIDE: She's older than Roberts and Pelli; (she was born in 1941). BUT - (IMHO) - the younger male wannabes - Roberts and Pelli - would NOT NECESSARILY attract a younger demographic; no anchor will (unless Moonves selects Carson Daly or Howard Stern!). She's young enough to anchor for the next 5-10 years - and that's EONS in the media game! So I say, Moonves will let the kid Brian Williams scramble for the relatively small youngish demographic (which barely watches TV news, anyhow), and try to "OUT-GRAVITAS" both NBC, AND the soon-to-be Jenning-less ABC, by going with the experienced, trustworthy and well-known Stahl.

Rather: A Big Wheel in the Travis County, Texas Smear Machine

The release of the Rathergate Report reminds me of all the other smears that the Texas Democrats have attempted recently. Not ALL of them with the complicity of CBS!

Here's an excerpt from an article which described them all:

Political HayTexas Smear Machine Targets DeLay

By Peter Flaherty Published 9/23/2004

If nothing else, you have to give Travis County Democrats credit for thinking big, like real Texans. Apparently undaunted that the assault on President Bush's National Guard service blew up in their faces, they are now trying to bring down House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. All roads in the CBS memo scandal traverse Travis County. Dan Rather was the special guest at a 2001 fundraiser for the Travis County Democratic Party, and his daughter is active in the organization. Former National Guardsman Bill Burkett, the unstable Bush-baiter, who now claims he was the source of the forged documents, is represented (and many believe directed) by David Van Os, the former Travis County Democratic Party chairman.Now Travis County district attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat with a history of bringing politically motivated indictments, has indicted three DeLay aides who ran a political action committee called Texans for a Republican Majority PAC. Perhaps recognizing that indicting DeLay himself 41 days before an election would be just too transparent, Earle instead indicted the three underlings for allegedly directing corporate contributions to Texas legislative candidates in 2002.

RTWT.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...

... the Ukraine gets packing!

From FOXNEWS:

"The situation in Iraq has deteriorated and as a consequence we lost our men," acting Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk was quoted as saying on Monday by the Interfax news agency. [...] Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the military had an approximate plan for the withdrawal, which would take two months. "The military will fulfill the political decision as soon as we receive an order from the president," he said. Earlier, the cash-strapped Ukrainian military announced it was preparing for a phased withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2005 because of logistic and financial problems.

IOW: if things were easier/safer/cheaper then Ukraine might stay and help. With friends like these... well, you know the rest. REAL allies, and REAL defenders of liberty would INCREASE their presence in Iraq now - AS "NEOCON" BLAIR JUST DID!

More on ungrateful Ukraine here.

Constructive Criticism on Iraq, or: "HEY LOOKY HERE, I FOUND A LIBERAL COLUMNIST WHO GETS IT!"

Suggestions from David Ignatius, WASHPOST (hat-tip INDC JOURNAL):

• Reduce the U.S. target. Iraq's best hope for avoiding a civil war may be the fact that nearly all Iraqis are united in wanting the U.S. occupation to end -- and are reaching out to find some common ground. A source close to Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani told the Arabic daily Al Hayat last weekend: "The representation of our Sunni brethren in the coming government must be effective, regardless of the results of the elections."

• Live with de facto partition. For all of the difficulties in the war, much of northern and southern Iraq is stable today. Right now, the United States can be pumping billions of dollars in unspent reconstruction money into any part of the country that's able make good use of it. It may take years to end the chaos in central Iraq, but that shouldn't stop progress elsewhere.

• Make it deadly to be an insurgent. [...] Iraqi authorities must be ruthless in destroying opposition to that accord. Insurgents must wake up each morning afraid that they will die. This sort of dirty war isn't one I would like to see American forces fighting; it's one for Iraqi special forces[...] the psychology of intimidation in Iraq has to be reversed, so that it's the insurgents who fear for their lives.

I like the last suggestion most. Except: (1) why call these thugs "insurgents"!? They are counter-revolutionaries who seek to reimpose tyranny - either Baathist or Jihadofascist. And (2) if US forces can help do the job - then we should! Ditto ANYONE else; when the Iraqis can handle it themselves, then we can come home - or head for the next front in the GWOT!

MUSHARRAF SUSPECT ESCAPES

BBC/AFP:

An alleged militant accused of trying to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has escaped from custody, the authorities say. Mushtaq Ahmed was being held by air force police in the city of Rawalpindi. The BBC's Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad says the escape of a man regarded as a prime suspect in the attacks is a huge embarrassment for the authorities. [...] "This criminal escaped from custody and we hope that we will arrest him. He was a key figure in the 14 December, 2003 attack on President Musharraf," Sheikh R. Ahmed told the AFP news agency. He said a huge manhunt was under way.

IMHO: Either (a) the police & military in Pakistan are totlally incompetent, or (b) MUCH more riddled with Jihadoterrorists than anyone realizes, or (c) the suspect was allowed to escape (by loyal authorities) in order to lead the authorities to capture & destroy more cells. If the third choice is NOT much more likely than the other two, then Musharraf is NOT safe; in which case, it is likely that - due to incompetence or a malicious conspiracy by Jihadoterrorists - he will be assassinated or overthrown by the Jihdoterrorists, and that then Pakistan will become a HUGE problem. STAY TUNED....

Bigger Bombs In Iraq

The counter-revolutionaries are using bigger bombs against the coaliton forces.

Stories HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.

I believe this proves that the neo-baathist/jihadoterrorists realize that their days are numbered; they realize they must stop the election or they lose; they have a limited amount of explosives, but now realize there's no point in rationing the supply for a long drawn out counter-attack over the next year. In other words: it's now or never.

Therefore, I expect the tempo of attacks to increase, too. And therefore, our casualties. DO NOT WORRY. It always gets darkest before the dawn. And remember: In WW2, we took our worst casualties between D-Day and VE-Day. Most were after the Battle of the Bulge.

The tide will turn in Iraq - and in the GWOT - after the huge turnout on Iraqi election day. This will do more to defeat Jihadofascism than sending more US troops.

CHIRAC CRITICAL OF US TSUNAMI AID EFFORT

From FOXNEWS:

Within days of the disaster, the U.S. military aircraft were conducting aerial reconnaissance and transporting supplies and wounded victims. Soon after, American ships began arriving -- providing fresh water, carrying supplies, and transporting helicopters. As of Jan. 7, America had more than 12,500 military personnel in place, along with 20 ships, 44 aircraft and 54 helicopters -- with more on the way. All of this was done without direction from the United Nations. You would expect applause for such initiative, but no: These magnificent efforts have been criticized by some as another example of American “unilateralism” designed to undermine the United Nations. French President Jacques Chirac fears “that Washington is deliberately circumventing the United Nations and wants to compete with the international organization,” the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported. “President Chirac wants to hinder America from using its ad hoc-organized aid operation to set a precedent that will lastingly weaken the role of the United Nations.”

Chirac is an ass.

This story by Roger Cohen from the IHT may explain why: Asked if France, now a medium-sized power, had too many pretensions on the world stage, [French Foreign Minister] Barnier replied: "We don't have pretensions. We have ambitions. We have ideas." [...] "Sometimes we are arrogant," he continued. "But others are, too, no? It's not an excuse, I know."

So let's make that ARROGANT ASS!

MASS EXHUMATIONS TO FOLLOW UNNECESSARY MASS GRAVES

According to this report from the BBC, Thai authorities now admit that in the first fews days after the tsunami many foreigners - along with Thais - were buried in unnecessary (see HERE, HERE and HERE) - and hysterically dug & filled mass graves.

As a result of this tsunami disaster, I pray the world will learn to never again make mass graves.

The Rathergate Report: MORE BS FROM CBS

INSTAPUNDIT linked to and excerpted a bit from Jim Geraghty of NRO's "TKS":

Does the panel really think that CBS would have acted in the same manner in a seemingly-great story that would have hurt John Kerry? Are we really to believe that it was solely “competitive pressures” that led to this, and that no one in this process had their thinking influenced by a desire to see Bush defeated in this year’s election?

Well Glenn, Jim: I DO believe that there were more, MUCH more "competitive pressures" on CBS to "get" Bush than to "get Kerry;" after all: NOT A SINGLE CBS "OLD MEDIA" COMPETITOR WAS GOING AFTER KERRY, OR GOING TO GO AFTER KERRY! Heh.

MORE THANKS FOR MORE LINKS!

In the last week, I've gotten links from WINDS OF CHANGE, THE CORNER and OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY and CHRENKOFF.

THANKS!

They join other STELLAR linkers from December: Roger L. Simon, and Powerline, and Instapundit, and My Pet Jawa, and Dissecting Leftism, and Ace Pilots/Friends of Saddam and The Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid and Man Without Qualities!

MANY THANKS TO ALL!

And thanks especially to all the readers of those GREAT BLOGGERS for stopping by here.

Come back everyday - at least once!

UNGRATEFUL YUSCHENKO WILL WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM IRAQ - AS HE PLEDGED DURING CAMPAIGN

Just off the wire (from AFP): "Yushchenko looks to Iraq withdrawal

The winner of Ukraine's presidential vote, Viktor Yushchenko, said on Sunday withdrawing the nation's troops from Iraq will be a priority for him once he takes office, after an accidental blast killed seven Ukrainian soldiers there. "Viktor Yushchenko sends deep condolences to the families of Ukrainian peacekeepers who died in Iraq today," said a statement released by his press office. "Insofar as withdrawing Ukraine's peacekeeping contingent from Iraq, it remains one of Yushchenko's priorities once he assumes office," the statement said. The seven Ukrainian troops, along with one Kazakh soldier, died after a bomb they were about to defuse went off accidentally in Iraq's central Wasit region, where Ukrainian and Kazakh troops serve under Polish control, Kiev's defence ministry said. Another seven Ukrainian and four Kazakh troops were injured as a result of the accident, which occurred at 12.05pm after a team of Kazakh sappers and their Ukrainian back-up had brought back to defuse about 35 aerial bombs that Iraqi police had found stashed near the central military base of As Suwayrah. After the bombs were unloaded from their transport vehicles one of them exploded for reasons that are still being investigated, the ministry said. About 1,600 Ukrainian troops have been deployed since August 2003 in Iraq's Wasit region, where US-led coalition forces are under Polish command. Prior to today's deaths, Ukraine has lost nine of its troops, with another 20 injured. In the heat of Ukraine's election saga last month, parliament in Kiev approved a resolution that demanded outgoing President Leonid Kuchma withdraw Ukrainian soldiers from Iraq."

Sad. A man who owes so much to external/international pressure put on his enemies - the enemies of freedom and democracy - (and who also owes much of his success to the external/external support given to his party), is withdrawing support for other human beings who are struggling to gain freedom and democracy.

I think that - (a) in light of the loss of brave Ukrainian troops in Iraq, and (b) the fact that he would NOT have ascended to power without this external/international support - Yuschenko should've reconsidered, and decided to keep the Ukrainian troops in Iraq. I think that if Yuschenko goes through with it, that he is, in effect, withdrawing from the Coalition of the Willing and joining the "Coalition of the Ungrateful" - along with France and Germany and Spain, (the nations of Old Europe which have forgotten the cost of freedom, and are unwilling to do for others what was done for them after WW2).

Certainly, it's within his right and power to withdraw the troops - and campaign pledges are imporant, BUT... the higher good - in this case, supporting the Iraqis in their hour of need as they seek to attain their universal Human Rights (as the Free World helped Ukrainians) - is MORE important.

Some argue that the efforts of the USA and the Coalition of the Willing are doomed to fail because "democracy cannot be imposed."

I say this is hogwash! Democracy is NEVER imposed. WHY?! Because freedom is a natural, innate gift all humans are born with, AND democracy is the only mutually consensual way for free people to act collectively and have self-rule.

Rather, it is TYRANNY which is imposed on free people. This is why it's called LIBERATION when tyrannies are cast off: because people are freed from what is imposed on them, and their innate freedom is all that's left! That's why the effort in Iraq is properly called a LIBERATION: we have removed the tyranny that was imposed on the Iraqis by Saddam and the Baathists, and are now engaged in a war with fanatical counter-revolutionaries who are trying to impose a religious tyranny on them. We are fighting them in order to give the Iraqis an opportunity to arrange for self-rule and democracy.

It would be nice if the Ukrainians did ALL they could to help. Apparently - like Spain, and France, and Germany - they will do less than they can - and LESS THAN THEY SHOULD. Like I said: it's sad. It reflects badly on them, and NOT on the noble efforts of the Coalition of the Willing to help our brothers in sisters in Iraq gain their universal human rights.

ABBAS

I haven't posted much on the Palestinian election; click HERE for why - (Krauthammer NAILS it - as he usually does!).

ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU SAID YOU'D WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM IRAQ?

Yuschenko ran on a platform of closer ties to the EU - and WITHDRAWAL OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS FROM IRAQ.

Well, the Jihadoterrorists have targeted and killed Ukrainian troops serving there - SEVEN. And also two Kazakhs.

Will Yuschenko cut and run - AND SEND THE SAME MESSAGE THAT ZAPATERO SENT: "we are cowards who will run when attacked, and who will appease aggression."

This is an interesting first test. Yuschenko has SOME obligation to do what he said he'd do in the election campaign - WITHDRAW. But after his BRAVE - nay HEROIC confrontation with tyranny, how can he give into the Jihadoterrorist/Baathist tyrants in Iraq!?

It will be a sad day for democracy EVERYWHERE when Yuschenko - who's own campaign was aided so dearly by external activists, and whose NATION'S DEMOCRACY was saved by external pressure - caves into isolationists and appeasers.

We shall see if he is, in his heart, a grateful universalist with a backbone, or not. Stay tuned...

UPDATE!!! CLICK HERE and HERE for an exchange on this topic that I am having with DISCO SHAMAN of Le Sabot Moderne - in Ukraine.