REPRISE: The Politically Correct "Christmas Song"

THIS POST FIRST APPEARED LAST YEAR:

A Politically Correct "Christmas Song"
(by reliapundit - with apologies to Torme-Wells)

Chestnuts roasting on an catalytically-converted non-polluting fire,
Jack or Jill Frost nipping at your nose,
Yuletide carols – that don’t mention Christianity - being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like the Inuit.

Everybody knows some tofu and some re-plantable mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots – on over-prescribed Ritalin - with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight–

They know that Santa's on his way.
He's loaded lots of toys,
And goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is gonna spy,
To see if reindeer – an endangered species we hope Santa is not mistreating -
really know how to fly.

And so, I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two;
Although its been said,
Many times, many ways
Happy Holidays, happy holidays, happy holidays to you!

BTW: I'm a Jew - who grew up in the radically chic Left-wing "gilded ghetto" of Great Neck, NY - singing religious Christmas Carols in the PUBLIC school choir - and enjoying it! I think that, just as many on the Left are not merely anti-War; they're on the other side - so too are they not merely secularist; they're anti-Christian. I think that many on the Left actually oppose traditional middle-class practices and beliefs (from Christmas Carols, creches, to hetero-sexual marriage, the work ethic, and the concept of personal accountability) in order to replace them with their atheistic, socialistic, utopianistic ideology. And I say: "Screwge them!" To all my Christian friends, I say: "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

MORE HERE. UPDATE: And a cute photo here.

THE MYTH OF THE SCANDINAVIAN MODEL

Brussels Journal DEMOLISHES the myth that Scandinavian socialism is an exeption to the rule that socialism stifles economic growth and productivity. With plenty of charts and graphs and links. A MUST READ .

WHY WE MUST CONFRONT DAMASCUS AND TEHRAN - AND THE SOONER THE BETTER

"Faster Please!" explained, once again. EXCERPT:

If we do not engage, we will soon find ourselves facing a nuclear Iran that will surely be emboldened to increase its sponsorship of al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Jamaah Islamiah, and Hamas, and will redouble its efforts to shatter Iraq's fragile democratic experiment. Which is the more prudent policy? Cautiously defending Iraq alone, or supporting the revolutionaries against the terror masters? Active support of the democratic forces in the Middle East would be the right policy, even if there were no terror war, and even if Iran were not a shallow breath away from atomic weapons.

RTWT.

POST-INTIFADA FRANCE: ANTI-ANGLO AMERICAN "STATUS QUOISTS" VERSUS SARKOZY, THATCHER AND REAGAN

Out of the ashes and rubble of the French Intifada MIGHT yet come the beginnings of real reform. This reform - led by Sarkozy - might be initiated NOW, but instead, the anti-Anglo-American status-quoists appear to be holding off real reform. Villepin (Chirac's "annointed" heir) appears to be have won what amounts to an early round in the 2007 presidential contest between him and Sarkozy. UK GUARDIAN:

A report drawn up for the French government has rejected calls for positive discrimination to help minorities find jobs, dealing a blow to the interior minister and presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy.

Sarkozy had proposed a mixture of carrot and stick measures: (1) holding parents responsible for the delinquency of the children (by withholding some welfare/support payments if their children break the law); and (2) introducing some American-style affirmative-action type of programs (what the French have dubbed "positive discrimination" - an intellectually HONEST description!) to help the banlieue youths who are so motivated break out of the cycle of discrimination and poverty. [I have my doubts as to whether there are many banlieue youths who would take advantage of the affirmative action measures - were they to be introduced - because I believe many have ALREADY been indoctrinated/brainwashed by (and become a part of) isalmofascist gangs and cells.] Here's how Dow Jones/AP described the Villepin/Chirac versus Sarkozy debate:

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said Friday it would be "a mistake" to punish the parents of juvenile delinquents, during a visit to a poor suburb engulfed by a recent wave of nationwide riots. Villepin was commenting on a measure that Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy was expected to submit to the Cabinet as part of a new crime prevention bill, one of the center-right government's responses to France's worst riots since the student-worker protests in 1968. "Punishing the parents without having taken into account the reality of their problems, I think it would be a mistake," Villepin said on a visit to an underprivileged neighborhood in Meaux, northeast of Paris. The interior minister's bill [drew] heavily on a parliamentary report on crime prevention, which recommend[ed] among other things that the government strip "negligent" parents of some state subsidies, handing control of welfare allocations to social workers.

Here's how "Reuters" framed the debate:

France's prime minister and the ambitious number two in his government set out different visions on Friday for helping minorities find jobs, drawing what could become battle lines in the 2007 presidential election. In response to three weeks of rioting by disaffected youths in poor suburbs, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy explained in a newspaper article why he favours positive discrimination, or affirmative action, to cut high unemployment among minorities. "Proclaiming equality before the law is no longer enough: henceforth we also need to promote equality by (using) the law," Sarkozy wrote in an opinion piece for Le Figaro newspaper. "We cannot continue to accept that a growing number of individuals are allotted destinies written in advance."

Sarkozy stuck to his guns despite opposition by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, the person most likely to challenge him for the role of leading the centre-right into the presidential election. Villepin told a radio interviewer on Friday there was no place for positive discrimination in a state built on the notion of equal opportunities for everyone. "We say that when there are inequalities, we put them right. But we must not fix them by renouncing our French model, a universal model under which each individual is respected for who he is, independent of colour," Villepin told RTL radio.

Villepin and Chirac OPPOSED both Sarkozy measures, AND the chief reason given was that they want to maintain the "French model." I think Villepin and Chirac are the reactionary/anti-progressives in this debate. And I argue that their position is absolutely LUDICROUS because the "French model" is a FRIGGING DISASTER IN EVERY WAY: it's lead to the intifada and high unemployment, low productivity, low growth, high deficits, the flight of their young entrepreneurial class to the UK and USA, and general economic/political and intellectual/cultural stagnation.

Whether France thrives - or even survives - in this new century (as the UK and the USA have ever since the Reagan/Thatcher revolution a qurater of a century ago) - or whether France slides even further intoeconomic ruin, will be determined by who wins the Sarkozy-Chirac/Villepin debate/presidential sweepstakes between now and 2007.

If Villepin wins then France will become Western Europe's 21st Century version of the USSR. In other words, Chirac and Villepin NOW are behaving very much like Gorbachev was in the late 1980's: stupidly defending a system which is a total failure. The longer France resists embracing the Reagan/Thatcher/Hayekian model (and policies therein derived) the more difficult will be her recovery. TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

[ADDENDUM: Sarkozy is a tough SOB, and will not give up until he loses the election. Here's an example of his toughness (Xinhua):

French police has made another 1,540 arrests in the wake of the latest urban violence, lifting the number of rioters up to 4,740 with 3,200 caught in act, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday. "Arrests didn't stop with the end of the riots," he reiterated his determination to eradicate illegal traffics and traffickers before the Association of France's mayors. These 1,540 people arrested have link to riots or divers traffics or delinquency. "Those who pillaged, those who behaved as delinquents have debts to pay to the courts in our country," he said.

The number of arrests has been HUGE: 4,740 ARRESTS - with 1,540 coming in the last week! Wow! This number dwarfs anything I have EVER seen in relation to any rioting anyewhere at anytime - even in the USA or France in 1968, even during the Israeli Intifadas. I think this shows that Sarkozy (to whom - as Minister of the Interior - the police report) is deadly serious about defeating the islamothugs. I wish I could say the same about Villepn and Chirac. But sadly, I only see "dhimmitudinal" appeasement and "anti-Hayekianism" from these two clowns.]

US MILITARY CONFIRMS ANOTHER KEY ZARQAWI AIDE KILLED

KUNA:

The US military Saturday said that the American troops in Iraq killed Bilal Awad Sabah, described as a close associate of extremist leader Abu Musab Zarqawi in western Iraq. Sabah, also known as Abu Ubaydah, was reportedly killed on October 14 when US-led forces raided a number of suspected rebel hideouts in the Albuaide neighborhood north of Ramadi, in western Iraq, according to the US Army's statement. Although intelligence analysts reported that Abu Ubaydah was killed during the mid-October raids, they could not determine his death with certainty at that time, when the hideouts were bombed by US forces. Sabah was said to have served as a messenger and gatekeeper for Zarqawi and to have been one of his most trusted assistants.

We seem to be getting closer ansd Closer and closer to Zarqawi. I'm convinced we will get him VERY soon. One key reason: other "insurgents" groups shows signs the might be ready to give up. They might very good intel on Zarqawi. More HERE.

CAMP CASEY LEFTIES DEMONSTRATE BRAVERY AND RESOLVE IN COMBAT... HEH!

According to this report from nearby WACO media, the Leftie anti-Bush protestors have demonstrated "resolve" and "bravery" and will continue "combat":

"War protesters' resolve firm after arrests -- Braving a chilly predawn breeze, protesters began gathering before 6 a.m. along the roadside... Through the day, war protesters vowed to keep up efforts to combat continued U.S. involvement in Iraq.

At one point, Ellsberg, whose release of the Pentagon Papers helped erode public support for the Vietnam War, said the fight against war in Iraq may take a long time to win. "(Vietnam) was a hard war to end and this is going to be harder," he said. "Nothing worked very quickly then and this is going to be a long road ahead."

Sheesh, let's look at that again: These folks have the resolve to protest a war which has liberated 27 MILLION people - a liberation which means that the nation which has SO FAR discovered 400 mass graves which contain 1000 bodies or more, will not suffer any more genocide at the hands of theire own government. They're brave enough to face cold weather, and have taken solemn oaths to combat the foreign polcies of their own duly elected government.

The protestors - and the reporters who use these words to describe the protestors - are anti-American anti-democracy scum. NOT ENOUGH PROOF FOR YOU!? How 'bout this (AP):

"War protesters eat Iraqi meal for Thanksgiving -- CRAWFORD, Texas - More than 100 war protesters say they didn't want to spend Thanksgiving anywhere but a grassy lot about a mile from President Bush's ranch, eating a simple Iraqi meal with fellow demonstrators they consider their new family."

They abandon their own nation's traditional meal AND their own REAL FAMILIES in the name of WHAT?! Defending Saddam and the Sunni tyranny over Iraqis. WHAT SCHMUCKS! What do the protestors think the 23 MILLION SHIAS AND KURDS THINK oF THEIR 1960'S ANTICS!? The Kurds and the Shias hate it. WHAT DO THEY THINK ZARQAWI THINKS OF THEIR ANTICS? He likes it. THAT says it all.

The REAL brave people with resolve and courage are the volunteeers who are taking the FIGHT TO THE REAL ENEMY. God Bless Our Troops.

[NOTE: The protestors included leaker EXTROADINAIRE Ellsberg, who brags that he hepled stop the Vietnam War. In fact, the war ended when the tyrannical totalitarian Vietcong broke the Vietnam Peace Accord and overthrew the SVG in 1975 - a full two years after the last US ground troops left the arena. The SVG only fell because the Congress was controlled by Leftie Dems who were in the sway of the anti-Vietnam War movement, and they pulled the plug on aid to the fledgling SV democracy. Without aid from her most important ally - the USA, the SVG fell, AND: Two MILLION Vietnamese fled as BOAT PEOPLE, (of which only 1.5 MILLION survived); 500,000 were put into camps; and 65 MILLION Vietnamese have been forced to live under totalitarianism for the last 30 years in an impoverished Vietnam.

ELLSBERG SHOULDN'T BE PROUD THAT HE CONRIBUTED TO THE DOWNFALL OF THE SVG AND THE ASCENDANCY OF TOTALITARIANISM IN SE ASIA (WHICH INCLUDES CAMBODIA AND POL POT - WHO MURDERED 3.5 MILLION!); HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED. I know I am.]

BIRDS OF A FEATHER - PART 5: Michael Jackson and Islam

ANTI-SEMITE/PAEDOPHILE MICHAEL JACKSON AND ISLAM - PERFECT TOGETHER (tip of the hat to my commenter Gandalin; hat tip to LGF):

MANAMA — World’s top pop singer Michael Jackson, who recently settled down in Manama has donated a huge amount of money, the figure was not disclosed, for building a state-of-the-art mosque near his luxury palace in the Bahraini capital, according to his spokesman. ... It is noteworthy that Germain Jackson, the brother of Michael had embraced Islam at the beginning of 1990s, and he was one of former Jackson Five band and the solo singer Germain had felt his brother Michael has great interest and study of Islamic books, the tolerance of Islam and his dealing with Arab and Muslim personalities since long years. The most prominent among those figures is Prince Al Waleed bin Talal and the Bahraini royal family.

This is the Prince who tried to give Rudy $10MILLION for the 9/11 Fund - but Rudy (God Bless Him) refused the money because the Prince slandered the victims of 9/11 and blamed the USA for the attack. This is typical of many MANY Muslims: instead of blaming themselves, they blame others, ESPECIALLY either the USA or the JOOOOOOOZE!

Michael Jackson is right at home with this attitude:

Michael Jackson picked a familiar target to blame for his mounting money problems - the Jews. In phone messages obtained by ABC News, the apparently prejudiced pop star likens them to "leeches" and claims they conspired to leave him "penniless." "They suck...they're like leeches...I'm so tired of it," Jackson tells former adviser Dieter Wiesner in one of them. "The Jews do it on purpose." The ugly message, which was made two years ago and aired yesterday on "Good Morning America," was one of several provided by

Wiesner's lawyer, Howard King. Wiesner and another former Jacko adviser, Marc Schaffel, were fired by the singer and are suing him to recoup the millions they say he owes them. Jackson had to apologize to Jewish groups a decade ago after he included lyrics like "Jew me/Sue me/Everybody do me/Kick me/Kike me" on the song "They Don't Care About Us."

Jackson, who relocated to Bahrain after he was acquitted of child molesting charges, did not respond to the revelations. Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, insisted in a statement that the messages were actually "telephone conversations recorded without permission."

Oxman therefore VERIFIED that it WAS Michael Jackson uttering these VILE anti-Semitic remarks - remarks which are quite at home in Bahrain.

Jackson and Bahrain - filthy rich "man-boy loving" Muslims and anti-Semites; in other words: BIRDS OF A FEATHER, AND PERFECT TOGETHER. No wonder he's building a mosque there!

MORE SIGNS OF INCREASING TENSIONS BETWEEN HIZB'ALLAH AND ISRAEL

BBC:

Israeli troops have clashed with Hezbollah guerrillas at the Lebanese border after an Israeli strayed across in a paraglider or parachute. Reports say the Israeli was a civilian who did not intend to enter Lebanon. No injuries were reported in the incident. There is dispute about whether Israeli troops entered Lebanon. The clash took place after Israeli planes dropped thousands of leaflets over the Lebanese cities accusing Hezbollah of "harming Lebanon". ... Israel has carried out similar leaflet drops after past clashes with Hezbollah, but such material has rarely been dropped so close to the centre of the Lebanese capital. ... Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz says Israel was conducting its most extensive response to Hezbollah attacks since its forces left Lebanon in 2000.

Stay tuned...

MORE PROOF OF SICK MATRIMONY PRACTICES BY MUSLIMS, AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

BBC:

Five women from the same family in Pakistan's Punjab province have refused to be "united" with their prospective husbands as ordered by tribal elders. The village council has told them to "honour" 1996 childhood marriages, when the youngest of them was just five. ... The eldest of the girls is now 22. [Which means she was 12 when she was FORCED to get married.]

Two members of the girls' family were seriously injured when they were shot at, allegedly by members of the family of the prospective husbands. Police arrested nine members of the girls' family and seven from the rival one. ... police have charged 13 people in the same district in what they suspect is another case ...

I believe that the practice of forcing LITTLE CHILDREN TO MARRY - (very often to their own cousins because many MANY Muslims practice endogamous matrimony; MORE HERE and HERE and HERE) - in predominantly Muslim societies is a major reason why their male children grow up to be islamothugs and jihadoterorirsts: If you think it's okay to kill your sister or daughter in an honor killing, or the family of you wife to restore the honor of your own family, then OF COURSE ypou wil find it easy to murder infidels - or even commit genocide against them.

These brutal practices must be stopped. We have as much duty to make them stop as we had a duty to stop the slave trade. Just as no man can be allowed to be property to another man, so to must no woman be treated as marriage chattel. We should use the full force and fury of our nation - NAY CIVILIZATION! - to save these women - these abused sisters of ours - from these horrifying practices. Mutli-culturalism and cultural relativism are no excuse: NO human anywhere in any culture should be treated as these Muslim women are treated.

HOW CAN WE STOP THEM? By banning any nation that allows these practices from the UN, from the WTO, and from any and all trade and mutual defense treaties, AND by banning nations who trade with them.

MOST BIZARRE HEADLINE OF THE DAY: "White Supremacist David Duke in Syria "

Arutz Sheva:

Former Ku Klux Klan leader and Louisiana State Representative David Duke was in Syria on Monday to express solidarity with Damascus. At a press conference in the Damascus' Rawda Square, Duke said, "I have come to Syria to express my support for the Syrian people.... It's the duty of every free man to reject the conspiracies and threats Syria is exposed to." Duke charged that pro-Israel neo-conservatives in the US are controlling American foreign policy and that "Zionist-controlled mass media" are hiding "the reality of Israeli terrorism against the Arabs."

Let's give David Duke the First Annual George Galloway Award for fervently kissing islamofascist ass. MWAH!

Seriously, Galloway and Duke are the fourth installment in my news series dubbed "BIRDS OF A FEATHER!" (Previous posts HERE and HERE and HERE.)

Galloway is an unabashedly ani-war/anti-Semite BDS-afflicted Leftist (VERY MUCH LIKE CINDY SHEEHAN) who saluted Saddam (and took his money) and recently lauded Assad while in Damascus. Leftists who applaud Galloway should consider that they now stand SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER WITH DAVD DUKE.

Then again, WHY SHOULDN'T THEY STAND TOGETHER, SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER?! They're perfect together!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We give thanks to the Lord.
We remember those who went before us.
We endeavor to honor their sacrifices by remebering them,
and rededicating ourselves to eternal values for which they strived.

And we also remember why those first Americans came here - for religious freedom. And we remember how they struggled to subsist when they were subjugated to the Commons, and we remember how they thrived and produced a bounty when each person's individual talents and energies were liberated.

After all, God made us free to choose, and wants each of us - and all of us - to be liberated, and responsible for making the most of our time on Earth.

We also remember that America was a colony peopled with immigrants - the cast-offs of other nations. And we know that from this colony of immigrants came the richest and most powerful nation of all time. Because it always had an abiding reverence for God, and has always revered the sanctity of each person.

As long as we remember these things, and endeavor to make them more true every year, then we shall always have great and good things to be thankful for. Amen.

God Bless Our Troops - and the troops of our allies. And, God Bless America.

WAS HIZB'UT TAHRIR BEHIND THE PARIS INTIFADA ?

HIZBUT TEHRIR BEHIND FRENCH INTIFADA - by B.Raman

All indicators point to the involvement of some Pakistani, Algerian and Moroccan members of the London-based Hizbut Tehrir (HT) in the violence by sections of angry Muslim youth, which has rocked the suburbs of Paris and some other towns of France since October 27,2005.

The outbreak initially was spontaneous following the electrocution of two Muslim youth as they were fleeing away from a random identity papers check by the Police. The violence continued to be spontaneous, with no external instigation, for three days. In the meanwhile, it is reported by reliable sources, the headquarters of the HT in London saw the agitprop potential of the developments in Paris and sent some of their experts, who had participated in instigating the violence earlier this year in Afghanistan over the alleged desecration of the Holy Koran by the US guards at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba and in Uzbekistan over the allegedly autocratic ways of the local Government, to Paris to stoke the anger of the youth and exploit it for their purpose.

... With the help of the sleeper cells, which the HT has already established in Paris and other parts of France for some months, they drew up plans for keeping the violence sustained in order to further radicalise and mobilise the youth against the French Government. ... While there is no evidence of its involvement so far in any act of jihadi terrorism anywhere in the world, it has been involved in many instances of political agitation in the streets in some countries and in attempts at subverting the armed forces and the intelligence agencies in Pakistan and other Islamic countries.

... It is reported by reliable sources in Pakistan that the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) in Pakistan has instructed its cells in France to assist the HT clandestinely as best as they can. Similarly, the Jamat-ul-Furqa (JUF), which has some followers in the community of Caribbean origin in France, has also asked its followers to assist the HT. Richard Reid, the so-called shoe bomber, was suspected to be a member of the JUF.

WHO ARE THEY? According to THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION:

Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (Islamic Party of Liberation) is an emerging threat to American interests in Central and South Asia and the Middle East. It is a clandestine, cadre-operated, radical Islamist political organization that operates in 40 countries around the world, with headquarters apparently in London. Its proclaimed goal is jihad against America and the overthrow of existing political regimes and their replacement with a Caliphate (Khilafah in Arabic), a theocratic dictatorship based on the Shari'a (religious Islamic law). The model for Hizb is the "righteous" Caliphate, a militaristic Islamic state that existed in the 7th and 8th centuries under Mohammad and his first four successors, known as the "righteous Caliphs."

... Hizb ut-Tahrir represents a growing medium- and long-term threat to geopolitical stability and the secular regimes of Central Asia and ultimately poses a potential threat to other regions of the world. The party is transnational, secretive, and extremist in its anti-Americanism. It seeks to overthrow and destroy existing regimes and establish a Shari'a-based Caliphate. Hizb may launch terrorist attacks against U.S. targets and allies, operating either alone or in cooperation with other global terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.

IOW: They're hardcore islamofascists. This article was first posted by IRIS, and they have MORE. I feel that this connection is likely and that the intel analysis is also likely accurate. It seems reasonable to me to assume that HT would seek to exploit any chance they could to destabilize any and all USA allies, and at least exacerbate pre-conditions for further islamization in nations that seem ripe for dhimmitude. France is both an ally of the USA (in Afghanistan) and ripe for dhimmitude. Stay tuned...

I NEVER THOUGHT THESE TWO NAMES WOULD APPEAR IN THE SAME SENTENCE...

LET ALONE IN THE SAME HEADLINE: "Salma Hayek to host Nobel Peace Prize Concert in honour of Mohamed ElBaradei" Lucky man. She's the best reason to win one them things. Of course it only makes me more pissed off he won! First of all, he didn't deserve it. Second of all... SALMA! I'd give Salma the Piece Prize because she is a prize piece. CUANAS has a pic!

MOST RIDICULOUS HEADLINE OF THE DAY: "Annan briefs Security Council on recent Middle East trip"

YUP: "Annan briefs Security Council on recent Middle East trip" -- Like we should care what he says?! Like we should care what they think about what he says!? Sheesh.

MURTHA IS LYING ABOUT IRAQ

Truck and Barter has the goods on Murtha's lies (via ECONOPUNDIT):

John Murtha is missleading the public about the war --

The top Democrat on the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee, and decorated war veteran, John Murtha is demanding US withdraw from Iraq within 6 months.

Murtha voted for the war, but quickly turned defeatist. Already in midd 2004 he described the Iraq war as “unwinnable”. Certainly he is entitled to his view. What is unacceptable is giving the public a false impression about the millitaries situation in Iraq war by biased or incurrect data. He writes in USAToday:

“unemployment remains at 60% and insurgent incidents have increased from 150 to more than 700 per week. Average monthly death rates of U.S. service members have grown since the Abu Ghraib prison scandal from one per day to almost four.”

T&B HAS DETAILED THE TRUTH - AND THE TRUTH HAS LINKS! Unemployment is less than half of what Murtha claimed, and so is the US casualty rate - which is DECLINING NOT RISING! RTWT!

Murtha: you are entitled to your own opinion, but NOT your own facts! (I suspect that Murtha is not a tin-foil hat-wearing LOON, and that he KNOWS the truth and is LYING.)

OPERATION STEEL CURTAIN COMPLETED

BBC:

US forces have concluded a major counter-insurgency operation near the Syrian border, the US military said. It said 139 insurgents and 10 US marines had died in the 17-day assault targeting al-Qaeda-linked militants. Operation Steel Curtain marked the first major deployment of the Iraqi army in the restive western province of Anbar, the US military said. ... Some 2,500 US troops reportedly took part in the operation, accompanied by about 1,000 Iraqi soldiers. A permanent Iraqi military presence had been established in the area, the US said.

The operation was a huge success - and intimates our exit strategy: kill the enemy, retake the territory, and have Iraqis hold the territory for the good guys. And as soon as possible, train the Iraqis to be able to do these kinds of operations on their own. Then we can leave.

IS THAT TOO HARD FOR MURTHA, PELOSI, KENNEDY, KERRY, DEAN AND THE REST OF THE LEFT TO UNDERTAND!?

[ASIDE: BUT HERE IS A DIRE WARNING: We must not let the Dem/Left EVER get control of the Congress. For as soon as they do, they'll do to the Iraqis what they did to the South Vietnamese - who had been holding their own against the Vietcong FOR TWO YEARS when the Congress pulled the plug in 1975 - leading DIRECTLY to the Fall of Saigon, (our most shameful act as a nation). I REMIND YOU: ALL US troops had been withdrawn from Vietnam by March 29, 1973 - A FULL TWO YEARS BEFORE THE FALL OF SAIGON. The ONLY reason the SVG fell was because the McGovernite Left - who ran the Democrat Party and the Congress then, and who run the Democrat Party now - stopped financing them. I believe they will do this to the Iraqis and the Afghanis if they get the chance. I pray we don't give them the chance. THE STAKES ARE THAT HIGH IN 2006.]

KENNEDY AND CHAVEZ: BIRDS OF A FEATHER

[UPDATE: BUMPED UP] - This "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" routine might become a running series. Earlier in the week I posted about the Vonnegut/Kerry flock. Now it's CHAVEZ AND KENNEDY; WASHPOST:

"... Venezuela's state-owned oil company will supply oil at 40 percent below market prices. It will be distributed by two nonprofit organizations, Citizens Energy Corp. and the Mass Energy Consumer Alliance. ... U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., met with Chavez in August and helped broker the deal. ... Joseph P. Kennedy II is chairman and president of Citizens Energy Corp. ... The agreement gives President Hugo Chavez's government standing as a provider of heating assistance to poor U.S. residents."

There was a time when another Kennedy - a noble NEO-CON Kennedy known as president JFK - FOUGHT central American and Carribean dictators, just as Reagan would two decades later. Now the LEFT-WING REMNANTS of the once proud Kennedy clan is reduced to being PR tools of dangerous socialist tyrants. JFK AND RFK MUST BE SPINNING IN THEIR GRAVES!

This says something important about NOT ONLY the state of the Kennedy clan, but of the American Left they lead; it says they have jumped the shark. They equate the Sunni jihadoterrorists with our "Minutemen" and help tyrants get good PR. Shameless. What a pity. More HERE and HERE and (on a regular basis) HERE.

Pastorius, a regular commenter, earlier noted this: "Isn't it amazing that Leftists can't pull their head up out of the sand, once in awhile, and look around, and see who their friends are?" I agree: The Left should look around and see who they stand with: when it comes to withdrawing from Iraq they stand with ZARQAWI; one of their biggest HOLYWOOD supporters - Michael Moore, and another literary one - Kurt Vonnegut openly LAUD AND APPLAUD the jihadoterrorists; and now, their prized aristocracy - the Kennedy's - openly and unabashedly do PR for the hemisphere's most dangerous tyrant - Hugo Chavez. YUP: the Left should look around, and then look in the mirror!

THEN AGAIN, maybe I shouldn't be surprised; after all, this comes from the folks who fear AshKKKroft more than Binladen! Heh! UPDATE: MORE HERE. More HERE from the great ECONOPUNDIT.

POLLS ON IRAQ: "THOSE WITH FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE ARE THE MOST OPTIMISTIC"

MAX BOOT:

"A large majority of the American public is convinced that the liberation of Iraq was a mistake, while a smaller but growing number thinks that we are losing and that we need to pull out soon. Those sentiments are echoed by finger-in-the-wind politicians, including many — such as John Kerry, Harry Reid, John Edwards, John Murtha and Bill Clinton — who supported the invasion.

Yet in a survey last month from the U.S.-based International Republican Institute, 47% of Iraqis polled said their country was headed in the right direction, as opposed to 37% who said they thought that it was going in the wrong direction. And 56% thought things would be better in six months. Only 16% thought they would be worse.

American soldiers are also much more optimistic than American civilians. The Pew Research Center and the Council on Foreign Relations just released a survey of American elites that found that 64% of military officers are confident that we will succeed in establishing a stable democracy in Iraq. The comparable figures for journalists and academics are 33% and 27%, respectively. Even more impressive than the Pew poll is the evidence of how our service members are voting with their feet. Although both the Army and the Marine Corps are having trouble attracting fresh recruits — no surprise, given the state of public opinion regarding Iraq — reenlistment rates continue to exceed expectations. Veterans are expressing their confidence in the war effort by signing up to continue fighting.

Now, it could be that the Iraqi public and the U.S. armed forces are delusional. Maybe things really are on an irreversible downward slope. But before reaching such an apocalyptic conclusion, stop to consider why so many with firsthand experience have more hope than those without any. ... here are also positive economic indicators that receive little or no coverage in the Western media. For all the insurgents' attempts to sabotage the Iraqi economy, the Brookings Institution reports that per capita income has doubled since 2003 and is now 30% higher than it was before the war. Thanks primarily to the increase in oil prices, the Iraqi economy is projected to grow at a whopping 16.8% next year. According to Brookings' Iraq index, there are five times more cars on the streets than in Saddam Hussein's day, five times more telephone subscribers and 32 times more Internet users.

The growth of the independent media — a prerequisite of liberal democracy — is even more inspiring. Before 2003 there was not a single independent media outlet in Iraq. Today, Brookings reports, there are 44 commercial TV stations, 72 radio stations and more than 100 newspapers.

But aren't bombs still going off at an alarming rate? Of course. It's almost impossible to stop a few thousand fanatics who are willing to commit suicide to slaughter others.

Yet there is hope on the security front. Since the Jan. 30 election, not a single Iraqi unit has crumbled in battle, according to Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who until September was in charge of their training. Iraqi soldiers are showing impressive determination in fighting the terrorists, notwithstanding the terrible casualties they have taken. Their increasing success is evident on "Route Irish," from Baghdad International Airport. Once the most dangerous road in Iraq, it is now one of the safest. The last coalition fatality there that was a result of enemy action occurred in March."

The MSM and the Dem/Left are NOT objective when it comes to Iraq. They see this conflict the way they saw the Vietnam War - and they'd like to foment the same result: THEY'D LIKE THE USA TO ABANDON IRAQ THE WAY WE ABANDONED SOUTH VIETNAM. (And their handling of ther Iraq War reflects this agenda MORE than it reflects the facts on the ground. Their TV reports and speeches reflect this feeling. They feel this way because they have BDS and because post-modern Leftism is essentially hostile the West, bourgoise culture, America and to Judeo-Christian values. This is why they overvalue multiculturalism, multilateralism and the UN, and moral relativism. And this is why they underestimate the emnity of our enemy. PROOF OF THIS: Murtha's Resolution proposes we NEGOTIATE with the jihadoterrorists; (scroll down for a post on this). And the constsnat refain from the Left that "you can't IMPOSE democracy" - as if personal liberty were not inherent in each person, but an artifact of culture.

If the MSM and the Dem/Left were more objective - and more favorably disposed to Judeo-Christian values and patriotism, then they'd be more supportive of our efforts in Iraq. And theri reporting and speeches wouldn't UNDERCUT our efforts,m but make them EVEN MORE LIKELY to succeed.

Instead, they make victory LESS LIKELY - and this seems to make them happy - gets their juices flowing. As the wise man said: essentially - and for all intents and purposes - they're not anti-war; they're on the othe side.

KENNEDY PROPOSES CONGRESIONAL INTEL COMMITTEES BE GIVEN ALL PDB'S FROM 9/11/01-04

NATIONAL JOURNAL:

On November 18, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said he planned to attach an amendment to the fiscal 2006 intelligence authorization bill that would require the Bush administration to give the Senate and House intelligence committees copies of PDBs for a three-year period. After Democrats and Republicans were unable to agree on language for the amendment, Kennedy said he would delay final action on the matter until Congress returns in December.

I guess "Teddy Jo" Kennedy is UNHAPPY with the amount of sensitive classified data that's ALREADY leaked by Congress (and which helps the enemy) - and must want to leak even more!

RESPONSES TO IDF RETALIATION SAY EVERYTHING

(1) IRAN RESPONDS WITH PREDICTABLE KNEE-JERK ANTI-SEMITISM:

Iran on Tuesday strongly condemned Israel's raid on a Hezbollah target in Lebanon earlier in the day, terming it as a "continuation of criminal behavior", the official IRNA news agency reported. "The Zionist regime's violation of Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty is a continuation of its criminal behavior in the region and a clear disregard of the international law," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi was quoted as saying.

(2) THE FRENCH REACT LIKE GOOD LITTLE POST-MODERN LEFTISTS, WITH MORALLY BANKRUPT AND TOTALLY PREDICTABLE MORAL-RELATIVISM:

(KUNA) -- The French government on Tuesday ... deplored violations by both sides of the UN drawn "Blue Line" delineating the frontier. "We condemn the attacks initiated yesterday by the armed branch of Hezbollah in the Shebaa farms sector," Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said. But the official was equally critical of "repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty by Israeli aviation these past days and he condemned both sides for not respecting the "Blue Line."

(3) THE JIHADOTERRORISTS PREDICTABLY SOUND JUST LIKE LIKE "BAGHDAD BOB":

Hizbollah denies report of Israelis Lebanon raid ("Reuters"). The Pro-SyrianHizbollah group denied Israeli warplanes had attacked south Lebanon today, saying an explosion heard in the area was caused by a previously unexploded artillery shell.

(4) PREDICTABLY, ANNAN PERORATES IN DIPLO-SPEAK , AND NO ONE LISTENS:

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday deplored the deadly exchange of fire between Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces. ... Annan appealed to all parties to respect the temporary boundary, known as the U.N.-demarcated blue line "in its entirety" and deplored the clash "in the strongest terms."

... the 15-member U.N. Security Council was unable to agree on a statement condemning the clash. U.S. officials said they were still trying to come up with an acceptable position. A statement drafted by France on Monday would have condemned "military exchanges initiated by Hizbollah" as well as "Israeli violations of Lebanese air space." The United States wanted the reference to Israel deleted and Algeria, the only Arab member of the council, objected to pinning the blame on Hizbollah, diplomats said.

These folks are so predictable it NAUSEATING. Why are their pronouncements even covered in the press? WE KNOW Iran and Hizb'Allah are the enemy - and must be treated as such. WE KNOW France and the UN are useless - and should be treated as such. And we need to do it FASTER PLEASE!

ASSAD SEEKS HELP FROM ANNAN

Damascus Seeks Annan’s Help in Hariri Probe (Agencies):

DAMASCUS, 23 November 2005 — Syria has asked the United Nations for help in reaching a “cooperation protocol” with the inquiry team probing the killing of Lebanon’s former Premier Rafik Hariri that will, at the same time, respect its sovereignty. Syria called on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday to intervene and help broker the cooperation agreement.

SHOCKING. Heh. I've got two questions: (1 - sarcastic), I wonder why Assad thinks Annan might help him? Could it be that Annan once saved Saddam's ass, famously proclaiming that "Saddam is a man I can do business with." Which leads to the next question: (2 - cynical), Has anyone checked Kofi's off-shore bank accounts lately? I have a feeling he (or Kojo) MAY have recently deposited a large amount piastres from Damascus.

ESCALATIONS WHICH I PREDICTED IN SEPTEMBER CONTINUE: IDF WHACKS IRAN'S AND ASSAD'S JIHADOTERRORISTS STOOGES IN LEBEANON

VIA LGF: YAHOO/AP --

Israeli said its warplanes struck in Lebanon on Tuesday in what Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz described as the largest-scale Israeli response to cross-border attacks by Lebanese guerrillas since 2000. Mofaz spoke just hours after Israeli fighter jets attacked a command post of Hezbollah guerrillas in south Lebanon and after army bulldozers entered Lebanon to demolish a Hezbollah post just north of the community of Ghajar.

Proof of Iran's involvement HERE. Scroll down for earlier posts on my warnings about Iran's and Syria's efforts to ignite a new Arab-Israeli war by using there jihadoterrorist surrogates and stooges. Original 9/25 predictions HERE.

GM LAYOFF HYSTERIA IS MISPLACED

The MSM is getting a little hysterical about the recently annouced layoffs by GM - layoffs which were in fact an increase of only 5000 from its months old announcement of a 25,000 person layoff over 3 years. Typically hysterical is this LATIMES - Op-Ed:

THE AMERICAN auto industry is dead. With General Motors announcing, days before Thanksgiving, 30,000 more layoffs and nine plant closings, the Rust Belt just got the final strike of the sledgehammer. When GM finally goes down for good, all the rusted remains of that region will crumble.

HIS SOLUTION: socialism :

First, we must implement a system that guarantees universal healthcare. ... Second, we must provide concrete steps for workers seeking to retrain and acquire new job skills. ... Finally, we must reinvest in the infrastructure of crumbling cities and towns.

WHY DO LEFTIES TO PERSIST IN ADVOCATING POLICIES WHICH HAVE FAILED MISERABLY IN THE LAST CENTURY. Yup: Socialism is so last century! What the marketplace needs is a little unfettered "creative-destruction."

BESIDES, THE PREMISE OF THE HYTERIA IS NOT TRUE: Despite all the layoffs by the BIG THREE since 1980, there are actually MORE blue-collar workers employed by the automobile industry now then in 1980 - they just don't all work for The Big Three (or in Detroit); 25% of the labor force in the industry - 300,000 people all over the USA (not just in Detroit) - work for foreign companies. The industry is HARDLY dead. And that's why we should not over-react and fetter the industry (or the economy) with reg's just because one company - albeit the largest (RIGHT NOW) - is having problems due to its management.

PROVEN LINKS BETWEEN IRAQ AND AL QAEDA

NRO/THE CORNER:

... in 1998 alone, we have $300K going from Iraq to Zawahiri (al Qaeda’s number 2); bin Laden’s famous February fatwa calling for the murder of all Americans and prominently featuring, as part of the justification, U.S. actions against Iraq; meetings in Iraq between Qaeda members and Iraqi officials in March; meetings in Afghanistan between Iraqi officials and al Qaeda leaders in July; the embassy bombings in August, after which, of all potential targets, the Clinton administration chose to retaliate against al Shifa, believed to be an Iraq/Qaeda joint weapons venture; an Iraqi member of al Qaeda (now held in Guantanamo Bay) traveling with Iraqi Intelligence to Pakistan to plot chemical mortar attacks on the American and British embassies there; and Iraq seeking to recruit Arab terrorists to blow up Radio Free Europe. Oh, and in February 1999, Richard Clarke objected to a suggestion that U-2 flights be used to try to find bin Laden because, if bin Laden learned the walls were closing in, Clarke wrote to Sandy Berger that “old wiley Usama will likely boogie to Baghdad.”

But the anti-war left is probably right. There was no connection between Iraq and terrorism. None at all. I don’t know why the right-wing nuts keep insisting there was.

The breadth and depth of Leftist's denial about Saddam-jihadoterror links is truly breath-taking. Previous posts with hyperlinks about Saddam-jihadoterror links HERE and HERE.

SHAMELESS BALD-FACED LIES AND ANTI-BUSH PROPAGANDA FROM NYTIMES CONTINUES UNABATED

Bill Quick of The DAILY PUNDIT writes:

... here's what Cheney said:

I do not believe it is wrong to criticize the war on terror or any aspect thereof. Disagreement, argument, and debate are the essence of democracy, and none of us should want it any other way.

And here is what Bumiller [WH reporter for the NYTIMES] "reported" him saying:

Vice President Dick Cheney stepped up the White House attacks on critics of the Iraq war on Monday....

I agree with Bill, this is another example of the NYTIMES SHAMELESSLY LYING. It is SICKENING. They are LYING SCUM.

IRAQ'S ELECTED LEADERS ASSERT 2006 WITHDRAWAL OF US FORCES WILL BE POSSIBLE

Fellow blogger and frequent commenter PASTORIUS suggested I make this bit, from an earlier post, the lead (NYTIMES):

On Monday, Iraq's interior minister, Bayan Jabr, said American-led forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year, adding that the one-year extension of the mandate for the multinational force in Iraq by the United Nations Security Council earlier this month could be the last, The Associated Press reported. "By mid-next year, we will be 75 percent done in building our forces, and by the end of next year it will be fully ready," Mr. Jabr told Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news channel.

Let's get this straight, President Talabani, Deputy PM Chalabi and the Interior Minister have NOW ALL GONE ON RECORD and all confirmed this goal. THAT'S GREAT. They feel that with the GREAT US help they're getting - in defending their nascent democracy and training them to defend themselves - they will soon be able to dio just that. GREAT: We must do whatever we can to make sure they meet it.

So, er... um... what the heck are the Murtha/McGovernite Dem-Lefties whining about!?

UPDATE: MORE HERE AND HERE.

KIM JONG IL DONS TIN-FOIL HAT AND JOINS DEMOCRAT UNDERGROUND

North Korea compares Bush to Hitler, criticizes U.S. report on religious freedom:

SEOUL -- North Korea denounced U.S. President George W. Bush as a "wicked man" comparable to Adolf Hitler, and labeled his advocating democracy a pretext for invading other countries. ... North Korea has bristled at U.S. criticism of its human rights record, seeing it as part of an attempt to overthrow the regime. Its fears grew after the United States invaded Iraq, and Pyongyang has claimed it was compelled to build nuclear weapons for self-defense. On Tuesday, the North also denounced a recent U.S. government report citing the country's lack of religious freedom.

That one of the most murderous tyrants on the planet should echo the constant complaints of Cindy Sheehan, Kurt Vonnegut (see below) and the Left is really no surprise: all Leftists think alike.

IRAQI SUNNIS WIN APPEASEMENT PLANK AT ARAB LEAGUE CONFERENCE

The Shiias majority continues to appease (or "reach out to" IF you are optimistic) the Sunnis, to intice them to stop supporting the insurrection and join the political reform movement. NYTIMES:

For the first time, Iraq's political factions on Monday collectively called for a timetable for withdrawal of foreign forces, in a moment of consensus that comes as the Bush administration battles pressure at home to commit itself to a pullout schedule.The announcement, made at the conclusion of a reconciliation conference here backed by the Arab League, was a public reaching out by Shiites, who now dominate Iraq's government, to Sunni Arabs on the eve of parliamentary elections that have been put on shaky ground by weeks of sectarian violence. About 100 Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders, many of whom will run in the election on Dec. 15, signed a closing memorandum on Monday that "demands a withdrawal of foreign troops on a specified timetable, dependent on an immediate national program for rebuilding the security forces," the statement said. "The Iraqi people are looking forward to the day when foreign forces will leave Iraq, when its armed and security forces will be rebuilt and when they can enjoy peace and stability and an end to terrorism," it continued.

The meeting was intended as preparation for a much larger conference in Iraq in late February. The recommendations made here are to be the starting ground for that meeting. ... Shiite leaders have long maintained that a pullout should be done according to milestones, and not before Iraqi security forces are fully operational. The closing statement upheld a Sunni demand for a pullout, while preserving aspects of Shiite demands, but did not specify when a withdrawal should begin, making it more of a symbolic gesture than a concrete agenda item that could be followed up by the Iraqi government.

I believe that the Sunnis who are attacking Shias in Iraq will either be unmoved by this appeasement, or encouraged to be more brutal in order to win more concessions. STAY TUNED...

HERE'S THE BIG NEWS THE TIMES BURIED:

On Monday, Iraq's interior minister, Bayan Jabr, said American-led forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year, adding that the one-year extension of the mandate for the multinational force in Iraq by the United Nations Security Council earlier this month could be the last, The Associated Press reported. "By mid-next year, we will be 75 percent done in building our forces, and by the end of next year it will be fully ready," Mr. Jabr told Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news channel.

SO NOW, President Talabani, Deputy PM Chalabi and the Interior Minister have GONE ON RECORD and all confirmed this goal. THAT'S GREAT. So, er... um... what the heck are the Murtha/McGovernite Dem-Lefties whining about!? UPDATE: More HERE and HERE.

LARGE DOMESTIC MUSLIM POPULATION COMPOUNDS RUSSIA'S DEMOGRAPHIC PROBLEMS

NYTIMES:

The number of Muslims is estimated at 14 million to 23 million, 10 percent to 16 percent of Russia's population. They are spread across the country but congregate in several Muslim-majority republics.

AND THEY SEEM TO BE THREATENING BLACKMAIL:

Mufti Ravil Gainutdin, the council's chairman, said the government needed to do more ... He warned that government policy in the Caucasus, and its failure to overcome deep social and economic problems, was pushing some to seek refuge in what he considers improperly radicalize forms of Islam. "If people see social injustice, corruption in the authorities, the unfair assumption of wealth among some and the impoverishment of others, then that is a cause of unhappiness, of a radicalization of moods, of something that leads to conflict and revolution."

The growth of overall Muslim population in Russia coupled with the growth of radical Islam and the decline of Russian population (see HERE and HERE) is exactly like the problem Europe faces - especially France. All of Europe is becoming Eurabia - including Russia. A sad and frightening prospect. When the French appease the Sunnis in Iraq (by refusing to help us) and appease their own rioters (by promising increased welfare payments to "discourage" rioting), they send a message to the radical islamothugs that violence and the threats of violence work, and so only encourage more - throughout Europe, if not the world.

THE PARIS INTIFADA - WHICH IS OVER - CLAIMED ANOTHER LIFE ON MONDAY

ABC/AP:

A high school guard suffered a heart attack and died Monday while trying to extinguish cars set aflame by vandals in the latest unrest in troubled French suburbs, police said. The guard collapsed southwest of Paris in Trappes, one of about 300 cities and towns that were hit by three weeks of rioting, arson attacks or other violence that shook France earlier this month.

BUT: the French Ambassador to US says violence is over:

The violence that swept predominantly Muslim communities in some 300 cities and towns in France for three weeks has abated and "we are back to normal," French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte said Monday. He said mostly teenagers had acted out of social and economic hardship. "It was not about the role of Islam in France," he said. "We never saw any link, direct or indirect," the French diplomat said. "Religion played no role."

Levitte also suggested "the word 'riot' is a bit too strong" to describe the disturbances and that while thousands of automobiles were destroyed and scores of police officers injured ... He spoke at a forum sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).

WHY DID FRANCE'S AMBASSADOR TO THE USA CHOOSE TO SPEAK TO CAIR? Could it be that he was opining in front of one of the FEW "FRANCE FRIENDLY" audiences in America, an audience that would EAT UP his lies and disinformation?! Sheesh, how pathetic.

The only thing more pathetic is that many in France think they can buy-off the islamothugs (who Levitte ABSURDLY CLAIMED were rioting because they really REALLY want to be French and are angry because the French people won't let them be French) by promising to spend bazillions of Euros on anti-poverty programs. DOUBLE SHEESH! Don't they know that OUR "War on Poverty" was a total anti-productive WASTE!?

UPDATE: HERE is a snippet of Levitte's INSANITY:

"These teenagers feel alienated and discriminated both socially and economically. They don't want to affirm any difference, but they want to be considered as 100 percent French," he noted. "They are not fighting to be recognized as a minority, either ethnic or religious, but on the contrary, they want to be accepted as full citizens of the French republic. They want to be part of the French dream."

YIPES! This delusional denial - and DHIMMITUDE - can do NOTHING to slow the demise of France as a European nation. Pity. Next stop: Paristan. ONLY HOPE: Sarkozy.

WELCOME MICHELE MALKIN READERS! She has more including 14 trackbacks!

ISRAELI-LEBANON BORDER ON HIGH ALERT

Escalations continue - just as I predicted (scroll down for my previous posts):

IDF troops remain on high alert along Israel’s northern border following a night of shelling attacks from southern Lebanon on Monday. A meeting was held at Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office Sunday evening regarding the escalation of the Hizbullah terror group's activities along Israel's northern border. The meeting was called following intelligence information regarding increased efforts on the part of the terrorists to carry out major attacks on Israeli targets.

Assad and Iran through jihadoterrorists stooges are making and will continue to make further attempts at widening the conflict - if not igniting another fullscale Arab-Israeli war - and diverting our focused attention on each of them. To stop this we need to preemptively attack the jihaodterrorists in Iraq, and Jordan and Israel must do the same in their jurisdiction. Since Jordan and now Israel have been hit hard recently, I expect the next major attempt to occur in Lebanon. STAY TUNED...

SCHROEDER TO LEAVE BUNDESTAG

Gerhard has changed his mind. He will leave the Bundestag. GOOD RIDDANCE.

VONNEGUT AND KERRY: BIRDS OF A FEATHER

"John F. Kerry will be our President, God willing..." - Kurt Vonnegut 2004.

TARANTO:

In discussing his views with The Weekend Australian, Vonnegut said it was "sweet and honourable" to die for what you believe in, and rejected the idea that terrorists were motivated by twisted religious beliefs.

"They are dying for their own self-respect," he said. "It's a terrible thing to deprive someone of their self-respect. It's like your culture is nothing, your race is nothing, you're nothing." . . . Vonnegut suggested suicide bombers must feel an "amazing high." He said: "You would know death is going to be painless, so the anticipation--it must be an amazing high." The paper describes Vonnegut as a "peace activist" ...

As the wise man once said: "They're not anti-war; they're on the other side." Vonnegut, Kerry and the Left on the other side. Since the Vietnam War. AKA: the anti-victory crowd.

OMINOUS BIRD FLU NEWS FROM ASIA - (worse: is there a cover up?)

Maxed Out Mama: Confirmation: 300 Humans Dead From Bird Flu In China

FAZ is reporting on a retirement party for a doctor, at which Dr. Mashato Tashiro (virologist) discussed the Boxun report and ... accuses the Chinese government of engaging in a widespread coverup. China already has quarantine units set up for bird flu victims and announced sanctions on individuals and medical authorities who did not use them. The chicken droppings are hitting the fan. ... Indonesian health care workers claim that they are getting infected from bird flu victims. This is moving toward H2H transmission. It is not pandemic yet, but it does appear highly likely that it will be.

Ominous. More HERE. Stay tuned... Previous post HERE.

GORELICK'S OBSTRUCTION OF ABLE DANGER AND THE 9/11 COMMISSION IS TREASONOUS

ABLE DANGER was the data-mining effort by the Pentagon which tuned up links exposing ATTA and his cell BEFORE 9/11.

But the info was NOT GIVEN BY THE PENTAGON TO THE FBI BECAUSE OF "THE WALL" ERECTED BY GORELICK AND CLINTON. (Gorleick was Clinton's Deputy Defense Secretary and then Deputy Attorney General who gave us BOTH "THE WALL" and "NO ASK, NO TELL" - TWO OF THE WORST DISASTERS OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION.

In spite of these horrifying failures - [and the fact that she was veteran BOARD MEMBER OF FANNIE MAE, WHEN A LONG-TERM MUTLI-BILLION DOLLAR FRAUD WAS DISCOVERED, A BOOK-KEEPING SCANDAL ORCHESTRATED BY FELLOW CLINTON ALUM AND FORMER OMB DIRECTOR FRANKLIN RAINES; a scandal only discovered wehen a brave whistle-blower - Armando Falcon - went to the press] - JAMIE GORELICK WAS APPOINTED TO BE ON THE 9/11 COMMISSION.

Likewise, ABLE DANGER was brought to the attention of Congressman Curt Weldon by ANOTHER brave whistleblower - Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer - and the treatment he's getting is HORRIFYING.

But even worse is the fact that it is now apparent that the person who squelched, quashed and otherwised HUSHED-UP the ABLE DANGER angle, and prevented it from getting a review by the Commission - or even KNOWN by the public - was a longtime Gorelick aide.

This is an outrage. This smacks of deliberate partisan COVER-UP. Because it further endangers the nation, it might be treasonous. YEAH: TREASONOUS. Gorelick seems to have put her own - and Clinton's ass, er um I mean legacy - ahead of national security. They have no shame. I think we need a Congressional investigation of Gorelick and Able Danger. For the rest, go to the ESSENTAIL BILL QUICK at THE DAILY PUNDIT.

THE LEFT, PACIFICISM AND ANTI-SEMITISM

CUANAS links to a great article by MELANIE PHILLIPS. EXCERPT:

Of course, some anti-Semitism is to be expected with a pacifist. The Holocaust is the towering granite mountain of evidence that pacifism is nonsense. The Jews surviving in Israel, in the middle of 100 million hate filled Arabs, by building a great military, is a second Himalayan mountain of evidence against pacifism. The Jews are living and dead proof that pacifism is fantasy. Ipso: pacificists readily become anti-Semities.

RTWT.

MURTHA AND THE DEM/LEFT WANT TO NEGOTIATE WITH AL QAEDA

The Dems called the Munter move on Friday night a stunt because the resolution did not - IN THEIR ESTIMATION - accurately reflect the Murtha position.

WELL: Four Right Wing Wackos properly brings this ACTUAL plank of THE ACTUAL MURTHA RESOLUTION (which was endorsed by the DEM LEADERSHIP AMD MOST of the Dems) to the fore: From Murtha's Resolution calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq:

"Section 3 The United States of America shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy."

Yes, Democrats actually expect you to take them seriously when it comes to national security. So we shall!!! As this is your plan, Democrats: Who shall we negotiate with? Abu Zaraqawi? Feel free to propose a fu--ing list!

This plank of the Murtha resolution PROVE that when it come to national defense the Dems are OUT TO LUNCH! Really, they are in the stranglehold of the Left-wing/dove/Moveon.org tin-foil hat brigade and THEY ARE UNELECTABLE unless and until they get back to their FDR/Truman/JFK/Scoop Jackson roots. Thank God. Of course... it'd be nice if ONE reporter in the MSM asked Murtha about this plank. I won't hopld my breath: the play the MSM gave to Murtha PROVES they are in ideoloogical/BDS cahoots with the Dem/Left.

AS I FIRST PREDICTED ON SEPTEMBER 25TH: HIZ B'ALLAH ATTACKS ISRAEL

The attack today by the international jihadoterrorist group Hiz b'Allah was a brazen coordinated and unprecedented land and missile attack. Which is what I predicted. Here're some reports:

BBC: "Deadly clash on Lebanese border -- Explosion near Lebanese border Israeli troops have killed three Hezbollah fighters during a guerrilla attack near the Lebanese border, which also left several Israelis wounded. It was the heaviest fighting in the disputed Shebaa Farms area since 2000, when Israeli troops left south Lebanon. Hezbollah fighters launched a major assault on Israeli army posts, triggering retaliatory air strikes. "

"REUTERS": "Pro-Syrian Hizbollah guerrillas raided north Israel in a botched attempt to capture Israeli troops on Monday, triggering the worst round of fighting since Israel pulled out of south Lebanon five years ago. Lebanese security sources said Hizbollah guerrillas raided Israeli posts in the Israeli part of the divided border village of Ghajar..."

AP/FOX: "Hezbollah guerrillas fired mortars and rockets at Israeli troops Monday in a disputed border area, the first clash between the two sides in five months, the group said. The Israeli army confirmed that several missiles or mortars were fired from Lebanon into the Chebaa Farms, an area where the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel meet."

This is exactly what I predicted on September 25th, and reiterated on October 26th (and more recently reiterated HERE and HERE and HERE). And why I linked to this post by POWERLINE about how Iran was arming Hiz b'Allah to the teeth.

Assad and Iran and their jihaodterrorist stooges (IJ, Hiz b'Allah, al Qaeda in Iraq, et al) are stepping up their attacks against Israel (and Gaza and the West Bank and Jordan - and sson again in Lebanon) in a desperate attempt to ignite a major confict or Arab-Israeli War in order to deflect our focus from their murderous mendacious regimes. The more we pressure Assad and Iran the worse the attacks by their jihadoterrorist stooges will get.

THE FIFTH COLUMN: WHY THE DEM/LEFT ANTI-WAR EFFORTS ARE WRONG, AND HOW IT DAMAGES TROOP MORALE

POWERLINE has an absolutely MUST READ post; it's a letter from a soldier in Iraq detailing how the anti-war Dem/Left doves HAVE IT ALL WRONG, and it's proof that the Dem/Left's anti-war attacks damage troop morale. EXCERPT:

Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq, I was forced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained prior to my deployment. With luck, I'll return to Iraq in January to finish my tour. I left Baghdad and a war that has every indication that we are winning, to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in 1971 after my tour in Vietnam. Maybe it's because I'll turn 60 years old in just four months, but I'm tired:

I'm tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican who lack the courage, fortitude, and character to see these difficult tasks through. I'm tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite history when the going gets tough. I'm tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they 'Support the Troops' by wanting them to 'Cut and Run' before victory is achieved. I'm tired of a mainstream media that can only focus on car bombs and casualty reports because they are too afraid to leave the safety of their hotels to report on the courage and success our brave men and women are having on the battlefield.

I'm tired that so many American's think you can rebuild a dictatorship into a democracy over night.

There's MUCH more. It's RIGHT ON! Go there and RTWT!

HE'S BAAAAAAACK! - BDS-afflicted former Powell chief of staff, Wilkerson, attacks Cheney

Here's CNN's report which basically foregrounds, if not BLARES, Wilkerson's TOTALLY UNCORROBORATED CHARGES (as if he was basing them on facts he was in a position to know):

A former top State Department official said Sunday that Vice President Dick Cheney provided the "philosophical guidance" and "flexibility" that led to the torture of detainees in U.S. facilities. Retired U.S. Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, who served as former Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff, told CNN that the practice of torture may be continuing in U.S.-run facilities.

"There's no question in my mind that we did. There's no question in my mind that we may be still doing it," Wilkerson said on CNN's "Late Edition." "There's no question in my mind where the philosophical guidance and the flexibility in order to do so originated -- in the vice president of the United States' office," he said. "His implementer in this case was [Defense Secretary] Donald Rumsfeld and the Defense Department."

At another point in the interview, Wilkerson said "the vice president had to cover this in order for it to happen and in order for Secretary Rumsfeld to feel as though he had freedom of action."

This is all PURE BS/SPECULATION from a PROVEN BUSH-HATER who has previously charged that the Prez and Veep are part of a "CABAL" (an anti-Semitic/anti-Zionist and anti-neo-con/Likud slander!) which runs the government. (He had previously been an outspoken critic of Bolton's nomination.)

Rather than appear on CNN, Wilkerson should be banished to the comment threads of The Daily Kos and MOVEON.ORG. More HERE and HERE and HERE. Though I'd LOVE to see him appear with Wolf Blitzer in uniform: WEARING A TIN-FOIL HAT! Heh!

People like Murtha and WIlkerson should THINK TWICE before they open their big BDS-MOUTHS. From the WASHTIMES (hat tip MEMEORANDUM - more links there!):

Military fears critics will hurt morale — Pentagon officials say they are increasingly worried that Washington's political fight over the Iraq war will dampen what has been high morale among troops fighting a tenacious and deadly enemy.

[ASIDE: DO THESE ATTACKS ON BUS AND CHENEY AND THE IRAQ WAR THIS REVEAL AN OLD PATTERN -- OR PLAYBOOK - OF THE DEM/LEFT? I ask because these charges (by Murtha and Wilkerson and Pelosi and Dean et al), remind me, and some other observers (who were misguided-Doves in the 60's'n 70's) of the Dem/Left's anti-Vietnam War tactics - which heated up dramatically AFTER TET --- A MAJOR BATTLE WHICH WE WON! IOW: as the enemy begins to lose on the real battlefields THERE, the Dem/Left anti-war attacks in the MSM HERE HEAT-UP. It's uncanny - almost as if the anti-war Left and the enemy were operating as a tag-team! It seems like a deliberate effort to help the enemy defeat the USA. Does the post-modern Left hate the USA (the West and traditional bourgoise culture) that much!? I think they do.]