Denmark -- a Great Satan

GAZA (Reuters) - Thousands of Palestinians protested against Denmark on Tuesday for allowing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad to be published, and Arab ministers called on the Copenhagen government to punish the newspaper that printed them.

Demonstrators burned Danish flags, chanted "War on Denmark, Death to Denmark" and called for an Arab boycott of products from the small north European country until it showed contrition for the satirical caricatures deemed blasphemous by Islam.

Anger has spread across much of the Muslim world.

"We feel great rage at the continued attacks on Islam and the Prophet of Islam and we demand that the Danish government make a clear and public apology for the wrongful crime," Nafez Azzam, a leader of Islamic Jihad, told the crowd of supporters of his militant group outside U.N. headquarters.

The protesters fired bullets in the air and burned Danish and U.S. flags as well as portraits of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and U.S. President George W. Bush.
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What did Boosh and the US have to do with this? Because the US supports freedon of speech (so long as you do not touch our own sacred cows)? As a freedom of speech issue, this is pretty serious: you cannot, even in a country that is not a theocracy, express your views without threat of retribution. Now I ask you, whose culture is invading someone else's culture with an attempt at influencing, modifying or changing it? It is not as though the US (or Denmark) is holding rallies at the [fill in the blank] consulate demanding that they eat Big Macs or cease calling Bush Satan (is he?). To say nothing of a more direct analogy that might be apt with respect to Israel.

Now CAIR did mention something about using inflamatory words, etc. in the State of the Union Speech. But isn't the name of the group "Islamic Jihad" sort of a direct contradiction to this request? Why is it that no-one may impunge Islam anywhere in the world without threat of direct retribution, but the President of Iran can call for the extermination of Israel?

CAIR tells Boosh a thing or two

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (OfficialWire) -- 01/30/06 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today urged President Bush to avoid using "loaded and imprecise terminology" relating to Islam in Tuesday night's State of the Union address.

In a letter to President Bush, CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed wrote:

"While you prepare for tomorrow's State of the Union address, I would like to offer a suggestion that could serve to strengthen America's image and interests worldwide, particularly in the Islamic world. You have stated repeatedly that the war on terror is not a war on Islam. Unfortunately, the use of loaded and imprecise terminology by our nation's representatives has often served to promote that negative perception.

"When you describe America's efforts to fight terrorism and spread democracy worldwide in Tuesday's address, I think it would be best to avoid the use of hot-button terms such as 'Islamo-fascism,' 'militant jihadism,' 'Islamic radicalism,' or 'totalitarian Islamic empire.'
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Ok, I am OK with the concept of avoiding branding Islam or any religion and all its adherents as terrorists or fascists. Not only would that be incorrect to do so, but needlessly inflamatory and insulting. Also, the phrases listed are not very useful. Islam, the religion of the Prophet Mohammed is extolled as the peaceful religion and it would be wrong to imply that it is not.

Which is where we get to the sticky bit. But what should we call this "movement" then ... "loonies with bombs who want to kill us because we are Western and/or American, but only just happen to be part of a militant group and who happen to all be Muslims and really don't represent mainstream Islam at all?" You see, from the American point of view, the unifying feature of the recent global spate of terrorism is that the perpetrators have all been Muslim. So to describe the threat to America, of necessity, one must look to the single unifying theme: a radical, non-mainstream view of Islam to be enforced on the rest of the world by its followers by means of violence, intimidation and coercion. That is, it is just plain stupid to ignore -- for the sake of political correctness -- that these people were and are planning to hurt us, kill us if possible. The Grand Mufti in Mecca proclaimed as much recently, but in terms of resisting by all means the inroads of western culture. The various Imams and Ayatollahs in Iran and elsewhere have made no bones about their view of the West and Israel. The preachers of hate in the Finsbury Park Mosque similarly produced some fine examples of tolerance such as Abu Hamza, some of the terrorists involved in the Beslan massacre, the shoe bomber, Zacharias Moussauoui. Who knows what is taught and advocated in the madrassas of Pakistan, but you can be certain that it does not follow a theme such as "hug your neighborhood American/christian." Does this represent Islam? No.

BUT, from the Muslim point of view, the shoe is on the other foot: many Muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere in Indonesia, Africa and Asia see the United States as the antagonist. The US-inspired corruption of their culture -- Big Macs in every Middle Eastern city (Mc Shawarma?) -- a decline in morals, libertine behaviour by women, "unwanted freedoms", etc. They perceive this assault as no less real than dropping bombs and murdering the innocent. So, since you cannot beat the US militarily (or Israel for that matter), you use what weapons you have.

I am getting off the subject ... who the hell is the Council on American Islamic Relations ("CAIR") to even suggest or urge the President of the United States (such as he is) to do anything?

The Danes in the Hot Seat

From Reuters:

"Denmark warned citizens on Monday not to go to Saudi Arabia and Gaza gunmen said any Danes or Norwegians who came there would face attack, as Muslim fury mounted over newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

Denmark has defended the Jyllands-Posten newspaper’s right to publish the satirical drawings that seemed to portray the prophet as a terrorist and which a Norwegian paper has run too."

So Denmark has had to pull aid workers from Gaza, Saudi Arabia has pulled its envoys, Libya has closed it embassy in Copenhagen. Danes have been advised not to travel in the Middle East. Hamas urged Islamic countries to take “deterrent steps against idiotic Danish behavior”. Thousands of Palestinians have marched protesting, militants armed with grenade launchers and Ak-47s (de rigeur) have rallied in front of the EU HQ in Gaza.

All of this ... why? Because of a couple cartoons.

Now, looking at it from here in the US, this all seems faintly ludicrous, but one person's sacrilege may be humor to another. So, let's put the shoe on the other foot: let's say that these same newspapers had lampooned Martin Luther King or George Washington. While neither is similar in social position to Mohammed, a founder of a world-wide religion, they are highly revered in the US. George Washington was a military man, a landowner and a slave owner -- and "the father of our country." MLK was a civil rights leader who championed equality among the races. We have federal holidays taken in respect of these men ... note the use of the word "holiday," it is not a Federal vacation day. Holy ... let's not go there.

So what would happen then? The outcry in the US would be that any such cartoon was any one of rascist, insulting, damnable or offensive. There would be calls for retraction. The author of the cartoon and editor of the paper would likely receive threats. If that paper was in the US, you might even see cries of "hate crimes," abuse of civil rights, and other accusations. You see, in the US we have our own untouchable subjects too. The muslim world might look at that event with some bemusement. And you know, in the context of a country that champions "free speech" they would be justly mystified. We do not apply "free speech" freely or evenly. We only apply what is politically correct at that point in time. For a variety of reasons, a few cartoons about Mohammed does not offend the average Amrican very much.

But would we pull ambassadors, threaten lives of persons so wholly unconnected with some two-bit newspaper, merely because of their nationality, as is happening through out the Middle East? No. That's pretty fair to say. But we do not extend the right to free speech to all, only selectively. You had better keep your bubble thoughts to yourself in the US -- as a certain Ivy League president found out recently. So in that manner, we are not much better than the hateful, gun-toting mobs in Gaza, or the various governments demanding apologies and taking diplomatic action. One man's thoughts here can, if voiced, bring out other hateful mobs, demanding apologies, censuring thought and taking action. We can all think of certain "public figures" here in the US who are grandstanding at the drop of a hat when their particular turf is invaded by thoughts opposed to theirs. Interestingly, not a few of them are "Reverends" ... drawing another similarity to various Imams and Mullahs.

Denmark, by contrast has the following official policy: Denmark’s Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen refused on Sunday to apologize, defending the right of free speech and saying he could not influence the media, but he condemned attempts “to demonize people because of religious beliefs.” Bravo.

Kennedy -- Unreal

So the leader in the anti-Alito crusade is now Teddy K. (and his equally pathetic colleague Kerry). What in the world is wrong with Massachusetts that he gets elected at all? And what is worse is that the American people are taken in by this bloated moron.

This buffoon is leading a crusade against a Federal judge based on that person's integrity, politics and honesty? This is a Senator that was KICKED OUT of Harvard for cheating. This is a guy that let a campaign worker DIE because he is a lying, cheating (how did he avoid divorce?) creep with no spine, courage or faith. This piece of excrement should not have the audience of the good American people. He has not been on the correct side of any major policy decision in decades -- if ever. But good ol' Teddy brings back the pork for Massachusetts.

ARGGGGHHHGHGHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Weekend Review

Let's see what shall we start with ... Hamas!

The more I think of it, the worse I feel about the next little while in that neck of the Middle East. Hamas ... will not recognize Israel and points to Syria, saying "why do we have to if they don't? They still have no peace treaty with Israel, but haven't shot a bullet in 30 years at them." Uh, sorry, Hamas (which has its political headquarters in Damascus), but that is not quite true. The 60 odd fighters shot down by Israel over the Bekaa valley were not Hezbollah aircraft. They were Syrian (and rumor has it that may were in fact piloted by Soviets). And the tit for tat of missles over the Northern Israeli border is just the same as Syria having done it directly. Don't flatter yourselves there. Syria just knows that they would get their asses kicked ... again.

And where exactly does Hamas get off equating itself (even as the "elected" government of the Palestinian people) with Syria? And, in case this has escaped the Hamas mind, Syria is regarded by most western countries -- that really means the "free" world where people have a real vote and can express themsevles without the threat of a religious police force hacking their tongues out -- as a rogue state and a supporter of terrorist organizations. Not exactly great company. Poor Israel is surrounded by this sort of thing. Loudly the world press condemns Israel for shooting a few missles at houses occupied by commanders who just shot a few batteries of Katyusha missles at some Kibbutz. Yes, women and children do get killed -- only because the cowardly scum that order the murders hide in houses occupied with women and children as cover. Or shoot at US soldiers from mosques. Remember in the first Gulf War that grotesque sign hastily put up "Baby Milk Factory?" Or making an air raid shetler out of a command and control bunker? Tell me that is not cynical. Especially when it became clear that any such bunker would be obliterated. But Saddam had no qualms about it ... it would make great anti-war press coverage showing the brutality of those evil Americans. And the Israelis face the same crap every day when they go after bomb factories and weapons caches. Or is it only fair to let them launch an attack and then try to kill the attackers during that attack?

Meanwhile I was wrong about the number of people on the PA payroll -- there are over 600,000 people tied directly to the outlays of a functioning PA. But "Hamas has rejected as "blackmail" Western demands that it renounce violence against Israel or risk losing aid. It also suggested it could look for alternative sources of funding in the Arab world and beyond." Yep blackmail. "You can't withhold your cash to force me to renounce terrorism!!!" And these turkeys got over two-thirds of the vote. So they'll go to Iran? Or Syria?

What else? Tiger wins his first tournament of the year. OK, it was in a playoff, but he was 9-1 in payoffs before today.

US beats Norway 5-0 in soccer. 16,000 attended at some arena in California. A national match. Pathetic. But a good result.

Greenspan retires at the next Fed meeting. Eeeekk.

20th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. Why, oh why, are we watching this again and again on TV. Are we crazy? A bunch of "snuff flick" freaks? People died when the rocket went poof. That firey explosion with the two boosters taking off like pronged forks ... that was when good, brave people died. Say a prayer for their souls, don't watch it. I had the misfortune to watch it on an instant replay, seconds after it happened. I was in a Citibank trading room and the noise went from 100 db to silence was in about 30 nanoseconds. We prayed then. We should do likewise now.

Bird Flu found in Cyprus ... the Turkish part. Not good this.

Hamas, your good neighbor

From the NY Daily News:

"The Palestinians voted for terror, nothing less than the destruction of Israel, in a clear voice and by a landslide. Hamas made no bones about it, this was its campaign, complete with the burning of the Star of David to the tune of machine guns riffing in the desert air.

This should go without saying, but no sooner were the returns in than the usual suspects here and in Europe were opining that the Palestinians had really voted for free lunches and against corruption. Not for bullets, for butter; not for terror but for clean government.

Of course, if that were the case, the Palestinian people would have long ago run Yasser Arafat out of town without a camel and maybe - maybe - a pail of water. It was Arafat who looted his people out of billions, who ran the PLO and later the Palestinian Authority with an iron hand that kept them living in refugee camps and otherwise in squalor."

Sort of sounds like our European allies and some "useful idiots" from the People's Republic visiting mosques immediately after 9/11, doesn't it? Of course the Daily News (as always) makes things a bit simpler than they are, but in the vast majority of minds .. were the Palestinians voting for better administration of their lives ... or evidencing a wish to wipe Israel of the face of the map and getting tired of waiting for Fatah to do it? For their part, Fatah supporters are trashing things to show their displeasure at being voted out of office. Sort of like what the Clinton Whitehouse staffers did to the printers and typrewriters when they left, but using gasoline bombs instead. The party voted out of office seldom accepts defeat in good humor.... Actually that reminds me, it is day 700 or so on the "Waiting for Barbra and Alec to Piss Off" watch. When are they going to go? Get it on already!!! Heck I am ready to go!

Back to Hamas.... We all know that Palestine is essentially a global housing project: the US alone supports it to the tune of over $400 million per year, and even Israel used to collect customs duties on its behalf, forwarding over $40 million a month. The largest employer of Palestinians was Israel, followed by the Authority -- some 140,000 odd employees. Who is seriously going to send these jokers any cash -- at least until they agree to renounce terrorism? Hmmm? No doubt the Saudis will hold a telethon for them, but this won't cover. So, without a renunciation of the platform that got them elected, we can expect a financial default in short order. That, in turn, will forment some serious unrest. What then?

This is going to be an exciting "Springtime for Hamas ... and Tel Aviv ...."

Hamas ... and John Kerry

From the NY Times:

"WASHINGTON, Jan 26 — Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts could not attend the Senate debate on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. on Thursday. He was in Davos, Switzerland, hobnobbing with international business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum."

But late Thursday afternoon, Mr. Kerry began calling fellow Democratic senators in a quixotic, last-minute effort for a filibuster to stop the nomination.

Democrats cringed and Republicans jeered at the awkwardness of his gesture, which almost no one in the Senate expects to succeed.

"God bless John Kerry," said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican on the Judiciary Committee. "He just cinched this whole nomination. With Senator Kerry, it is Christmas every day."
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Really, I don't need to write more about this. Boosh is an idiot. His fellow Bonesman is trying really hard to prove that he is too.


HAMAS: perhaps I was too obtuse earlier today about Hamas. Let's look at this again.... These people were taking credit for suicide bombings of buses killing hundreds of innocent Israelis last year. This is a terrorist organization. But now it is a "freely elected" terrorist organization and a government of the people for the people. Sort of. Did King George's subjects feel the same way about the colonists in the Americas? But let's draw a distinction: these people are cold-blooded murdering terrorists. The revolutionaries were not. They never sent men to kill children and women and CERTAINLY never sent children to kill other innocents.

Israel has a big problem here. How to deal with or negotiate with a terrorist organization which is now the elected government of the Palestinian people? How is the US to manage this either? Uh, are you going to send in the tanks to install your own brand of elected government? Is Israel? Israel says Hamas is responsible for launching 425 terrorist attacks since Sept. 2000, killing 377 Israelis and injuring more than 2,000 (from USA today). Not exactly good neighbors. But the Palestinians interviewed seem to look to Hamas as a viable alternative to Fatah ... where the money never seemed to make it to the people, the schools never get built (even though they will probably teach nothing but the most blatant propaganda). People were tired of the lies. Heck of an alternative....

Hamas is now the official Palestinian Government. They whopped Fatah almost two to one.

Friends and neighbors, please note the excellent uniform used by a Hamas supporter. It contains all that really scares me about that group and similar groups. I mean, who told him that a black balaclava goes with a brown/grey shapeless sweater? Really!!

And what exactly is it about the ubiquitous AK-47? Hmmm? Is someone's pee-pee a little bit inadequate? Or is it his mental manhood that requires a bit of "lead" in it? And, darling, you've got to do something about that flag: we need some icons, tokens of faith, abusive sayings that really pop out!!!

And next thing you know, there will be a UN vote to consider -- do we bring our AK-47s to New York as carry-ons, or do we have to check them in the hold? I wonder if this chap saw Spielberg's latest movie? Actually reminds me of Arkansas at the start of duck season. Or New Hampshire on the first day of deer season. Live Free or Die. Hey, that'd make a great slogan for that flag!!!

Bubble? What bubble?

This from the top 100 business blunders of 2005:

1. Bubble Trouble, Grand Prize Winner, Dumbest Moment of 2005
"If you grew up in Danvers, and you remember it as the spooky place on the hill, it might not be the right place to live."
-- William McLaughlin, an executive with AvalonBay Communities, which is converting boarded-up Massachusetts mental institution Danvers State Hospital into a 497-unit complex of high-end apartments and condos. That sound you hear? Not the ghosts of mental patients, but loud hissing from the wildly inflated housing bubble, which tops our list this year with seven priceless moments of real estate insanity. First up: the nuthouse-to-yuppie-house trend currently sweeping North America, with such conversions also planned in Detroit, New York, Vancouver, and Columbia, S.C., where the centerpiece of the development is an original brick building with the word "asylum" chiseled into the facade.

BUT, they are putting up some seriously large ultra-luxury houses on part of the grounds (or recently sold off) of MacLean hospital … and MacLean “was” not an asylum, it “is” an asylum. Would you pay $1.5 million or more for a beautiful house on the grounds of Maclean? Uh, sorry honey we gotta shut the curtains and lock the medicine cabinet, some junkies just escaped from their level 3 ward and are out huntin’ some serious pharmaceuticals. The kids? Oh, they need some diversity, let them play outside … after all those schizophrenics are heavily medicated … aren’t they? And that guy who thinks that he is a wolf? He’s harmless, right?

Talk about spooky.

Giggles in the Sharq

Sometimes I decide that I need to read what the "other side" is actually saying about the United States, U.K and allies in the local propaganda machine that is Al Jazeera.... The crap they are putting out about the Iranian move to shift currency assets out of European banks is just precious. Like:

"In response to the mounting threats to refer its nuclear dossier to the United Nations Security Council to force it suspend its NUCLEAR PROGRAME, safeguarded and certified by the IAEA to be for peaceful purposes, Iran announced it’s moving all its foreign exchange reserves out of Europe to shield itself from the threat of sanctions likely to be imposed by the UNSC."

Yeah, "safeguarded" by the IAEA ... then in the very next paragraph, the following:

"The Islamic Republic, according to Iran's central bank governor, begun withdrawing assets from European banks, as the Europeans are just about to get the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors to refer the Iranian NUCLEAR PROGRAME to the UN Security Council by March. But they were reluctant as the Security Council will likely throw the IAEA Board referral, if obtained, directly into the waste bin as being frivolous, an editorial on AntiWar.com said."

OK, let's parse that: Iran's nuclear program, safeguarded and certified as peaceful by the IAEA is about to get referred to the UN by the "watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors." What, the good IAEA in the first paragraph is different from the IAEA in the second (uh, does the difference in using an acronym and the full name change the constitution and orientation of the agency)? And the referral is frivolous, but the certification (if any exists) is to be believed?

And people read, listen to and believe this bullshit? No wonder we eat our babies, bathe in the blood of vrigins, and worship Satan in the West. Holy crap!!

Al Jazeera proceeds with the following stunning logic:

It seems that the AMERICAN PRESIDENT had sent the Europeans on a Fools Errand. [Why?]Has BUSH forgotten about the Iranian Bourse? Have the Europeans forgot about the Iranian oil that will be delivered to Western Europe via pipeline?

And, according to Iranian officials, the Iranian Bourse will be a state-owned international oil, gas and refined products exchange, operating principally over the Internet, with transactions denominated principally in Euros.

The Iranian Bourse is expected to be in direct competition with London’s International Petroleum Exchange and New York’s Mercantile Exchange, both owned by U.S. corporations, the article said.

"The Tehran government has a developed a plan to begin competing with New York's NYMEX and London's IPE with respect to international oil trades - using a euro-denominated international oil-trading mechanism, which means that the euro is going to establish a firm foothold in the international oil trade. Baring in mind the U.S. debt levels and BUSH ’s admin’s goal of global domination, Tehran's future plans pose an obvious encroachment on U.S. dollar supremacy in the international oil market."

Yep! An internet based oil and energy market run by the Iranians is going to put the Nymex and IPE out of business, and because it will use the Euro, the dollar is doomed!! But wait, wasn't Iran pulling their reserves out of European banks etc.? How are they going to hold those assets -- Euros in Tokyo or Beijing? Or sell Euros and hold ... what, Yen, Yuan, Kuwaiti Dinars (or other Sunni Arab currencies)? Uh, maybe dollars? And you, as a western oil trader (we use the most oil, so we naturally have to trade it to get it), are you going to trade in a virtual world run by Iranians who believe in the type of logic described above, as well as basically in the fundamental evil you represent and the ultimate solution for the eradication of that evil?

My head is starting to spin.

United at the trough

So United gets permission to leave the shelter of Chapter 11 ... three years after seeking protection. And some $7 billion in cuts and 1/3 of staff later, we have a healthier airline. Trouble is the fat cats in the executive suite have been helping themselves to equity participation. True, that means that they will only really cash in if the stock prices improves, but even if it drops, the top management of United stand to rake in solid 7 figure windfalls -- running into 8 figures.

There is something just so wrong about this. The airline has only just, like yesterday, been granted leave to emerge from Ch.11, and yet the pigs have nosed their snouts into the equity banquet they so carefully laid out for themselves. What about the thousands of personnel who lost their jobs? What about the pilots taking huge pay cuts for the privilege to continue to work for United. Shouldn't the people that made the sacrifices for the company get s share of the loot?

If this were a couple of years down the road, United stock was soaring, profits pouring in and the enterprise awash in cash, then I'd be all in favor of rewarding the management that turned it around. Getting out of Ch. 11 is not "turning it around," it is more like the notion that Macbeth has stepped out into daylight, his hands covered in the gore of people's aspirations, hopes and dreams. This is immoral. The BoD crap to the tune of "we needed to be able to keep good management around" is EXACTLY the sort of crap that spawned Koslowski, Lay and others. Sarbanes is still a paper tiger.

Late update

Been almost a week since my last.... It is not that the world has been static in terms of offense-worthy items,... its just that I could not give a toss.

But the US Justice Department provokes me to spew forth some drivel: they want Google to fork over 1 weeks worth of searches (they orginally wanted a whole month) to their clutches for review. The ostensible reasons are to check out searches for child porn and other heinous concepts ... but who the fuck would believe the Justice Dept.?

No, this is far more serious: the integrity of the internet. If Uncle Sam is watching every search that you make, it is only a small step for every vicious politico getting info on everything that you do behind a closed door. Look, if you want to scope the people looking at kiddie porn, put tag on the site and trace the weirdos that spend time on them and then bust into their houses, search their computers and whack their pee-pees. Confiscate their houses, make creative use of electrodes and rheostats -- but leave me and my searches alone.

Of course, the other side of this is "who in hell gave you the reason to assume that your searches should be privileged?" And you know, if you really think that people don't look at where you have been, you know nothing about computers, cookies, spyware, malware and Sears-frikkin-hardware. Really. Haven't you even bothered to learn about proxy sites and servers? And scrubbing your dirty recycle tid-bits? This stuff exists for a reason: the free internet is not free. Someone pays for this stuff and, generally, it is business trying to figure out how to sell you something.

Reasonable expectations aside -- and there is no implied Google/client privilege to my knowledge -- you have look at this latest move as as something that is not in the right direction. First we have Boosh wiretapping you, now we have Gonzales looking into what porn you are groovin' on. Not good. If he wants to know, he should get a search warrant and then bug my computer. If I am minding my own business checking out Latvian dwarves in bondage, then a judge should be able to tell the thought police to look for their jollies somewhere else.

Anyway, can't the government just hack like everyone else? Sure, that might pose some 4th Amendment issues, but we could readily exlude whatever was sourced prior to a search warrant. But this Google search thing ... its more like having everyone at the I-95 stop in Jersey before you get to NYC submit to a strip search. Not cool. The wiretap stuff has some basis in national security ... but to dragnet Google, no, that's too far.

BTW, the Germans have told the Brits that they may have gone too far in proposing to restrict travel of certain Iranian abroad. Let's consider that for a second. Since they seem comfortable in courting the psychos in Tehran, let's back Tehran's concept of setting up a nice little Zion on German territory. After all, there's still a huge pay-back out there -- es war nur Befehl did not cut it then, now should it now. And let's think of where we might site such a homeland: Berlin sounds good. And we should make sure that the persons working in Israel should get full privileges too, that would mean some million or so Palestinians needed to keep Zion moving along.... Yes, that is an excellent idea.

Iran watch

"If the dossier is sent to the Security Council, the European countries will lose the means which are currently at their disposal, because... the government will be obliged, in conformity with the law adopted by parliament, to end all its voluntary measures of cooperation," Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian Foreign Minister, told the IRNA news agency today.

Uh, huh. "Obliged ... the law adopted by parliament." When you can stuff the ballot box at the election and in parliament, this sounds less like the rule of law and more like Hitler's "you forced me to invade you, naughty Poland." There is no present intent to obey -- they just want to be left alone to make a few bombs. What's wrong with that?

And the U.N. Security Council ... oh boy, I bet that make them poop their pants. I mean, that is really terrible, huh? Saddam was undone by those sanctions! Israel continues to follow the letter of the instructions given to it to the last iota. If there is any pants-pooping, it will be in mirth watching those decadent western fools playing at democracy and international law while at home at Natanz in Iran they place nice little hemispheres of blue-grey metal within plastique studded with timers bought from those self-same decadent infidels.

I wonder how the Saudi government feels about this? Not the religious or administrative functionaries, but the government ... the ruling family. They cannot be thrilled. The same must apply to the Various Emirs, Sheiks and potentates. You have spent a lot of money and worked hard to create a modern Islamic entrepot such as Dubai and voom! Along comes a firebrand from Tabriz to pull the rug out from underneath you. Not conducive to a nice seaside vacation across the gulf from a bunch of fanatics with nukes and a bad attitude.

Iran -- its true folks

As any reader -- if I have any -- will attest, I have been pretty worried about Iran the load of psychos there for quite a while. Longer, actually, that the internet as we know it has existed. But we have come to the rub: they have decided to play nuclear dice with the West.

Only the most wet-behind-the-ears sort would actually "buy" their argument about research and the need for nuke power. Utter crap. This is about owning a "device" (or many of them). The real deal. And then assembling enough to blow Israel to smithereens and then threaten the West (and the oil) with a terror-bomb unless we leave the Middle East and the oil to them and Islam (their brand). And you know, given their geographic position and demographic pressures/layout, they are in a prime position to do it.

Why enough bombs to finish off Israel? Well, to start with they are in the Middle East and not adherents of the Ayatollahs (as opposed to Sunnis). Next, they are mostly Jews -- smart and armed to the teeth, with a history of handing Islam and the Arab world in general various beatings. Could the Iranians nuke them now? Rumour has it that Iran managed to buy a few loose nukes from the remains of the crumbling Soviet Union -- Ukraine is the suspected source, before the current government got a grip. They also managed to secure some excellent Chinese cruise missles and their own Shahab-3 is an excellent launch vehicle with the range to hit Zion. So, yes.

But Israel has the world's most sophisticated ABM system , both long range and short. And nobody doubts that Israel has a serious inventory of nukes of all shapes and sizes for retaliation. So while the population is concentrated, the protection is second to none, active and passive. The net of a strike by Iran now is what would then remain of Israel would "off" most of what we now know as Iran, along with, most likely, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh, Damascus -- maybe Baghdad -- Cairo, etc. Israel might focus on Iran though out of pure spite in having obliterated their country. Goodbye, Nile delta too -- just a quick nuke at the high Aswan. So the goal would have to be to totally level Israel in one strike. Evey pebble and tree. Or else.

Another glitch in those plans are the three nuclear cruise missle capable subs in the Israeli navy. You can be sure that one is always at sea and armed with nukes. Absolutely sure. So where would they be targeted? Revenge: major Arab cities and Mecca/Medina. Or just Iran plus a few choice cities? Dunno.

Iran's threat to the rest of the world to butt out of any game they may have on? Oil. Israel ... just doesn't really have one except the old MAD concept.

So let's say Israel, in very understandable self interest decides that it has to attack the Iranian nuclear centers (there are many loosely scattered sites, unfortunately for Israel). How does it do it? I can't help but think nukes unless there are some really new funky weapons devised by Israel: most of the serious sites are underground, buried underneath mountains and in deep rock bunkers. The only sure way to take that out is with a nuke ... or some agent that renders the site unpassable. And that is an even hairier prospect. How soon? If the centerfuges start spinning, then it is only because Iran needs to refine the fuel -- you can bet that the warheads are already open, ready and waiting for the fissile material. Since we know that they have just started spinning, we must see action before the weaponizing cycle finishes. And that, ladies and gentlemen is damn soon. With Sharon "sidelined" this destabilizes the position a lot, even to the extent of a military coup to initiate a survival move.

If we see any significant movement of troops, personnel or migration of persons within or in and out of Israel (or two subs put to sea), the game is on. I won't even go into the consequences for oil, Iraq, global economy, etc. It makes me weak to think of it.

War on Islam

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — More than 2 million Muslim pilgrims made the climactic ascent Monday to Mount Arafat, Islam's most sacred site, to pray for salvation, and Saudi Arabia's top cleric urged Islamic unity in the face of what he called the West's war on Islam.

Speaking at a mosque on the plain of Mount Arafat, Sheik Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik, the kingdom's grand mufti, said Muslims were facing critical challenges, among them accusations of terrorism and human rights abuses and calls for revisions in school textbooks.

"Oh, Muslim nation, there is a war against our creed, against our culture under the pretext of fighting terrorism. We should stand firm and united in protecting our religion," he said.

"Islam's enemies want to empty our religion of its contents and its meaning," said al-Sheik. "But the soldiers of God will be victorious."

The faithful called out: "Amen."

Ok, folks, now what could the dedicated liberal possibly choose to misinterpret here? Oh, yes, it is their religion they are protecting when suicide bombers try to obliterate a democratically elected Iraqi government. Obvious, that. Is is the notion of a democracy anti-Islamic? Possibly. Inasmuch as Islam, at least according to the Imams, etc., is meant by its very nature (stemming from the word of God as told to the Prophet Mohammed) to be all encompassing, a way of life. To disturb the way of life is violate the word of God - hence Islam may by its very nature a Theocracy. And of course, that means it should be the Imams and Mullahs who rule Islam, for they are the arbiters of the true meaning of the word of God, and hence how people should live, what they should practice and think. Every little detail.

Given recent experience in Afghanistan, this does not bode well for the female of the species. So women everywhere, get off of your butts and push for democracy, equality and the right to be yourself. Or else get fitted for a burqa.

But this raises the question, since when is the murder of innocent women and children acceptable under Islam? Did the Prophet say that this was acceptable -- or even imply it? Murder of innocents has always been haraam.... So how do we arrive at car bombs? Oh, I get it, it is the Americans and their cronies who are doing the murdering, the suidice bombers simply have to do because of the Americans. Ah, so. So the Baathists can regain power and murder hundreds of thousands more Shiites and Kurds. Is a Shiite even a Muslim to a Sunni? Or is simply OK, if Muslims kill Muslims -- sort of an internal family struggle? I cannot be that the Merciful would condone that. But some foolish unbeliever comes across with the idea that you might have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- without someone else's interference ... well that's beyond the pale. I mean, which God would you worship? The Ayatollah's or the Grand Mufti's? OR could you, gasp, have a choice? Now that would not sit well with those in charge of the interpretation of God's word, the Quran. After all, they will tell you how the word is to apply to you, and depending on if you are Sunni or Shiite, you take your directions from different sources.

In that little conundrum lies the reason why Iraq is a snake's nest to the US and allies. Places that are relatively homogeneous in the ways that count (religion be foremost there, above even race) are places where people can decide to elect people to govern and rule them. After all, similar people want similar things. Where, by contrast, you have over a thousand years of hate and mistrust between two groups -- about something so essential as religion, well that tends to put some gasoline on the fire. Iraq is a turf war. First get the foreigners out -- it is an Islamic country, their turf. Then kill the other enemy, those who disagree with their particular brand of Islam. Throw some tribal and regional enmities in there and voila!

Iran might just work as a theocratic democracy -- one group, the administrative secular balances out the religious, sort of. The Ayatollahs always have trump. At least they all believe the same brand of Islam. We don't have to look too far in the European past to see where their Christianity splits got them. Spanish Armadas, 80 years war, 30 years war, the Inquisition, Mary Tudor, slaughters of savages in the New World. And the Jesuits still exist as a noble organization. Opus Dei operates with youth and vigor ... and best of all, the Inquisition still exists under a different name in the Vatican. Northern Ireland.

Last time I checked, Mohammed said that the Jews and the Christians were both people of the "Book." And hence brothers -- although misinformed and wayward.

This Grand Mufti is a Saudi. Bin Laden was/is a Saudi. We know that the bulk of funding for Al Qaeda comes from the Kingdom, although logistical support comes from every government interest that seeks to avoid becoming accountable to a democratically elected government (see Syria, Iran, among others). The 9/11 terrorists were overwhelmingly Saudi. Iraqi forces have noted that many of the suicide jihadis coming to Iraq are Saudi. Now their Grand Mufti is calling the faithful to stand against those who seek to assault their religion -- or is it his position? His audience is the 2 million faithful performing the hadj. An act of religious significance that has almost no parallel in Christianity. Fervour hardly captures the spirit. And in this state of dedication and devotion to Islam they are implicitly told to get on with jihad against the West. And the Saudis are our friends. I don't think so.

New Year's Blues

Talk about blue ... if you were in the Ukraine, and the Russians supplied your source of heating energy, you'd be pretty blue too. As posted some time ago, leaving your energy source in the hands of the Russians is practically the stupidest thing that you can do. Contracts? Who cares about contracts when your supplier is the nationalized Russian behemoth, Gazprom? Gas becomes a weapon of economic warefare. Since when have the Russians EVER shown any reluctance to turn the screws to someone? I am sure that they laugh their butts off at the American squeamishness at the prospect of using that sort of economic tool. Turn someone's heating off in winter ... Christ, if a US administration were to consider that tool (Red or Blue) against someone, the liberals would be wetting themselves at the inhumanity of it. And they would be right. But do you hear any outrage in the US press about this? Huh? Someone ought to turn the heating off in the New York Times offices. Then we'd hear something.

What else up? Well its about 2 weeks since my last post, all of which seems to have been absorbed by family, weddings and vacation. None of which was very relaxing. But fun, mostly.

Been having some bizzaro dreams lately: twice I have been employed as a sniper in a Middle Eastern country. Unpleasant to say the least. But I seem to come through it. Oh, and I don't play video games at all.

I feel like having a rave at Hybrid cars, US manufacturers who seem to be unable to provide workable solutions (I don't think that the Japanese "solution" is one), and the general dishonesty in that industry. Maybe tomorrow. And of course, we are going to have to pay for the defined benefit plans of those diligent auto workers. Ugh.