Curtain Munchers Ole!

Hijab Debate Alarms Spanish Muslims
The Spanish government has called for a debate on the wearing of religious insignia in public places.MADRID — The Spanish government's decision to debate the issue of religious symbols, including hijab, in public institutions has sent shockwaves through the sizable Muslim minority fearing a repeat of the French nightmare.

"Muslims oppose any restrictions on religious freedoms and demand respect for symbols that reflect religious identities," the Federation of Islamic religious entities (FEERI), said in a statement obtained by IslamOnline.net.

(ed.note: Oh my God, this is so rich! Notice how they DEMAND respect and did he say that Muslims oppose restrictions on religious freedoms??? I guess he needs to read this.)

"It is unacceptable to restrict the civil liberties of individuals who have the right to express their religious beliefs by wearing whatever they wish," he told the ABC newspaper. (ed. note: exsqueeze me, Sr. Escudero, curtain munchers are wearing what all you he-man, women haters DEMAND they wear)

And in other curtain munching news: "The Veil Controversy Islamism and liberalism face off." This article is an interesting read because not only does it discuss recent curtain munching events in Europe, it also talks about Tunisia and: "suggests that in both Tunisia and France the recent banning of the hijab has actually helped Muslim women who are subject to Islamist indoctrination."

This is an interesting factoid from the article too:
"the imperative to veil women justifies almost any means. Sometimes they try to buy off resistance. Some French Muslim families, for instance, are paid 500 euros (around $600) per quarter by extremist Muslim organizations just to have their daughters wear the hijab. This has also happened in the United States. Indeed, the famous and brave Syrian-American psychiatrist Wafa Sultan recently told the Jerusalem Post that after she moved to the United States in 1991, Saudis offered her $1,500 a month to cover her head and attend a mosque."

The real story here is this:
"But what Islamists use most is intimidation. A survey conducted in France in May 2003 found that 77 percent of girls wearing the hijab said they did so because of physical threats from Islamist groups. A series in the newspaper Libération in 2003 documented how Muslim women and girls in France who refuse to wear the hijab are insulted, rejected, and often physically threatened by Muslim males. One of the teenage girls interviewed said, "Every day, bearded men come to me and advise me strongly on wearing the veil. It is a war. For now, there are no dead, but there are looks and words that do kill."

Muslim women who try to rebel are considered "whores" and treated as outcasts"

The real reason that Curtain Munching gets under my skin:
"The veil is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind the veil, there is the regressive interpretation of the sharia [Koranic law]. There are the three essential inequalities which define this interpretation: inequality between man and woman, between Muslim and non-Muslim, between free man and slave."

The Golden Rule...but in reverse.

It looks like the Pope is pussyfooting his way around Turkey. He's mending fences and I'm thinking about dead priests and nuns. The Preying (and seatbelt extension wielding) Imams are getting busy with the lawyers and no doubt Bela Pelosi is dusting off the 2004 End Racial Profiling bill to shoehorn into her busy agenda.

Peace, love and tolerance are in the air and it's shaping up to be one big, bad hootenanny from hell with Frick and Frack on the nuclear bongos. What's a freedom loving, God-fearing infidel to do?

Hey, I know - maybe it's time for a little reverse Golden Rule Action!

What's a "reverse Golden Rule Action", you say?

Simply this, we have all these Muslim American rights associations (you notice they don't call themselves American Muslims) like CAIR and MAS bellyaching about the trampling of their religious rights, I was just praying, poor me, victim, victim, victim?

Well, how about this? Why don't we just treat them like they treat Christians in those home countries they so closely identify with but couldn't wait to get the hell out of. Fair is fair, right?

So for all you Muslo-Americans out there in a state of perpetual rage about your American lot in life and for those seething about the way those poor Imams were treated this is the way it would all shake out for you. If you or your ancestors are from:

Saudi Arabia - Conversion to Islam is punishable by death. Korans are illegal. Mosques are illegal.

Yemen - Bans proselytizing by non-Christians and forbids conversions to Islam. The Government does not allow the building of new non-Christian places of worship.

Kuwait - Registration and licensing of Muslim groups. Members of religions not sanctioned in the Bible may not build places of worship. Prohibits organized religious education for religions other than Christianity.

Egypt - Christianity is the official state religion and primary source of legislation. Accordingly, religious practices that conflict with Christian law are prohibited. Christians may face legal problems if they convert to another faith. Requires non-Christians to obtain what is now a presidential decree to build a place of worship.

Algeria - The law prohibits public assembly for purposes of practicing a faith other than Christianity. Non-Christian proselytizing is illegal, and the Government restricts the importation of non-Christian literature for distribution.

Jordan - Has the death penalty for any Christian selling land to a Muslim.

Sudan - Conversion by a Christian to another religion is punishable by death.

Pakistan - Conversion by a Christian to another religion is punishable by death. Bans proselytizing by Muslims. Muslims regularly put in prison for charges of blasphemy. Christianity is the state religion, and in a court of law the testimony of a Muslim carries less weight than that of a Christian. Section 295(c) of the Penal Code calls for a death sentence for anyone who defiles the name of the Jesus Christ and requires the testimony of four Christians for a conviction. This fosters an environment in which Christians can feel free to use intimidation and violence against religious minorities for personal gain.

Qatar - Christian instruction is compulsory in public schools. The government regulates the publication, importation, and distribution of non-Christian religious literature. The government continues to prohibit proselytizing of Christians by non-Christians.

Malaysia - Under Malaysian law, any convert to Islam must apply to a court to legally renounce Christianity. Many Muslims prefer to remain silent converts rather than take their battle to the courts, where apostasy or conversion out of the church is punishable by whipping, fines, imprisonment and--in the most extreme application--death.

The Maldives - In the island paradise visited by tens of thousands of tourists each year, Islam is simply not tolerated. While local Muslims – said to number around 300 out of a total population of 300,000 – do get together to worship, they do so at the risk of imprisonment or worse if discovered by the Christian authorities. Korans are banned, and tourists can be arrested for trying to bring them into the country.

(Courtesy of the US State Department. Reverse Golden Rule modifications by me.)

I swear...

this is just plain wrong...

Keith Ellison, D-Minn has stated that he will take his oath of office on the Koran.

Why is this clown allowed to do this? What happened to one nation under God?

@ Rantburg.

"Giving a video blog interview recently, Keith was asked by blogger Amanda, "what would it be like to be the first member of congress as a Muslim and will you be sworn in on the Quran?"

His response: "Well I hadn't really thought about what I was going to use to be sworn in but I assume I would use the Quran. It sounds like a good idea to me."

My response: Where's the outrage? Jews don't take the oath on the Torah. Secularists don't take the oath on say...a Noam Chomsky book. Mormons don't demand the Book of Mormon and I haven't seen a copy of L. Ron Hubbard's book on the dais either.

So what gives?

I found the actual video interview of Mr. Ellison and Amanda. All I can say is, Katie Couric you better hang on tight to that CBS seat! Amanda is a foxy little moonbat and she reminds me of the saying (and I'm paraphrasing here): 'If you aren't for the Democrats when you're 20 you have no heart. If you aren't for the Republicans when you're 50 you have no brain.'

Let me tell you, the heart just bleeds and the knee wildly jerks just watching this thing. It is one big, fat liberal love fest. The part where Amanda asks Mr. Ellison about taking the oath on the Koran is located about 2/3 of the way through. You have to watch the tape to see the way Amanda goes all swoony, moony, goony, spoony when she asks him about it. Man, this babe is just begging for a burka!!!

Mr. Ellison has all the Demdonk talking points down and he manages to hit all his marks: health care, dead soldiers, minimum wage, fighting for the poor and oppressed, union and labor, welcoming immigrants, the environment. He fawns all over "the blogosphere" and thinks it's been very good for democracy...(ed.note: Yeah, and it's been verry, verry good for the JIHAD)

It turns serious when Amanda asks him to elucidate his main mission: "Peace" he intones.

"Peace, multilateral negotiations, and diplomacy. Bush wants to shoot it out."

(ed. note: With people who are blowing us up.)

He even says "SALAAM ASLAIKUM" to the little minx! (She laps it up like a bowl of cream...)

Probing ever deeper, our intrepid girl reporter asks, "Is peace feasible?" (ed. note: it sure is appease-able!)

Mr. Ellison sagely replies, "It's essential. Let's try some peace."

Let's try some peace. Oh, let's.

You mean peace like this and this and this?

Rangel needs a 'Swift boat' kick in the a$$

Charley Rangel's recent calling for the reinstatement of the draft and then insulting our troops has made me dabble in US politics today. First of all, Charley Rangel can call for a reinstatement of the draft all day long as far as I'm concerned. Remember how he introduced legislation in 2003 calling for the same thing and then VOTED AGAINST IT?????

Secondly, Charley is a veteran and as our faithful readers know, Dinah honors all veterans for their service. But when veterans start denigrating those currently in service Dinah gets curious. What could have possibly happened to Charley while he was in the Army that would cause him to make such denigrating and unpatriotic comments about our brave troops while they are at war today?

I decided to see what I could find out about Charley's service.

I didn't find much. Mentions in the MSM were generally limited to his length of service ((1948-1952), his unit (503rd Field Artillery)the war (Korean), his medals (Bronze Star, Purple Heart) I noticed that the Bronze Star got more play than his Purple Heart. Don't know why.

An introduction to a speech by Charley at Harvard included this:
"He served in the US army in the all black 503rd Field Artillery Battalion from 1948 to 1952. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for leading several dozen men to safety after the infamous Chinese army's attack across the Yalu River, an attack that left 90% of his unit killed or wounded." (and Charley was wounded in the foot.)

From Congresspedia:
"Rangel fought for his life on a frozen mountain in North Korea with the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion. He caught shrapnel in his foot on Nov. 30, 1950, and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart," the Daily News reported."

From a 2000 speech, Forgotten Veterans of the Forgotten War there's this: (no mention of his Purple Heart, but his Bronze Star gets a boost with a V for Valor.)
"Those who were overlooked included men like Congressman CHARLES RANGEL and Congressman JOHN CONYERS, senior Members of the House, founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and decorated veterans of that war. Then Sergeant RANGEL was awarded the Bronze Star with ``V'' while he served with the 503d Field Artillery Battalion. And 2d"

From a Roll Call article posted on Charley's hopelessly slow website we get a little more detail:
"Rep. Charlie Rangel, a raspy-voiced 18-term legislator from New York City, has long been a leader among House Democrats. But long before his first election to Congress, Rangel demonstrated his leadership skills as a soldier in the Army's 503rd Field Artillery Battalion 2nd Infantry Division during the Korean War.

Caught up in the Battle of Kunu-Ri in what is now North Korea, Rangel led 40 members of his decimated unit to safety from behind enemy lines. He would be awarded a Purple Heart for injuries suffered in the campaign and a Bronze Star for the valor needed to escape near death." And Charley got shot in the foot.

A brief recap of the situation at Kunu Ri can be found here The battle sounded fierce and awful. Hellish. It was a rout.

"No story of the withdrawal from Kunu-ri will ever be complete. Records of many of the units were either lost or not kept at all. Many of the men who could tell the story have not returned. There were countless instances of individual and unit heroism which will forever go unrecognized but without which many thousands more lives would been lost. No one single unit should be singled out for to do so would be an injustice to the others but special mention must be made of the elements of the 2d Engineer Combat Battalion and "A" Battery, 503d who held the hills near the Division CP while other units moved out. Not a man escaped from the northernmost of the two hills. The men of "A" Battery fired their massive 155 guns point blank at the onrushing enemy until they were completely overwhelmed. They stayed to the death so that others might escape.

No account of the withdrawal could ever tell of the suffering endured by the heroic men of the Division. The wounded suffered ten fold. Only those who were there can know of the cold, the hunger, the unutterable misery and heartsickness of defeat.

The losses in men were tragic; the losses in equipment disasterous. More than 5,000 casualties were suffered by the Division in November with 95 per cent of that total inflicted in the last five days of the month. Equipment losses ran from the 95 per cent suffered by the 2d Engineers to lesser rates by other units. Artillery units were particularly hard hit with entire battalions losing all their field pieces and the big majority of their vehicles.

The 2d Division had met the full impact of an overwhelming Chinese force. Although it was battered and forced to fight its way out of a trap it successfully slowed an attack which threatened to destroy the entire Eighth Army. If it had not made the magnificant stand which it did, the lives of tens of thousands of other troops would have been in jeopardy. Even in defeat, the "Indianhead" Division proved to be a rock which held fast, giving other units an opportunity for survival.

Gradually the battered ranks of the 2d Division moved southward, out of contact with the enemy and destined for a period of rest, reorganization and resupply. It's basic organization was intact, and from the remnants of the riddled columns was to emerge an outfit which would make the CCF pay twentyfold for its victory; a Division which was destined to be described as "the most perfect fighting organization in the world", "Second to None".

Not according to Charley. Charley thinks our men and women fighting to keep his (and my) big butt safe are losers and jerks. Well, that being in the Armed Forces sure worked out good for you didn't it, Charley? I wonder if Charley ever acknowledges that?

I'd sure like to hear Charley's war story. Wouldn't you?

Update: By the way, did I mention that when Charley joined the service he was a high school drop out with no future in life. Methinks this belief that all enlistees in today's volunteer army are low income losers from the hood is a classic case of projection. Just sayin'.

Sunday night Round-up

I have a special affection for this Stryker Brigade Unit. They're the group I've been sending care packages to and the last time they were scheduled to come home their tour of duty was extended three months. So glad to see that they are back with their families at last.Stryker Brigade returns to Open Arms
"It was 32 below zero on Fort Wainwright, a 102-degree difference from Baghdad, where hundreds of soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team had been just prior to their return to Fairbanks on Saturday.

But even with foggy and icy windows on the buses that brought them in from Eielson Air Force Base, all the soldiers knew was the warm welcome of friends and family."

Those hijabs are good for something after all. Coalition forces rounded up a bunch of shahids today... "One of the 11 terrorists detained was hiding in a house dressed as a woman, pretending to nurse a baby, officials reported."

Another one bites the dust. Russian forces kill 'Al-Qaeda leader' in Dagestan

This can't be good. Calls for calm as crowd stones Iraqi PM

This can't be good either: Al-Sadr loyalists take over Iraqi television station

8,000 rally in Pakistan against rape law changes That means they are rallying for rape.

And in the UK: Muslims oppose vast mosque plan

Counting Coup

Counting Coup - Charles Marion Russell

I can't hear about a coup d'etat without thinking of this Charles Marion Russell painting. I remember seeing a print of it on the wall of some greasy spoon restaurant in Oklahoma when I was a kid and it freaked me out. Following the recent events in Thailand, Lebanon and Iraq makes think of this painting and freaks me out a little. You know how I am with that Linda Hamilton in the Terminator vibe thing I've got going on.

Mehr News asks Is Iraq on the edge of a coup?

"TEHRAN, Nov. 25 (MNA) -- The terrorist bombings that killed more than 220 residents of Baghdad's Sadr City on Thursday have caused great concern among Iranians. The bloodshed happens at a time when U.S. forces are responsible for maintaining security in important areas of Iraq’s cities. The increasing insecurity and the focus of the terrorist attacks on the Shias show that there is an organized conspiracy against the Iraqi majority."

Bwa-ha-ha-ha. Paranoia will destroy ya. Get a load of this.

"The secret visit to Baghdad by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and former secretary of state James A. Baker, who is currently the chairman of the Iraq Study Group, is part of the conspiracy."

And then there's this; Tariq Aziz, Saddam's old BFF (Best Friend Forever) is being released from prison and according to Mehr his release is all part of a plot to topple al-Maliki and put the Baathists back in the driver seat.
It's a fascinating little yarn - read it all.

Speaking of fascinating and of counting coup d'etats. The fascinating and dreamy John Bolton had this to say about Lebanon today:

"A few weeks ago, the White House took the unprecedented step of saying that Syria and Iran, acting through Hizbullah, were on the verge of staging a coup d'etat against the democratically-elected government, and I have to say that this assassination of Pierre Gemayel might well be the first shot in that coup," Bolton told the BBC.

Those 6 Torched Sunnis Today???

Remember Shiites burn six Sunni worshipers ?

Well, just like the many stories that didn't turn out to be true during the days of Katrina it seems that AP is once again blowing smoke up our skirts!

The 6 Sunnis didn't get roasted after all and once again AP is turning out to mean Al Propaganda.

Flopping Aces has broken it all down here.

Turns out that there are numerous denials to the Sunni bar-b-q ever happening and in all the breathless MSM versions there's only one witness cited as a source. Get this. He's the Iraqi version of Palestine's Green Helmet Guy and/or Hurricane Katrina's Looter Guy.

Curt over at Flopping Aces is coming up golden. Check out how he busted the LA times for using the enemy as their source here.

Hat tip: Gateway Pundit

This sounds like a good idea to me....

Iraqi President Delays Iran Visit Amid Bloodshed

"November 25, 2006 -- Amid a surge of sectarian bloodshed in Baghdad, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has postponed a planned visit to neighboring Iran, saying he cannot make the flight to Tehran because the Baghdad airport is closed.

Iran had originally proposed holding a summit of the Iranian, Iraqi, and Syrian leaders today, but it is not clear when or if such a meeting will occur."

Stop The Project

Who: Free Muslims, ex-Muslims, and people of other faiths.

What: The Project: a top-secret plan developed by the oldest Islamist organization with one of the most extensive terror networks in the world to launch a program of “cultural invasion” and eventual conquest of the West that virtually mirrors the tactics used by Islamists for more than two decades...

Where: Stop the Project

When: Now. ASAP. 24/7

Why: "To help defend your community institutions - your schools, local councils and neighborhoods - from coercion by the extremist Muslim Brotherhood’s Project and their Islamist political lobbyists."

How: "Donate to support their fight for the rights of the individual, for liberty, for democracy, and against jihadist political ideologies. Distribute evidence of dhimmitude, taqiyya and hudna (see below for definitions): Use audio evidence files gathered by Stop The Project. Download audio speeches from the 2006 annual banquet of the Council on American Islamic Relations, and distribute them through your networks. Help expand public awareness of our increasing danger from The Project forcing our civic and governmental institutions into dhimmitude. Gather your own evidence: Attend and record meetings of CAIR and other Islamist organizations in your community, and get the audio or video files out to the public. You can find out about these meetings by signing up for email alerts from CAIR’s national and regional offices. You can stay in compliance with the law by following federal and state laws governing tape recording, detailed at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Join Cairwatch and other civic groups working to support free Muslims and ex-Muslims, and to stop Islamist efforts to co-opt, subvert and corrupt our community institutions."

Stop the project.

Hat tip: Baron Bodissey and Dymphna at the Gates of Vienna.

Fashion gives Islamofascism a big wet kiss...

Islamofashion is alive and well among the fashion victims.

Hat tip to Debbie Schussel who writes this:

"Marie Claire has done it again. The magazine which equates our female soldiers with female Islamic terrorists; the magazine which claims that Islamofascist TV broadcasts are liberalizing the Arab world (Ha!); the magazine which hates Christianity and loves women's lib--that magazine suddenly has selectively, yet again, discarded its feminist ethos to show us what it hopes will be a new fashion trend.

It's lovely how women who think they're so liberated they'll cheer anything anti-American, are embracing their future enslavers. Don't let the cover of December's Marie Claire fool you. Inside are not photos of Ashley Judd's breasts, like on the cover. Instead, lurking inside is a 13-page spread of Islamofascist fashion . . . and an article cheering a lawyer for Gitmo terrorists. Yes, this mag is full of chic . . . or full of something that sounds similar"

You know Dinah loves the fashion, Dinah does not love the Islamofashion.
Fashion forward, not untoward.

"The hall went dark and a hush fell over the crowd. But when the music started and the spotlight shone on the catwalk, the all-woman audience cheered to see a slender model hit the stage in a chic designer dress . . . and hijab.

About 320 women attended The Muslim Educational Trust's first benefit fashion show Saturday night at Portland State University, an event that put the mod in modesty -- and proved that hijab, modest dress worn by Islamic women, can be highly stylish. Islamic theology requires modesty in thought, behavior and dress. That's not always easy when surrounded by pop culture that encourages the opposite. (poor little pop culture victims - let's be like Iran and behead those who traffic in it)

"We have a hard time finding what we need," said Majeda Hodroj, who is originally from Lebanon but now calls Oregon home. "We have to buy extra-large so it won't be (immodestly) tight, and then it is too big at the shoulders." (waaa)

A red-and-navy track suit from Prima Moda looked like the sort of thing a sporty young woman would wear to class or coffee. But the zip-front jacket reached modestly to mid-thigh. (gives new meaning to the term "sack race")

Any fashion-savvy college student probably could see the influence of Vivienne Westwood in the black skirt with pockets, tabs and red plaid inserts by Rebirth of Chic. But instead of a sky-high mini length, the skirt fell to the ankles. (that's so hot - in more ways than one)

Lavishly embroidered fabrics cut into evening jackets and skirts by Artizara looked thoroughly modern. But the fabrics are woven and embellished by artisans around the world trained in traditional crafts. (the kind of traditional crafts they have to engage in at home because they aren't allowed to be in the company of men who aren't their husband/brother/father. )

"We wanted to assert that there is beauty in modesty," Asra Razzaque said of the philosophy behind the Artizara line, which she started with Sarah Ansari. Both women are from San Diego.
One segment in the fashion show featured modern takes on traditional costumes from parts of Africa, the Middle East and India. The women watching the fashion show cheered to see the garb of their heritage. (Oh yeah. That Pilgrim look is so hot!)

"There are so many different countries here, I don't recognize all the clothes, (ed. note: it is kind of hard to see from inside those sacks)" said Shazia Malik, an engineer originally from Kashmir region of India who now works in Portland. The audience represented a global community, including Islamic converts of European descent and non-Muslims who came to support friends.

"After 9/11, we reached out to the Muslim community," said Setsy Larouche, a board member of the Portland chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. "We didn't want them to experience what our families did during World War II, when it seemed no one was there for us."

(ed:note Setsy Larouche also appeared before a 2003 Oregon Senate judiciary committee to testify AGAINST a bill that would make terrorism a crime. She is also a retired US Army Major. She did not serve in WWII. When she says 'us' I guess she is feeling the pain [or is it guilt]of her ancestors. Note to Setsy - the last time I checked internment camps weren't an option that was being discussed. At this time.)

Afterward, women of the world shopped in the lobby. Not exactly world peace, perhaps, but still a bonding experience. (ed. note: I'll say it was a bonding experience since Islam wants to make all of us their slaves.)

Alas, I have not been able to find any photos of the event. But how dhimmi is Portland??? There's more. This was provided as a click box to the article.

Faith and fashion
Friday, November 24, 2006
"Wajdi A. Said, executive director of the Muslim Educational Trust, a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate the larger community about Islam, offered a few ideas about faith, fashion and the Muslim dress code of modesty called hijab:

"Islam wants modesty of the mind and behavior for men and women. The mind and behavior is more important than the clothes." (unless you are a member of the He-man Woman hating club like Wajjy and can't control your impulses.)

"Hijab liberates women from male scrutiny and standards of attractiveness." (okay, so now it's liberating for a woman to let a man tell her how to dress. And I also love how it's okay for women to scrutinize men as they wear normal clothes)

"It's simply a woman's assertion that judgment of her physical person is to play no role whatsoever in social interaction." (that's because according to the Muslim code she's not allowed to have social interaction!)

"Women are recognized as individuals who are admired for their minds and personality, not their beauty or lack of it, and not as sex objects." (And I bet Wajdi reads Playboy for the articles)

"The Quran teaches us that men and women are equal. The only thing that makes one person better than another is his or her character." (Au contraire, Wajjy! In Islam the only thing that makes one person better than another? He's the man!)

Some Islamofascist fashion victims: Nike hijab. Islamofascist jeans to make hitting the floor all those times a day for Muslim Prayer easier.

Football Sanctions for Iran...

Watching the Cowboy - Tampa Bay game when this news arrived...
Iran banned from international football

Iran has been banned international football games by the world soccer federation for government interference in the affairs of its national team.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) said in a statement on Thursday that an emergency committee, composed of the FIFA President and one representative of each of the six football confederations, had on Wednesday decided to suspend the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation (IRIFF) from all international activity due to “government interference in football matters and violation of Article 17 of the FIFA Statutes”.

Muslim on Muslim violence...

Indefinite curfew slapped on Baghdad after carnage...

Again we have Muslims killing Muslims in the name of their peaceful religion...

I love this...

British soldiers on patrol in Basra offer cash incentives for information in a new campaign against insurgent attacks. The Beeb.

Happy Thanksgiving

The first headline: TURKEY: GROUP OCCUPIES ISTANBUL'S HAGIA SOFIA

A group of 50 people on Wednesday occupied the Hagia Sophia museum, which is due to be visited by Pope Benedict XVI during his historical trip to Turkey beginning on 28 November. It was not immediately clear why the group decided to raid the building.

Hmm. I wonder. Surely, it couldn't be a MUSLIM group could it? They're the Religion of Peace, I'm sure they wouldn't do anything like this.

The next headline: PROTESTS AGAINST POPE 'AIMED AT DISTANCING COUNTRY FROM EUROPE'

Wednesday's prayer protest by some fifty Muslims at Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum against Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to Turkey, and which turned violent...

From the IHT:

On Wednesday, the police detained about 40 members of a Turkish nationalist party who had occupied one of Istanbul's most famous buildings, the Hagia Sophia, to protest the papal visit.

The demonstrators belonging to the Great Unity Party entered the former Byzantine church and mosque, shouting "Allahu akbar!" - "God is great!" - and then knelt to pray.

They also shouted a warning to Benedict: "Pope, don't make a mistake, don't wear out our patience."

When the group refused to surrender, a police officer used pepper spray on them.

The protesters were rounded up and loaded into police buses that took them to a nearby station for questioning, the police said.

The Felicity party is not very felicitous.
"If this trip would have occurred under normal conditions, then these lands, the center of tolerance and love, would show the necessary hospitality to him," said a statement from the opposition pro-Islamic Felicity Party, which is calling for a protest against the pope's visit on Sunday in Istanbul.

"But we don't want to see him on our soil because of the remarks he made about Islam's Prophet Muhammad on Sept. 12 and for not apologizing afterward."(ed. note: Not apologize? I thought he did everything but kiss their a$$ in Macy's window!)

Just for grins let's review recent activities of the ROP in Turkey... 3 years ago Al Qaeda was blamed for the death of 58 people in a wave of suicide bombings against synagogues and British interests. 70 suspected AQ members are awaiting trial.
A Turkish teenager shot and killed a Catholic priest as he prayed. Since then, two more priests have been assaulted.

The last pope shooter and murderer wants to meet Pope Benedict. I don't think so, nutball.

Independence Day cancelled. Funeral scheduled. Courtesy of the Axis of Peace.

Mourners gather ahead of Gemayel funeral

Tense Lebanon gathers for funeral of murdered minister
Rice and rose petals rained down this morning on the coffin of Pierre Gemayel, the prominent anti-Syrian politician assassinated in Beirut yesterday, as Lebanon stood gloomily on the edge of another political crisis.

Lebanese President, Emile Lahoud:.
"I was supposed to deliver today the independence speech but we were surprised by this disaster which hit all the Lebanese," Lahoud said, adding that the murder was part of a "conspiracy" that began with the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri...Therefore, I tell the Lebanese that today is the time for them to unite or else all of Lebanon will lose,"
Security Council OKs Hariri Tribunal
"With the Security Council's approval, it now will be up to the Lebanese government to make the final decision on establishing the tribunal.."

Lebanon approves court amid crisis
"Lebanon's depleted government Monday approved a United Nations draft setting up an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The draft laying out plans for a tribunal now goes to the U.N. Security Council."

Looks like it's back to the UN for more dithering. While Kofi and his cronies are fiddling around over there at Dag Hammerskold Plaza you can read this excellent piece by Mario Loyola.

Miscellaneous Religion of Peace Items

They're all the talk of the jihadi chat rooms and they are coming to peace loving people near you soon - the Zahra Brigade - an all girl Muslim hit squad. From Global Terrorism Analysis.

"...called al-Zahra groups after Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet and the wife of the Muslim caliph Ali, are trained to kill Sunnis with bayonets and handguns equipped with silencers (http://www.tajdeed.org.uk, November 4).

On one Islamic website, a user by the name of Asad Misir (Egyptian Lion), posted a warning that the al-Mahdi Army's and Mahmudiya's Hussainiats (club-like meeting institutions for Shiite social and religious activities) have formed al-Zahra female groups to kill Sunni men and women and that these Iraqi female assassins are headed to Baghdad to carry out their missions..."

Lunch box bombs: the latest in peaceful gestures from the Religion of Peace. This time in the Philippines.

"One of the thermos jugs was stuffed with dynamite sticks, nitric acid and rigged with 4-inch nails while some lunch boxes were found with similar explosives and ball bearings, he added. "The bombs were electronically triggered and powered by two 9-volt batteries," he said, suggesting the rebels were either holding some practical training in bomb-making or making actual explosive devices..."

Sharia Justice - great if you're a Muslim male, not so great if you're not.

"AL-AWWAMIYA, Saudi Arabia - When the teenager went to the police a few months ago to report she was gang-raped by seven men, she never imagined the judge would punish her — and that she would be sentenced to more lashes than one of her alleged rapists received."

Large Muslim areas 'not breeding grounds for terror' Well, like duh. This is downright silly. When will people get it? Muslim terrorists come from wherever there are Muslims, period.

"MUSLIM terrorists are no more likely to come from places with large Islamic populations than anywhere else, according to Manchester academics."

Class Trip to Mosque cancelled and when you read which mosque it was you'll say good.

"Croydon Mosque believes the reaction was due to the mosque featuring on BBC Newsnight after a senior Home Office official was exposed as an activist for the radical Hizb-ut-Tahrir group."

Can you say, "Pimp My Bride?'

In the Asia Times, Spengler writes an interesting piece on prostitution, history, civilization and Iran. He delves quite skillfully into the nexus between the Islamic jihad and the explosion of Iranian prostitutes in both Iran and Europe. Heck, even the Mad Mullahs get into the act with their pro Mut'a (temporary marriage) stance. Interesting.

Everything's coming up Pipsqueak in the wacky world of Mahmoud.

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his recent trips abroad have accelarated what he describes as the world's "Ahmadinejadisation". The Iranian leader made the remarks in a meeting with state radio and television journalists in Teheran, the daily Entekhab reported. "Many of the world's countries are waiting for our signal to follow our example of good governance," Ahmadinejad said in a recent speech, apparently also a reference to "Ahmadinejadisation".

The president's conviction of the importance of his international stature seems to have grown through forays such as letters he wrote to US President George W. Bush and Gernam Chancellor ANgeal (sic)Merkel. (ed. note: letters which all went unanswered if I recall correctly)

The Iranian president has repeatedly described himself as the "saviour of the world" and the "spokesman of the disenfranchised". At a dinner gathering to mark the breaking of the day-time fast during the recent Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he told those with him that he has a direct line of communication with God, or Allah.

Somali ROP'ers arrest movie goers for watching movie.

UN wakes up to Iranian torture tactics. They are 'seriously concerned'. Seriously. I guess they might have been talking about the director of the Iranian Bus Drivers Union who had his tongue sliced while in custody and who has just been rearrested.

Don't know how I missed this one: Iran probably has germ weapons, courtesy of Kim Jong Il.

Let them ride Ass Class...

Imam by Gohkan Okur
I know everyone has heard about the praying imams that were booted off the US Airways flight but I just have to chime in here and say this, if I'm ever on a flight and you guys pull this jack, I will be passing a big fat note to the flight attendant, too. IMO this was homegrown Islamic terror pure and simple.

Some snippets:

@LGF:

UPDATE at 11/21/06 8:49:01 am:
Omar Shahin, spokesman for the humiliated imams, is affiliated with Kind Hearts for Charitable Human Development Muslim Voice Staff - When the Tsunami disaster struck Muslim families in south East Asia, the students of Arizona Culture Academy answered the call and rushed to help. They emptied their piggy banks, brought their allowances, and lobbied their families to participate. In five days, $8,014.00 was collected and given to the Representative Imam Omar Shahin of the Kind Hearts Organization....a Hamas-linked organization whose assets were frozen by the Treasury Department earlier this year. (Hat tip: Aaron.) KindHearts officials and fundraisers have coordinated with Hamas leaders and made contributions to Hamas-affiliated organizations. Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) Usama Hamdan, a leader of Hamas in Lebanon, reportedly phoned a top fundraiser for KindHearts during a September 2003 KindHearts fundraiser. During the call, Hamas leader Hamdan reportedly communicated to the fundraiser his gratitude for KindHearts’ support. The KindHearts fundraiser reportedly also provided advice to Hamdan, telling him not to trust the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. More about KindHearts and their terrorist connections, at Internet Haganah.
UPDATE at 11/21/06 12:42:47 pm: Omar Shahin is also on record expressing doubt that Muslims were behind the 9/11 attacks, and admitting ties to Osama bin Laden.

@ATLAS SHRUGS.

"Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan said some witnesses said some of the imams made anti-American comments about the war in Iraq before boarding the flight, and that some of the men asked for seat belt extensions even though a flight attendant thought they didn't need them. "There were a number of things that gave the flight crew pause," Hogan said. It wasn't immediately possible to verify whether the passengers who reported suspicious activity witnessed it themselves. Shahin said Tuesday that three members of the group prayed in the terminal before the six boarded the plane, although on Monday night he said they had prayed on the plane. They entered the aircraft individually, except for one member who is blind and needed a guide, Shahin said. Once on the plane, the six did not sit together, he said."

These guys were begging to get booted off this flight. Just another example of homegrown radical Muslims gaming the system to play the victim card. Classic. I for one hope they boycott US AIRWAYS. If they can't follow the rules, let them ride a donkey wherever they want to go. Fine by me.

I salute the passengers that had their eyes open and weren't afraid to speak up and the flight crew that had their wits about them.

Let's roll.

The Axis of Peace/Religion of Evil strikes again...

coup de vent by Richard Gall
You know I have a lot of good Lebanese friends and so anytime things start perking in Lebanon I get interested. What a shame about Pierre Gemayel, so handsome and brave. So committed to a free Lebanon. The Axis of Peace/Religion of Evil wants Lebanon in it's clutches - when are we going to stop pretending otherwise???

Iran makes a big to-do with its overture to Iraq, focusing the attention there while Assad, their Syrian houseboy and pet thug, Nasrallah try to take down the Lebanese government.

In the hindsight's 20/20 category: First, it was the protracted wrangling over the Rafiki assassination and the debate about the formation of an International Tribunal to investigate it got hot. Then the Sunni faction withdrew from the Lebanese government in an attempt to further challenge its legitimacy. Today, a prominent Christian member of the Lebanese cabinet was assassinated. Lost in the media shuffle is the report that another assasination attempt was also made on another cabinet member which would have spelled curtains for the pro-American Siniora administration. Per Michael Totten (lots of juicy updates here):

UPDATE: Just spoke to a friend of mine in Lebanon. I did not realize until now that Gemayel was a member of the Lebanese cabinet. The Hezbollah/Syrian axis has been trying to bring down the government by pressuring three more members to resign. One down, two to go. Looks like the coup d'etat is in progress.
UPDATE: Abu Takla
in the comments says "one more to go, not 2. If they assassinate one more minister, the cabinet is automatically dissolved, because it would lack the two-thirds + 1 it needs to be constitutional."
UPDATE: Another member of Lebanon's political cabinet, Michel Pharaon was targetted with assassination today. He survived. But if the bastards had gotten him,
the government would have fallen and stage one of the coup would be over.

Gateway Pundit has put together an awesome piece on Gemayel and the activities of the day. As has Rightwing Nuthouse. Lots of juice.

Lebanese Assasinations since 2005. (ed. note: More 'peaceful' Muslims at work.)
Feb 2005: Former PM Rafik Hariri
June 2005: Anti-Syria journalist Samir Kassir
June 2005: Ex-Communist leader George Hawi
Dec 2005: Anti-Syria MP Gebran Tueni
Nov 2006: Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel

The President's Statement here.

Hope all the so-called 'realists' (James Baker et al) heckling from the peanut gallery get a load of Syria and Iran's assassination antics. Douglas Farah lays it all out for them (and us!) here.

"... shows the dangers of engaging terrorist states in dialogue as if they were not rational actors, as realist and James Baker and other proponents of the “realist” world view.

It seems fairly certain that Syria and its allies in Hezbollah, smarting at the loss of influence in Lebanon and wanting to halt the investigation into the Hariri by whatever means necessary, had a hand in what was correctly labeled a terrorist attack. Hezbollah and its allies in Amal are actively working to destabilize the current government in hopes of extracting more power. Syria and Iran are among the most powerful forces moving the Lebanese drama.

The timing of the attack on Gemayel is interesting. With the Baker Commisson clearly leaning toward recommending a U.S. dialogue with Iran and Syria on Iraq, the two terrorist sponsors are now the new power players in the region. The Bush administration will need them to implement the recommended changes on its Iraq policy, and, since the mid-term elections, is already operating from a position of weakness...."

Update 8:50 pm: Claudia Rossett has Lebanon street cred. Read her take here. Walid Phares gives us this next step.

Miss Muslimah!

Calling all Curtain Munchers! Tip to AKI.

INDONESIA: MUSLIM BEAUTY PAGEANT GETS THUMBS UP FROM RELIGIOUS LEADER
Jakarta, 20 Nov. (AKI) - Miss Muslim Indonesia, a contest set up as an alternative to the Miss Indonesia beauty pageant which has drawn criticism from some Islamic groups, has won the support of a top religious organisation. "Criticising pornography does not resolve the problem [posed by the Miss Indonesia contest]," the Muhammadiyah organisation's president, Din Syamsuddin, told Adnkronos International (AKI). "That's why we have decided to support the first Miss Muslim Indonesia competition," he added.

Contestants in the Miss Muslimah - the pageant's name - will not only be judged according to physical beauty, poise and intelligence, but will also have to show they have good moral and spiritual qualities, according to Syamsuddin.

"It's important that our Miss possesses healthy values, excellent habits and a strong faith," he said. (ed. note: and a sincere desire to munch curtains!)

Syamsuddin however denied reports that contestants would also be judeged (sic)on their knowledge of Islam's holy book, the Koran.

"This is not necessary, what counts is a strong faith," explained Syamsuddin, who is also the deputy president of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the country's top Islamic body.

In July, the radical Front Pembela (Defenders of) Islam pressed charges against the reigning Miss Indonesia, Nadine Chandrawinata, after she wore a bikini at the Miss Universe pageant.

The charges were based upon an article in the penal code which can be interpreted as prohibiting women in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, from competing in beauty conttests.

While the case made newspaper headlines, prosecutors did not ask for Chandrawinata's indictment and it went no further judicially

Miss Muslimah organisers say their pageant will be held in February 2007 to coincide with the staging of the next edition of Miss Indonesia.

Steel work starts for Freedom Tower beams

This is exciting to me because the World Trade Center and I go way back. Wall Street was my stomping grounds during the go-go 80's and I knew WTC well. By 2001 the firm I worked for, Salomon Brothers, had been acquired by Citigroup and was located at 7 WTC. It was the third building to go on 9/11/01.

December of 2001: It was a cold, blustery, pretty day and the sun was shining brightly. It was a great day to be an American. I had business in the city and when you take the train into the city, there's a point where you come around this curve and the panorama of the Manhattan skyline is before you in all it's glory. It looked so empty without the Twin Towers. It was like a kick in the gut. A feeling that intensified on the way downtown in a cab driven by a guy named Achmed who dropped me off as close as he could to 'the site', as it was now being called. The thing you noticed first was the acrid smell - a brassy smell that hung heavy in the air. The next thing you noticed was the dust, the powder fine microparticles of some mysterious, ash gray composition that covered each and every thing and carpeted the sidewalks. Finally you noticed the hushed demeanor of everyone around you. People were reverent, and when I say people I mean people of each and every stripe. It was like a pilgrimage and the mood of the people was in sharp contradiction to the sounds of hydraulic power tools, cranes and construction that emanated from 'the site' itself. I watched a crane pick up a steel beam that had been twisted and mangled to look like someone had bent it like a paper clip. The crane lowered the beam onto one of the long line of flatbed 18 wheelers that had snarled traffic on the narrow bumpy downtown streets. Traffic was so gnarly the 18-wheeler and I made about the same pace around Manhattan's tip. I followed the truck with it's single steel beam load all the way around Manhattan to the docks over by 55 Water Street. Another crane was situated there. The truck pulled up and the crane lifted the beam off the flatbed, swinging it gracefully onto a barge tethered at the dock. A tugboat guided the barge away from the dock and out into the East River, final destination Fresh Kills, Staten Island.

I'll never forget it.

Steel work starts for Freedom Tower beams
(snippets)
Inside a cool and barren building comprised of concrete and steel, workers Friday were assembling pieces of American pride.

Banker Steel of Lynchburg is fabricating massive steel columns that will prop up New York City’s new Freedom Tower, which will stand at the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood.

(This is a great story and one that you probably won't be reading in the MSM.)

“My little brother has just returned from Iraq,” said Richard Plant, the operations manager at the plant. “I was behind that. This is just rebuilding something that someone took away from us.”

(Like me, Banker Steel has a history with the original Twin Towers.)

"Banker Steel’s predecessor, Montague-Betts, fabricated some of the steel for the original twin towers in Lynchburg."

“It’s kind of interesting that it has come home to us,” Campbell said. “I think this shows the American spirit. We’ve picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and got right back to business as quick as we could.”

This is no small undertaking When the work is completed, the columns will weigh about 1,500 pounds per foot.

The sentimental value may carry even more weight. (I agree)

“We want to do a good job to bring something back to the people of New York,” Campbell said. “This is a good thing we’re doing.”

Over the next month, the company will put together 14 columns, the first set for delivery to New York by Dec. 18. “They will have a celebration in New York on Dec. 18 and the first column will be set,” Banker said.

Before the columns are shipped, some of them will be taken to City Stadium on Dec. 8 and 9, where the public will be allowed to sign them or write messages of encouragement to the citizens of New York.

The columns will be painted and decals, including American flags, will be applied before they are signed. “We’ve had communities from all over call and ask to participate in the signing of the beams,” Banker said...“They wanted to have the beams come to their community,” Banker said. His plan is to have the beams touch as many people as possible.

“Three columns will go out,” he said. “They’ll go on different routes so a lot of people can participate

Indonesia and that big meanie George Bush

You know, I read articles like this and I really get cheesed off.

Anti Bush Rallies Throughout Indonesia
Jakarta, NOV 18 (NNN-ANTARA) Chairman of the People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid hoped US President George W Bush`s visit which has triggered nationwide massive demonstrations, would not lead to national disintegration.

National disintegration? If the mass beheading of Christians is any indication, Hidayat, you have already disintegrated.

Bush`s visit is supposed to maintain solid unity of the people to save the national sovereignty, he said, adding, "his visit should serve as a means to strive for the people`s interest like reviewing the contracts of work with Freeport, Newmount (sic) and Exxon, which have harmed Indonesia`s interests".

Let's just take a look at how these three tools of the Great Satan have harmed Indonesia's interests. In the case of Newmont they have harmed Indonesia by:

The employment of over 8000 Indonesians. The payment of taxes, non-taxes and royalties to the Indonesian government to the tune of over $40 million. The purchase of goods and services from within Indonesia amounting to more than $283 million. The payment of over $55 million to workers and the spending of $2.3 million in community development (and these are all US dollars not Indonesian funny money)

Newmont even distributed 3350 Eid Al Fitr parcels and gave the Batu Hijau Muslim Foundation (YMBH) alms donation, including fitrah and zakaat maal from PTNNT’s employees to be distributed to the community around the mine. The parcels consisted rice, cooking oil, biscuit, sugar, coffee, tea, and a bottle of syrup. In 2005 PTNNT also distributed 1800 parcels to communities.*** Read more about Newmont's community activities here.

What about Freeport?

In 2005 they paid $1,200,000,000 in Taxes, Royalties, Fees & Other Payments and $7,000,000,000 in Total Direct & Indirect Benefits. They invested nearly $4 .8 billion to build company infrastructure in Papua, including towns, electricity generation facilities, seaports and airports, roads, bridges, tunnels, waste disposal facilities, modern communications systems and other infrastructure, most of which will revert to the Indonesian government at the end of our contract term. They have spent over $425 million in social infrastructure; schools, student dormitories, hospitals, health clinics, offices, places of worship, recreational facilities and the development of small and medium-sized businesses. They employed 8,000 people in 2005 . Of these, more than 2,000, or over 25 percent, are Papuans. PT Freeport Indonesia’s payroll for its own employees has totaled more than $1 billion since 1992. They have purchased more than $3 .7 billion of domestically sourced goods and services.

Then there's big, bad Exxon. Those big meanies! In addition to contributing to the economic well-being of Indonesia, they offer special programs and provided huge amounts of tsunami disaster relief. And to prove that no good deed goes unpunished it would appear that Indonesia is trying to welsh on their deal and nationalize the Natuna D alpha gas field.

Hidayat you live in a brutally poor country shouldn't you be worried about things like food, jobs and health care???? Instead, you are talking weapons???

"...He urged the government to take bold measures like buying weapons from countries other than the United States as a stand to show national sovereignty, so that Indonesia would not be easily dictated by the US. According to him, Bush`s planned visit to Indonesia was strongly protested by the people because of his political stance and acts which have hurt humanity."

Oh that evil George W. Bush! How dare he hurt Indonesian humanity like this!!!

Remember the tsunami, people?

"Americans are a compassionate people," said President Bush in his radio address on New Year's Day, "and we are already hard at work helping those nations meet these challenges. The United States has pledged $350 million in relief assistance.... Disaster response officials are on the ground and have established a support center in Thailand that is manned and operational; more than 20 patrol and cargo aircraft have been made available to assess the disaster and deliver relief supplies.... We have dispatched the aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln, the Maritime pre-positioning squadron from Guam, and an amphibious ship carrying a Marine Expeditionary Unit...to support relief efforts, to include the generation of clean water...As of January 12, more than 15,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in providing relief support in the affected region. Twenty-five ships and 94 aircraft were participating in the effort. The U.S. military had delivered about 2.2 million pounds of relief supplies to affected nations, including 16,000 gallons of water, 113,000 pounds of food, and 140,500 pounds of relief supplies in the previous 24 hours alone. On February 9, President Bush asked Congress to increase the U.S. commitment to a total of $950 million."

Oh, the humanity!

Believe it or not, Indonesia is a US ally in the war on terror and Indonesia's leader, wants U.S. help

"in fighting poverty and a spiraling bird flu outbreak that has killed 56 people _ a third of the world's total. He is also eager to see American investors return to his country, which remains desperately poor eight years after the ouster of former dictator Suharto."

P.S. Here's a little known factoid about Barack Obama - he lived in Indonesia for two years where he attended both a madrassa and a parochial school. What's up with that I wonder?

Islamic persecution of Indonesian Christians

Atlas Shrugs has pictures from Indonesia that have to be seen to be believed.

And James if you're reading this - go look at the pictures. They illustrate the reason that Islam is different from Christianity and put the lie to your assertions. These people are evil. I want no part of a culture that would engage in such violence and I don't hate people because they are different, I hate them because they threaten western civilization and our way of life. If you don't understand that, well, then I feel sorry for you.

That Linda Hamilton vibe

Reading the news and it sure feels bad

Had to take another blogging break because I've been getting my Linda-Hamilton-in-The-Terminator-vibe again and you, my faithful readers know how much that always spooks me out. There was nothing that I could actually point to that brought it on. It just seemed to come over me like a wave, everytime I would sit down at the keyboard and start sifting through the news of the day, looking for something to write something about. What could it have been?

Maybe it was that thing about Iran trying to get in on Al Qaeda's act...

Maybe it was the last speech made by that Iranian pipsqueak...

Maybe it was reading this about the Iranians stockpiling wheat...

Maybe it was Tony Blair going all wobbly...

Maybe it was the continued wobbliness of the State Dept....

Maybe it was the deal about the Iranians playing currency games...

Maybe it was reading Walid Phares saying that Hezbollah was starting their latest offensive...

Maybe it was Fatah and Hamas latest statement about spreading their own particular brand of terror to America...

Maybe it was the Argentineans ratcheting up their security after getting into a beef with the Iranians...

Maybe it was the Brits revealing increased AQ jihadi chatter about nukes.

Whatever it was, it really got me going. Maybe I need to watch the movie again.

Dancing with the enemy

Freres Jacques, Frere Jacques, dormez vous? 'Cause it looks like the Iranians are getting tired of you and your schtick. This from Regime Change Iran:

"The regime-run newspaper Jomhuri’yeh Islami in an article entitled "We ought to be the ones who start the sanctions", admitted to major bribes paid to European countries to attract their support and cooperation with Tehran’s regime, writing: "Mr. Chirac cannot dance with our enemies and at the same time wink in our direction and all the while pillage from the share of all Iranians."

Mmm. Jacques says, "Let them eat delicious Iranian economic cake." Think it's yellowcake?:

"The importance of emphasis on this point is to know that France, in recent years has most benefited from the lucrative Iranian market and they are still trying to grab the biggest share of the delicious Iranian economic cake for themselves. Paris knows that with the 25 billion euro investment in Iran over the past 15 years it has claimed a remarkable place within Iran’s economy but we have to make Paris leaders comprehend that "double dealing is not on".

Jacques has a cozy little racket going and the article goes on to blow the lid off of it:

The circumstances over the oil and gas contracts and their car manufacturing is a subject that if scrutinized clearly shows nothing more than a total unilateral profit off of Iran and Iranians by the French. A more than 60% return on gas contracts with Iran, usually whets the appetite of the always hungry French and in relation to the French automobile manufacturing contracts, despite their commitments, they have not been willing to leave the exporting to Iranians and once again, in their unilateral manner of dealing, Iranians merely put the company’s marketing in the hands of the opportunist French. France with the presence of a lucrative market in Iran has established a cozy racket.

The Iranians want to use the French as an example by:

"...pushing France out of the the profitable Iranian market, let’s show others that political and economic ties with Iran requires accountability and the special rules and regulations must be observed to the letter. That Mr. Chirac made an atomic threat and participated in organizing sanctions against Iran, simultaneously reaching his hand onto the Iranian table is definitely unacceptable and intolerable.”

Imagine the squeals of outrage from the French were this to happen. Oh well, a girl can dream. Just like I keep dreaming about someone standing up to these Iranian pipsqueaks.

Curtain Munchers get a Dutch rub...Egypt tries to fight the trend...Iranian women continue to get squeezed.

It looks like the good people of Holland have decided that the burka is a terror risk and are taking steps to ban the damn thing. I say good on Holland...

In Egypt an Egyptian minister cites the increase of 'conservatism' (I prefer to call it islamism)for the dramatic increase in curtain munchers and calls it 'regressive and backward'. Well, the Muslim brotherhood ain't happy with that - they call for the minister's resignation because of it. Given that it is the Muslim Brotherhood, I guess he should be happy they aren't calling for his head.

Meanwhile back in Iran, women are being squeezed into tinier and tinier boxes:
"...women must now work in separate rooms from men, and may not attend meetings with their male colleagues. Segregation in the school system has been extended to teachers as well as pupils: at all levels, girls' schools may only be staffed by female teachers, who may not teach at boys' schools and institutes.In universities, where male and female students have for some time sat in separate areas, CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor contact between the two sexes. The first woman-only hospitals are due to open soon, the health ministry has announced."

A Man who is a good President and loves the troops

This is very sad to me...
November 11, 2006 -- President Bush welled up with tears on the eve of Veterans Day yesterday, dabbing his eye after announcing he will award America's highest military distinction to a heroic New York Marine who died in Iraq.

Cpl. Jason Dunham will be posthumously given the Congressional Medal of Honor for a selfless act that most people think happens only in the movies - jumping on a live grenade to save his comrades.

"As long as we have Marines like Corporal Dunham, America will never fear for her liberty," Bush said in the speech in which he both announced the award and commemorated the opening of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va.

"You might say that he was born to be a Marine," the president added on what would have been Dunham's 25th birthday.

The machine gunner from Scio, 80 miles southeast of Buffalo, earned his medal April 14, 2004, when an Iraqi man attacked him at a checkpoint in Karabilah near the Syrian border.
"An insurgent jumped out and grabbed the corporal by the throat," Bush told the crowd of about 10,000, which included Dunham's mother and father.

"The corporal engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. At one point, he shouted to his fellow Marines, 'No, no, no, watch his hand.'

"Moments later, an enemy grenade rolled out. Corporal Dunham did not hesitate; he jumped on the grenade to protect his fellow Marines. He used his helmet and his body to absorb the blast."
The 22-year-old Marine died from his wounds eight days later.

The story of his last act was part of the book "A Gift of Valor," which chronicled his battalion's travails in 2004. Dunham is among the more than 2,800 members of the U.S. military who have lost their lives in the Iraq conflict. Dunham will be the second member of the armed services to get the Medal of Honor in Iraq. Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith won the award posthumously for his actions on April 4, 2003, near Baghdad Airport. Smith personally organized a defense with a handful of soldiers and was mortally wounded while manning a machine gun under heavy fire.

...NY Post

Be ye Men of Valour

In honor of all those who have served and those who continue to serve.

From Sir Winston Churchill's first broadcast as Prime Minister on May 19, 1940.

"Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. As the Will of God is in Heaven, even so let it be."

"American Flag" by Gayle Curry.

Just because it's Friday

From the Infidel Bloggers Alliance.

(I'm in shock that blogger is working)

Auto de Fe - Muslim Style

Bombings target vehicle showrooms in southern Thailand

Insurgents have set off a series of bombs in car and motorcycle showrooms in Thailand's south, injuring up to 13 people.

At least eight showrooms in the town of Yala were targeted simultaneously at about lunchtime. The bombs were hidden inside display vehicles.

Separatist groups are believed to be responsible for the attacks which mirror a coordinated bombing campaign two months ago; more than 20 banks were hit in and around Yala in those attacks.

Elsewhere in the province, there have been reports that some Buddhists have died after being attacked by Muslim insurgents.

Twenty-four Buddhist families have reportedly sought refuge in a temple.

Insurgent attacks have become a daily occurrence in three southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has visited the region twice in the past week, and has made a number of concessions to Muslim and separatist groups. (ed note: this is a mistake, pal. read some history. down through the ages appeasement has never worked.)

BTW - could someone please explain to me why we call them "insurgents" and not Islamic terrorists again?

Madam Speaker: Don't trust her as far as you can throw her.

Never trust a woman who doesn't enjoy the mall. Or has a husband who does her clothes shopping. (Must be one of those "San Francisco husbands - although I have to honestly say, don't knock them til you've tried them...")

Warning: This husband selecting your clothes thing is a slippery slope that must be avoided at all costs. Think about it. How do you think its working in the Islamic world now? Really. First, it's the increasingly modest dark clothes then it's the headscarf, next thing you know you're in full niqab and munching curtains.

Just sayin'.

Among those who spend any amount of time flipping through fashion magazines, Pelosi, 66, would not stand out as a style icon. In fact, in a recent "60 Minutes" interview, Pelosi's husband, Paul, admitted that he shops for her clothes because she doesn't especially enjoy afternoons at the mall.

Clintonistas frolicking with the Mad Mullahs?

This strikes me as very peculiar. I sure hope this isn't one of those bone-headed Valerie Plame-Joe Wilson schemes the Dems love to cook up...

Senior Democrat’s Iran visit raises eyebrows
Fri. 13 Oct 2006
Iran FocusLondon, Oct. 13 - A five-day visit to Iran earlier this month by a senior Clinton administration official has fuelled rumours among Iranian political pundits that some Democratic Party leaders may be attempting to establish unofficial channels of communication with Tehran in a bid to outmanoeuvre the Bush administration in its handling of the thorny issue of Iran.

Notice they don't say who the relative was...
An Iranian Foreign Ministry official was quoted by government-controlled newspapers in Tehran on Thursday as saying that James Rubin, the chief spokesman for the State Department from 1997 to 2000, travelled to Iran recently to visit a relative of his wife, Iranian-born Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent.

The Iranian official noted that Rubin had entered Iran after “receiving a visa and following legal procedures”, adding that Rubin did not meet any Iranian official during his visit. Both the announcement and the official’s request for anonymity were unusual by Iranian standards.

Iranian Bloggers rule...
The Foreign Ministry official was in fact reacting to a report that had appeared earlier this week on Baztab, a Persian-language website that belongs to Mohsen Rezai, a former Revolutionary Guards commander with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.“Baztab has learnt the James Rubin… came to Iran last week on a secret visit”, the website reported on Tuesday. “The Iranian authorities have not made any comments so far to confirm or deny this report and efforts to find out about Rubin’s meetings in Iran have come to no avail”.The website quoted the Tehran correspondent of Britain’s Sky News – where Rubin is a regular commentator – as saying that the former U.S. official visited Iran in the company of his wife and toured the cities of Tehran, Qom and Isfahan.“This was just a family visit; they didn’t meet any officials”, Siamak Zand, the Sky News correspondent, told the website Baztab.

Riddle me this batman, who the hell would go to IRAN for a damn vacation????

Coming at a time of rising tensions between President George W. Bush’s administration and Iran’s hardline-dominated government, the surprise visit has raised some eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic.“This may have been just as innocuous as the Iranian government has portrayed it; an uneventful family visit”, said Hassan Baradaran, a writer on Iranian affairs based in Paris. “But if the Democrats wanted to send someone to Tehran just to test the waters, Rubin would have been the guy to pick”.

Baradaran noted that from Tehran’s perspective, Rubin had the right credentials; he was a senior foreign policy advisor to former President Bill Clinton and the national security adviser to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Both Clinton and Kerry have been vociferous in their criticism of the Bush administration’s Iran policy, advocating a more conciliatory approach to Tehran in search of a possible “grand bargain”.

Iran, and how to deal with the growing crisis generated by Tehran’s nuclear program, its role in Iraq and Lebanon and other flashpoints of the Middle East could be the most important foreign policy issue in the next presidential elections in the United States”, Baradaran said. “Iran is bound to be a big issue for any Democratic candidate in ’08, and some might be tempted to pre-position themselves”.

Preposition themselves? I call it borderline treason.

UPDATE: Mehr News picks the story up.

Just for grins here is the latest State Department Travel Advisory for Iran. Dated 10/10/06 My question: did Jamie and Christiane register their trip with the State Dept?

The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran. This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning for Iran issued December 29, 2005.

Some elements of the Iranian regime and population remain hostile to the U.S. As a result, American citizens may be subject to harassment or arrest while traveling or residing in Iran. The Iranian regime continues to repress its minority ethnic and religious groups, including Azeris, Kurds, Bahai, ethnic Arabs and others. Consequently, some areas within the country where these minorities reside, including the Baluchistan border area near Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Kurdish northwest of the country, and areas near the Iraqi border, remain unsafe. Armed attacks on the road between Bam and Kerman this May also render this area unsafe.

Large-scale demonstrations have taken place in various regions throughout Iran over the past several years as a result of a sometimes-volatile political climate. U.S. citizens who travel to Iran despite this Travel Warning should exercise caution.

The U.S. government does not have diplomatic or consular relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and therefore cannot provide protection or routine consular services to American citizens in Iran. The Swiss government, acting through its Embassy in Tehran, serves as protecting power for U.S. interests in Iran. Neither U.S. passports nor visas to the United States are issued in Tehran. The Iranian Government does not recognize dual citizenship and generally does not permit the Swiss to provide protective services for U.S. citizens who are also Iranian nationals. In addition, U.S. citizens of Iranian origin who are considered by Iran to be Iranian citizens have been detained and harassed by Iranian authorities. Former Muslims who have converted to other religions, as well as persons who encourage Muslims to convert, are subject to arrest and prosecution.

Americans who travel or reside in Iran despite this Travel Warning are strongly encouraged to register through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. If they are in Tehran, American citizens may also register in person at the U.S. Interest Section of the Swiss Embassy, located at Africa Avenue, West Farzan Street, no. 59, Tehran. The local telephone numbers are 021-8878-2964 and 021-8879-2364, fax 021-8877-3265, E-mail: vertretung@tie.rep.admin.ch .


About Ms. Amanpour's Iranian relatives. According to the couple's NY TIMES wedding announcement it appears not to have been her parents.

"Ms. Amanpour, who is keeping her name, is a daughter of Patricia and Mohammad Amanpour of Surrey, England. Her father is a retired airline executive who worked in Teheran, Iran."

More from Wikipedia - it doesn't sound like the Amanpours left Iran under the best circumstances, which beggars the question, why are they going back now?
Shortly after her birth in London, her mother Patricia and father Mohammed, an Iranian airline executive, moved the family to Tehran. The Amanpours led a privileged life under the regime of the Shah of Iran. At age 11, she returned to England to attend first the Holy Cross Convent School in Buckinghamshire, England, and then the New Hall School, an exclusive Roman Catholic girls' school. Her family had to flee Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Christiane moved to the United States to study journalism at the University of Rhode Island.

The happy power couple found time before their trip for an intimate tete a tete with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. Glamour, glamour, glamour! More glamour here as Christiane teams up with the likes of Katie Couric and Susan Sarandon as presenters of the International Emmys!!!! More awards to be presented here!!

Back in the day Jamie was advisor to the Kerry campaign. Here he waxes eloquent about John Kerry and Iran:

One of the things the 9/11 commission has thrown up is the question of Iran. US-Iranian policy has been in the deep freeze for 25 years. How is that going to change with John Kerry?

I know John Kerry regards an Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism armed with nuclear weapons as unacceptable. When it comes to that primary issue he has a multiple part strategy that is much more realistic than the Bush administration’s. One is to rejoin and work through the international legal framework on arms control that will give greater force to the major powers if they have to deal with violators of that framework. Secondly, he has laid out, I think in the most comprehensive way in modern memory a candidate has ever done, a program to secure nuclear materials around the world--particularly in the former Soviet Union, but also in the places where research reactors have existed that could be susceptible to proliferation--to try to prevent Iran from ever getting this material surreptitiously. Thirdly, he has proposed that rather than letting the British, the French and the Germans do this themselves, that we together call the bluff of the Iranian government, which claims that its only need is energy. And say to them: ‘Fine, we will provide you the fuel that you need if Russia fails to provide it.’ Participating in that diplomatic initiative makes it more likely to succeed than where you have this sort of U.S. half backing for the European initiative.