Blogging is like crack to me...

I normally write historical fiction, painstakingly researched, endlessly edited, long books. In comparing the writing of historical manuscripts to this blog I am finding that writing a book is like a fine snifter of cognac, while blogging is like, crack. Or what I would imagine it to be.

Here's what happened. I couldn't leave Al Jazeera alone. First of all, front and center they had a big, fat pic of W with a Cindy Sheehan quote plastered over it. Talk about giving aid and comfort to our enemies. Bleh.

Then I came across this and realized that blogging must be like taking crack.
But I couldn't help myself.

I promise this is the last one for today.

That brings us to our favorite picture of Dick Cheney! and this article.

Who's the Secret Planner for the Coming War with Iran?

The U.S. Vice President has instructed the Air Force to start putting plans for an air strike on Iran's nuclear sites using the excuse of the next “terrorist attack”, according to CIA counterterrorism officer Philip Giraldi, now a partner in Cannistraro Associates.

Leave it to Al Jazeera, they go on to mention Scott Ritter. ugh. that child molesting nuclear weapons expert traitor. Listen to him dribble.

Last April, former Marine and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter wrote an article saying that Air Force officers had told him that they were working on plans for war against Iran, that are supposed to be ready by June of this year. Ritter also stated that the invasion will come from U.S. bases in Azerbaijan, and that the U.S. is already flying drones in Iranian airspace. He writes: "Americans, and indeed much of the rest of the world, continue to be lulled into a false sense of complacency by the fact that overt conventional military operations have not yet commenced between the United States and Iran. As such, many hold out the false hope that an extension of the current insanity in Iraq can be postponed or prevented in the case of Iran. But this is a fool's dream."

Of course, Al Jazeera is incensed at that!

Why would Iran attack the U.S. when they have been doing everything possible to avoid a war that would absolutely devastate their country?
But the U.S. government is following the same script as with Iraq: ‘This Axis of Evil member has ties to “terrorism” and a nuclear weapons program, the UN won't act, so we have to attack them from the air, if not invade them to plant the flag of “liberty and democracy”’.

Wait one cotton picking minute! What about the Jooooos!!!!!

Again, there’s a convergence of interests between those who have a long-term energy strategy and those whose primary objective is protecting Israel.

They go on to point out:

Invading Iran through Iraq would be impossible, as Iraq’s Shiites would finally be unleashed against U.S. forces, who would then have to fight from both front and rear. Also a general Shiite uprising in Iraq would be a likely result of bombing Iran. If the U.S. attacked the Bushehr reactor, not only would radioactive particles blast into the air and fall back down to earth and cause great harm to the environment, but numerous Russians would also be killed. How is the U.S. going to react if the Russians in retaliation bombed a reactor full of Americans in, say, India?

Who's smoking crack now?
I say let's pull a little Tom Tancredo on them. Go ahead. Make my day. Make Mecca Glass.

Ex-cuuuuse me! I stand corrected. It's POLYGYNY

not POLYGAMY.

Funny that Bill Clinton should come up in tandem with polygamy. Hmm. Can you imagine him telling Senator Clinton that he wanted THE SECOND WIFE?
"Hillary, honey..."

This from a fascinating piece over at themuslimwoman.com

The Second Wife
I heard a commentary the other day which hit home like little else has in a long time. A news commentator had just finished interviewing some local youngsters on the impact that the Clinton/Lewinsky affair had upon them. Most of the young people said the same. "It is personal." "Let him be." "No one is perfect." and so forth... The commentator, when summing up his report said, "The President is supposed to represent the morals and values of the society that he represents." He paused and then said, "Maybe that is the problem."

That pretty much summed it up. Clinton represents the morals and values of America. He is the poster-child for the greedy, over-indulgent American who is concerned with nothing more than self gratification. So why do so many Muslims idealize this society? Why are so many of us so enamoured with the values of these people that we either appologize for or even deny basic tenents of our belief?

One such tenent is polygyny. Polygyny is the practice of marrying more than one wife. Unfortunately, often the term polygamy - the practice of marrying more than one spouse is used to describe the practice in Islam. This is incorrect. Islam allows more than one wife, up to four.

You can read the rest of it here if you like.

If you are anything like me you'll be looking for a hot shower and a double bourbon old fashioned afterwards. I think a trip to the Yankee Doodle might be in order.

Polygamy helps keep spinsters from becoming aged virgins!

Now, let's take a little trip from the sublime (Donald Rumsfeld) to the absurd (Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat - pictured at left).

Polygamy is common in Malaysia with its 60% Muslim population and as you can imagine, where there's polygamy, there's problems. Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is a radical Muslim cleric whose party has governed the province of Kelantan for 15 years. Nik was commenting on two recent problems where good Muslim polygamists had tried to save an old virgin and got a faceful of acid from their loving Muslim first wives. Nik is well known for his off the wall remarks about women. Here's one: Stop wearing lipstick and perfume to reduce your risk of being raped.

Read all about it here.

Who is this handsome man?

It's Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Handsome lad, isn't he? You can see this picture in the Yankee Doodle Tavern at the Palmer Square Hotel in Princeton NJ. Everytime I visit, it takes all my will not to smother it with kisses. Not a good idea in the oh-so proper Princeton. Princeton's colors may be orange and black, but it is a blue town in a blue state. You can imagine how the sight of the Rum-meister can pick up a girl's spirits after a day spent among the libs. The Bourbon Old Fashioneds at the bar don't hurt either. Behind the bar is a wonderful Norman Rockwell mural of Yankee Doodle Dandy and at one end of the room there's a fireplace big enough to stand in. And Rummy as a young man. Me and Midge Decter, our hearts belong to Rummy.

I started this Rummy rant for another reason. Listen to his response to a reporter about Chuck Hagel's recent quagmire pontifications. (From the 8/23 DOD press conference.)

Q And what do you say to Senator Chuck Hagel, a prominent Republican, Vietnam War vet, who over the weekend compared what's going on in Iraq now to the Vietnam War?

SEC. RUMSFELD: The differences are so notable that it would take too long to list them.

Rummy strikes again.

Round'em up! v.082505

From Major K - March 25 2005
Arhabi

It is pronounced: ahr-HAH-bee. It is the Iraqi arabic word for terrorist. 2LT C. does not like it because "it just doesn't sing. I learned this word from our interpreters and use it often. I never use mujahedin or jihadi, because they imply a measure of respect due an actual warrior. After all, both of those terms mean "holy warrior." This distinction is also very important to the Iraqis. They have told me repeatedly that these guys are cowards who will not even stand and fight. They kill innocent people, and bomb indiscriminately. They have been their own worst enemy in the public relations department. Even though 2LT C. likes to refer to them using the A-word,(describing a posterior extremity) he would like to find something more catchy. I am content to use arhabi. It lets the locals know exactly who we are after, and what this really is about - not oil, not religion, but security and the hope for a better future

And if you thought that Major K was kidding about that Arhabi business, look at this piece of dreck at arhabi.org.

Hey, Painday, what's in a name?
Afghan raids kill eleven Taliban rebels

"among them a famous Taliban commander called Mullah Painday Mohammed."

At Islamonline.net they put this spin on the Bangladesh gang bombing of Dhaka.Bangladeshi bombs to send message, not kill: Experts
As if that makes any difference! They are still bombs. Sheesh. Here's a sampler:

"Judging from the limited impact of the blasts and the use of home-made bombs, the attackers wanted to send a clear message rather than cause a carnage." The bombs, which killed a man and a 10-year-old boy and wounded more than 100 people, exploded in all but a few of the country’s 64 cities between 10:30 am and 11:30 a.m. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the orchestrated nationwide attacks, police said they have found leaflets bearing the name of the recently banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
group. Police said Thursday they had rounded up almost 90 people in the wake of the attacks, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). "One of them has confessed that he was Jamayet-ul-Mujahideen's local leader and that he carried out an attack here," said Abdur Rahim, superintendent of police in Satkhira district, where two people were detained.

Jamayet-ul-Mujahideen is led by the so-called "Bangla Bhai" who has been on the run since his group was banned in February, according to IOL’s Correspondent...

Bangladesh is the world's third largest Muslim-majority nation with a population of 140 million. Asked what might have driven the group to use violence, Al-Sawi cited "rampant economic and political corruption in Bangladesh ."

Bangladesh has a long history of political violence, labor strife and gang warfare, according to IOL’s Correspondent. But Wednesday's blasts turned the focus on the presence of extremist group, who have been blamed in the past for bomb explosions at religious shrines and rallies. Early this year, former Bangladesh finance minister S.A.M.S. Kibria, was killed by militants, sparking protests by opposition against violence in the region. In another carnage last November, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina herself was injured.

And you knew it was coming. Here come's the ROP mantra.

"The nation will not tolerate any sort of extremism in the name of religion. Our religion Islam is a religion of peace and it opposes terrorism," Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, a senior minister and secretary-general of the BNP, told a rally.

Don't tell me it was the Jooooos!

Opposition parties have also called for a day-long countrywide protest strike on Saturday. "The bomb attacks were a conspiracy against the nation. A vested quarter deliberately did it to brand Muslims as terrorists," Mohammad Hanif, a leader of Awami League, told another rally.

Slim pickings in the J & K but hey, it includes members of the Jamiat ul Mujahideen. Which I believe to be the same of the Bangladeshi group listed as Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen/Jamayet-ul-Mujahideen listed above. (Dang all these crazy muslim versions of spelling the same thing.)

SRINAGAR: Six persons, including two militants, were killed in separate incidents, while security forces seized a huge cache of arms and explosives in Jammu and Kashmir since Wednesday night. Two militants affiliated with the Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen were killed in an encounter with security forces during search operations in Karmulla forest in the Tral area of Pulwama district on Wednesday night, a police spokesman said. A civilian, Mohammad Shaban of Mandoora, was injured in the crossfire and was hospitalised, he said. Two AK assault rifles and three magazines were recovered from the militants— PTI

And now - this time it really was the Joooos!
IDF kills Jihad, Hamas terrorists in Tulkarm

"Four Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists were killed in a gun battle with IDF forces in the West Bank Palestinian town of Tulkarm Wednesday night. Among the dead was the commander of the military wing of Hamas in the city, Army Radio reported. According to officials in Israel's security
services, the four had taken part in terror attacks against Israelis, including the attack at the "Stage" club in Tel Aviv, at Hasharon Mall and at Shavei Shomron. The IDF was operating in Tulkarm in order to arrest wanted activists.

The city of Tulkarm declared a general strike Wednesday night in protest over the deaths."

Chinese Detainees Are Men Without a Country
15 Muslims, Cleared of Terrorism Charges, Remain at Guantanamo With Nowhere to Go

"Hey, Hey we're the Uighers. People say we Uigher around, but we're too busy uighing to put anybody down"...

"In late 2003, the Pentagon quietly decided that 15 Chinese Muslims detained at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, could be released. Five were people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, some of them picked up by Pakistani bounty hunters for U.S. payoffs. The other 10 were deemed low-risk detainees whose enemy was China's communist government -- not the United States, according to senior U.S. officials."

"For the Chinese Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs ), there is no end in sight. About 20 countries -- including Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Turkey and a Latin American country -- have turned down U.S. overtures to give them asylum, according to U.S. officials."

Uighurs are a Muslim minority whose heartland is in northwestern China. They are a Turkic people who speak a language similar to others in neighboring Central Asian nations and have long sought autonomy in China's Xinjiang province -- a region Uighurs refer to as East Turkistan.

Ironically, many view the United States as a "beacon of hope" that "will assist in the Uighurs' quest for fundamental freedom and human dignity," said Nury Turkel, a U.S.-trained lawyer and president of the Uighur American Association in Washington.

"They are not soldiers. They are not criminals. They are just Uighur people," Willett argued in court. ". . . There might not be a more pro-U.S. Muslim group in the world. The Uighurs have traditionally suffered under religious and political oppression at the hands of the Communist Chinese, and I can remember a time when that made a person someone we liked in this country."
Read the rest for more of the Uighers side of the story...

The Twilight Struggle...

Twilight Water by Charles Kolnik





Today, Wretchard over at The Belmont Club offers up this post entitled, The Dark Frontier. It refers to the Muslim Triangle in South America and highlights remarks from a presser held by Donald Rumsfeld during his recent sortie to South America.

It's interesting, provocative and hits the mark with a red-hot bullet.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's press conference enroute to Paraguay is interesting for a number of reasons -- the first being Paraguay itself. The Power and Interest News summarizes the region's strategic importance to the US. South America is wracked by a confluence of resurgent Marxism, fueled by Venezuela and Cuba; failing states and coca. Of particular interest is the Tri-Border area, centered on the town of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay on the border of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. The Associated Press described it as "a key South American point for Islamic terrorist fund raising to the tune of $100 million a year." The Tri-border area is sometimes described as the Muslim Triangle and is alleged to be one end of a conveyor belt leading to the US southern border.

He goes on to point out:

Rumsfeld's press conference produced another gem on the arming of the Iraqi insurgency by Iran. After the media asked precisely one question about the Tri-Border area ("Q: Will you be talking about the tri-border issue in Paraguay? A: I think the cooperation that the countries in the tri-border area have demonstrated has been a useful and constructive thing. It's been good. ...") they skipped straight to the subject of the Middle East.

Media: There have been reports about Iran specifically facilitating -- I mean you've addressed them a little bit. But over the weekend there was an even more detailed report in Time Magazine about Iran’s Revolutionary Guards setting up a specific unit in Iraq to carry out car bombings against Coalition forces. Are you aware of those kinds of reports? Do you think Iran's involvement is getting more intensive as the process of writing the constitution goes along?

You should read the full text of the article for the flavor of his response, but basically, Rummy punted with a non-answer.

Don't get me wrong, one of the reasons I dig the Rum-meister is his ability to tie the press in knots, but in this instance it just serves to reinforce this bad feeling I've been getting lately.

The feeling that we aren't really that serious about this War on Terror maybe.

Read on:

Some Belmont Club readers have repeatedly written to ask why Secretary Rumsfeld would be at pains to downplay Iranian intervention in Iraq -- both before and after Operation Iraqi Freedom -- when these revelations would serve to strengthen the linkage between terrorism and it's state sponsors, a connection whose existence has been repeatedly denied. (Speculation alert) One possible reason for turning a public blind eye to Iranian belligerence is that any administration which very strongly emphasized it would logically be compelled to do something about it, a step which the Bush administration may be unprepared to take or believes cannot be sustained by domestic political consensus.

Wretchard goes on to provide a historical parallel for us to chew on by looking at the Spanish Civil War and the non-response of Great Britain, France and Russia to the torpedoing of merchant ships by Germany and Italy.

"Despite the fact that no major power would acknowledge belligerent acts by Italy and Germany against neutral shipping, the "international community" of the 1930s went on to negotiate the Treaty of Nyon proscribing acts of "piracy" without naming the pirates.

In order to prevent matters from being brought a to a head, Britain and France simply pretended they didn't know who was sinking neutral shipping and instructed their naval forces to conduct a secret war at sea against an enemy they would not acknowledge until two years later. Nor were they alone in this charade. The US Naval Institute has an interesting article describing FDR's undeclared naval war on Germany in 1940, not knowing that the hunt for German and Italian warships in the northern Atlantic."

Then like now, wishy-washy world wide public opinion has prevented politicians from showing the will to take on:
-the Iranian and Syrian interference in Iraq.
-the unending stream of Saudi suicide bombers.
-the burgeoning Muslim Triangle of South America.

Nobody says this better than our man, Wretchard.

Policy is consequently being made in fits and starts in the tug-o'-war between the sides, essentially awaiting events before taking a categorical direction. Whether that direction will be a genuine "peace for our time" or a new Pearl Harbor is unknown. Until history resolves the dilemma the twilight struggle will continue all over the world, from the Tri-Border area to the Iranian frontier.

In this political climate, what will it finally take to send us in a categorical direction, you wonder.

9/11 evidently wasn't enough.

Will it be a nuclear event?

How long are we going to struggle in the twilight?

Leave it to Wretchard to pull it all back into perspective and in the comments section, no less.

The failure by the democracies in the 1930s to act decisively cost millions of lives in the 1940s. Historians have argued that neither FDR nor Chamberlain could have done much more, given the pacifist tide of the time. Even after Munich, Chamberlain continued to try to buy off Hitler with loans and disposable countries, the so-called "silver bullets". One wag retrospectively called the policy suicide committed out of the fear of death.

In the end it was not the Western politicians, not even FDR with his great skills that convinced the public to take up arms but the Fascists themselves. The democracies had to endure near-mortal hurt before awakening to the danger. Then, as now, it was largely the Left that plied the soporific, assisted ironically enough, by the extreme Right who peddled the 'Fortress America' line.

It's dangerous to draw too many parallels with the past, but perhaps it is even more dangerous to draw none at all.

That Handsome Patrick al-Kafir Gets Down

That handsome Patrick Al-Kafir gets down to the real nitty gritty with his insightful piece over at Clarity and Resolve.

I chose that name for this humble blog because I am convinced that those two attributes are what is required to fight and to win the war on jihad. One must clearly understand ones enemy to fight him effectively, and one must remain resolute to secure victory. It will not be easy. So few of us properly grasp the nature of Islam's jihad culture, and I sometimes fear that it will take more—and worse—cataclysmic Islamic terror attacks on our soil before Americans dispense with the petty, asinine divisiveness, and unite to go the distance on this one.

I don't care if you hate President Bush, conservatives, Republicans, hawks, neocons, whatever... If you want to call yourself a good American who loves America and its core principles, you are obligated to learn about this enemy, to gain an understanding of its nature in the context of history and recent events, and to get behind any politician who is committed to bringing powerful American deterrence and attrition directly to them.

There is no right/left dichotomy in shari'ah law.

Patrick, you continue to inspire me.

How much do you love Mark Steyn?

Bomb us, and we agonise over the "root causes" (that is, what we did wrong). Decapitate us, and our politicians rush to the nearest mosque to declare that "Islam is a religion of peace". Issue bloodcurdling calls at Friday prayers to kill all the Jews and infidels, and we fret that it may cause a backlash against Muslims. Behead sodomites and mutilate female genitalia, and gay groups and feminist groups can't wait to march alongside you denouncing Bush, Blair and Howard. Murder a schoolful of children, and our scholars explain that to the "vast majority" of Muslims "jihad" is a harmless concept meaning "decaf latte with skimmed milk and cinnamon sprinkles".

Mark Steyn

IDD Roundup v.082305

Hey! China has isolated desert derelicts, too. Plus the 2006 Olympics in Shanghai. China cracksdown on terror.

China has set up a new police force in large cities, equipped with helicopters and armoured vehicles, to combat the threat of terrorism and the rising incidence of rioting and social unrest across the country.

The squads, to be stationed in 36 large cities, reflect the need for a more professional police force amid concerns that it is currently ill-equipped to manage such issues, scholars and analysts said on Thursday.

Speaking of China Xinhua.net is reporting that a bunch of IDD's were rounded up in a Afghan tribal area by the Pakistanis. The good news - they were acting on tips received from locals. And get this, not only did they find a sizeable weapons cache, they also found ladie's costumes and wigs. Kind of kinky, eh?

Aussie Treasurer tells Radical Muslim Clerics to get the heck out.

"If you don't like those values, then don't come here. Australia is not for you," Mr Costello said yesterday. "This is the way I look at it: Australia is a secular society, with parliamentary law, part of the Western tradition of individual rights."

The UK is getting it's act together and will issue a plan to boot radical muslim clerics that preach hate.

Jordan nabs boat bomb terror mastermind. Adios IDD!

A televised statement named Mohammed Hassan Abdullah al-Sihly, a Syrian, as prime suspect for the attacks. Three others accused of involvement in an Iraq-based terror group fled into Iraq on Friday, the statement said. One rocket narrowly missed a US warship in port, another hit a hospital and a third landed in Israel. According to the statement, Mr al-Sihly planned and carried out the attacks alongside two of his sons and an Iraqi man. They are thought to be the three men who escaped into Iraq on Friday, the day after the attacks, using forged identity documents and passports.

Bummer. Beirut Shopping Mall bombed.

Zalka, on the Mediterranean coast, is a mixed residential and commercial area on a main street that leads to Lebanon's Christian heartland. The area has several cafes _ including a Starbucks coffee shop _ and restaurants and other nightspots that were full of patrons.

Bad guys were nabbed:

Security forces were seen rounding up several suspects, including five men with their hands tied behind their backs. The were taken to a military vehicle.

Good.

Iraqis blame Saddam's family in Jordan for funding terror.

"It is regrettable to say that until now there are big numbers of elements, not only former regime elements, but supervisors of some terrorist groups who are now in Jordan," government spokesman Laith Kubba told reporters. Kubba accused Saddam's relatives in Jordan of using "huge amounts of money" to "support the efforts to revive Baath Party organizations", without specifying the names of the relatives. Saddam's two oldest daughters are now living in Amman, the capital of Jordan."

Meanwhile Saddam is blowing smoke...

The Scots are getting feisty.

"SCOTLAND'S most senior churchman says extremist Muslim clerics should leave the country, and has branded them "hypocrites" who treat their neighbours as "enemies".

Russian Muslims split over calling for Jihad. I say Bite me.

MOSCOW - The two top leaders of Russia's Muslims split Thursday over the question of whether to proclaim a jihad against the United States. Supreme Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin, the leader of an Islamic council claiming to represent all Russia, announced that the council's 29 Islamic departments had voted unanimously by fax to declare a holy war. The mufti announced the decision before an anti-war protest by some 2,000 students in Ufa, the largely Muslim capital of the central Russian republic of Bashkortostan. While declaring a holy war, he did not say in detail what the council was asking ordinary Muslims to do, beyond contributing money for Iraqi war relief and weapons purchases. At the same time, the chief mufti of Russia, Ravil Gainutdin, rejected any call for a holy war "even though the situation in Iraq is deteriorating." "We must be realists," he told the Interfax news service. "Jihad against the U.S. has been declared by Saddam Hussein. This is enough." .

US to train East African counter terror troops. Round 'em up, boys.

And in show business news: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes plan Arabian Nights Nuptials.

"Superstar Tom Cruise is planning to marry fiancee Katie Holmes in a multi-million dollar "Arabian Nights" style wedding in Mexico's Maroma resort. He wants a "event of the decade". According to British newspaper the Sunday Mirror, 43-year-old Cruise was inspired when he witnessed a $1 million wedding at the resort."

Lisa Ramaci-Vincent rips Juan Cole a new one

and it's about time. Read about it here at Murdoc Online.

I would like to refute this shameful post against a dead man who can no longer defend himself against your scurrilous accusations, a dead man who also happened to be my husband. Steven Vincent and I were together for 23 years, married for 13 of them, and I think I know him a wee bit better than you do.

About the Iraqi constitution...

Iraqis beat the deadline – but will they make this one stick?

Parliamentary speaker Hajim al-Hassani told members a text of the document had been received but said the final wording would have to be worked out within the coming three days.

Whoa Nelly, no they won’t make it stick!

Iraqi leaders finished their draft constitution Monday and prepared to submit it to parliament — but withdrew it in the final minutes in order to give time to win over the Sunni Arab community, whose support is key to ending the insurgency.

Stay tuned...

The Girl on the Crane

City of Neka, Iran.

In August 2004, Afefeh Rajabi, was tried for acts incompatible with chastity (aka premarital sex).

She could have got off w/100 lashes with a whip like her partner, although he ended up only getting 75. Instead, she stood up for herself in the courtroom, asserting she had been subject to the molestation of an older man, getting so upset she snatched the hijab from her head.

Well, that did it.

The judge, Haji Rezaii, snapped.

Atefeh Rajabi had gone too far and she would hang for it.

From a crane.

In the main square of Neka.

For 45 minutes.

Atefeh was pretty and wild, there was no denying that. By the age of 16, she had been jailed x5 for having sex with unmarried men. She was thrown in jail and felt the lash (100 strokes x5) each time. Her father,an absentee, deadbeat, drug addict dad. Her mother had died years before. Her elderly grandparents had a hard time caring for themselves, much less a headstrong, spirited teenager. She was abused by a close relative as a child but had no one to tell. Teachers called her a whore. Tell the police? You are locked up and raped. She still had nightmares about her stints in Benshahr Prison.

She never had a lawyer at any stage of her due process.

Amnesty International claimed she was mentally incompetent. Bi-polar?

From the dock the judge said she had a sharp tongue. It is rumored that he wanted to engage in muta, or temporary marriage with her.

Needless to say, Atefeh wasn't having any part of the judge.

The ruling clergy of the town forged documents, changing her age from 16 to 22, ensuring she'd be death penalty eligible.

The judge received letters from the town governor congratulating him on his 'firm approach'.

He put the rope around her neck himself.

After her execution, he said publicly that he taught her a "lesson" because of her sharp tongue.

The night she was buried her corpse was stolen by unknown individuals.






Atefeh Rajabi. Never Forget.

Update: Saw this over at Regime Change Iran and thought I'd post it in honor of Atefeh Rajabi's memory.

An Iranian judicial spokesman called on Friday for taking legal action against women who do not observe hijab (the Islamic dress code), stressing that women who reveal part of their hair have breached the law and must be prosecuted.

Jamal Karimi-Rad also told ISNA that the judiciary agents have a duty to confront Islamic dress code violators, adding that these agents include the law-enforcement forces, the Basijis (volunteer forces, members of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps and some members of the armed forces).

Under Article 15 of the Penal Code, the judiciary agents are tasked with conducting preliminary interrogations, finding evidence, preventing the accused from hiding, etc, he said, adding that if judiciary agents violate the law, they will be sentenced to six months in jail.

Karimi-Rad said those who are accused of crimes, including violation of Islamic dress code, could be detained for 24 hours before a proper decision is taken by judicial officials.

>
Iran: A rigid, theocracy with institutionalized misogynistic laws and practices.

Yeah, let's let these guys have nukes.

Who's Your Bag-daddy?

Time for a little "Who's Your Bag-daddy?" You know Dinah Lord is always happy when the terrorist funding, scumbag, money men are brought to heel.

"When functioning as a correspondent or intermediary institution for funds transfers, the New York branch of Arab Bank failed to implement sufficient internal controls and testing procedures to ensure compliance with the act, for transactions involving beneficiaries that did not maintain an account directly with the branch," the agencies said in a joint statement following their decision.

I wash my hands, said the Arab bank:

The Arab Bank said in response that it did not believe the law required the same anti-money laundering controls to be applied to wire transfers, in which the branch had only an intermediary role.

"The Arab Bank neither admits nor denies any wrongdoing," the bank said in a statement. "We have agreed to the consent orders and will pay the fine in order to put this behind us."

"We're glad that's all you found," they muttered after the meeting.

Tipping point

"Balance" by Quincy Anderson.










I know I've talked about Kimberly at Mother of All Blogs before. If you aren't reading her, you should be. Her most recent post is about the memorial service held for fallen Marines. Talk about heart wrenching. Read it and weep, then bookmark, MOAB.

"Monday, for the second time in a matter of days, I was amid hundreds of Marines standing straight and tall in a perfect alignment. Only this time, it was to say goodbye. I had wanted to stay with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines for this service, to witness how they would remember the men who lost their lives during the ambush of six snipers Aug. 1, a suicide car bombing that took one in Hit, and the attack of the amphibious assault vehicle by triple-stacked mines that claimed 14 on Aug. 3."

She interviews one of the Marines, Sgt. Francis about the loss of his best friend, Sgt. Bradley:

Francis segued to the topic of troop strength in the region, unprompted. I’m finding it’s a concern for most, these days. Maybe if there had been more Marines on the ground they would have been able to find that mine before the amtrac Bradley was riding in did. I don’t care if I get in trouble for saying it, he said. If we’re going to do this, then we need to do it. "Reduction of troops is not going to help us," Francis said.

Sgt. Francis, you shouldn't get in trouble for saying that, you should get a medal.

Now Dinah is no military expert, she didn't serve in the military (but she wanted to), she'd join today if she could. She has seriously thought about getting a job with Halliburton/KBR. She still might. Her expertise lends itself more to fashion and style but she has other skills that would be handy in the field. For example, one of these. LONG STORY SHORT, she has come to the conclusion that we don't need to be withdrawing troops, we need to be adding troops. We need to bite the bullet and shut down the flow of the terrorists cannon fodder from Syria and Iran and according to Lanchester's Law, the only way we can do that is by increasing the number of troops. (And I never thought I would agree with Chuck Hagel on anything.)
Here's some more troop strength talk:

U.S. may bump up troop strength in Iraq

Armed Forces Troop Strength as of June 30 2005.

Bush downplays troop reduction by spring.

No decision on troop strength.

Troop cut talk dismissed.

Army says, "Four More Years."

Steven Vincent R.I.P.

Discarded Lies has a post from Lisa Ramaci-Vincent, Steven Vincent's wife that is a must read. Please remember her in your prayers.

And Queen Amidela has an update on his interpreter's condition after the shooting. Queen is an interesting Iraqi woman. Her posts are terrific.

I started writing Isolated Desert Derelicts because of Steven Vincent. (Although mentioning his name and my blog in the same sentence is kind of a joke. He was a world class journalist and I can only aspire to his level of excellence.) May God bless Steven, Lisa and Nour.

Late Night Roundup v.081905

Faith and Begorra: Islamic cleric says Ireland is a 'legitimate target'

A notorious British-based Islamic extremist has said Ireland is a "legitimate" target for al-Qa'ida terror attacks. Anjem Choudary, who has close links to the infamous hate preacher, Omar Bakri Mohammed, said the use of Shannon Airport as a stop-off for US warplanes justifies Ireland being attacked. The solicitor (38) said: "If your government wants to support the atrocities in Afghanistan they can expect some repercussions," and added that Ireland had "opened itself" to attacks from radical Muslims linked to al-Qa'ida.

"He also criticises Irish Muslims, saying they've been "stripped of their Islamic personality through secular education. On the one hand they're not willing to speak up and on the other hand they're intimidated into being docile."

For those who think that our enemies aren't paying attention. Look at what is prominently displayed at Muslim Woman.

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." Hillary Rodman Clinton, Los Angeles Times.

"Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion." ABCNEWS

I wonder when Cindy Sheehan will hit the site.

Well, I'm sorry to hear this: Two UK terror suspects are released.

Two men arrested under Section 15 of the Terrorism Act have been released.
The men, aged 48 and 23, from the West Midlands, were questioned about the alleged funding of terrorist activity.

They were detained along with two women at Manchester Airport on Sunday. Police raids on three properties in Dudley were carried out after the arrests.

But police were forced to release them because they could not assure courts that their inquiries would be completed before the maximum time allowed.

The Terrorism Act, under which the men were arrested, allows suspects to be detained for two weeks on the granting of warrants for further detention by a judge

And then there's this guy:

Who's Your Chaplain?

Shakeel Syed is a bigwig in the Los Angeles Muslim community. He’s one of the official go-to guys for the FBI.

He’s also a contract chaplain for the California Penal System. In that capacity, he took part in a CAIR press conference today, dealing with the recent exposure in Torrance of a possible terrorist plot connected to Folsom Prison.

And here are some of the articles that Mr. Syed has published on the internet:

Nine Eleven “changed everything” has become a popular saying among some. In fact, nothing has changed since 1775. The imperialist mindset remains unchanged. The then founders killed the Native American Indians and believed that they are giving themselves a free America. The current (hopefully outgoing) President apologized to a powerless King, instead to the victims. Their pain is only compounded when the President distances himself from the rhetoric that that behavior was merely the “wrongdoing of a few”. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, however, indicates that the torture was cleared with lawyers. Al-Jazeera, May 30, 2004

Sooner than we think the old footage of blind folded American hostages and the Islamic government of Iran (more democratically elected than the US President) will overwhelm the airwaves. And the global dissent of good people will be ignored to yet another preemptive invasion of Iran and they will be made to forget the bigger monster, Israel from the very discourse of “axis of evil.” Al-Jazeera, November 27, 2004

The United States of America tends to glorify, simplify and sanitize more than two and a quarter centuries of its horrid past. The Declaration of Independence states “all men are created equal,” but that was not the case in 1776. Two hundred twenty eight years later, the Declaration still could not home itself in the hearts of all Americans. The 228th year of freedom must see beyond the mundane rituals of afternoon barbecues and evening fireworks.

The lonely Native American female warrior as the statue of freedom atop the Capitol Dome was casted in bronze by a Foundry that housed enslaved labor. Slaves who were paid only in the coins of pain in fact built the house that claims to now home the lady liberty. The Milli Gazette, July 31, 2004

Is he full of taquiyyah or what?

Courtesy of LGF

72 virgins revisited

I'm not the only one wondering about that virgins business. Martin Bodek has 72 questions on how this whole virgin thing works.

Here are the top 10:

1) What if the bomber wants girls with more experience?
2) What if one virgin is no good in bed? Does she get replaced or is he stuck with 71?
3) If he's gay, does he get male virgins?
4) What if he's celibate? What does he get?
5) What if he hasn't reached puberty yet? Does he get 72 Xboxes till he comes of age?
6) If he's bi, does he get 36 of each?
7) If he blows himself up while building the bomb, does he still get credit?
8) What do you call a relationship with 72 women, a menage-a-soixante-deux?
9) Are they like 72 wives or 1 wife and 71 concubines?
10) What if he's ugly or smells bad and the virgins don't want anything to do with him?

To see them all. Click here.

P.S. Everytime I see a picture of Helen Thomas, I think of her hatred for Dick Cheney and then I think of this:

IDD Roundup v.081905

No Gung Hay Fat Choy for Muslims in China. Sect banned. 179 IDD's get thrown in the hoosegow.


US ships attacked in Jordan:

"It reminds you almost of the Cole attack," said Mark Ginsberg, a former U.S. ambassador, referring to the October 2000 attack on the U.S. Navy ship, the USS Cole.

"From press reports, it appears it was Syrians and two Iraqis with a Kuwaiti license plate that had these rockets," Ginsberg told FOX News. "Where do you get these rockets in the Middle East? From Hezbollah (search) or Iran. The Iranians are the biggest supplier of these rockets to Hezbollah."

Bangladesh Follow Up: From Arabnews.net

"Fifty swift arrests, presumably of individuals known to have had links with Jamatul Mujahedeen before it was banned, may help the security forces to break this terrorist cell quickly before it became more proficient and deadly. It must, however, be assumed that the perpetrators fully expected a rapid police dragnet and made preparations.

It is also a puzzling matter as to why an organization such as Jamatul Mujahedeen would mount such a spectacularly big assault with such relatively low deadliness. Could it be that the real targets were not the innocent Bangladeshis caught in the blasts but the higher echelons of Al-Qaeda leadership? Was this in fact an attempt to prove to Osama Bin Laden and his cohorts that Bangladesh now has a homegrown terrorist group worthy of their support and training?"

Bangladeshi stage more raids.

Whoever did this made a big statement. It shows how fragile the security situation is here -Brigadier Gen Shakawat Hossain, Security analyst

In the capital, hundreds of people formed human chains yesterday and took to the streets in protest against the attacks

Hey, Yemen!

Yemen Intermezzo by Tom Blanne











I don't know - it must have been this article about the IDD thugs on trial in Yemen screaming "Death To America, Death to Israel" but I woke up this morning and all I could think about was what about Yemen.
To read about the chaotic trial of Al Houthi supporters click here. Here's a sample:

Al-Aqil went on to detail the nature of the crimes purportedly committed by the defendants: a hand-grenade attack on a bus in Al-Husbah on March 29, 2005, causing civilian causalities and damage to retail outlets; a grenade attack on an army HILUX vehicle at Baab Al-Yemen the same day, leading to the death of one officer, and injury to another; a hand-grenade attack in Al-Qaiydah on April 5, 2005, causing damages on one vehicle and injury to civilians.

TNT explosives were used to target, on April 9 of this year, a Land Cruiser belonging to pilot Colonel Mustaf Zaid Al-Mehdhar. The attack, which took place at the home residence of the official, caused injuries to a number of students and damage to military vehicles.

The accused collaborated, according to the statement, to target high-profile members of society, military leaders and politicians. The group allegedly observed its targets, recording movements, collecting information on their routines, and meticulously preparing to carry their plans through to the end. Further accusations involved attacks on the headquarters of the intelligence services, army barracks, and state television, as well as army and civilian vehicles.

Drugs, Dynamite and Porn Bust at Yemen-Saudi border.
This must be about the same thing here.
And the scribe at Armies of Liberation wonders whether it was coming or going?

Yemenis play footsie with footie. Get the boot from the FIFA. It's not steroids, it's political interference. What? Kinda like Uday and Ousay?

The Yemen Times has a report on a revolutionary preacher that had started something remarkable. What is this wondrous thing? Did he clone a camel? No, he started a blood bank.

Why do they need a blood bank? Because they have so many traffic fatalities due to poor infrastructure.

107 Yemenis due to be released from Gitmo. But that's not good enough for Amnesty International. They're still whining. Yemen sent a delegation to visit Gitmo BTW. They went to determine the nationality of the prisoners to make sure they were in fact Yemeni. One was not. And not to worry, the article says this:

A group of American lawyers is also due to go to the Yemeni capital Sanaa to offer legal assistance to the relatives of those being held in the US prison.

Figures.

Do Yemeni women know what their education is for? Well, we have this from Mohammed:

Mohammed, a bus driver, has a particularly peculiar view. “Whatever a woman learns will be of no use to her. As a philosopher said, ‘woman is a bird or cat – if she improves herself she will become a cow. Instead of being humble, pure and kind, she will become proud and ungrateful to her home and children. 90% of women,” says Mohammed, “have minds like ants that just want to spend their husbands’ money on clothes and go prancing around shopping centers. They use mobile phones to contact men, who can easily trick them.”

Yemenis not only have problems with their oil prices. They are firing their minister of electricity. But they're going to be making 17 billion off their natural gas exports. Hard to square with the World Bank report showing Yemen to be among the poorest of the poor in the ME and with this report saying Yemen tries to reconsider failures while investors move to Gulf States

Yeah, but there's always enough light to read some US appeasenik swill about the quandary (not to be confused with quagmire but close enough to make the same point)

Egad! They even have mass marriages! And you know how I feel about mass marriages

More root causes for IDD

Check out the London Times article, Sex and the Single Minded Muslim

Fundamentalists demand that women be veiled and segregated at every level of society, starting at puberty. Public displays of affection between husbands and wives are forbidden. Wife-beating is so prevalent, many see it as a normal part of marriage. In bed any sexual position where the woman is on top is haram or sinful. It’s difficult to imagine how either gender can enjoy intimacy in such a climate.

So what is the effect on young unmarried men who, like youths the world over, are subject to a whole host of fears about their burgeoning sexuality? What do they do with their unacceptable sexual fantasies fuelled by the strict regime and the temptations of the mysterious, hidden feminine world? Too often they project their self-disgust on to their object of desire, whom they blame for causing them to have “impure” thoughts. Twenty-five years ago when Ayatollah Khomeini took over Iran, women who let a single lock of hair fall beneath their headscarves were beaten for abusing their sexual power. Women who had worn make-up and Western dress under the Shah were denigrated as “Westoxicated”. And the supposedly sexually licentious West became, and remains, “the Great Satan”, purveyor of all evil that must be destroyed.

Read it all.

Meanwhile, Back at the IDD Round-up v.081705

Madrid Bombing suspect rounded up in Belgrade.

BELGRADE — A Moroccan suspected of involvement in the Madrid train bombings has been arrested in Belgrade.

The interior ministry named the suspect as Abdelmajid Bouchar, 22, and has asked for him to be extradited to Spain.

He was picked up by Serbian police when he presented false Iraqi identity papers during a routine check, it said.

Viva La Italia - Italian Police Arrest 141 in Anti-Terror Raids

Meanwhile, down under, Jihad Jack's Attorneys give us the poor mouth.

Today in the Victorian Supreme Court, Mr Thomas's defence counsel, Lex Lasry QC, said his team did not have guaranteed funding to continue with the case. "We, as we sit here, are not able to commit ourselves to be in the trial," he said.

Justice Philip Cummins said he appreciated legal aid money was limited, but urged that the funding of two lawyers for the case continue "in the interest of justice".

WTF? This sucks.Bali bombing sentences reduced?

INDONESIA has delivered a cruel blow to victims of the Bali bombings – reducing the jail terms of almost 20 people involved in the attacks, including ringleader Abu Bakar Bashir.

Bali bombing victims slapped in the face by Indonesian court.

Are you ready for your close-up, Osama?

This is from GeoStrategy Direct, a subscriber site. Alas, I don't subscribe. It's an interesting tidbit, though.

2005 videotape count: Zawahiri 4, Bin Laden 0


A U.S. intelligence analyst says last week's videotape of Al Qaida leader Ayman al Zawahiri "is consistent with previous audio/video statements by Zawahiri and Bin Laden."
Zawahiri has issued four audio/visual statements this year. Before this, the most recent broadcast surfaced on June 17.

The fact that Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden has not been heard from since December 27, 2004 is raising new questions about the Saudi terrorist's state of health.

Bin Laden stated in the December broadcast that Abu Musab al Zarqawi is the "emir" of Al Qaida in Iraq.

Since 9/11, Bin Laden has appeared in 10 audio or video reports and Zawahiri has been in 10.

This is all I am going to say about that woman, Cindy Sheehan

I wasn't going to say anything about this subject because my blog is about skewering the Islamist menace, not US partisan politics. Besides, I have pretty strong feelings about aiding and abetting the enemy and I consider protests against our military during a time of war to be just that.

I thought this protest cheapened the grief for her son and dishonored him. You NEVER heard this woman talk about Casey's smile, his laugh or the things she missed about him. No, it was always about her pain, her grief, her hatred of George Bush, her, her, her.

Ick.

Plus, it's just so much political theatre, a Democratic replay of Max Cleland at the Gates from last summer. Dem Deja Vu, all over again.

But then I saw this USA Today article entitled:

Media Escalation Unnerves Protest Mom.

Poor one woman protestor, she's so unnerved by all this attention.

Not.

Oops! Eight paragraphs down, in an unguarded moment, the truth comes out.

Sitting outside the trailer where she sleeps, still wearing pink-and-white striped pajamas, Sheehan said she's not a newcomer to the anti-war movement or the media.

(Author's note: I don't care if you are a grieving mom or not Ms. Sheehan! What the Sam Hill are you doing sitting outside your trailer wearing your pajamas? Puh-leeze. Was your hair at least combed? Sheesh. I am just sitting here wondering how Casey would like that action...if he is like most kids I know, the thought of one of their wacky parents appearing before the national media in their pajamas has to be pretty mortifying. Just a tip - that might be the reason your other kids are giving you a wide berth.)

Now before you go all Code Pink on me here and talk about how much George Bush is responsible for this poor woman sitting outside and talking to the media in her pajamas just stop. Her son was a man. A man who volunteered to serve in the United States Armed Forces and he served with courage, valor and distinction. He's a hero in my book and he deserves to be treated with respect and admiration. Respect and admiration for Casey seems to be the last thing on Ms. Sheehan's mind.

And another thing - doesn't the fact that the USA Today article is entitled, "Media Escalation Unnerves Protest Mother" but eight paragraphs down you have Ms. Sheehan sitting in her pajamas telling the reporter:

"She joined Military Families Speak Out a year ago and began speaking and doing interviews. In January, she and other parents of troops killed in Iraq formed Gold Star Families for Peace. "I didn't just crawl out of the woodwork."

make you want to holler?

She goes on to say that she also has a more selfish motive for wanting to move out of the spotlight.

"Maybe if they focus on the message, the right-wingers will leave the messenger alone a little bit," she says.

Poor. Unnerved. Protest. Mom.

According to the Washington Post:

"TrueMajority -- an antiwar group founded by Ben Cohen, one of the creators of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream -- hired Fenton Communications, a Washington public relations firm that has worked intermittently with Sheehan over the past year to coordinate media coverage.

With this help, Sheehan has courted coverage from the traveling White House press corps with a news conference. A schedule of when relatives of other military casualties in Iraq are expected to join Sheehan here was distributed to reporters. Her team is coordinating an antiwar rally planned for Saturday."

I hope these folks get there in time to attend. You don't speak for me, Cindy!

Please note the two photos below, can you guess which one accompanied the USA Today article today versus the one that appeared earlier in the week? She cleans up real good, doesn't she? (Author's note: Thanks, Fenton Communications. Her sitting around and talking to the media while wearing her pajamas really got on my nerves.)





Before Media Handlers









After Media Handlers.

Update: She's definitely had her hair cut and colored. Did she get a mani/pedi/wax, too?

Terrible Tastes of Great Dictators V

Continuing with our terrible tastes of great dictator themes.

Take a gander at this wide angle shot of one of Saddam's palace and read this from the Expat Yank.

There's nothing tackier than being cheap and stealing satelite is cheap. Bleh.

Terrible Tastes of the Great Dictators IV

Terrible Tastes of the Great Dictators looked at the former Iraqi dictator`s OTT choice of decor.

"The programme will also feature an interview with Saddam`s interior designer - who was ordered to build him a palm tree made of crystal and to write a copy of the Koran in the dictator`s blood."

And here's what we learn about Hitler's little nest:

"Hitler invited Homes and Gardens magazine to his mountain retreat in 1938 - the magazine waxed lyrical about his jade green colour scheme and lovely curtains."

"For these despots, there`s no such thing as too big or too gold." (For Dinah Lord, too!

Here are some GREAT stills of (one of)Saddam's Palace from Jump Team's 2004 deployment. Fantastic.

Terrible Tastes of the Great Dictators III

This is Saddam in shackles being led onto the prison bus. I sure bet he misses his Mercedes 560 with the armor plating, bulletproof glass, microphones and the "crowd-control device" consisting of "a series of pipes that shoot out flames from the side of the car."

Read about the Wilton CT soldier who bought the darn thing here because you won't be seeing it on Terrible Tastes of the Great Dictators.
(Check it out to hear about Saddam's gold plated toilet with matching toilet brush!)

Meanwhile back at the IDD Roundup v.081605

Some excellent news out of the UK:
More extremists to be expelled
Four anti-terror arrests at Manchester airport

Some not so excellent news from the Al Guardian:
Full text: joint statement from British Muslim groups
And they call themselves moderate? If they are moderate, we are in trouble people. Get a load of this malarkey:

"The British Muslim community has always been a law-abiding community and all its endeavours to create a more just society have been entirely peaceful."

I guess those recent bombs were the fault of the Joos.

Then there's this:

"To equate 'extremism' with the aspirations of Muslims for Sharia laws in the Muslim world or the desire to see unification towards a Caliphate in the Muslim lands, as seemed to be misrepresented by the prime minister, is inaccurate and disingenuous. It indicates ignorance of what the Sharia is and what a Caliphate is and will alienate and victimise the Muslim community unnecessarily."

Read it all. It will make your head spin.

To really make your blood boil, go see that handsome Patrick al Kafir over at Clarity & Resolve and read Al Qaeda's 7 Step Program for Islamosupremacy. This will make you holler. Guaranteed. Here's a snippet:

"The First Phase Known as "the awakening" -- this has already been carried out and was supposed to have lasted from 2000 to 2003, or more precisely from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington to the fall of Baghdad in 2003. The aim of the attacks of 9/11 was to provoke the US into declaring war on the Islamic world and thereby "awakening" Muslims. "The first phase was judged by the strategists and masterminds behind al-Qaida as very successful," writes Hussein. "The battle field was opened up and the Americans and their allies became a closer and easier target." The terrorist network is also reported as being satisfied that its message can now be heard "everywhere."

"The Second Phase "Opening Eyes" is, according to Hussein's definition, the period we are now in and should last until 2006. Hussein says the terrorists hope to make the western conspiracy aware of the "Islamic community." Hussein believes this is a phase in which al-Qaida wants an organization to develop into a movement. The network is banking on recruiting young men during this period. Iraq should become the center for all global operations, with an "army" set up there and bases established in other Arabic states."

"The Third Phase This is described as "Arising and Standing Up" and should last from 2007 to 2010. "There will be a focus on Syria," prophesies Hussein, based on what his sources told him. The fighting cadres are supposedly already prepared and some are in Iraq. Attacks on Turkey and -- even more explosive -- in Israel are predicted. Al-Qaida's masterminds hope that attacks on Israel will help the terrorist group become a recognized organization. The author also believes that countries neighboring Iraq, such as Jordan, are also in danger."

Read it all.

Let's see 21 X 72, what does that equal? Why, that's 1512 virgins.

According toGlobalSecurity.Org the Afghan Forces have killed 21 isolated desert derelicts.

And because they do things like this - they deserve it:

"Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman today claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of a foreign engineer working for a Turkish company in Afghanistan.
Abdul Latif Hakimi, who claims to be a spokesman for the Taliban, said Taliban fighters kidnapped the engineer and five Afghan co-workers in the Zabul provincial capital Qalat late yesterday. Hakimi said the Afghans were freed but Taliban leaders were still deciding whether to set the foreign engineer free or kill him. The nationality of the abducted engineer was not immediately clear."

1512. Don't you think that's a lot of virgins to round up?

Does the big Mo ever say where he gets all those virgins?

Just wonderin'.

Terrible Tastes of the Great Dictators II

Somewhere in a Baghdad prison cell, Saddam sits and weeps.
Bwa-ha-ha!

China View brings us this good news:

"TIKRIT, Iraq, Aug. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- US forces in Tikrit, hometown of ousted president Saddam Hussein, has evacuated an important presidential site and handed it over to the Iraqi army, an official said on Sunday."

And I bet you didn't know this:

"The US evacuation comes as part of American plan to withdraw from the city centers and hand them over to Iraqi forces.Two weeks ago, the US forces evacuated the headquarters of the engineering forces in one of the sites west of Tikrit and handed it over to the Iraqi side."

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Update: Well, HaloScan Commenting and Trackback may have been added but will I be able to get it to work?

Update Update: Well, I think I got it to work. Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh no...kicked out of Lodi again.

This just out of Palm Springs from KESQ...more candy

"SAN FRANCISCO A Lodi cleric facing immigration charges agreed today to be deported to Pakistan.

Shabbir Ahmed (shah-BEER AW-mehd) had been accused by the U-S government of plotting to open a terrorism camp in Lodi to train followers to kill Americans.

The 39-year-old cleric will be deported on charges unrelated to terrorism -- that he overstayed his religious-work visa while heading a mosque in the Central Valley.

Ahmed was one of five men from a Lodi mosque who were arrested in June, none of whom have been charged with crimes of terrorism.

An F-B-I agent testified last week that Ahmed was acting as an intermediary for Osama bin Laden and other terrorists. The agent refused to testify whether Ahmed was a member of a terror group, saying that information was classified."

It's like candy, I can't stop...another desert derelict bites it.

AL QAEDA LIEUTENANT KILLED IN IRAQ

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Terrorist Abu Zubair, also known as Mohammed Salah Sultan, was killed August 12 by Iraqi Security Forces in an ambush in the northern city of Mosul.

Another thing to check out...

Mother of All Blogs

This you really got to read.

You got to check out...

Iraq The Model(scroll down)

New Sabah paper had an interesting interview with the minister of interior yesterday where the minister displayed a number of the ministries latest achievements. In the beginning he talked proudly of their efforts in the ministry in establishing a data base for suspects and criminals that includes all relevant information gathered from previous investigations and operations.

The minister explained that this is the first time they have such a relatively large data base which currently includes information about 6000 suspects and criminals in comparison with only 25 names when work on the data base began.
He also revealed that this amount of information helped in exposing 250 former criminals who infiltrated the staff of the ministry as new recruits.

This is good news.

More ugly terrorists arrested

Hammorabi (scroll down) chimes in with more good news:

More ugly terrorists arrested

The Fox Special Force (FSF) of the Iraqi Special Forces in Mosel arrested three serious terrorists who committed ugly crimes against the Iraqi civilians and police. All of the arrested confessed that they work with the Syrian Intelligence secret services. One of them was Syrian whose ID was withheld. The other two are Sudanese work with Adam Doma who was recently arrested in Mosel by FSF. AD was the lead for Tahrer Party which is linked with Al-Qaeda and got branches in North Africa like Sudan, Algeria, and Morocco as well as in Europe.

Mohamad Mosa 39 years old confessed of beheading 6 wounded Iraqi National Guards after he implanted a bomb in their site. The other one called Osman Kader 34 years who received $ 1200 for beheading 6 Iraqis by his dirty hands.

Bali Bombmaker dies in shoot out - PANTIES BE UPON HIM

According to the Australian Sunday Times:

ONE of the two terrorists who made the Bali bombs has been shot dead during a gun battle with soldiers near a militant stronghold in the southern Philippines.

Read it all for a fascinating break down of how they have been tracking these guys down.

Man, this is my second flute of champagne in rapid succession. If we keep getting this kind of good news, I am going to be drunk before supper.

All you apologists/appeasers out there: Looking at this guy's police sketch makes me want to add another cause to our list of root causes:

Being Butt Ugly and Not Able to Get Chicks.

Speaking of chicks, I wonder if our Bali bombmaker, Umar Patek, will still be eligible for his 72 virgins if he buys the farm during a shoot out as opposed to a bombing. I guess that's really splitting koranic hairs.

Speaking of koranic hairs here's my wish for Umar: When he meets his virgins may he have panties on his head.

Well, all this capture news reminds me: I need to cordially invite you all to join me in dancing in the streets when OBL is captured/killed. Seriously, I invite you to drop whatever you are doing and just cut loose and cut a rug out on the streets. I will be bringing out the boom box and I will be doing it. C'mon you know you want to...

It's really been a bad day for Terrorist Bag Men all over the globe

It's really been a bad day for bag men all over the globe.

Check out the Algerians getting the boot from Scotland.

According to The Scotsman:

NINE suspected terrorists who were accused of funding al-Qaeda operations while seeking political asylum in Scotland are facing deportation, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

The Algerians - four of whom were granted the right to stay earlier this year - are set to be expelled under the government's tough new anti-terror measures.

The men, who were arrested in Edinburgh in 2002 and early 2003, were suspected by police of raising money for terror cells across the UK and Europe. But lack of evidence meant charges were controversially dropped after a year-long investigation.

Security services and police tried immediately to deport the men but the move foundered because of Human Rights laws which prevent Britain from sending foreign nationals to countries accused of torture.

But, as a direct result of new plans unveiled by Tony Blair two weeks ago, a second attempt to deport the Algerians will now be made.

(Tip of the champagne flute AND the Tam O'Shanter to The Scotsman)

Terrible Tastes of the Great Dictators

The Daily Mail Online tells us about a new TV show that will give viewers a peek inside of Saddam's home, not to be confused with his last known address - his spider hole (see picture).

The show is called the Terrible Tastes of the Great Dictators. Mao and Hitler will also be profiled.

Man, I hope they do Kim Jong Il. I'd love to get a look at the inside of his crib. You know that's got to be a mind blower.

P.S. Just for the record - I don't see anything great about dictators. Period.

Another Isolated Desert Derelict bites the dust.

McDonald's bomber sentenced to life.

Well, this just makes my day. I might just have to tip up a glass of champagne on this one. With my Wall Street background, I always love it when they nail the money guy in the terrorist network and Agung Abdul Hamid was the bag man involved in the bombing of an Indonesian McDonald's.

Listen to him squeal like a pig:

"I reject the sentence because all these charges are false," he told the Associated Press. "The trial is engineered, and full of American intervention."

(Don't you just love American Intervention? I do. I'm looking forward to some in Iran and Syria soon. North Korea, too.)

Chicken shit Hamid was arrested on the island of Java last October, after being on the run from the Indonesian authorities for almost two years.

Hey, Hamid. You want fries with that?

Police claim he has links to the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiah, which has been blamed for several attacks in Indonesia, including the Bali bombings

Adios MF-er. May an infidel touch your Koran.

If you guessed Saudi swim suit you win...

That's what this fetching little number is.

(Hat tip to the ever fabulous, Roger L. Simon

Kind of looks like the bathing dresses of the 1800's doesn't it? The colors are brighter, that's an improvement. I guess. Man, those crazy mullahs. I guess stoning and keeping Muslim women second class citizens isn't enough. They want to encourage drowning them as well. I mean, really. Look at all that material. Talk about bringing you down. And then there's that chic head gear. Treading water takes on new meaning when you are wearing 12 yards of material.

Ladies, this is crazy. You've got to throw off your underwater shroud and slip into a nice boy short with tank top from LL Bean. Believe you me, you jump in the pool wearing that Saudi swimsuit thing you are going to be a true fashion victim because you are going to be underwater and that bad boy is going to be your shroud.

Which brings us to: Shari'a Swimtime (Tip of the hat to Sound Politics via LGF. The question is: do they wear the saudi suit or do they let it all hang out since there's no men there. Hmmmm? Any enterprising, freedom loving, liberated women of Seattle want to check this out and report back?

Update: Michelle Malkin (who no doubt looks great in a bikini) gets in the Shari'a swim here:

Two Arab Mothers are sitting in the cafe...

Two Arab mothers are sitting in the cafe chatting over a pint of goat's milk.

The older of the mothers pulls her handbag out and starts flipping through family photos, and they start reminiscing. "This is my oldest son Mohammed. He's 24 years old now."

"Yes, I remember him as a baby" says the other mother cheerfully.

"He's a martyr now though" mum confides.

"Oh, so sad dear," says the other.

And this is my second son Kalid. He's 21."

"Oh, I remember him," says the other happily, "he had such curly hair when he was born."

"He's a martyr too." says mum quietly.

"Oh gracious me ...." says the other.

"And this is my third son. My baby. My beautiful Ahmed. He's 18." she
whispers.

"Yes" says, the friend enthusiastically, "I remember when he first started school".

"He's a martyr also," says mum, with tears in her eyes.

After a pause and a deep sigh, the second Muslim mother looks wistfully at the photographs and says...

"They blow up so fast, don't they?"

Speaking of Hijab Fashions - don't forget the Tartan Taliban

Have you heard?

The UK authorities took the Tartan Taliban into custody the other day.

What does that have to do with that great John Wayne movie "McLintock", you ask? Well, as his name was James McLintock it was the image that came up when I googled McLintock. Made me remember how much I love that movie.

I love kilts, too you know and when I heard Tartan Taliban all I could think about was a big, plaid hijab. Couldn't find a picture of a plaid hijab or Mr. McLintock. He goes by the name of Mohammed Yacoun now and I guess being tied to Al Qaeda and the recent London bombing suspects must make him camera shy. (I sure love that movie McLintock, though. I must watch it again soon.)

But back to the Tartan Taliban - Read what Robert Spencer of Jihadwatch has to say about him. He tweaked to the dude back in December of 03.


For you Apologists and Appeasers, Radio Free Europe takes a look at the backgrounds of the Tartan Taliban, Richard "the shoe bomber" Reid, "Taliban Johnny" Walker Lindh and other isolated desert derelicts to try to explain the phenomenon of rich whiteys gone islamist. The usual root cause suspects are trotted out; sufficient value systems not instilled by the parents, mental illness, drugs and of course, thrill seeking. Read it all.

Update: Remember Mathew Stewart? He's the Aussie dude that might have starred in the latest Al Qaeda video.

But not according to his mum. I do feel bad for her. Man, that is a heavy load that she is carrying.

Well, the Australian Army has 7 former soldiers that have gone islamist and they are looking for them. Happy hunting, mates. Bring 'em in and get them in the system. If they need help, they can get it in prison.

Dinah Lord Explains Her Theory of Hijab To You

I see the hijab and I think of women enslaved.

Slaves to religious fashion.

Sheikh Dr Zaki Badawi, one of the most senior Muslims in Britain, has advised women to stop wearing the hijab because of an increase in hate attacks since the July 7 London bombings. Other leaders urged women not to surrender to intimidation by thugs.

Okay, so let me get clear on this.

Wear the hijab and be intimidated by English "thugs", or wear the hijab and be intimidated by Islamic thugs.

Hey ladies. Don't you get it? Until you slip the veil of tyranny off your shoulders and start wearing what you feel like wearing you are just so much thug-candy scurrying around in a black shroud. Plain and simple.

Chattel cattle.

YOu say you feel like wearing the hijab? Well, I say wear your hijab and get on with your own bad self. And I do mean bad self.

Back during the invasion of Afghanistan, my sister-in-law and I went to a Halloween party at a redneck bar here in the states dressed as women living under the rule of the Taliban. Now, if you will recall, emotions were running high during that part of the WOT and before you go all Koranic desecration on me and holler for Amnesty International because we were defiling the hijab - it wasn't the real hijab. It was a get-up we put together after a trip to the local thrift shop and consisted of a couple of choir robes, a couple of dracula capes and a lacy black slip.

Let me tell you, it's amazing what you can do with a little feminine inspiration and a glue gun.

We had a blast underneath that hijab.

We walked in and the whole place fell silent. I didn't know if one of those crazy rednecks were going to pull out a gun on us or what. So I can kinda feel for you hijab wearers on the intimidation thing. Have any of you walked into a pub wearing the full hijab? I doubt it. So believe me when I tell you that it WAS intimidating. and believe me when I say I sympathize with your feeling intimidated. It's not a good feeling. I feel sorry for you all.

After all, you are intimidated if you do wear hijab and you are intimidated if you don't.

Don't you get this?

You can be a force positive good by standing up, throwing off the veil, dressing modestly and taking responsibility for yourself. A culture of oppression and hatred will not survive. And that's what you are looking at from behind your veil and under your headscarf.

No one's going to do it for you and no one's saying you have to be a hoochie mama...Lord knows, there's enough of them around here already.

But!

If you DO want to be a hoochie mama - then like I said, go on with your own bad self.

Just don't be going around like a hoochie in hijab sheep clothing. Cause after throwing back a few wine coolers and shaking our groove things on the dance floor we ended up having more fun than any hijab wearing woman should ever admit to. Dinah thinks thats the gig you got going underneath that hijab.

And while Dinah is 'splaining her theory of hijab - she has to add this:

Don't be looking to no man for fashion rules.

It doesn't matter if they are fashion designers OR muslim clerics. Just say no to men's fashion tips...

And stop asking,"does my butt look big in this?"

Yellow, this is Mujibar

Really silly joke someone just sent me:

Mujibar was trying to get into the USA legally through Immigration. The
Officer said, "Mujibar, you have passed all the tests, except there is one
more test. Unless you pass it you cannot enter the United States of
America.

Mujibar said, "I am ready."

The officer said, "Make a sentence using the words Green, Pink and Yellow."

Mujibar thought for a few minutes and said, "Mister Officer, I am ready."

The Officer said, "Go ahead."

Mujibar said, "The telephone goes green, green, green, and I pink it up,
and say, 'Yellow, this is Mujibar.'"

Mujibar now lives in a neighborhood near you and works at the AOL help
desk.

In Honor of Steven Vincent

I had just recently started reading Steven Vincent's blog, Into the Red Zone and I was deeply saddened to hear of his passing. His blog was fascinating and insightful and I am truly angry that his voice has been silenced by the tyranny of terror.

Not too long ago, Mr. Vincent wrote the following:

"We too will someday step through a door marked "Exit" and embark on another journey. And on that passage we will take nothing with us, save perhaps a faith that the God immanent in the awesome power of nature is also present in the final melting of the heart and the subsequent flight of the soul."

Steven Vincent, R.I.P.

Michael Jackson to become Isolated Desert Derelict

It's being widely reported today that Michael Jackson is going to be moving to Bahrain. Evidently, he liked being able to go out and mix and mingle among the people during his recent visit there. He accomplished this by wearing the traditional garb, the djellaba.

This continues to bolster my premise: These getups like the djellaba and the burka are costumes, people. The caftan, is another matter. I see nothing wrong with the caftan as lounge wear.

Alas, a good caftan is hard to find.