Dinah's Not Letting Any Grass Grow Under Her - Um...Feet

while she is away from the blogging screen.

Photo courtesy of the Chelsea Flower Show which you too, can visit in your pjs.

Speaking of grass. Soldiers often speak of missing the green, green grass of their homeland.


Robert via Atlas Shrugged tipped me to this Soldier in Iraq who did the next best thing. How cool is this.

Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq, stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt (U.S. soil), fertilizer and some grass seed so he can smell the sweet aroma and feel the grass grow beneath his feet. When the men of the squadron have a mission they are going on they take turns walking through the grass and the American soil to bring them good luck.

God bless our troops. Cheers - Dinah

Dinah Goes Dark

Due to circumstances beyond my control I am going to have to suspend blogging activity for a while....

Thanks for stopping by. Keep fighting the good fight.

Cheers - Dinah

Feeling rotten about Denmark...

Greetings from Copenhagen-

The Lord and Master and I arrived late yesterday evening from Dublin after a long delay at Heathrow. Security issues delayed our flight - some discrepancy with the bags according to the airline agent. It's hard to understand why a trip of 1000 miles would take all day long and then some, but there you are. Welcome to the post 9/11 world.

Copenhagen is a beautiful city, a very interesting blend of the modern and the old world, quaint yet trendy at the same time. The weather has been sucky - chilly and drizzling pretty much all day. People have been friendly, by and large, but I haven't seen any marked signs of Danish pride or any evidence of the citizenry looking like they are ready to take their country back. It's been kind of weird to tell you the truth. I guess I expected more from people. More outrage, more Danish pride, more patriotism. Something. I have read that the Danes loved their flag but there's not much evidence of it. I'm wearing my Remember 9-11 lapel pin on my coat and have only gotten one comment from a merchant in one of the stores we visited. The woman was very nice, very friendly and quite chic. She read the pin and we made eye contact. "Ahh - American," she said. "It is so important that we remember those who perished." I nodded in return and said, "It is also important that we never let those who advocate Islamic law take over our countries." Our eyes met again and hers were kind of tearing up - I went on to tell her that we had come to visit Denmark to support them after the cartoon controversy. For sammenhold. She nodded and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. This was all done in soft voices and furtive movements, so as not to attract notice. It was weird but it felt good to know that there was someone here that had an opinion one way or the other.

Regarding the Muslim presence here, so far it's been limited to a surly cabdriver and random groups of swarthy males wearing the keffiyah wrapped around their necks seen strolling about the Stroget. The women are all wearing headscarves and also travel in small groups but the Stroget seems to be pretty much the Fisherman's Wharf of Denmark, in other words a tourist ghetto. I did see some posters for some kind of Muslim rap concert, featuring the 'Turban' and 'Mandingo'. Lots of old hippies rambling around and we haven't even made it to Christiansted yet. Needless to say, I would feel VERY uncomfortable waving around my Mohammed in his exploding turban t-shirt here. Now what does that tell you?

In addition, technical problems have abounded. I have attempted three posts and all of them have gotten zapped because of a power surge or problem with my converter. In addition, my camera's transformer got zapped and is no longer working, therefore my camera is dead in the water as well. Oh well.

The good news - the Carlsberg pilsener is excellent.

Keeping this short to avoid being zapped again. OAN there is an Arla Foods facility across the street from my hotel and I see Jylands-Posten billboards everywhere I go. The English weekly, The Copenhagen Post is the source for news. Europe is crying out for FOX News or some facsimile thereof. Just saying.

I also wanted to post a slick image but was restricted from accessing Google Image. It might contain harmful images - dang talk about a nanny state. I'm over it....

The Mancunian Candidate

Greetings from Manchester.

After a few good days in London hitting all our favorite spots we've moved on, taking the train up to Manchester for some business meetings. The Lord and Master is attending meetings and I am watching the riots in Paris. Sky News is on the telly and it's been quite interesting to hear the commentary - the news reader claims that "hundreds of thousands" of "disaffected yutes" have taken to the streets and that the country has come to a halt. It's hard to tell based on the camera angles. Emails are coming into the studio from Paris and people are claiming that none of the images are being broadcast on French TV - that may be because the reporters are on strike, too. Dominique DeVillepin is telling the police that the measure of their success will be based on their coolness under fire. Nickolas Sarkozy, on the other hand is saying the measure of their success will be based on the numbers of disaffected yutes arrested. Oops - they've got the tear gas going. (I'm waiting for the water cannons, myself.)

They are claiming that the French Employment Law has sparked the outrage and I wonder if W's Immigration Law will end up doing the same thing in the US. As you can imagine the news was full of this past weekend's immigration protests. The CNN news readers could hardly disguise the glee in their voices as they showed the footage.

Hmm. I am watching one of the longhaired protesters making the universal signal at the po-lice and you KNOW what that is!

They are reporting 100 arrested. Now they have an on-the-scene report. The protester he is not 'appy. More estimates on the crowd size - according to the French Union over 3 million peeps are on the street. Apparently 40% of the disaffected yutes are unemployed.

The UK is not immune to this type of action: 1 million public sector employees went on strike today over pension benefits. They are increasing their retirement age for some workers from 60 to 65. Thousands of schools, libraries and sports centers were closed by the work action.

All right! There go the water cannons! They don't seem to be too effective. Poor disenfranchised, disaffected yute. Now we have a flaming lib, aka diversity expert who is saying poor, widdle yutes. He is disgusted by France. Voila! Now he is blaming the police. 50 years of government inaction on assimilating immigrants. Deepseeded problems, racism - will their be cars burning in the suburbs?

Off to dinner....
Update: Mancunian is what the people from Manchester refer to themselves as. (as opposed to Manchesterite or Manchesterian) The building above is the Imperial War Museum North. Dinner was at Piccholino's and it was good. It also was packed with Mancunian party people and footballer's wives. Tomorrow is an early call for the the flight to Dublin.

Cheers - see you in Ireland!

Greetings from Eurabia

It sure is nice to be back in London again. I love this town.

Had a remarkably smooth trip via British Airways last night. Man, there's something to be said for traveling in the front cabin. Nothing like First Class to make you feel like a trip across the Big Pond is a hop, skip and a jump. That and a Fast Pass through Immigration and Customs can make your trip a good one. Bless you BA for all you do.

We hopped on the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and I have to say that if you are planning a trip to London the Heathrow Express is the way to get into the central city. It was easy as pie and took roughly a quarter of the time it would take a cab or hired car. You can take your baggage trolley all the way to the train if you are worried about schlepping your big bags and the trains are beautiful, clean and frequent. If you got the greenbacks, pay the extra shekels to go First Class. It's not crowded, there's a place for your bags, you can hang your coat, relax and catch up with the news on the strategically placed TV screens. Being a newshound and a basketball fan, catching up with the news and the latest NCAA brackets are important. (LSU rocks! You tell me. Is there another Shaq on the NBA'a horizon? And where the heck is George Mason from?) It is also very reasonable. I think it's even free for some folks with the right kind of airline ticket. Anywho. If you are taking the night flight from North America you can get a good shot of caffeine(coffee or diet coke) and enjoy a DANISH at Paddington Station before setting off to check your bags at your hotel. (You know your room won't be ready and that will fuel you for a walkabout town until you get into your room and crash) Which is exactly what we did.

FYI- March 26th is Mother's Day here in the UK and there were lots of mums out and about.

There were lots of jilbabs, hijabs and Muslim headscarves about too. Interesting given the recent ruling about the jilbab in public schools here in London. The answer to that dilemma being "Just say not to Jilbab" according to the House of Lords. Get a load of this:

The House of Lords yesterday overturned an appeal court ruling that a Muslim teenager's human rights were violated when she was banned from wearing a head-to-toe Islamic dress to school.
The unanimous ruling by five law lords was greeted with relief by teachers' bodies and the Department for Education and Skills, which feared that upholding the ruling would throw schools' policies on uniforms into chaos.

Shabina Begum, 17, argued that banning her from wearing the jilbab at Denbigh high school in Luton, Bedfordshire, breached her rights to education and to manifest her religion, as guaranteed by the European convention on human rights. She lost two years' schooling before moving to a school which allowed her to wear the religious garb.

But the law lords said there was no right to be educated at a particular school, and she could have moved earlier to a single-sex school where the garment would be unnecessary or to a school where it was permitted.

Shabina had worn the shalwar kameez (tunic and trousers) for her first two years at the school, but when she was nearly 13 she went to school in a jilbab. Shabina, who was represented on legal aid by Cherie Booth QC and the Children's Legal Centre, said after the judgment: "Obviously I am saddened and disappointed about this, but I am quite glad it is all over and I can move on now. Even though I lost, I have made a stand."

Not for nothing, what is Cherie Booth doing? Is she nuts? Once again, did bra burning feministas torch their Maidenforms so they could clothe their daughters in burnooses? (burnoosi? I don't know what the heck is the plural of burnoose?) I know I didn't....

It's been a little weird here since I arrived. Okay, it might be me reading too much Mark Steyn, but it seems like Eurabia has definitely arrived. Not for nothing, the hotel tv has the usual BBC channels and it has CNBC, MTV and CNN (horrors), but it also has Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, and Abu Dhabi TV...you know that my comment card will be asking why they don't at least carry Fox News. Hey, fair and balanced, you know?

THen when we stopped into the lobby bar for a nightcap it was loaded with Middle Eastern types. I have no problem with that. But there were only five women in the bar and I KNOW I was the only honest woman there. It just weirded me out to see many groups of these guys, drinking, smoking and hanging out with hot blonde babes talking about their wives at home - saying things like (FYI-Dinah is a world class eavesdropper); "I will always respect her - she is the mother of my children" while swilling expensive cognac, smoking Cuban cigars, fondling their prayer beads AND THE HOT BLONDES in their HOOCHIE MAMA clothes at the same time. (I swear to God this was what was happening) Paging Cherie Blair...

Needless to say being a wife herself, Dinah was giving them the dick eye....

Now before you say 'Dinah, what kind of flophouse are your staying in?" Dinah will tell you it is a 5 star hotel in Knightsbridge, the only one with a pool on the roof. It's not your basic hot sheet operation here. During the day, it seems like a normal family establishment, at breakfast this morning there were lots of families (with their nannies-also an interesting phenomena), but at night it takes on a totally different character.

It could be me and the jet lag kicking in though, too.

Other big news in the papers here: The Ungrateful Hostage - Norman Kember. Get a load of this:

The row has exposed an unbridgeable gulf between the peace campaigners who want Western forces out of Iraq and the military. The CPT arrived in Baghdad in October 2002 with the motto "Getting in the Way". It was the first Western group to publicise the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib, promotes close ties with Muslim leaders, and refuses to use bodyguards in Iraq.

It has also said it would not welcome any armed attempts to rescue its members. Jan Benvie, 51, a Scottish schoolteacher on standby to travel to Iraq for the CPT, said she and Mr Kember had signed "statement of conviction" documents asking not to be rescued by military force. "I don't want my life to be bought with the price of somebody else's life," she said yesterday.

I say Norman and his friends should pay for his rescue.

I also say, the jet lag is kicking in big time. My Lord and Master is out cold and I think I'm going to have to say good night as well. I hope I don't read this in the morning and say 'what was I thinking?'

Cheers - Dinah

Dinah Does Denmark

Exciting news from the land of the walking wounded, dear readers.

As you read this, I am getting ready to jump on a plane for London. From there I will travel to Manchester, Dublin and last, but not least, Copenhagen. Wicked awesome, eh?

My Lord and Master had a business trip and decided that taking along the old ball and chain would be a good birthday present for said ball and chain. His business affairs will take him to England and Ireland. The trip to Denmark is for sammenhold!

So my next missive will be coming to you from London. (I am hoping my shoulder will hold up for all the luggage hauling, photo snapping, glad-handing and typing that will be coming)

And yes, my Mohammed-in-his-exploding-turban T-shirt is included in the suitcase.

Can you tell I'm getting jazzed?

Here's a few linkys to read in the meantime:

Brussels Journal: Europe’s Ailing Social Model: Facts & Fairy-Tales
USA Today: Google Goes Jihadi and joins the S&P via the SF Chronicle

Cheers - Dinah

Dude - where's my bourse?

Yesterday was the day that the Iranians were supposed to have launched their Petroleum Bourse. This was supposed to shift demand from US dollars to euros, bankrupting the Great Satan's treasury and bringing our evil economy to their knees.

Except it hasn't happened yet and I haven't been able to find out why.

There's this from the Globe and Mail: Iranian Oil Bourse hits the wall - opening postponed.

Iran Daily News has a little bit more info - saying that the Iranian bourse will be up and running by April;

The country, which also holds the world’s second largest gas reserves after Russia, has planned to put an end to the greenback monopoly on oil trades by expediting efforts to establish an oil bourse by April.
Once the much-publicized oil bourse is established, the long-sought objective of replacing the US dollar with the euro in OPEC transactions will come one major step closer to reality. The oil bourse, which will be established as envisaged in the Fourth Five-Year Plan (2005-2010), has received support from both the Parliament and the government in Iran. It will enable oil-rich Iran to regulate prices at home without having to follow other countries’ dollar-pegged trading system.

There's this from The Age that pretty much lays out the Iranian plan to economically destroy the US, although in typical LLL fashion it is all George W Bush's fault. (Rove you magnificent bastard!) Bush's Iran plan a timebomb with explosive results

The Final Call, the mouthpiece of the Louis Farrakhan organization, has put their own spin on the bourse, blaming the US evildoers, of course and siding with the poor widdle UN. Shocka!

UNITED NATIONS (Finalcall.com) - Phyllis Bennis, senior fellow, Middle East/UN Affairs expert for the Washington-based Institute of Policy Studies, told the Inter Press service back in December that “2006 would be the crucial year” in determining whether the United Nations could “reclaim its role as an independent actor on the world scene, or whether the virulent United States choice of either sidelining or undermining the global organization would prevail.”

But a funny thing has happened on the way to the bourse - Middle Eastern financial markets are the ones that are in turmoil, not the Great Satan's.

For years Middle Eastern financial markets have outperformed many in the world. Over the last few weeks they have taken a hit. The Dubai Financial Market has lost about 40% of its value since since the beginning of the year. Saudi Arabia's Tadawul index fell 5% on Tuesday, bringing it down about 20% since it's February high. Kuwait has seen it's stock exchange fall 7% last week and is down about 13.2% since December, causing investors to take to the streets.

Some ME governments have intervened in limited ways, for example, Saudi allow Expats to invest in their stock market The article neglects to mention that Prince Alaweed bin Talal, a close bud of the country's ruling elite, has also pledged to inject as much as 10 billion Saudi riyals ($2.7 billion) into the market to help stabilize it.

You won't feel so sorry for the investors though when you take a look at the run up these guys have been having. The Tadawul has risen nearly 600% since 2002. It doubled in value last year. Kuwait's price index has risen 749% since 2000. In the UAE, the Abu Dhabi Securities Market and the Dubai Financial Market have more than quintupled.

Can you say valuation problems? Can you say fundamentals?

Good thing the Iranians have another trick up their financial sleeve...are you ready for it????

This will take the world markets by storm- Iranians plan Persian Carpet Bourse.
Update: From the Asia Times:

TEHRAN - March 20 was to have been the day that Iran was attacked by either the United States or Israel, according to countless doomsday predictions. The fateful date has come and gone, and there has been no replay of "shock and awe". March 20 was also meant to see the inauguration of the Kish oil bourse, on which Iranian oil will be traded in a basket of currencies, including the euro. But because of "technical glitches", according to the Ministry of Petroleum, the launch has been postponed, with no new date set.

This too, just in from the Asia Times:

According to a March 14 story in The Independent of London, the United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai, said it was looking to move a tenth of its dollar reserves into euros, and the governor of the Saudi central bank condemned the US move blocking Dubai Ports World from taking over the US ports as ''discrimination''.

As an example of the dollar's imperviousness to reports of petro-switches, the UAE announcement had almost no effect on world currency markets, whose traders are skittish enough to respond to slight rumors of wheat blight in the Caucasus to shift in and out of currencies with lightning speed. The US dollar, which spent last week strengthening against the euro before the threats by the Middle Eastern central bankers, fell slightly against the European currency by a quarter of a percentage point to a one-week high of $1.1945 - before it retreated later.

A toast to freedom of speech-

Hello dear readers-

The shoulder is mending and it's slowly getting easier out here to be a gimp. Alas, it is also time for a trip back to the farm and you know what that means...no internet access.

In the meantime here's a little something that struck my fancy from Robert Burns, noted poet, faithful Freemason and feisty Scot.

It seemed very apt for those trying to suppress our freedom of speech today.

Here's freedom to him who would speak.
Here's freedom to him who would write.
For there's none ever feared,
That the truth should be heared,
Save he who the truth would indict.

Cheers - Dinah

It's Hard Out Here For a Gimp

Sorry readers. The shoulder is still fugazy and typing remains a pain. Hope all is well with you. Maybe next week I'll be back in the blogging saddle. Until then, happy trails and stay well.

Cheers - Dinah

Gee - it's great to be back fighting the Islamic Jihad

one keystroke at a time again. And I do mean one keystroke at a time.

Keeping it real brief because of that thing called real life. In my case, getting the Lord manse ready to put on the market, dealing with my best friend's life-threatening illness, ongoing familial dysfunction, and taking a dumbass fall that has left me walking around like a gimp and rendered my mouse arm largely inoperable.

Eek a mouse! Did someone say Tom and Jerry? It just gets stranger and stranger in Motoon land, folks.

But enough Mickey Mousing around. Like I said I'm keeping it real brief because of this thing called real life. So let's play connect the dots and look at some links you might not have seen.

Things to watch that will mean we are bombing Iran from The Strategy Page.

Reasons why the bombing of the holy shrine in Samarra was the start of the Iranian Offensive from the American Spectator Blog courtesy of Regime Change Iran. (Will someone please 'splain to me why blowing up an Islamic holy site is okay? There have to be Korans in there and WE know how offended these folks get about their Koran being messed up. What about when they get blown up by fellow Muslims? Is there anything in the hadith about that?

Don't forget today's the deadline for Jill Carroll. I pray for her.

we'll attack Israel is interesting and totally expected. It looks like he is taking a page from the Nazi propaganda playbook.

William F Buckley throws in the towel on Iraq. Sort of. He never was really in this thing according to the Corner. Even Bill Kristol is getting discouraged.

Good thing we have Charles and Ernie over at LGF to cheer them up.

76 ErnieG 2/25/2006 07:32PM PST
To the folks who were asking what this is about, this is an old LGF joke, that started when someone remarked about the Palestinian custom of holding up portraits in demonstrations. Someone else suggested velvet Elvises, and the result was this.

Then followed this, this, this, this, and this.

And thanks to Kilgore Trout, here's the Velvet Prophet Panties Be Upon Him. I seem to remember Elvis liked his "wimmen" to wear white cotton drawers. Now there's a factoid that will get you brought up on sexual harassment charges if you spout it at work!

Cheers - Dinah

TGIF

Off to the Midwest for a few days and if you are regular reader here you know that there is no information superhighway down on the farm. Until then I leave you with a few links and look forward to seeing you all on my return. Cheers - Dinah.

Yesterday, we talked about Ashoura. Today I found this very good observation over at The Will To Exist that highlights the nexus between the 'loudmouth failure monkeys back home' and Ashoura. (Hat tip Mudville Gazette)

To say that I don’t understand Ashura would be an understatement. Flagellating myself has never been an attractive idea, and I certainly wouldn’t want to lacerate my own head with a knife. But hey, that’s a choice for free people to make, and Iraqis are working on becoming a free people, at least relative to what they lived under during the reign of madman and mass murderer Saddam “Insane” Hussein. Progress is progress.

Iraq yesterday proved it is making progress. It proved that all the whiners, naysayers and doom and gloom prophets are just unnecessary baggage that should be dumped in the landfill of people and ideas forgotten by history.

I don't know how I missed Lighten Up Fellow Muslims when it originally ran in the WSJ but I'm glad I found it today in the Melbourne Age because it puts the pedal to the hypocrisy metal on the Muslim response to the Cartoon Caper.

When Muslims put the prophet on a pedestal, we're engaging in idolatry of our own. The point of monotheism is to worship one God, not one of God's emissaries. Which is why humility requires people of faith to mock themselves - and each other - every once in a while.

Since we are dancing with the hypocrisy stars, waltz on over to Clarity And Resolve for the handsome Patrick al Kafir's take on Vladimir Putin's latest Moscow two step on the subject of Terror. It's a beaut. (While there you should also check out his post on Ayaan Ali Hirsi's latest remarks.)

Anyone who has ever savored Danish baby back ribs while cursing Europe's slow and steady slouch toward Dhimmitude will appreciate this from NeanderNews: Danish schools will no longer exclusively serve halal meats in their school lunch program.

Mohammed had a thing against dogs. I love 'em and I also loved this from Politics of a Patriot: Semper Fido (hat tip: Mudville Gazette)

"Fluffy is a blonde 6lb. female Maltese currently assigned to the 7th Marine Division K9 unit serving in the Iraq Anbar province. Recently she assisted the Marines in the capture of 21 insurgents. Fluffy's handler, CPL Brian Sunland said, "Congress thought they were going to screw us again with their 'kinder/gentler' war bullsh*t when they sent us Fluffy. They forget that Marines have a history of making men out of boys and we used that same training regimen on Fluffy."

Hoo-ah!

File this one under You-couldn't-make-this-stuff-up-if-you-tried.

Dr Rusty Shackleford over at the Jawa Report weighs in with this report: Muslims Demand Prophet Mohammed Sex Doll Ban

"Image right from the Ann Summers adult store of the 'Mustafa' inflatable 'shag' doll. Muslims are upset because the Prophet Muhammed (swt) is often given the title al-Mustafa--or, the chosen one.

Apparently there is a large demand for Arabic looking sex dolls with seven inches of love in London at so-called 'hen parties'--the female equivalent of 'stag parties' or bachelor parties. For her part, the proprieter says she was unaware that Mustafa was a name given to the Prophet Muhammed (swt), and only seems to have used the name to make here mustached sex doll seem more Arabic. She claims she will happily change the name."

Just so she doesn't make the mistake of changing it to Mohammed...

I've got the lemons and the salt - you bring the matches and the Danish flag!

Check out "Taquiyya: Anatomy of The Comic Jihad" here. It rocks.

Courtesy of JYB Films and Junkyard Blog.

You make the call -

Which of these pics represent a religion of peace?

This one today representing the commemoration of Gomateshwara by the Jainists of India:


From the Hindustan Times:

Amidst the chanting of hymns and rendering of devotional songs in praise of Bahubali, also known as lord Gomateshwara, hundreds of nude Jain pontiffs and nuns clad in white saris gathered around the imposing statue to perform worship.

About 300,000 people had climbed the 618 stone steps of the picturesque Vindhyagiri hill till late afternoon to participate in the function, organisers told IANS on phone from Shravanabelagola, about 150 km from here.

Slogans like "Bhagwan Bahubali ki jai" rent the air, transforming the entire region with a religious fervour.

After the ritual bathing lasting about two hours, the statue was propitiated with sandalwwod paste, turmeric powder and rice flakes, and decorated with gold and silver coins as well as precious stones amidst showering of flowers.

Or this one yesterday representing the commemoration of Ashoura by a sect of Shiite Muslims?:

From the Houston Chronicle:
In Karbala, about 20,000 men wearing white shrouds and waving swords above their heads began marching around 2 a.m. between the gold-domed Imam Hussein shrine and another dedicated to his brother, Abbas, less than a mile away.

Following dawn prayers, about 8,000 people, dressed in black as a sign of mourning and including children as young as 8, marched between the two shrines to the deep beat of bass drums.

Some slapped chains across their backs until their clothes were soaked with blood, while others beat their heads with the flat side of long swords and knives until blood ran freely in a ritual of grief that was banned under ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

Some sliced their foreheads with the edge of a sword in a practice known as "al-Tatbeer" — meaning "sword" in Arabic — and beat themselves while chanting "Haider, Haider," a name by which Hussein's father, Ali, is known.

"Although it is a sad day, I am very happy because I took part in these head-beating processions," said 10-year-old Haider Abbas Salim, (ed. note: 10 yrs old!) whose face was covered in blood. "Imam Hussein's martyrdom teaches us manhood and that we shouldn't fear anything."


Hmm. Flower petals and sandalwood or knives and swords? You tell me.

Every Girl's Crazy For A Sharped Tongued Imam

Amir Taheri has more on the trumping up of the Mohammed cartoons here.

February 9, 2006 -- 'A BLESSING from God": So have Iran's leaders, starting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, described the controversy over the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed.
A closer look at the row, however, shows that the whole rigmarole was launched by Sunni-Salafi groups in Europe and Asia, with Ahmadinejad and his Syrian vassal, President Bashar al-Assad, belatedly playing catch-up. God had nothing to do with it.

This commentary from Jamil Momand in the LA Times is interesting as well. I hope expressing this opinion in public doesn't mean fatwa time for him - Islam being such a religion of peace and tolerance and all.What Would Mohammed Do?

ON FRIDAY, I sat on the carpet listening to the sermon at an L.A. mosque. The topic was expected and familiar: a denunciation of the publication of the offensive cartoons that have had the Muslim world up in arms. I directed my eyes to the carpet so no one could see the disgusted look on my face. "Not again," I thought. "Don't we Muslims ever get tired of complaining?"

And in other interesting news: 51 Deportees from US arrive in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: Fifty-one Pakistanis deported from the United States for violating various laws reached Islamabad by a chartered flight on Wednesday. The US embassy spokesman in Pakistan told Daily Times that the deportees were involved in several cases including fraud, forgery, burglary, drug smuggling, murder, illegal immigration, sexual assault, rape and possession of illegal weapons.

This in particular, tickled me:

Naveed Ahmed, one of the deportees, told his family that US law enforcers had put him behind bars on charges of having a “long beard”. He said the deportees were handcuffed in the plane during the 19-hour flight.

Guess he never ran into these guys while he was here:

Comic Relief

I sure could use some, couldn't you?

Let's round out the picture before we call it a day on this - shall we?

From Rantings of a Sandmonkey:

Freedom For Egyptians reminded me why the cartoons looked so familiar to me: they were actually printed in the Egyptian Newspaper Al Fagr back in October 2005. I repeat, October 2005, during Ramadan, for all the egyptian muslim population to see, and not a single squeak of outrage was present. Al Fagr isn't a small newspaper either: it has respectable circulation in Egypt, since it's helmed by known Journalist Adel Hamoudah...

You can see a scanned copy of the actual Al Fagr front page there as well - check it out.

And in keeping with the Pay No Attention To the Man Behind the Turban theme, Sandmonkey adds this:

Now while the arab islamic population was going crazy over the outrage created by their government's media over these cartoons, their governments was benifitting from its people's distraction. The Saudi royal Family used it to distract its people from the outrage over the Hajj stampede. The Jordanian government used it to distract its people from their new minimum wage law demanded by their labor unions. The Syrian Government used it to create secterian division in Lebanon and change the focus on the Harriri murder. And, finally, the Egyptian government is using it to distract us while it passes through the new Judiciary reforms and Social Security Bill- which will cut over $300 million dollars in benefits to some of Egypt's poorest families. But, see, the people were not paying attention, because they were too busy defending the prophet by sending out millions of e-mails and SMS-messages, boycotting cheese and Lego and burning Butter and the danish Flag.

The BBC finally cops to the fact that the Danish Imams took liberties with the Jylands-Posten cartoons, although you have to scroll WAY down in the article to find it.

Twelve cartoons were originally published by Jyllands-Posten. None showed the Prophet with the face of a pig. Yet such a portrayal has circulated in the Middle East (The BBC was caught out and for a time showed film of this in Gaza without realizing it was not one of the 12).

This picture, a fuzzy grey photocopy, can now be traced back (suspicion having been confirmed by an admission) to a delegation of Danish Muslim leaders who went to the Middle East in November to publicise the cartoons. The visit was organised by Abu Laban, a leading Muslim figure in Denmark.


According to the Danish paper Ekstra Bladet, the delegation took along a pamphlet showing the 12 drawings. But the delegation also showed a number of other pictures, including the "pig" one. The delegation claimed they were the sort of insults that Muslims in Denmark had to endure. These also got into circulation.

The NY Press decides not to show the cartoons and staffmembers walk the plank.

A college professor in Dubai gets the ax (oops I mean fired - bad choice of words)for showing the cartoons.

Unfunny. Four killed in Afghanistan due to funnies

Pieces of Hate: This from Reuters:

A Taliban commander was reported on Wednesday as offering a bounty of 100 kg of gold to anyone who killed one of the cartoonists who drew the controversial pictures.

The commander, Mullah Dadullah, also offered 5 kg of gold to anyone who killed a Danish, Norwegian or German soldier in Afghanistan, the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press reported.

And in other outrage news:

Koran found in Pakistani Sewer; Riots Ensue.

American Citizen in Cahoots with Zarqawi.

The NY Times deigns to delve into the Mecca confab (Mohammedpalooza)that orchestrated the Arab Street outrage. At last.

Pay no attention to the man behind the Turban...

Well, well, well. While the western world's attention has been diverted by the comic conflagration raging on the Arab street, the Iranians have been getting busy with the Russians. This from Middle East News Line: Iran acquires Russian fighters

MOSCOW [MENL] -- Iran has quietly acquired three fighter-jets from Russia.

Russian industry sources said Teheran has procured three Su-25UBT twin-seat attack aircraft from Moscow. The sources said the contract was concluded in 2005 and deliveries would take place in 2006.

The deal marked the first Iranian purchase of the Su-25. In 2001, Iran negotiated with Georgia for surplus MiG-25s, but the two countries failed to reach agreement.

The sources said the Su-25UBT marked the most advanced model of the attack aircraft. They said the fighters received new electronic warfare and jamming systems.

Iranians being arrested in Iraq? But, but, but...the Iranians aren't actively trying to undermine our efforts in Iraq are they? Are they? This from Regime Change Iran:

Iran Press News: Translation by Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzzi.
Ali-Asqar Khaji, Special representative of the Islamic regimes foreign ministry to Iraq expressed great anxiety regarding continued arrests and incarcerations of the regimes minions in Iraq and demanded that Iraqi authorities to be very mindful of such matters.

The regime-run news agency, FARS quoted a spokesman for regimes Ministry of Foreign Affairs High Office of Intelligence and Press in saying: "Saad Al-Hayani, the deputy to the foreign minister of Iraq who has traveled to Kermanshah in order to establish an Iraqi consulate as well as to promote and encourage relations between our two countries, will meet our special representative, Ali-Asqar Khaji for discussions on the matter."

The rhetoric out of Iran continues to escalate. Is anyone listening? Or is everyone paying attention to the Islamocomic comedy? IRCG spokesman says that Angela Merkel thinks she is Hitler! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. And then he blames it all on the Jooooos of course. (You had to know that was coming.) From Iran Focus:

Tehran, Iran, Feb. 08 – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel sees herself as former German dictator Adolf Hitler.

The IRGC’s spokesman, Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, told the Persian-language website Hemaseh, “The way Europe is dealing with the case of Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program shows the weaknesses and uselessness of countries such as Britain, France, and Germany. This weakness is in particular clearly noticeable in speeches by newcomers such as the German Chancellor”.

“Merkel in her childish dreams imagines herself as Hitler and therefore thinks that now that she is leaning against the Chancellorship’s chair she can give orders to the world and free countries”, Jazayeri said.

“From individuals who have a Zionist background nothing less is expected”, the IRGC spokesman added.

Oh and while we are at it, the same spokesman says that the West is using Mohammedpalooza to keep people from realizing that the Holocaust never happened. What are these people drinking over there? Also from Iran Focus:

Tehran, Iran, Feb. 08 – The Holocaust was nothing more than a “big lie”, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have said, backing up statements by hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who described the great massacre in which more than six million mostly Jewish people were killed as a “myth”.

The spokesman for the IRGC, Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, told the state-owned Persian-language website Hemaseh that recent cartoons in the European press depicting the Islamic prophet Mohammad negatively were published to create havoc to cover up such “lies”.

“These sorts of actions show [the West’s] weakness when up against Islam”, Jazayeri said, commenting on the cartoons which have sparked a wave of deadly protests across much of the world.

“With such uproar, they are trying to create an atmosphere where the words ‘right’ and ‘reality’ disappear, and considerable issues such as the Zionists’ and West’s big lie about the Holocaust are forgotten”, he said.

The Study of Revenge gets Googled

Well, it's finally come to this.

D.T. over at The Study of Revenge has been slapped with a content warning by the Google content nazis. I hope this drives his traffic up a thousandfold. Do me a favor and stop by and give him a pat on the back and some encouragement. His art deserves to be seen by all.

DT posted this in reply to this recent post about the Silent Majority. I repeat it here to honor his work.

Whether we attribute it to genuine muddle-headedness or to a genuine desire to protect the population, I think it’s safe to say that our leaders are lying to us vis-à-vis Islam and Muslims at large. We’ve been fed many nostrums since September 11; the foremost being that a tiny minority of extremists have hijacked Islam’s good image and that Islam is a religion of peace. Neither of these assertions hold up to any sort of empirical, whether contemporaneous or historical, analysis. I’m beginning to wonder if the “moderate” Muslim isn’t a myth as well. To examine so-called “moderate” Muslim advocacy groups here in the U.S. alone is to reveal indictments against their employees for terrorism, the receipt of funding from known terrorists charities, organizations like CAIR, for example, were founded by (Hamas) terrorists; not too mention all of the blithe remarks made by these, our friends, that they wouldn’t mind seeing the U.S. become an Islamic country, and so forth. This is the face of moderate Muslim America. Free Muslims Against Terror held a rally in D.C. (last year?) and 50 people showed up. Contrast that with the Muslim hordes who take to the streets threatening violence every time someone makes up a story about a Koran getting pooped on—so much for that tiny minority. Whereas you and I may not strap Kevlar vests on and fire mortars on the streets of Fallujah, we nonetheless support our country’s fight; likewise, simply because more Muslims aren’t strapping bombs to their chests doesn’t mean that they don’t sympathize with the likes of Bin Laden and the gang. Silence is oftentimes complicity and the onus isn't on us to prove otherwise

Silence is complicity. So is squelching free speech. As bloggers we risk running the same fate as DT - where will it stop?

And THIS little piggy went wee-wee-wee all the way home.

This makes me squeal.
Have you seen this OFFENSIVE cartoon yet?

You tell me - does it look like this by any chance?


What a coinky-dink? Right?

Wrong. The first OFFENSIVE cartoon was one of the ones peddled by the Danish Imams when they went on the road with their Mohammedpalooza tour.

The SECOND picture is from a pig squealing contest held over in France.

"... a photo of Jacques Barrot, a pig squealing contestant at the French Pig-Squealing Championships in Trie-sur-Baise’s annual festival. NeanderNews discovered this photo, taken by Bob Edme of AP, posted on an August 15, 2005 AP story seen here on MSNBC’s website."

Get the whole story over at NeanderNews

Sooey! Fake but accurate!

Mohammed, meet Boudreau

According to Mohammed:
“Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture.”

Not only is Boudreau here, (pictured here in his jaunty Santa cap for Christmas) there are a ton of pictures here and ANGELS also abound.

You lie, bud.