Friday Cat Blogging

At my site I take part in the bizarre activity known across the 'sphere as "Friday Cat Blogging". But since cute little kitties aren't really Murdoc's thing, I give it my own little twist. Here's a sample:

Aren't they just so precious?

The F-14 Tomcat made its final public appearance as an active part of the Navy over the September 17th weekend in an air show at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.

read the rest! »

Good News From Afghanistan vol.17: Sept 28/05

Anyone who has served or worked in Iraq and Afghanistan knows that it's a team effort. People step up, and we honor their service. Then they go, and others step up to take their place. Arthur Chrenkoff honored us all with his service. Now the GoodNewsFromTheFront.com team steps in to carry on his legacy, with the assistance and participation of the bipartisan Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

How appropriate, therefore, that we should begin with a briefing in the wake of Afghanistan's Wolesi Jirga (think of it as their House of Representatives) and Provincial Council elections, held simultaneously with minimal violence across 34 provinces. To put that perspective, we're talking about:

5,766 candidates who ran in elections that involved almost 6,300 polling centers containing about 26,250 polling stations across Afghanistan, run by 160,000 local polling staff. 40 million ballot papers, printed in Austria and Britain, were flown in to Afghanistan by 15 super-jumbo Antonov 124 flights and 8 jumbo jet flights, then delivered across Afghanistan by 1,247 donkeys, 300 horses, 24 camels, 1,200 trucks, 9 helicopters, and 39 transport planes. Also delivered: 40,000 bottles containing 7,000 liters of indelible ink, to stain voters' fingers. At least 4,700 domestic observers, 500 foreign observers, and 80,000 candidate agents monitored polling and counting, which is still ongoing. The elections are being run by 8,000 election staff, of whom only 500 are foreigners.

Afghanistan's last national assembly elections were held in 1969.

"For three decades everything has come apart and been destroyed by war. No one had the freedom to vote for the President or the National Assembly. So today is the day we vote... it's a very important day," Said Asem explained at a polling site in Parwan.

Mazi Rashidi, another voter from the same area added, "We vote today for candidates to the National Assembly. And when we have problems in the village or the district, these elected representatives will take those problems to the government."

Those of us who've attempted to apply that idea in Western societies may offer a bit of a rueful chuckle at that. Perhaps if Mazi Rashidi had experienced the reality of that process, we think, we'd see and hear less enthusiasm and idealism. But then, perhaps if those of us inclined to chuckle had experienced the reality of a society without meaningful national assembly elections since 1969, we'd see and hear a bit more of it.

It's easy to sneer, and easy to get attention by doing so. It's harder to build a better future. Undaunted, millions of Afghans continue to try, largely outside the glare of the media spotlight. These briefings will continue to cover, and honor, their efforts.

• Society
• Reconstruction & Economy
• Humanitarian Aid
• The Coalition Troops
• Security

More on al-Qaeda TV

MEMRI has the the clip up of al-Qaeda's "Voice of the Caliphate" newscast and the transcript makes it clear that it's anything but complimentary to the PA.

From the transcript:

Meanwhile, the mouthpieces of the so-called Palestinian Authority spoke about disarming the mujahideen under the pretext of what they called 'the weapons anarchy.' But the response of the mujahideen groups on the front lines was clear. They announced their refusal to disarm as long as the occupier remains in the land of the Muslims."

So it seems the animosity with the PA remains in full force.

I blame public ignorance

There's been some discussion, both here and on various other blogs (though this particular post was inspired by this post by Matt Yglesias) about the recent killing of Abu Azzam al-Iraqi, with a lot of the more cynical discussion as far as whether or not he's simply the dead or captured Zarqawi lieutenant of the week and even more skepticism on how much effect it will have on the insurgency. Leaving aside for a moment the fact that I disagree with most of Matt's narrative because ignores or demeans the excellent research and analysis that people like Gunaratna (who, as I'll note yet again, was the first person to note Zarqawi as a major threat in May 2002), Kohlmann, Cordesman, Brisard, etc. have actually done on both Zarqawi and the Iraqi insurgency, I think it touches on the far more important problem, namely that the administration has been scandalously lax in informing the American public about the nature of the al-Qaeda.

read the rest! »

News flash - Zarqawi is now the primary threat in Iraq

This Washington Post story with its sub-head "U.S. General Says Foreign Fighters Now Seen as Main Threat" was more than a little amusing to me, given that I had seen him as such since at least the bombing on the Jordanian embassy in July 2003. It also looks like I beat the rush as far as all the recent media reports about Iraqis and in particular former members of Saddam's regime throwing their lot in with Zarqawi.

read the rest! »

More on Intelligent Design as A Philosophy

I'm on a bit more cautious note after my last rambling into this topic, but I got an e-mail today asking me to explain more on from that entry as to why I think that Intelligent Design is far more philosophical than scientific and figured other people might be interested as well.

The thing is, as I understand ID I don't see how you can scientifically gauge whether or not something is so complex that it requires you to posit the existence of a designer. Where, if at all, is the cut-off point? As such, this strikes me as more of a philosophical position that ID advocates believe is supported by science than anything else, similar to how a lot of adherents of materialism or any number of other philosophical schools that are out there argue that their philosophies are supported by science. And just because you classify ID as a philosophy rather than as science has nothing to do with the issue of whether or not it's true, as any philosophy student could tell you.

From a public policy perspective, teaching ID within the context of a philosophy class would also seem to overstep a lot of the church-state clash since most reasonable people seem to accept that a lot of philosophy has definite religious implications to it whether you're dealing with the classical or contemporary variety. And yes, I still advocate that more philosophy of both stripes needs to be taught in high school.

Thursday Winds of War: September 29/05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday's Winds of War briefings are given by Matt 'Colt' of Eurabian Times and Steve 'USMC_Vet' of The Word Unheard.

TOP TOPICS

• Lebanese troops are deploying in PFLP-GC controlled-areas to prevent the flow of pro-Syrian terrorists in to the country. More details here. Syria is denying claims by a Lebanese minister that they threatened his life. The FBI will assist in the investigations in to the recent string of bombings in Lebanon. Despite all that, the U.S. is easing pressure on Syria to seal its borders with Iraq

• The GSPC is following through on its threats against France. An Algerian tip-off led to the arrest of nine cell members planning to bomb the Paris metro, an airport and DST headquarters.

• A couple of major successes against al-Qaeda in Iraq: U.S. special forces killed Zarqawi's #2, and police in Kirkuk are holding a senior member of Ansar al-Sunna.

• Violence in Darfur is so serious that the UN may pull its aid personnel out.

• Al-Qaeda TV describes the Gaza retreat as a great victory, and shows Ahmed Queria of the PLO in a favourable light - in a complete reversal of the group's previous opinion that the PLO was a infidel, Zionist tool. Perhaps this is related: the chief of Israeli military intelligence says al-Qaeda is in Gaza, and the group's interest in attacking Israel is growing.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran weighs response to IAEA vote; U.K. rules out force; mullahs behind '85 bomb in Germany; Egypt shoots terrorist; Syria buying Russian arms; Hamas leaders hide; Saudi Arabia certified as co-operating; U.S. clashes with Mehdi Army; Farrakhan claims levees blown up; Kosovo is A-Q haven; Yarkas gets 27 years; 7/21 arrest made; LeJ leader arrested; India nails seven terrorists; Abu Sayyaf round-up; Somaliland wants independence; and much more.

read the rest! »

On the Remarkable Prescience of Steven Vincent

This was written by my co-blogger "Alcibiades" earlier this week:

Steven Vincent's seminal piece in the NY Times about the eroding situation in Basra, written mid-summer, is still available here.

Read it to discover why last week's debacle in Basra, between the Iraqi police and the British army was forseeable long in advance. As Steven Vincent did:

read the rest! »

The ignorant brainwashed proletariat resists re-education!

Not only is the Moronic Convergence diverging, it continues to be deaf and blind to the people whose benefit is presumably its rationale. We saw this glaringly in evidence during three years of protests against invading Iraq, which not only did not feature any Iraqis or Afghanis, but in several cases refused them permission to speak or ignored their pleas to condemn Saddam or tried to shout down their counterprotest.

Here's the latest example:

read the rest! »

Chickens, Roost

Back in March, I wrote to the Democratic Party:

And how the hell could you have laid down and rolled over for the bankruptcy bill? If there was ever a bully pulpit to stand behind and use to point out the corporatist flaws of the GOP, this was it.

Note that I'm not opposed to government actions that help corporations; sometimes what's good for G.M. is actually good for America.

But this was such a clear-cut case of taking from the weak and giving to the rich with no public purpose except giving more to those that have that my head is swimming.

And the missed opportunity for the Democrats to define themselves - by challenging irresponsible and rapacious lending as much as they are challenging irresponsible borrowing - boggles my mind.

And today, reader Robert Martin emailed me this story from the New York Times:

...four weeks after New Orleans flooded and tens of thousands of other residents of the Gulf Coast also lost their homes and livelihoods, a stricter new personal bankruptcy law scheduled to take effect on Oct. 17 is likely to deliver another blow to those dislocated by the storm.

The law was intended to keep individuals from taking on debts they had no intention of paying off. But many once-solvent Katrina victims are likely to be caught up in the net intended to catch deadbeats.

So thanks, Congressman Moran (D-MBNA), (along with Senator Mary K Landrieu (D - LA) - hat tip to commenter PD Shaw) - and the 72 others who voted for this bill:

read the rest! »

The Moronic Convergence Diverges

My friends Rona and Mark went to DC and took photos of the pro-soldier counter-protest and the antiwar protest. Many inventive signs and t-shirts.

Not that evident from the DC event is that the antiwar coalition is beginning to fray at the edges just a bit.

First we have some Kos Kidz getting a mite peeved at Mother Cindy's megalomania. She was upset that Hurricane Rita coverage was stealing eyeballs from her umpteenth moment in the sun, and even Kossites without relatives in the storm path took exception.

Then we have a few protestors in San Diego fed up with the megalomania of an A.N.S.W.E.R.-bot and Kossites concerned about the credibility of the antiwar movement:

read the rest! »

The US Military's Futuristic "Helicopters"

The US military and NASA recently announced the award of five agreements/contracts for the Concept Design and Analysis (CDA) of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) rotorcraft. This is a futuristic aircraft that would carry roughly the capacity of a modern C-130 Hercules Transport, but with the ability to take off and land like a helicopter. No current US military helicopter even comes close.

To meet this goal, the competitors are deploying some radical and different technologies in their proposals. DID describes & explains them.

At the same time, the US Marine Corps' vital medium-heavy lift CH-53E Super Sea Stallion helicopters are beginning to to wear out their airframes. Hence the HLR Heavy Lift Replacement program, aimed at fielding new-build CH-53X aircraft beginning in 2012.

As runaway cost growth on numerous US defense programs creates concern and pressures for program consolidation, however, some observers think the USMC's affordable CH-53X track upgrade may be sidetracked via a merger with the R&D heavy, schedule-uncertain, JHL. This has implications for Marine Corps aviation - and there are potential interactions with the US Air Force's $10-11 billion combat search-and-rescue CSAR-X/PRV helicopter program as well.

DID explains the platforms, strategies, and choices ahead.

• The JHL Program
• The Contenders
  • The Modernized Standbys
  • Sikorsky's Compound Helicopter Option
  • The Tilt-Rotors
• 'Borging' HLR & the CH-53's Future
• Additional Readings & Sources: JHL Program
• Additional Readings & Sources: HLR Program (CH-53X)

Al-Qaeda TV takes to the Internet

I should probably have managed this earlier, but it seems that al-Qaeda is starting up its own online video news service, complete with commercial breaks and the like. While this is more or less a logical extension of other enemy propaganda we've seen over the years like Azzam Publications or the various e-zines published by al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, this is the first time they've taken their propaganda news casts directly to streaming video.

While this first webcast appears to be little more than an Islamified version of a Pat Buchanan column intercut with footage of the Iraqi insurgency, I will mention, probably in vain, that if these webcasts becomes a regular feature (with English subtitles or anchors, perhaps?) it is yet again a good reason for politicians to choose their words with care on any given topic if they don't want them showing up in enemy propaganda. This goes not only in terms of foreign policy but also with respect to domestic issues as well.

Finally, it is interesting note that al-Qaeda praises the Israeli withdrawl from Gaza by showing footage of Qureia, a leading member of the PA that bin Laden had previously dismissed as an infidel organization with Abbas as a "Palestinian Karzai." This may be a coincidence, but it may also be looking into given Israeli concerns that al-Qaeda is planning to infiltrate Gaza.

ICG report on Somalia, Part 1

This ICG report on Somalia has been around for awhile now, but I figured it was worth revisiting given the recent capture of al-Qaeda operatives by the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland, formerly British Somaliland. Personally, I'd grant provisional recognition to Somaliland,Puntland, and every other nickel and dime operation in the country until the provisional government can set up shop in Mogadishu, but that's just me.

read the rest! »

Monday's Winds of War: 26 Sept 2005

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Monday's Winds of War briefings are given by Security Watchtower.

Top Topics

• On Saturday, the IAEA passed a resolution by a 22-1 vote (China and Russia abstained) that requires Iran to be referred to the U.N. Security Council over failure to convince the organization their nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. In response, Iran has branded the IAEA resolution "political, illegal and illogical."

• Israeli Defense Forces conducted raids in the West Bank on Saturday night, arresting 206 wanted terror suspects. Those detained are said to belong to Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and other Palestinian militant organizations.

• Hussain Osman, charged with attempted murder in the July 21st London bombings, has been extradited from Italy to Britain, and appeared in a British court.

• Omar Bakri Mohammed, a radical Islamic cleric banned from Britain, is calling on all Muslims to leave Europe, adding that "the Islamic flag will fly one day over Downing Street."

Other topics today include: Islamic Jihad terrorists killed; Operation First Rain; Iran backing Shi'ite in Iraq; bombing in Lebanon; Jihad in LA avoided; Transit security; Pakistani raids; Draw down in Afghanistan; Livingstone advocates assassination; Russian Navy in the Med; India-US military exercise; Terrorism in Thailand; Balkan mafia ties to Iran; al Qaeda arrests in Somililand; Jakarta bomber sentenced; and more.

read the rest! »

Iraq Report, 26 September/05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.

TOP TOPICS

• Terrorist attacks and gun battles in Baghdad left at least 24 Iraqis dead, and there were reports of renewed fighting in Sadr City between U.S.troops and militia loyal to the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. One of the attacks might have been simple theft, however, as attackers on one convoy got away with 500,000 pounds in cash.

• The Counter-Terrorism blog has done an analysis of the AQ in Iraq response to several recent developments in Iraq. The overall gist is that Zarqawi's efforts are not able to undermine neither political nor military progress in Iraq - regardless of how much blood AQ sheds. Evan points specifically to the AQ response to an admonishment of Zarqawi by the Sunni Association of Muslin Scholars.

Other Topics Today Include: British-Iraqi tensions in Basra; U.S. medical teams in Iraq; Iraq losing doctors; reconstruction highlights, Carnival of the Liberated; Iran meddling in Iraq; war protests and counterprotests; the media and Iraq; Iraqi commandos take painful losses.

read the rest! »

US Navy Preparing for Littoral Warfare

A little while back, I noted that the US Navy had adopted a new doctrine to help it deal with the proliferation of ultra-quiet modern diesel submarines in coastal & littoral waters. New doctrines are a big deal, and "coastal and littoral waters" is a definition that includes the Persian Gulf, the Straits of Malacca, and other critical global waterways.

Over at DID, I'm watching as that doctrine is matched with new capabilities. New UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) that tow sonars, or 'take point' on underwater scouting missions. Soon, they'll do more. There's also mine-hunting lasers, plans for advanced nets of sea sensors thast can operate semi-autonomously (and may end up networked with nearby weapons), "sea sparkers," and of course the USA's new littoral combat ship.

For a submarine-related look, note DID's coverage of India's recent $3 billion purchase of modern Scorpene subs, and how its rival navies will stack up in the years ahead.

Cordesman on Iraq, Addendum

Cordesman has also updated Iraq's Evolving Insurgency and made some additions I just wanted to make note of and summarize here.

read the rest! »

Summary of Cordesman on Saudi Insurgents in Iraq

Having gone through Anthony Cordesman's latest work, Saudi militants in Iraq, I have to say that once I finally found the thing I was pretty impressed - if the data contained within is accurate. Call me paranoid, but after everything we've seen out of Saudi Arabia in the last several years I don't find it entirely unreasonable to question the validity of the Saudi intelligence and interior ministry reports that Cordesman is relying on to make his assessments here. I don't begrudge the man for doing so, you have to work with whatever data you can get ahold of, but at the same time I think that needs to be stated from the get-go as a major caveat with regard to this information and drawing conclusions from it. It is also a work in progress, so the information summarized here may or may not reflect what is included in later drafts.

With all that in mind, let us begin, shall we?

read the rest! »

How about not?

I'm not sure whether or not this is related to the recent resurgence of the US anti-war movement, but there have been two articles published over the last couple of weeks by academics (who else?) arguing that what we really need to do is negotiate with al-Qaeda.

This sentiment isn't all that new, as I believe that UC Irvine's Mark LeVine argued back in 2004 that what we really need is for the US to declare a truce with radical Islam. How exactly this is supposed to occur given that LeVine probably sees the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism as more of a "social movement" than an organized terror network is beyond me, but at the time I more or less dismissed his theory as being something that was so patently stupid on its surface that only an academic could believe it. The same is true of Pape's occupation = terrorism foolishness, though at least that line pretends to follow some semblance of rational argumentation.

Well, two other academics recently published in the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times appear to arguing more or less the same thing. I'll spare the whole "how dare the liberal media demean the sacrifices of our troops by peddling this crap during wartime" riff for now, so let me examine the substance of their arguments.

First of all, the two academics in question are Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, the Associate Director of the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard and Allen J. Zerkin, a research fellow at New York University's Center for Catastrophic Preparedness and Response and an adjunct professor at its Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. I have never heard of them before this and I'm sure they're nice people, but their arguments are little more than lunacy.

read the rest! »

Touchstone

I hope the image included with this essay does not offend, but instead disturbs readers. I debated as to whether or not to include something so hard to look at on this Blog's cover. I decided that it was worth including. If Mr. Barikzy was willing to show his wounds to a camera so that we could see them and learn from his experience, he deserves to be heard -- and seen. Looking at his disfigurement at the hands of fascists is the least we owe this man.

I recently ran across a five year old article called The Torture Place, about Abhaseen Barikzy, an Afghan communist who was tortured at the hands of the Taliban. I recommend reading it as a reminder of what we're up against in this war. Here's a snippet of his experiences in captivity:

Then Fazal-ur Rehman said to the commander, 'I want to kill a very bad pagan among the prisoners to receive more blessing from Allah,'

Barikzy waited. His friend avoided bringing him out for any more torture, but Barikzy says he saw the Taliban's worst punishments of other prisoners: "For Uzbek people, they wanted them digging in the mountain without having any purpose. Forty people digging a big hole in the side of the mountain. Then they asked them to go inside the hole, and they exploded it, and all of them died in there.

"The Massoud followers, they told them, 'Because you live in a mountainous area, you are used to cold weather,' and then tied them upside down on trees and put lots of water on them. By the next morning they were all dead, their bodies iced.

"Then there were 50 or 60 Hazara (an ethnic minority from central Afghanistan). They tied their hands and feet and put them in line, and a man had a hammer and nails, and he was beating the nails into the heads of the people. As soon as the nails got in, the blood rushed from their mouth and nose and they died."

Last he describes a military pilot suspected of being a spy. "They put a butcher's hook in his throat and hung him, pretending that he was a sheep and calling out, 'Who wants to buy sheep meat?' and the others were mocking him, saying, 'I want 2 kilo of the leg,' and they would cut the leg and pretend to sell the meat."

I really don't have much to add to Barikzy's story. It speaks for itself. I was struck by the commander who said, 'I want to kill a very bad pagan among the prisoners to receive more blessing from Allah." I think his reasoning is emblematic of what we're up against with respect to Islamic fascism. We in the West desperately want to believe that we can find common, rational ground and negotiate with Islamic fascists. The Commander exemplifies why negotiation, in the end, is folly. For them, they merely buy time with negotiation. Their life on Earth is not important; it's what comes after that matters. We should be mindful of that while we lodge complaints to Iranian mullahs who race towards making isotopes.

While Iranian Muslims and the Taliban are opposed to each other, they share a central core belief: Allah's up there. Period. Get there, and don't worry about here. Just get through your two seconds on Earth and score points with Allah by killing his enemies. If such thinking isn't a part of historical Islam, is something new and in the minority, then so be it. Whatever it is, and wherever it came from, it's here on Earth now -- magnified by cell phones, web sites, plane tickets and easily-obtained passports to Western cities.

Through all the hurricane news, it's been frustrating to see the US, EU and UN falter at containing Iran's nuclear program. It's like reading a script right out of the League of Nations. Islamic tyrants manipulate the West into disharmonious dithering while they build Allah's Blessed Bomb.

After he got out of captivity, Barikzy was at a UN shelter:

Finally, two men came to the [UN] shelter and asked his plans for the future. "I told them to send me overseas," he says. "They asked where I wanted to go, and I said, 'To the United States, because there is good security there and I feel safe.'

Barikzy was a secularist. Given his treatment at the hands of real fascists for being one, he might just as well have been called 'The West.' His experience with fascists is a touchstone for us to compare our freedoms to. I'm sure he thinks they're worth preserving now that he is here, even if some among us carry too much angst to understand we're in the fight for our lives.

Lights in the Sky

Walking back to my bike, a brilliant trail advancing across the sky...must be a Vandenberg launch.

Hatewatch Briefing 2005-09-23

Welcome! This briefing will be looking hard at the dark places the mainstream media sometimes seem determined to look away from, to better understand our declared enemies on their own terms and without illusions. Our goal is to bring you some of the top jihadi rants, idiotarian seething, and old-school Jew-hatred from around the world, leaving you more informed, more aware, and pretty disgusted every month. This Winds of Change.NET HateWatch briefing is brought to you by Omri Ceren of Mere Rhetoric. Past briefings and posts on related topics can be found here.

HIGHLIGHTED TOPICS

• Religious Hate: British Islamic experts: best way to dampen terrorism is to forget about Holocaust; Palestinian extremists also hate Christians; Violent anti-Semitism in the Ukraine; 100 percent of Jordanians hate Jews; British universities overrun with extremism; European anti-Semitism on the rise; Palestinians rampage, destroy synagogues after Israeli disengagement; Islamist anti-Semitism in the United States

• Idiotarian Seethings: Cindy Sheehan: "Occupied New Orleans"; Black Panthers leader blames 9/11, Katrina on Jews, whites; Cat Stevens blames 9/11 on Americans; AP: Bush equal LBJ, Iraq equal Vietnam; Lt. General Honore embarrasses over-eager reporter; Ugly Left justifies vulgarity - poorly

• Race and Culture: Fatwa against woman tennis player for showing too much leg; Anti-homosexual paranoia in Kumasi; Israeli Katrina aid just too Jewish for State Department; German SDP posters exploit photos of dead American soldiers; French FM has zero knowledge of the Holocaust

• A Hopeful Note: Muslim press condemns Gaza synagogue burnings; Hope for more expanded Israeli-Muslim ties; Stockholm Imam advocates expelling extremists

read the rest! »

Liveblogging Galloway

It's 6:45 an there are maybe 150 people in the church; there weren't enough people out front to leaflet...the three of us will try while folks are on the way out.

Our pewmates are unhappy with the turnout, but maybe Los Angeles is just fashionably late.

I'll update as the evening progresses.

7:00 Now about 275...

7:15 Now about 350, and I just got an emergency call and have to bail. No choice...have to choose parenthood. Crap...Flap will report.

Thursday Winds of War: 22 September 05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday.

The Thursday Winds of War briefing is compiled weekly by Colt of Eurabian Times and Steve Schippert (aka USMC_Vet) of The Word Unheard.

[Sincere apologies to all for the tardiness of this report. Unexpected situations Thursday prevented timely completion and publishing.]

Top Topics

• Last week’s UN Theatre production over the Iranian Nuclear Crisis has spilled over into this week. The IAEA was to ‘consider’ an EU ‘draft’ requesting that Iran be referred to the UN Security Council. Don’t hold your breath, because the EU diplomats don't really mean it. Naturally, there is Russian support for Iran's nuclear budget and deep pockets. And let's not forget China. As far as inspections go, Iran 'may refuse nuclear checks'. Imagine that. Right out of Saddam’s [effective] playbook…or was that North Korea?

Late Update: This just in... EU backs off from referring Iran to Security Council, kneeling to Russia and China. As stated before here, they never meant it.

• While we’re on it…Surely not out of fear of the toothless and less than eager IAEA, North Korea has said this week, “Play it again, Sam!” Many were immediately touting the North Korea ‘disarmament’ deal as yet another potential victory of the Bush Foreign Policy strategy. And some are way off base. Nice to see the chief US negotiator has his head screwed on straight. Take a deep breath . It’s North Korea. And North Korea's still playing.

• Qadhafi to visit Israel? Apparently he "wishes to take part in the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries." Qadhafi's Libya is falling in line with recent overtures by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf by not only recognizing, but seeking relations with Israel. Meanwhile, a Hamas leader in Gaza claims that they'll rethink their charter to destroy Israel based on political reality rather than belief. Some are not buying what the Hamas leader is selling, given historical context and current situations in Palestinian power struggles.

Other Topics Today Include: Iraqi Defense Corruption; Arabs Support US on Lebanon; Kyrgyz Parliament member killed; Somali Pirates and 850 tons of rice; US Warns China over vagueness; Nigerian pipeline seized; Released Gtimo terrorists rejoin in battle and more...

read the rest! »

The Fruits of 'Disengagement' - 'international goodwill', and other silly notions

The second given reason for ‘disengagement’ was the diplomatic benefits it would bring Israel. Unsurprisingly, the government Israel was most intent on gaining favour with was the Bush administration.

This is a quote from Prime Minister Sharon’s letter to President Bush, as a part of their exchange of letters in April 2004 (I’ll return to these letters presently):

The Disengagement Plan is designed to improve security for Israel and stabilize our political and economic situation. It will enable us to deploy our forces more effectively until such time that conditions in the Palestinian Authority allow for the full implementation of the Roadmap to resume. I attach, for your review, the main principles of the Disengagement Plan. This initiative, which we are not undertaking under the roadmap, represents an independent Israeli plan, yet is not inconsistent with the roadmap.

In essence, the ‘disengagement’ was intended to compliment the political process. This was the line put forward by Israeli spokesmen, and the government itself.

read the rest! »

Dreams

When you have a child, the future is always on your mind.

For me the future echoes in the hallway where my daughter's new hard-sole shoes clack against the wooden floor. At eighteen months her hair is full, and thick. Everyday she expresses things for the first time. Perhaps her exasperation at the depleted cookie jar or her light-footed exuberance during our evening promenade are glimpses of her future personality. I'm in awe.

Her future, her future, her future. It's always on the horizon, like a tireless, unrelenting sunrise. Childhood is dawn; its bright, enchanting mystery is coupled with a father's heft of responsibility. It's both the burden and the joy.

It is the future that obsesses this parent who is nagged by the present, since his one year old has yet to imagine a future for herself. My daughter keeps her mother and I in the here and now, through which we must parse the big questions on her behalf: Does her future glow? Does it sparkle? Might it be a black hole, a place to avoid? Is it merely a knot of trails through forests and deserts? Do we delude ourselves as parents in thinking that we have influence on that glow over the horizon?

Continues on Donklephant

Al Qaeda in Iraq - personnel problems?

Here's an interesting datum about suicide bombings in Iraq:

[T]he number of vehicle-borne improvised explosive device [VBIED] attacks in Iraq has declined dramatically in recent months. According to a source familar with the totals, there were rougly 125 VBIED attacks in Iraq in May; by August, that number had declined to 68. Another stat you won't find in The New York Times: since the Iraq War began, at least 25% of all VBEIDs have been found and cleared before they detonated. That translates into hundreds--perhaps thousands--of lives saved. With the decrease in VBIED attacks, there has been a corresponding increase in attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs). But (again) you won't hear the reason for that shift in tactics. Using IEDs allows the jihadists to conserve strained personnel resources. Apparently, there are fewer suicide bombers willing to die for the cause, and fewer fighters available for direct attacks against coalition forces, prompting a shift to less risky IED attacks, which require fewer personnel.

I noted in November 2004 that,

Speaking again of jihadis, I think the volunteer pool is getting pretty dry. Notably absent from bin Laden's recent tape was his usual clarion call for more "martyrdom operations." Whassamatta, Osama, the line is forming, like, nowhere? Martydom might be a fine thing in the abstract, but I'm guessing that it has much less appeal in the concrete. "Martyrdom operations" are literally self defeating anyway: they consume your own troops at a 100-percent rate and leave no one to come home a hero, where gleamy-eyed potential recruits can gaze gauzily at them, wanting to be one, too. As for the ladies, they sure see no future in marrying a future martyr. ... There is also the important question of why holy jihadist warriors are losing badly to the infidel dogs, making the Arab street (remember it?) probably wonder whether Allah intends to show up for the match anytime soon.

read the rest! »

Iranians protest outside the UN

Monday's Winds of War mentioned Iran's latest moves to legitimize its pursuit of nuclear material, spearheaded by the new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He spoke at the UN last Wednesday, and a huge number of Iranian-Americans turned out to protest, an event which might have gotten more publicity in the blogosphere if those who would care weren't all preparing for the Grapple in the Big Apple that evening.

The protest was organized by the NY Committee Against Ahmadinejad, which has lots of coverage at its site.

Tons of photos and detailed report here.

This report estimates the Iranian demo as numbering several thousand, and people attended from all over the US.

More:

read the rest! »

Get your biscuits in the oven and your buns in the Governor's mansion

Looks like the gubernatorial campaign of my old summer camp counselor is picking up steam, and as a fellow Texan Jew, I am proud. So is Rachel, the Velveteen Rabbi. Alisa met him on the campaign trail in June.

Kinky Friedman may be an ageing hippie, but he's a cranky one. In fact, one could call him a muscular liberal.

"I don't understand how you can support Bush's policies. I'm told you grew up a Democrat. What happened?"

read the rest! »

Mr. Galloway Comes To Los Angeles. Let's Go Listen to Him!

I'm bumping this post to remind Los Angeles-area readers to join me this Thursday to greet Mr. Galloway.

Mercedes George Galloway is coming to Los Angeles in a week.

He'll be speaking (supporting the sales of his book) at 7:00 pm Thursday Sept. 22 at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

You can buy tickets for $12.50 here or by calling 1-866-468-3399, and I'd really, really like to encourage you to do so.

First, because you need to look at the face of what we're struggling against here in the West. If you're opposed to the war and to Bush, it's important that you understand how the leadership of your movement is being captured by people like Galloway - people who don't have a chance in hell at connecting with the average American voter. If, like me, you're for the war and for the left, you need to understand how this monstrous man has sold out labor unions and socialists in Iraq and the Middle East to suck dollars for his vacation home in Spain from the dictators there. If you're for the war and for against the left, you should come to cheer him on because he's a millstone around progressive causes here and in the U.K.

Some of us will be doing peaceful, informational leafleting outside the event. If you'd like to join us, drop me an email at the site address on the right.

Update: Here's Patrick Belton liveblogging his debate with Hitchens (I couldn't get a stream).

How ecumenical of him ...

There was some discussion, primarily from Eric Martin over at Liberals Against Terrorism, as far as how Zarqawi's personal bigotry against Shi'ites (highlighted in his "total war" saber-rattling) is contrasted with bin Laden's more ecumenical view that sectarian conflicts are to be avoided in favor of a united front against the West. In the discussion that followed, I noted that even Zarqawi's "total war" rant appeared to distinguish between killing Shi'ites under the justification that they're collaborators versus killing them for sectarian purposes.

It appears I called things correctly, as Zarqawi is now clearly separating his earlier "total war" rhetoric by claiming that he wouldn't fight Sadr's followers and unidentified "other sects" who are willing to enter into co-belligerency with him or at least remain neutral while he's fighting the US and Jaafari.

Also, I see that Ayman al-Zawahiri is condemning the Afghan elections and taking credit for the London bombings. I don't find it too surprising that he's condemning an election that took place little more than 24 hours before the tape was aired, but then I've never bought into the idea that he's hiding in a cave or isn't in touch with his followers in a command and control capacity either. While the US official correctly notes that anyone can make a video claiming credit for the attack, the evidence that London bombings weren't an al-Qaeda operation is looking extremely thin at this point.

Talk Like A Pirate Day

Only two things to say, matey:

"Gekko Enterprises has taken a majority position in your company, and will be electing a new board of directors."

Manny Perry.

North Korea to disarm?!!

So says Associated Press, which says that they're throwing in the towel as far as their nuclear weapons program is concerned. If true, this is a major triumph for US diplomacy and a definite positive step.

Still, let's be sure that we trust but verify on the dismantling after what happened the last time ...

Prediction: If this in fact pans out, people who have previously argued that the North Korean diplomacy was a complete failure will now start arguing that this would have happened anyway regardless of what the US did.

UPDATE: I've gotten some mail to the effect that it's going to take a lot more than reassuring words as far as Kim Jong Il's pledges are concerned. This is why I thought I stressed verification - as part of any agreement. Joe's Dartblog also provides some helpful commentary on the situation.

Monday's Winds of War: 19 Sept 2005

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Monday's Winds of War briefings are given by Security Watchtower.

Top Topics

• The Afghan parliamentary elections took place on Sunday, and went off without any large-scale attacks as promised by militants. According to most reports, the low level of violence was matched by a high voter turnout. Blackanthem has the election photo's posted.

• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reassured Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that their pursuit of a nuclear program was only "to produce energy." Meanwhile, some believe Tehran is making preparations for war, while they insist it is their right to nuclear energy.

• Kashmir, a region that India and Pakistan have waged two wars over, is enjoying a peaceful summer by comparitive standards. Tourists have returned in record numbers, attacks were down 25 percent over the previous year, and people feel more secure and safe.

• Israeli leader Ariel Sharon is threatening to withhold cooperation with the Palestinians in holding the January parliamentary elections, unless Hamas is excluded from the political process. He also wants to see Hamas disarmed.

Other topics today include: Israel wants Hamas dealt with; Palestinians destroy green house in Gaza; Bush presses Putin on Iran; bombing in Beirut; Saudi's want counterterrorism center; Chavez claims U.S. prepared to invade; Weldon says documents destroyed; Egyptian arrested in Memphis; U.S. sanctions for Mugabe; Africa needs democracy not money; Libya-US ties; Musharraf meeting with Jewish leaders; Militants try to blow dam in Afghanistan; More arrests in Bangladesh; Britian deportations; al-Jazeera reporter arrested; and more.

read the rest! »

Red Mist

As more facts have come out, I've been critical of the shooting of Jean Charles de Menzies, who was shot and killed by special operatives of the London police in the mistaken belief that he was a suicide bomber.

In the London Times yesterday was an article even more critical of the culture of the London "Gun Police" quoting two SAS trainers who had trained the officers. I'd be a bit wary of this because there's certainly room for some blameshifting, but if half of what is claimed is true, the London cop shop needs some major work.

read the rest! »

Iraq Report, 19 Sep/05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.

TOP TOPICS

• As the vote on the Iraqi constitution nears, al Qaeda has given up all pretense of fighting for the Iraqi people. They are now so desperate to stop Iraq's progress they are playing their last card, trying to incite the minority Sunnis against the majority Shiites and Kurds in hopes of triggering a civil war in Iraq. More than 250 Iraqis are already dead after a series of bombings aimed at setting the Shiites against the Sunnis. The bloodshed is likely to get even worse as the vote on the constitution draws nearer.

• The countdown has begun. Iraq's parliament has approved a draft constitution for approval by the Iraqi people, only four weeks before the vote is scheduled. Al Qaeda can be expected to make those four weeks as painful as possible for the Iraqi people,in hopes of convincing them to turn down the constitution and forestall a more entrenched democracy.

Other Topics Today Include: Tall Afar nears an end; MNF newsletter; reconstruction highlights; Carnival of the Liberated; Iraq's new justice system; Guess who's coming to Dinar; Britain pledges to stay the course.

read the rest! »

Iraq Report, 19 Sep/05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.

TOP TOPICS

• As the vote on the Iraqi constitution nears, al Qaeda has given up all pretense of fighting for the Iraqi people. They are now so desperate to stop Iraq's progress they are playing their last card, trying to incite the minority Sunnis against the majority Shiites and Kurds in hopes of triggering a civil war in Iraq. More than 250 Iraqis are already dead after a series of bombings aimed at setting the Shiites against the Sunnis. The bloodshed is likely to get even worse as the vote on the constitution draws nearer.

• The countdown has begun. Iraq's parliament has approved a draft constitution for approval by the Iraqi people, only four weeks before the vote is scheduled. Al Qaeda can be expected to make those four weeks as painful as possible for the Iraqi people,in hopes of convincing them to turn down the constitution and forestall a more entrenched democracy.

Other Topics Today Include: Tall Afar nears an end; MNF newsletter; reconstruction highlights; Carnival of the Liberated; Iraq's new justice system; Guess who's coming to Dinar; Britain pledges to stay the course.

read the rest! »

Egyptian Illegal Arrested With Flight Uniform, Training Aids

This one is worth a quick newsflash.

A 29-year-old Egyptian man arrested last week for wire fraud and fraudulent use of a Social Security number had a pilot's uniform and several DVD training materials in his possession, including "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act" and McGraw-Hill's "Mastering GPS Flying."

Mahmound Maawad is a University of Memphis student who is in the USA illegally.

read the rest! »

Putting the "Am" in "Amtrac" - Marines on the bayou

Remember that 3-25 Marines AAVP7A1 destroyed by a huge IED last month where 14 Marines were killed? Critics were quick to jump all over the military for equipping troops with vehicles that couldn't survive those sorts of blasts. Wolf Blitzer on CNN even wondered why they hadn't yet been equipped with up-armored humvees. A Newhouse News Service story ran in many outlets under the titles Amphibious vehicle easy prey in Iraq and Amphibious vehicle weakness exposed.

We haven't heard much of that lately, though, have we?

read the rest! »

Cordesman has a new report out ...

Per Reuters via War and Piece.

He puts the number of foreign fighters at 3,000, which strikes me as far more reasonable than the 1,000 figure cited by the Los Angeles Times a couple of days ago. Interestingly enough, he places Algerians as being the largest single contingent of foreign fighters in the insurgency, which is extremely interesting for a number of reasons because you don't hear that much about Algerians so much as Saudis, in large part because the Saudis appear to be making up more than 50% of the suicide bombers.

One thing I'm a little leery of, however, is that these findings are allegedly based on Saudi intelligence reports and the Saudi leadership has every reason to want to downplay the involvement of Saudis in the Iraqi insurgency. Still, I want to read the full report and summarize it before drawing any conclusions, so if one of my readers could dig up the link to it I'd be most appreciative.

Chains of Love

It's a quiet Sunday morning, after a busy, sad, and hopeful week.

For us, the biggest news is that Middle Guy has been delivered to his freshman dorm suite in San Diego, and the quiet reality of that - the empty room in the house that is waiting to be cleaned out and symbolizes his launch into the world - is weighing on us.

I'm thrilled at who he's become, anxious about the world he's headed into and his place in it, happy because I think he'll do well in dealing with that world, and mostly sad because I really like him and will miss him as I still miss his older brother, Biggest Guy.

On the drive home, I thought about how collapsed time seems in these moments - I still clearly remember standing on the sidewalk eighteen years ago hearing the news that we were going to have a second son. It seems impossibly close to the yesterday when I told him we could cross the street to the car on our own, and he ought to go back up and meet his suitemates.

We hugged, and TG and I forced ourselves not to look back as we walked away.

And as soon as we got home last night, we got word that TG's friend John had died. She went to see him Friday, and knew his time was short even though he was lucid and asking about the boys and about me. I'd hoped to get to go see him today. Instead we'll help his family - scattered around the country - arrange the logistics of their arrivals for the funeral.

TG and I were even laughing a bit at the cheap coincidence; start a life, end a life.

Links in a chain going forward and backward further than we can see.

The Fruits of 'Disengagement'

There were three main reasons given by the Israeli government in favour of the ‘disengagement’ from Gaza and northern Shomron. The first was an improved strategic situation. The second an improved diplomatic situation. To use Dov Weisglass’s term, the ‘disengagement’ would pour “formaldehyde” on the entire process. Israel would also have improved standing in the world at large. The third was the demographic argument. (As I know next to nothing about demography, I’ll refer you to this article on the true make-up of the population between the river and the sea.)

Together, these arguments were intended to convince right-wing Israelis – and their supporters – that the ‘disengagement’ was in keeping with their tough on terror position. For Sharon to keep the majority of the Israeli public on board, Likud members in particular, the government had to leave the impression that, while the scenes in Gaza might be terrible, the improvements in the security and diplomatic fields would be worth the sacrifice.

This post will look at the security situation. Next week’s will look at the diplomatic arena.

read the rest! »

Islam: Where to?

Is Islam one of the most important shapers of the culture, mind-set, way of life, thought processes, opinions and reactions of Muslims? Most emphatically “YES”. But that is not a satisfactory answer for analysts concerned with both diagnosis and cure, and it to them that this article is addressed. So let us flesh out the answer by trying to define what is meant by Islam here.

read the rest! »

India Building Its Submarine Capabilities

As Winds noted back in 2003, submarines are becoming more and more significant as they take on a wider variety of roles. With China building submarines quickly and neighbourigng Asian states ordering modern diesel submarines for themselves, India's navy is looking to its future and realizing that it needs the ability to build its own.

Everything seems to take longer in India, for reasons that trace back to both its politics and its military procurement culture. Nevertheless, after years of negotiations Indian Prime Minister Manoham Singh confirmed a $3 billion deal to acquire 6 Franco-Spanish Scorpene Class diesel-electric submarines, with an option for 6 more.

This is one of the biggest military deals India has entered into with France, and comes with extensive technology transfer agreements aimed at enhancing India's ability to build their own. India's rival Pakistan is involved in a similar but smaller effort, of course, with the same French company (DCN) but a different submarine class (the earlier Agosta 90B Class). DID discusses...

• The Deal: Plans & Costs
• The Deal: Contractors & Roles
• The Scorpene Class
• India's Current Submarine Force, and Rival Navies [NEW]
• A Final, Nuclear Note
• Additional Readings & Sources

Curt Weldon, Able Danger, and the 9/11 commission

I've been a fan of Curt Weldon for sometime now, due in no small part to the fact that he's been willing to very successfully challenge many of the popular ("inherited?") assumptions and actually engage in outside the box intelligence analysis. In doing so, he's ended up taking on both the CIA and the 9/11 Commission, which come about as close to sacred cows as you're going to find in either American political discourse or among "reality-based" community.

While I don't think Weldon was as successful at defending Fereidoun Mahdavi from what essentially amounted to either genetic argument (Mahdavi is an associate of Manucher Gorbanifar, so he must be lying) and ad hominem (Mahdavi is an Iranian Chalabi) rather actually disproving any of Mahdavi's information from the perspective of the general public with the exception of possibly the August 2003 Toronto arrests, he seems to have learned from the experience and thus taken on an even more formidable adversary, namely the 9/11 Commission.

read the rest! »

New Blog: The Spirit of Man

We have a new blogkid. I figured it would just be a a matter of time before a certain Persian friend of mine began blogging, and that's exactly what happened. Bunch of good stuff - for something a bit different, his post about observed differences between education in the east and education in western countries is pretty interesting. In another post, he notes:

"Here, on The Spirit Of Man, I intend to talk about my own sentiments and ideas about the universe I live in.

I will talk about things I have never talked about in public!"

As he put it to me in an email: "Western civilization is wonderful, Joe!"

Amen. Looking at it through the eyes of one who has glimpsed it from afar through the iron bars of repression is the best reminder in the world. And as intent as many seem on our suicide, it's worth recalling that other systems are more fragile still. The Spirit of Man is real, and at the end of the day, one stands with it - or against it.

I know where I stand. Ditto for my Persian friend "Winston," whose founding blog post includes this:

read the rest! »

And Speaking of al-Qaeda and Tal Afar...

Speaking of al-Qaeda's bloody nose up north, here's some equally valuable info that was contained in this link on the recent fighting in Tal Afar. The standard media narrative is pretty much "US and Iraqi forces hit the city, guerrillas scatter," but the briefing conveys some very interesting information.

For one thing, we get a better idea on why Tal Afar was such an important stronghold for the insurgency to begin with:

read the rest! »

Al-Qaeda Reeling in Northern Iraq

Did you know any of this:

One of the great pieces of information we got recently is 80 percent of the al Qaeda network in the north has been devastated. And those are not our figures, those came from the last six leaders in Mosul, al Qaeda leaders that we captured; they informed us of that. We also had a letter that was captured from Abu Zaid (sp) going to Zarqawi. We recently killed Zaid (sp) and we had that letter, and it also talked about the desperate situation for the al Qaeda and the insurgents in Mosul and in the north. And then also, sources we have inside the al Qaeda network up here have also informed us of that.

I certainly didn't until I came across that link a couple of days ago. There's some very interesting information there that I certainly haven't seen reported elsewhere and would seem relevant to note amongst this week's bloodbath.

read the rest! »

Thursday Winds of War: September 15/05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday's Winds of War briefings are given by Matt 'Colt' of Eurabian Times and Steve 'USMC_Vet' of The Word Unheard.

Apologies for the late briefing. I passed out with fatigue last night...

TOP TOPICS

• A massive wave of terrorist attacks in Baghdad has killed over 160 people. In one instance, the suicide bomber called labourers over to his van-bomb, promising them work - he killed at least 112 mostly Shi'ite people. Zarqawi's plans for a civil war in Iraq are well known, but he has announced his declaration of war against the Shi'ites.

• The 'border' between Egypt and Gaza is no longer worthy of the word. The price of arms in Gaza has fallen drastically, with Debka claiming that the terrorists have moved the entirety of the contents of their Sinai arms dumps across the 'border'. Hamas members are keen to point out that they will be able to use Gaza to destroy Israel because they will be able to move arms and terrorists from Egypt. The Israeli government has finally realised that al-Qaeda might in fact try to cross in to Gaza - apparently they were the last ones to know. For the first time, terrorists in Gaza have fired mortars in to Israel. Despite pledges from Sharon, Mofaz and the IDF to hit back hard against terrorists, the IDF doesn't expect any such retaliation. Instead, Sharon will ask the U.S. to make the Arabs play nice - no wonder Yuval Steinitz had a fit. (Is it clear enough that I find this situation disgusting?)

• A three part series by Joe Aguilar, on the various holes in the official explanation of the Madrid bombings: The Mystery of 3/11 - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Joe says that some of this information is already out of date - check the comments in Part 3.

• A Return to East Pakistan? A lengthy and informative look at Bangladesh's descent in to jihadism.

• Dan: Where the Enemy Stands, 4 years on.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran offers to spread nuke-know-how; IRGC says U.S. can be warzone, too; Syrian intel chief flees to Paris; al-Qaeda threatens Lebanese security forces; Egypt destroys tunnel!; A-Q in Iraq claims to have used chemical weapons; SAM-seller gets 47 years; the story of Jamal al-Aql; A-Q tried to join U.S. intelligence; 5,000 suicide bombers in Germany; BND points to Bosnia jihad network; terror raids in U.K.; Turkey bans Mein Kampf reprint; Hofstadgroep man arrested with bombs; Afghan 'ally' who helped Osama escape; U.S. may cut Afghanistan deployment; Karzai points finger at Pakistan; JI bomber gets death sentence; Abu Sayyaf arms dump found; Libya wants ties with Saudis; GSPC kills four soldiers; and much more.

read the rest! »

Robi and Nitin's Indian Ocean Horizons: 2005-09-15

A quick round-up of events in and around the subcontinent, courtesy of Robi Sen and Nitin Pai of The Acorn

• India: Desipundit captures two sides of the debate of whether or not two American bloggers were right in responding to India's assistance to the victims of Katrina with sarcasm. And The Acorn's recommendation on what India must do about Iran's nuclear programme.

• Bangladesh: Rezwan writes that terrorists hate Bangladesh's democracy, development and empowerment of women, achieved in part due to efforts by NGOs. In response, Wamy finds the conduct of some NGOs questionable.

• Pakistan: Gen Musharraf may have boasted on turning Pakistan around, but Onlooker at the Glasshouse has a very different reading. Raven at the Reality Cafe takes the General to task for making some distasteful remarkes about Pakistani rape victims.

• Sri Lanka: The government and the Tamil Tigers find a peace plan elusive -- but Sri Lankan bloggers have proposed one of their own. With elections round the corner, India.ca lays out the options before the voters.

• Nepal: Blogdai smells some changes in the political air in Nepal while the folks at United We Blog wonder if the Maoist ceasefire will lead to peace.

• Maldives: PINR observes growing signs of unrest in the archipelago

• Myanmar: Jeff Ooi reports that a Canadian trade union has prevailed upon Coca-Cola to stop procuring merchandise sourced from Myanmar. The chances that this will bring down the ruling junta is almost exactly zero.

John Roberts and George Galloway

What do they have to do with each other?

Quite a bit.

Part of the blogging hiatus was a camping trip with TG and Littlest Guy and several other family-units to the Isthmus on Catalina Island. Kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, sunscreen, more kayaking.

The other families are from my West LA days, and they're wonderful, rich West Los Angeles Democrats almost to a BMW-driving dad and Mercedes-driving mom. We talked a fair amount of politics :^)

One of them is a lawyer and was lamenting the Robert nomination and what he perceived as the even worse second appointment Bush was likely to make...with the possibility of one or two more before his term is over.

"What can we do?" he lamented.

"Well, we could win some f**king elections," I replied.

read the rest! »

The Mystery of 3/11 - Part 3

Colt: I thought this was well done, and wanted to share it with Winds of Change.NET. Mr. Aguilar thinks the official explanation leaves a few things out, and his work adds some puzzle pieces and questions to Dan Darling posts like What I Think I Know About Huarte and Well, Well, Well, What Have We Here?

by Joe Aguilar (aka. "Joe_A")

Kalaji and Cartagena

Well, we are approaching the culmination of this article, the Schwerpunkt, the point where the main forces of the investigators of 3/11 and the ones that want it covered-up are heading for a perhaps decisive confrontation. At the centre of it, there is a man of Syrian origin, a National Police officer named Ayman Maussili Kalaji.

Kalaji arrived to Spain in 1980 as a political refugee, fleeing from the Civil War in Syria. He had served in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FDLP) in Lebanon, and it appears that he reached the rank of second commander of a missile base there. He also took the anti-government side in Syria, during that country’s repression of the Muslim Brotherhood, resulting in Kalaji knocking on Spanish Immigration’s door in order to keep his head on his shoulders. What may be more interesting to us is that as a bright teenage, he had been well trained in terrorist techniques, including electronics, and intelligence operations, and might even have been trained in the Soviet Union.

Regarding his experience, he began to collaborate with the Spanish security forces. Among other duties, he controlled the communications of Monzer Al Kassar, an arms trafficker that supplied to Palestine terrorists the weapons used in the assault of the Achille Lauro. Al Kassar bought Spanish protection against any awkward Israeli attention by selling two SA-7 portable antiaircraft missiles equipped with a transmitter to ETA. He was also allegedly a friend of Secretary of the Interior Rafael Vera. Later, in 1989, Kalaji worked in an operation to arrest a Hizbullah cell in Valencia, the year in which he was finally admitted to the National Police corps.

read the rest! »

Terror in the Bookstores

Anne Jacobsen of Flight 327 notoriety now has a book, "Terror in the Skies."

Her publisher apparently noted my posts on the subject, as uncomplimentary as they were, and asked me if I'd like to read it and comment. I'm a slut for free books, and so even though I tend not to enjoy "insta-books" all that much, decided that it was worth reading because not only - it's free! - but it might change my mind about something. I mean, God forbid I might have to learn something...

Sadly, after trying hard to get engaged by the book, I can't recommend it to you as worth reading either as a policy document, history, or journalism.

Let's go back through the history.

read the rest! »