We'll start with The Anchoress, whose post "Abdul Rahman Vanishes - Deathfans and Fascists afoot" has some interesting thoughts and links. Including this one:

"Yeah, yeah, Death to Christians, Death to Jews, Death to cartoonists, Death to gays, Death to unveiled or “dishonorable” women, Death to the West. Death to all who don’t agree with us! Death, Death, Death - that’s all these people know. Maybe it’s because they know so little about loving life?"

Well, yeah. I mean, they've told us that more than once. "Spengler" adds this important point:

"Sacrifice is the universal means by which religions enable the faithful to come to grips with death.... All religion submerges the ego, in anticipation of the day when death will destroy the ego for all time. Sacrifice, namely giving up something of one's self, is the universal vehicle for reducing the ego. Sacrifice becomes terribly dangerous when the ego cannot re-emerge under the sun and sky of the real world. There is a distinction between a spiritual identification with Jesus' suffering, and nailing a live volunteer to a cross, as do some Catholics in the Philippines."

Aye, there's the rub. Over to Dr. Theodore Dalrymple, with a story for you from Britain:

"I noticed one day that his mood had greatly improved; he was communicative and almost jovial, which he had never been before. I asked him what had changed in his life for the better. He had made his decision, he said. Everything was resolved. He was not going to kill himself in an isolated way, as he had previously intended. Suicide was a mortal sin, according to the tenets of the Islamic faith. No, when he got out of prison he would not kill himself; he would make himself a martyr, and be rewarded eternally, by making himself into a bomb and taking as many enemies with him as he could.

Enemies, I asked; what enemies? How could he know that the people he killed at random would be enemies? They were enemies, he said, because they lived happily in our rotten and unjust society. Therefore, by definition, they were enemies - enemies in the objective sense, as Stalin might have put it - and hence were legitimate targets."

An orientation that is not by any means confined to Islamists, and underlies much of the modern Left's thinking as well. But let's stick to our focus. Sigmund, Carl & Alfred's "Really, Really, Succinct" stitches together a series of posts from The Anchoress, Dr. Sanity and Shrinkwrapped. The key line? In speaking of Islam's killers and suicide bombers it quotes the simple question:

"I wonder if in his religious ecstasy experience there is room for a consideration of the possible pain of his victims?"

The short answer is obvious, the longer one revealing. Over to Shrinkwrapped's key post. Ecstatic Terror was born after reading a Times of London on-line article called "Are you ready? Tomorrow you will be in Paradise...", discussing ~250 interviews of people who had been trained as suicide bombers and failed in their missions. This was also the study that had inspired Dr. Sanity. Shrinkwrapped writes, correctly:

"Her work is chilling. Her subjects describe an entire industry devoted to creating suicide bombers. A key part of the preparation of the "martyrs" is their psychological preparation....

The suicide bombers have made it perfectly clear that they deny the humanity of all non-believers. This is a signal distinction from every other religion. Evangelicals may believe you cannot be saved if you do not agree with their beliefs. They may work hard to "save you", though typically are respectful of those of us who do not desire saving at the moment. The Islamist agrees that you are bereft of Allah's love and offers "submission" to Allah via conversion, or "submission" via dhimmitude, at the point of a sword.

Inadvertently, Tom Friedman, of all people, agrees with my thesis..."

Over to Friedman:

"The secret of this story is in that conversion - and so is the crisis in Islam. The people and ideas that brought about that sudden conversion of Hasib Hussain and his pals - if not stopped by other Muslims - will end up converting every Muslim into a suspect and one of the world's great religions into a cult of death."

Ultimately, it's about the way one constructs one's god - but the twist is dark, because the vision of the Islamists denies the very humanity of non-believers. Ultimately, what they create is a deity in their own image - and that deity, no less than the terrifying Aztec gods of murder and sacrifice, is a bloody-jawed monster. Back to Sigmund, Carl & Alfred's "Really, Really, Succinct":

"In other words- if we are reading Dr Sanity clearly, the suicide bomber not only has to accept the notion of a venegeful Allah, he must also create that god for himself and embrace the call that created god extends him.

This is not unlike the culture that produced Nazi ideology. It was one thing to celebrate and embrace Aryan superiority- it was quite another to enforce that ideology. Nazi records are replete with memos reporting how 'front line' extermination soldiers could not always be counted on to do the job- indeed, they were often reluctant to murder innocents. There were reports of soldiers deserting and disobeying orders- clearly an intolerable situation for any army.

In fact, a special unit, The Einsatzgruppen, was established purely for the purpose of murder. Regular army troops could not be counted on to get the job done.

The suicide bombers are the modern day Einsatzgruppen. Their mission is not motivated by politics or economics, though like Hitler's Nazis, that was the excuse given."

I've heard some idiot commenters describe Naziism as "Christian" before. That is a profound ignorance given the regime's open and ideological declarations of the need to extirpate that religion and replace it with a religion of the state, one dedicated to a fusion of modern totalitarian thought with pagan gods of war and death. Which certainly sounds familiar these days.

The thing to remember, however, is that this is all a deliberate human construct. It can therefore be un-constructed by the classical human methods. Dr. Sanity's "Union With An Evil God notes:

"It is possible,though, that Allah may be getting a bum rap. In the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", Jessica Rabbit--who is always responded to as a wanton sex kitten--exclaims in frustration at this depiction of her, "I'm not bad! I'm just drawn that way!"

Allah may not be so bad. Perhaps he's just drawn that way...?"

There's a lot to this. Ali Eteraz at Unwilling Self-Negation, in an interesting and deeply insightful post that concludes:

"Why, instead of being receptive to the notion of Muhammad's spiritual makeup, have we made him into some kind of austere caricature of himself? A cold, unfeeling man! As if being a man means being dispassionate. Rest assured, it is us who made Wurther into a Warrior. Before the West called him Mahound we were calling him Conqueror. We were the ones who spoke of the "conquest" of Mecca. We who talked so disparagingly of "the pagans." We who attributed stoning to him; attributed to him battle-martyrdom; we, who, even when he went to heaven, sent him upon a winged stallion, as if it takes a cavalry charge to be near God. These are descriptions the belivers posited. This is not Orientalism. This was long before Edward Said. Long before the Crusades. It was us — you and I — who celebrated Muhammad on the basis of his virility instead of his humility. You and I who emphasized his political leadership, without reminding ourselves that he began with shepherding a flock of sheep. If was you and I who did not allow Muhammad to remain a man. We wanted him to be able to predict the falls of Rome, Constantinople, and the coming of the anti-Christ — even the occurrences (the details) in the Day of Judgment. We wanted all this because we were weak. We could not accept that we followed the suggests of a man who fought not pagans but loneliness. We could not accept when he was like us — because we could not accept ourselves. So we twisted him. We gave him foresight as if he were a soothsayer; we gave him Hercules' strength; Don Juan's charisma. We gave him the all-seeing eye of God. We went so far as to say that on the Day of Judgment, Muhammad would rise to become greater than God. Don't believe me? It was you and I who said that when God condemns, Muhammad saves.

Muhammad was only a man who left a book for posterity. Yet now Muhammad is an idol. And idol that is exclusively maintained by the Muslim. In facts, as recent events demonstrate, we do not allow anyone else the permission to idolatorize him.

Ghalib warned us not to lift the covers off the Kaba lest we might find an idol? I peeked, and I found the idol was called: Muhammad."

And with the idol comes the more ancient customs of the fire-mawed gods, complete with the select of the young being urged into immolation upon an altar venerated by the community.

Commentators like Tony Blair have called aspects of Islamism "pre-feudal," and others have referred to today's Islamists as a 10th century faith. In the end, that may well be giving them altogether too much credit. But the weapons Islam's self-appointed High Priests seek, and will purchase, to build that grand sacrificial altar to their fire-mawed god will be distinctly of our centuries. An altar meant for sacrifice, death - and ritual submission before its bloody-handed priests and their devotees, given open and official license to prey on the community entire.

We would not be the first society to believe itself above and beyond a fall into a Dark Age, and find itself wrong. As Wrtchard notes in "The Return of the Ripper":

"It is not enough, as the British Army has done, to look on at this mayhem from the outside in, blinded by the illusion that these executions are just one more quaint ethnic practice that the guilt-ridden West has no right to criticize; that it is one more expression of identity that one is obliged to tolerate, whether these sanguinary events happen in British-patrolled Basra or the British city of Leeds. The wellsprings of terrorism arise from certain tendencies within Islamic society itself; and unless the weeds are pruned the flowers will never grow, until we find ourselves alone at midnight in the Garden of Evil."

And Spengler, more strongly still, from a very thought-provoking 2004 article entitled, simply, "You love life, we love death":

"Whether the human ego can stand up to this absolute power is a different question; whether Islam has a propensity to produce a necrophiliac brand of radicalism is a question that the West will continue to ask. That issue is only tangential to the matter of al-Qaeda's challenge, which simply means, "Unlike us, you are unwilling to give your lives for your cause. "Evidently that is true of the Spanish; if it becomes true of the West in general, radical Islam will win."

Yet that same article also recalls the distinctly Western George Patton, who said "Your job is not to die for your country. Your job is to make the other poor bastard die for his country." That is the Western way, and one of the classical human methods for "un-construction" of threats. And so it is that the ancient injunction calls to both sides of the divide:

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Therefore, choose life, that you and your children may live."
- Deut 30:19

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Iran

• Iran is to hold a large-scale naval exercise in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, starting with (I kid yout not) a Shihab-2 missile launch “to show Iran’s desire for peace and friendship with neighbouring countries”. 17,000 soldiers, with 1,500 vessels, will take part in the exercise, due to start March 31st and finish April 6th.

• The UNSC has issued a toothless statement regarding the Iranian nuclear arms program. Steve Schippert: China and Russia refused to accept the language that labeled the Iranian duplicitous nuclear quest as a “threat to international peace and security,” on the grounds that such language was a precursor to sanctions. Which means we'll have to convince them to call it that before we even get close to discussing santcions...

• Ali Khamenei says Iranian ideology 'has reached Islamic countries of the region, Palestine, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent'.

• Ahmadinejad says that, after Iran claims victory against the West on the nuclear issue, it will claim compensation for the period during which Iran supposedly shut down its nuclear program.

• The planned Iran-U.S. talks on Iraq have been postponed after the Iraqi government requested the U.S. not negotiate with Iran over their heads.

• The Iranian government is cracking down on universities. Student groups say that the regime is burying soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq war on campus grounds as a means of holding extremist 'martyrs' ceremonies'.

• The Revolutionary Guards have been put on alert along the Iran-Iraq border.

• Despite Iranian involvement in the killing of British soldiers, and terrorism everywhere, Britain will continue selling military equipment to the mullahs.

• Two Swedes are being held after photographing an Iranian naval base. Said the Swedish charge d'affaires in Tehran, "They didn't realize the severity of the photo ban".

The Middle East

• The Petra news agency has a copy of the Arab League's declaration. It includes a commitment to fund the Hamas-run PA.

• Islamic Jihad fired a Katyusha rocket in to Israel from Gaza on Tuesday. It is the first time anything bigger than a Qassam has been fired from Gaza by Arab terrorists. Four Bedouin were killed in two incidents on Tuesday by unexploded Qassam rockets.

• The trial of those accused of carrying out the Sinai bombings in 2004 and 2005 are claiming they were 'severely tortured' by Egyptian authorities. Egyptian authorities say the men belonged to a group called "Tawhid and Jihad", but deny it is linked to al-Qaeda.

• Hamas has taken full control of the PA, after a vote in the parliament approving Hamas's cabinet choice. Of course, it wouldn't be a palestinian meeting without the customary declarations of war against Israel. The U.S. has banned all contact with the PA, as has Canada.

• Hamas has a lot to learn about PR - the new suits aren't going to cut it. Case in point: OK, yes, it happened, we did suicide attacks but now there is a truce. We deplore any action where civilians are killed, yes, including Israeli civilians. We are a moderate Islamic movement. We are not terrorists. We are freedom seekers. Please, tell your readers, please help us secure this goal Makes you want to pull out your cheque book, right?

• The Israeli navy has joined in the shelling of empty fields as a completely ineffective means of deterring rocket attacks. Israeli troops in the Jordan Valley arrested a teeanger wearing a bomb-belt.

• A PA source says that the PA is also beholden to Egypt - 'It is correct to say that major decisions are not taken without Egypt's approval...'

• Syria's most well-known internal dissident group has refused all foreign funding, including a $5 million donation from the State Department.

Iraq and the Gulf

• U.S. commanders contend that a 'massacre' of Shi'ite in a Sadr-run mosque compound was staged.

• American reporter Jill Carroll has been released in Iraq. She says she was treated well.

• Bulgaria is sending 154 troops to Iraq to guard a refugee camp of Iranians, most of whom belong to the terrorist MEK. The troops will be armed with non-lethal weapons, aka, mace, tasers and flashbangs.

• A Saudi paper says that Iran is threatening Qatar with terrorist attacks, due to their ties with the U.S. and (supposedly) Israel.

• The Saudis have arrested 40 terrorist suspects, including 8 thought linked to the attack on the Abqaiq oil facility. Dozens of small-arms and over 100 grenades were also seized.

• Mariwan Halabjayee - the Salman Rushdie of Iraqi-Kurdistan - has fled to Sweden, after an arrest warrant was issued in his name. Halabjayee wrote a book claiming Islam abuses and oppresses women.

• Four Yemenis convicted of kidnapping Italian tourists in January 2005 have been sentenced to 20 years. The defence says that the four men, plus two given lesser sentences, were treated unfairly because tribesmen traditionally take hostages to put pressure on the government.

• Cruch Time in Iraq - militias, specifically the Mehdi Army, and the problematic question of the Sunnis. Good reading.

• Infantry being issued the new, improved, 26lb Interceptor body armour are rejecting it as dangerous. The vests now have side protection (previous vests only protected front and back). While popular with soldiers who either guard convoys or spend most of their time in vehicles, the troops who spend their time on their feet, sometimes maneouvering through confined spaces, are less keen.

• Why the Future is Fallujah - StrategyPage takes a look at the lessons learned during the campaign to clear the city of terrorists in 2004.

• Humvees still suck, but apparently the U.S. is lookng at several off-the-shelf replacements.

The Americas

• Congressional investigators managed to smuggle enough radioactive materials to make two dirty bombs across both the Canadian and Mexican borders.

• Congress has been told of the successful apprehension of large numbers of illegal immigrants by troops using Stryker armoured vehicles, National Guard helicopters and UAVs, working with Border Patrol. There was a 60% increase in the number of illegals caught.

• Zacarias Moussaoui, on a mission to talk himself in to a lethal injection, has testified that he was to fly a 5th airliner in to the White House - with shoebomber Richard Reid. Steven Emerson notes that there is no evidence to support his claims.

• The prosecutor in the seriously screwed-up trial of four North African immigrants accused of operating a terrorist cell in Detroit will be charged with conspiring to conceal evidence.

• An American Muslim who planned to hijack an airliner and use it to kill President Bush has been sentenced to 30 years.

• Bone fragments have been founded near the World Trade Center site. The remains were found on the roof and 38th floor of a nearby building.

• President Bush is believed to have won the support of Mexican President Vicente Fox for his controversial immigration reforms.

• FARC aren't doing too well these days. The Colombian army is seizing numerous FARC towns and camps.

Europe

• Mohammed Junaid Babar, the American al-Qaeda terrorist-turned-informant, has said that he met with Abu Hamza in 2003 while plotting an attack. Babar has also described how he handled weapons, poisons and bomb-making equipment destined for attacks in Europe.

• Christian convert Abdul Rahman has arrived in Italy, where he has been granted asylum.

• Italy has a new policy for terrorist suspects: deport them before enough evidence can be amassed to press charges. It is that policy that led to Italy expelling 20 terrorist suspects, seven of whom planned to bomb a church in Bologna and a railway line in Milan in the days before the election (due to take place April 9-10).

• The Germans have raided several companies after discovering they had been shipping nuclear components to Iran.

• Mohamed Sifaoui, a Muslim journalist who has gone undercover to expose Islamic extremists and terrorists several times, has been interviewed in the Danish Politiken newspaper.

• Rachid Ramda has been sentenced to 10 years for financing the Paris metro bombings of 1995. Ramda faces a second trial over his involvement in the bombings themselves.

• Dutch politicians have reported 121 threats in the last year. Most of those were made against MPs Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

• You've probably heard of the antisemitism in Arab textbooks, but how about the anti-Americanism in French textbooks?

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

• According to Russian forces, a house in Dagestan in which several terrorists were hiding, caught fire during a firefight between the soldiers and extremists. I guess no-one thought to call the fire brigade, 'cause everyone in that house was 'destroyed' (to use the police source's term).

• The Regional Anti-Terror Agency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has its own figures on how many terrorist attacks were thwarted in 2005: 250, in Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

• Russia faces a dilemma - the militias that used to work for the state are now freelance.

• Russia is refusing to build a light-water reactor intended to burn 34 tons of plutonium, as agreed in 2000 with the United States, unless the U.S. pays for it. Both Russia and the U.S. are bound to burn 34 tons of plutonium to keep it out of terrorist hands.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh

• Two soldiers, one American, one Canadian, were killed in fighting in southern Afghanistan. The Taliban claims that the recent increase in attacks is the beginning of their spring campaign.

• You'll be saddened to hear that the leader of Harkat-ul-Mujahadeen, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, a former bin Laden aide and career terrorist, is fighting for his life. He was beaten and suffocated, before being left for dead outside an Islamabad mosque.

• StrategyPage discusses special forces in Afghanistan. The so-called 'Commando Olympics' underway since late 2001 have seen countries from all over the world contributing teams under the radar, including several Arab countries.

• Supporters of two feuding imams in northwestern Pakistan have clahsed again, leaving 24 people dead.

• Pakistani forces arrested three Kashmiri terrorists in Waziristan (225 miles from Indian Kashmir) carrying explosives, arms and bomb-making instructions. Probably lost.

• Indian troops killed five terrorists, including a 'key member', in Kashmir on Monday.

• Ghaziabad, India, is on alert after two terror groups said they would attack the train station and other targets on April 11th.

• 69 Afghans accused of fighting for radicals in Waziristan have been deported.

• Last week, we reported on a list of suggestions from a Paksitani Islamic groups as to how to stop terrorism. One of their ideas was to stop teaching jihad in schools. Well, the Pakistani education minister has decided that's not going to happen.

• The central Bangladesh Bank has asked commercial banks to report any financial dealings of 68 named terrorists by April 6th. Also relevant, three more members of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh were arrested on Tuesday.

• The leaders of JMB are still being interrogated. They have reportedly admitted to involvement in 'militant activities', as well as in the series of bombings on August 17th last year.

Far East & South East Asia

• Abu Sayyaf have killed nine people in Jolo in a bombing attack on a Church-run cooperative store. Their preferred target was a Cathedral, but security measures led them to change their plans. A bombing two days later wounded 17 people on a Mindanao bus.

• South Korea is demanding that Japan retract its claims to two disputed islands.

• Relatives of Abu Sayyaf terrorists killed by police during a prison siege last year are going to sue the officials in charge of the police response.

• The Filipino military is going to form more counter-terrorist units to combat Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah. The announcement was made two days after the Jolo bombing.

• The Sri Lankan army is going to establish a Muslim unit, amid Tamil Tigers claim that Sri Lankan intelligence is sponsoring an anti-LTTE Muslim paramilitary group called Jihad. However, B. Raman and other Indian analysts claim that the more likely sponsors of Jihad are Pakistan's ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

• Thai authorities have arrested 19 Islamic teacher in southern Thailand for involvement in the two-year campaign of terrorism, which has thus far killed 1,100.

Africa

• After his brief escape, Charles Taylor has been re-arrested. The Dutch say they've been asked to try him in The Hague by the UN-backed court in Sierra Leone. Pressure is mounting on President Bush to skip a meeting with Nigerian premier Obasanjo, thought to be complicit in Taylor's escape. Besides his war crimes, Taylor has long-standing ties to al-Qaeda.

• SITE has a statement from the Islamic Eritrean Reform Movement, describing five attacks carried out between Feb 18th and March 17th. The statement claims that a total of 22 Eritrean soldiers were killed, vehicles and military buildings destroyed, and arms and intelligence documents seized.

• The GSPC has murdered a local mayor and four farmers. In another attack, six soldiers were wounded by a bomb. There's some background on the cell thought to be behind the mayor's killing over at Regnum Crucis.

• Hassan Khattab, one of the GSPC's founders, has called on the group to stop murdering civilians and to accept the government amnesty.

• A suspected GSPC arms dump has been discovered. Besides the usual assortment of arms and munitions, soldiers apparently found huge quantities of medical drugs and electricity cables.

• In Somalia, the Islamic Courts attempt to take Mogadishu has failed. A UN-negotiated ceasefire is in effect, but it is thought it won't last due to the increasing popularity of the Islamic Courts. The Islamic Courts are a grass-roots 'law-and-order' movement opposed to the various warlords who rule Somalia.

• The Arab League has agreed to fund African Union troops in Darfur. What's the catch? Well, first, they're not saying how much they're willing to give. Second, they've decided to start funding the AU the day after it finishes its mandate. The AU is due to finish in September, while the Arab League funding will begin October 1st. Without knowing how much money they will get, it is difficult to see how the AU can commit to keeping forces in Sudan.

• President Bush has called for a NATO peacekeeping force in Darfur. In his words, genocide needs to be stopped. But NATO isn't interested.

The Global War

• And why isn't NATO not discussing a role in Darfur? I sure as hell hope it has nothing to do with the conference in Rabat, Morocco with several Arab states (plus Israel). NATO officials told UPI that they face an uphill battle demonstrating to the 'Arab street' that NATO isn't an American-dominated organisation that sees radical Islam as its first priority.

• Blackwater, the private security firm that made a name for itself in Iraq, has offered to provide counter-insurgency forces anywhere the U.S. wants to send them.

• The International Maritime Bureau has reported an increase in piracy since December. While piracy is at the lowest level since 1999, Somalia and Iraq have become new hotspots, prompting warnings to merchantmen to stay at least 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast.

• How peaceful is Islam? Investors' Business Daily has some tough questions - here are some answers. Related, an Open Letter to Reformist Muslims.

• Just how many bad guys are there? Number-crunching time.

• The Battle of Khartoon isn't over. Yehudit outlines the self-censorship still ongoing.

• While not strictly war-related, this is so damn awful it had to get in here somewhere. Ayaan Hirsi Ali reports that anywhere between 113-200 million women are 'demographically missing' at any one time.

• A tale of two transcripts - MEMRI vs. 'Aqoul. A dispute over the translations of Wafa Sultan's righteous diatribes.

And finally:

• The toy everyone wanted, and someone finally made: a remote-controlled helicopter, complete with automatic shotgun.

• Ace of Spades discovers the world of online Muslim dating. I have good domestic skills including cooking, cleaning,sewing, and raising farm animals. I’m an excellent conversationalist, of course only if you want me to be. Very subservient!

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know.

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"It is no longer possible, as it once was, to see the world only from your front porch, being disturbed only by the ringing of the bell on some passing ice cream truck. In Africa, Asia, too much of the world -- it is Joseph Conrad much of the time: "The horror! The horror!"

Welcome to reality, Richard. Enjoy your stay.

"But you can say that these horrors are usually being inflicted by a minority. You say it is a few crazed terrorists of Iraq who are doing the killing. It is not most Iraqis. You can say the same about suicide bombers and torturers and rogue governments, like the one Saddam Hussein once headed. You can take solace in numbers. Most people are like us."

Odd that this should be the wake-up call, but follow along for a sec here, it's enlightening:

"Then comes the Rahman case and it is not a solitary crazy prosecutor who brings the charge of apostasy but an entire society. It is not a single judge who would condemn the man but a culture. The Taliban are gone at gunpoint, their atrocities supposedly a thing of the past. In our boundless optimism, we consign them to the "too hard" file of horrors we cannot figure out: the Khmer Rouge, the Nazis, the communists of the Stalin period. Now, though, this awful thing returns and it is not just a single country that would kill a man for his beliefs but a huge swath of the world that would not protest. There can be only one conclusion: They were in agreement.

The groupthink of the Muslim world is frightening. I know there are exceptions -- many exceptions. But still it seems that a man could be killed for his religious beliefs and no one would say anything in protest. It is also frightening to confront how differently we in the West think about such matters and why the word "culture" is not always a mask for bigotry, but an honest statement of how things are."

On one level, the fact that it has taken a noted columnist in one of America's leading papers no less than 4 1/2 years after 9/11 to wake up to this fact is an indictment. Of a media that too often sits on the porch waiting for the ice cream truck bell, and substitutes political correctness for real coverage. Of Richard himself, for having a national pulpit in a time of war and apparently not taking the time to educate himself in some fairly elementary ways.

On another level, maybe it's also an illustration of the fact that everybody does come to Rick's, in the end.

Perhaps now we can hope for more attention from the liberal-left to the matter of "honour" killings, chronicled over at All Things Beautiful in "Today You Die" - Maintaining Family Honor. My old friend Adil "Muslimpundit" Farooq covered this issue here on Winds when he was blogging, and so has Zack Ajmal.

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PS Prager makes another extremely important point about why this is not your dad's clash of civilizations:

Nazis and Communists wanted to live and feared death; Islamic authoritarians love death and loathe life.

That is why MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) worked with the Soviet Union. Communist leaders love life -- they loved their money, their power, their dachas, their mistresses, their fine wines -- and were hardly prepared to give all that up for Marx. But Iran's current leaders celebrate dying, and MAD may not work, because from our perspective, they are indeed mad. MAD only works with the sane.

There is much less you can do against people who value dying more than living.

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This week saw NYU unprecedentedly denying the public access to a previously open panel discussion. (Atlas Shrugs was there; above is a photo of the cowardly compromise which allowed the event to proceed.)

The Western Standard of Canada published the cartoons and is being summoned before a human rights court.

Now Borders and Waldenbooks are refusing to carry a magazine which contains an article accompanied by reproductions of the Dreaded Cartoons of Blasphemy ™.

"For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority," Borders Group Inc. spokeswoman Beth Bingham said Wednesday.

Don't let anyone tell you this is about high-minded sensitivity to other cultures. It's about fear. Even those most in thrall to political correctness are occasionally honest about that.

The last time I actually bought something at a bookstore was because I had a gift certificate. And I didn't buy a book, I bought a pair of earrings. Like many people who spend too much of their lives online, I do most of my shopping at Amazon.com, so boycotting Borders and Walden requires no sacrifice on my part. YMMV. I just checked and, yes, you can buy a subscription to Free Inquiry at Amazon and the April/May issue will be delivered to your door. (In a plain brown wrapper?)

Over at LGF there's a movement to walk into your local Borders and ask for the upcoming issue of Free Inquiry, and explain why. I like it.

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As a non-Arabic speaker, I can't compare either to the source material--but it's straightforward to compare the one English version to the other.

Meph's transcript gives a much better sense of the Al-Jazeera program on which Sultan appeared, "The Opposite Direction." The Charlie Rose Show it ain't. Host Faisal al Qassem seems to be looking for an Intellectual Food Fight, more focused on generating sparks than light. Does he believe the loopy lead-in statements he makes, or is it just Show Business? Or a bit of both? Guest Dr. Ibrahim al-Khouly, a lecturer at Cairo's renowned Al-Azhar University, barely makes an appearance on MEMRI, but got to make plenty of his points, such as they are, on the show.

For those masochists who want to compare MEMRI's version with the on-screen account by Meph (no printing allowed), here are the markers.

MEMRI: Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions...
Meph, Pg 2 para 2: WS: What we see unfolding on the international scene is not a clash of religions...

MEMRI: Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today...
Meph, Pg 2 para 4: Faisal al-Qassem: Do we understand from your words that what is happening now...

MEMRI: Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations?...
Meph Pg 3 last para: FQ: What the world is witnessing these days is a clash of civilizations...

MEMRI: WS: My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs...
Meph Pg 4 para 12: WS: He claims he doesn't insult others' doctrines...

MEMRI: WS: I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being...
Meph pg 8 para 17: WS: I am not a Christian, I do not believe in any religion...

MEMRI: Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?
Meph pg 8 para 10: IK: You mean an atheist?

MEMRI: WS: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don't throw them at me...
Meph pg 8 para 17: WS: My brother, believe, if you wish, in a stone but do not dare strike me with it...

MEMRI: WS: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them...
Meph pg 11 para 4: WS: The Jews emerged from a tragedy and forced the world to respect them...

What do I think? Meph's translation is none to kind to Dr. al-Khoury, who--to a historically-knowledgeable Westerner--hangs himself with his own words. Though, as has been pointed out at 'Aqoul and in Big Lizard's comments, this means less than it seems. al-Khoury probably fits comfortably into the pious mainstream of al-Jazeera's audience. To my Western sensibilites, Dr. Sultan is very impressive, though she misses her stride in a few places. But this, too, probably doesn't matter much to al-Jazeera's target audience, who presumably see her as something of atheist and or an heretic, and more of an American than an Arab.

As to the translations: the sense conveyed by MEMRI's excerpts matches pretty well with that given by Meph; though Meph's work has the big contextual advantage of being, well, complete. Meph, but not MEMRI, gives a sense of "The Opposite Direction's" raucus sensationalism--a helpful context.

The one remaining major point of contention is in the penultimate exchange, where MEMRI has al-Khouly asking if Sultan, "Are you a heretic?", while Meph phrases the words as, "You mean an atheist?" The point rankles 'Aqoul posters (see the later comments in Moderate Muslims Sighted in Madison ) because of Sultan's claim that al-Khouly pronounced a fatwa on her. The 3/11/06 New York Times:

[Dr. Sultan's] fame grew exponentially when she appeared on Al Jazeera again on Feb. 21, an appearance that was translated and widely distributed by the Middle East Media Research Institute. Memri said the clip of her February appearance had been viewed more than a million times…The other guest on the program, … Dr. Ibrahim al-Khouli, asked, "Are you a heretic?" He then said there was no point in rebuking or debating her, because she had blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet Muhammad and the Koran.
Dr. Sultan said she took those words as a formal fatwa, a religious condemnation. Since then, she said, she has received numerous death threats on her answering machine and by e-mail. One message said: "Oh, you are still alive? Wait and see." She received an e-mail message the other day, in Arabic, that said, "If someone were to kill you, it would be me."

Meph's complete transcript gives no evidence that al-Khouly intended to pronounce a fatwa, or could have done so, or did. In my opinion, that doesn't make Sultan less brave for speaking out: sure, she might have made up those death threats she recounted to the NYT, but given the experiences of dissidents from Salman Rushdie onwards, there is all too little reason to suppose that that she had a need to.

** UPDATE March 30, 2006 1:45 PM: **

Last night, Mortal Human and Mideast traveler Dean Esmay weighed in on comment #102 of this thread. Here's what he said:

...As someone who's been 100% committed to the GWOT, including the important battlefield in that larger struggle which is Iraq, I have long maintained that Islamophobia IS real and IS an evil, and that whatever their value in some departments we have to be careful with groups like MEMRI because they DO present a slant and "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" isn't their central goal. Advocacy is. Which is fine, advocacy is what they're all about.

But even advocacy goes too far at times. "Fake but accurate" is not a defense for Dan Rather, and it's not for others.

One of the biggest truth-casualties here, by the way, is the notion that there was anything startling, amazing, or original about Sultan's angry anti-Muslim screed on Al-Jazeera. Or that it's unusual to see an outspoken angry woman be critical of men on Al-Jazeera. Or that condemnation of the Saudi version of Sharia is unusual on Al-Jazeera. If you "haven't seen anything like it before," that should cause you to pause and reflect and wonder: people who actually watch Arab television on a regular basis found it about as unremarkable as your average segment on Bill O'Reilly's show. Hello? Hello? Anyone listening?

Read Abu Aardvark's blog. You'll find it right here. I suggest reading it regularly, because it's a blog, not a single book that's going to answer all your questions instantly.

But I'll go further: I suggest that Joe Katzman, Armed Liberal, and the rest of the WOC crew offer Abu Aardvark a post as co-blogger on Winds of Change. In fact, I dare you.

My view is that Islamic radicalism can never be defeated if we do not have muslims on our side. And we aren't going to get muslims on our side by consistently distorting them and their worldview, are we?

This isn't like the war against Tojo's Japan. But even in that war, we needed friends in that part of the world.

Thanks for weighing in, Dean.

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The men and women of America’s armed forces and those on the front lines here at home have met every challenge with skill, bravery, and selfless dedication. They, along with veterans, military retirees and the families of those who have given their lives or have been wounded in defense of our country, deserve the gratitude and support of the American people. We will always honor their service and fulfill our promises to them.

Rhetoric, but OK with me.

We believe America is best protected, and freedom best advanced, by national security policies -- including homeland, energy, and diplomatic strategies -- that are both tough and smart.

Ditto.

Democrats offer a plan for Real Security to rebuild our military; equip and train our first responders and others on the front lines here at home; provide needed benefits to our troops and veterans; fully man and equip our National Guard; promote alternative fuels and reduce dependence on foreign oil; and restore Americans’ confidence in their government’s ability to respond in the face of a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

OK, that’s half the problem. What will we do about the elephant in the room?

To protect the American people, we will immediately implement the recommendations of the independent bipartisan 9/11 Commission and finally protect our ports and airports, our borders, mass transit systems, our chemical and nuclear power plants, and our food and water supplies from terrorist attack.

All things I’m generally supportive of – with a caveat. The caveat is simple; we can protect ourselves by giving up all our freedoms (I don’t think that’s what’s being proposed) and we can defend ourselves by eliminating our enemies (which may mean killing or capturing them, or making them not our enemies any more). In general, I like the idea of some of A and more of B. That’s because in reality, without a ‘V for Vendetta’ type police state, we can’t secure ourselves, we’re too big, too interconnected, and too open. So I’m very wary of ‘making ourselves safe at home’ as a core – as opposed to important ancillary strategy. But I do think that we need to do more to secure ports, railroads, key facilities, and the population at large. In part, I think we do it by educating and empowering citizens; in part we do it through government programs.

After September 11, all Americans trusted President Bush to take the steps necessary to keep our country safe. Since then, inadequate planning and incompetent policies have failed to make Americans as safe as we should be. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina showed that the federal government was still not prepared to respond.

I’m wary of the Katrina response as a ‘canary’ issue; first things were not as bad as they were made out to be; many of the immediate problems were local; the size of the disaster has to be seen on a map to really be appreciated; and there’s something about the idea of omnipotent Feds that creeps me out a bit. I’d like my local governments to be somewhat competent, please.

Under President Bush and the Republican majority in Congress, the war in Iraq began with manipulated intelligence and no plan for success; our ports and other critical infrastructure remain vulnerable, while both soldiers in the field and first responders at home lack the basic equipment and resources they were promised. Both in the Persian Gulf and our own Gulf Coast, lucrative no-bid contracts have gone to companies such as Halliburton, Kellogg, Brown and Root, and others with friends in high places and records of cheating taxpayers. And despite record high fuel prices, our country remains heavily dependent on foreign oil because of an energy policy that benefits the big oil interests.

I’ll go for ‘good job’ on the energy policy; suggest that every war and large public works project is skewed toward insider contractors (Los Angeles Red Line, anyone?); I do think that too little has been done to secure infrastructure (note my comment above about the role of citizens in doing that); I do fully acknowledge that postwar planning – and more, management of the critical reconstruction aid – was badly shortchanged; ‘manipulated intelligence’ is pretty much a partisan trope.

Americans want and deserve change. Democrats’ plan for Real Security will protect Americans and restore our country’s position of international leadership.

OK, puffery is approvable in political speech

21st Century Military To Ensure Unparalleled Military Strength and Honor our Troops, we will:

Boy, ‘Strength and Honor’ – I know it’s an accidental juxtaposition, but didn’t anyone with an ear proofread this?

Rebuild a state-of-the-art military by making the needed investments in equipment and manpower so that we can project power to protect America wherever and whenever necessary.

The entire game here is “what equipment, specifically?” and “what manpower, specifically?” Depending on the answer to that this could be absolutely great or it could be a boondoggle (Crusader anyone?).

Guarantee that our troops have the protective gear, equipment, and training they need and are never sent to war without accurate intelligence and a strategy for success.

Well, they won’t be going to war much then, will they? That’s just silly. Intelligence is almost never accurate (except in movies) and the strategy for success (except the broadest ones) that is approved on Day 1 of the war is usually invalid by Day 7.

Enact a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century that guarantees our troops -- active, reserve, and retired -- our veterans, and their families receive the pay, health care, mental health services, and other benefits they have earned and deserve.

I like that; I think that the GI bill was one of the major levers into middle-class life for the postwar dogfaces, and I think that an intelligently designed set of programs could well be the rope that keeps the modern grunts in the middle class as well.

Strengthen the National Guard, in partnership with the nation’s Governors, to ensure it is fully manned, equipped and available to meet missions at home and abroad.

OK, how would you do things differently than they are being done now? Equipment is sketchy because it’s being used; the only way to have 100% readiness ratings is never to go do anything at all. Enlistment is down, but in the face of the media CW and lack of sales by the Administration, I can see why.

War on Terror

To Defeat Terrorists and Stop the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction, we will:

Eliminate Osama Bin Laden, destroy terrorist networks like al Qaeda, finish the job in Afghanistan, and end the threat posed by the Taliban.

Yeah? You and whose army? I’ve said in the past that I thought our strategy in Afghanistan was genius, because it avoided the cultural and military pitfalls that the Russians found there. I think that the suggestions that things would be better in Afghanistan if we only had 150,000 troops on the ground there are purely and simply delusional, and people who suggest things like that are demonstrating that they know nothing of Afghanistan or military history.

Double the size of our Special Forces, increase our human intelligence capabilities, and ensure our intelligence is free from political pressure.

Where will the new operators come from? Would we lower standards, raise pay? I know a little bit about this, and can tell you that this is going to be damn difficult if not impossible. I’d like to see some specifics, please. And I’m working on a piece on humint, based in large part on the article in The Atlantic this month about the spies that the UK managed to place in the IRA – and what they had to do to stay there. From the Atlantic:

I put it to Martin Ingram, the former spy handler, that in the case of Scappaticci, the British strategy had gone amok.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I think it went very much to schedule.”

“So you think—”

“I don’t think, I know. He was acting to orders.”

So the British government knew of Scappaticci’s killings?

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “The one preconception the IRA had is that if you are dirty—that is, if you have killed—then you cannot be an agent.” Scappaticci exploited that misapprehension. “His best protection,” Ingram continued, “was to keep killing.”

If that’s true, the British spy services beat the IRA by appealing to a belief that the United Kingdom wouldn’t sacrifice its own subjects—especially its own agents.

When Nancy Pelosi signs on for this kind of humint, please let me know.

Eliminate terrorist breeding grounds by combating the economic, social, and political conditions that allow extremism to thrive; lead international efforts to uphold and defend human rights; and renew longstanding alliances that have advanced our national security objectives.

So we’ll be promoting freedom as a way of eliminating the “political conditions” that lead to terrorism.

Secure by 2010 loose nuclear materials that terrorists could use to build nuclear weapons or “dirty bombs.”

That’s a good plan…I’ll support that one.

Redouble efforts to stop nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea.

What, specifically would they do differently?

Homeland Security To Protect America from Terrorism and Natural Disasters, we will:

Immediately implement the recommendations of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission including securing national borders, ports, airports and mass transit systems.

See my comments on internal v. external security above.

Screen 100% of containers and cargo bound for the U.S. in ships or airplanes at the point of origin and safeguard America’s nuclear and chemical plants, and food and water supplies.

Nice goal, not happening anytime soon. Note that Jane Harman – arguably the smartest Dem on security (and coincidentally, my Congresswoman) doesn’t think so either.

Prevent outsourcing of critical components of our national security infrastructure -- such as ports, airports and mass transit -- to foreign interests that put America at risk.

That’s just silly. The issue isn’t who owns the facility – the issue is who manages security there and what programs/policies they follow.

Provide firefighters, emergency medical workers, police officers, and other workers on the front lines with the training, staffing, equipment, and cuttingedge technology they need.

Well, there’s a lot of cutting edge technology out there; how about some basic interoperable communications infrastructure? I’d rather have good, simple, common tools than the latest wizbang items.

Protect America from biological terrorism and pandemics, including the Avian flu, by investing in the public health infrastructure and training public health workers.

Bingo. Applause. Attaboy.

Iraq

To Honor the Sacrifice of Our Troops, we will:

Ensure 2006 is a year of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with the Iraqis assuming primary responsibility for securing and governing their country and with the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces.

How in the world do you ‘ensure’ that ‘ the Iraqis assuming primary responsibility for securing and governing their country’?? That’s wishful thinking of the ‘declare victory and leave’ style.

Insist that Iraqis make the political compromises necessary to unite their country and defeat the insurgency; promote regional diplomacy; and strongly encourage our allies and other nations to play a constructive role.

Again, what would be different than what we’re doing today?

Hold the Bush Administration accountable for its manipulated pre-war intelligence, poor planning and contracting abuses that have placed our troops at greater risk and wasted billions of taxpayer dollars.

That’s a winning wartime strategy – let’s battle among ourselves.

Energy Independence

To Free America from Dependence on Foreign Oil, we will:

Achieve energy independence for America by 2020 by eliminating reliance on oil from the Middle East and other unstable regions of the world.

Energy independence is a laudable goal, but there are a couple problems. But I’m still a supporter of greater energy efficiency.

Increase production of alternate fuels from America’s heartland including bio-fuels, geothermal, clean coal, fuel cells, solar and wind; promote hybrid and flex fuel vehicle technology and manufacturing; enhance energy efficiency and conservation incentives.

Golf clap.

So, overall, a few things that I’m very excited about (resources to first responders and public health, energy efficiency). But I’m not seeing anything (doable) that’s bold or different – or even particularly interesting – about the approach to the Middle East, and I'm seeing some particularly unrealistic things.

I'll try and go deeper into some of the interesting questions in the next week or so - but I'll bet others beat me to it.

But overall, let's see another draft, guys.

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The truism is that our American waves of immigrants have been more desperate, hungrier for freedom and success, more flexible, less rooted in authoritarian oligarchy. And that one of our strengths as a nation is the constant refreshing of our fat and lazy population with new, hungrier blood.

I’ve seen this directly from our side of the border as my sons raised their game in high school to compete with immigrant children who didn’t have nearly the sense of entitlement that native children seem to have. I’ve seen it directly in my lunch with Sumi, an Indian immigrant who I believe is destined for grand things.

The question is what is the impact in Mexico or Guatemala?

How much easier is it for kleptocracies to stay in power when those who don’t like them or can’t manage to find a place under them are simply pointed to the border?

How much easier is it for corrupt local officials to preside over a sagging economy when everyone east because of dollars sent home from the United States?

I know this is walking a path somewhere between Marxist “immiseration” and Moynahan’s “benign neglect”; but trust me, I’m personally not calling for either.

I am calling for a recognition that the answer to our immigration problem (as well as a lot of other ones) is a strong, free, prosperous Mexico (and El Salvador, and Guatemala, etc. etc.) that can make lives in Mexico for the people who today feel like they have no choice. And any policy needs to be considered with that goal in mind as well.

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In Kafrayn for the Price of One, scholar Stacey Philbrick Yadav offers a synopsis of Yemeni theologian Muhammed Abd al-Malik al-Mutawakkil’s 2004 book, Islam and International Human Rights Declarations. (Hat tip: 'Aqoul ) From soon-to-be Dr. Yadav's description, al-Mutawakkil is an important thinker in a center of Islamist scholarship, so her description of his thesis is noteworthy (but RTWT ).

• The reason that Muhammed took up arms against the Quraysh was because they were preventing people from converting to Islam. It cannot logically hold that he would take up arms in defense of individual choice, and then deny it to others.

• There are scores of ayat mentioning the offense of kufr (unbelief), but no mention in the Quran of any worldly punishment. There are comparatively few mentions of the crimes of adultery, theft, and murder, but there are clearly articulated worldly punishments in the text of the Quran itself. Despite an ill-substantiated hadith to the contrary, one cannot hold that the immutable and perfect Quran simply “neglected to mention it.” ...

• Those who draw a distinction between a kafir (unbeliever) and a murtad (apostate, or one who has “turned his back” on Islam after previously submitting, by birth or by conversion, to its authority) and advocate killing the murtad simply on the basis of his apostasy are also in error...

Each of these points is exhaustively documented by reference to the Quran, the Sunna of the prophet, and the writings of the fuqaha’. What is particularly interesting is that he cites clerics with conservative reputations, thus making the "hard case."

This week, Abdul Rahman's life was seemingly spared by realpolitik, rather than because of any outburst of conscience on the part of the leaderships of the world's Islamic communities. How encouraging, then, to learn of significant scholarship that looks to square the circle of Islam and Enlightenment ideals of Human Rights--from within that Faith.

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The original Progressive movement was alive and thriving in America a century ago, entwined firmly around another public crusade that shared its goals: the Social Gospel movement.

In fact the phrase "What Would Jesus Do," so vividly mocked by the modern left, is from "In His Steps," an 1897 novel by Charles Sheldon that was one of the most popular books of that generation. The old Progressives weren't mocking. They were nodding in agreement. This article tells the story of the book:

In simple style, In His Steps tells the story of self-satisfied congregants of a midwestern church who are challenged by a tramp during a Sunday service to live up to their declaration of faith. The tramp then dies in their midst. So moved are the minister and his parishioners that they pledge to live their lives for one year asking themselves, "What would Jesus do?" Their example [of] how they suffered, faced ridicule and emerged victorious inspires other churches throughout the country to do the same.

The article is fascinating reading for modern folks who associate a mix of firm Christian conviction and politics with smug Republican conservatism.

The modern political faction that claims the title of "progressive" has stolen the laurels from the graves of men like Sheldon without earning them. The old -- and to me, true -- Progressives were, like modern progressives, based in urban areas, and they often were wealthier than the average American. They included some of the most popular literary figures of the day, and they were deeply concerned with social justice issues.

Unlike their modern namesakes, though, they were rooted in religion. In fact, the were, in part, a reaction against secular excesses of Social Darwinism. Like many political labels, "Progressive" was more an umbrella than a uniform. But the Progressive movement was tightly entwined with the Social Gospel movement. Their causes were the same ones, and they were consistent with the Sermon on the Mount. They sought to reform American society in the same ways, and they saw the same looming threats to democracy and American virtues in the old "sins" like greed and pride.

Progressives in and out of Congress brought America child labor laws, minimum wages, insurance on bank deposits, and votes for women. They also had notable failures, such as Prohibition.

Yes, it wasn't a pack of prudes that gave us Prohibition. It was the same people who gave us votes for women. The Women's Christian Temperance Union was among the leading Progressive/Social Gospel organizations of its day, with a range of causes that also included women's suffrage and prison reform. Like the child labor laws, Prohibition was meant to be a specific solution to specific problems, including the corrupt machine politics of the cities, which were rooted in the saloons.

They were optimists, these Progressives, and they believed in America. They railed against corporate greed and the suffering it caused, but they knew that corporate industry was here to stay and that its products were advancing the quality of life overall. Their goal was to correct big business, not to smash it to bits. With the cross-pollination from the Social Gospel movement, they sought to hold powerful men to standards of moral behavior rooted, explicitly or not, in the New Testament.

Contrast that to the blunt nihilism of so many of the modern progressives. Contrast it to their virulent mocking of white Protestant Christianity, their furious anti-globalization mentality, their enthusiastic adherence to the idea that everything about America is corrupt, racist, militaristic, evil, and unfixable.

For all their pride in "speaking truth to power," few in today's movement can match the old Progressives in their critique of America's problems -- and in their effectiveness in promoting specific solutions to them. Upton Sinclair's scathing "The Jungle" led directly to the passage of the Pure Food & Drug Act. What good has Michael Moore wrought for all his cleverness?

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-----Original Message-----
From: Conny McCormack
Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 5:15 PM
To: 'XXXXXX@ss.ca.gov'; 'XXXXXX@ss.ca.gov'; 'XXXXXX@ss.ca.gov';
'XXXXXX@ss.ca.gov'
Cc: Michael XXXXXXX; Ray XXXXXX; Kristin XXXXXX;
'XXXXXX@solanocounty.com'

Subject: Calvoter Stats since Jan 1, 2006 for L.A. County

SUBJECT: Follow-up to 3/16/06 meeting at SOS office re Statewide Database process (i.e. post HAVA Calvoter system) -per your request at the meeting for stats to date for L.A. County

There were 34,064 voter registration forms received and data entered by L.A. County, and then sent to CalVoter, between Jan 1 and Mar 15, 2006 (this has been a very slow time for L.A. County. As we mentioned at the meeting, during heavy election periods we routinely receive upward of 20,000 voter registration forms each day). These stats (below) reveal that 14,629 or 42.9% of these individuals' voter registration records have been returned to us by your office as invalid. Due to SOS regulations, these individuals are now fatally pended on the CalVoter system. Such status means they are not eligible to receive a sample ballot (which also informs them of their assigned neighborhood voting location) nor to receive an absentee ballot by mail if they were to apply for one. Prior to Jan 1, 2006, ALL of these individuals, would have been placed on the voter file at the time of data entry. Additionally, assuming they met the VR deadline, they would have received sample ballots for upcoming elections in their area and would have been allowed to vote either via absentee ballot or at their assigned polling place via a regular (i.e. not a provisional) ballot. (Caveat: beginning in 2004, first time voters in federal elections who did not provide a copy of I.D. when registering to vote by mail would have been asked to show I.D. at the polls prior to casting a regular ballot. Additionally, according to SOS directive at that time, absentee voters would have been verified, and their ballots counted, if the signature on his/her voter registration record compared favorably with the signature on his/her absentee ballot envelope, regardless of whether or not s/he enclosed a copy of I.D. with their absentee ballot or absentee ballot application).

The individuals caught in the first group below (i.e. NO MATCH) actually DID provide their Calif. Driver's License # (CDL) or CA State I.D. (CID) on the voter registration form they submitted between Jan 1-Mar 15, 2006. However, because of some difference in how their name (or possibly birthdate) appeared in the DMV records compared to the information they provided on their registered voter affidavit, they are being prohibited from being listed on the voter rolls at this time. We (counties) are told to contact them to get "the information needed." However, they already have provided the info required to be eligible to register to vote. They also provided their CDL or CID # and yet they are still "without Registered Voter (RV) status." You reiterated at Thurs' meeting that your CalVoter system, and your own regulations (drawn up in conjunction with the USDOJ), prohibit these individuals from being listed on the voter file in any fashion, i.e. they are "fatal" pends. We suggested a "soft pend" so that they could be included on the RV file, perhaps with a notation to "show I.D." to verify identify at the polls (or, for absentee voters, provide it in absentee ballot return envelope) but we learned your system has no such capability, i.e. a person attempting to register to vote is either IN or OUT with nothing in-between.

Also, fully 1,594 (4.68%) of these records (below) were not accepted due to CalVoter "system error" such as a "time out" or other "down time" of your system. These individuals' right to become a RV is now impacted not by eligibility criteria, but by an imperfect system (all systems are imperfect exposing a fatal flaw in having a potential voter's status impacted - not by Constitutional eligibility criteria - but rather by technology).

Taken together, these two categories comprise 22.65% of the voter registration forms received by L.A. County since the first of the year.

Additionally, 6,438 (18.9%) of the individuals in stats below did not provide a CDL or CID # when attempting to register or re-register to vote (as we explained, 2/3 of the voter registration affidavits we receive are typically re-registrations, i.e. occur due to a voter changing his/her name, address, pol party affiliation, etc. In other words they have been a CA registered voter in the past and many have voted in past CA elections). You indicated that since these individuals have either a CDL or CID (according to DMV records) each one must personally provide it (either on another form or orally via a telephone call) in order to become a RV. In other words, even an exact match of another gov't agency's records is insufficient to clear their registrations, regardless of whether or not these individuals are a new registrant or a re-registrant.

The first three categories listed below total 14,153 or 41.5% of the VR affidavits our County received between Jan 1 and March 15.

Of course the FAQs sent to county registrars and posted on your website for the past several weeks also say the same thing as is described above re what the SOS is requiring the counties to do with all VR affidavits received since Jan 1, 2006. Needless to say, the numbers shown below are not small. However, as I mentioned at the Thursday meeting, as well as on several conference calls with SOS staff, even if one person is impacted inappropriately that is one too many with regard to their precious and Constitutionally guaranteed right to register to vote based on appropriate and legal eligiblity criteria.

UNSUCCESSFUL VALIDATIONS

NO_MATCH - 6121 (17.97%)
EXACT - 6438 (18.90%)
SYSTEM ERR - 1594 (4.68%)
SOUNDS - 130 (0.38%)
SMART - 9 (0.03%)
MULTIPLE - 43 (0.13%)
INVALID - 294 (0.86%)
SUB TOTAL - 14629 (42.95%)

SUCCESSFUL VALIDATIONS
EXACT - 19435 (57.05%)

GRAND TOTAL - 34064

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"No foreign power will fight fiercely to rescue from failure those who persist on taking the wrong road. If most Latin Americans insist on walking away from the standards of behavior of the First World and waste their time and resources on the costly neopopulist pipe dreams proposed by Chávez and the rest of the madmen running loose in the region, no powerful nation will make much of an effort to steer them in the right direction."

Basically true. The Left has complained for a long time that if they were simply left alone by the big, bad, imperialist USA, Latin America's problems would be solved and Nirvana achieved.

We should all be careful what we wish for, lest we receive it at last.

I believe it was Richard Nixon, of all people, who once remarked of the Third World that the communists talk about its problems, and that too often we only talked about the Communists. The Marxists were and are correct that Latin America's problems are deep-seated and foundational, rather than issues of mere superstructure.

The bad news for Latin America is that Marxism is simply a manifestation of its cultural and governance deficits taken to the extreme. To ask The Religion of 100 Million Skulls for a cure is to swallow lethal poison in order to treat flu.

Indeed, there's an argument to be made that the region's most corrosive problem, the one that has exacerbated all of the others, has been a multi-level lack of freedom to fail. It has allowed refuge in excuses and bad habits at every stage and on both sides of Latin America's political divides, while leaving the deep-seated core problems intact.

Humans are complex, but consistent. The parenting & family section of About.com writes:

"Because decision making is a skill, children can become very good at making bad decisions. This usually occurs when parents don't hold them responsible for their poor decisions, instead, bailing them out of the trouble their bad decision brings. These children learn that they aren't responsible for their decisions and can continue to do stupid things without fear of consequences. The long-term personal, social, and professional implications of children growing up to be poor decision makers are profound, negative, and, I think, obvious."

Quasi-parental bailouts at every level is arguably the one common thread that runs uninterrupted through Peronism, the prevalence of military coups, caudillos, economies run by handfuls of dominant families, Marxism, World Bank bailouts, and US intervention. Which may help to explain why over the last 100 years, Latin America has learned little from either its long list of abject failures, or from its few successes.

Will the removal of external safety nets eventually produce a cure, by making consequences real and responsibility inescapable? Or does the region's failed governance and culture ensure a darker future, absent safety nets from abroad? Or perhaps both predictions will prove true.

We shall see.

UPDATE: Check out Bart Hall's excellent comments, which highlight a couple of trends you won;t hear reported very often.

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In the wake of Ruy Teixeira's The Emerging Democratic Majority a coherent strategy has gained consensus. People in the Democratic Party have done a calculation that tells them the only way they can achieve an electoral majority in the future is if they swell the ranks of voters with large numbers of "people of color." The motivation is really quite cynical as well as short-sighted. Many hispanics vote conservative after they've been here long enough to become convinced of the American Ideology, so the only way this "browning of America" could actually work is if the influx is faster than our capacity to assimilate the new recruits into the melting pot. And multiculturalism helps, because it insulates the immigrants from all that destructive Lockean propoganda about individual sovereignty. It's slightly racist too, since it assumes that "people of color" can usually be talked into voting against their own long term interests if you keep them barefoot in their isolated enclaves. (Past generations might have called these "ghettos" but the politically correct term is "communities of color.")

In short, they've made a decision to undermine and, if possible, destroy the ideology that holds the nation together, simply because it's inconvenient for them and they can't think of policies that fit within the constraints that Lockeanism imposes. The name of the play is "end around" and they're hoping they don't get shoved out of bounds. Somewhere along the line they made a commitment to a form of relabelled and reconditioned Marxism and have so lost touch that they don't even know the origins of their own belief system.

And since two ideas are always better than one, let me also observe that Hillary is no Clinton. She's about as politically tone-deaf as anyone I've ever seen, and that quip about good samaritanism and criminalizing Jesus just isn't going to cut it. People of faith don't like to be lectured by the likes of Hillary. Not only don't they believe she's got any moral legitimacy (especially of a religous nature) but she was waggling her paternalism like she was proud of it!

Update: Good discussion. I guess I was sufficiently provocative to get things rolling. Thanks.

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Iran & the Middle East

• Incoming Palestinian interior minister Saeed Seyam, chosen by Hamas to oversee three security services, essentially handed Palestinian terrorists a blank check to attack Israel when he said "the day will never come when any Palestinian would be arrested because of his political affiliation or because of resisting the occupation," adding that "the file of political detention must be closed."

• Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is warning Hamas that without recognition of Israel they have no future and the Palestinian government would fail.

• Despite terror warnings, Israel agreed to reopen the Karni crossing between Gaza and Egypt this past weekend. The move is one of several steps taken by Israel under pressure from the United States.

• Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz indicated on Friday that he believes Hamas may soften their stance with the obligations and responsibilities that come with governing, but currently they "present themselves as an enemy of Israel."

• According to Olivier Guitta, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is angry over Qatar's alliance to the US and Israel. In the event of war between the United States and Iran the "Revolutionary guards are threatening to attack Qatari oil and gas facilities by sea and air. They plan to use suicide boats and air missiles."

• On Sunday, the al-Rashideen Army in Iraq released a seven-minute video with an open letter to President Bush included.

• David R. Francis writes in the Christian Science Monitor that any move by Iran to cut off oil supplies would be economic suicide for a government that receives 90 percent of their revenues from the sale of oil.

• There are growing indications that the United States and Iran may hold direct talks over issues in Iraq, a move that Amir Taheri says may be a major mistake. On Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the British of plotting against Iran.

• Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at a carload of al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade members on Monday morning in Gaza city, missing their target and wounding two.

• Hamas leaders in Kalkilya have been targeted in assassination attempts in what many describe as continued fighting between Hamas and Fatah. One Hamas official complained that "ever since we won the municipal election, we have been subjected to a campaign of intimidation and incitement by Fatah activists." How ironic.

• Turkish army soldiers backed by helicopter gunships are carrying out large operations in the Mur province, near the Iraqi border. On Saturday, 11 Kurdish militant members of the PPK were killed in clashes with the army.

• Hamas continues to promote terrorism and violence among Palestinian children, with the latest display taking place at the Palestinian Children's Festival. A poll released on Sunday indicates that 60 percent of Palestinians are opposed to Hamas recognizing the state of Israel.

• UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen doesn't believe it is possible to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon, as outlined in UNSC 1559 and stated "Our goal is to integrate Hezbollah into the Lebanese army."

• According to Lebanese sources, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) is being pressured to move operations from Lebanon to Syria in an effort to reduce international pressure on Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

• The High State Security Prosecutor in Egypt has charged 13 terror suspects of involvement in a series of blasts in Sharm el-Sheikh in July last year.

America Domestic Security & the Americas

• Prosecutors concluded their case for executing Zacarias Moussaoui with a step-by-step account of how they possibly could have identified most of the Sept. 11 hijackers if the al-Qaida conspirator had confessed when he was arrested a month before the suicide attacks.

• The Sacramento, Calif., trial of accused terrorist Hamid Hayat isn't going well for prosecutors six weeks along, a juror who was excused told reporters. Andrea Clabaugh, 39, said on leaving the court the case wasn't "very clear-cut," and if she had to decide now she would vote to acquit Hayat.

• The government does not have to tell three men accused of illegally sending $3.5 million to Yemen whether secret wiretaps were used to investigate them, a judge has ruled. Without explanation, U.S. District Judge William Skretny denied the defense request for information in a one-page decision dated Tuesday. He said he had reviewed the government's classified response to the January request in private.

• The National Security Agency could have legally monitored ordinarily confidential communications between doctors and patients or lawyers and their clients, the Justice Department said yesterday of its controversial warrantless surveillance program. Responding to questions from Congress, the department also said it sees no prohibition to using information collected under the NSA's program in court.

• Trina Magi, a UVM librarian, has traveled across the country, publicly fighting the law that opponents say infringes on free speech and abuses Americans' rights to privacy. This month's reauthorization of the Patriot Act, Magi said, does little to appease critics, despite revisions in the law that were meant to improve safeguards on civil liberties. Magi's stance is backed by local librarians and the American Library Association, which has battled for reforms in the act since it was passed four years ago in the wake of Sept. 11.

• The U.S. Justice Department's indictment of 50 individuals allegedly tied to Colombia's largest narco-trafficking group could backfire, according to a policy expert from American University, by increasing the chances that Colombia's current president - an American ally - will lose his re-election bid. Emilio Viano, a professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C., added that the indictments, announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, "could just be a propaganda gesture" on the part of the Bush administration.

• An American said he had "done nothing" wrong as a Bolivian judge formally charged him and his Uruguayan lover with murder Thursday in the hotel bombings that killed two people and wounded seven in La Paz. Triston Jay Amero, 24, and his pregnant partner, Alda Ribeiro, 45, were ordered held in preventive detention by Judge Williams Davila, who said he would consider a psychiatric evaluation for Amero and a medical exam for Ribeiro.

• Argentina's president grimly shouted "Never Again!" as he marked Friday's 30th anniversary of a military coup by remembering the thousands of people killed during the ensuing seven-year dictatorship. The country somberly recalled the March 24, 1976 coup that toppled the constitutional government of Maria Estela Martinez de Peron, widow of former strongman Juan Domingo Peron, and ushered in a "Dirty War" against dissidents.

• The murder conspiracy trial of the incarcerated leader of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, was adjourned last week for a third time this year without a date being fixed for the matter to begin.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

• A large weapons cache was discovered in Chechnya on Sunday, containing a large amount of explosives, two mines, a self-made explosive device, a flame thrower, 16 82-mm artillery shells, 13 rounds for grenade launchers, nine grenades and 3,800 cartridges of various caliber weapons.

• Azerbaijani National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov says that al Qaeda is attempting to recruit Azeri girls to carry out suicide attacks.

• According to Chechen President Alu Alkhanov, the number of terrorist attacks has been on the decline, saying "only two serious terrorist acts were committed last year, and 70 terrorist acts were averted."

• Muslim leaders in the Russian Federation are demanding that the Russian government punish militia officers responsible for the desecration of a Koran in a Dagestani village earlier this month - or face the prospect of protests across the country and the expansion of violence in the northern Caucasus.

• Hundreds of Belarusian opposition activists were still in jail yesterday, and the location of one of their top leaders remained unknown one day after mass crackdowns by the government. Gateway Pundit has a run down of the protests and photos.

• On Saturday authorities discovered a fragmentation mine in Shtyba Square in downtown Vladikavkaz, and disarmed the explosive before it detonated by an attached timer.

• The Russian Interior Ministry announced they will use unmanned aerial drones to help provide security for the July G8 summit in St. Petersburg. It will mark the first time Russian police units have deployed UAVs.

Afghanistan & Southern Asia

• Children are still being kidnapped by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers to train as fighters, the UN children's agency Unicef says, but the abductions appear to be less frequent four years into a ceasefire. The number of children taken by the Tigers has fallen every year since a 2002 ceasefire halted two decades of civil war, Unicef senior programme co-ordinator Yasmin Ali Haque said, but child recruitment was still continuing at an unacceptable level.

• Six Tamil Tiger rebels have died after blowing up their vessel off Sri Lanka's north-west coast, the military says. The blast came as the navy approached the rebel boat which was suspected of gun-running, a military spokesman said.

• Insisting that it did not habour terrorists, Bangladesh on Wednesday said ties with India could not improve as long as this 'erroneous impression' remained. "This is an erroneous impression. As long as this erroneous impression remains, relations between India and Bangladesh cannot improve", Bangladesh Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman said on the last day of a three-day visit by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

• In Nepal, the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday upheld Section 9 of the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance of 2005 that authorises the government to slap a person in preventive detention for up to a year without prosecution or trial.

• Thirteen civilians have been killed in a landmine blast carried out by suspected Maoists in the central Indian state of Chattisgarh, police say. Four others are said to be seriously injured in the blast which took place in the state's Kanker district.

• For the second day in a row, government forces clashed with Maoist insurgents in this Himalayan kingdom on Tuesday, leaving at least 33 people dead. The Nepalese Army shot dead about 20 people believed to be Maoist guerrillas in the Dhading district, about 45 miles southwest of this capital, an army spokesman said.

• Here are the daily updates from the South Asia Terrorism Portal for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

• Growing international pressure on Afghanistan to respect the religious freedom of a Christian convert was met in Afghanistan on Friday by a clamour of calls for the man to be executed for denying Islam. The controversy over 40-year-old Abdur Rahman, whose trial is due to begin next week, threatens to drive a wedge between Afghanistan and Western countries that are ensuring its security and bankrolling its development. There are reports Rahman could be released soon.

• An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence and he will be released soon, officials said. The announcement came as U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai faced mounting foreign pressure to free Abdul Rahman, a move that risked angering Muslim clerics here who have called for him to be killed.

• According to the report of Radio Kabul, Gen Rehmatullah Yousafi said that the Afghan National army carried out an attack on a hideout of the Taliban in Rahton area of the Uruzgan province that resulted in killing four of them. He said that ANA seized huge quantity of arms and communication devices from the Taliban. While another Talib was killed in a clash with the motorway police of the Uruzgan province.

• A U.S. soldier has been killed and another wounded in a battle with about 20 Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military says. An Afghan National Army Soldier was also wounded in Saturday's fight, the military said. The battle, which included small arms fire and close-air support aircraft, took place in the Sangin District of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, the military said.

• Several militants and soldiers are feared dead as fierce fighting erupted between Taliban and government forces in the Sangin district of the southern Helmand province Saturday morning. Akhtar Mohammad, eye-witness and resident of the area, told Pajhwok Afghan News he had seen six coalition helicopters bombing the Khwaja Ali village. However, he had no reports about casualties.

• The senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan's lawless Helmand province has vowed to unleash a brigade of 600 suicide bombers against the British Army when it arrives in the area this summer. In a rare interview given at a hideout on the Pakistani border, Mullah Razayar Noorzai said the chance to take on British troops was a "great honour".

• Pakistan's military airdropped pamphlets this week over towns in restive tribal regions near the Afghan border urging tribesmen to shun "foreign terrorists", saying they were part of a Hindu and Jewish plot.

• Police said Saturday they had arrested 57 tribesmen in connection with a string of bomb and rocket attacks in southwest Pakistan that killed more than 250 people in just over a year. The arrests began Friday and the suspects were being held for questioning.

• At least three people are said to have died in Pakistan's Balochistan province during clashes between security forces and suspected tribal militants. An official in Dera Bugti district said the violence broke out when a group of armed tribesmen tried to take over a security post.

• Sayed Salahuddin, the leader of Pakistan-based terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen who was reportedly detained early this month by Pakistani authorities, has appeared in public in the country's Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). Local channel Geo TV showed a brief footage of him addressing an international conference.

• Members of the special taskforce for interrogation (TFI) continued quizzing the chief of banned JMB Shaikh Abdur Rahman and second in command of JMB and JMJB chief Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai at Uttara RAB-1 office in the city. Sources said both Shaikh and Bangla Bhai have given some important clues to TFI members during the interrogation. Meanwhile, Comilla police has raided some 100 houses following the confessional statements of three arrested JMB terrorists, but police failed to nab any JMB militants during the drive.

• Bangladesh’s militant leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, who is in police custody, established international links of his militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) with the help of chief of yet another outfit Ahle Hadith Andolan, Bangladesh (Ahab) Dr Asadullah al Galib, intelligence sources said in Dhaka

• Lashker-e-Taiba militants on Sunday attacked an Army convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway killing a jawan and wounding six while one of the ultras was killed in the return fire. Heavily-armed militants hurled grenades and fired indiscriminately at the convoy, on way to Jammu, near Drangbal-Pampore, some 14 kms from Srinagar, at around 9.15 am, a Defence spokesman said.

Far East & Southeast Asia

• Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is vowing to "sweep disloyalty out of our house once and for all" in response to recent coup attempts launched by officers in the Filipino military. The Army recommended 20 officers face court-martial for their role in conspiring with communist rebels to overthrow Arroyo's government.

• Hot weather, crowded communities, and weak public health systems have turned Southeast Asia into a breeding ground for SARS and bird flu. Experts are now warning that the region’s vulnerability to infectious disease "could prove devastating in the event of a bioterror attack." Some of the region’s Islamic terrorists are believed to be interested in acquiring disease-causing agents or toxins, and any nation allied with the United States is said to be a potential target.

• While the Australian federal budget isn't due out until May 9th, government sources are reporting that the military is slated to received an additional $ 430 million to the military budget to fund new weapons purchases, assist in recruitment and create an elite force of 3,000 highly skilled ready-reservists that can deploy abroad in thirty days and act in support of the Australian Defense Force (ADF).

• According to Papua New Guinean Catholic bishop Giles Cote, foreign extremists from the Philippines and other locations are moving into Papua with the blessing of the Indonesian military. Cote said their information indicated that "jihad militants are in Papua to do the dirty work of the police and military."

• North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has visited his military troops six times in the last week in an apparent response to joint military exercises with South Korea and the United States. On Saturday the despot said "Our army and people are turning out as one in the sacred anti-U.S. struggle with burning hatred for the U.S. imperialist aggressors and the unshakable resolution to take revenge upon them."

Europe

• Bulgaria will allow the United States to use several military bases in the country, giving American forces a jumping-off point closer to potential hotspots in the Middle East, officials said Friday. Ambassador Lyubomir Ivanov, Bulgaria's chief negotiator, and U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle told reporters the new agreement will go for a last review by both governments. The deal is expected to be signed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she visits Bulgaria during an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the end of April.

• One of the men accused of plotting bomb attacks in the UK discussed poisoning football fans by contaminating beer cans and burgers, a witness has said. Babar earlier told the court he had given three computers to Waheed Mahmood after meeting him in Pakistan because he was told they were needed by al-Qaeda.

• The first permanent ceasefire called by the militant Basque separatist group ETA has come into effect. A column at NRO by Rafael L. Bardají argues we shouldn't put too much stock in this ceasefire. "ETA has made this declaration because it believes it can best obtain its aims by leaving its weapons silenced for the time being. The terrorists have left violence aside, but not their weapons — nothing has been said about handing those over."

• For almost two years, intelligence services around the world tried to uncover the identity of an Internet hacker who had become a key conduit for al-Qaeda. The savvy, English-speaking, presumably young webmaster taunted his pursuers, calling himself Irhabi -- Terrorist -- 007. Only later, according to our sources familiar with the British probe, was Tsouli's other suspected identity revealed. British investigators eventually confirmed to us that they believe he is Irhabi 007.

• In the third and final part of his series about young Muslims in Europe, Roger Hardy visits a reputed hub of Islamic radicalism.

Africa

• Heavy fighting between rival Somali militia linked to Islamic courts and a new "anti-terror" alliance has killed about 90 people in the last three days in the capital, Mogadishu, residents and local radio said on Friday.

• The United States is keeping Libya on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, even though the North African country has become a good partner on security matters, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Next month when the State Department publishes its annual Patterns of Global Terrorism report, Libya will remain on the list, Henry Crumpton, the U.S. State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, told Reuters while in Colombia for a regional security conference.

• Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has pledged his support to Hamas after meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Tripoli late on Thursday. Earlier in the day he gave a lecture via video link to an audience at Columbia University and declared that Libya was the only real democracy in the world.

• Algerian militants killed five civilians, including a mayor, stepping up attacks days after the start of an amnesty for rebels aimed at ending more than a decade of strife, residents and newspapers said overnight. Suspected members of al Qaeda-linked group the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) shot dead mayor Brahim Jellab outside his house on Friday night in Boumerdes province, 50 km east of the capital Algiers, residents said.

• On Saturday, Nigeria announced that they will transfer former Liberian leader Charles Taylor back to Liberia where he has been indicted on war crimes for his role in a 14-year civil war that took 250,000 lives.

• On Tuesday, Sudan is expected to appeal to other Arab nations to support opposition of foreign intervention in Darfur. Sudanese President Omar el-Beshir vowed that Darfur would become "a cemetery" for any foreign troops deployed without Khartoum's permission.

The Global War

• The war on terror will continue long after Iraq and Afghanistan are stable, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told military officials from around the world Friday. Speaking at the Global Terrorism and International Cooperation Symposium, Pace called for patience and collaboration, repeating U.S. assertions that it will be a long campaign.

• By using contract employees for intelligence work, government agencies lose control over those doing this sensitive work, and an element of profit is inserted into what is being done. The office of Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte has quietly begun to study the contracting issue because "it already is a problem," a senior intelligence official said in a recent interview. A related concern for intelligence agencies inside and outside the Pentagon is that the government is training people and granting them security clearances, and they then leave for better pay offered by contractors, sometimes to do the same work.

• The First Family of Jihad takes a look at the ideological divide between Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Huthaifa Azzam, which resembles the divide in the late 1980s that existed between Osama bin Laden and Azzam's father, Abdullah.

• A meeting of more than 300 prominent Islamic scholars and muftis in Bahrain has proposed an international organization to defend the Prophet Mohammad against defamatory attacks, with legal, economic, media and liaison offices. The International Conference for Defending the Prophet also recommended the establishment of an international fund to support conferences to be held annually in Islamic countries and at least once in Europe.

• Following the US Treasury Departments freezing of al-Manar assets this past Thursday, the Hezbollah television station shrugged it off and said they could still broadcast into US homes. The station manager called it "an assault on an objective and professional media group" and claimed he had "information that the Zionist lobby in the United States is behind it."

• A U.S. delegation led by Senator John Warner visited Turkey and met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for discussions on several issues, including the Iranian nuclear program, the situation in Iraq, and the PPK.

• Madeline Albright is calling on President Bush to disavow any plans for regime change in Iran, saying "U.S. endorsement of that goal only makes it less likely." Daniel McKivergan points out the inconsistency of her position.

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. For ongoing tips, email "MondayWindsOfWar", over here @windsofchange.net.

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REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

• The United Nations called on Iraq's government to urgently assert control over the security forces and all armed groups in the war-torn country as cases of killings, torture, illegal detention and displacement surge.

• A year ago, Mike Yon said: Nobody knows what the future will bring for Iraq. In my opinion, it’s already in a civil war, though many people seem afraid to say it. What's he saying today?

• The 1st Mechanized Battalion, 1st Mechanized Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, assumed battlespace north of Baghdad from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division’s Special Troops Battalion, during a ceremony March 20.

RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY

• David Horgan, CEO of Petrel Resources, says the $5m his firm expects from its joint venture in Iraq's war-torn oilfields will be reinvested in Iraqi exploration.

• Japan's fifth-biggest trading company Marubeni Corp. received an USD 74 million order from the Japanese government to equip a power plant it plans to build in southern Iraq as part of post-war reconstruction efforts.

• In what's believed to be a first in the insurance industry, the state-run Iraq Insurance Company is offering policies that cover death by terrorism.

• Check out this week's reconstruction highlights:

USAID recently surpassed the 100-hour mark reliability test for its V94 turbine generator at the Kirkuk power plant. The V94 passed its one and only reliability test without issue and was immediately placed in normal service providing continuous power to the Iraqi grid. With an output of 260 MW, the enormous gas-powered combustion turbine generator helped USAID-funded projects provide for 48 percent of Baghdad's total electrical consumption on March 08. In addition to the V94, its sister generator, the smaller V64 (65 MW) provides a combined output capability of 325 MW.

Iraq Investment Promotion Agency opened for business last week. Located at a renovated facility in central Baghdad, the Investment Promotion Agency has begun work to encourage domestic and international investment in the Iraqi economy.

The new Iraqi Trade Information Center is now open in Baghdad and ready to offer its services to Iraqi business organizations. Iraq's Minister of Trade and Minister of Industry and Minerals both attended the grand opening held last week for the facility on the Baghdad International Fairgrounds.

New nurseries help improve grape production in northern Iraq. Grape production is an important economic activity in Iraq, particularly in Dahuk, Arbil and Sulaymaniyah governorates. Grape production requires relatively little investment and is a source of income for thousands of families in Iraq.

IRAQI POLITICS

• Talks to establish the new Iraqi government continue, but show no signs of breaking through as yet.

• This week's Carnival of the Liberated is up.

THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

• British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his opinion that Britain could make substantial reductions in its forces as Iraqi security forces stand up.

• Iran is publicly professing its support for Iraq's stalemated political process while its military and intelligence services back outlawed militias and insurgent groups, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Thursday.

• Bulgaria has restored its diplomatic representation to Iraq after its newly appointed ambassador Valeri Rachev handed in his letters of accreditation to Iraqi foreign minister.

ETCETERA

• The Antiquities Inspectorate in the southern city of Najaf has retrieved more than 200 archaeological pieces that were stolen mainly from the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.

• Do you have your GI Bracelet? Many military families fall into financial hardship when the breadwinner is injured or killed. The entire purchase price of the GI Bracelet is donated to support our troops and their families! Please join us to give back to these brave people in their time of need.

• The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!

• Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!

• Many American troops have taken it upon themselves to reconstruct schools and gather learning tools for the children of Iraq. Their efforts have been met with immense gratitude from the local Iraqis and their children. You can help too! Visit Operation Iraqi Children and get involved.

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. And if you have a tip for a future Iraq Report, email us at MondayIraqReport(at)windsofchange.net.

« ok, I'm done now

I will admit that I was duped by Mark Buehner's recent satire, How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Mullahs and Embrace The Bomb. I see that it was satire in hindsight, and I feel sheepish in admitting I was so easily deceived. But the large wave that is barreling down upon us at the moment disarmed me from parodic sensitivity. Mr. Buehner's satire was laden with factual, convincing sources. It felt like yelling 'fire' in a theater to me because the nuclear scenarios he laid out are credible in so many minds. We live in a world on edge.

I believe we are already at a historical threshold. The first indication is utter confusion. The secular world's response to Shi'a Islam's nuclear ambition is confused, on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific. There really is no cogent consensus on what to do, because Iran's challenge is a square peg that will not fit in our round hole. Responsive, credible policy is paralyzed from transnational organizations down to national governments because no political strategy promises a clear solution.

It is clear that the crisis is upon us and all roads lead to a very different world. We may not realize it, but we are not really talking about a country that is seeking nuclear arms. We are talking about a fundamentalist, ancient Islamic cult seeking nuclear arms as its ultimate sacrament. While it is necessary for a 'country' called 'Iran' to exercise its sovereignty in order to achieve the making of nuclear weapons, once achieved those weapons will respect no borders. They are being constructed to defy and nullify sovereign borders as we know them. Shi'a's nukes will proliferate like smoke in the wind; their very being is meant to unravel our world, which we have slowly conceived over centuries, at the expense of the Mullahs' world.

The headlines in our papers betray our fundamental misunderstanding of the crisis, referring to the 'Iranian nuclear program,' presuming that this is an entirely Westphalian affair. Therein lies the guise -- the mask about to be lowered. We only see things through the prism of our own perspective, which moves the crisis into high gear. To help clarify what is happening, swap 'Iran' for 'Hezbollah' and ''President Ahmadinejad' for 'Sheik Hassan Nasrallah' in the headlines about the nuclear crisis. Here's a few examples culled from the presses, so altered:

Germany, IAEA to Discuss Hezbollah Nuclear Activities

Russia Opposes Issuing Hezbollah an "Ultimatum" on its Nuclear Program

Hezbollah to Go Nuclear This Year, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah Says

UN Inspectors to Check Up on Hezbollah Nuclear Program

Looks pretty bad, doesn't it? Cultists dedicated to our destruction, answerable to no one but their vengeful god, playing with nukes? To not consider Hezbollah and Persian Shi'a as morally and strategically interchangeable is to tragically misinterpret the hallmark of our time.

A religious suicide cult funded by billions of our petrodollars obtaining weapons of mass destruction has no historical precedent. None. The rules of engagement will be completely upended. Familiar metaphors of superpower warring will be unworkable and irrelevant. Watching sovereign entities flail and dither like paper dolls before their ultimate post-sovereign challenger indicates that the threshold is beneath our feet, if we care to look down.

This is no satire. These are the stakes in 2006.

If Shi'a's radical mullahs manage to proliferate their nukes like smoke through their post-sovereign proxies, certain as-yet-to-be-named cities will unexpectedly fall through trapdoors. No one will lay claim to the atrocities. It need only happen once. If London, or Paris, or New York, or Detroit, or even Fresno falls into oblivion, our well-oiled socioeconomic global merry-go-round stops. Indefinitely. Because of the threat of mass destruction, all borders will be shut. All ports closed. All shipping stopped. Air travel halted. Since the very infrastructure of modern commerce will be the delivery device for Shi'a's nukes, that infrastructure will be indefinitely frozen solid. It won't be an option. There won't be a debate.

If the 'West' manages enough moxy to attempt a preemption of Shi'a Persia, the result will be different than their striking first, but only by degrees. The rubicon will have been crossed. The fact is, we don't know if the mullahs have nukes at this point. It is plausible to suppose that they do. It would be reckless to presume otherwise. We can nuke their nukes with all the gusto we have and not come out of it thinking that we have fully abated the threat of rogue nuclear strikes. Striking first wounds radical Shi'a, but doesn't kill it. And like a wounded bear, it will chase off into the woods for a while, only to come back with a bloody vengeance. Striking first also puts aside the idea of sovereignty, if only for self defense. The world will take that baton and run with it.

What struck me about Mr. Buehner's piece was how his idea of the absurd came off as plausible, depending on one's view of the threat's enormity. And even then, the most aggressive preemptive strike against Persian Shi'a still leaves us stranded between the world that we know -- with largely open borders that facilitate free trade and expansive prosperity -- and the next world, where borders are defined by padlocks, moats and walls, not openness -- just like the good old days of sovereignty, when borders meant 'stop, go no further.' In a world of nuclear trapdoors, there will be a lock-down of borders to secure their inviolability. Globalism, transnationalism and our jet-setting postmodern lifestyle presume that we can have our cake and eat it too: National borders exist to contain political, social and economic zones while cultures, religions and civilizations are free to transgress sovereignty ad infinitum. That wonderfully open-minded and trusting view of the world is on the chopping block, whether we attack first or Shi'a attacks first.

As far as whether or not to strike first or wait to be struck, I guess I am in the 'Strike First' camp. Spin the bottle -- better to take the initiative than sit around and wait for the enemy's blow. But I am not deluded in thinking that our marvelously open world will survive this crisis unchanged. What we have now is historically unprecedented, and incredibly fragile. We hang by a thread.

After the 3/11 Madrid bombings, Lewis �Atiyyatullah, claiming to represent al-Qaeda, said:

The international system built-up by the West since the Treaty of Westphalia will collapse; and a new international system will rise under the leadership of a mighty Islamic state.

Al Qaeda is Sunni, not Shi'a, but that may be a difference that will be temporarily patched-up to achieve a common, pan-Islamist goal. Mr. �Atiyyatullah is right. Our open system is not impervious. It is, in fact, quite pervious. How we engage being in a closed world will be most telling to our character as free people.

I will end this dour essay on an optimistic note. If the world becomes closed in the name of self-preservation, some countries will fare better than others in isolation. Though all modern countries are thoroughly ensnared in global economics, if ripped away, some countries have enough national will, freedom, natural resources and innovative citizens to positively reinvent themselves in a closed planet. I think the United States can weather isolation better than most countries, should isolation be foisted upon us.

I am not suggesting isolation as some kind of regressive policy option that we can choose; I am suggesting that it might be the only option left, whoever pulls the nuclear trigger. It will be incredibly painful to endure, but perhaps out of the transition we will reclaim our sense of self-worth. Our history of independence is still longer than our history of dependence. Out of all the uncertainty of this time, relying on our indomitable free spirit is the one possible future I can still imagine.

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Mr. Ware, if you were trying to demonize the United States in a country where you were having massive problems with public support, what do you think the implications of demanding the release of female prisoners who do not exist are? Do they include the public believing that there are female prisoners? OHHHH! You didn't think that far did you?! Nope, you were too busy propping up the terrorists that have beheaded dozens of people, and slandering the US troops:

WARE: We've also seen insurgents criticize other insurgent groups, 'cause you're not doing enough to get the chicks out! I mean, that's how important it can be, this is a matter of great honor, and it's a spark.

Yes, insurgents groups are trying to out-propagandize each other in order to get most public support by demanding the release of non-existent female prisoners. A matter of great honor, indeed! A spark? You're kidding. I never realized that propaganda would be used as a spark, you must be joking:

WARE: So, let's hope we never see that lit.

If that spark gets lit, I doubt Mr Ware will think he had anything to do with it.

This guy should be fired for his unprofessional behavior. If he has evidence of sexual abuse by US troops he should report it carefully and soberly; that's part of his job. But drunken sneering and bellyaching on live TV isn't.

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Speaking via telephone from his home at the Federal penitentiary in Corcoran, Calif., Sirhan said, "This is a great day for the Arabs, the Palestinians, and everybody who ever donated money to Yale University. Their investment is paying off, as Yale extends the ivy branch to victims of political repression such as myself and my spiritual brother Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi." The degree will presented at Yale's graduation ceremonies in May.

Yale decided to present the degree to Sirhan following what Levin called the "tremendous excitement" surrounding the presence of former Taliban spokesman Hashemi on campus. "Let me tell you, you can't buy publicity like this," said Levin. "Everybody's talking about Yale. I can hear the alumni whipping those checkbooks out to make a big donation. Princeton will have to enroll General Pinochet's grandson to top this move."

Levin will give Sirhan a personal tour of the Yale campus, including a stop at Skull & Bones. Hashemi will Sirhan to symbolically slit Levin's throat in a mock execution that will highlight graduation week at Yale. Levin commented, "I would be honored to be executed by these two fine gentlemen, even symbolically."

Asked about other events on the big day, Sirhan said, "I'm looking forward to lunch with Jodie Foster."

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Iran

• Behind closed doors, Britain is pushing a strategy intended to gain Russian and Chinese support for a Chapter VII resolution by mid-summer. Chapter VII resolutions can allow for political and economic sanctions, as well as justify military attacks.

• If Kenneth Timmerman is to be believed, this plan is hopeless due to Russia's double game.

• Which ever way it goes, China is following the Russian line.

• An Iranian regime paper voices the obvious: we must declare that 1385 is being foreseen to be a particularly dangerous year for the Islamic regime...

• How dangerous? Well, it could be worse for 'em. Check out Mark Buehner's argument in favour of nuking Iran.

• Is Iran helping al-Qaeda? Well, yeah, probably....

• The link between the Libyan and Iranian nuclear weapons programs.

• President Bush has said that the U.S. military would defend Israel from Iranian attack.

• A Japanese newspaper has claimed that the U.S. asked the Japanese government not to develop an Iranian oil field. Japan denies the claim, and will not halt the project.

The Middle East

• Israel has released summaries of the indictments of two palestinian al-Qaeda terrorists recruited in Jordan to carry out a terrorist attack in Jerusalem. The plan involved a suicide bomber attacking a pizza restaurant, with a car bomber detonating amongst the rescue workers and onlookers.

• Israeli forces thwarted two suicide bombings in two days, the first following a chase on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, the second caught by special forces in Ramallah.

• The PFLP-GC says it is willing to serve under the Lebanese Army. This came after calls for the group to be disarmed or even destroyed by the Lebanese military.

• A Lebanese paper claims that it has documented the incarceration by Syria of 25 Lebanese citizens on political charges, prior to the recent goings-on in Lebanon. Note that this is 25 out of a total of 600 people on a list given to the Syria government. Syria denies the existence of all political prisoners.

• Leading Lebanese politicians, including Saad Hariri, are to hold a meeting with Syrian opposition figures in Paris.

• Abu Musab al-Zarqawi personally threatened Abdullah Azzam's son after he denounced the bombing of three hotels in Amman, Jordan.

• British sources say that there was 'very specific' intelligence about a plot to kidnap American and British monitors from Jericho prison. They also noted the frequent rioting and general feeling of insecurity.

• Hamas, emulating Arafat, is edging towards peace in English, while denying it - and pledging war - in Arabic.

• After 25 years of emergency powers, Egypt is considering calling off the alert.

• The new Hamas interior minister has not only pledged not to arrest terrorists, but to co-ordinate attacks between terrorists and his 'security forces'.

• A terrorist attack on an Egyptian fuel facility may have been thwarted. A post on a jihadist forum recounts how a car full of explosives was halted by security forces

• The PA finance minister says they can do without EU aid.

• Jordanian Islamists are pushing for a big victory in the next general elections.

• Jordan has sentenced nine men to death for inciting riots in 2002. The rioting took place in the 'conservative' city of Maan, a repeat of similar violence in 2000, 1998, 1996 and 1989. Six people, including two policemen, were killed in the 2002 riots.

Iraq and the Gulf

• Documents recovered from Iraq reveal that a Russian diplomat named Vladimir Teterenko gave the Iraqi government a detailed account of coalition war plans. Teterenko allegedly recieved allocations of 3 million barrels of oil, approximately $1.5 million. Other documents at that ABC page discuss contacts between al-Qaeda and Iraq, and Saddam's interest in French campaign finance laws...

• An Australian who has been held without charge for 18 months by Kurdish authorities denies he tried to join a jihad group. Ahmed Jamal says he arrived in Iraq three months after the invasion to buid a mosque and find a wife.

• TIME looks at the use and misuse of U.S.-trained Iraqi forces by the Interior Ministry.

• Global Jihad - the Yemeni connection.

• Good News & Bad From Iraq's Front Lines.

• Iran has agreed to holding talks with the U.S. to discuss Iraq.

• An 'insurgent doctor' working in a Kirkuk hospital murdered at least 43 wounded policemen, soldiers and officials with lethal injections.

• Iraqi intelligence believes that al-Qaeda's presence in Iraq has decreased from over 2,000 in 2004 to only several hundred. While many were killed or captured, many have returned to their own countries.

• The Iraqi foreign minister gave the CIA intelligence about Iraq's WMD's prior to the war - some of it was wrong, some of it was right. Of course, MSNBC wants to know 'why didn’t the agency listen?'

• Is there really a civil war in Iraq? Heated debate...

• Al-Qaeda in Saudia Arabia have replaced the commanders killed by Saudi forces over the last few months. They may need to do it again soon, at this rate. Another three suspects have been detained.

• PM Blair says that Iran is meddling 'furiously' in Iraq, saying: The conventional view is that, for example, Iran is hostile to al-Qaeda and therefore would never support its activities. But as we know from our own history of conflict, under the pressure of battle, alliances shift and change.

• The UAE has pledged to continue to sponsor the PA after Hamas takes control.

• Kuwait is one of several Arab countries concerned about Iran's nuclear program.

The Americas

• A former FBI agents has testified that, had Zacarias Moussaoui confessed when arrested a month before 9/11, the attacks could have been prevented.

• The U.S. government has issued federal indictments for 50 leaders of the narco-terrorist FARC outfit. The indictments said that FARC supplies over half of the world's cocaine. The 50 leaders were wanted for ordering the murder of Colombian farmers, the kidnap and murder of U.S. citizens and for shooting down U.S. aircraft spraying coca crops.

• Speaking of murderous narco-terrorists, the Peruvian Maoist Shining Path may be back - thanks to an alliance with drug traffickers.

• A good discussion of the problem the U.S. faces when considering the establishment of Islamic enclaves.

• The U.S. has listed al-Manar television, al-Nour Radio and the Lebanese Media Group as Specially Designated Global Terrorist entities for being mouthpieces of Hezbollah.

• An Albany imam has been accused of gathering intelligence for al-Qaeda. Yassin Aref's name and contact details were discovered in terrorist training camps, including the Ansar al-Islam base in Kurdistan.

• An American man and his Uruguayan wife have been arrested in Bolivia for carrying out two bombings, which killed two and wounded seven. The couple planned several other attacks, including one thwarted by police. President Evo Morales said: "The U.S. government fights terrorism, and they send us terrorists." However, other officials suggested Claudio Lestad, of New Orleans, was mentally ill.

• An international audit of Venezuela's electoral rolls found over 50,000 dead voters, and another 35,000 who are over 100 years old. The electoral council president noted that these accounted for a tiny proportion of the 15 million-strong electorate.

• Some analysis of those statistics floating around about casualties under the Bush and Clinton administrations - they're not what they seem.

• A long piece covering the main players on the Mexico-U.S. border.

• Joe takes a look at the Hummer v2.1. Lots of improvements, but ultimately still a deathtrap when facing mines and IEDs.

• An American of Iranian origin has been charged with trying to export pressure sensors to Iran. The components are said to be useful for manufacturing bombs.

• A Frenchman has, for the second time, thrown a suspicious package in to the White House grounds, prompting a call for the bomb squad. The man was arrested.

Europe

• The intrepid Mohamed Sifaoui has recorded a Danish imam calling for the murder of Naser Khader, the founder of an organisation called 'Democratic Muslims'.

• After reports of gangs vandalising government property (more than usual) in some French 'suburbs' this week, the French government is concerned that the students' rioting might prompt more of what we saw in October-November.

• French politicians have been subsidising the activities of Islamists such as Hassan Iquioussen and Tariq Ramadan.

• Swedish security forces say that serious threats were made to their embassies following the publication of Those Cartoons by a right-wing Swedish website.

• Germany's intelligence chief says that his country is now considered a target, rather than a fund-raising or staging area for attacks elsewhere.

• The Swiss government has declared that it considers Hamas a partner.

• Europeans are still giving to the "10 Euros for Resistance" campaign, and European governments are doing little to stop it. Note that this overt terror financing operation has been gathering fund since at least since at least December 2004.

• Britain's House of Lords has backed down over a controversial clause of the government's latest terrorism legislation, namely the glorification of terrorism.

• 32 men are being charged for plotting a truck bombing targeting Madrid's National Court. Spain believes the group, named 'Martyrs for Morocco', is connected to al-Qaeda.

• Louia al-Sakka is making a nuisance of himself in his Turkish court-room. The man is charged with funding four truck bombings in Turkey in 2003, but is wanted by Jordan for plotting with Zarqawi to attack targets there during millenium celebrations. He was captured while preparing a yacht-bombing of an Israeli cruise-liner.

• Daniel Hannan says the EU constitution never died, but is being instituted as law without referendums. Well, as Giscard d'Estaing said: "The rejection of the constitution was a mistake that will have to be corrected".

• Hizb al-Tahrir al-Islami and the Cartoon Fracas.

• Three Austrian Muslim conscripts have refused to salute the Austrian flag. Austria is planning to have imams on site in future to 'mediate', but an Austrian paper suggests the army follow the police's example, and only have Muslims serve under Muslim officers...

• The British government, in a change of position, has decided to press for the release of a British resident held in Gitmo.

• A British Muslim leader says that child abuse is widespread in British madrassas. At least 100,000 Muslim children attend madrassas in the U.K.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

• The latest issue of Jamestown's Chechnya Weekly is out. A new offer of amnesty for Chechen terrorists; a Dagestani district chief is gunned down; Islamists chuckle over Russian fears that Kadyrov will start an Islamic revival in Chechnya; and much more.

• Chechnya's president says Shamil Basayev has nowhere to feel safe.

• A Russian analyst has some grim predictions for Chechnya.

• Is Russia trying to reassert itself in the former Soviet republics? This article says yes.

• Kazakhstan's president has praised the actions of Uzbek forces during the brief uprising of May 12-13. Official statistics claim 187 dead, most of them terrorists, but human rights groups claim closer to 700 deaths.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh

• The U.S. is looking for those Taliban Stingers ISI provided batteries for.

• The Guardian has a good overview of the 'Pakistani Taliban' takeover of Waziristan. Related, a cleric who had recently distanced himself from the Taliban was gunned down in Waziristan by masked gunmen.

• The former head of ISI says that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan met with Osama bin Laden several times to seek financial support for his political party.

• India is putting pressure on Bangladesh to close 172 terrorist camps. Bangladesh, of course, denies the camps exist.

• Five Pakistani men have been convicted of involvement in the murder of 45 Shi'ite pilgrims in a bombing in March last year. Two of the Sipah-e-Sahaba men will be executed, while the other three will be given life sentences.

• Pakistan claims that 16 men killed by Afghan forces were not Taliban, but tribesmen celebrating Afghan New Year. Pakistan claims they were kidnapped in Kabul, handcuffed, and killed near the border.

• An Afghan man is facing death for converting to Christianity. The prosecution, possibly in an attempt to assuage mounting international concern, suggested Abdul Rahman is insane, and thus unfit to face trial. Rahman denies he is insane. An Arab Maronite writer comments that more than a few Afghans have secretly converted to Christianity.

• The CSM looks at the growing influence of Islamist groups on campus life in Pakistan.

• The Pakistani Interior Minister has pledged to destroy the foreign terrorists living in Waziristan, much to the consternation of local elders.

Far East & South East Asia

• A North Korean ship seized in 2003 by the Australian navy, after it deposited over 300lbs of heroin, was bombed by the Aussie air force in what FM Downer called a 'public demonstration of outrage'. Australia and many other countries believe North Korea sells heroin in order to bolster its basketcase economy.

• North Korea says it has the ability to carry out a pre-emptive strike against the United States.

• After the U.S. refused to sell smart-bombs to Taiwan, that Taiwanese have decided to build their own.

• Jemaah Islamiyah's leader is one Abu Dujana, an Indonesian who learned terrorist techniques in Afghanistan alongside Hambali and retains good relations with al-Qaeda.

• Three sets of Molotov cocktails thrown at the homes of Westerners or Malaysians working for Western companies. Is there a connection? Malaysian police say no.

• TCS looks at Japan's developing military. Japan is considering replacing their old F-4s with F-22s

• A senior Malaysian official says that, while piracy in the Melaka Straits is serious, it is not connected to terrorism.

• A senior Indonesian counter-terror official says that capturing or killing Noordin Top would make little difference in terms of preventing future attacks.

• The Filipino security forces are stepping up efforts to track down Abu Sayyaf members on Mindanao.

• The Communist Party of the Philippines says it has formed an alliance with the Islamist groups of Mindanao.

Africa

• The Algerian government has admitted that its forces killed at least 17,000 Islamic terrorists since the early 1990s.

• The Pentagon has praised Moroccan efforts against terrorism, particularly the GSPC. Al-Horra reported that GSPC cells in Morocco are transporting arms from Algeria to Europe for terror attacks.

• The Algerian parliament has voted to ban all attemps to convert Muslims to other religions. Those who commit this 'crime' will serve 2-5 years and have to pay a 5-10,000 Euro fine.

• Ugandan gunmen attacked U.N. forces working in southern Sudan, wounding two. The blue-hats killed at least three - good work.

• Senator Clinton has urged President Bush to use the American military to prevent genocide in Sudan.

• Chad has attacked what it claims are Sudan-backed rebel groups in the east of the country.

• Somali warlords are still blocking food aid as a weapon to starve Somalis.

• Fighting between the (deep breath) Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism and the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic courts militias have claimed sixty lives in two days.

• The EU is to send a peace-keeping force to Congo to safeguard upcoming elections. The force will number over 1,000, with France and Germany contributing 500 soldiers each.

The Global War

• Michelle Malkin reports on the UN's backpedaling from branding Denmark as racist.

• 82 countries are meeting in Turkey to discuss means of combating terrorism.

• Harry's Place covers PM Blair's speech that pretty much says it all about the war on terror.

And finally...

• Which country has the hottest military babes?

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know.

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Thomas Holsinger provides other underpinnings for why it is intolerable for Iran to possess nuclear weapons in his The Case for Invading Iran, also agreeing that any course short of invasion will be disastrous:

"Half-measures in war only make things worse. If we really want to find out how much Iran’s mullah regime can hurt us, and relearn the lessons of Vietnam, we need only bomb without invading. That will maximize our losses. Those who advocate mere bombing have not considered that Iran might already have some nuclear weapons."

Needless to say, those who advocate invasion would do well to consider that Iran might have nuclear weapons as well. If a bombing campaign will provoke a nuclear retaliation, an invasion would be certain to. Holsinger addresses this point:

"Consider also, that, if small numbers of Iranian nuclear weapons are enough of a threat to seriously menace an American invasion, they are enough of a threat to merit pre-emptive attack with American nuclear weapons. Get real - our nukes are bigger than theirs, and we have lots more than they do. And if Iranian nuclear weapons aren’t enough of a threat to merit pre-emptive use of our own, they’re not a reason to avoid invading."

Some would argue these two arguments seem irreconcilable, but my only quibble is that Holsinger doesn’t take his argument seriously enough. If air strikes will provoke a nuclear response, surely a physical invasion of the Iranian homeland aiming to kill or apprehend the leadership in control of the nuclear weapons will invoke the same response. Either way nuclear war is in the offing.

If we believe these reports (and prudence dictates we must), simple logic leads us to several inevitable conclusions:

• Iran must be disarmed. This is imperative to all of our safety from nuclear attack.
• Pragmatically, we must assume Iran already has nuclear weapons. To do otherwise is either recklessly naïve or playing into the Mullahs hands (take your pick).
• In order to conventionally disarm Iran with effective certainty, we must invade. We know this because we are told so.
• Invasion will compel Iran to use their nuclear weapons. We have established that the Mullahs have been dreaming of using their nuclear weapons against the Great Satan. They will not miss their big chance.
• We will be forced to retaliate. To do otherwise would expose our entire MAD doctrine as a fraud, and invite China and Russia to launch a first strike against us, destroying the United States. This is unacceptable from a National Security standpoint.

Military theory and International Law are in agreement on this point: when under threat of immanent attack, it is not only legal, but morally imperative to preempt the enemy. It is of critical importance that Iran is brought to heel for this, not only to avenge the future deaths of our brave troops/ civilians/ oil fields, but more importantly to send a clear message to other rogue nations around the globe. It is simply a case of good fortune that this course of action will lead to the victims of Iranian nuclear aggression never dying in the first place. Make of that what you will, but some might call it providence.

As sound as the rationales for attack may be, this campaign will not be without its critics. Moreover, before engaging in any bold course of action it is important to identify potential downsides and attempt to mitigate any negative repercussions where possible.

International Condemnation:
Even our closest allies will find it difficult to applaud a full scale multi-megaton thermo-nuclear bombardment against Iran before diplomacy has ‘run its course’. Yet, this seems to be a given in any force scenario on the table. Since we have already established that international opinion cannot be allowed to dissuade us from the disarming a rogue nation, we can hardly allow it to dissuade us from defending ourselves against impending nuclear attack from same. In other words if we will not cave to international pressure to prevent us from eliminating a potential threat, we can certainly not waver in the face of that which is manifest. In the end, our allies will thank us (and our enemies fear us).

A nuclear strike will incite other dubious nations to pursue their own nuclear deterrent.
In fact, the opposite is true. If Iran’s nuclear arsenal did not protect her from American preemption, why would an arsenal in Syria or Venezuela? Moreover, our only other option at this point (as we have said) is a conventional invasion. This would certainly be a threat rogue nations would be compelled to defend themselves from, and nuclear weapons could provide that security if we were to set an example in Iran by not using our own. It is not using nuclear weapons that will provide incentive to develop nuclear weapons. One could argue that the best way to prevent nuclear weapons from being used in the future is to use ours now.

A nuclear exchange is highly likely in any event. It would be better to invade first and nuke later.
It would be unconscionable to sacrifice our soldiers in a conventional war that we fully know will go nuclear. I see no upside to this scenario. To advocate such a course puts unnecessary blood on our hands.

It is immoral to use strategic nuclear weapons against civilians.
The demonization of thermo-nuclear weapons has been a great triumph for the appeasers and apologists of the Western World. Untold billions of dollars and sweat from the brows of the most brilliant of scientists and engineers have gone into crafting these awe-inspiring weapons. Of course, like any tool the nuclear bomb has its advantages and certain unavoidable drawbacks. Weapons inflict collateral damage, it is in their nature. But we do not blame the hammer when it bends a faulty nail. It was the deliberate choice of the Iranian Mullahs to have brazenly and malevolently chosen to secret their nuclear facilities and leadership posts inside heavily populated areas. This is unfortunate. Ultimately, the Iranian leaders must be held responsible for the impending nuclear fire we must rain down upon their citizens. But what choice do we have? The sad truth is that the best hope we can offer the beset Iranian people for a democratic future is by visiting a comprehensive thermonuclear attack upon their population centers. What children survive will surely thank us for it.

It is immoral to use nuclear weapons in a first strike under any circumstance.
This will be the most prevalent criticism from ‘certain quarters’. But is it valid? No. First we much question why we possess nuclear weapons to begin with. Obviously we must have them to defend ourselves from other nuclear nations, but that is only the first reason. Despite the negative connotations associated with them, nuclear weapons are useful tools in the American arsenal. After all, it is illogical to build weapons not meant to be used. If we have assembled an array of nuclear weapons for the sole purpose of avenging ourselves in the event of a nuclear strike, what are we but murderers? Vengeance is not a moral rationale for violence. If we are to maintain a nuclear arsenal, and prudence demands that we should, it is important to provide a role for these weapons. Can anyone think of a more appropriate cause than defending United States interests from the likes of the Islamo-fascist Mullahs? I, for one, cannot.

In conclusion, the evidence is clear that Iran is a clear and present threat to the American way of life, and is now in possession of nuclear weapons. This is an intolerable state that will be addressed in the immediate future. Thousands of American lives now depend on the decisions we make in how to disarm the Iranian regime. At the end of the day, the most effective, direct, and perhaps humane solution is a thorough nuclear first strike against Iran which must be sure to eliminate all WMDs as well as the Iranian leadership responsible for pursuing them.

It may not be the most universally embraced of decisions, but it is the correct one for the American people and for the good of the world. Let us all learn to love The Bomb.

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The term "civil war" is being cheapened (as A.L. suggests) in much the way that the Left cheapened the term "terrorism," by applying it to almost every sort of conflict that results in civilian deaths. But what I find fascinating is that in his seminal book How To Think About War and Peace (published during WWII) Mortimer Adler suggested that "Wars of Secession" (the only kind of civil war that was recognized at the time) were so rare that he didn't consider them a significant exception to his theory about the cause of war. After WWII civil wars became more and more frequent, as part of the complicated ideological contest that defined the age, and also as a reaction to colonialism (which parsed national identity according to its own requirements). There was a kind of geometric progression of a phenomenon that people had only recently considered as rare as the Dodo.

When inevitable factions form over the distribution of wealth and resources they can either reinforce trational ethnic or religious schisms in a society, or else "cross-cutting alliances" can intervene to shred the identity politics of the factionalization engine. What you get ultimately is either Washington or Robespierre.

So the term "Civil War" really just refers to a special case of the larger political, social and cultural phenomenon that prevented democracy from emerging on the European continent until the early 19th Century, and prevented it from stabilizing until the mid-20th: a phenomenon that James Madison correctly identified as factionalism in the Federalist Papers.

We know the cure. The cure is to keep the prizes and rewards of industry open to everyone, so that in order to become successful sovereign individuals from different classes and ethnic groups must learn to cooperate by forming an ever-changing framework of alliances that eventually cuts, shreds and annihilates the old rivalries that must have led us out of Eden.

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Other Options, Part I

The South Africans faced this issue a long time ago. They built vehicles like the Casspir truck et. al. with V-shaped steel hulls that deflect a mine blast to the sides. The mine may blow off the tires, but the occupants have a much better chance of surviving. Australia's similar-sized Bushmaster vehicles use this principle, as do many others nowadays like the German Krauss-Maffei Dingo and the British Iveco Panther. So do smaller vehicles like BAE OMC's RG-31 Nyala. For some vehicles, composite blast panels that can flex rather than breaking add to the protection.

The RG-31 is currently used by the US 101st Airborne, by EOD (explosive ordnance dispoal) and combat engineer units in the US Army and Marines, and by Canadian troops in Afghanistan. The US Army bought about 148 of them last February, at a cost of about $78 million. It's about a foot taller than the up-armored M1114 HMMWV, about two feet longer, and about as wide. It also weighs about 4,000 pounds more, at 16,500 pounds... and is much more likely to protect its occupants when it hits a land mine. The other difference is that 16,500 pounds is what an RG-31 Nyala is supposed to weigh. Which means you don't have to throw them away after a couple of years because the suspension et. al. is gone.

If it's good enough for the EOD folks, and has characteristics very similar to a Hummer, why the heck isn't it in general use when IED land mines remain the main threat in Iraq?

I do not understand why this vehicle, or another survivable solution, has not been priority-designated as the USA's Hummer-replacement designate for the Iraqi theater. No, scratch that. I do understand. I just think the reasons are bulls--t.

The Congressional delegations pushing manufacturing for vehicles and armor add-ons in their districts, even if it's something that won't really protect American troops properly. The bureaucratic mindset that sees "replace the Hummer" as some massive "US Army fleet for the next 30 years" infrastructure project, and so takes 5-10 years just to make a decision because every i must be dotted and every t crossed as some futuristic (and bet on it: very expensive) new vehicle is designed. Why, so you can field it after the conflict is over? What's needed is a priority war project that looks to implement an off-the-shelf alternative or set of alternatives NOW, for use as a vehicle pool in a designated theater. Any sign of that? No.

Sorry, that isn't good enough in wartime.

Procurement: Every Little Thing Takes a Little Time

Yes, I know that even wartime procurement takes time. For example, let's say the US military wanted to buy RG-31 Chargers (its name for them) in quantity, and was prepared to take initial deliveries from South Africa until manufacturing could transition to a US plant. The plant would have to staff up, training and quality levels take time to kick in, suppliers have to make expansions of their own, etc. It would probably be 12-18 months before they would start arriving in any serious quantity (or at least, the quantities America begins to consider 'serious') from South Africa, and about 2-3 years before you could hope to get really serious thousand-or-thousands per year rolling off the production lines established in the USA.

If we're going to offer serious criticism, we have to acknowledge this reality, and address what to do in the interim. Given the number of Hummers to substitute for, it's a multi-year interim of having at least some Hummers in service in Iraq and Afghanistan any way you slice it.

That's why I've been fairly accepting, until now, of the "up-armor the HMMWVs" situation. It was the logical expedient that would get some improved protection to the field fastest, so the largest possible number of troops could benefit.

But my patience for it is eroding. And my patience for it as a mainstay of the US response is zero.

Good News... Bad News

In fairness (and this is a scary thought), the Pentagon and all its well-chronicled procurement deficiencies is still a step up on most militaries. It has put some RG-31 vehicles in the field, as well as much bigger Cougar armored trucks (also with V-hulls) and the related Buffalo mine-removal vehicle, plus some M117 Guardian armored security vehicles. It has also done well in quickly iterating a fleet of small mine-disposal robots like the TALON, iRobot, MarcBOT IV, etc. Even the Brits look at these robots, and stuff like the Buffalo and its monster claw, and they're jealous of the USA's willingness and ability to get this kind of "shiny new kit" to their troops in just a couple of years.

Having said that, much more could and arguably should have been done. These are all fine ancillaries. But they are ancillaries. Sure, there's a major IED task force and lots of new side equipment. Yet even the experts acknowledge that there's no technical solution or set of solutions which will remove the threat. If IED land mines are going to be a feature of life, maybe the place to start is in making sure that the Army's main ride is designed to cope.

Indeed, the bad news for the Hummer is that even its theoretical justification has evaporated. The HMMWV was a "middle ground" idea that sort of made sense in its day, but its niche no longer exists. Let's review:

• See articles like Winds' "Jenin Is Our Future Too," with notes on the 'red force' trend in military exercises, and DID's reporting of Maj. Nadeau in "Urban Fight the New Baseline - Does FCS Need A Rethink?" Again and again, the US military says that the urban fight is the future of warfare.
• But too many of its tools are not built to survive there, even under counter-insurgency warfare conditions. The Hummer is one such.
• We also hear, again and again, of the "non-linear battlefield" (perhaps Jessica Lynch could tell us a thing or two).
• Yet the implications of that idea are not being addressed, except in piecemeal ways.

One of the implications is that "just getting around and doing work, particularly in quieter areas" is a role concept that becomes deeply questionable for a military vehicle. There may be places like the continental USA, bases in Europe, et. al. where one could either field something entirely civilian, like a Ford F150 or civilian SUV, or buy the old pre-Hummer jeeps for 1/4 to 1/20 the price. Beyond that, however, one needs a real military vehicle fit for the modern battlefield. In urban operations and situations where "the front lines" is a ridiculous concept, therefore, middle options like the HMMWV likewise become ridiculous - as well as expensive for their performance level, and dangerous to boot.

My sole comfort is that the other big potential user of HMMWVs is.... China (v1.0, yet).

As former Navy SEAL Chris Berman, creator of an urban patrol vehicle called "The Rock" puts it:

"...armoring Humvees is like trying to put a band-aid on a sucking chest wound. The spirit of it is fantastic. The application of it is ridiculous."

That's why I'm disappointed that other obvious 'fast-patch' options which would directly replace Hummers have been neglected. And I'm even more disappointed that the Army is still relying on Hummers as the main ride it's still buying in quantity, not just the main ride it's using.

There were options. There still are options.

Other Options, Part II

Could the USA have rewarded its Australian allies for their help, and bought even a "small" order of 250 larger, V-hulled Bushmasters (vs. 300 or so ordered by Australia for its entire army) for use instead of Hummers in higher-threat zones like Baghdad, on convoy duty from Kuwait, or in zones near Australian forces who have also been using it in Iraq? Yes, absolutely. Good diplomacy, good for the troops, offers an immediate improvement and a tryout opportunity for larger things. If it proves effective and competitive vs. other alternatives, order more. If something else becomes "the big standard" later, give them to the US Homeland Security department where they'll be very useful along the southern border.

Then there's Rhino Runner ultra-armored bus, which transported Donald Rumsfeld during a Baghdad visit in 2004. As this DID articles notes, the small firm who makes them, wouldn't give the Pentagon $500,000 worth of free buses to get shot up in testing with zero recompense and zero guarantee of future orders. Hence no approval. Some security contractors in Iraq are smart enough to use them.

Some M113 tracked armored personnel carriers are serving in Iraq, and have received pretty decent reviews - read this one. Those who use them don't want a Hummer instead. Now, the kicker: there are a couple thousand M113s currently sitting idle in US storage. For not very much money, you could add spall lining, floor armor, gun shields, slat armor "cages," then equip them with the same communications gear the new Hummers get. For rather more money (about $750,000 each), you could fit them with quiet hybrid drives (quiet is a big asset in urban combat), rubber band tracks that are quiet and will not damage roads while preserving off-road mobility, slat/reactive armor, gun shields, spall linings and floor armor, and upgraded communications, plus any other refurbishment needed.

Would these upgraded "M113A4" vehicles survive IED attacks as well as a Stryker? No, and that isn't the comparison I'd make. The Strykers have performed better than I expected in Iraq, and they have features even an upgraded M113 would lack. But Strykers cost $3.5 million each and are organized in totally new brigade formations, as integral "Styker Brigade Combat Teams." Great. What do you do for all the soldiers who aren't in one? "Give them Hummers" is the wrong answer.

Would upgraded M113s be a big improvement over the Hummers for other Army units, due to better mine resistance and RPG protection? Yes. Deliverable quickly, in numbers? Yes. Would they be better than the Marines' AA7 Amtracs amphibious tracked behicles? Yes, and having Marines use M113s in theater instead would save wear on the very old but uniquely amphibious Amtracs. Could the M113s be returned to the USA afterward, for use in future on the Mexican border or elsewhere? Yes. Could they be given to the Iraqis later, as a cheap and effective mechanized force nucleus at half the price of any comparable alternative? Yes.

Meanwhile, Cougar and RG-31 production could be ramped up, giving US forces durable, serious rides that would improve the force mix as they arrived in quantity about now. If, that is, the Pentagon had got off its butt on this early with a more serious plan.

The Bottom Line

Instead of that scenario, the US military has actively choked M113 use, favouring the Hummers - and doesn't seem to be moving with a lot of urgency on other fronts either. Cougars and RG-31, which have the potential to be mainstream transports in-theater, are bought in small quantities for EOD units. Evaluation of Hummer alternatives is not a priority. And over a billion dollars worth of throwaway new Hummers are headed off the production line. Wonderful.

Up-armored Hummers may be an improvement if you're the Iraqi Army, riding in unmodified pickups. They may be an improvement for other allies on the ground. They'll help you survive heavy small arms fire, or small IEDs, which is better than a Ford F150 or a basic Land Rover will do. Fine. Give the Iraqis or other allies the Hummers for their use, as American alternatives are fielded. But have a dammned alternative already.

I'm starting to move past disappointment to anger that the HMMWV is still seen as the mainstay wheeled ride for Iraq. US troops need and deserve a better ride, in numbers, that makes the "up-armored Hummer" the temporary - and partial - expedient that it always should have been.

Final point. I understand that shaped-charge devices sent in from Iran and larger IED land mines will blow a hole through any HMMWV-sized vehicle no matter what, and most larger ones as well. The Israelis have even lost a couple 60-ton Merkava-3 tanks to such tactics.

Nothing is foolproof.

But there is value in setting the bar higher, and offering more protection. Else why have protection at all? Especially when that protection is already on the market, and proven.

US policy and its defense procurement system have set the bar pretty low for their troops' primary ride in a war zone, and it's not looking like a field expedient any more. That's a decision that has cost lives, and will cost lives. It's a decision that needs to be reversed, and replaced with a serious plan to make the Hummer history in America's theaters of war.

My opinion, anyway. Use the comments section to offer yours...

UPDATES:

• Monday Winds of War team member Jeff of Peace Like a River has also written quite a bit about this issue. Among other posts, he notes combat casualties since January 7, 2006, where Humvees were specified as being involved. How many of these were preventable with a better procurement focus and more survivable vehicles?

• Wash Park Prophet's The Humvee Problem is another fine recap and article. Adds a bit more history.

• Murdoc notes that the US military is looking at about 11 off the shelf vehicles as potential replacements, including most of the vehicles mentioned in my article. But Airborne Combat Engineer, who has been on this issue for a while, notes the key statement that sums up the problem with a quote: "Whether or not the Army decides there�s a requirement here is not determined at this point. And whether or not this goes into an acquisition process has not been determined." Can somebody please get their head out of their ass and determine it, since we're only 3 years into the battle for Iraq where IEDs are enemy #1?

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"Sustained military combat, primarily internal, resulting in at least 1,000 battle-deaths per year, pitting central government forces against an insurgent force capable of effective resistance, determined by the latter's ability to inflict upon the government forces at least 5 percent of the fatalities that the insurgents sustain." (Errol A. Henderson and J. David Singer, "Civil War in the Post-Colonial World, 1946-92," Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 37, No. 3, May 2000.) '

(Note that it’s from a Salon article by the Clueless Professor – I won’t link to Salon, because I’m kinda torqued that they’d sell subscriptions by promising more Abu Ghreib pictures)

Hmmm. Gang warfare in the United States cost over 900 lives in 2004. 153 police officers were killed in the line of duty, and I'd bet a third of them were killed by gang members – so to meet Cole’s standard, we’re on the borderline of a civil war – even as crime rates hit all-time lows.

I’d better buy some more ammo…

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Back in 1911, Ambrose Bierce famously defined a "conservative" as "A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others" ["Devil's Dictionary"]. That still brings a smile to me, and still rang true as recently as 1970. But in the era of dynamic Reagan conservatism and in the international policies of the modern neo-cons, haven't those definitions reversed?

With conservatives trying to rewrite government and now the world, the party that traditionally calls itself liberal has been backed into a reactionary pose. Was it the conservatives or the liberals who said, before the Iraq invasion, "if you try to make it better, you'll only somehow make it worse!"

Conservatism as a modern political tradition traces to Edmund Burke's opposition to the French Revolution (1790), but the word conservative is not found in his writing. It was coined by his French disciples, (e.g. Chateaubriand, who titled his journal defending clerical and political restoration "Le Conservateur"). Conservative as the name of a British political faction it first appeared in an 1830 issue of the "Quarterly Review," in an unsigned article sometimes attributed to John Wilson Croker. It replaced Tory by 1843, reflecting both a change from the pejorative name (in use for 150 years) and repudiation of some reactionary policies. The word was extended to similar spirits in other parties from 1845.

Latin conservare "to keep, preserve" is a compound of com-, used here as an intensitive marker, and servare "keep watch, maintain," the same word at the root of observe (literally "to watch over") and other words. The Proto-Indo-European base is *ser- "to protect."

Conservation in the environmentalism sense is much later, attested from only 1922.

The sub-culture of the neo-conservative movement was being called that in print by 1979. Irving Kristol, the movement's godfather, explained the source of the term in his retirement essay "Forty Good Years," published in "The Public Interest," Spring 2005:

My Republican vote [in the 1972 presidential election] produced little shock waves in the New York intellectual community. It didn't take long - a year or two - for the socialist writer Michael Harrington to come up with the term "neoconservative" to describe a renegade liberal like myself. To the chagrin of some of my friends, I decided to accept that term; there was no point calling myself a liberal when no one else did.

Whatever it once meant, it has been used to mean a great many things since then, either in its full form or in the abbreviation neocon, attested by 1987. The term is attested from 1960, but its earlier uses had little to do with the modern sense; in fact the phrase often was applied to Russell Kirk and his followers, who would be philosophically opposed to the modern neocons.

Strictly speaking, conservatism is not a political system, but rather a way of looking at the civil order. The conservative of Peru ... will differ greatly from those of Australia, for though they may share a preference for things established, the institutions and customs which they desire to preserve are not identical. [Russell Kirk (1918-1994)]

The name itself masks the essential nature of the movement, which is rooted in old liberal values, as Kristol indicated in "The Neoconservative Persuasion," in "The Weekly Standard," Aug. 25, 2003:

Neoconservatism is the first variant of American conservatism in the past century that is in the 'American grain.' It is hopeful, not lugubrious; forward-looking, not nostalgic; and its general tone is cheerful, not grim or dyspeptic. Its 20th-century heroes tend to be TR, FDR, and Ronald Reagan. Such Republican and conservative worthies as Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, and Barry Goldwater are politely overlooked.

The use of liberal purely in reference to political opinion dates from c.1801, and its original political sense, "tending in favor of freedom and democracy" connects it to its origin as a translation of French libéral. In English it was not originally a compliment; the word often was applied by opponents (and often in French form, with suggestions of foreign lawlessness) to the party favorable to individual political freedoms.

But the word also (and especially in U.S. politics) tended to mean "favorable to government action to effect social change," and in other related senses, familiar to modern political observers, which seem at times to draw more from the old adjective liberal in its religious sense of "free from prejudice in favor of traditional opinions and established institutions" (and thus open to new ideas and plans of reform), which dates from 1823.

The adjective liberal has been in English since the 1300s, borrowed from Old French liberal, which meant "befitting free men, noble, generous." It is a descendant of Latin liberalis "noble, generous," literally "pertaining to a free man," from liber "free."

The reconstructed Proto-Indo-European base of this is *leudheros (which makes liberalis a relative of Greek eleutheros "free"), probably originally "belonging to the people," though the precise semantic development is obscure. That would be the original meaning if the root is connected to *leudho- "people" (source of German Leute "nation, people," among other words).

The earliest reference of liberal in English is to the liberal arts (Latin artes liberales), the seven attainments directed to intellectual enlargement, not immediate practical purpose, and thus deemed worthy of a "free man" (the word in this sense was opposed not to conservative but to servile or mechanical).

The word has an ambivalent history. It often was used in ways people felt as praise, and as often used in reproach. Liberal's sense of "free in bestowing" (a praise-worthy quality) is attested from 1387. But with a meaning "free from restraint in speech or action" (1490) liberal was used in the 16th and 17th centuries as a scolding term. It revived in a positive sense in the Enlightenment, with a meaning "free from prejudice, tolerant," which emerged 1776-88.

Liberal and conservative seem to have lost their political moorings in the modern American scene. The alternate division into right and left seems to me more applicable to the modern political scene, where positions are taken relative to "the other side" and with little regard for ideological consistency.

Those political words are legacies of the French Revolution. French la gauche (1791) and Droit (1789) are said to have originated during the seating of the French National Assembly in 1789, at which the nobility took the seats on the President's right and left the Third Estate to sit on the left. The words made their way into English at different speeds: left in a political sense was first attested in English in 1837 (by Carlyle, in reference to the French Revolution). It became general in U.S. and British political speech c.1900 (e.g. leftist, 1924; left wing, 1898).

Right in the political sense of "conservative" is first recorded 1794 (adj.), 1825 (n.). Right wing in a political sense is first recorded 1905.

The words themselves are both perhaps euphemisms. Right meaning "opposite of left" is attested in English from 1125, but its immediate ancestor, Old English riht, did not have this sense. Rather, it meant "good, proper, fitting, straight" (a sense that still survives, e.g. do the right thing).

The linguist Carl Darling Buck has written that, "The history of words for 'right' and 'left' shows that they were used primarily with reference to the hands." That is true in English right, where the notion is of the right hand as the "correct" hand. The Old English adjective for the right hand was swiþra, which literally means "stronger."

A similar sense evolution is in Dutch recht and in German recht "right (not left)," from Old High German reht, which meant only "straight, just." Other modern words for "right (not left)" which were derived on a similar pattern to English right are French droit (from Latin directus "straight"), Lithuanian labas (literally "good"), and Slavic words (Bohemian pravy, Polish prawy, Russian pravyj) derived from Old Church Slavonic pravu, literally "straight."

The usual Proto-Indo-European root for "not left," *deks(i)-, is represented by Sanskrit daksina-, Greek dexios, Latin dexter (cf. Old French destre, Spanish diestro, etc.), Irish dess, Welsh deheu, Gothic taihswa, Lithuanian desinas, Old Church Slavonic desnu, and Russian desnoj.

Left, again, is not the original word for "not the right-hand side." It turns up in English c.1205, from the Kentish form of Old English lyft- "weak, foolish." Compare it to Lithuanian kairys "left" and Lettish kreilis "left hand," which derive from a root that yields words for "twisted, crooked."

The same Germanic root that produced English left, with a transferred sense of "opposite of right" also is found in related words along the North Sea coast (Middle Dutch and Low German luchter, luft). But Modern German link "left" is from Old High German slinc, related to Old English slincan "to crawl," Swedish linka "limp."

Left in this sense replaced Old English winestra, which literally means "friendlier," a euphemism used superstitiously to avoid invoking the unlucky forces connected with the left side (cf. sinister, which literally is Latin for "left, on the left side"). The Greeks also uses a euphemism for "left," aristeros "the better one," as did the Persians (Avestan vairyastara- "to the left," from vairya- "desirable").

In addition to directional words, color words have been used throughout the ages to designate political factions. Red, white, and black have been the most common (though recently green has joined the list). The blacks in European history often represented the faction that took the side of the Church or the religious orders in national politics in Catholic lands (e.g. in early 20th century Rome, "supporter of the Vatican," as opposed to Whites, supporters of the Italian monarchy). But by far the most common color word in politics has been red.

Red has had an association in Europe with revolutionary politics (on notion of blood and violence) since at least 1297, but that got a huge boost in 1793 with adoption of the red Phrygian cap (French bonnet rouge), the old Roman simbol of a slave's liberation, as an emblem of the French Revolution. The first specific political reference in English was in 1848 in news reports of the Second French Republic (a.k.a. Red Republic). In 1917, the Bolsheviks in Russia took red as their color and the word, in the political sense, advanced into a new bloody century.

This led to pinko (1936), a derogatory slang form of pink, in reference to people whose social or political views "have a tendency toward 'red,' " a metaphor that had existed since at least 1837.

Bolsheviks themselves have nothing to do with red or left. The term comes from Russian bol'shiy "greater," the comparative of the adjective bol'shoy "big, great" (as in Bolshoi Ballet). It was the faction of Russian Social Democratic Worker's Party after a split in 1903 that was either larger or more extreme (or both) than the Mensheviks (from Russian men'shij "less"). Only after the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917 was the term applied generally to Russian communists.

Radical entered English shortly before 1400 as a word in medieval philosophy, from Late Latin radicalis "of or having roots," from the Latin word that is the same as English radish (which, of course, is a root bulb). The meaning "going to the origin, essential" is recorded from 1651, which led to the political sense of "reformist" (via notion of "change from the roots"), which first is recorded in 1802, again in the tumultuous wake of the French Revolution.

The extremists of the French Revolution were Jacobins, so called for the Dominican convent near the church of Saint-Jacques in Paris, where the Revolutionary extremists took up quarters in 1789.

In the late 1830s in America, briefly, flared the delightfully named loco focos, a term usually applied to a radical faction of the Democratic Party (but by the Whigs applied to all Democrats). The word originally was a name for a type of self-igniting cigar or match, and it's anyone's guess where it came from. One theory says perhaps it's from a misapprehension of the meaning of the first element of locomotive as "self-" and Spanish fuego "fire." The political use came about during one heated political meeting in New York, when the lights went out and the delegates used such matches to relight them.

Progressive, a word that has been in and out of use in American politics, is in again, with an apparently total unawareness that it has been here before and still is used by historians with a specific sense lacking in the current meaning of "uncompromising left-wing Democrat." It's the original meaning "characterized by advancement" that leads political factions yearning for change to take up the word as their title.

An extreme conservative used to be called a reactionary (1840, on model of French réactionnaire), a term from Marxism, where it was opposed to revolutionary and used opprobriously in reference to opponents of communism. It often had little serious connection to the positions tagged with it, except in the minds of Marxists.

Moderates or centrists have had the hardest time of it in terms of labels, execrated from both sides and given a long list of insulting nicknames.

Independent meaning "person not acting as part of a political party" is from 1808. Centrist is recorded from 1872, originally a borrowing from French politics. In the French Revolution, source of so much of modern English political language, a moderate might be a Girondist, from Gironde, the deputy in southwestern France that produced many of the faction's leaders.

In America, the preferred terms have been less flattering. In the late 19th century, such a man might be called a mugwump, a name given to Republicans who refused to support corruption-tainted James G. Blaine for president in the acrimonious 1884 election, thus insuring Grover Cleveland's victory. Hence the name came to mean "one who holds himself aloof from party politics."

Mugwump was an older word for "great man, boss," taken into American English from Algonquian (Natick) mugquomp "important person."

Before that were the doughfaces, the contemptuous nickname in U.S. politics for Northern Democrats who were seen as working in the interest of the South before the Civil War. It was taken to mean "man who allows himself to be moulded." But the source, in an 1820 speech by John Randolph of Roanoke, perhaps meant rather doe as an animal afraid of its own reflection ["They were scared at their own dough faces"].

Later came goo-goo, an 1890s shortening of Good Government as a movement to clean up municipal corruption in Boston, New York, etc., that soon was extended to mean "naive political reformer."

Republicrat in U.S. political jargon, usually meaning "moderate," is attested from 1940.

A long time ago, at the beginning of the republic, men who did not align with either party might be called quids, short for tertium quid, a Latin phrase meaning "third something," and an alchemist's term for "unidentified element present in a combination of two known ones."

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One quote from the start of the film:

George: (smiling to himself) I was a pretty cocky kid in those days - a pretty cocky kid. A regular Yankee Doodle Dandy, always carrying a flag in a parade or following one.

President: I hope you haven't outgrown the habit.

George: Not a chance.

President: Well that's one thing I've always admired about you Irish-Americans. You carry your love of country like a flag, right out in the open. It's a great quality.

George: I inherited that - I got that from my father. He ran away to the Civil War when he was thirteen - the proudest kid in the whole state of Massachusetts.

President: So you've spent your life telling the other forty-seven states what a great country it is.

One from the end:

President: Why, I wanted to hear the story of your life. It has a direct bearing on my sending for you. Do you know what this is?

George: The Congressional Medal of Honor.

President: Let's see what the inscription says: 'To George M. Cohan, for his contribution to the American spirit. Over There and Grand Old Flag Presented by Act of Congress.' I congratulate you, Mr. Cohan. (He hands the medal to George) I understand you're the first person of your profession to receive this honor. You should be very proud.

George: Oh, I am proud. In fact, I'm flabbergasted. First time in my life, I'm speechless. Are you sure there isn't some mistake?

President: Quite sure.

George: (modestly) But this medal is for people who've given their lives to their country or done something big. I'm just a song and dance man. Everybody knows that.

President: A man may give his life to his country in many different ways, Mr. Cohan. And quite often he isn't the best judge of how much he has given. Your songs were a symbol of the American spirit. Over There was just as powerful a weapon as any cannon, as any battleship we had in the First World War. Today, we're all soldiers, we're all on the front. We need more songs to express America. I know you and your comrades will give them to us.

George: Mr. President, I've just begun to earn this medal. It's quite a thing.

[emphasis added]

Add the lyrics to one of his songs:

Johnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun Take it on the run, on the run, on the run
Hear them calling you and me, Ev'ry son of liberty.
Hurry right away, No delay, Go today,
Make your daddy glad to have had such a lad,
Tell your sweetheart not to pine, To be proud her boy's in line.
Over there, Over there,
Send the word, Send the word, Over there
That the Yanks are coming, The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming ev'rywhere.
So prepare, Say a prayer,
Send the word, Send the word, To beware
We'll be over, We're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over, Over There.

You’ll have a funny set of reactions to the film if you watch it today – first, you’ll be gobsmacked by the fact that Jimmy Cagney is a hoofer! …and quite a good one.

Then you’ll get a sense of the true datedness of the film from the inferences on race and gender…”… about you Irish-Americans.”

But a part of it is that I can’t imagine a film today that wore our flag so nakedly on its sleeve.

And I wonder whether and how we can fight or win a war without doing so.

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Occasional WOC contributor Captain Midnight took a moment to review Proud Kaffir's numbers, The Captain writes, "He is citing raw absolute numbers. They are the result of two things: A 27% drop in the size of the armed forces, and a 54% drop in the death rate from accidents. If you plot the death rate per 100,000 and break it out by cause of death, you get

(click to view full size: 1138×778)

As the Captain notes, the graph clearly shows a decrease in deaths due to accidents and a significant upsurge in deaths per 100,000 troops due to hostilities.

Misuse of statistics is tendentious no matter what the position being defended.

UPDATE: Belont Club comments.

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"There is an interesting debate going on inside government today about how to counter extremism in British communities. Ministers have been advised never to use the term "Islamist extremist". It will give offence. It is true. It will. There are those - perfectly decent-minded people - who say the extremists who commit these acts of terrorism are not true Muslims. And, of course, they are right. They are no more proper Muslims than the Protestant bigot who murders a Catholic in Northern Ireland is a proper Christian. But, unfortunately, he is still a "Protestant" bigot. To say his religion is irrelevant is both completely to misunderstand his motive and to refuse to face up to the strain of extremism within his religion that has given rise to it.

Yet, in respect of radical Islam, the paradigm insists that to say what is true, is to provoke, to show insensitivity, to demonstrate the same qualities of purblind ignorance that leads us to suppose that Muslims view democracy or liberty in the same way we do.

Just as it lets go unchallenged the frequent refrain that it is to be expected that Muslim opinion will react violently to the invasion of Iraq: after all it is a Muslim country. Thus, the attitude is: we understand your sense of grievance; we acknowledge your anger at the invasion of a Muslim country; but to strike back through terrorism is wrong.

It is a posture of weakness, defeatism and most of all, deeply insulting to every Muslim who believes in freedom ie the majority. Instead of challenging the extremism, this attitude panders to it and therefore instead of choking it, feeds its growth."

And grow it has. Not without help, or a common outlook. Which is why the stakes are so high. Which is why "Bad Philosophy" more generally is part of the issue:

"Fundamentally, for this ideology, we are the enemy. Which brings me to the fundamental point. "We" is not the West. "We" are as much Muslim as Christian or Jew or Hindu. "We" are those who believe in religious tolerance, openness to others, to democracy, liberty and human rights administered by secular courts.

This is not a clash between civilisations. It is a clash about civilisation. It is the age-old battle between progress and reaction, between those who embrace and see opportunity in the modern world and those who reject its existence; between optimism and hope on the one hand; and pessimism and fear on the other. And in the era of globalisation where nations depend on each other and where our security is held in common or not at all, the outcome of this clash between extremism and progress is utterly determinative of our future here in Britain. We can no more opt out of this struggle than we can opt out of the climate changing around us. Inaction, pushing the responsibility on to America, deluding ourselves that this terrorism is an isolated series of individual incidents rather than a global movement and would go away if only we were more sensitive to its pretensions; this too is a policy. It is just that; it is a policy that is profoundly, fundamentally wrong.

And this is why the position of so much opinion on how to defeat this terrorism and on the continuing struggle in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Middle East is, in my judgement, so mistaken."

There's much more, and it's excellent. Head over to Harry's for the link and some thoughts.

Three words for you Yanks if you want to produce political leaders who can speak like this, because overall the historical record is not promising: institute Question Period.

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That is not happening and neither is Iraq’s “Civil War.” It isn’t even close. There have reputedly been only about 37,000 Iraqi civilian fatalities (not including terrorists - the MSM likes to count terrorist casualties – including foreign aka non-Iraqi terrorists - as Iraqi “civilian” casualties) from violence in the three years of American occupation. That would be less than a month’s losses if Iraq were suffering from a real civil war like the one in Bosnia.

The MSM is flat out lying about a civil war in Iraq just as they have lied about everything else in Iraq. They invent new lies when their old ones are disbelieved. Yet they wonder why their audience and circulation drop.

Ralph Peters complained recently that the MSM’s reporters were all “phoning in” reports from stringers while hiding in hotels in Baghdad’s green zone. It looks to me that the MSM editors and reporters have gotten even lazier than that. Rewording the press releases of war opponents is easier, cheaper and safer than the hard work of reporting real news…especially if that news doesn’t say the propaganda you want it too.

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Walt and Mearsheimer's article explains how "the thrust of US policy in the region derives almost entirely from domestic politics," which I agree with, because like many Americans I've ridden in a car before and I believe that the ability to get people and things from one place to another is a big part of successful domestic politics. It's not entirely clear that the authors of this really long article have ever been in a car before, because when they're talking about domestic politics, they're not talking about cars, or the economy or even our military, but "the activities of the 'Israel Lobby.'"

...

True or False: "By contrast, pro-Arab interest groups, in so far as they exist at all, are weak, which makes the Israel Lobby's task even easier."

True – not. Psyche. Yeah, true if you exclude the obviously limited influence that oil companies have exercised in US policymaking over the last seventy years. And it's not just the oil companies doing Gulf bidding; virtually every American ambassador who's served in Riyadh winds up with a nice package to keep selling the Saudi line back in Washington. Yes, you're right, AIPAC's annual budget is a whopping $40 million dollars – or precisely equivalent to the private donation Saudi prince Walid Bin Talal recently gave to two US universities to start up Islamic centers. What? Come on Steve, he gave half of it to Harvard! OK, give me the car keys. The keys to the car, it's how you got here. In a car. It has four wheels and a motor. It runs on gas. Gas comes from a place called Saudi Arabia….

Go read the whole thing. Biggest Guy spent a few days hanging out at Harvard when we were doing the college-tour thing and he wrote the school off as "lame".

Hmmm. If this is what Cambridge's best and the brightest have to offer, he's even smarter than I thought he was...

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Iran & the Middle East

• An al Qaeda video released on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, shows the recently killed al Qaeda leader Fahd al Juweir threatening more attacks against the Saudi Kingdom and calling for Saudis to join him in the holy war.

• Prominent dissident Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji was released from prison on Saturday, after serving six years for "a series of articles implicating regime officials in the murders of political dissidents in 1998." (photos)

• Israel is hosting a four day conference to display state of the art anti-terrorism technology they hope to sell to North America. In attendance are 130 homeland security officials from 37 states and Canada.

• On Friday General John Abizaid said "There's no doubt that there's Iranian intelligence activity throughout Iraq. There's no doubt that there's Iranian intelligence activity in Afghanistan." Recent reports indicate that Moqtada al-Sadr, who recently visited Lebanon, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had consultations with Tehran just prior to the latest threats from the Iranian regime. The meetings leave some wondering whether Iran is fighting a proxy war, while others arrived at this conclusion years ago.

• On Saturday, Iran hosted a two-day conference titled "Constructive Religious Dialogue - Framework for World Order" that was attended by more than 200 religious scholars from almost 40 countries in response to the Danish cartoons.

• According to a World Tribune report, the United States is planning major naval exercises in May to test its response to potential Iranian attempts to blockade the Straights of Hormuz.

• In Sunday's UK Telegraph, Kim Willsher writes that "only a fraction of Teheran's brutality has come to light" as she details the work of exiled Iranian opposition group leader Maryam Rajavi.

• The security situation in the West Bank continues to deteriorate as more Fatah members are becoming involved in attacks against Israel. A firefight between Israeli security forces and al Aqsa Martyrs brigades in the West Bank village of Yamoun left at least one civilian dead. In the nearby city of Nablus, Israeli troops discovered two large bombs and safely detonated them on Friday. Now officials in the Israeli military are pointing to a switching of roles with Hamas refraining from attacks and Fatah members stepping in to pick up the slack.

• In a CBS interview, incoming Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh expressed the view that Hamas could make peace with Israel, then later qualified it by saying that Israel must first lay out the borders for a Palestinian state that Israel rejects. Hamas, which submitted its list of cabinet ministers Sunday, has vowed not to disarm or to recognize the Jewish nation.

• Thair Abbas has an article in Asharq Alawsat on Saturday that provides an overview on al Qaeda in Lebanon.

• Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz warned Hezbollah on Sunday not to attempt attacks in response to IDF raids in Jericho, warning that "if communities in the North are attacked, Israel will not sit idly by, but will respond with all the strength at its disposal, as it has done in the past." On Sunday, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Palestinian militants seized in the prison raid will be tried in an Israeli court.

America Domestic Security & the Americas

• A scrapbook found in the home of a father and son facing federal terrorism-related charges was filled with Pakistani news articles praising Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban government, a witness testified Thursday. Prosecutors say the scrapbook is among items that show 23-year-old Hamid Hayat held anti-American views and returned to the United States last May prepared to attack grocery stores, hospitals and other sites.

• The Transportation Security Administration has placed a lawyer on paid leave for coaching witnesses in the penalty hearing for Zacarias Moussaoui. Carla Martin's action led U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema to ban the testimony of seven Federal Aviation Administration employees. Prosecutors are trying to determine if they can go forward without the seven FAA witnesses.

• The death-penalty trial of al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui is back on track after a judge reversed course and agreed to admit some evidence about aviation security. U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema relented Friday from her earlier order barring all such testimony. She had issued that ruling Tuesday as punishment for the alleged misconduct of Transportation Security Administration lawyer Carla J. Martin, who coached witnesses. "It would be unfortunate if this case could not go forward to some final resolution," Brinkema told trial attorneys in a telephone conference.

• Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Saturday that he does not believe the threat of terrorism has passed and that the United States must work with other countries to combat it. In an hour-long talk as part of a conference on economic crime, the nation's former top law enforcement officer also discussed the importance and challenges of prosecuting financial crime and the emphasis after the 2001 terrorist attacks on "prevention over prosecution."

• TSA says it now considers explosives the No. 1 threat. And Friday, TSA Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley argued that even though bomb materials got through the screeners, there are many other layers of security to keep terrorists with bombs off planes. Among them: watch lists and behavioral analysis.

• Four Republican senators introduced a bill Thursday that they hope will end the furor over President Bush's surveillance program by writing it into law. One of the bill's chief sponsors, Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio, said the bill requires the president to go to court as soon as possible to get approval for wiretapping and other forms of monitoring.

• The White House's latest National Security Strategy report Thursday listed Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia among the world's seven top trouble spots that could threaten U.S. interests. The report identifies national security threats and suggests ways the United States should be prepared to respond. It reasserted the need to engage in preventive wars to thwart terrorists and hostile governments, a position initially stated in the previous 2002 report.

• Gerry Adams, leader of the IRA-allied Sinn Fein party in Northern Ireland, was detained at a Washington airport on Friday after attending a St. Patrick's Day event at the White House, according to a congressman. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., who had invited Adams to speak at the Buffalo Irish Center, told the audience Friday night that Adams didn't make it to Buffalo in time because he was detained at Reagan National Airport. A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration said she could not confirm that Adams was detained at the airport.

• Colombian President Alvaro Uribe tried on Friday to induce leftist rebels to lay down their arms by expanding a leniency offer to include jailed guerrillas who agree to demobilize and convince their comrades to do the same. Colombia's Justice and Peace bill, passed last year, offers reduced prison time and other incentives to members of Colombia's illegal armed groups who turn in their guns and promise to stop breaking the law.

• The Colombian authorities have seized a shipment of cocaine with a street value of $540m on board a ship in the Caribbean port of Cartagena. They found the cocaine, weighing 2.7 tons in a disinfectant container during a routine inspection.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

• After passing through the State Duma and the Federation Council, new anti-terrorism legislation was signed into law by Russian President Vladamir Putin, ushering in new tools for fighting terrorism.

• Russia's UN ambassador, Andrey Denisov, rejected proposals to have the Security Council issue a progress report in the coming weeks, arguing that it was not enough time and it could lead to the bombing of Iran by June.

• Several large weapons and ammunition caches have been discovered in Chechnya over the weekend. One cache was found in the Nozhai-Yurt district, about 40 miles southeast of Grozny near the border with Daghestan. It contained 145 grenade launcher rounds, 20 shells, three mortar mines, and 1.6 kg of TNT. Two caches were discovered in Grozny and contained makeshift grenade launchers, artillery shells, plastic explosives and rounds of different calibers.

• The trial of three Russian policemen, accused of criminal negligence for not boosting security despite warnings before the 2004 Beslan school attack, began in southern Russia with all three pleading not guilty.

• A militant in Grozny was shot dead on Saturday after special Russian police units clashed with gunmen in the Chechen capital. Authorities continue to search for the remainder of the gunmen.

• According to a report prepared by the Bush administration as part of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, Belarussian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is "likely among the most corrupt leaders in the world." The report was delivered to the U.S. Congress right before Sunday's Presidential vote that Lukashenka is expected to win in a rigged election, and also discussed arms sales by Belarus to Iran.

• Meanwhile the Belarus KGB claims that the opposition forces in the country are plotting a coup backed by the United States and Georgia. A video showing a man who was supposedly involved in this plot proclaims that "the Americans told us to organize four explosions at schools." Early Sunday, hours before the polls were to open, the KGB raided the opposition's offices.

• Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili is urging the European Union not to recognize the presidential election is Belarus as legitimate, saying that international monitors will have their access restricted and be unable to verify the transparency of the vote. One exit poll cites Alexander Lukashenko as already having won 83.5 percent of the vote. After casting his vote on Sunday, Lukashenko declared that President Bush was "the planet’s main terrorist."

• Two bombs exploded on Friday in separate areas of the Caucuses republic of Ingushetia, causing damage but not claiming any casualties.

Afghanistan & Southern Asia

• Taliban rebels determined to keep southern Afghanistan in chaos have teamed up with drug barons against the government and its opium eradication campaign, officials say. The campaign to destroy opium poppy fields was begun March 8 in southern Helmand, the producer of most of Afghanistan's opium crop -- which makes up nearly 90 percent of the world total -- and also one of the provinces worst-hit by a Taliban-led insurgency.

• A suicide car-bomber was killed when he rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a US-led coalition convoy in southern Afghanistan, a witness and an official said but there were no military casualties. A local police commander in the restive Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province said the convoy comprised several vehicles of French troops operating under the US-led coalition in the region.

• More than 20,000 supporters of a radical Islamic group held a peaceful rally against the publication of Prophet Muhammad cartoons Friday in an eastern Pakistan city and accused the government of being "soft" on the West over the controversy. "The government should have taken a hard stance against those countries where these cartoons were published to insult our beloved Prophet Muhammad," Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the leader of the Jamaat al-Dawat group, told the mass gathering at a park in the city.

• Suspected Islamic militants set off three bombs Sunday, one of which exploded near a police van and killed seven people in northwestern Pakistan, officials said. The two other bombs damaged walls of a police station and a government building.

• A bomb has injured four people when it exploded outside a shop in the latest violence to hit Pakistan's restive southwestern Baluchistan province, police said. The blast happened in the town of Mutch outside the provincial capital Quetta, local police said. "It was placed outside the grocery store and appeared to be a timed device," police officer Mohammad Jadoon said.

• Seven homemade bombs toppled two giant high-power electricity transmission towers in southwestern Pakistan and disrupted power to thousands of homes for several hours, officials said.

• Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say suspected militants have shot dead a 52-year-old man and his wife in Bajja village in Jammu's Doda district. Armed men forcibly entered Abdul Gani Mallik's house late on Wednesday night and killed the couple, PR Manhas, the district police chief told the BBC.

• Police have shot dead four suspected Islamic militants believed to be plotting attacks and recruiting fighters for a campaign against Indian rule in Kashmir, officials said. The men, including two Pakistanis, were killed in a shoot-out during a raid at a home on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in western Gujarat state, officers said.

• India has rejected the idea of any talks with Pakistan-based separatist outfit United Jihad council. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said the Indian government will not participate in any dialogue with United Jihad Council chief Syed Salahuddin, who is spearheading terrorism in the state from his base in Pakistan.

• In New Delhi, a man in possession of a live bomb was arrested on Friday in front of the South Block that houses the Prime Minister's Office and the defence and foreign ministries.

• One person was injured when a crude bomb exploded near a medical shop under Cantonment area of Varanasi on Thursday night, police on Friday said. On March 7, twin blasts had rocked Varanasi at Sankatmochan Temple and Cantonment Railway Station, killing at least 17 persons including several devotees, besides wounding scores of others.

• The US Peace Corps has suspended its activities in Bangladesh indefinitely for fear that Americans may become the targets of Islamic militants. A spokeswoman said all 70 volunteers had now left the country. Bangladesh said the move was "ill-advised".

• Here are the daily updates from the South Asia Terrorism Portal for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

• The four Jamaatul Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB) cadres arrested in Brahmanbaria on Thursday confessed to police that they were involved in the August 17 bomb blasts in the district town.

• Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) chief Abdur Rahman has confessed before the law enforcers that the suicide bombing in Netrakona on December 8 killing eight people and injuring 50 others was in retaliation for not releasing two JMB operatives. After Netrakona police arrested JMB cadre Sanaullah on October 11 and Kawser Alam Sumon on October 13 at Mawa in Gouripur upazila of Mymensingh, the militants phoned the superintendent of police in Netrakona. They asked him to release the two immediately or face reprisal for the arrests.

• In Bangladesh, militant leader Bangla Bhai and his guru Shaikh Abdur Rahman are now in police custody and one may think that their dreams of a Taliban-model Islamic rule in Bangladesh have been shattered. However, the miniscule model of Shariah rule Bangla Bhai introduced in Bagmara in northwestern Rajshahi district remains as a footnote in Bangladesh’s political annals.

Far East & Southeast Asia

• The Australian government has drafted an Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Bill, in an effort to address the billions of dollars in illegal money laundered through the nation's banks and brokers. The proposals would impose major compliance and regulatory obligations on the banking, life insurance, managed funds and pension sectors.

• According to reports on Sunday, Australian al Qaeda terrorist David Hicks trained with a number of British extremists at the al-Farooq camp in Afghanistan, including Richard Reid. Prior to that, Hicks trained with Lashkar-e-Taiba in Kashmir.

• US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and their Australian counterpart Alexander Downer met in Sydney on Saturday with regional security and the growth of China at the top of the agenda. Iran was also a major focus of the meeting, with the trio releasing a joint statement calling on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and resume negotiations.

• China has endorsed a Russian proposal for the construction of international nuclear fuel centers under the jurisdiction of the IAEA, based on the belief that every country has the right to develop nuclear energy. Iran has already declined the Russian offer.

Europe

• Europe must accept that Hamas will lead the next Palestinian government and open dialogue with the militant Islamic group, a senior member of Europe's leading human rights watchdog said Thursday. Mikhail Margelov, who leads a committee on the Middle East at the Council of Europe's advisory Parliamentary Assembly, said it was important not to isolate a Palestinian government run by Hamas, which the European Union considers a terrorist organization.

• Three years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, war-weariness has seeped into public opinion in European coalition countries and the anti-war movement struggles to mobilise crowds. The protest organised in London last February drew only 2,500 people onto the capital’s streets, a far cry from the estimated 750,000 to two million who marched in February 2003 to voice their opposition to the prospect of war.

• Two journalists were charged with exposing German state secrets on al Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in a case their defenders called a blow to press freedom. Prosecutors in the city of Potsdam, near Berlin, said on Wednesday they were pursuing a case against German reporter Bruno Schirra and the foreign editor of Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick, Johannes von Dohnanyi, over an article for the German political monthly Cicero in April 2005. Authorities believe Dohnanyi obtained a classified report produced by the German federal police (BKA) and passed it on to Schirra, who quoted it in a story alleging links between Zarqawi and Iran.

• In London, a man has been jailed for nine years after admitting directing a terrorist organisation, including providing weapons and funds to the group. Mohammed Ajmal Khan, 31, from Coventry, received an eight-year term for his involvement with the group fighting against India in Kashmir.

• In the UK, an Algerian man who was held at Belmarsh prison as a suspected terrorist has begun negotiations to return voluntarily to his home country. The man, 39, who is only known as 'A', said he and five other Algerians were being "mentally tortured" in the UK.

• The United States, which has long provided Iceland with its only military forces, has decided to withdraw most of its service members and all of its fighter jets and helicopters from the country later this year, the U.S. ambassador said Thursday. Iceland's government, which recently had offered to take over some of the cost of its defense from the United States to keep U.S. forces here, said it regretted the decision.

Africa

• Libya and France have signed an accord for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The signing took place during the visit to Tripoli by France's director of atomic energy commission, Alain Bugat. The two countries are looking to cooperate on future projects involving nuclear power for civil use.

• Two gunmen attacked an office of the UN refugee agency in southern Sudan, killing a local guard and wounding two workers, the agency says. The UNHCR said it was still seeking more details about the attack in the southern town of Yei.

• Travelling 25 miles off the coast of Somalia on Saturday, the USS Cape St. George and USS Gonzales came across a vessel towing two smaller skiffs towards the coast. Moving in closer and preparing to board, the sailors noticed the pirates were armed with rocket-propelled grenades, which seconds later they used to open fire on the Navy vessels. Both ships returned fire and killed one suspect when their main vessel burst into flames. Twelve other pirates were fished out of the water and taken into custody, including five that were wounded.

• Up to 200,000 Algerians have died in a 15-year Islamic insurgency, the head of the government human rights body said Saturday, the highest official toll ever given. The fighting started in 1992 when the army canceled a second round of voting in Algeria's first multiparty legislative elections, to thwart a likely victory by the now-banned Islamic Salvation Front.

• A senior Sudanese official said on Saturday that an upcoming summit of the Arab League, to be hosted by Khartoum later this month, would not make compromises to any foreign pressure. Maj. Gen. Bakri Hassan Salih, Minister of the Sudanese Presidency and Head of the Preparing Committee for the Arab summit, said at a press conference that the summit would not issue any statement or take any decision contrary to the collective will of the Arab nations.

• While news from Iraq and Afghanistan dominates headlines worldwide, counter-terrorism operations in the Horn of Africa by elements of the 2nd Marine Division go virtually unreported. But according to a former Los Baños resident, quietly helping the millions of people who inhabit the seven countries in the Horn is no less an important mission of Operation Enduring Freedom than offering a chance for democracy to the people of the Middle East.

The Global War

• U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Thursday the U.N. Security Council appears determined to send a "strong and clear signal" to Tehran about its suspect nuclear program, after a meeting of the powerful U.N. body that he described as the best so far. In an informal gathering of the 15 council members, diplomats agreed to hold the first formal Security Council consultations on Friday — a sign that a split between Britain, France and the United States on the one hand, and China and Russia on the other, may have closed somewhat.

• North Korea has asked Norway to act as a mediator in disputes with the United States over North Korea's nuclear program, saying "Norway not only has a good reputation as a peace mediator, but also very good experience in settling international conflicts."

• Thousands of anti-war protesters marched in Australia, Turkey and Asian countries at the start of global demonstrations Saturday, as campaigners marked the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of
  Iraq with a demand that coalition troops pull out. Demonstrations were planned for cities across Europe later in the day. Police in London shut down streets in the heart of the capital's shopping and theater district ahead of a demonstration which organizers said they hoped would be attended by up to 100,000 people.

• More than a half million U.S. and coalition forces are now engaged in the fight against global terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, a senior U.S. general said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing yesterday. "There's well over 600,000 people under arms fighting against common foes and dealing with common problems, all designed to defeat extremism in the region," Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, said.

• A paper by James Phillips at the Heritage Foundation, entitled The Evolving Al Qaeda threat, examines the nature of Al Qaeda, four crucial fronts in the war against Al Qaeda, and possible strategies for defeating Al Qaeda. (HT: Vital Perspective)

• Steven Hayes looks at terror ties between the Iraqi Intelligence Services (IIS) and Abu Sayyaf, a relationship apparently acknowledged in recently disclosed captured documents from post-Hussein Iraq.

• As part of its Newport Papers series, a paper from the Naval War College Press entitled Reposturing the Force: U.S. Overseas Presence in the Twenty-first Century examines how America's global defense posture should look given today's threats. The paper, available here in PDF, is edited by Carnes Lord and is about 200 pages long.

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. For ongoing tips, email "MondayWindsOfWar", over here @windsofchange.net.

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REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

• President Bush vowed for the first time yesterday to turn over most of Iraq to newly trained Iraqi troops by the end of this year, setting a specific benchmark as he kicked off a fresh drive to reassure Americans alarmed by the recent burst of sectarian violence.

• "In an examination of Iraq's military strategy, the U.S. Joint Forces Command prepared a day-by-day reconstruction of Saddam's movements, which shows that his escape was desperate and improvised. The study also indicates that U.S. intelligence knew little about his whereabouts during the early part of the war and that Saddam was nowhere near the site of two failed bombing raids intended to kill him."

RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY

• An Iraqi economic expert called for holding the conferences and training courses in Iraq instead of abroad to help boost the national economy.

• Top 10 British firms profiting in Iraq.

• Check out this week's reconstruction highlights:

USAID recently surpassed the 100-hour mark reliability test for its V94 turbine generator at the Kirkuk power plant. The V94 passed its one and only reliability test without issue and was immediately placed in normal service providing continuous power to the Iraqi grid.

USAID awards three grants – totaling $8.9 million – to establish a sustainable microfinance industry in Iraq.

USAID is working to increase the availability of agricultural machinery for Iraqi farmers through direct repair of tractors and by strengthening repair and maintenance services for agricultural machinery. The direct repair of tractors is currently underway; the program will return to service at least 5,000 tractors. To date, 1,437 tractors have been repaired in workshops located around Iraq. USAID has increased the capability of approximately 250 Iraqi mechanics to provide repair and maintenance services for agricultural machinery.

Nearly 37,000 Iraqis have participated in civic forums on the role of the national Parliament. Despite the curfews and increased violence, Iraqis remained committed to improving the political process by continuing to conduct trainings and grassroots organizing in civic forums. Last week alone 14,000 citizens received training on the role and responsibilities of elected members of parliament (MPs) as well as how to advocate for citizens' rights, through USAID's implementing partner the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Over 40,000 booklets on Structure, Role, and Public Life of the Council of Representatives were also distributed.

USAID provides support to a newspaper specializing in women's issues. This newspaper, based in Northern Iraq, is a non-political publication focused on promoting the role of women in Iraq. In September 2003, the newspaper published its first edition, printing 1,500 copies.

IRAQI POLITICS

• Australia's defense minister, John Reid, warned that too many delays in forming the new Iraqi government could allow the insurgency to try to fill the power vacuum. But at the same time, Reid warned against rushing into a new government and getting it wrong.

• This week's Carnival of the Liberated is up.

THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

• U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said yesterday that his country did not want permanent military bases in Iraq.

• The commander in charge of six Royal Miltary Policemen killed by a mob in Iraq has told their inquest it was not seen as a volatile part of the country - denying claims from family members that the troops were sent into a "powder keg".

ETCETERA

• Tariq Aziz, the former Iraqi foreign minister under Saddam Hussein now held prisoner by the U.S. in Baghdad, has asked to go to Moscow for treatment of heart problems.

• Do you have your GI Bracelet? Many military families fall into financial hardship when the breadwinner is injured or killed. The entire purchase price of the GI Bracelet is donated to support our troops and their families! Please join us to give back to these brave people in their time of need.

• The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!

• Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!

• Many American troops have taken it upon themselves to reconstruct schools and gather learning tools for the children of Iraq. Their efforts have been met with immense gratitude from the local Iraqis and their children. You can help too! Visit Operation Iraqi Children and get involved.

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. And if you have a tip for a future Iraq Report, email us at MondayIraqReport(at)windsofchange.net.

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I don't believe for one moment that this owes to some sort of liberal "softeness" on Castro (though there's certainly a sweet spot for him among the more stridently leftist folks). No, the silence on Cuba owes to something else: a smothering parochialism that has set down upon much of the liberal left and extinguished much more honorable traditions of internationalism. Liberals and progressives nowadays are defined more than anything by their sheer opposition to George Bush and no longer feel themselves part of a bigger cause - like, say, freedom.

For too many of them it's a simple formula: Whatever Bush is for, I'm against. Period. Next question?
The result is a strange liberalish mirror-image of Buchananist isolationism: "I can't be criticizing some foreign government I have no control over when I have to spend all my energy fighting the ills of my own government," as some have crudely and previously put it on this blog. Or, worse, "I'm not going to gang up on Fidel when we Americans have created such a horror in [fill in the blank] Iraq or Haiti or Afghanistan".

I see. Well, at least during the lulls in your ongoing heroic struggle against rampant Republicanism, take a moment out to quietly remember those prisoners of conscience who languish in Cuban prisons. They deserve your support and solidarity, even if it isn't George Bush who put them there.

It become - sadly - very rare to read commentators on either side who won't do or say anything to score points on "the opposition". I'm slowly losing interest in them; it's the iconoclasts - who I believe might actually let a fact stand in the way of a good opinion - who are the folks I'm most interested in listening to.

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This attitude is especially unfortunate at a time when there is 'reform ferment in the Arab world, an emerging democracy in Iraq, and the colour-coded democratic revolutions in post-communist societies', as Michael Allen notes in the inaugural issue of Democratiya. In this historical moment, as an editorial in The New Republic put it, '[L]iberals must realize their own future is at stake. Should democratization succeed with Democrats deeply involved, they will be able to claim a share of the credit. But, should it succeed despite their puerile detachment - or, worse, their objections - Democrats could well be branded as the party that opposes bringing human rights and responsible governance to people who don't yet benefit from them'. To which Norman Geras has added, 'For "Democrats" in the US, read "the left" in Europe'."

One could certainly cite more in-depth examples from Britain, from Europe, and in America as well. Harry's Place offers one good and very recent example of what they're talking about, with a follow-up that isn't all that surprising to those of us who have been paying attention.

Taken together, they serve to illuminate an older and more central question in all its fearful symetry.

The great question of the Cold War within the West was whether the Left was a sincere idealism gone awry, or a hate-based movement whose hates were more important than any of the goals, principles, or people it claimed to defend. With the collapse of Communism as a global force, and its moral and economic demolition as the systematic lies of Marxist-Leninism have come to light, the externals are stripped away at last; this question in all its fearful symetry is all that remains.

As Walzer notes with justified distress, it's a question whose answers have tipped distinctly in one direction over the last decade and a half. The vestiges of the anti-fascist left are small now, and very much out of the mainstream with those who now claim the left's mantle.

Yet it does little good to stand with the majority in the long run if their movement is based on lies and hate. The question calls them still, and even a small remnant may yet be a saving one.

One answer leads to a form of undeath, and the de facto merging of the Left with western and Islamic fascism. The other answer, by holding true to the Left's animating ideals, may yet cover the old skeleton with new life, and make the movement worthy of the ideals it claims to uphold.

Will Everybody Come to Rick's in the end? We canot know, but Democratiyya is a hopeful sign. Long may it propser.

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But, according to Haney, all that creative and ex-Army firepower wasn't what drew CBS chief executive Les Moonves to the drama about Special Forces operatives at work and at home, where their families cope with a life of secrecy.

"Had you come in here with only an action series, I would have passed. But when you said the wives, the sweethearts, that depth of humanity, that's when you had me," Haney recalled Moonves saying after a successful pitch meeting.

Wags have dubbed the series "Desperate Housewives Meet G.I Joe." The quip draws a measured response from Mamet.

"Maybe. It gets pretty desperate on both sides," he said.

Dennis Haysbert ("24") stars as Jonas Blane, respected leader of the unit that includes a recruit played by Scott Foley ("Felicity") and Robert Patrick's ("Walk the Line") Col. Tom Ryan. Holding down the homefront are Regina Taylor, Abby Brammell and Audrey Marie Anderson.

In "The Unit," perilous missions are mixed with domestic dangers that include an extramarital affair, adolescent angst and wives who resent the camouflage needed to protect their husbands and the national interest.

The series, which debuted last week, deliberately avoids identifying the unit as Delta Force to keep its dramatic options open and, Haney said, to limit the carping he expects from ex-colleagues over whether every detail is true to life.

"The Unit" draws heavily on Haney's experiences, both from the book and from memory -- with sensitive information omitted, he said.

I don’t expect this to be “Major Dad,” but I really hope they don’t fark this up the way the makers of “Enemy at the Gates” turned the story of WW2’s most storied sniper dual into a love story.

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Then I looked at the bill itself.

Congressmen Jerry Nadler and Jim Oberstar have introduced the S.O.S. Act which would require 100 percent of the containers entering our ports, instead of the current 6 percent, to be screened long before they reach our shores. The bill mandates that:

• All containers be scanned using the best-available technology, including scanning for radiation and density, before they are loaded onto a ship destined for the United States;

• Scans be reviewed by American security personnel before the container is loaded; and

• Containers be sealed with a device that indicates tampering, and would notify U.S. officials of a breach before the container enters the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States.

Come on Kevin - you know that's not a serious security proposal, it's a trial balloon. You can't implement this proposal without shutting down global trade.

I'll suggest some reading from the Georgia Tech Transportation and Logistics Security Group as a way of getting your feet wet in this issue.

Meanwhile, My Congresswoman, Jane Harman (who I like better every week) is working on a competing measure - the SAFE Port Act (pdf).

Dig in a bit and see what you think.

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This statement is incendiary and, from a experienced diplomat like Bolton, could only have been with full authorization from the highest levels of the Bush administration. It is an admission which the Bush administration cannot politically afford to disown once Iran announces it has nuclear weapons or a test of a nuclear device. The Republican Party base would rise up in a fury which would utterly destroy the Bush administration's effectiveness if it fails to take military action in such an event and, as importantly, the public careers of every Bush administration official in national security positions would be over. In addition to the consequences of doing nothing for the United States and the world.

It is unlikely that Iran's mullah regime will announce termination of its nuclear weapons program, and still less likely that the Bush administration would believe it absent really intrusive inspections which the mullahs cannot permit for their own domestic political reasons. This is especially true as I believe that it is highly likely that Iran already has nuclear weapons purchased from North Korea, or made with purchased North Korean plutonium. See this Times of London story, and two past Winds of Change articles from Trent and myself - Count Down to Iran's Nuclear Test, and The Case for Invading Iran.

The Washington Post has reported that the Bush administration's new policy towards Iran now has regime change as its objective:

"The internal administration debate that raged in the first term between those who advocated more engagement with Iran and those who preferred more confrontation appears in the second term to be largely settled in favor of the latter. Although administration officials do not use the term "regime change" in public, that in effect is the goal they outline as they aim to build resistance to the theocracy.

..."The upper hand is with those who are pushing regime change rather than those who are advocating more diplomacy," said Richard N. Haass, who as State Department policy planning director in Bush's first term was among those pushing for engagement."

StrategyPage contends that it is unlikely Iran's mullah regime can be changed from within, as the mullahs have repeatedly shown that they will massacre peaceful opposition. While armed domestic opposition could probably overthrow the regime given significant American support from an adjacent sanctuary (Iraq), that would take more than a year to implement. This is not enough time given the advanced state of Iran's nuclear program and its ability to purchase North Korean plutonium or ready-to-use nuclear weapons. Furthermore the mullahs won't just sit there while we foster armed rebellion in Iran - they'll come after us, and they likely have nuclear weapons to do it with.

Likewise they won't just sit there if we bomb their nuclear program, and that will give them a greater incentive to use any nuclear weapons they already have.

The safest way to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, given the at least significant possibility they already have nuclear weapons, is to eliminate their regime as fast as possible, and that means invasion combined with "counter-force" and "decapitation" bombing.

But that invasion is the safest way to achieve this goal does not mean that the Bush administration will do it that way - there are vast institutional and political obstacles to the staggeringly large ground force commitment such would require, notably a massive call-up of almost all ground force reserves for two or more years even if an invasion commences on a "come as you are" surprise attack from a standing start (which would be wise against an enemy who has nuclear weapons).

We'll probably stumble into an invasion after lesser means of eliminating Iran's mullah regime fail, which means giving them a fair chance of using nuclear weapons on our forces in Iraq, Saudi Arabia's oil ports, and Israel.

But we'll get there. Ambassador Bolton's statement has committed us to that.

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Much of the land around Baja is owned by cooperatives. The New York Times reports that environmental groups have reached an unusual agreement with a cooperative that will help protect a key lagoon, the last undisturbed gray whale nursery, from industrial development or land speculation:

"Under the accord, the cooperative, the Ejido Luis Echeverría, has agreed to protect 120,000 acres around the lagoon from development, in return for a $675,000 trust fund put together by several groups, among them the Natural Resources Defense Council and Wildcoast.

Trust earnings go to the cooperative to be invested in projects to create permanent jobs and give its 43 members a stake in protecting the whales and their habitat.

"This is a long term project, a project for perpetuity," said the president of the cooperative, Raúl López. "We have to be an example for the other cooperatives."

Still, the Echeverria cooperative is only one of six that own land around the lagoon, and the environmentalists have their work cut out for them persuading the rest...

That's the anxious part.

Ultimately, it all comes down to two duelling imperatives: immediacy, and sustainability. The path of legislation, regulation, police offers an answer to immediacy, if the lobbying is powerful enough. The ultimate danger, however, is seeing that rule-amaking as the goal of activism, and stopping there.

In order for environmental measures to be sustainable, the incentives for the local communities must be aligned, and their interests served. This is especially true in third world countries like Mexico, where corruption is often endemic.

The Natural Resources Defense Council deserve kudos for working to put that into place. There may come a time for a more traditional lobbying and activism campaign. But if efforts like NRDC's aren't active on the ground, even a lobbying victory will ultimately be a pyrrhic one. For environmentalists, and especially for the whales.

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• Dean's stepdad is in Iraq and reports back.

• Dean and Harry's Place also cover this less gratifying piece of information re: homosexuals being persecuted and killed in Iraq. Sistani's allies SCIRI appear to be involved, and Sistani himself appears to be on record as supporting the execution of gays per Shari'a. Moqtada al-Sadr's thugs also have a long history of acting as unappointed violent 'morality police, and I'd be shocked if they weren't participating in this stuff too.

• Thought...US (and British) forces need to start doing the same thing and using the same catch techniques, "arresting" the gays (which wouldn't really be jail, just a ruse for getting them to safety), and training them as intel operatives/ sources before putting them back with apologies and compensation re: "mistaken identity". Here's why:
  • One, basic training in this craft will give these people tools they can use to stay alive on a personal level.
  • Two, they're not going to betray you to some Islamist, i.e. they're unusually reliable.
  • Three, their homosexuality means that in the current environment, they're all under deep cover at all times anyway - AND have to be very sensitive to shifts around them. So they're already able to handle two of the toughest aspects of the job, as they offer an inside view of goings-on. Underground social networks of homosexuals around Baghdad in particular will cross sectarian lines, and I would expect some of these folks to actually be close to sources of intel on the insurgency.
  • Four, there should be some arrangement for safe harbour as a final reward. There are provisions under which those who have rendered exceptional assistance in the war on terror can get green cards as a reward. Vid. Jessica Lynch's rescuer. What I'm describing would qualify, which means the possibility of a long-term solution if these people are granted green cards in a few years and can move to America. Alternately, the Kurds might very well welcome them based on Michael Totten's reports that they are soliciting immigration from people they can trust not to be jihadi frakazoids (Michael mentions Assyrian Christians, but the same logic applies to gays and they're also likely to have good skills).

Managing Iraq is an intel war, and that's what's needed more than troops. We need to be going all-out to make that happen, and if it can be done in ways that bolster our values that's a two-fer.

• Re: al-Sadr, Iraq the Model is really upset about the quiet sectarian killings going on in and around the Sunni Triangle. One could point to such violence in India and note that the state survives, but that's damn cold comfort to the folks living in its midst. FYI, the militia thug he's referring to is al-Sadr, whose continued existence may just be the USA's biggest mistake of the war. Guess whose thugs have been responsible for much of the sectarian vilence since the Golden Dome inside job? Further reinforcement for the points I just made last week re: the cost of allowing such people to live. It's beyond stupid that this man is still breathing.

• Iraq the Model commenter "Mister Ghost" adds some thoughts re: why al-Sadr is getting a pass at present.

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• the Wikipedia article on Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh "al-Zarqawi"
• the Wikipedia article on Ansar al-Islam
• the March 2004 MSNBC article on the aborted US attacks
• Dan Darling’s The Rise of Ansar al-Islam: Inside the birth of the Kurdish terrorist organization
• the CSM supporting Ansar al-Islam as linked to Saddam
• the BBC denying it was linked to Saddam

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Iran

• British FM Jack Straw laid out the 'incremental' approach Britain wants to take with Iran at the UNSC. First, the president of the council will make a statement. Then, the council will consider a resolution on sanctions, which would be increased a little at a time. The Iranian Foreign Ministry is already saying it will not bow to UNSC demands, which would make the incremental approach a waste of time, no? To get an idea of the British approach, check this out: Britain drafts 14-day Iran nuclear deadline - but stopped short of specifying any punishment.

• Rooz Online says that both Nasrallah and al-Sadr met with senior officials in Tehran last week.

• Concern is mounting that Venezuela is planning to prodive Iran with uranium.

• John R. Bradley is in Iran's Khuzestan province (the Arab-majority region bordering southern Iraq) reporting on the recent bombings and violence. Bradley also says that the Tehran elite is turning on the Ahmadinjead regime.

• Iran is to begin building an indigneous nuclear power plant.

• StrategyPage: Why "People Power" Will Fail in Iran

• According to the interrogation of a senior Taliban official, Iran and the Taliban put aside their difference to fight America after October 2001.

• Russia is furious with Iran's behaviour in the recent bilateral talks.

• Ambassador Bolton told ABC News that, if Iran were allowed to develop nuclear weapons, the U.S. could face a nuclear attack.

• Jose Maria Aznar has said that, when he met Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2001, he said he wanted to wage war against the U.S. and Israel 'until they are completely destroyed'.

• According to the a Florida Representative, the Bush administration is opposed to imposing sanctions on firms that work with Iran - but lawmakers will push for that anyway.

• An Iranian legislator says that the British embassy in Tehran is a nest of spies.

• The Iranian State Security Forces claim that all of those responsible for the recent spate of bombings in south-western Iran have been captured - and the bombers say they are working with Britain.

• Ahmadinejad has realised that the West is uncomfortable with an Iranian nuclear program because the regime is so keen to destroy Israel. No, really.

The Middle East

• Al-Qaeda cells in the Sinai - 30km from the Israeli border - have drawn up plans to kidnap Israeli soldiers and civilians.

• Hamas has denied running a website encouraging children to blow themselves up.

• Secretary Rice says she wants to find ways to give the palestinians more aid.

• Officially not expecting (but unofficially expecting) a new wave of terrorism, the Israeli army is putting its forces through more urban warfare training.

• The Israeli Labor party is pissed, because Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has endorsed Ehud Olmert and Kadima.

• The out-going Fatah-dominated PLC has voted to give honourary citizenship to Samir Quntar, who brutally murdered a four-year-old girl and her father. Quntar is in an Israeli jail for another 500 years.

• WND, grab the salt. Have elite Iranian terrorist units moved in to Israel?

• An Israeli soldier was killed during an arrest operation in Jenin. Five Islamic Jihad and al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists were later captured.

• Two Israelis were wounded by gunfire outside Nablus, near the checkpoint.

• Kibbutzniks near Gaza are having to choose which families gets a bomb-shelter, since the army didn't provide nearly enough.

• Syria has switched all foreign currency transactions to euros.

• The UN teams investigating the Hariri murder say Syria is complying with nearly all of their requests.

• The same team want to question a Lebanese woman imprisoned in Brazil. Rana Koleilat worked at the Al-Madina Bank in Lebanon; investigators want to know if diverted funds were used to finance the murder.

• Syria is running out of oil, prompting Royal Dutch Shell to cut their staff from 100 to 40.

Iraq and the Gulf

• The NYT was a look at an internal U.S. military report about Saddam's conduct of the war. It notes that Saddam told his generals two weeks in to the war that he had no WMD, something the generals were shocked by. Another such document says that Saddam maintained the pretence in order to prevent an Israeli attack.

• Thousands of documents captured in Iraq are to be released. Stephen Hayes, who pushed long and hard for this, has more details.

• Here's a report on how the SCIRI's Badr Corps is hunting down Iraqi homosexuals and killing them.

• Moqtada al-Sadr is being blamed by some for the recent tensions in Iraq.

• Local insurgents in Anbar province claim to have pushed al-Qaeda out of the region altogether.

• Britain is planning to withdraw 10% of its troops starting in April.

• StrategyPage has a look at the composition of the new Iraqi Army.

• One of the Saudis killed last month in an attempt to destroy a Saudi oil facility threatened more attacks. It isn't clear when the video was recorded.

• The Lebanese Daily Star looks at women's rights in the Gulf.

The Americas

• This is so damn cool: DARPA wants to build 'insect-cyborgs' to hunt al-Qaeda.

• Since December 2003, the USG in its many forms has had contact with 6,000 people on the terrorist watch list. This doesn't include border incidents, but about 40-50% of the hits were repeats.

• The Moussaoui trial has run in to some trouble, after a government lawyer coached witnesses and gave them trial transcripts. The judge has ruled out the tainted evidence, leading the prosecution to say a continued trial would be a waste of time (hopefully that's just rhetoric).

• CBS has a look at the tri-border area in South America.

• An in-depth look at the military transformation in the U.S. military.

• The SUV incident at North Carolina University - Psychosis or Terrorism?

• A Canadian soldier who was struck in the head with an axe while serving in Afghanistan has opened his eyes. Best wishes to him and his family.

• Publishing the Mohammed cartoons can get you fired.

• Yehudit comments on the Anti-Slavery Sudan Freedom Walk between New York and D.C.

• A group of lunatic Baptists is showing up at the funerals of fallen American soldiers to tell their loved ones that their sons and daughters died because God is punishing America's tolerance for homosexuality. Groups of bikers, including Hell's Angels, have stepped-up to counter-protest these scum.

Europe

• Winds has covered a fair bit of the controversy surrounding the Madrid bombings. According to this op-ed, some commentators and politicians are starting to ask some very tough questions.

• A grass-roots German organisation has reported the Koran to the police, saying it is a political text that cannot be reconciled with the country's constitution.

• Mullah Krekar, both a terrorist leader and a refugee in Norway, says that Islam will defeat the West through demography.

• The Council of Europe has invited Hamas legislators to attend its April meeting, despite the EU listing Hamas as a terrorist group.

• The Boston Globe looks at the rising Jew-hatred amongst French Muslims.

• Joe on The German Question: Darfur, Diplomacy & the European Media.

• The British government has told the relatives of Britons killed in the recent bombings in Egypt to seek damages from 'the perpetrator'. Do the FCO really expect QCs to wander around Pakistan, knocking on hut doors?

• There are new questions about when the Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Ian Blair knew that Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian killed by police on July 22nd last year, was an innocent man rather than a suicide terrorist.

• Another priest has been attacked in Turkey, this time with a knife. Police have arrested a suspect. Related: Creeping Islamofascism in Turkey?

• A man was killed when his car exploded in northern Paris. Police are considering it a criminal act.

• Milosevic's corpse will be on display at the Revolution Museum in Belgrade before his funeral.

• Spanish PM Zapatero says he is going to convince ETA to renounce terrorism.

• In France, legislation is being proposed to ban insults to religious belief, specifically cartoons.

• The editor of the Sunday Telegraph has been fired after publishing an 'Islamaphobic' article, in which Patrick Sookhdeo called for a new translation of the Koran to be banned. The full article (worth reading in its own right anyway) is here, along with details on the story. Gateway Pundit has more.

Russia, the Caucasus & Central Asia

• The Taliban have reportedly recieved batteries for Stingers from Pakistan's ISI - posing a risk to all allied aircraft in Afghanistan. This may be part of the summer offensive threatened by Mullah Omar.

• NATO forces have discovered the largest arms cache found for several years. 80 tons of TNT and 25,000 landmines were amongst the munitions found in a Soviet bunker complex.

• A new terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the recent bombings in India - Jamestown has more.

• The house of Karachayevo-Cherkessia's mufti has been fired on - no-one was injured. Chechen's mufti noted Ismail Berdiyev's long opposition to Wahhabism.

• Chechnya's new prime minister, Ramzan Kadyrov, says that all terror groups have been eliminated.

• Due to the increased tensions between the Afghan and Pakistani governments, 100 extra police officers have been posted to guard the Pakistani embassy in Kabul.

• Five Afghan police were killed on Tuesday, while the Taliban kidnapped and murdered four Albanians working for a German cleaning compay.

• A training video by the Islamic Army in Iraq is being distributed in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• An investigation in to a train fire in 2002 that killed 59 people has concluded that, contrary to claims by Hindu radicals, the fire was not caused by Muslims. Anti-Muslim violence after the fire left 1,000 people dead.

• Pakistani troops have destroyed a Taliban-linked madrassa in northern Waziristan.

• A Shia cleric wanted for involvement in the murder of the Sipah-e-Sahaba leader has been arrested in Greece.

• A bomb outside a grocery store in Quetta has wounded 14 schoolgirls.

• The jihadi groups providing aid in earthquake-stricken regions of Pakistan have been told by the government to stop flying their flags. U.S. and NATO forces providing aid asked about the sword and Arabic text on the flag of Jamaat-ud-Dawa. At a time when it is already being propagated in the West that Islam was spread through the power of sword, the security agencies fear its presence on Dawa’s flag would further strengthen this wide spread assumption,” the sources noted. Jamaat-ud-Dawa, by the way, spawned Lashkar-e-Taiba.

• This Indian op-ed claims the recent counter-terror arrests in Bangladesh are a farce, part of the annual February-March crackdown designed to coincide with the annual EU and World Bank decisions on Bangladesh aid.

• Balochi groups claim that nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri was arrested, then released on Tuesday. Local authorities deny it.

• The governor of Balochistan says that militants are recieving outside funding, as shown by the volume of arms in their possession.

Far East & South East Asia

• Jamestown's China Brief is out. This week, China's offensive against recent Taiwanese anti-unification moves; China's relationship with Venezuela; and the growth of ballistic missile arsenals in the region.

• Joe on China's Ticking Time Bombs.

• The release of several dozen Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists in Indonesia may mean more attacks in the near-future.

• Secretary Rice warned of a terrorist 'ring of fire' in the Pacific, unless regional powers confront them.

• Australian FM Alexander Downer says containing China is a mistake. The comments came as the U.S., Australia and Japan meet to discuss regional issues, specifically China.

• Australia is to provide the Phillipines with 30 small river boats, to help Filipino forces to hunt JI camps in Mindanao.

• Israel is warning of a 'concrete threat' of "terrorist attacks on the Philippine island of
  Palawan":http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=28766.

• 11% of Indonesians admit to 'sometimes' supporting suicide bombings against civilians.

• An Abu Sayyaf courier has been caught in Jolo.

Africa

• Al-Qaeda has pulled out of a base in southern Somalia, after pressure from U.S. forces in the region and local tribes.

• The UN has reports of another deadly attack in Darfur, carried out by about 1,000 'militants' on trucks, camels and horses. Sounds like a good cluster-bomb target.

• The founder of the Armed Islamic Group was one of those freed in Algeria's amnesty.

• France and Libya have signed a deal to co-operate in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

• 50 female imams are to start preaching in Morocco in April.

The Global War

• Michael Scheuer comments on al-Qaeda's 'long war' doctrine.

• Here's an interesting interview with Saad al-Faqih, leader of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia.

• Rita Katz, who runs the SITE Institute, suggests Zarqawi has decided to shift focus from Iraq to other regional targets.

• The UN still cannot define 'terrorism'. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference wants to protect 'freedom fighters', as well as include military forces as potential terrorist groups.

• Harmony and Disharmony: Stealing al-Qaeda's Playbook.

Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know.

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The man who produced the movie "The Messenger," Moustapha Akkad, latter went on to be the producer of the "Halloween" series. On 11/11/2005, Moustapha Akkad died when a suicide bomber attacked the wedding of his son at a hotel in Amman Jordan. Al Qaeda did not claim any connection between that attack and "The Messenger." But it is pretty darn spooky, and puts all of his "horror" movies in perspective.

Somehow I don't think this is a coincidence. The Satanic Verses was published in 1988.

By 1993, Rushdie's Italian translator had been beaten and stabbed in Milan, his Norwegian translator was shot outside his home in Olso, and Rushdie's translator in Japan had been stabbed to death at the university where he taught, north of Tokyo.

While googling about the fate of Rushdie's translators, I found this article written on the 10th anniversary of the fatwa against Rushdie, listing acts of censorship, death threats against, and assassinations of writers who criticize Islam. Including some you probably haven't heard of. It was written in 1999. And it is prescient:

Rather than face down Iran, the Western powers have turned their backs on the persecuted. Less than a year after the fatwa, Britain resumed diplomatic relations with the Khomeini government, its period of righteous indignation evidently having expired. For our part, American trade with Iran, whose leaders are fond of branding us "the Great Satan," has increased dramatically over the last 10 years, the period of Rushdie's captivity. Realpolitik may be the order of the day, but when President Clinton received Rushdie at the White House on November 24, 1993, it took him only a few days to begin loudly explaining that he "meant no disrespect" to the Muslim world, and that he only saw the author "for a few minutes."

That disgusting spectacle promised little hope that the leader of the free world would actually, for once, stand up for free expression, that we would not allow the threats of petty tyrants to influence our daily lives. If that is so, then Rushdie will likely spend the rest of his days in the hell of a closed room, a fate to which he seems resigned. As he has said, "To live, to avoid assassination, is a greater victory than to be murdered."

But merely to live is not enough. It is no victory to walk free in a world where words can mean death, where a novel can shake a religion to the core, where orthodoxies of all stripes hurry to crush even the slightest whisper of dissent. Salman Rushdie's prison is the world's. We all have a stake in his release.

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Where else have we seen this kind of thing before...? The only difference is that in the European media it's more blatant - and significantly more extreme.

David's Medienkritik has been onto this phenomenon for a while now, and so has the fine blog Transatlantic Intelligencer. This piece in Atlantic Review, meanwhile, decisively lays to rest the notion that this selective outrage is about higher standards for the West. It clearly is not.

Anne Applebaum referred to the phenomenon as "parallel information universes." Which is apt, but really it's just the beginning. Read enough, and it's hard to escape the conclusion that a lot of the stuff in the German and European media goes beyond the merely insular or hypocritical - and rises very nearly to the level of organized hate. Which is not entirely surprising to some of us.

Though it is interesting to watch what happens when you shine a light on some of the media perpetrators.

David is right about the damage that this sort of thing does over time. It's independent of the administrations or political issues of the day, and after enough persistence the damage becomes more or less irreversible. Unfortunately, the external US bogeyman is too useful to Europe's left, and to its elites, to be abandoned. Nor is it something America can talk them out of. Standing at the helm of a project doomed to failure by economics and inexorable demographics, their need for that bogeyman can only rise.

America's approach to economics and government is and will remain their #1 ideological threat. Which is why America is and will remain their #1 enemy.

This is unfortunate, but unchangeable. In practical terms, it means we haven't seen the last of this sort of thing by any means. Nor can we expect even basic honesty in quoting US public figures, as blogs like David's Medienkritik demonstrate regularly. The inevitable consequence will be a deepening of the "parallel information universes," a Europe that sees more fissures between itself and America - and an America that cares less and less, as it focuses on more important threats and areas of future opportunity.

Is there a way forward? Yes, but it's an unconventional one.

It begins by recognizing the limits of state and political outreach, and focusing on the larger information environment. It acknowledges that the Left and the EUrophiles can never become anything other than America's enemy, because of the mortal threat the US will always represent to their ideologies. The only solution, therefore, is to ensure that they do not control the debate. For without a true debate in Europe, Germany's press and Europe's will never get beyond caricatures of America.

Back on January 31, 2003, I wrote "The Blogosphere and the War in Europe." At the time, I said this:

"With what weapons, then, shall we fight in Europe? With moral condemnation when deserved. With a strong case to European publics, coupled with decisive military action internationally. With real economic and diplomatic consequences for nations who take "Axis of Weasel" stands. These measures are all appropriate. If executed well, they will shift internal debates and decisions in our favour - even as they defeat external threats we all confront.

Now for the flip side. If an unlimited front means that one's enemies are everywhere, this can be equally true of one's friends. France may be a founding member of the "Axis of Weasels," but she also gives us the irreplaceable Jean-Francois Revel and others. There are groups throughout the continent, substantial groups, who will support us. These people are not our enemies, nor are they evil. Together, we can punish their internal enemies in ways that support our mutual goals. Together, we can win.

First, however, we must find ways of working together and talking to one another. The blogosphere can play a significant role in that effort, IF we're willing to step up to the challenge."

Promoting blogging is one good start, both because of the transparency it creates across language barriers and the options it gives people. As they become dissatisfied with the ongoing failures of the "one right view" and the usual suspects who promote it, they must have alternatives for expression. The catch here is the European telecom market, which still makes many peoples' Internet access a pay-per-minute affair.

At a higher level, free-thinking Europeans must have intellectual ammunition. Which is why pro-freedom think-tanks, magazines, et. al. in the USA and beyond need to start thinking more internationally, and casting a wider net for writers. European freedomist thinkers should become better known to US audiences, and vice-versa (Bernard Henri-Levy is an excellent model). Even as pro-freedom Germans find leverage by aggregating content from other languages, then translating and republishing it on generous terms to bring a less narrowly provincial view into the room. Technology platforms like Tech Central Station, that can be built once and easily shared across the Atlantic divide, are an excellent move.

The fissures are certainly there in Europe, and the moral, security, and economic failures of the EU political project will only improve the hunger for alternative views. This, in turn, creates opportunities for critiques of the existing statist orthodoxy. Anne Applebaum:

"Sometimes the views of Europe's political class, as expressed in the European media, are not identical to the views of the European general public, as expressed in referendums. Sometimes a wave of popular outrage in Europe produces unexpected protest votes, or oddball political leaders, or both.

There are gaps and chinks and differences of opinion, in other words, and it is in and among them that American diplomats should now be working. If we want moral and financial support from Europe for the transformation of Iraq, for example, we should argue our case -- if it isn't too late -- not just in private meetings with foreign ministers but in public forums, where the voters can hear us."

It's good advice, and given the other forms such critiques could take in Europe, it's probably worth some investment. Of course, it would also be very good advice to apply to India's rising tech-savvy middle class, friends of liberty in the Middle East, or even the Chinese Christian community. And when you get right down to it, every one of those groups is more consequential to America's medium- to long-term future than Germany, or Europe.

With time, attention, and resources all in finite supply, one can legitimately ask whether focusing efforts on opinion in Europe is really the best use of time and money for public and private organizations.

This is not to argue that we should do nothing. One can certainly recognize the ideas above as a starting point, and do things that aren't all that difficult or expensive. Taking that approach may help to build a good model for globalized networks of like-minded freedomists, by starting with a group that shares some important cultural baselines. Eastern Europe may offer particularly fertile ground in that respect.

On a government policy level, looking for policies that give friendly European countries more trade options and freedom of action are also worthwhile, as it makes the EUrocrats' jobs significantly harder. There are a lot of low-level ways to do that, and they should all be undertaken. Underneath the smiles and feigned friendship, the EUrocrats and Europe's left know who their enemy is. Underneath our smiles, so should we.

Barring major outside shocks that create a major political opportunity, therefore, or strong feedback from pilot projects that says the opportunity is larger than one thinks, I'm no longer convinced that a major push aimed at undermining and breaking Euro-sclerosis is worth top priority billing. Not for governments, and not from private pro-freedom organizations in North America. Other, friendlier and more consequential vistas beckon.

European freedomists should be wished well, therefore, and helped in a low-level way. In the end, however, the battle is theirs to fight. We cannot rescue them from their toxic media universe, or their toxic political choices. That work must be left to events, bringing hard choices in their train.

The focus and locus of our own battles are likely to lie elsewhere, as we look forward into the future.

« ok, I'm done now

—The use of large quantities of energy is central to the functioning of an advanced economy. There are severe limits to energy conservation even in the long run. Global economic growth will bring about significant increases in primary energy demand.

— Energy resources are fungible, especially among the fossil fuels. For example, coal can be converted into liquid fuels such as gasoline at low cost. So, too, can other, nonconventional fossil fuels like oil sands and shale and potentially the methane hydrates that are abundant on the sea floor. Noncarbon energy sources such as nuclear and solar energy could each provide a substantial fraction of the world’s long-term energy needs, but both present problems in the short term.

—There are no serious long-term (century-scale) shortages of fossil fuel supply once the interconvertibility of oil and other fossil fuels is taken into account. Even the arrival of “peak oil”—the point at which oil production reaches a maximum—would not mean a global energy shortage at today’s prices. However, the transition from oil to other sources of liquid fuel will require a significant lead time, and engineering that transition should be part of public policy.

—The greater constraints are likely to emerge from environmental concerns, especially the rising concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) acting as a greenhouse gas. Carbon emissions will have to be mitigated, because the business-as-usual course is fraught with grave global risks. The limits on the global oil supply will not reduce the risks from CO2, since coal and other low-cost fossil fuels will in any event substitute for declining supplies of petroleum and natural gas, and their CO2 emissions will be larger, not smaller.

—Realistic technologies that can mitigate the carbon challenge up to the middle of this century at modest cost are nearly ready for application. The centerpiece of such a strategy will most likely be carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) at power plants and other large industrial units such as steel and cement factories. The cost of implementing these technologies on a large scale is likely to be below 1 percent of gross world product if they are carried out with a long lead time. In addition to CCS, conversion of the vehicle fleet to hybrid or other lower-carbon technologies is very likely to be cost effective and might well pay for itself...

They discuss the century-long time scale as well, with a healthy optimism about our ability to develop and deploy advanced zero-carbon technologies. The paper is comprehensive and I don't really disagree with anything they say so far (I haven't gotten to the policy recommendations yet, of course).

However, I think that they may be missing a significant part of the picture. The 'energy problem' stands not on just two, but three legs - not just environmental damage and limited resources, but security drives much of the current concern, and is likely be an increasingly significant motivating force behind our search for energy alternatives over the next few decades. And not just 'security' in the limited sense of 'reducing our dependence on oil imports from the Middle East', but in the broader sense of the decentralized, resilient energy system envisioned by John Robb in his fascinating, must-read article in Fast Company, "Security: Power to the People". I've excerpted only the relevant grafs - read the whole piece for the rest of Robb's big picture:

We have entered the age of the faceless, agile enemy. From London to Madrid and Nigeria to Russia, stateless terrorist groups have emerged to score blow after blow against us. Driven by cultural fragmentation, schooled in the most sophisticated technologies, and fueled by transnational crime, these groups are forcing corporations and individuals to develop new ways of defending themselves. The end result of this struggle will be a new, more resilient approach to national security, one built not around the state but around private citizens and companies. That new system will change how we live and work--for the better, in many ways--but the road getting there may seem long at times...

The terrorists have developed the ability to fight nation-states strategically--without weapons of mass destruction. This new method is called "systems disruption," a simple way of attacking the critical networks (electricity, oil, gas, water, communications, and transportation) that underpin modern life. Such disruptions are designed to erode the target state's legitimacy, to drive it to failure by keeping it from providing the services it must deliver in order to command the allegiance of its citizens. Over the past two years, attacks on the oil and electricity networks in Iraq have reduced and held delivery of these critical services below prewar levels, with a disastrous effect on the country, its people, and its economy...

The strikes of the future will be strategic, pinpointing the systems we rely on, and they will leave entire sections of the country without energy and communications for protracted periods. But the frustration and economic pain that result will have a curious side effect: They will spur development of an entirely new, decentralized security system, one that devolves power and responsibility to a mix of private companies, individuals, and local governments...

Cities, most acutely affected by the new disruptions, will move fastest to become self-reliant, drawing from a wellspring of new ideas the market will put forward. These will range from building-based solar systems from firms such as Energy Innovations to privatized disaster and counterterrorist responses...

By 2016, we may see the trials of the previous decade as progress in disguise. The grassroots security effort will do more than just insulate our gas lines and high schools. It will also spur positive social change: So-called green systems will quickly shed their tree-hugger status and be seen as vital components of our economic and personal security.

Insert whatever standard disclaimers you want about buying into Robb's Global Guerrillas framework wholesale - it's a potent work of ongoing futurism that any serious attempt at prognostication ignores at its peril. The Engineer-Poet has touched on this subject before in the context of economic crises and natural disasters in his post from last October, "Alternative Energy is Civil Defense," and his points are at least as relevant to the threat of terrorists employing systems disruption techniques against our energy infrastructure.

Security concerns can't be our sole consideration as we work to evolve our energy systems - continued economic growth (globally, not just in the US) is obviously our top priority for the forseeable future, and environmental issues will continue to shape the market. But the security benefits from more robust, decentralized energy systems should be valued when we consider the costs and benefits of various alternatives - preferably before, but most certainly after the US gets hit with its first systems disruption attack. The energy crisis of the '70s provoked by the Arab oil embargo spurred enormous changes to the functioning of global energy markets, creating a much more flexible and efficient system for trading oil and gas that completely blunted the impact of the 'oil weapon' within a decade; I think we'll see even deeper and more obvious changes to energy markets and technologies in the coming decades as a result of these new threats. Stay tuned, and keep watching this space - we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next month.

« ok, I'm done now

The publication caused a furor among students and administrators, and the Chancellor of the University disagreed with the publication, using one of the common arguments that circumvents the accusation that one is against free speech, by claiming that publishing them is “irresponsible.”

I believe that the DI could have engaged its readers in legitimate debate about the issues surrounding the cartoons' publication in Denmark without publishing them. It is possible, for instance, to editorialize about pornography without publishing pornographic pictures. The right of free speech and a free press are core values in American society, and I believe in them wholeheartedly. Yet the right to publish incendiary material does not mean a publication must publish that incendiary material.

Acton and his Opinions Editor responded. Gordon was suspended from his duties as editor, so was not able to continue his coverage by involving the Muslim community in dialog.

we had plans to immediately start publishing a guest column from the president of the Muslim Student Association. I was going to have the opinions page opened up for a lot more coverage, and to get reporters covering the local reaction. But since I was served with my suspension notice on Tuesday morning, I’ve been unable to make any of that happen. Important to note … the editors of the DI will now have coverage in the newspaper almost three weeks after I originally published the cartoons.

Gordon started a blog to tell his side of the story. Responses in the comments and by some editorials were divided, with those criticizing his action mostly engaging in ad hominem attacks. The publisher (who is part of the University administration) claims that the issue is not free speech, but failure to consult with the newspaper staff. Gordon counters that it is not customary for a chief editor to consult with staff about publishing a story or editorial. Also:

they felt like they were kept out of the loop on this whole thing, but my editorial board fully knew what was happening in the newsroom that night. Everybody had an opportunity to look at it, everybody had an opportunity to object to me doing it, or raising red flags, or telling me their concerns. And nobody did that.

The publisher also engages in a bit of gratuitous character defamation.

His focus, as expressed directly to his staff and myself, is for the media attention he is receiving personally for his courageous move in being first (second/third?) to run the cartoons in his paper, not for the need to publish an excellent newspaper worthy of its reputation.

Gordon says that much of the controversy is fueled by fear.

After the Mohammad cartoons were published, I got phone calls from people asking me why I would put them at physical risk. Parents of Daily Illini staff members wrote letters expressing their concerns for the safety of their children. Illini Media Company began to enact safety precautions and put the staff on alert for anything suspicious. One staffer was worried about the DI office being firebombed.

Neither Chuck nor I ever received a single threatening phone call, note or email. We have never been hassled as we’ve walked on campus. That’s not to say that some people weren’t angry and vocal. There were definitely a number of Muslim students who felt that it was wrong to publish the cartoons. And they let us know about it. We’ve had some good and some not so good conversations. But the good news is that the conversations are still going on. A real dialogue rather than the paternalistic patter about “sensitivity” to feelings. That attitude treats Muslims as less than grown ups. That they are more fragile than the rest of us and have to be indulged. In a deeper sense the paternalism of the “sensitivity crowd” and their fear of Muslims prevent people with Islamic backgrounds from occupying their rightful space in the public square.

Muslim students, families and faculty are some of the strongest, smartest and most accomplished people on this campus and in this community. They can stand up for themselves very well.

Let’s stop this fear. Let’s stop patronizing people. Let’s get into real dialogue as equals.

Also in his interview with Hugh Hewitt:

HH: No, but I mean, has anyone told you that’s the reason they’re upset, fear of reprisal? AG: Well, not that specifically, but that has been voiced to me by quite a few people, yeah. I had a staff meeting on Monday, and pretty much my entire newsroom was there, and that was one of the major things that was brought up. The other thing that was brought up was that a lot of people feel like they will not be able to get jobs or be able to work in a career now, because they work for a newspaper that has been branded as just distributing hate speech. [emphasis mine]

A fellow blogger notes that - responding to the request by the publishers of the newspaper (the administration of the University) - that Google removed the cached version of the Daily Illini's publication of the cartoons.

The Socialist Worker Online was one of the entities which approved of Gordon's suspension.

Kiyoshi Martinez, former Night Editor of the paper - gives his version of events:

I feel that I should disclose what tiny role I had in the publication of the cartoons and also give my thoughts on whether or not The Daily Illini should have published them.

The day prior, Gorton approached me in private to ask my opinion of how to publish the cartoons, and whether or not to do it. I agreed then, and I agree now that we would not have done anything wrong to publish the “offensive” cartoons for our readers to be more educated.

I gave my simple advice, saying that if the cartoons were to be published by us, we should take a more intellectual and informative approach. This would include perhaps a Point/Counter-point columns from our staff columnists saying whether or not newspapers should continue to publish the cartoons. It should have an Editor’s Note explaining our decision to publish them. It also would probably be a good idea to accompany a story about the historical, social and religious context of why Muslims find these cartoons offensive and educate our readers on the Islamic faith and the prophet Muhammad. And finally, we should definately encourage dialogue from our readers; first by encouraging them to write in with their own opinions and also perhaps host open meetings to further debate on campus about first amendment issues.
As you can see, parts of my advice were taken, parts were ignored. Others may crop up at a later date. Ultimately, the choice of how to do things does fall on the Editor in Chief, Gorton, and what happened… happened. For better or worse, The Daily Illini will have to deal with the consequences, good or bad.

TheSquire lays out a different version of events, and also believes that Gordon should have consulted the staff and “contextualized” the cartoons.

The new acting editor seems very eager to please.

You can support Gordon's legal defense by sending checks to:

Acton Gorton Defense Fund
c/o Junaid Afeef
Afeef law Offices, Ltd.
2300 Barrington Rd. Suite 400
Hoffman Estates, Illinois 60195

« ok, I'm done now

Here's what he's reacting to from Political Animal; Steve Waldman cited Michael Lerner:

"Overwhelmingly, the white activists who shaped the Left of the 1960s have remained mired in a culture of hostility toward religion and spirituality. If this were merely a historical curiosity, I'd leave this issue to the cultural historians. But since the Left's hostility to religion and spirituality has become such a major stumbling block to the chances that progressive forces will ever win enough power to actually change the socially and environmentally destructive policies of the West, it becomes important to explore the roots of this hostility."

The issue is twofold; first that there is nothing inherent in the fast-growing evangelical movement that locks them to the Republican Party - why aren't the Democrats proselytizing in these "churches of service"?

I'm guessing it's abortion, in some cases it doubtless is a significant wall between the churched and the Democrats - and I'll bet that from the Democrat's point of view, they tar the entire churchgoing public with Randall Terry.

As far as I know - and I know a fair number of evangelicals - there are some who will never be Democrats because of abortion. There are some who will never be Democrats because of education. But there are lots and lots of them who are looking for a mission to help others, and who would stand with progressive Democrats as they try to do so. They are one of the fastest growing groups in America, and tipping them into the Democratic camp would radically change the balance of political power in this country.

What would it cost the Democrats to do so?

Bowers suggests it would cost them their soul.

I think it would cost them one simple thing; a willingness to approach other people with a measure of respect, rather than the kind of contempt shown in the Political Animal thread, and in a related thread over at a site called ‘Faithful Progressive’ (I like that name - it’s almost as jarring as ‘Armed Liberal’), who’s blog I’ll be paying a lot more attention to.

That respect doesn’t presume that you encompass the notion that gays are evil, or that Bible Study should be a part of the grade-school curriculum in public schools.

It does presume that Democrats will offer similar respect to those whose lifestyle involves going to church on Sunday that they offer to those whose lifestyle involves going to the bathhouse on Saturday night.

It presumes that – and I keep dragging this quote out, because it is just so absolutely correct –

"Finally, if political education is to be effective it must grow from a spirit of humility on the part of the teachers, and they must overcome the tendencies toward self-righteousness and self-pity which set the tone of youth and student politics in the 1960's. The teachers must acknowledge common origins and common burdens with the taught, stressing connection and membership, rather than distance and superiority. Only from these roots can trust and hopeful common action grow." - John Schaar, ‘The Case for Patriotism’

I keep coming back to this because I keep it close to my own heart as I try and figure out how to make my politics matter. I’m no better than those who go to church, or those who disagree with me; we’re all members of a polity together and my job, as a participant in that polity, is to try and convince others – through my words and actions – that my path is one worth taking.

Ask yourself when you read Kos, or Bowers, or any of the legions of the proud cosmopolitan netroots why someone who is a mainstream American voter should follow them, given the level of contempt and bile they dish out to everyone who isn’t part of their ideological clique.

Howard Dean said something a long time ago that hit me hard –

"I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks," the former Vermont governor said in an interview published Saturday in the Des Moines Register. "We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section of Democrats."

Of course, the Chris Bowers’ of the party slapped him senseless for it, but he was rightm, and when we get Democrats fearless enough to accept that challenge, we’ll beging to have a Democratic Party that can win.

« ok, I'm done now

Before we debate policy, let’s make a good-faith effort to assemble what facts we can. I’m particularly interested in two things – the nature of the proposed assault and reason it wasn’t approved; and why Zarqawi felt it was a good idea to be in Kurdistan in 2002.

I’m going to impose a rule for the next day or so; don’t post a comment here without a link to an outside source on these issues. Once we’ve got a body of links, I’ll put them up in one post, and we’ll discuss the issue in our freewheeling style there. Again, don’t comment unless you’ve got a link to an outside source with information on this. I’ll delete all other comments for now.

*Post title is from a version of Mr. Bojangles - I forget the artist

« ok, I'm done now

Continuing down the list, one thing that’s interesting is how modest most of the cars leased are; I’d expected a lot of Navigators and Escalades. I’m actually kind of impressed.

Member Name	Vote on Kyoto	State/Party	SUV	Make/Model	2005 Cost
Jim Saxton	YES	New Jersey Republican	X	Chevrolet Trailblazer	"$3,730"
Jose Serrano	YES	New York Democrat/Liberal	X	Buick Lacrosse	"$3,901"
Lane Evans	YES	Illinois Democrat	X	Chevrolet Trailblazer	"$7,662"
Alan Mollohan	YES	West Virginia Democrat
Albert Wynn	YES	Maryland Democrat
Alcee Hastings	YES	Florida Democrat		Infiniti M45	"$10,147"
Allen Boyd	YES	Florida Democrat
Amo Houghton	YES	New York Republican/Conservative
Anna Eshoo	YES	California Democrat		Acura	"$5,151"
Anthony Weiner	YES	New York Democrat/Liberal		Chevrolet Impala	"$2,628"
Barbara Lee	YES	California Democrat		Chrysler	"$7,251"
Barney Frank	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
Baron Hill	YES	Indiana Democrat
Bart Gordon	YES	Tennessee Democrat
Bart Stupak	YES	Michigan Democrat
Benjamin Cardin	YES	Maryland Democrat
Bennie Thompson	YES	Mississippi Democrat
Bernie Sanders	YES	Vermont Independent
Bill Delahunt	YES	Massachusetts Democrat		Ford 500	"$6,019"
Bill Luther	YES	Minnesota Democrat/Farmer/Labor
Bill Pascrell	YES	New Jersey Democrat
Bob Clement	YES	Tennessee Democrat
Bob Etheridge	YES	North Carolina Democrat
Bob Filner	YES	California Democrat
Bob Wise	YES	West Virginia Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$6,979"
Bobby Scott	YES	Virginia Democrat
Brad Sherman	YES	California Democrat
Brian Baird	YES	Washington Democrat
Brian Bilbray	YES	California Republican		Chevrolet Trailblazer	"$3,407"
Bud Shuster	YES	Pennsylvania Rep. (resigned 3/3/2001)
Cal Dooley	YES	California Democrat
Carolyn Kilpatrick	YES	Michigan Democrat
Carolyn Maloney	YES	New York Democrat/Liberal
Carolyn McCarthy	YES	New York Dem./Ind./Working-Families
Carrie Meek	YES	Florida Democrat (retired 2002)
Chaka Fattah	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat		GMC Envoy	"$8,514"
Charlie Bass	YES	New Hampshire Republican
Charlie Gonzalez	YES	Texas Democrat		Ford Expedition	"$6,805"
Chet Edwards	YES	Texas Democrat
Christopher Shays	YES	Connecticut Republican
Christopher Smith	YES	New Jersey Republican
Ciro Rodriguez	YES	Texas Democrat
Dale Kildee	YES	Michigan Democrat
Darlene Hooley	YES	Oregon Democrat
Dave Hobson	YES	Ohio Republican
Dave Weldon	YES	Florida Republican
David Adam Smith	YES	Washington Democrat
David Bonior	YES	Michigan Democrat
David Eugene Price	YES	North Carolina Democrat
David Minge	YES	Minnesota Democrat/Farmer/Labor
David Obey	YES	Wisconsin Democrat
David Phelps	YES	Illinois Democrat
David Wu	YES	Oregon Democrat
Debbie Stabenow	YES	Michigan Democrat
Dennis Kucinich	YES	Ohio Democrat
Dennis Moore	YES	Kansas Democrat
Diana DeGette	YES	Colorado Democrat		Ford Freestyle	"$5,113"
Dick Gephardt	YES	Missouri Democrat
Donald Payne	YES	New Jersey Democrat
Doug Bereuter	YES	Nebraska Republican
Earl Blumenauer	YES	Oregon Democrat
Ed Pastor	YES	Arizona Democrat		Chrysler 300	"$6,272"
Eddie Bernice Johnson	YES	Texas Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$11,321"
Elijah Cummings	YES	Maryland Democrat
Eliot Engel	YES	New York Democrat/Liberal
Ellen Tauscher	YES	California Democrat
Elton Gallegly	YES	California Republican
Eva Clayton	YES	North Carolina Democrat
Frank LoBiondo	YES	New Jersey Republican
Frank Mascara	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
Frank Pallone	YES	New Jersey Democrat
Gary Ackerman	YES	New York Dem./Ind./Lib./Working-Fam.
Gene Green	YES	Texas Democrat		Chevrolet Impala	"$7,626"
George Miller	YES	California Democrat
Gil Gutknecht	YES	Minnesota Republican
Grace Napolitano	YES	California Democrat
Greg Ganske	YES	Iowa Republican
Gregory Meeks	YES	New York Dem./Working-Families		Lexus	"$12,754"
Heather Wilson	YES	New Mexico Republican
Howard Berman	YES	California Democrat		Ford Escape	"$7,145"
Ike Skelton	YES	Missouri Democrat
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen	YES	Florida Republican		Chrysler Sebring	"$7,200"
Jack Quinn	YES	New York Republican/Ind./Cons.
James Clyburn	YES	South Carolina Democrat		Lincoln	"$6,123"
James Moran	YES	Virginia Democrat
James Oberstar	YES	Minnesota Democrat/Farmer/Labor
Jay Dickey	YES	Arkansas Republican
Jay Inslee	YES	Washington Democrat
Jerrold Nadler	YES	New York Dem./Lib./Working-Families
Jerry Costello	YES	Illinois Democrat
Jerry Kleczka	YES	Wisconsin Democrat
Jerry Weller	YES	Illinois Republican
Jesse Louis Jackson	YES	Illinois Democrat
Jim Davis	YES	Florida Democrat
Jim Greenwood	YES	Pennsylvania Republican
Jim Kolbe	YES	Arizona Republican
Jim Maloney	YES	Connecticut Democrat
Jim McDermott	YES	Washington Democrat
Jim McGovern	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
Jim Ramstad	YES	Minnesota Republican
Jim Turner	YES	Texas Democrat
Joe Baca	YES	California Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$8,457"
Joe Moakley	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
John Baldacci	YES	Maine Democrat
John Conyers	YES	Michigan Democrat
John LaFalce	YES	New York Democrat/Ind./Lib.
John Larson	YES	Connecticut Democrat
John Lewis	YES	Georgia Democrat		Pontiac Bonneville	"$8,618"
John McHugh	YES	New York Republican/Conservative
John Murtha	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
John Olver	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
John Porter	YES	Illinois Republican
John Spratt	YES	South Carolina Democrat
John Tanner	YES	Tennessee Democrat		Ford Freestar	"$5,494"
John Tierney	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
Joseph Crowley	YES	New York Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$5,580"
Joseph Hoeffel	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
Juanita Millender-McDonald	YES	California Democrat		Ford	"$8,888"
Julia Carson	YES	Indiana Democrat		Chrysler 300	"$4,609"
Julian Dixon	YES	California Democrat
Karen McCarthy	YES	Missouri Democrat
Karen Thurman	YES	Florida Democrat
Ken Bentsen	YES	Texas Democrat
Ken Lucas	YES	Kentucky Democrat
Leonard Boswell	YES	Iowa Democrat		Chrysler Town & Country	"$6,299"
Lloyd Doggett	YES	Texas Democrat
Lois Capps	YES	California Democrat
Loretta Sanchez	YES	California Democrat
Louise Slaughter	YES	New York Democrat		Pontiac Bonneville	"$7,576"
Lucille Roybal-Allard	YES	California Democrat
Lynn Nancy Rivers	YES	Michigan Democrat
Lynn Woolsey	YES	California Democrat		Ford Taurus	"$5,623"
Major Owens	YES	New York Democrat/Working-Families		Chevrolet Impala	"$8,880"
Marge Roukema	YES	New Jersey Republican
Mark Udall	YES	Colorado Democrat
Martin Frost	YES	Texas Democrat
Martin Sabo	YES	Minnesota Democrat/Farmer/Labor
Marty Meehan	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
Maxine Waters	YES	California Democrat		Lincoln Town Car	"$10,815"
Mel Watt	YES	North Carolina Democrat
Michael Capuano	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
Michael Castle	YES	Delaware Republican
Michael Forbes	YES	New York Republican
Michael McNulty	YES	New York Democratic/Ind./Cons.
Mike Doyle	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
Mike Thompson	YES	California Democrat
Nancy Pelosi	YES	California Democrat
Neil Abercrombie	YES	Hawaii Democrat
Nicholas Lampson	YES	Texas Democrat
Nick Rahall	YES	West Virginia Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$11,724"
Nita Lowey	YES	New York Democrat
Nydia Velazquez	YES	New York Democrat/Working-Families		vehicle not identified	"$2,309"
Owen Pickett	YES	Virginia Democrat
Patrick Kennedy	YES	Rhode Island Democrat
Patsy Mink	YES	Hawaii Democrat
Pete Stark	YES	California Democrat
Peter Defazio	YES	Oregon Democrat
Peter Deutsch	YES	Florida Democrat NOrm Dicks
Peter King	YES	New York Rep./Ind./Cons./Right-To-Life
Peter Visclosky	YES	Indiana Democrat		Buick	"$7,383"
Porter Goss	YES	Florida Republican
Ralph Regula	YES	Ohio Republican		vehicle not identified	"$6,864"
Ray LaHood	YES	Illinois Republican
Richard Neal	YES	Massachusetts Democrat
Rob Andrews	YES	New Jersey Democrat
Rob Portman	YES	Ohio Republican
Robert Borski	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
Robert Brady	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
Robert Ehrlich	YES	Maryland Republican
Robert Franks	YES	New Jersey Republican
Robert Matsui	YES	California Democrat
Robert Menendez	YES	New Jersey Democrat
Robert Wexler	YES	Florida Democrat
Robert Weygand	YES	Rhode Island Democrat
Rodney Frelinghuysen	YES	New Jersey Republican
Ron Kind	YES	Wisconsin Democrat
Rosa DeLauro	YES	Connecticut Democrat
Ruben Hinojosa	YES	Texas Democrat
Rush Holt	YES	New Jersey Democrat
Sam Farr	YES	California Democrat
Sam Gejdenson	YES	Connecticut Democrat		Buick LeSabre; Chevrolet	"$14,950"
Sander Levin	YES	Michigan Democrat
Shelley Berkley	YES	Nevada Democrat
Sherrod Brown	YES	Ohio Democrat
Sherry Boehlert	YES	New York Republican/Independence		Jeep	"$7,513"
Steny Hoyer	YES	Maryland Democrat
Steve Horn	YES	California Republican
Steven Kuykendall	YES	California Republican
Steven Rothman	YES	New Jersey Democrat
Tammy Baldwin	YES	Wisconsin Democrat
Ted Strickland	YES	Ohio Democrat
Thomas Reynolds	YES	New York Republican/Cons.
Tim Holden	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
Tim Roemer	YES	Indiana Democrat
Tom Allen	YES	Maine Democrat
Tom Barrett	YES	Wisconsin Democrat
Tom Davis	YES	Virginia Republican
Tom Lantos	YES	California Democrat
Tom Sawyer	YES	Ohio Democrat
Tom Udall	YES	New Mexico Democrat
Tony Hall	YES	Ohio Democrat
Vernon Ehlers	YES	Michigan Republican
Vic Snyder	YES	Arkansas Democrat		Buick LeSabre	"$5,747"
Wayne Gilchrest	YES	Maryland Republican
William Coyne	YES	Pennsylvania Democrat
William Jefferson	YES	Louisiana Democrat		Lincoln Town Car	"$9,524"
William Lacy Clay	YES	Missouri Democrat		Mercury Montego	"$5,454"
Xavier Becerra	YES	California Democrat
Zoe Lofgren	YES	California Democrat
YES	Washington Democrat
YES	Virginia Democrat
Dennis Rehberg	Unrecorded	Montana Republican	XX	Chevrolet Tahoe	"$8,437"
Phil Gingrey	Unrecorded	Georgia Republican	XX	GMC Yukon	"$7,389"
Randy Neugebauer	Unrecorded	Texas Republican	XX	2 Chevrolet Tahoes	"$17,263"
Bob Beauprez	Unrecorded	Colorado Republican	X	GMC Envoy	"$5,857"
Jo Bonner	Unrecorded	Alabama Republican	X	Chevrolet Tahoe	"$8,265"
John Carter	Unrecorded	Texas Republican	X	Chevrolet Tahoe	"$2,528"
Mark Kennedy	Unrecorded	Minnesota Republican	X	Ford Explorer	"$6,946"
Ric Keller	Unrecorded	Florida Republican	X	Mercury Mountaineer	"$6,945"
Rodney Alexander	Unrecorded	Louisiana Democrat	X	GMC Yukon	"$10,339"
Tom Feeney	Unrecorded	Florida Republican	X	Nissan Pathfinder	"$10,118"
Adam Putnam	Unrecorded	Florida Republican
Adam Schiff	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Ander Crenshaw	Unrecorded	Florida Republican
Andrea Seastrand	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)
Anibal Acevedo-Vila	Unrecorded	Puerto Rico -
Artur Davis	Unrecorded	Alabama Democrat		Ford 500	"$7,685"
Barbara Bailey Kennelly	Unrecorded	Connecticut Democrat
Barbara Vucanovich	Unrecorded	Nevada Republican Former (1994-)
Betty McCollum	Unrecorded	Minnesota Democrat
Bill Baker	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)
Bill Clinger	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican Former (1994-)
Bill Emerson	Unrecorded	Missouri Republican Former (1994-)
Bill Hefner	Unrecorded	North Carolina Democrat
Bill Janklow	Unrecorded	South Dakota Republican
Bill Paxon	Unrecorded	New York Republican Former (1994-)
Bill Shuster	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican		Chrysler Town and Country	"$7,490"
Bill Zeliff	Unrecorded	New Hampshire Republican Former (1994-)
Bob Dornan	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)
Bob Inglis	Unrecorded	South Carolina Republican Former (1994-)
Bob Livingston	Unrecorded	Louisiana Republican Former (1994-)
Brad Carson	Unrecorded	Oklahoma Democrat
Brad Miller	Unrecorded	North Carolina Democrat
Brian Kerns	Unrecorded	Indiana Republican
Butch Otter	Unrecorded	Idaho Republican
Candice Miller	Unrecorded	Michigan Republican
Carlos Moorhead	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)		Cadillac DeVille	"$9,792"
Chris Bell	Unrecorded	Texas Democrat
Chris Chocola	Unrecorded	Indiana Republican
Chris Van Hollen	Unrecorded	Maryland Democrat
Dan Schaefer	Unrecorded	Colorado Republican Former (1994-)
Daniel Frisa	Unrecorded	New York Republican Former (1994-)
Darrell Issa	Unrecorded	California Republican
David Funderburk	Unrecorded	North Carolina Republican Former (1994-)		Pontiac	"$5,582"
David Scott	Unrecorded	Georgia Democrat
David Skaggs	Unrecorded	Colorado Democrat
Denise Majette	Unrecorded	Georgia Democrat
Dennis Cardoza	Unrecorded	California Democrat		Chevrolet Truck	"$13,499"
Devin Nunes	Unrecorded	California Republican
Diane Watson	Unrecorded	California Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$10,093"
Dick Chrysler	Unrecorded	Michigan Republican Former (1994-)
Donna Christensen	Unrecorded	Virgin Islands -		vehicle not identified	"$3,768"
Dutch Ruppersberger	Unrecorded	Maryland Democrat
Ed Case	Unrecorded	Hawaii Democrat
Edward Schrock	Unrecorded	Virginia Republican
Eleanor Holmes Norton	Unrecorded	District of Columbia Democrat
Elizabeth Furse	Unrecorded	Oregon Democrat
Eni Faleomavaega	Unrecorded	Samoa Democrat
Enid Waldholtz	Unrecorded	Utah Republican Former (1994-)
Eric Cantor	Unrecorded	Virginia Republican
Esteban Torres	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Felix Grucci	Unrecorded	New York Republican
Frank Ballance	Unrecorded	North Carolina Democrat
Frank Cremeans	Unrecorded	Ohio Republican Former (1994-)
Frank Riggs	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)
Fred Heineman	Unrecorded	North Carolina Republican Former (1994-)
Gary Franks	Unrecorded	Connecticut Republican Former (1994-)
George Brown	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Gerald Solomon	Unrecorded	New York Republican Former (1994-)
Ginny Brown-Waite	Unrecorded	Florida Republican
Glenn Poshard	Unrecorded	Illinois Democrat
Gresham Barrett	Unrecorded	South Carolina Republican
Harris Fawell	Unrecorded	Illinois Republican Former (1994-)
Henry Brown	Unrecorded	South Carolina Republican
Hilda Solis	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Jack Fields	Unrecorded	Texas Republican Former (1994-)
James Langevin	Unrecorded	Rhode Island Democrat
James Quillen	Unrecorded	Tennessee Republican Former (1994-)
Jan Meyers	Unrecorded	Kansas Republican Former (1994-)
Jane Harman	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Jay Kim	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)
Jeb Bradley	Unrecorded	New Hampshire Republican
Jeb Hensarling	Unrecorded	Texas Republican
Jeff Flake	Unrecorded	Arizona Republican
Jeff Miller	Unrecorded	Florida Republican
Jim Cooper	Unrecorded	Tennessee Democrat
Jim Gerlach	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican
Jim Lightfoot	Unrecorded	Iowa Republican Former (1994-)
Jim Longley	Unrecorded	Maine Republican Former (1994-)
Jim Marshall	Unrecorded	Georgia Democrat
Jim Matheson	Unrecorded	Utah Democrat
Jo Ann Davis	Unrecorded	Virginia Republican
Joe McDade	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican Former (1994-)
Joe Wilson	Unrecorded	South Carolina Republican		Ford Escape	"$11,071"
John Boozman	Unrecorded	Arkansas Republican		Buick LaCrosse	"$7,791"
John Culberson	Unrecorded	Texas Republican		Chrysler Sebring	"$6,736"
John Kline	Unrecorded	Minnesota Republican
John Myers	Unrecorded	Indiana Republican Former (1994-)
John Sullivan	Unrecorded	Oklahoma Republican		Chevrolet	"$15,597"
Jon Christensen	Unrecorded	Nebraska Republican Former (1994-)
Jon Fox	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican Former (1994-)
Jon Porter	Unrecorded	Nevada Republican
Katherine Harris	Unrecorded	Florida Republican
Kendrick Meek	Unrecorded	Florida Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$9,209"
Lee Hamilton	Unrecorded	Indiana Democrat
Lincoln Davis	Unrecorded	Tennessee Democrat
Linda Sanchez	Unrecorded	California Democrat		Chevrolet Impala	"$4,890"
Linda Smith	Unrecorded	Washington Republican Former (1994-)
Lloyd Dodgett	Unrecorded	Texas Democrat
Marilyn Musgrave	Unrecorded	Colorado Republican
Mario Diaz-Balart	Unrecorded	Florida Republican		Chrysler 300	"$10,185"
Mark Kirk	Unrecorded	Illinois Republican
Mark Neumann	Unrecorded	Wisconsin Republican Former (1994-)
Marsha Blackburn	Unrecorded	Tennessee Republican
Martin Hoke	Unrecorded	Ohio Republican Former (1994-)
Max Burns	Unrecorded	Georgia Republican
Mel Hancock	Unrecorded	Missouri Republican Former (1994-)
Melissa Hart	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican		vehicle not identified	"$9,567"
Michael Burgess	Unrecorded	Texas Republican
Michael Michaud	Unrecorded	Maine Democrat
Michael Rogers	Unrecorded	Alabama Republican
Mike Ferguson	Unrecorded	New Jersey Republican
Mike Flanagan	Unrecorded	Illinois Republican Former (1994-)
Mike Honda	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Mike Pence	Unrecorded	Indiana Republican		Chevrolet Venture	"$4,226"
Mike Rogers	Unrecorded	Michigan Republican
Mike Ross	Unrecorded	Arkansas Democrat		Ford 500; Ford Crown Victoria; Ford Expedition	"$36,343"
Mike Turner	Unrecorded	Ohio Republican
Newt Gingrich	Unrecorded	Georgia Republican Former (1994-)
Pat Tiberi	Unrecorded	Ohio Republican
Peter Blute	Unrecorded	Massachusetts Republican Former (1994-)
Peter Torkildsen	Unrecorded	Massachusetts Republican Former (1994-)
Rahm Emanuel	Unrecorded	Illinois Democrat
Randy Forbes	Unrecorded	Virginia Republican
Randy Tate	Unrecorded	Washington Republican Former (1994-)
Raul Grijalva	Unrecorded	Arizona Democrat		Chevrolet Impala	"$3,946"
Rick Larsen	Unrecorded	Washington Democrat
Rick Renzi	Unrecorded	Arizona Republican		Dodge	"$8,919"
Rick White	Unrecorded	Washington Republican Former (1994-)
Rob Bishop	Unrecorded	Utah Republican
Rob Simmons	Unrecorded	Connecticut Republican
Robert Underwood	Unrecorded	Guam -
Robert Walker	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican Former (1994-)
Samuel Graves	Unrecorded	Missouri Republican
Scott Garrett	Unrecorded	New Jersey Republican
Scott Klug	Unrecorded	Wisconsin Republican Former (1994-)
Scotty Baesler	Unrecorded	Kentucky Democrat
Shelley Moore Capito	Unrecorded	West Virginia Republican
Sonny Bono	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)
Stephanie Herseth	Unrecorded	South Dakota Democratic Challenger
Steve Gunderson	Unrecorded	Wisconsin Republican Former (1994-)
Steve Israel	Unrecorded	New York Democrat
Steve King	Unrecorded	Iowa Republican
Steve Lynch	Unrecorded	Massachusetts Democrat
Steve Pearce	Unrecorded	New Mexico Republican
Steve Stockman	Unrecorded	Texas Republican Former (1994-)
Susan Brooks	Unrecorded	California Republican Former (1994-)
Susan Davis	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Susan Molinari	Unrecorded	New York Republican Former (1994-)
Thad McCotter	Unrecorded	Michigan Republican
Tim Murphy	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican
Tim Ryan	Unrecorded	Ohio Democrat
Timothy Bishop	Unrecorded	New York Democrat
Timothy Johnson	Unrecorded	Illinois Republican
Toby Roth	Unrecorded	Wisconsin Republican Former (1994-)
Todd Akin	Unrecorded	Missouri Republican
Todd Platts	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Republican
Tom Cole	Unrecorded	Oklahoma Republican
Tom Martin	Unrecorded	Pennsylvania Democrat
Tom Osborne	Unrecorded	Nebraska Republican
Trent Franks	Unrecorded	Arizona Republican
Vic Fazio	Unrecorded	California Democrat
Wes Cooley	Unrecorded	Oregon Republican Former (1994-)
Donald Manzullo	Unknown	Illinois Republican	X	Mercury Mountaineer	"$5,549"
Bill McCollum	Unknown	Florida Republican
Bobby Rush	Unknown	Illinois Democrat		vehicle not identified	"$7,900"
Bruce Vento	Unknown	Minnesota Democrat/Farmer/Labor
Chuck Rangel	Unknown	New York Dem./Lib./Working-Families
Connie Morella	Unknown	Maryland Republican
Corrine Brown	Unknown	Florida Democrat
Danny Davis	Unknown	Illinois Democrat		Mercury Grand	"$3,535"
David McIntosh	Unknown	Indiana Republican
Denny Hastert	Unknown	Illinois Republican
Earl Pomeroy	Unknown	North Dakota Democrat
Ed Markey	Unknown	Massachusetts Democrat
Ed Towns	Unknown	New York Democrat/Liberal
Ed Whitfield	Unknown	Kentucky Republican
Henry Waxman	Unknown	California Democrat
James Hansen	Unknown	Utah Republican
Jan Schakowsky	Unknown	Illinois Democrat
Jim Talent	Unknown	Missouri Republican
John Dingell	Unknown	Michigan Democrat
Joseph Pitts	Unknown	Pennsylvania Republican
Luis Gutierrez	Unknown	Illinois Democrat
Marcy Kaptur	Unknown	Ohio Democrat
Marty Martinez	Unknown	California Republican
Maurice Hinchey	Unknown	New York Dem./Ind./Lib./Working-Fam.		BMW 530i; Nissan Altima	"$9,080"
Merrill Cook	Unknown	Utah Republican
Nancy Lee Johnson	Unknown	Connecticut Republican
Rick Lazio	Unknown	New York Republican/Cons.
Rod Blagojevich	Unknown	Illinois Democrat
Ron Klink	Unknown	Pennsylvania Democrat
Ronnie Shows	Unknown	Mississippi Democrat NOrman Sisisky
Stephanie Tubbs Jones	Unknown	Ohio Democrat		Chrysler 300	"$5,923"
Tom Campbell	Unknown	California Republican
William Lipinski	Unknown	Illinois Democrat
Gary Miller	NO	California Republican	XX	Ford Expedition	"$8,661"
John Peterson	NO	Pennsylvania Republican	XX	GMC Yukon	"$10,394"
Sam Johnson	NO	Texas Republican	XX	Chevrolet Tahoe	"$7,076"
Vito Fossella	NO	New York Rep./Cons./Right-To-Life	XX	Jeep Grand Cherokee	"$7,733"
Dave Camp	NO	Michigan Republican	X	GMC Envoy	"$7,772"
Jim Ryun	NO	Kansas Republican	X	Chevrolet Trailblazer	"$7,348"
John Doolittle	NO	California Republican	X	Toyota Highlander	"$3,221"
Kevin Brady	NO	Texas Republican	X	GMC Yukon	"$7,293"
Marion Berry	NO	Arkansas Democrat	X	Chevrolet Tahoe	"$5,280"
Mary Bono	NO	California Republican	X	Ford Expedition	"$8,776"
Mike McIntyre	NO	North Carolina Democrat	X	Chevrolet Trailblazer; Pontiac Grand Prix; Pontiac Bonneville	"$13,130"
Mike Simpson	NO	Idaho Republican	X	2 GMC Envoys	"$8,421"
Roy Blunt	NO	Missouri Republican	X	Chevrolet Tahoe	"$10,846"
Anne Meagher Northup	NO	Kentucky Republican
Asa Hutchinson	NO	Arkansas Republican
Barbara Cubin	NO	Wyoming Republican
Benjamin Gilman	NO	New York Republican
Bill Archer	NO	Texas Republican
Bill Barrett	NO	Nebraska Republican
Bill Goodling	NO	Pennsylvania Republican
Bill Jenkins	NO	Tennessee Republican
Bill Thomas	NO	California Republican
Bill Young	NO	Florida Republican
Billy Tauzin	NO	Louisiana Republican
Bob Barr	NO	Georgia Republican
Bob Goodlatte	NO	Virginia Republican
Bob Ney	NO	Ohio Republican		Lincoln	"$12,989"
Bob Riley	NO	Alabama Republican
Bob Schaffer	NO	Colorado Republican
Bob Stump	NO	Arizona Republican
Buck McKeon	NO	California Republican
Bud Cramer	NO	Alabama Democrat
Cass Ballenger	NO	North Carolina Republican
Charles Canady	NO	Florida Republican
Charles Stenholm	NO	Texas Democrat
Charles Taylor	NO	North Carolina Republican
Charlie Norwood	NO	Georgia Republican		Cadillac DeVille	"$11,982"
Chip Pickering	NO	Mississippi Republican
Chris Cannon	NO	Utah Republican		Dodge Intrepid	"$3,735"
Chris John	NO	Louisiana Democrat
Christopher Cox	NO	California Republican		Chrysler Sebring	"$4,496"
Clay Shaw	NO	Florida Republican
Cliff Stearns	NO	Florida Republican		Chrysler Town and Country	"$7,763"
Collin Peterson	NO	Minnesota Democrat/Farmer/Labor		Chevrolet Equinox; Dodge	"$9,403"
Dan Burton	NO	Indiana Republican		Dodge	"$14,175"
Dan Miller	NO	Florida Republican
Dana Rohrabacher	NO	California Republican
David Dreier	NO	California Republican		Chrysler 300	"$7,158"
David Vitter	NO	Louisiana Republican
Deborah Pryce	NO	Ohio Republican
Dick Armey	NO	Texas Republican
Doc Hastings	NO	Washington Republican
Don Sherwood	NO	Pennsylvania Republican		Chevrolet Impala	"$6,332"
Don Young	NO	Alaska Republican		Chrysler 300	"$9,413"
Doug Ose	NO	California Republican
Duke Cunningham	NO	California Republican
Duncan Hunter	NO	California Republican
Earl Hilliard	NO	Alabama Democrat
Ed Bryant	NO	Tennessee Republican
Ed Pease	NO	Indiana Republican
Ed Royce	NO	California Republican		Ford 500	"$6,373"
Ernest Istook	NO	Oklahoma Republican
Ernie Fletcher	NO	Kentucky Republican
Floyd Spence	NO	South Carolina Republican
Frank Dean Lucas	NO	Oklahoma Republican
Frank Wolf	NO	Virginia Republican
Fred Upton	NO	Michigan Republican
Gary Condit	NO	California Democrat
Gene Taylor	NO	Mississippi Democrat
George Gekas	NO	Pennsylvania Republican
George Nethercutt	NO	Washington Republican
George Radanovich	NO	California Republican
Greg Walden	NO	Oregon Republican
Hal Rogers	NO	Kentucky Republican
Helen Chenoweth	NO	Idaho Republican
Henry Bonilla	NO	Texas Republican
Henry Hyde	NO	Illinois Republican
Herb Bateman	NO	Virginia Republican
J.C. Watts	NO	Oklahoma Republican
J.D. Hayworth	NO	Arizona Republican
Jack Kingston	NO	Georgia Republican
Jack Metcalf	NO	Washington Republican
James Barcia	NO	Michigan Democrat
James Rogan	NO	California Republican
James Sensenbrenner	NO	Wisconsin Republican
Jennifer Dunn	NO	Washington Republican
Jerry Lewis	NO	California Republican		vehicle not identified	"$6,831"
Jerry Moran	NO	Kansas Republican
Jim DeMint	NO	South Carolina Republican
Jim Gibbons	NO	Nevada Republican
Jim Leach	NO	Iowa Republican
Jim McCrery	NO	Louisiana Republican		Ford 500	"$6,873"
Jim Nussle	NO	Iowa Republican
Jim Traficant	NO	Ohio Democrat
Jim Walsh	NO	New York Rep./Ind./Conservative
Jimmy Duncan	NO	Tennessee Republican
Jo Ann Emerson	NO	Missouri Republican
Joe Knollenberg	NO	Michigan Republican
Joe Linus Barton	NO	Texas Republican
Joe Scarborough	NO	Florida Republican
Joe Skeen	NO	New Mexico Republican
Joel Hefley	NO	Colorado Republican
John Boehner	NO	Ohio Republican
John Cooksey	NO	Louisiana Republican
John Hostettler	NO	Indiana Republican
John Howard Coble	NO	North Carolina Republican
John Kasich	NO	Ohio Republican
John Linder	NO	Georgia Republican		Lexus	"$6,609"
John Mica	NO	Florida Republican
John Shadegg	NO	Arizona Republican
John Shimkus	NO	Illinois Republican
John Sununu	NO	New Hampshire Republican
John Sweeney	NO	New York Republican/Conservative
John Thune	NO	South Dakota Republican
Johnny Isakson	NO	Georgia Republican
Judy Biggert	NO	Illinois Republican
Kay Granger	NO	Texas Republican
Ken Calvert	NO	California Republican
Kenny Hulshof	NO	Missouri Republican
Lamar Smith	NO	Texas Republican
Larry Combest	NO	Texas Republican
Lee Terry	NO	Nebraska Republican
Lincoln Diaz-Balart	NO	Florida Republican		Chrysler	"$10,395"
Lindsey Graham	NO	South Carolina Republican
Mac Collins	NO	Georgia Republican
Mac Thornberry	NO	Texas Republican
Mark Green	NO	Wisconsin Republican
Mark Sanford	NO	South Carolina Republican Former (-2000)
Mark Souder	NO	Indiana Republican		Dodge van	"$5,760"
Matt Salmon	NO	Arizona Republican
Max Sandlin	NO	Texas Democrat
Michael Bilirakis	NO	Florida Republican		Ford 500	"$5,774"
Michael Oxley	NO	Ohio Republican
Nathan Deal	NO	Georgia Republican
Nick Smith	NO	Michigan Republican
Pat Danner	NO	Missouri Democrat
Pat Toomey	NO	Pennsylvania Republican
Paul Gillmor	NO	Ohio Republican
Paul Ryan	NO	Wisconsin Republican		Chevrolet	"$3,150"
Pete Sessions	NO	Texas Republican
Peter Hoekstra	NO	Michigan Republican		Ford Escape	"$7,165"
Phil English	NO	Pennsylvania Republican
Philip Crane	NO	Illinois Republican
Ralph Moody Hall	NO	Texas Democrat
Richard Burr	NO	North Carolina Republican
Richard Hugh Baker	NO	Louisiana Republican
Richard Pombo	NO	California Republican		Lincoln	"$7,086"
Rick Boucher	NO	Virginia Democrat
Rick Hill	NO	Montana Republican
Robert Aderholt	NO	Alabama Republican
Robin Hayes	NO	North Carolina Republican
Roger Wicker	NO	Mississippi Republican		Buick Rainier	"$7,966"
Ron Lewis	NO	Kentucky Republican
Ron Packard	NO	California Republican
Ron Paul	NO	Texas Republican
Roscoe Bartlett	NO	Maryland Republican
Sanford Bishop	NO	Georgia Democrat
Saxby Chambliss	NO	Georgia Republican
Scott McInnis	NO	Colorado Republican
Sonny Callahan	NO	Alabama Republican
Spencer Bachus	NO	Alabama Republican
Steve Buyer	NO	Indiana Republican
Steve Chabot	NO	Ohio Republican
Steve Largent	NO	Oklahoma Republican
Steven LaTourette	NO	Ohio Republican
Sue Myrick	NO	North Carolina Republican		Honda Accord	"$2,577"
Terry Everett	NO	Alabama Republican
Thomas Ewing	NO	Illinois Republican
Tillie Fowler	NO	Florida Republican
Todd Tiahrt	NO	Kansas Republican
Tom Bliley	NO	Virginia Republican
Tom Coburn	NO	Oklahoma Republican
Tom DeLay	NO	Texas Republican
Tom Latham	NO	Iowa Republican
Tom Petri	NO	Wisconsin Republican
Tom Tancredo	NO	Colorado Republican		Chevrolet; other vehicle not identified
Van Hilleary	NO	Tennessee Republican
Virgil Goode	NO	Virginia Independent
Wally Herger	NO	California Republican		Ford	"$8,400"
Walter Beaman Jones	NO	North Carolina Republican
Wes Watkins	NO	Oklahoma Republican
Zach Wamp	NO	Tennessee Republican

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