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Heavy-Handed Politics

"€œGod willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world
without the United States and Zionism."€ -- Iran President Ahmadi-Nejad

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Israeli Forces Kill Islamic Jihad Head

Associated Press

NABLUS, West Bank
- Israeli troops killed a top leader of the radical Islamic Jihad in a West Bank raid Saturday, the group said, and the Israelis pressed ahead with their offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Islamic Jihad said the leader of its militant wing in Nablus, Hani Awijan, 29, was killed by Israeli undercover troops. They came to arrest him while he was playing soccer with friends and relatives, the group said. Another Islamic Jihad militant was also killed.

The army confirmed soldiers operated in Nablus and said a militant was killed in an exchange of fire.

Israel Radio said Awijan was responsible for a series of attacks on Israelis. Over the past 17 months, Islamic Jihad has been responsible for all 12 suicide bombing attacks in Israel, killing 71 people.

Islamic Jihad announced Awijan's death from mosque loudspeakers, As news of the raid spread through Nablus, large crowds gathered. Militants burned tires in the streets and called for a general strike in the city. Shops were quickly closed.

Trial of Saddam Hussein enters final day
BAGHDAD,(Reuters) - The trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-accused of crimes against humanity entered its final day on Thursday with the appearance of former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, but Saddam himself was not present. Ramadan's lawyers ... more

Cleric says U.N. cannot stop Iran's nuclear work
TEHRAN,(Reuters) - The United Nations cannot push Iran into abandoning its nuclear work, an influential cleric said on Friday. "Islamic Iran will not be deprived from its obvious nuclear right, even by a resolution by an useless U.N. Security Council," ... more

Israeli attacks wound 7 in Gaza, tanks pull back
GAZA, (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft attacked homes owned by Palestinian militants and a metal workshop in the Gaza Strip on Friday, wounding seven people, medics and witnesses said. The Israeli army said it had carried out several air strikes on buildings ... more

Hezbollah says fires new long-range rocket into Israel
JERUSALEM, (Reuters) - Hezbollah fired scores of rockets into Israel on Friday, including two that the Lebanese guerrilla group said were new long-range missiles, in a barrage that wounded at least six people, police said. The longer-range rockets landed ... more

Friday, July 28, 2006

Farewell to the United Nations?

Historian David Littman is a representative to the United Nations (Geneva) of the Association for World Education. He has spent years tracking the rise of Islamic influence at the UN. According to him, “In recent years, representatives of some Muslim states have demanded, and often received, special treatment at the United Nations.” “As a result, non-diplomatic terms such as ‘blasphemy’ and ‘defamation of Islam’ have seeped into the United Nations system, leading to a situation in which non-Muslim governments accept certain rules of conduct in conformity with Islamic law (the Shari’a) and acquiesce to a self-imposed silence regarding topics touching on Islam.”

On August 5, 1990, the 19th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam. According to the official English version, “All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari’a.” The CDHRI has since then become “a quotable source at the United Nations.”

David Littman warns that “The new rules of conduct being imposed by the OIC [the Organization of the Islamic Conference], and acceded to by other states, give those who claim to represent Islam an exceptional status at the United Nations that has no legal basis and no precedent.” “Will a prohibition of discussion about certain political aspects of Islam become generally accepted at the United Nations and beyond, contradicting ‘the right to freedom of opinion and expression’ promised by Article XIX of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Unless farsighted states, both Muslim and non-Muslim, make it their business to assert and reassert the need for freedom of speech, this precious liberty is at risk of being eroded throughout the system of international organizations.”

Even as they were passing six resolutions condemning Israel, the United Nations General Assembly failed to define terrorism because the Organization of the Islamic Conference demanded exceptions for terror gangs like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the head-hacking Al Qaeda holy warriors in Iraq. Still, Secretary General Kofi Annan praised the OIC, an organization consisting of some of the world’s worst human rights abusers, stating that “Over the years, and especially the past decade, the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference have worked to promote tolerance, equality, development and the peaceful resolution of conflict.”

The old UN Human Rights Commission was a body so discredited that it was eventually disbanded. UN critic Anne Bayefsky warned, however, that the new design “promises an institution more contemptible than its predecessor.” The election of some of the world’s worst violators of free expression – Algeria, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia – to be members of the UN’s new Human Rights Council was called a “scandal” by organization Reporters Without Borders.

Tony Blair has said he believes that world bodies like the United Nations have not only an important but a leading part still to play in extending freedom to the whole world. But if the United Nations is to take up this task, it must reform itself so that it becomes a body that inspires respect from the world because of the wisdom of its leadership. Mr. Blair will demand that Mr. Annan be replaced by a strong successor as Secretary General, who should be granted greater independence from the General Assembly in intervening in world crises.

Still, the question remains whether the UN is simply so fundamentally flawed that it is beyond repair. Given the Islamic infiltration of the organization, granting more power to it probably isn’t a very good idea.

A good article to read in its' entirety. Read the whole thing here.

United Nation's Threat to All Nations' Sovereignty - Alba

By Bonnie Alba

“Money makes the world go around.” The U.N.’s proposal to tax citizens around the world continues to be a thorn in the sides of successful and democratic economies. Almost annually our Congress writes into the Foreign Appropriations Bill a sentence or two prohibiting the U.N. from taxing Americans.

As Richard Rahn reported in the Washington Times, Rep. Ron Paul, Tx., has been warning the House for years about the U.N. global plan to tax all nations. According to Rahn, the House has recently passed a bill which “prohibits the Treasury from paying dues to the U.N. if it attempts to implement or impose any kind of tax on U.S. citizens.”

Jim Kouri, staff writer for the New Media Alliance, reported a new (airline ticket surcharge from $1.25 to $50) tax -- Globalist French Pres. Chirac “pushed it through the French parliament and was backed up by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.” It is “being hyped by Globalists as the ‘Solidarity Tax.’” The proceeds will go to the U.N. supposedly to aid underdeveloped nations." Continue...

Colorado Man Says He Commited 48 Murders


Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A man serving a life sentence in Colorado for murdering a teenage girl has claimed responsibility for as many as 48 slayings across the country dating back more than three decades, authorities said Thursday.

Robert Charles Browne, 53, told authorities the slayings occurred from 1970 until his arrest in 1995. He was in court Thursday to plead guilty to one of those killings _ the death of another girl in Colorado in 1987.

Authorities so far have been able to corroborate his detailed claims in six slayings _ three in Louisiana, two in Texas and one in Arkansas, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said.

If Browne's claims prove true, he would be one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history.

Browne claims his killing spree began with a soldier in South Korea in 1970, which Maketa said has not been verified.

The other claims include 17 murders in Louisiana, nine in Colorado, seven in Texas, five in Arkansas, three in Mississippi, two each in California, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and one in Washington state _ 49 in all, the sheriff said.

Browne pleaded guilty in 1995 to kidnapping and murder in the 1991 death of Heather Dawn Church, 13, of Black Forest, a town north of Colorado Springs. He was sentenced to life without parole. On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Rocio Sperry, a girl who was about 15 at the time of her death 19 years ago.

The confession came after several years of correspondence and discussion between the killer and cold-case volunteer investigators, authorities said. Browne himself sent the first letter in "cryptic and poetic prose" in March 2000 to El Paso County prosecutors, officials said.

"Seven sacred virgins, entombed side by side, those less worthy, are scattered wide," the letter says. "The score is you 1, the other team 48. If you were to drive to the end zone in a white Trans Am, the score could be 9 to 48. That would complete your home court sphere."

Authorities responded with letters, but Browne clammed up for a while, then opened a new dialogue with investigators. Investigator Charlie Hess said he believes the killer himself doesn't even know why is confessing.

A 44-page affidavit paints a picture of a killer who met his victims in everyday, even mundane, situations _ a motel bar, an apartment complex, even a convenience store where he worked. In one case, Browne used ether to knock out a drunken woman he was seducing and then "used an ice pick on her," the document says. In another case, he relied on ant killer to subdue a victim he stabbed with a screwdriver.

Browne grew up the youngest of nine children in the northern Louisiana town of Coushatta, officials said. He dropped out of high school and served in the Army from 1969 to 1976, when he was dishonorably discharged for drug use, Maketa said. He was married six times, and authorities said all his ex-wives are still alive.

Browne's father, Ronald, was a deputy sheriff at the time the department was investigating the death of Wanda Hudson, a woman in her 20s, the sheriff said. Browne has confessed to that slaying, authorities told The Gazette newspaper of Colorado Springs, which first reported Browne's claims.

Israeli Warplanes Pound Lebanon

Associated Press

JERUSALEM - "Israeli warplanes fired missiles at dozens of targets across southern Lebanon overnight Friday, including buildings that were reduced to rubble and a Hezbollah base where long-range rockets were stored, the military said.

Israeli defense forces said aircraft hit a total of 130 targets in Lebanon on Thursday and early Friday, including a Hezbollah base in the Bekaa Valley, where long-range rockets were stored, and 57 Hezbollah structures, six missile launching sites and six communication facilities."

Lebanese Army Cooperating with Hizbullah

(IsraelNN.com)
"The IDF said Thursday that Lebanese army cooperation with Hizbullah terrorists was behind the bombing of a radar station. Spokesmen added that cooperation between the army and Hizbullah resulted in the death of four Navy men when a Hizbullah missile hit their ship 13 days ago.

Israel has said it would not attack the Lebanese army so long as it does not cooperate with Hizbullah.

The IDF carried out 120 aerial attacks in Lebanon in the past 24 hours and knocked out several rocket launchers, Hizbullah weapons depots, a vehicle carrying a launcher and three vehicles carrying weapons in the highway from Damascus to Beirut."

Yoni

CNN Exposes Hizbullah's Staging Tactics

"A CNN reporter has exposed tactics used by Hizbullah terrorists to stage media events in order to give the impression of a large number of civilian casualties caused by Israeli bombing attacks on terrorist position, according to a report issued by the Honest Reporting organization.

Rich Noyes said he was assigned to photograph buildings damaged in the bombings. 'After letting us take pictures of a few damaged buildings, they take us to another location, where there are ambulances waiting. This is a heavily orchestrated Hezbollah media event. When we got here, all the ambulances were lined up,' and the drivers turned on their sirens and sped away for photographers. 'These ambulances aren't responding to any new bombings. The sirens are strictly for effect,' Noyes said.

This is the same old tactic practiced by the enemeies of Israel"

Yoni

More Hizballah Firing from UN Positions

LGF

From today’s United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon press release (PDF), more reports of Hizballah using UN posts as cover for attacks:

There were three incidents of firing close to UN positions in the last 24 hours from the Israeli side. It was also reported that Hezbollah fired from the vicinity of four UN positions at Marwahin, Alma Ash Shab, Brashit, and At Tiri.

Mainstream media is completely ignoring these reports, and issuing a flood of articles like this one: Security Council expresses shock at peacekeeper deaths, no condemnation.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Canadian General: UN Observer Post Used By Hizballah

LGF

Retired Canadian Major General Lewis Mackenzie was interviewed on CBC radio, and had some very interesting news about the UN observer post hit by Israeli shells; the Canadian peacekeeper killed there had previously emailed Mackenzie telling him that Hizballah was using their post as cover.

We received emails from him a few days ago, and he was describing the fact that he was taking fire within, in one case, three meters of his position for tactical necessity, not being targeted. Now that’s veiled speech in the military. What he was telling us was Hezbollah soldiers were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them. And that’s a favorite trick by people who don’t have representation in the UN. They use the UN as shields knowing that they can’t be punished for it.


The entire interview is a breath of fresh air and can be heard here.

Hizballah Firing from Vicinity of UN Positions

LGF

There’s an amazing amount of press coverage of Israel’s airstrike on a UN observer post yesterday, but today’s UNIFIL press release (PDF) contains some information you aren’t hearing about on the nightly news.

Another UN position of the Ghanaian battalion in the area of Marwahin in the western sector was also directly hit by one mortar round from the Hezbollah side last night. The round did not explode, and there were no casualties or material damage. Another 5 incidents of firing close to UN positions from the Israeli side were reported yesterday. It was also reported that Hezbollah fired from the vicinity of four UN positions at Alma ash Shab, Tibnin, Brashit, and At Tiri. All UNIFIL positions remain occupied and maintained by the troops.

Lahoud: Hizballah Freed Our Country

LGF

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, in Spiegel Online: Hezbollah Freed Our Country.

SPIEGEL: Please explain your relationship to Hezbollah. What do you think of Hassan Nasrallah?

Lahoud: Hezbollah enjoys utmost prestige in Lebanon, because it freed our country. All over the Arab world you hear: Hezbollah maintains Arab honor, and even though it (Hezbollah) is very small, it stands up to Israel. And of course Nasrallah has my respect.

Lebanese Army: Partners with Hizballah

LGF

The official Lebanese Army web site is full of references to their “partnership” with Hizballah: Hezbollah in Lebanese Army’s Website.

Democrats Push Bill to ‘Stop Global Warming’
In the middle of a summertime heat wave, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that she is co-sponsoring legislation intended to stop global warming...

Dutch Political Party Wants to Normalize Pedophilia
Members of a fringe political party in the Netherlands believe it should be permissible for adults to have sex with children. The same political party recently won a court case allowing it to field candidates for seats in the Dutch Parliament...

Int’l Force in Lebanon Must Avoid Past Mistakes, Analysts Warn
As the international community considers the possibility of a peacekeeping or stabilization force for Lebanon, political and security analysts say it’s essential that any new force be equipped with the right mandate –- including the right to use lethal force, if necessary...

Countries Mull Providing Troops for Mideast Mission
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joins representatives of some 20 other countries in Rome Wednesday to discuss the Israeli-Hizballah conflict, the possibility of deploying an international force is expected to be near the top of the agenda...

Hillary's brother barred from bank account - Metropolitan - insider.washingtontimes.com

"Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's brother Anthony D. Rodham has been barred from accessing his bank account while a bankruptcy trustee demands that he repay more than $100,000 in loans from a carnival company whose founder was pardoned by President Clinton, filings in federal bankruptcy court in Alexandria show.

Mr. Rodham, one of Mrs. Clinton's two brothers, received $107,000 in loans from United Shows of America Inc. after its owners obtained the presidential pardon over the objections of the Justice Department." More details.

Battle Over Bolton Could Be Decided by Jewish Support
Increased support from the Jewish community might make the difference between last year’s Senate decision not to confirm John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and this year’s debate on the nomination, the head of a Jewish organization told Cybercast News Service...

South Korea Eyes UN Secretary-General Post
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon leads a U.N. Security Council straw poll of declared candidates for U.N. secretary-general. But critics say his reluctance to speak out against North Korean human rights abuses does not bode well, should he succeed Kofi Annan...

Israeli Cabinet Decides Not to Expand Ground War
Israel has decided to continue, but not expand, its intensive fighting against Hizballah. And experts said the outcome of the current fighting in Bint Jbail, the Hizballah ‘terror capital’ in southern Lebanon, will set the tone for other battles in the area...

Washington State Rules Against Same-Sex Marriage
Supporters of traditional marriage cheered the Washington State Supreme Court ruling Wednesday, which concluded that the state’s Defense of Marriage Act did not violate the state constitution...

Maliki Urged to Resist Pressure From Iranian Mullahs
Criticized by congressional Democrats for his refusal to condemn Hizballah, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faces other international challenges, especially the “increasing pressure from neighboring Iran,” Middle East experts said this week...

United Nations is Guilty for the Death of its Observers

The fact that UN voting members include brutal dictatorships, some of which sponsor terrorism, renders the UN an inherently destructive organization.

"Responsibility for the death of four United Nations observers in Lebanon falls primarily on Kofi Annan and the UN—not Israel. Leaving aside the obvious question as to why these observers remained in the middle of a battle area, a totally irresponsible decision, the UN has effectively been a major ally of Islamic terrorism and the dictatorial regimes that sponsor it." Read more.

Bring Back the League of Nations

American Spectator - USA
The "international community" through the instrumentality of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has done nothing to disarm Hezbollah, though ... Read on.

"If Israel eliminates Hezbollah, humiliates the fascists of Syria and lets Lebanon get on with the Cedar Revolution devoid of murder-gang influence, will that be Bush's doing? Of course not. He doesn't have Moral Authority, like Bill Clinton."

—James Lileks

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

COMMENTARIES

Glenn Reynolds: Economy booming thanks to strong small business sector (TCSDaily)

Halting global tax tyranny

(FreedomWorks)

The economic truths about immigration

(Independent Institute)

Global Warming Doom and Gloom, Real or Propaganda?

(Web Commentary)

Minimum Rage

"A New York Times reporter has called the Democrats’ argument for raising the minimum wage “straightforward.” A CNN host has called opponents’ arguments “a lot of bull.” It’s not hard to see where the media are on the issue – but we bring you the facts they’re leaving out." Continue....

"Having served on various committees, I have drawn up a list of rules: Never arrive on time; this stamps you as a beginner. Don’t say anything until the meeting is half over; this stamps you as being wise. Be as vague as possible; this avoids irritating the others. When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed. Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you popular; it’s what everyone is waiting for."

—Harry Chapman

"Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence."

—Laurence J. Peter

Saudi Military Spending Rising to Meet Iran Threat

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is expanding its military arsenal to counter what it sees as Iran's growing influence in a region convulsed by violence. Analysts and diplomats say Israel's bombardment of Lebanon after Syrian and Iranian-backed Hizbollah ... more

Combative Saddam Hussein Returns to Court

BAGHDAD, Iraq, AP - A thinner but combative Saddam Hussein appeared in court Wednesday for the first time since his hunger strike and hospitalization and asks to be executed by firing squad if the court convicts him and sentences him to death. Saddam ... more

Putin and Ahmadinejad Discuss Mideast Crises

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussed the Israeli offensive in Lebanon and Iran's nuclear program with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. 'The crisis situation surrounding Lebanon was ..." more

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

KOFI ANNAN SHOWING HIS TRUE COLORS

Annan Says Israel Attacked UN Post Deliberately

A UN Observer post was hit by an IAF airstrike today, killing at least two UN peacekeepers. Israel has said they “deeply regret” the incident and vowed to investigate.

But UN Secretary General Kofi Annan already knows who to blame. Annan: IAF hit ‘apparently deliberate’.

I thought the head of the United Nations was supposed to be a diplomat, someone who understands the gravity of making hasty accusations with no evidence, and refrains from heated rhetoric that could make situations worse. (I can dream, can’t I?)

As reports of the attack emerged, Annan rushed out of a hotel in Rome following a dinner with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

“I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces of a UN Observer post in southern Lebanon,” Annan said in a statement later.

Annan said in his statement that the post had been there for a long time and was marked clearly, and was hit despite assurances from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that UN positions would not be attacked.

“I call on the goverment of Israel to conduct a full investigation into this very disturbing incident and demand that any further attack on UN positions and personnel must stop,” Annan said in the statement.

Gillerman said “Israel is carrying out a thorough inquiry into this tragic incident and will inform the UN of its results as soon as possible.”

THANKS U.N.

UN Repairing Roads for Hizballah

This might be the jawdropper of the day, as today’s report from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon shows that the United Nations is busily repairing damaged roads in Hizballah-controlled areas—roads the IAF bombed specifically to impede Hizballah movement—right in the middle of the war.

UNIFIL is still facing serious restrictions in its freedom of movement due to the ongoing hostilities and the extensive destruction of roads and bridges throughout the area of operation. Yesterday, a UNIFIL engineering contingent from China managed to do some repairs on a key road artery between Tyre and Naqoura, and the road is now usable for traffic. However, more road destruction was reported in various areas in the south.

Arabs Disavow Hizballah
By Daniel Pipes

The current round of hostilities between Israel and its enemies differs from prior ones in that it’s not an Arab-Israeli war, but one that pits Iran and its Islamist proxies, Hamas and Hizballah, against Israel. This points first, to the increasing power of radical Islam. As Hizballah seeks to apply Islamic law and to eliminate Israel through jihad, non-Islamist Arabs and Muslims find themselves sidelined. Fear of Islamist advances finds them facing roughly the same demons as does Israel. As a result, their reflexive anti-Zionist response has been held in check…

Iran quashes deal to free Israeli soldier

Hamas was said ready to release Shalit, sign cease-fire agreement

The Galil Report (by paid subscription only) is reporting that Hamas was willing to accept a deal this past weekend that would have allowed Gilad Shalit, the kidnapped Israeli soldier to be set free. However, Egyptian diplomatic sources say Iran applied pressure that short-circuited the dialogues.

Along with freeing Shalit, Hamas would have agreed to a cease fire with Israel and would have halted Qassam rocket attacks in and around the Gaza Strip against Jewish communities.

Israelis part of the bargain would have been to halt the ongoing military campaign in Gaza, release a number of Palestinian prisoners and put an end to the targeting of Hamas members for assasinations.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, at first, seemed willing to make the deal. But then, the Iranian leaders immediately stepped in and crushed the agreement.

Sources say the Iranian leaders emphatically pointed out the immense amount of financial support they give to Hamas, and forcibly telling Meshaal that he must do as he is told.

Hezbollah U.S.A.: How a U.S. Attorney, the FBI, ICE & a Congressman Helped a Terror Group

America backs Israel in its fight against Hezbollah.

But in the Detroit area--the heart of Islamic America--it's a different story. Hezbollah supporters connected to Iran are feted by top federal officials. Continue.

Venezuela's identity crisis

Daily News - eluniversal.com
Michael Rowan
Special for El Universal

"Venezuela is unsure about who it is, what it was, or where it is going. Venezuela has no clear idea that unifies its people on a common path. The country suffers from existential uncertainty and an identity crisis.

Bolivar had a great idea about liberty and achieved it with a clear message, great courage, and strategic organization. Bolivar's second idea about Gran Colombia under his leadership did not share those qualities and could not be achieved because it was more about what Bolivar wanted than what the people of Gran Colombia wanted.

The struggle for democracy was a great idea but the Pacto de Punto Fijo was not. That pact was not primarily for the people but to solidify the control of two political parties. When it failed the people from the 1970s to the 1990s, it collapsed of its own weight. Chavez had a great idea about sharing the oil wealth with the people and ending poverty and corruption - 90% of Venezuelans loved that idea in 1999. But Chavez abandoned it in favor of taking over Gran Colombia, Latin America and maybe the world." Read on.

THE BUCK STOPS WHERE?

'The Buck Stops Over There' notes Opinion Journal's James Taranto. He points us to an article in The New York Times U.S. and NATO Balk on Troops for Lebanon Force where it is reported that "Support is building quickly for an international military force to be placed in southern Lebanon." The NY Times further reports,
"But there remains a small problem: where will the troops come from?

The United States has ruled out its soldiers' participating, NATO says it is overstretched, Britain feels its troops are overcommitted and Germany says it is willing to participate only if Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that it would police, agrees to it, a highly unlikely development.

"All the politicians are saying, 'Great, great' to the idea of a force, but no one is saying whose soldiers will be on the ground," said one senior European official. "Everyone will volunteer to be in charge of the logistics in Cyprus."


Taranto's take: "So let's see if we have this straight. The U.N. passes a resolution calling on Hezbollah to disarm. Then nothing much happens until Hezbollah enters Israeli territory to kill and kidnap Israeli soldiers, whereupon Jerusalem takes it upon itself to enforce that resolution.

Now the 'international community' is calling on Israel to exercise 'restraint' as rockets rain on Israeli cities and urging an 'international military force' to impose a 'cease-fire' without thinking though where that force would come from.

Oh well, at least they have 'moral authority.' "

Venezuela and Belarus join forces to fight American supremacy

From Pravada

(All emphasis mine - HH)

The President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez started touring the countries of the former USSR on Monday. One of the most prominent politicians of our times decided to make Belarus the first stop of his tour to have an official meeting with his colleague, Alexander Lukashenko.

Chavez’s visit to Belarus attracted observers’ attention immediately. It just so happens that a politician known for his anti-American stance visits “the last dictator in Europe.”

Chavez and Lukashenko agreed upon the creation of a strategic alliance. “It is time for us to unite and it happened on July 24-25 of 2006. We have established a strategic alliance between Venezuela and Belarus,” Hugo Chavez said in Minsk Tuesday.

The Venezuelan president was particularly inspired about the prospects of military cooperation between the two countries. It is an open secret that Hugo Chavez is looking for new defense contracts after the US administration cut the adequate cooperation with Venezuela. Chavez has already signed a deal for the delivery of Russian firearms, helicopters and pursuit planes.

Belarus could become a good addition to Hugo Chavez’s package of defense contracts. “Both Venezuela and Belarus are forced to be on high alert all the time. It is vitally important for us to defend our fatherland to be able to withstand an external threat. Our national projects are successful that is why they trouble imperialism. The national projects in our countries are aimed at the creation of a multi-polar world. They are meant to bring the imperial ambition to nothing,” Chavez said.

The Venezuelan leader urged Belarus and its leadership to show resistance to artificial and fake democracy which actually works as dictatorship of elite and transport oligarchs. “We must rise against the economic model which makes the majority of people poor, whereas the minority becomes incredible wealthy. We are friends and brothers. When the Soviet Union collapsed, and the US imperialism attempted to raise the banner of supremacy, the terrible jaws of imperialism and capitalism tried to devour Belarus and Latin America . It was announced that those countries and nations were dead. However, nations and socialism will never die,” Chavez said in a statement to Interfax. Read the rest here.

FAIR USE

Six Strategic Reasons to Support a US-Peru Free Trade Agreement
Heritage.org - Washington,DC,USA
... In contrast, approving the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) would mean big business for American and Peruvian enterprises and could dispel perceptions ...

Money down the drain......

No amount of money can make her look good--Hillary Clinton's $6000 Beauty Sessions. And the Olympic "wannabe" has to do something about those "cankles". (For those in Rio Linda, that means there is no definition... no noticeable difference between your calves and your ankles...they appear as one.)

Hastert lends Border Patrol his helicopter to help agent

"House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert traveled to the Southwest during the weekend to survey for himself the porous borders that have become his party's campaign battle cry and ended up having to loan one of his helicopters to Border Patrol agents who found themselves short-handed.

The Illinois Republican was leading a delegation from Congress to a remote outpost in Arizona called Camp Grip when a lone Border Patrol agent called for backup, Mr. Hastert told The Washington Times. The agent had come across fresh tracks crossing the border and a stash of more than 200 pounds of marijuana.

Deep in the desert and a four-hour drive from the nearest Border Patrol station, Camp Grip doesn't have a helicopter regularly stationed there. So, agents grabbed machine guns and loaded into one of the four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters ferrying Mr. Hastert's delegation and flew out to back up the agent.

'The border has become a sieve,' Mr. Hastert said later. 'We need to put more Border Patrol guards in places like Camp Grip.' " More.

Rice offers aid, little else to Lebanon

"President Bush yesterday ordered helicopters and ships to deliver $30 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had little else to offer Lebanese leaders on the first stop of her first mission to reach a cease-fire in nearly...." Continue.

Cornyn, Kyl seek $3.5 billion more for security

"Two of President Bush's most loyal supporters in Congress yesterday asked him to request that more than $3.5 billion in 'emergency' funding be spent immediately on securing the border -- rejecting the White House's assertion that enough is being done along....." Read more.

Israel targets border town

"Israeli forces suffered two dead and 20 wounded yesterday in a fierce battle for control of Bint Jbail, a Hezbollah-controlled border town nicknamed the 'capital of the resistance' for its legendary support of the anti-Israeli militia." Read more.

Monday, July 24, 2006

El Salvador prepares to honor soldier killed in Iraq
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
El Salvador's President Elias Antonio Saca said on Sunday a Salvadoran soldier killed Wednesday in Iraq would receive honor as a hero, according to reports. ...

TALK ABOUT INFURIATING

Our elected officials, collectively and most often, are truly a pathetic group of decision makers. Here's just the latest example:
Cuba drills for oil off Florida
Cuba is drilling for oil 60 miles off the coast of Florida with help from China, Canada and Spain even as Congress struggles to end years of deadlock over drilling for what could be a treasure trove of offshore oil and gas.

Democrats pledge to fight Bolton UN nod

"Senate Democrats have promised a 'bruising fight' over the administration's nomination of John R. Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations........"

.........."No, this is going to be a bruising fight," said the Connecticut Democrat and Foreign Relations panel member. "I regret this. I'm sorry the administration wants to go forward with this. The problems still persist. ... Many ambassadors at the U.N. feel that he hasn't done a good job there. He has polarized the situation."

So, let's see. We have ambassadors at the completely worthless, ineffective, UN with their anti-U. S. actions and rhetoric, saying Bolton has not done a good job -- he's polarizing. Gee, you know what that tells me? It tells me that he is doing what he should be doing and has been effective as well. They don't like that. They want a poodle ... and have a bulldog. Get use to it.

Europe Won’t Call Hizballah Terrorists
Despite growing international awareness about the dangers posed to Mideast stability by Hizballah, the European Union has yet to outlaw the group or move to block its funding...

SE Asian Muslims Say They Will Join Hizballah’s Fight
Muslims in Southeast Asia are protesting Israel’s offensive against Hizballah, and in Indonesia, Islamists reportedly were registering as “volunteers” to travel to the region to fight against the Jewish state...

The First Church of the Boiling Globe

"Between the year A.D. 1 and the year 1850, volcanos and fluctuations in the heat from the sun were responsible for temperature changes, but these changes were much less pronounced than the warming caused by man-made pollution in the years since the mid-19th century. This gets to the point of the hysteria. Scientific Man in all his manufactured glory can't bear the thought that he might not, after all, be as powerful as a volcano or a solar flare. How many learned degrees does a volcano have, after all? The idea that forces of the universe greater even than Scientific Man may be responsible for the cyclical changes is unbearable. Hence 'global warming' has become the religion—the opiate, you might say—of Scientific Man, a doctrine supported by quackery, supposition and speculation, and as closely held and as ferociously defended as the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection at a gathering of devout Christians. You could ask the Rt. Rev. Al Gore, the presiding archbishop of the First Church of the Boiling Globe. The bishops and monsignors of the church treat dissent harshly, though not yet at the stake."

—Wesley Pruden

ON SOCIAL SECURITY

"There are two dirty little secrets behind the debate over the illegal alien issue that even the advocates of securing the borders first have failed to discuss. The first secret is that the estimated twelve to twenty million aliens living and working illegally in the United States have to commit identity theft to secure employment. The second secret is that without illegals' payroll tax contributions, filed under stolen or fraudulent Social Security numbers, the Social Security system would collapse years earlier than estimated... Illegal aliens represent cheap labor for employers and billions of dollars to the government to temporarily prop up the failing Social Security system. Congress is not only doing nothing to restructure Social Security, but its wink-and-nod policy toward illegal aliens and their employers encourages massive identity theft and ruined financial standing for millions of Americans. Common sense solutions exist, but the political will to enact them is missing... Illegal aliens present a challenge to national security, and a false sense of temporary security to our failing Social Security system. Failure to fix the problem just makes the problem worse. That's not a secret. It's common sense."

—Herman Cain

"There was a peculiar event in a Houston airport check-in line recently: A fellow shook his head no when asked if his luggage had a laptop; the X-ray machine found a laptop. He also had a Quran, which means nothing, and a clock with a battery taped to the casing, which is perfectly normal. The heels of his shoes had been hollowed out—but perhaps he had intended to load them with Cheez Whiz for an in-flight snack. He also had a Middle Eastern name, which surely confirmed the senseless Islamophobia of the screeners, and bought him an hour with the rubber hose in a TSA office. Actually, he was cleared for travel and allowed to board. Did you expect otherwise?"

—James Lileks

Confrontation or Appeasement?

"Those who would trade our freedom for the soup kitchen of the welfare state have told us that they have a utopian solution of peace without victory. They call their policy 'accommodation.' And they say if we only avoid any direct confrontation with the enemy, he will forget his evil ways and learn to love us. All who oppose them are indicted as warmongers. They say we offer simple answers to complex problems. Well, perhaps there is a simple answer—not an easy one, but a simple one—if you and I have the courage to tell our elected officials that we want our national policy based upon what we know in our hearts is morally right... [E]very lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face."

—Ronald Reagan

What's Not to Understand?

"From the use of terrorism—suicide bombers, car bombs and the occasional mortar round—to the proficient manipulation of the mainstream media propaganda machine, advanced conventional weapons and now, potentially, weapons of mass destruction, those who blindly follow radical Islam now stand at a point in time where they will soon have the capability to bring about a nuclear Armageddon... It is time that those of the fifth column, both here in the United States and abroad, start to accept the undeniable fact that the world is facing a global conflict that pits the free world against those who embrace a radical Islamic ideology."

—Frank Salvato

"America's black community is now suspended in a moral vacuum. Life is cheap and meaningless, and murder, sex, abortion and robbery are viewed with the same gravity as ordering a Big Mac and fries. There is no accountability, only blame. And this mindset continues to be nourished in both the street language of [Al] Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and now the fancy Harvard prose of Sen. Barack Obama. In a recent speech of several thousand words about politics and religion, the Illinois Democrat never once mentioned personal responsibility, but did manage to talk about the importance of diversity programs and condom distribution. There is only one hope for pulling black America out of oblivion: Re-instilling a sense of absolutes, of right and wrong, and doing this from the grass roots up, one person at a time. Anyone who thinks there is an alternative is kidding himself. Blacks can continue to listen to the Sharptons, Obamas and the black intellectuals who have a thousand different ways to say 'it's not my fault.' The price will be a black community lost forever."

—Star Parker

"The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking."

—A.A. Milne

"The rights of neutrality will only be respected when they are defended by an adequate power. A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral."

—Alexander Hamilton

Embryonic Stem Sellouts

By Bonnie Rogoff

The ink had hardly dried from President Bush’s veto pen when the media began their distorted coverage of the embryonic stem cell issue. The sins of omission began with CNN’s follow-up report that had Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash and Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider explaining the “controversial” veto and why embryonic stem cell research is a good thing. More...

Illegal Aliens Winning; Americans Are the Losers


It’s widely been reported that illegal aliens comprise upwards of 27 percent of the US prison and jail population. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection—two agencies within the Department of Homeland Security—claim in several reports that they’ve apprehended over 100,000 criminal aliens whose offenses go far beyond violation of immigration laws and regulations. That figure doesn’t include llegal aliens arrested and incarcerated in state and local penal institutions. More...

New Jersey's Two U.S. Senators Are 'Anti-America!'

NewsByUs

"During the 27 years I worked at the Newark Star-Ledger as a columnist and investigative reporter (1969-1996), I got to know U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez (both Democrats).

Lautenberg and I worked together on many environmental reform laws for our nation, while Menendez and I both shared an interest in Liberty Sate Park on the Jersey City waterfront. Menendez was then a Congressman representing Hudson County.


Since the Democrat Party has been hijacked by the liberal-socialists over the past six years, allowing Republican George W. Bush to be elected twice as President, Lautenberg and Menendez have jointed the ranks of the Far Left in voting along with the anti-America liberal socialists." Continue.....

Behind the Curtain: Revisiting Global Warming and the War on Terror

"First, let me say that I am no more a scientist than Al Gore. I am a conservative thinker, and being so I am able to separate theory from reality and emotion from fact. This is a very important point as it’s often Al Gore’s undoing. For the ex vice-president, it would be nice, in theory, if the entire scientific community agreed with him that global warming were both human induced and catastrophic. It is such a nice thought, and coincidentally a great marketing tool, that he has adopted it as fact and he serves up this illusion to the American people daily." Read more.

TOUCH'E

“While the hawks among us worry about preventing the Armageddon that’s coming, our modern-day hippies just want to make sure the planet is pristine when it does.

In fact, the more menacing terrorism becomes, the more some people seem to worry about the weather”


“Why are these people so worried about the environment, anyway? It’s not like they’re living on this planet”

-- Comedian Julia Gorin

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Venezuela deal in US stirs Cfius interest
MSNBC - USA
The takeover last year of a California-based voting machine company by a group with ties to Venezuela has caught the attention of the Treasury-chaired com ...

Fighting in Lebanon / The offensive is widening

"Israel has decided to widen the offensive against Hezbollah. Now the IDF chiefs are talking about fighting that would go on for weeks and the need for more time for various ground operations. On the other hand this would provide Hezbollah with time to wage a war of attrition against Israel's civilian population, unless the IDF destroys the rocket deployment in southern Lebanon."

More info on 'MexAmeriCanada'

WorldNetDaily
"Challengers to incumbent Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry are seizing on the planned Trans-Texas Corridor as a major campaign issue.

The 600-mile mega-highway from the Oklahoma border to Mexico is one section of a larger transportation network seen by some critics as part of a movement to integrate the U.S., Mexico and Canada."

Poll: Giuliani would win matchup against Hillary Clinton

"Most New Yorkers don't think Sen. Hillary Clinton should run for president and a majority think she would lose - and if Rudy Giuliani ran against her, New York would become a red state, according to a new poll.

In a hypothetical Clinton-Giuliani matchup, New Yorkers would hand the state's crucial 31 electoral votes to the former mayor by a 52 percent-43 percent margin, according to a new Marist poll." Read on.

Outcry as border guards seize British 'dirty bomb' lorry heading for Iran | the Daily Mail

The Daily Mail
"Border guards seized a British lorry on its way to make a delivery to the Iranian military - after discovering it was packed with radioactive material that could be used to build a dirty bomb."

Sniper Shootings Kill 1 on Ind. Highway

BREITBART.COM

"Sniper shootings of two vehicles along Interstate 65 in southern Indiana early Sunday left one person dead and another injured, state police said.

A sniper shot at a southbound vehicle about 12:20 a.m., killing one of its three occupants, police said. About the same time, occupants of a second southbound vehicle called police to report a passenger had been shot.

The victim was hospitalized with injuries that were not life- threatening, police said.

Authorities closed a 14-mile stretch of the interstate in the area, about 40 miles south of Indianapolis.

A preliminary investigation showed the sniper fired from either the roadway or an overpass, state police said in a news release.

Meanwhile, police also were investigating two other shootings along the interstate about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Those shootings, which occurred about two hours after the first shooting, struck a semitrailer and a parked, unattended vehicle, state police at the Redkey post said. No one was hurt.

'At this time it is unknown whether the shootings in the Seymour and Redkey area are related,' police said."

'Pay each penny to save Israel' Huh?

That's what 'Pepsi' stands for according to a bulletin that was announced on an Iranian state channel. From Time.com.

Iran: Israel doomed to 'destruction'

"Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declared Sunday that Israel had 'pushed the button of its own destruction' by launching its military campaign against the Iranian-backed Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Ahmadinejad didn't elaborate, but suggested Islamic nations and others could somehow isolate Israel and its main backers led by the United States. On Saturday, the chairman of Iran's armed forced joint chiefs, Maj.-Gen. Sayyed Hassan Firuzabadi, said Iran would never join the current Middle East fighting."

Iran soldiers killed in Lebanon transferred to Tehran via Syria

"The bodies of Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers who were killed by the Israeli army in Lebanon have been transported to Syria and flown to Tehran, senior Lebanese political sources told WorldNetDaily."

Science’s Stem Cell Scam

Yesterday I posted an article on embryonic stem cells appearing at Townhall.com and written by Michael Fumento. Mr. Fumento has notified me that he has more information on his website in his article Science’s Stem Cell Scam.

It is the same article but it contains a ton of links should you want to further your knowledge on this subject. Thanks for the heads up Michael.

NASA Study Finds Increasing Solar Trend That Can Change Climate

ScienceDaily
"Since the late 1970s, the amount of solar radiation the sun emits, during times of quiet sunspot activity, has increased by nearly .05 percent per decade, according to a NASA funded study.

'This trend is important because, if sustained over many decades, it could cause significant climate change,' said Richard Willson, a researcher affiliated with NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University's Earth Institute, New York. He is the lead author of the study recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.

'Historical records of solar activity indicate that solar radiation has been increasing since the late 19th century. If a trend, comparable to the one found in this study, persisted throughout the 20th century, it would have provided a significant component of the global warming the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports to have occurred over the past 100 years,' he said." Continue reading.

Germany: Iranian Letter Attacks Israel

"A letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the German chancellor made statements about Israel and the Holocaust that are 'not acceptable,' the government said Friday.

The letter to Germany, which is among the countries leading diplomatic efforts to resolve concerns over Iran's nuclear program, does not mention that issue, government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said. Rather, the letter was devoted largely to criticism of Israel.

'It contains many statements that are not acceptable to us, in particular about Israel, the state of Israel's right to exist and the Holocaust,' Wilhelm said."

Santorum: War Against Islamic Fascism

"Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum says the United States is engaged in a new world war against Islamic fascism.

He says many Americans won't say so for fear of offending Muslims.

Santorum says terrorist attacks worldwide, the war in Iraq and Israel's fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah are all battlefronts in a war that Americans will either win or lose, but cannot avoid."

Hunger-Striking Saddam Hospitalized

"Saddam Hussein was hospitalized Sunday on the 17th day of a hunger strike and being fed with a tube, the chief prosecutor said as the former Iraqi leader's trial nears a verdict that could lead to his hanging.

Jaafar al-Moussawi said he visited the prison Sunday where Saddam and the seven other co-defendants are held and was told that the ex-president's health 'is unstable because of the hunger strike.' "

U.S. Rushes Precision-Guided Bombs to Israel

"The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, The New York Times reported on Saturday."

EU Deployment Possible

Olmert tells German foreign minister he would consider permitting deployment of experienced European military force in Lebanon, adding that such a force would have to assist Lebanese government disarm Hizbullah. Full Story.

US: We won't hold direct talks with Syria

"American Ambassador to United Nations John Bolton accuses Syria of assisting Hizbullah, handling spies in Lebanon; Washington seeking fundamental solution of Lebanon, will reject partial solutions, he says
Yitzhak Benhorin.

United States rejects Syrian offer for talks: In response to remarks to Reuters by Syrian Deputy Faisal al-Meqdad that Syria is ready to hold talks with the United States to find a solution to the crisis between Israel and Hizbullah, the Americans said they prefer to mediate through Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

'Syria doesn't need dialogue to know what they need to do,' US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton told Fox News Sunday.

'They need to lean on Hizbullah to get them to release the two captured Israeli soldiers and stop the launch of rockets against innocent Israeli civilians,' Bolton said."

Livni: Lebanese gov't is responsible for crisis

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Sundat that the "responsibility today lies with the Lebanese government."

"When we speak about a long process we want to see a government that is responsible for all that goes on on its territory, a sovereign government. A situation of chaos where there is a government and a terror organization is intolerable," she said. (YNetNews)

Syria: We'll join conflict if Israeli troops approach

"Syrian information minister says country to enter Israel-Hizbullah conflict if IDF forces invade Lebanon, approach Syria border. In meeting with Spanish foreign minister in Madrid, Damascus envoy slams US for supporting Israel in fighting.

Syria will enter the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict if Israeli ground troops enter Lebanon and approach Syria, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said in an interview published on Sunday.

'If Israel invades Lebanon over ground and comes near to us, Syria will not sit tight. She will join the conflict,' He told newspaper ABC."

The Unseemly Nations (UN) Weighs In

UN envoy: Israel bombing breaks humanitarian law

Organization's emergency relief coordinator says he's shocked by 'horrific' sights in Beirut's devastated quarters, accuses Israel of breaching law.

"It is costing too many lives and it will not lead to a solution in the south. There is no military solution to these things, it is only a political solution," says Unseemly Nations envoy, Jan Egeland.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, yes. 'If only you would stop trying to eliminate us from the face of the earth, we could be good friends.' Afterall, it's just "political," so says Mr. Egeland, the grand pooba of appeasement.

Israel lifts blockade for relief shipments
With fears of a humanitarian crisis growing, Israel opened up its blockade of Lebanon's ports to allow shiploads of aid to arrive yesterday, and tens of thousands of Lebanese fled north to escape Israeli army incursions.

Iran warns 6 nations against turning to UN

Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, The New York Times
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

Iran said Thursday that it would respond Aug. 22 to the international offer of incentives in exchange for Tehran's halting its uranium- enrichment program. But the government also warned that it would reconsider if the United Nations Security Council took up the issue with the risk of sanctions.

The policy announcement was made by a government panel on security affairs headed by the country's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani.

The six nations that made the offer, the five permanent members of the Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia - and Germany decided a week ago to refer the matter to the Security Council because Iran had failed to respond promptly to the proposal.