Palestinians Not the Only Saddam Mourners

Palestinians aren't alone in mourning the passing of their sugar daddy, Saddam, who liked to donate money to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. Traitors in the United Kingdom are upset as well, as evidenced by the comments on this Northern Ireland message board run by the BBC:

Message 2 - posted by Kaido-K (U4078238) , Yesterday

Maybe, as in biblical times, there should have been three gallows raised on the reincarnated Hill of Golgotha and the three tyrants each responsible for the multiple deaths of innocents of this world hung side by side.

Wonder if Blair and Bush would have gone to their own deaths with the equanimity of Saddam.
Message 3 - posted by andy gallagher (U4413173) , Yesterday

"Wonder if Blair and Bush would have gone to their own deaths with the equanimity of Saddam."

I doubt the thought even enters their heads mate.

Almost makes one nostalgic for the days when the Crown punished High Treason accordingly.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Banned Saddam Execution Footage

This appears to be unofficial video of Saddam Hussein's execution. Very shakey camera work, but it does show Saddam dropping through the trapdoor.

Saddam's Last Moments

Saddam's Body on Iraqi Television

DEAD

The Butcher of Baghdad has left the planet:

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been hanged for war crimes, it has been reported.

His death sentence was carried out in Baghdad following hours of confusion over whether he was to be executed or not.

God rot his vile soul.

Saddam's Lawyers File For Stay of Execution in US Court

What if Hitler hadn't killed himself in that bunker. What would his lawyers have done?

Since Saddam was too cowardly to do the right thing and kill himself in that spiderhole, his lawyers are trying to have him rescued by a US judge:

Hussein's lawyers filed documents Friday afternoon asking for a stay of execution. The 21-page request was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington before Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

Attorneys argued that because Hussein also faces a civil lawsuit in Washington, he has rights as a civil defendant that would be violated if he is executed. He has not received notice of those rights and the consequences that the lawsuit would have on his estate, his attorneys said.

"To protect those rights, defendant Saddam Hussein requests an order of this court providing a stay of his execution until further notice of this court," attorney Nicholas Gilman wrote.

Saddam has reportedly already been turned over to Iraqi authorities. If judge Kollar-Kotelly rules in his favor, good luck trying to enforce that decision.

Reports: Saddam to Swing By Sunday

According to an NBC report, brutal Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein will be hanged by this Sunday:

According to a U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, Saddam will be hanged before the start of the Eid religious holiday, which begins at sundown Saturday.

The hanging could take place as early as Friday, NBC’s Richard Engel reported.

CBS reports that Saddam's journey to hell will be videotaped:

"We will video everything," National Security adviser Mouffak al Rubaie said. "All documentation will be videoed. Taking him from cell to the execution is going to be videoed, and the actual execution will be documented and videoed."

CENTCOM Roundup - Bluto's Birthday Edition

Since today is my birthday, I've decided to celebrate by posting a few stories today from CENTCOM that the mainstream media deems you have no need to know.

U.S. ARMY UNIT RESCUES KIDNAPPED IRAQIS FROM INSURGENTS:

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq - U.S. forces rescued two Iraqis who were held captive by insurgents in the Euphrates River-city of Hit, Iraq, Wednesday.

Soldiers from the Friedburg, Germany-based 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division rescued the kidnapping victims after pursuing insurgents who were fleeing in three vehicles containing the captives.

In their escape, the insurgents fled on foot, abandoning their vehicles and victims.

The soldiers found the victims under a palm tree, handcuffed near the abandoned vehicles.

No one was killed or injured during the incident.

"This demonstrates Coalition forces' ability to quickly respond," said Col. W. Blake Crowe, commanding officer for the Twentynine Palms, Calif.-based Regimental Combat Team 7.

RCT-7 is the Coalition forces unit responsible for training Iraqi security forces and providing security in communities throughout more than 30,000 square miles in western Al Anbar Province.

A search of the vehicles revealed multiple weapons and munitions as follows:

* (7) RPGs
* (5) Hand Grenades
* (6) AK-47 Magazines
* (1) Draganov sniper rifle with magazine
* (1) 57 mm. Projectile
* (3) Mortar propellant

Further investigation revealed that the kidnapping victims were relatives of Iraqi policemen in nearby cities.

JOINT OPERATION NETS BOMB-MAKING EQUIPMENT, SUSPECTS:

MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi Security Forces led a joint operation with Coalition Forces detaining suspected insurgents throughout Ninewa Province during an operation that began Dec. 18.

Iraqi Army and police forces, in conjunction with 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and Task Force Lightning Soldiers, detained a total of 17 suspected insurgents during the three-day, increased-tempo operation.

A large amount of improvised explosive device-making materials were also discovered.

IA and CF maintained a continuous and visible presence, in order to provide the area with security.

The intent of this joint effort was to capture enemy insurgents, defeat the emplacers of IEDs planted by anti-Iraqi forces and deter terrorist activities within the city of Mosul and areas throughout the Ninewa Province.

IA CAPTURES AL QAEDA TERRORIST CELL LEADER:

BAGHDAD - Special Iraqi Army Forces, with coalition advisors, captured an Al Qaeda in Iraqi terror cell leader during operations Dec. 26 in Al Yousifiyah, south of Baghdad.

The terrorist is believed responsible for kidnapping two US Soldiers from a checkpoint in Yousifiyah in June, 2006. The Soldiers were later found tortured and murdered.

Recently, the terrorist was commenting on the kidnapping during the showing of a video CD at a Yousifiyah mosque. The CD reportedly showed the kidnapping of the US Soldiers. The terrorist is also suspected of perpetrating numerous kidnappings, murders and other violent crimes within the Yousifiyah area.

Iraqi forces conducted an air-assault operation and quickly captured the terrorist without incident. One other person detained was later released.

There was minimal damage done to the objective. There were no Iraqi civilian, Iraqi forces or Coalition Forces casualties.

OPERATION IN BAGHDAD DETAINS 30 SUSPECTS:

MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq - Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division detained 30 suspected insurgents along objectives in the vicinity of the CiCi Bar Canal, southwest of Mahmudiayh, Dec. 26.

Of the 30 men detained, 14 matched descriptions of wanted terrorists in the area.

The operation was planned to deny al Qaeda safe haven by detaining sympathizers, planners and facilitators in the targeted area. The operation included the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th battalions of 4/6 IA and cleared an area nine by four square kilometers, suspected as being an al Qaeda training ground.

The operation was planned and executed entirely by the 4/6 IA with U.S. advisers from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment providing communication links with coalition forces.

The operation was deemed successful, as it was planned, coordinated and executed by the 4th Brigade. Every suspect was taken into custody without taking any casualties and operational security was maintained throughout the operation.

The detainees are being held for questioning by the 4th Brigade.

IA TARGETS TERRORIST TRAINING CAMP NEAR BAQUBAH:

BAGHDAD - 5th Iraqi Army Division Forces raided a suspected terrorist training camp, detaining 13 suspected insurgents, during operations Dec. 28 near Baqubah.

Iraqi forces, with coalition advisers, raided the training camp for an insurgent group allegedly responsible for attacks on Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces. The group is responsible for small arms and improvised device attacks. The group is suspected of using the camp as a weapons storage location.

The raid occurred without incident. Iraqi forces confiscated two heavy machine guns, two sniper rifles, and ammunition.
There were no Iraqi civilian, Iraqi forces or Coalition Forces casualties.

IA CONDUCTS OPERATIONS AGAINST INSURGENT IED CELL, DETAINS 3 NEAR TA'MEEM:

BAGHDAD - 7th Iraqi Army Division Forces, with coalition advisors, detained three suspected insurgents during operations Dec. 28 near Ta'meem against an insurgent group responsible for multiple improvised explosive device and car bomb attacks against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi Security Forces.

The insurgent group is allegedly responsible for a car bomb attack against Coalition Forces in June 2006. They are also suspected of providing support to foreign fighters operating against Iraqi and Coalition Forces. The group is tied to al Qaeda in Iraq.

Iraqi forces confiscated numerous components used in manufacturing IEDs.

There was minimal damage done to the objective. There were no Iraqi civilian, Iraqi forces or Coalition Forces casualties.

EASTERN BAGHDAD OPERATION CONCLUDES WITH CAPTURE OF 13 SUSPECTED INSURGENTS:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq - Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division wrapped up an operation in the eastern Baghdad district of New Baghdad Dec. 28.

The four-day operation, meant to disrupt insurgent activity in the area, resulted in the capture of 13 suspected insurgents and killing one more. The detained suspects are in U.S. military custody for questioning.

U.S. Soldiers also recovered several weapons, including five AK-47s, one bolt-action rifle, one 9mm pistol, 15 rocket-propelled grenades, four bayonets, 700 rounds of ammunition, two 9mm magazines and 18 AK-47 magazines. Besides the weapons, U.S. forces also seized identification cards, uniforms, and cash.

Freedom Journal Iraq #551

• Refurbishing Schools
• Protecting Syrian Border

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Former President Gerald Ford Dead at 93

The man who stepped into the Presidency at one of America's most turbulent times reportedly has died.

From CBS4Denver:

LOS ANGELES Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States, has died.

Details on his death Tuesday were not immediately available.

Ford had been fitted in August at the Mayo Clinic with an implantable cardiac pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat after he had been admitted to a Colorado Clini days earlier for tests.

In January 2006, he was hospitalized for 12 days in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for pneumonia. Then in July, Ford spent a few days in Colorado's Vail Valley Medical Center because of shortness of breath.

Ford became the nation's oldest living former president after the death of Ronald Reagan in 2004.

Ford and his wife, Betty, lived in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Saddam Death Sentence Upheld

The Iraqi court that heard Saddam Hussein's automatic appeal of his death sentence has upheld the verdict, and the dictator should be executed within thrity days.

From Breitbart:

"The appeals court approved the verdict to hang Saddam," Mouwafak al- Rubaie told The Associated Press.

On Nov. 5, an Iraqi court sentenced Saddam to the gallows for the 1982 killings of 148 people from a Shiite Muslim town after an attempt on his life there.

The appeals court decision must be ratified by President Jalal Talabani and Iraq's two vice presidents. Talabani opposes the death penalty but has in the past deputized a vice president to sign an execution order on his behalf _ a substitute that was legally accepted.

A judicial spokesman said that they will hang Saddam whether or not Talabani approves:

Raed Juhi, a spokesman for the High Tribunal court that convicted Saddam, said the Iraqi judicial system would ensure that Saddam is executed even if Talabani and the two vice presidents do not ratify the decision.

"We'll implement the verdict by the power of the law," Juhi said without elaborating.

Iraqi President Says Captured Iranian Diplomats Were Invited

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani claims that two Iranian diplomats detained in raids targeting Iranians plotting attacks against Iraqi security forces were invited to Iraq.

From the Khaleej Times:

BAGHDAD - Iraq’s president protested on Monday against the arrest by US forces in Iraq of two Iranian diplomats who US officials said were seized in raids against Iranians suspected of planning attacks on Iraqi security forces.

Iran said the diplomats had been invited by the Iraqi government and warned their detention would “provoke unpleasant repercussions”, a local Iraqi news agency said.

“Two Iranian diplomats were detained by the Americans,” said Hiwa Othman, media adviser for Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

The earlier report stated that the Iranian diplomats had been turned over to the Iraqi government, which released them. Two Iranian "senior military officials" remain in custody.

It would surprise no one, other than Talabani, if the Iranian "diplomats" were plotting illegal acts in Iraq. This is, after all, the backward and barbaric regime responsible for the 444-day Iranian hostage crisis in which more than 60 American diplomats were taken hostage and tortured by Muslim students working at the behest of the Iranian government.

Iraqi Army Rescues 16 Hostages

From a CENTCOM press release:

BAGHDAD - An Iraqi Army patrol rescued 16 kidnap victims in the neighborhood of Mansour, Dec 22.

Members of the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment received information from a tip line and an Iraqi Army patrol moved to the specified location.

After searching a Mansour residence, Iraqi troops found two adult males, four adult females, and 10 children identified as hostages. All 16 victims were returned to safely to their homes later that evening.

Merry Christmas!

Miss Nevada Katie Rees UNCENSORED Gives Jawa Report Biggest Traffic Day

Dr. Rusty Shackleford of The Jawa Report notes via email that this post resulted in over 80,000 visitors to his site.

The post featured this link to uncensored photos of Miss Nevada, Katie Rees, having her own little "Girls Gone Wild" event with some hot friends. Katie was booted from the Miss USA contest after the photos became public.

This also marks The Dread Pundit Bluto's most pathetic gambit, to date, to get cheap porn-related hits.

Sunday Funnies

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Airstrike Sends Taliban Leader Home to Allah

From a CENTCOM press release:

KABUL, Afghanistan – Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani, a senior member of the Taliban’s inner circle, was killed Dec. 19 in Helmand Province.

Credible intelligence led Coalition Forces to Osmani’s location near the border with Pakistan. His vehicle, traveling in a deserted area, was destroyed by a Coalition air strike, instantly killing him and two unidentified associates.

“Osmani was in the top ring of the Taliban leadership and he was also a close associate of Osama bin Laden and Gulbuddin Hekmatyr,” said Col. Tom Collins, Coalition spokesperson. “His death is a major achievement in the fight against extremists and their terrorist networks.”

Osmani was the Taliban’s chief of military operations in the provinces of Uruzgan, Nimroz, Kandahar, Farah, Herat and Helmand. He played a central role in facilitating terrorist operations involving Taliban, al-Qaeda and the Haqqani Network, to include IED and suicide attacks, kidnappings, numerous atrocities against innocent civilians, and direct attacks on Coalition, NATO, and Afghan forces, Collins said.

The Associated Press story about Osmani's death is full of references to the US "claims," as if the wire service, especially after the Jamil Hussein fiasco, has the credibility to question CENTCOM.

They've Been Working on the Railroad

Heidi at Euphoric Reality has been following the case of the Marines charged with murdering civilians in the Sunni insurgent-infested hellhole of Haditha, and makes a detailed and compelling case for a frameup by locals and "journalists" covering the story.

Heidi's post is a long read, but well worth the effort, as she reveals information that the Western Press, slavering over the thought of an Iraqi My Lai massacre, has suppressed.

These are the men to whom Jack Murtha has been seeking to deny due process. And this isn't the first time that the Press and feather merchants at Eighth and Eye have tried to screw over combat Marines.

Via Michelle Malkin.

Freedom Journal Iraq #548

* Providing Security Along the Northern Pipeline
* Soldiers on foot patrol.

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

AP Stonewalling on "Burning Six" Source

"Iraqi Police Captain Jamil Hussein," the Associated Press' source for the horror story about the six burning Sunnis, and at least sixty other AP stories from the past two years, is looking more and more mythical.

The latest from Michelle Malkin is a non-reponse to questions she raised yesterday, and forwarded to the Associated Press:

Here is the response I received yesterday from AP media relations officer Linda Wagner:

Michelle-
I have no additional information for you at this time.

Linda


I also cc'ed my questions to AP exec editor Kathleen Carroll.

She did not respond.

Ironic. The Western Press can be merciless toward any government official they perceive as stonewalling their inquiries, yet, when it appears that the AP has used a fraudulent source for more than sixty stories that have had a direct impact on the American public's perception of the war in Iraq - they stonewall,
and worse.

London Expecting Holiday Terror Attack

British counter-terrorism officials have reportedly said that it will be "a miracle" if London doesn't suffer an attack by Islamist terrorists over the holidays.

From ABC's The Blotter [emphasis added]:

British police have been quietly carrying out a series of key arrests as they continue to track at least six active "plots" tied to what they call "al Qaeda of England."

"It is not a matter of if there will be an attack, but how bad the attack will be," an intelligence official told ABCNews.com.

Authorities say they are seeking at least 18 suspected suicide bombers.

Westerners avoided going medieval on radical Muslims following 9/11, even the really mouthy, really stupid ones. There's no telling if that patience will continue following another serious terror attack. I wouldn't place any heavy bets on it.

It would serve moderate Muslims living in the Western world well to start condemning Islamist terrorists as loudly, forcefully, unconditionally, and publicly as possible. Publicity stunts like the blatant provocation pulled off by the flying imams have soured the general public's mood toward Muslims.

A high-profile terrorist attack during the holidays could easily set off vigilante retaliatory attacks.

Freedom Journal Iraq #547

• Soldiers Find Weapons Cache
• Police, Kids Interact

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Report: Berger Deliberately Hid Archive Documents

From a July 20, 2004 Fox News story:

"I deeply regret the sloppiness involved, but I had no intention of withholding documents from the commission, and to the contrary, to my knowledge, every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced," Berger said in a statement.

Sandy Berger, who was Bill Clinton's national security advisor, finally plead guilty to improperly removing the documents. He got a fifty grand fine and 100 hours of community service. Oh, and he can't handle classified documents any more - for three years.

Berger's lawyer assures us that the information in all of the materials that Sandy stole and destroyed were available to the 9/11 Commission.

Yesterday, the National Archives inspector general's office issued a report about their investigation of the incident. The report includes notes from an interview with Berger:

"He headed toward a construction area. ... Mr. Berger looked up and down the street, up into the windows of the Archives and the DOJ (Department of Justice), and did not see anyone," the interview notes said.

He then slid the documents under a construction trailer, according to the inspector general. Berger acknowledged that he later retrieved the documents from the construction area and returned with them to his office.

"He was aware of the risk he was taking," the inspector general's notes said. Berger then returned to the Archives building without fearing the documents would slip out of his pockets or that staff would notice that his pockets were bulging.

Christmas Bells, Those Christmas Bells...

Scrappleface translates the latest Ayman al-Zawahiri video:



Via HotAir.

US AQ/Taliban Collaborator in Trouble Again

The reason this piece of human trash wasn't still in jail or already taking a dirt nap isn't because the New York Times has set the bar for treason so high, but due to a plea agreement that gave him a two year sentence in exchange for information against his fellow terrorists.

From the Jerusalem Post:

James Ujaama was arrested over the weekend in the Central American nation of Belize, Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra said. Under the terms of Ujaama's plea agreement, he was to surrender his passport after serving two years in prison and is not allowed to travel internationally during his three-year probation without written permission from the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle, where he was convicted in 2003.

Carrying a Mexican passport with the name "Ramirez Ramirez," Ujaama arrived in Belize "about 10 days ago," Belize police spokesman G. Michael Reid told The Seattle Times newspaper. Ujaama, 41, fought with officers before being arrested outside a Belize mosque, and one officer was treated for minor injuries, Reid said.

The J-Post is going light on Ujaama (full name Earnest James Ujaama), who has been doing his best to help out America's deadliest enemies since before 9/11. In 1999, Ujaama scouted locations for an al Qaeda training camp near Bly, Oregon.

What, No Bumbershoot?

David Zucker mocks the Iraq Study Group as Chamberlain-style appeasers.

Freedom Journal Iraq #545

• Police Meet the Neighbors
• Soldiers on Patrol

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Basic Propaganda 101

Sensationalized breathless headline for Reuters story: "U.S. soldiers' suicide rate in Iraq doubles in 2005" (actually, the rate in 2004 was 10.5 per 100,000. The 2006 rate of 19.9 per 100,000 is a bit short of "double," but few people with two brain cells to rub together expect truth and accuracy from Reuters - Adnan Hajj and the other fake/staged news events of the Israeli-Hizbullah war saw to that).

Money quote, buried deep, deep into the story:

While every suicide was one too many, Kiley said, the suicide rate among soldiers was lower than the average among civilians of the same age and gender.

Perspective: the suicide rate for young women 15-19 living in South India is 148 per 100,000.

Time it will take for the first blame-America-first lefty to accuse me of not caring about soldier suicides: a New York minute.

More AP "Burning Six" Shenanigans

Curt at Flopping Aces notes that the Associated Press has quietly changed the copy of their November 28 response to questions about the "burning six" story. And the Google cached version has mysteriously changed, as well.

After Confederate Yankee noticed that the page briefly went down, an unacknowledged paragraph rewrite appeared:

AP reporters who have been working in Iraq throughout the conflict learned of the mosque incident through witnesses and later corroborated it with police.

Luckily, USA Today didn't get the word, and still has the original copy posted:

AP reporters who have been working in Iraq throughout the conflict learned of the mosque incident through witnesses and neighborhood residents and corroborated it with a named police spokesmen and also through hospital and morgue workers.

The "neighbors" and "hospital and morgue workers" copy has been expunged.

Why would the Associated Press try to change the record on a controversial story, especially one in which the AP's reporting has come into question? It's tough to come up with an innocent explanation for this one.

Update: Allahpundit at HotAir thinks that the quotes are from two different documents, but wonders why the supporting witnesses were left out of the later document. I'm not convinced that there were two documents. The copy is just too similar.

Freedom Journal Iraq #544

• ISF Trains with New Vehicle
• New Police Station in Babel

Featuring a John Kerry suck up.

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

"Open Season" - Stuck Mojo

Now this rap has a message I can get behind.



Despite the clear targeting of radical jihadi terrorists by the video, YouTube Islamists are having it suppressed. I have some experience with "moderate Muslims" objecting to my own work (until Vinnie resurrected it).

Via Stop the ACLU.

I Say Jamil, You Say Jamail

Yesterday "Armed Liberal" at Winds of Change posted a short blurb about queries he had made to friends of his in Iraq:

With the help of some friends who have been doing a smidgen of looking, and it appears - appears, but is not certain - that there is in fact a Jamail Hussein in the Yarmouk police station in Baghdad. We'll know more tomorrow.

This morsel, and a hasty discharge from the sometimes overly excitable Allahpundit was enough to get the tools at Editor & Publisher boiling in their pants about the imminent vindication of the Associated Press (who started the whole thing by being even bigger tools for jihadi propaganda than E&P are for them) and the humiliation of any blogger so unwise as to have questioned their liegelords at the AP.

But now, Winds of Change is clarifying, they're not "backing off" - they supplied plenty of caveats to their original post, E&P just chose to ignore them:

So, after some calls, IMs, and e-mail we get a call back by Sat night (California time)/Sunday morning (Baghdad time); there is no Capt. Jamil Hussein at Yarmouk, but there is a Sergeant by that name, with a somewhat dubious reputation (worked directly under Uday, Baathist remnant, etc.)...

...Reporters from Al Sabah agreed to go interview the superior officer at the police station. They were on the phone at 4:30 am PST today, and they had gone to Karrada and established there is no Jamail Hussein there (would have been unlikely since Karrada is mostly Shiite, and in fact is mostly the power zone of SCIRI, Hakeem has his HQ there - and the Sgt at Yarmouk was obviously Sunni). Information then came in that there is a Colonel Jamail Hussein working at Abu Gharib. (Via sources at the Interior Ministry.)

This begs the questions: why can a blogger in California come closer to solving the Captain Jamil Hussein mystery than the Associated Press, and why is Editor & Publisher so visibly desperate to validate AP's burning six story?

Freedom Journal Iraq #543

• Celebrity Visit
• MPs Keep the Peace

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Iranian Christian Converts Reported Arrested

According to a translation of a RadioFarda report posted at Free Republic, 14 Iranians who converted to Christianity from Islam were arrested under sharia law, which condemns apostates to death:

According to confirmed reports from inside of Iran, 14 ex-muslims who converted to christianity were arrested a week ago in cities of Karaj, Tehran and Rasht.

Reports from US backed RadioFarda.com tell us that these new christians were trying to hold religious gathering to celebrate christmas and they are charged with converting from Islam to christianity and according the sharia law, the penalty for such act is death.

Their bibles, religious books & symbols, CDs and other personal stuff were seized by the authorities.

The families of these detainees staged a rally in front of the judicial ministry but their peaceful gathering was met with brutal actions of the ministry of intelligence agents.

The name of the christian detainees are:

In city of Rasht: Shaheen Taghizadeh, Yosef Noorkhani, Mathias Hagh-Nejad, Parviz Khalaj, Muhammad Belyad, Peyman Salarvand, Sohrab Sayadi, Mr. Davood and Mr. Amin.

City of Tehran: Mrs. Shirin Sadegh, Mr. Behrooz Sadegh, Mr. Hamid-Reza Tolou'ee

City of Karaj: Mr. Behnam Irani & Mr. Bahman Irani (brothers)

The families of these above mentioned detainees ask all people from all around the world to raise their concern with their governments and help secure the release of their loved ones from the jails of the Islamic regime of Iran.

This would be an excellent time for all civilized persons, including moderate Muslims, to express their outrage at this barbaric act of the Iranian government.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Neighborhood Watch - Iraq

They have to be a bit more vigilant than their counterparts in the United States:

Dec. 16, 2006

Neighborhood Watch identifies weapons cache to Iraqi Police

Multi-National Corps – West PAO

Ar Ramadi, Iraq – While conducting a routine security patrol in the city of Hamdiyah December 13, Iraqi Police were flagged-down by members of the neighborhood watch and led to the location of a terrorist weapons cache.

The cache consisted of:
(1) 155mm projectile
(3) 120mm mortars
(1) 100mm projectile
(2) bags of propellant
(1) improvised container
(2) oxygen tanks
(2) IRLs
(1) 100mm mortar
(1) 115mm projectile
(5) LRCT base stations
(1) suicide belt
(3) reels of wire
(10) initiation switches
(3) anti-handling systems
(4) Senao phones
(1) unknown sighting system
70-ft of detonation cord

Iraqi Army Rescues Hostage, Captures 10 Insurgents

News from the Multi-National Force - Iraq:

BAQUBAH — The Iraqi Army led a successful offensive operation here recently, capturing 10 suspected insurgents and rescuing a kidnapped 16-year-old Iraqi boy being held for a $150,000 ransom.
Iraqi Soldiers from 5th Iraqi Army conducted searches, while the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas, cordoned off several neighborhoods.

Maj. Kalil Malek Ahmad, commander, 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army, said his Soldiers identified insurgents with the help of intelligence sources.

Mainstream media outlets reporting the rescue and captures:

Freedom Journal Iraq #542

News as reported by U.S. troops from Iraq, uncensored by a hostile press.

• Iraqi Security Forces Taking Control

• The Holiday Mail Flow

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

IraqSlogger: Something New or Just More of the Same?

Like David Duchovny's Agent Fox of "The X-Files," I want to believe.

I want to believe that the new all-Iraq news site "IraqSlogger" will be, as they claim, "non-political." In my book, "non-political" would mean that, unlike the mainstream media, the new website would feature reports that simply tell what's going on, without an anti-Bush, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-military, anti-American, anti-Western agenda. IraqSlogger's definition of non-political may be narrower than mine.

IraqSlogger's CEO is Eason Jordan, who resigned his position last year as CNN's chief news executive after getting caught accusing US troops of deliberately targeting journalists. Earlier, Jordan had admitted to suppressing news from CNN's Baghdad bureau in order to keep Saddam Hussein from closing it. This does not give me a high degree of confidence that the new website will be a paragon of honest, unbiased journalism.

The history of IraqSlogger co-founder Robert Young Pelton (apparently, the "RYP" who has been commenting about IraqSlogger at various blogs) isn't confidence-inspiring, either. In 2002 he told Salon that al Qaeda is a "bogeyman," and that the 9/11 terrorists were really a "Mickey Mouse operation."

And he also made this incredible statement:

And basically since the Vietnam War, the military realizes that the press is the enemy, because the press is actually faster and more intelligent than the military is. They can assess a military situation long before the military figures it out.

Pelton has found the reason why so many journalists go on to successful careers as generals. Not.

All this is leading me to believe that IraqSlogger will be more of the same old slop, served up in a shiny new bowl, and that the handful of unusually even-handed stories reported there now are window dressing intended to forestall criticism until the site gets up and running on all cylinders.

I hope I'm wrong, but it's beginning to look less like Agent Fox and more like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown.

ACLU Least Trusted Organization in America

A recent Harris poll finds the American Civil Liberties Union sucking hind teat in the "trust" category:

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) shows a clear divide among the 76 percent who are familiar with them. Almost half (49%) say they trust the ACLU compared to 51 percent who do not trust them. Of note, the ACLU has the highest percentage of responses for "do not trust at all" (29%).

Harris is trying to put lipstick on this pig with the "almost half" bit; 49% was the lowest rating.

Via Stop the ACLU.

President: 5900 Enemy Killed, Captured Since October

Deeply buried in this Reuters story (14th paragraph) is the news that US and Iraqi forces have killed or captured nearly 6,000 terrorist-insurgents since October:

In a rarity, he gave a body count of 5,900 enemy killed or captured by U.S. and Iraqi forces in October, November and early December.

Expect this disclosure to get absolutely no air time on the network's nightly news programs.

Credit where it's due: Eason Jordan's new IraqSlogger website headlines the 5900 figure.

Yesterday, Jordan, who was forced to resign from CNN after inflammatory "off the record" remarks about US troops, invited Michelle Malkin to join him in Iraq to search for AP mystery source Jamil Hussein.

Has Eason resolved to turn away from the Dark Side, or is it all cover for some ruse? Stay tuned.

Eason Returns, and Invites Malkin to Iraq

Disgraced CNN exec Eason Jordan, who resigned after accusing US troops of targeting journalists, has made a comeback as head of the new IraqSlogger multimedia venture, and he has publicly invited Michelle Malkin to go to Iraq with him to search for purported Iraqi police captain Jamil Hussein.

So the search for Jamil Hussein is on, and rightly so. IraqSlogger's team in Baghdad is working to track him down. If we find him, we'll get back to you with details. If we can't find him, we'll report that, too. If Michelle Malkin wants to join the search in Baghdad, IraqSlogger will pay for her trip, and I'd even be willing to accompany her. Stay tuned.

Michelle responds:

I e-mailed my acceptance of Jordan's invitation this morning. No way should we just take the word of they guy who admitted covering up for Saddam Hussein and who resigned from CNN after baselessly slandering the U.S. military (maybe we'll find the Davos tape while we're on the search). Plus, it'll be an incredible opportunity to see Iraq and our troops firsthand. I have many friends, heroes, and contacts there I'd like to meet in person.

I also e-mailed to ask Mr. Jordan whether he would pay for Curt from Flopping Aces, the blogger who first broke open the story and is leading the charge for an answer (see, Jordan got his facts wrong already), to come on the search as well if he is able to do so.

1036am Eastern update: Jordan says he will pay for Curt's trip.

The public nature of the "invitation" would lead a suspicious person to suspect some sort of publicity stunt designed to get back at the bloggers responsible for Jordan's earlier fall from grace.

Freedom Journal Iraq #541

• Coalition hunts suspects
• Marines keep skies safe

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Was it a Mini-stroke?

Reuters is reporting that Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), stricken earlier today with an as yet undisclosed illness, has undergone surgery.

A friend with some medical background suggests, reluctantly and not for attribution, that Senator Johnson may have suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack, or "mini-stroke," based on news accounts, and the recent reports that the Senator's staff has stated that he did not suffer a stroke.

Here are the symptoms of a Transient Ischemic Attack:

TIA symptoms, which usually occur suddenly, are similar to those of stroke but do not last as long. Most symptoms of a TIA disappear within an hour, although they may persist for up to 24 hours. Symptoms can include: numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; confusion or difficulty in talking or understanding speech; trouble seeing in one or both eyes; and difficulty with walking, dizziness, or loss of balance and coordination.

Reuters is now reporting that Senator Johnson has undergone surgery. Treatment for Transient Ischemic Attack can include carotid artery surgery.

Speculation is rampant about the Senator's condition because if he cannot serve as a result of the illness, South Dakota's Republican Governor will likely appoint another Republican to replace him, nullifying the 51-49 Democratic Senate majority.

I wish the Senator well.

Update: No. From MSNBC:

Johnson suffered from bleeding in the brain caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation, the U.S. Capitol physician said, describing the surgery as successful. The condition, present at birth, causes tangled blood vessels.

Castro Death Watch

Rumors are once again flying that Fidel Castro is dead.

Lies of Omission: A Simple Test for Media Bias

Yesterday Howie, one of my co-bloggers at The Jawa Report conducted what he describes as a "simple test" for mainstream media bias against reporting positive news from Iraq.

Howie posted about three separate stories from Iraq, one positive, one mostly positive, and one negative, then tracked the amount of play each story got in the MSM via Google's news search function.

The negative story about a successful suicide bombing, one of many staged for the benefit of Western news cameras, received 779 news citations on Google.

A story from CENTCOM about a bomb discovered at the Golden Mosque in Samarra, that detonated while demolitions experts were trying to move it, causing no injuries and minimal damage, came in second, with ten entries under the technically accurate but misleading headline, "Bomb Explodes at Iraq's Samarra Mosque." The mainstream deliberately put the worst possible face on the story. Instead of a headline about the success of Iraqi and Coalition forces in detecting and minimizing the effect of the bomb, the headline writer managed to add more white noise to the "quagmire" meme.

The positive story Howie tracked is a CENTCOM news release about Iraqi troops freeing 23 hostages and capturing their 6 kidnappers.

The damning Google search results are here. The only mainstream source that picked up the story was the New York Times, and they buried it within a story headlined "Truck Bomb in Iraq Kills 70 in Shiite Crowd."

Iraq Freedom Journal #540

• Training Police
• Marines on patrol

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

HS Physics Teacher/ACLU Demand Right to Spew Anti-Zionist Propaganda to Students

Stop the ACLU posts about a renegade high school teacher determined to indoctrinate his students about the evil of insidious Jews and the Great Satan America:

At Andover High School in Massachusetts, Ron Francis, the physics teacher is stirring up controversy once again. In the past he has paid his students to work for his anti-Israel political organization, defended the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, and joked about becoming a suicide bomber. I guess this is what liberal elites consider a quality teacher in our public schools.

Now he is stirring up more attention with his latest brainwashing attempt, and getting the ACLU involved to boot. He invited the group Wheels of Justice, a pro-palestian/ anti-Israel group to speak at the high school. Now that the school refused due to no opposing ideals being presented, the ACLU threats have appeared and the school looks to cave in.

Wheels of Justice is a "peace" group with a very thinly veiled anti-American/anti-Israel agenda. It's Mission Statement could have been cribbed from any number of bogus communist-front "peace" groups from the Cold War era.

Here's a sample of their blather:

The violence suffered by Israelis and Palestinians will continue as long the roots of the conflict remain-colonization, occupation, displacement, apartheid and the denial of the right of Palestinian refugees.

Bloodthirsty, pre-medieval psychopaths strapping explosives to their bodies and seeking out schoolchildren to murder apparently don't count as root causes of conflict. If you need any further evidence of their anti-Semitic agenda, the group's reading list includes Noam Chomsky. Also, the word "Zionist" seems to come up a lot.

One last thing; why is a physics teacher involved in this?

Separated at Birth?

Nah. The Evil Queen is much hotter than Evil Liberal Arianna.

The picture of Huffington is from a post at Tom Delay's new blog about Arianna's continuing war against Christianity.

How Heroes Die

I'm reprinting this story from CENTOM in its entirety. My most sincere condolences go out to PFC McGinnis's family and friends. Having a warrior in the family is a proud and terrible thing.

Respectful comments are encouraged. Disrespectful and/or politically motivated comments of any kind will be deleted.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis packed only 136 pounds into his 6-foot frame, but few have ever matched his inner strength.

McGinnis sacrificed himself in an act of supreme bravery on Dec. 4, belying his status as the youngest Soldier in Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

The 19-year-old amateur mechanic from Knox, Pa., who enjoyed poker and loud music, likely saved the lives of four Soldiers riding with him on a mission in Baghdad.

McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. It flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio.

His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas of Longview, Texas, recalled what happened next.

“Pfc. McGinnis yelled ‘Grenade…It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.”

McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped.

“He had time to jump out of the truck,” Thomas said. “He chose not to.”

Thomas remembered McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. McGinnis said then he didn’t know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered.

“He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant,” Thomas said. “He’s a hero. He’s a professional. He was just an awesome guy.”

Three of the Soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany.

For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star, posthumously. His unit paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11.

McGinnis was born June 14, 1987, and joined the Army right after graduating high school in 2005. He had been in the Army 18 months and made his mark even before his heroic deed.

“He was a good kid,” said C Company’s senior enlisted Soldier, 1st Sgt. Kenneth J. Hendrix. “He had just gotten approved for a waiver to be promoted to specialist.”

He also appeared on the Nov. 30 cover of Stars & Stripes, manning his turret.

Besides his military accomplishments, McGinnis leaves his friends and family with memories of a fun-loving, loyal man.

Private First Class Brennan Beck, a 1-26 infantryman from Lodi, Calif., said McGinnis made others feel better.

“He would go into a room and when he left, everyone was laughing,” Beck said. “He did impersonations of others in the company. He was quick-witted, just hilarious. He loved making people laugh. He was a comedian through and through.”

While having a witty side, McGinnis took his job seriously.

“He was not a garrison Soldier. He hated it back in garrison,” Beck said. “He loved it here in Iraq. He loved being a gunner. It was a thrill, he loved everything about it. He was one our best Soldiers. He did a great job.”

Beck has memories of talking all night with McGinnis about where they wanted their lives to go, and said McGinnis always remembered his friends.

“When I had my appendix removed, he was the only one who visited me in the hospital,” Beck said. “That meant a lot.”

Another 1-26 infantryman, Private First ClassMichael Blair of Klamath Falls, Ore., recalled that McGinnis helped him when he arrived at Ledward Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany.

“When I first came to the unit…he was there and took me in and showed me around,” Blair said. “He was real easy to talk to. You could tell him anything. He was a funny guy. He was always making somebody laugh.”

McGinnis’ final heroic act came as no surprise to Blair.

“He was that kind of person,” Blair said. “He would rather take it himself than have his buddies go down.”

The brigade’s senior noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. William Johnson, also had high praise for McGinnis.

“Anytime when you get a Soldier to do something like that - to give his life to protect his fellow Soldiers - that’s what heroes are made of,” Johnson said.

It also demonstrates, Johnson continued, that the ‘MySpace Generation’ has what it takes to carry on the Army’s proud traditions.

“Some think Soldiers who come in today are all about themselves,” Johnson said. “I see it differently.”

The Silver Star has already been approved for McGinnis’ actions Dec.4, and will be awarded posthumously.

Iraq Freedom Journal, Edition #539

• A Look at Haditha Dam
• Governors' Visit
• Operation Season's Greetings
• Why I Serve

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

It's the Cow Farts, Stupid

A new United Nations report blames cattle and other livestock for greenhouse gas emissions:

Meet the world's top destroyer of the environment. It is not the car, or the plane,or even George Bush: it is the cow.

A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs.

Imagine, wild herbivores were running amok for milennia, destroying the environment and plotting in their evil little planteater brains to bring the world closer and closer to the brink of cataclysmic climate change.

Thank God Al Gore was born, in the nick of time, to warn us all.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Leftist Blogger: 'Spitting on Soldier Not News'

"Phriendly Jaime" at West of Shockoe (the twit at Shockoe didn't realize that changing the title of a Blogger post also changes the URL, here's the new link) thinks prosecuting Lauren Maggi, accused of spitting in a soldier's face at Syracuse's Hancock Airport on November 22, is a waste of time.

And PJ has taken issue with me for blogging about the shameful incident. Unfortunately for PJ, he doesn't have his facts straight, but that doesn't prevent the typical, leftist rant that follows his snap judgement.

Worse, he doesn't think spitting in a soldier's face is a crime worth wasting taxpayers' money on, and anyway, PJ implies that the soldier is probably lying about the whole thing.

Phriendly Jaime's rant begins:

A few choice Republican "bloggers" are trying to make a story out of a laughable tidbit they heard on Fox news from Jon Gibson. This is what they report:
Syracuse radio station WFBL reports that Lauren Maggi, 35, of Thurber Street was charged with harassment for spitting in a soldier's face at Hancock Airport.

PJ's first mistake: Gibson's story came after my original post, and Jawa Report crosspost. That's why it quotes a radio station, which Gibson's piece does not; there was almost no posted news of the incident at the time. It was through research that I learned the proper spelling of Maggi's last name, and the fact (ignored by PJ) that she had been arrested for endangering the welfare of a minor in January.

Now PJ quotes information that became available later in the day, and with which both the Jawa and TDPB posts were updated:

The incident happened over the Thanksgiving holiday. Maggi approached a soldier from the 10th Mountain Division, who apparently was not in uniform, and asked if he was a soldier. When he said yes, Maggi allegedly spit in his face.
And this is what the majority of them DON'T report, because it makes their non-story a...NON-STORY.
Jason Jones, 21, told police a woman he did not know walked up to him near the United Airlines ticket counter, asked him if he was a Fort Drum solider and, when he responded that he was, spat in his face.

Police searched the airport garage and located a woman fitting the description that Jones provided, who was later identified as Maggi. Police escorted her into the terminal, where Jones identified her as the woman who had spit on him. A second soldier on the scene supported Jones' accusation, police said.

Maggi offered no explanation for her conduct, police said. She could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

I made sure to update with this information because it's so damning; the victim and a corroborating witness identified her, and she offered no defense, apparently not even denying the charge.

How does PJ interpret this news? Very strangely indeed:

Do you see what I am getting at?

No, thank God my mind works in a normal, rational manner so that leftist "thinking" is pretty much alien to me.

Someone, WITHOUT ANY PROOF WHATSOEVER, walked up to a police officer and told them "something". The officer found "someone" who matched the accuser's "description" and asked her what happened. She offered no explanation, yet she admitted nothing, and they charged her. Because there is no way to prove it happened, she'll go to court, and she'll most likely walk without being charged. So, in essence, Republican bloggers and Fox news would rather tax payer's money be wasted, all to try to make Democratic supporters and liberals look like they hate the troops. Real productive.

PJ, eyewitness testimony is called "proof." Another eyewitness other than the victim is called "corroborating evidence," and the fact that police were able to find Maggi based on the victim's description further bolsters his account of events. All of this will come out in court.

The best part of all of this? No one has any idea whether or not this woman is a Democrat. I hope someone asks her, because even if the story of her "harassment" is true, it would be too funny to watch the Republicans delete their blogs and forget the incident altogether to save face.

The word "Democrat" isn't mentioned in my post, though I think it's a pretty safe bet that a woman who spits in a soldier's face doesn't belong to the party of Lincoln.

Let's make this short, sweet, and to the point, shall we?

First of all, if a stroy [sic] is only reported on Fox News by Jon Gibson, it isn't news. Period. Do you see Democratic bloggers reporting things heard on Air America, without any reputable sources to back it up? No. So, be responsible and get some adequate sources before you let your fingers type nonsense and tripe.

But PJ, if you'd bothered to read the story, including the parts you excerpted, you'd realize that Gibson was the last one to the story, not the first. Let's review: I heard the story on WFBL radio, researched the name and came up with a bare bones blurb at Syracuse.com, as well as additional information about an earlier crime, and posted. Subsequently, Syracuse.com updated their site with more details, which I used to update my posts. I discovered Gibson's story today, and have mentioned it only in this post.

Second, by ignoring the whole story and only cutting and pasting the points that work for you, you make yourself even less credible than you were before. It makes you look, well, stupid, and people are left to wonder why you blog in the first place.

I have to agree with that statement, PJ, so tell us, why do you blog in the first place?

Lastly, distorting facts and truth is not blogging, it is a cry for attention and a sign of an emotional problem. People experiencing this ought to get themselves to the appropriate doctors as soon as possible.

Well, PJ, you've got your attention, are you enjoying it? Hope your doctor has an appointment opening up real soon. Maybe you should ask about Paxil and something to help your attention deficit disorder.

Iraq Freedom Journal, Editon #538

Because our alleged news services are agenda-driven and riddled with jihadis posing as sources, stringers, and photographers, here's the latest from the Multi-National Force, courtesy of The Jawa Report:



• Iraqi Soldiers Patrol Ramadi
• The Air Force's UAVs

Something Doesn't Add Up Here

A Sunni spokesman, describing violence and sectarian strife in Baghdad, gives this Hurriyah death count included in an Associated Press report [emphasis added]:

Omar Abdul-Sattar, a member of the Sunni Arab Iraqi Islamic Party, said Sunday that an organized effort was under way in Hurriyah to force Sunnis out, and he accused Iraq's Shiite-led government of doing little to stop the violence.

Abdul-Sattar claimed that during the past five months, more than 300 Sunni families have been displaced from Hurriyah, more than 100 Sunnis killed and 200 wounded, and at least five Sunni mosques burned, along with houses and shops.

In their defense against questions raised by the Jamil Hussein fake source scandal, the Associated Press mentioned a report from November that seems to indicate a much, much higher figure [emphasis added]:

The AP's Lauren Frayer, embedded with the 172nd during the Hurriyah deployment, described their efforts in early November. Capt. R. Tyler Willbanks, from Gallatin, Tenn., said "there were 25 dead bodies a day before we got here," a number they got down to three a day before the latest eruption in late November.

That would be 100 dead every four days - the same figure that Sunni spokesman Abdul-Sattar claims for five months.

Is it reasonable that Abdul-Sattar, attempting to state his case as strongly as possible, would understate the casualty rate by orders of magnitude? Or are members of the Press exaggerating the violence, as they were accused of doing regarding the sensational, and now largely discredited "burning six" story?

France Flies UAV's Over Lebanon to Stop Israeli Overflights

The French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), is in a snit about Israeli intelligence-gathering overflights of Lebanon and have deployed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in an effort to stop the Israeli flights:

France, a member of UNIFIL, has expressed adamant opposition to IAF overflights in Lebanon. Last month, OC Planning Division Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan traveled to Paris for meetings with senior military officials during which he tried to explain Israel's operational needs. The flights, the IDF claims, are necessary for gathering intelligence and keeping an eye on the Lebanese-Syrian border through which weapons are smuggled to the Hizbullah.

The French nearly fired on an Israeli plane in October, and their soldiers have been given permission to fire on Israeli planes if they feel threatened.

Since the average Frenchman is liable to feel threatened by a particularly vicious-looking chihuahua, expect Lebanon to become a free-fire zone any time the Star of David is spotted in the skies.

The French eagerness to deploy their very own UAV is not strictly in the interests of peace:

According to Israeli defense sources, the French initiative is also meant to prove the operational capabilities of its UAVs so they can compete against Israeli defense industries on the global UAV market.

Now that the Iraqi oil market under Saddam has...dried up...the French seek new sources of income. I understand the UAV is called, "Putain Française."

Alec Baldwin: 'Get Rid of the CIA' to Defeat Terrorism

Alec Baldwin, whose foreign relations and counter-terrorism expertise is founded on playing the role of Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, has decided that we need to abolish the Central Intelligence Agency. This is Alec's "oddly simple" "first step" to defeating terrorism (brave Alec also takes the opportunity to bash Jeane Kirkpatrick, now that she's safely dead).

Has Alec discovered a new principle here? Can we defeat crime by abolishing the police? Will housefires disappear if we send the firemen packing? Can we eliminate plane crashes by eliminating the FAA?

Of course not.

The clue to Alec's Bizarro World thinking comes at the beginning of his post. He thinks that the Right is obssessing about the Vietnam War. Yes Alec, the Right is taking every opportunity to shout "quagmire" hoping to demoralize our troops and the people being protected by them at home.

This is what happens when stupid people play smart people in movies and on TV.

Previous Baldwin Buffoonery here.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Senate Committee Berates Media For Global Warming Alarmism

The Senate's Environment & Public Works Committee has released "A Skeptic’s Guide to Debunking Global Warming Alarmism. Hot & Cold Media Spin Cycle: A Challenge To Journalists who Cover Global Warming.”

The publication is available online here. A sample:

Here is a quote from Newsweek magazine:
“There are ominous signs that the Earth’s weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production– with serious political implications for just about every nation on Earth.”

A headline in the New York Times reads:
“Climate Changes Endanger World’s Food Output.”

Here is a quote from Time Magazine:
“As they review the bizarre and unpredictable weather pattern of the past several years, a growing number of scientists are beginning to suspect that many seemingly contradictory meteorological fluctuations are actually part of a global climatic upheaval.”

All of this sounds very ominous. That is, until you realize that the three quotes I just read were from articles in 1975 editions of Newsweek Magazine and The New York Times, and Time Magazine in 1974.

They weren’t referring to global warming; they were warning of a coming ice age.

In fact, the nation's mainstream media has been hyping catastrophic climate change stories for over a hundred years, alternating between global warming and global cooling scenarios. Global warming is in fashion right now.

I feel comfortably ahead of the curve on this one, having posted this warning about the media hype almost two years ago.

Terror Plot on Chicago Mall Foiled

A plan to wage "violent jihad" in a Chicago area mall during the Christmas rush was thwarted by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

From ABC News:

Derrick Shareef, of Rockford, Ill was arrested Wednesday by the Joint Terrorism Taskforce when he met an undercover agent to trade hand grenades and a 9-millimeter handgun for a set of stereo speakers.

Shareef is accused of planning to use firearms and explosives to attack the CherryVale shopping mall in Rockford. The alleged plan was to target the 130-store mall during the holiday shopping season.

In September, Shareef became acquainted with a confidential witness who was cooperating with the FBI and confided to him that he wanted to commit acts of violent jihad against civilians.

Authorities believe that Shareef was acting alone.

Via Stop the ACLU, where Jay reports that a press conference revealed Shareef was influenced, in part, by jihadi websites.

Any time now, the Left will be claiming that it wasn't a serious plot and/or the poor little jihadi wannabe was entrapped.

Woman Spits in Soldier's Face

Syracuse radio station WFBL reports that Lauren Maggi, 35, of Thurber Street was charged with harassment for spitting in a soldier's face at Hancock Airport.

The incident happened over the Thanksgiving holiday. Maggi approached a soldier from the 10th Mountain Division, who apparently was not in uniform, and asked if he was a soldier. When he said yes, Maggi allegedly spit in his face.

WFBL's news service is supplied by television station WTVH, which has nothing posted yet about the incident on its website. Syracuse.com carries this blurb:

• Woman accused of spitting on soldier
A Syracuse woman was charged after a Fort Drum soldier accused her of spitting on him without provocation at Hancock Airport, Syracuse police said.

On January 18 of this year, Lauren Maggi, 34, of Thurber Street, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Update: More details:

Jason Jones, 21, told police a woman he did not know walked up to him near the United Airlines ticket counter, asked him if he was a Fort Drum solider and, when he responded that he was, spat in his face.

Police searched the airport garage and located a woman fitting the description that Jones provided, who was later identified as Maggi. Police escorted her into the terminal, where Jones identified her as the woman who had spit on him. A second soldier on the scene supported Jones' accusation, police said.

Maggi offered no explanation for her conduct, police said. She could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Mark Steyn Unloads on the Associated Press

Author and columnist Mark Steyn was merciless with the Associated Press in particular and the mainstream media in general on The O'Reilly Factor, stopping just barely short of calling them traitors.

Allah at HotAir has the video. Sample:

...I believe that the majority of American newspapers, which is full of Associated Press content, on the central issue of this, of our time; they're either dupes, at best, or actually semi-treasonous and colluding with the enemy and demoralizing America on the homefront - including having agents of the enemy on their payroll; this is a disgraceful organization.

Bonus: Steyn dumps on nancyboy NBC correspondent David Gregory, referring to the "David Gregory vaudeville show."

The ISG Recommendations: One Soldier's Response

T.F. Boggs is a twenty-four year old Army Reserve sergeant who's completed two tours in Iraq. Here's some of what the sergeant has to say to the members of the Iraq Study Group:

I thought old people were supposed to be more patient than a 24 year old but apparently I have more patience for our victory to unfold in Iraq than 99.9 percent of Americans. Iraq isn’t fast food-you can’t have what you want and have it now. To completely change a country for the first time in it’s entire history takes time, and when I say time I don’t mean 4 years.

Talking doesn’t solve anything with a crazed people, bullets do and we need to be given a chance to work our military magic. Like I told a reporter buddy of mine: War sucks but a world run by Islamofacists sucks more.

This guy makes me ashamed of what a mushhead I was at 24. Be sure to read the whole thing.

Via Power Line by way of Dean's World.

Day of Infamy

December 7, 1941: the battleship the USS Arizona burns in the grim aftermath of the Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. More than two thousand four hundred Americans died in the attack, sixty-five years ago today.

Accuracy, Shmaccuracy, It's the Truthiness That Counts

When the "six burning Sunnis" story hit the blogosphere, James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal wrote that bloggers had "turned over a rock" at the Associated Press.

In his Best of the Web column today, Taranto turns over a rock himself and discovers Will Bunch, a reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News, trying to scurry away from the light. Bunch is upset that conservative bloggers and CENTCOM blew the whistle on the AP's bogus story. Apparently, Bunch is a big fan of "fake but accurate."

This is from Bunch's Daily News blog, "Attytood":

Now comes the flap over a mosque attack in Baghdad, and a dispute over the news account -- trumpted [sic] on this Daily News front page at top -- that six Sunni worshippers were burned alive. This Huffington Post post does a good job of breaking down the mixed signals on whether this event really happened as reported by the AP. It's clear to me that a) The AP based its article on information from a trusted and previously reliable source, which is no guarantee of avoiding an error but is also the proven and accepted way all over the world that journalists gather news and b) even if the report were wrong, and I'm not convinced that it is, it was in the context of horrific -- and demonstrably true -- escalating violence in Baghdad.

So, journalism is like horseshoes and hand grenades; close but dead wrong is fine as long as you follow "proven and accepted" techniques and meet your truthiness quota.

Bunch continues:

In fact, it's almost not worth swatting at these gnats from the 101st Fighting Keyboard Commandos. I'd rather just concede, and let them have as their main talking points on the Middle East: The fact that smoke was added to a picture of a real Israeli bombing of Lebanon, that the AP printed an incorrect story about one of the hundreds of deadly acts of sectarian violence in Iraq, and even the allegation -- totally unproven and not resulting in any actual charges -- that one Iraqi photographer who has worked with the AP has ties to the insurgents.

Fine. So far, Curt at Flopping Aces has counted 61 stories quoting the mysterious "police captain Jamil Hussein," the source for the six burning Sunnis story, who is unknown to the Iraqi government and seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth. And Will, if the only problem with Adnan Hajj's photos was a little smoke added to one, why did Reuters pull all ten years of his work? And why did bloggers subsequently discover multiple examples of fake and staged photographs? The "one Iraqi photographer?" That would be Bilal Hussein, who was captured in an al Qaeda bombmaking factory with an al Qaeda leader (a terrorist, not an "insurgent"), and tested positive for explosives.

This dufus Will Bunch is a reporter??!! This is too easy.

Hat tip: Larwyn.

Background: The saga of the six burning Sunnis begins.

Jerusalem Post Reports Dems Had Secret Meetings With Hamas

Their sources are not the most reliable, but the Jerusalem Post reports that US Democrats spoke secretly with Hamas:

Meanwhile, sources close to the PA government claimed that Hamas representatives recently held talks with officials from the US Democratic Party at an undisclosed location.

The sources told the Bethlehem-based Maan News Agency that Hamas representatives had also held secret talks with officials of European governments, including Britain and France.

Hamas has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the US State Department, and it's illegal for US citizens to give them aid (FTOs and law regarding them explained here). Whether members of Congress, the legislative branch of government, are exempt from this law is unclear. Certainly, agents of the executive branch, who are charged with foreign relations, could engage in negotiations without being in violation.

WorldNetDaily is also reporting this story:

JERUSALEM – Hamas met with a delegation of "important Democrats" who expressed interest in relations with the Palestinian terror group even if it doesn't recognize the right of Israel to exist, a Palestinian news website claimed today.

Supposedly, the Democrats are amenable to Israel returning to her pre-1967 borders in exchange for a ceasefire from Hamas. They might want to check with Israel first.

Update: The Jerusalem Post has pulled the paragraphs referring to the alleged meeting between Hamas and Democrats. WorldNetDaily has not altered their story. Thanks to commenter Tom Blumer of Bizzyblog, who noticed the revision.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Why the AP 'Burning Six' Scandal Remains Largely Unreported

Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner mentions the reason for the media's silence on the discredited "six burning Sunnis" story, but doesn't identify it as such [emphasis added]:

It's time for AP to take the same sort of approach to resolve the Captain Jamil Hussein controversy. But there is one big difference between the present issue and the Dan Rather/"60 Minutes" ordeal - AP provides news to virtually every daily newspaper in America. AP is a cornerstone of the mainstream media. If AP's credibiilty is harmed, every news organization that uses its products also suffers.

Thus, AP should ask the American Society of Newspaper Editors to oversee the appointment and conduct of an independent panel of respected journalists and outside evidentiary experts to determine the truth behind Captain Jamil Hussein and all other sources similarly in doubt.

To allow this controversy to continue to fester without taking decisive actions to resolve it to everybody's satisfaction could be disastrous for journalists everywhere.

That's why you haven't heard about the controversy on the nightly network news - it questions the credibility of every mainstream outlet that uses stories from the Associated Press. That would be all of them.

Previous:

Mosque Burnings Apparently a Hoax, Sunni Burnings Unconfirmed
MSM "Official Source" a Fraud
Bogus Source Cited in NBC 'Civil War' Decision
AP's Duping Over 'Burning Six' Enters MSM
It's Official: AP Source an Impostor
When Wire Services Attack
Columnist: AP 'Has Lost Its Rudder'

MSNBC Kicks Off Iraq Study Group Debate With Push Poll

The ink is barely dry on the Iraq Study Group's report and the mainstream media has already decided that the "bipartisan consensus" is gospel.

Just in case any neanderthals who might question the august group might not have gotten the message, MSNBC has created a stunningly blatant online push poll to get them in line.


Text of the poll [emphasis added]:

Do you believe the Iraq Study Group report will make any difference?

Yes. With its recommendations and proposals, it gives the United States the opportunity for a 'graceful exit.'

No. The Bush administration will ignore most, if not all, of the recommendations.

Maybe. If the Democrat-controlled Congress puts pressure on the administration.

Notice that there's no option to disagree with the Iraq Study Group's findings. If the group's report isn't helpful, it's because the BusHitlerBurtons won't let it succeed.

March of the Nazi Santas

Who is behind brigades of Santa Clauses giving the Sieg Heil! Nazi salute? Der Spiegel investigates:

Christmas shoppers in Germany are horrified. Across the country, models of Santa Claus in shop windows appear to be giving the Nazi salute. Some chains have already removed them from the shelves.

The company responsible for the Fuehrer-saluting St. Nicks is unrepentant:

The toymaker behind the Nazi Santas is unimpressed with the unwanted attention their product is receiving. "We are surprised that a Santa pointing skyward has been associated with the Hitler salute," he told Bild.

Dog strippers? Sick, dude!

Headline:

Charges dog strip club owner


The next day, Rex couldn't remember the bitch's name

Via James Taranto's Best of the Web.

The Night Before Christmas, 2006

Kurl, the master song parodist of Slate's Fray, sent me this typically brilliant Christmas Eve opus:

The Night Before Christmas, 2006

'Twas the night before Christmas, Two Thousand and Six
The Republicans reeling, they’ve taken their licks
They’ve ceded the Senate, and even the House
Still in search of a message they failed to espouse
The libs all agog, they’ve been taking their meds
While dreams of impeachment would dance in their heads
The RNC headquarters slept like a morgue,
As the Dems celebrated with moveon.org
There’s a lesson to learn from November’s election,
And our country’s prepared for a bold new direction
Our agenda enriches each woman and man,
And we’re finally prepared to expose our new plan
The first of our issues attentions require
Is the war in Iraq, it’s a bloody quagmire
It is evil George Bush who must shoulder the blame
We demand that he grovel, admit to his shame
He’ll address the whole nation, confess to war crimes
A moment so poignant, so sweet and sublime
More rapid than donkeys the Democrats gathered
And they whistled, and shouted, they carped and they blathered

"Hey Harry! Look Howie! Fat Ted’s on a bender!
He partied with Kerry! There’s talk of surrender!
Murtha’s trashing the troops and proclaiming with joy:
"We must quickly turn tail and at once redeploy!"
We shall prosecute soldiers, shut down Abu Ghraib
Free those poor tortured souls at Guantanamo Bay
All the clerics, jihadists, Imams we’ll embrace
Lest no one be judged by religion or race

Let’s get to it now, in our very first session
And avert a train wreck of the next Great Depression
These destructive tax cuts, irresponsible gamble
Our economy languished in tatters and shambles
There’s a growing abyss ‘tween the haves and have nots,
While the working stiffs struggle, they cruise on their yachts
We shall soak all the rich for those falling behind,
Well, except if their name ends in Soros or Heinz
Now roll back those cuts! We’ve compassion! We care!
It’s high time that the bastards cough up their fair share!
And across this great nation prosperity reigns
With a buck fifty hike in the minimum wage
If you’re under the weather, you’re sick or you’re bleedin’
Get ready for treatment from France or from Sweden
For the system’s on life support, needing repair
Usher in the new era of HillaryCare
Got a hangnail, a pimple, an ache in your back?
Join the end of the queue for a government quack
Does your gender need change, God forbid emphysema?
Come and stop by our clinic, it’s run just like FEMA
Pelosi’s at work, now she’s draining the swamp
The people have spoken, we won in a romp
An end to corruption would certainly please her
She’ll ignore 90 Gs in Bill Jefferson’s freezer
Let us bury the hatchet, rise above all this drama
Join hands in a circle, genuflect to Obama
And though we’ve banned Santa, he’s surfaced in spite
"Merry Christmas (er, um, scrap that) Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night!"