Lebanese crowd breaks into U.N. HQ in Beirut
By Tom Perry
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese protesters broke into the United Nations headquarters in Beirut on Sunday, smashing windows and ransacking offices, after an Israeli air strike killed at least 40 people in south Lebanon. (the airstike was in response to a missil attack by Hezbooha)
Several thousand people massed outside the building in downtown Beirut chanting "Death to Israel, death to America. We sacrifice our blood and souls for Lebanon." (good lets bomb the whole country then)
By early afternoon, most protesters had drifted away leaving a few hundred people milling in a car park opposite the building, which was being protected by a line of Lebanese soldiers.
Geir Petersen, the personal representative of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in Lebanon, condemned the Israeli attack on the village of Qana and called for an immediate investigation. (yet where is his condemnation of the missile attack on inocent Israeli's that provoked it?)
"I strongly condemn today's killing of tens of civilians by Israeli shelling of residential buildings in the village of Qana," he said in a statement. (no condemnation for firing rockets from those buildings into Israel)
Petersen was not at the U.N. offices in Beirut when they were attacked.
U.N. spokesman Khaled Mansour said the building had been stoned and furniture smashed but no U.N. staff were hurt as they had taken refuge in the basement. He said a small fire was started on the second floor but it had been contained.
Demonstrators held aloft the flags of Lebanon, Hizbollah and the Amal party, whose leader, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, appealed for a halt to the attack.
"Give the world a chance to stand by us," he said on local television. (the REAL world condemns you for using civilians as shields to fire your rockets that YOU are firing at civilians in Israel)
CALLS TO ATTACK TEL AVIV
Demonstrators tore down a United Nations flag outside the building and ripped it to shreds and called on Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to launch rocket attacks on Tel Aviv.
"Oh Nasrallah, oh our cherished one, destroy, destroy Tel Aviv," they chanted.
Members of Hizbollah, the Shi'ite group that sparked the war 19 days ago when it seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border raid, tried to restrain the crowd.
The protesters gathered after an Israeli attack early on Sunday killed at least 40 people, including 23 children, in the southern Lebanese village of Qana. (in response to a missile attack on Israeli civilians from that location)
Following the attack, Lebanon canceled a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday, saying she was unwelcome until a ceasefire was declared. ( thats fine then lets Carpet Bomb Lebanon since they refuse to stop Hezbooha and today even thanked them. It is obvious that Hezbooha is acting with the blessing of the Lebanese Government. The country and Government of Lebanon is guilty of an un-provoked attack against a neighboring country, firing rockets into civilian areas to KILL civilians, and using it's own citizens as human shields for these attacks.)
At least 523 Lebanese, mostly civilians, have been killed since the conflict started and there is growing anger in Lebanon that the international community has not done enough to stop it. (there is also anger that Lebanon refuses to stop Hezbooha from targeting civilians in Israel and using the Lebanese people as human shields)
"It's tense, we understand the anger and the rage of the people outside because of the Israeli shelling, but we don't understand why the U.N. building and its staff, many of them Lebanese, are to blame," said Mansour, speaking from the basement of the UN building. (because the people of the Muslim Street are collaborators in Terror and care nothing about inocents. They have provoked a war, and are whining that the other side is shooting back. Boo Hoo)
The ridiculousness of this situation grows each and everyday. Israel was attacked, Israel has continued to be attacked. Those that attacked refuse to stop attacking yet everyone DEMANDS that Israel STOP DEFENDING HERSELF. It's time to just completly destroy Lebanon, Syria, and Iran....
War
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
The Wolf is at The Door..
Mohsen Rezai, Iranian Expediency Council Secretary and Former Commander of Iran
Revolutionary Guards: If Hizbullah's Patience Runs Out There Will Be Chaos in
Tel Aviv; Ms. Rice Should Be Tried as First Female War Criminal; The Legal
Experts of the Islamic World Should Prepare Some Kind of Legal Action Against
Her
The following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on July 25, 2006.
TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1204.
Deploying NATO in Lebanon is Occupation; NATO is an Army That Attacks and Conquers
Mohsen Rezai: "Israel and America want NATO to be deployed [in South Lebanon]. NATO is, in fact, a military force. Deploying NATO means the occupation of Lebanon, this time not by Israel, but by Israel's partner. If NATO is deployed in South Lebanon, it will be an explicit and clear occupation, albeit with a diplomatic tone and language, and a peaceful appearance. In fact, it is a type of occupation. After all, NATO is not a peacekeeping force. NATO is an army. It is the kind of army that attacks and conquers. It is an interested party in this matter. It faces Syria, and it has problems with China and the Islamic world. Therefore, NATO is different from the U.N. forces and the Lebanese army."
[...]
"Can they drive Hizbullah north beyond the Litani River, deploy NATO forces there, and then ask... Disarm Hizbullah? Who would dare? Who has the power to disarm Hizbullah? Today Lebanon is in the hands of Hizbullah. The security of Lebanon - even the security of the streets and alleys in Lebanon - is run by Hizbullah. The border and the sea are in the hands of Hizbullah."
[...]
"If Hizbullah's Patience Runs Out... The War Will Change Dramatically... There Will Be Chaos in Tel Aviv"
Mohsen Rezai: "If Hizbullah's patience runs out and it enters a new phase, the war will change dramatically. First of all, there will be chaos in Tel Aviv, as well as in many cities between Haifa and Tel Aviv. There are atomic and chemical arsenals right between Haifa and Tel Aviv, and there might be problems there. An unexpected situation might develop. So far, Hizbullah has demonstrated manliness, restraint, and humanitarianism. But as of yesterday, they began attacking the towns and villages south of the Litani like madmen, and I don't know what will happen in the days to come."
[...]
Interviewer: "So if they push Hizbullah to the Litani, Haifa may still get hit?"
Mohsen Rezai: "Haifa goes without saying..."
Interviewer: "Tel Aviv as well?"
Mohsen Rezai: "Hizbullah has trump cards, but Israel has exploited Hizbullah's humanitarianism. The Israelis think that since the Hizbullah men have not carried out their initial threats, they have nothing up their sleeves. This has made these [Israeli] gentlemen somewhat audacious."
[...]
"The Legal Experts of the Islamic World [Should Take]... Legal Action Against Ms. Rice"
Mohsen Rezai: "In my opinion, it would be best if the legal experts of the Islamic world prepare some kind of legal action against Ms. Rice. I think this lady is the first ever female war criminal, and she should be brought to trial. She has explicitly declared - and I think this was a political mistake by her - that she is giving Israel a free hand to attack Lebanon. This in itself is enough to prepare a case against her as a war criminal."
War
The Democrats and Environmentalists have left us at the Mercy and Pleasure of a Modern Day Mussolini
Birds of a Feather Venezuelan Dictator Chavez Visits Iran
You know more about people by the company they keep. More than anything else, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez's visit to Iran today tells us more about him than anything else.The meeting takes place at a particularly difficult time as the world is becoming more aware of the Iranian funding, support, training and weaponry supplied to the Hezbollah fighters attacking Israel.
Fox News reports that Following talks, Chavez pledged that his country would "stay by Iran at any time and under any condition," state television reported.Ahmedinejad said he saw in Chavez a kindred spirit."I feel I have met a brother and trench mate after meeting Chavez," Ahmedinejad was quoted as saying by state-run television. "We think Iran and Venezuela should share all experiences of each other, stay by each other and they have to be supporters of each other." Read the Rest of Mikes excellent points at Mikes America
What I want to draw attention to is the fact that this Terrorist worshiping scumbag, that is allying himself with the people that we are about to go to Full war with is one of Our largest suppliers of OIL.And what do our IDIOT Politicians do? Do they open Anwar? NO, Do the build any New Refineries? NO, Do they Drill one of the largest Oil fields in the world the Gulf of Mexico? NO, but Castro and Chavez are Drilling there.
Do they lie to us and try to sell us failures such as Ethanol, Solar, and what ever other witchdoctor blend they can think of as ALTERNATIVE Fuels, YES.
In the meantime our economy other than in the area of energy is booming, but will soon collapse when Gas hits above $5 a gallon. There is only one reason that Gas will cost that much.
POLITICAL STUPIDITY. We have enough domestic supply to last at a shy estimate 150 years and a good estimate 300 years. All we have to do is drill it or sift the Canadian sands and then refine it. But can we do that "Oh no we may hurt the caribou or the Butterfly".
Never mind that every dollar we send outside this country for oil and gas, goes directly into the purchase of a bullet for an IslamoFacist to aim at the head of an American or a Jew.... But the caribou are safe!
War
Former House Speaker Gingrich blasts Europe, UN for stance on Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon
The Desert Sun July 27 2006
Taya Gray
Former House Speaker and possible Republican presidential aspirant Newt Gingrich had caustic words for United Nations and European leaders calling for an immediate ceasefire in the crisis between Israel and the Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.
"The Europeans have always been prepared to have Israelis get killed and not do anything. The U.N. has always been one-sided," Gingrich told The Desert Sun prior to speaking at a fundraiser for Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Rancho Mirage today.
Israel's efforts to bring conditions for peace to the region by withdrawing from held Lebanese territories "simply became an excuse for Syria, Iran and Hezbollah to put 13,000 missiles into South Lebanon," Gingrich said.
"I think the goal of the civilized world needs to be to demilitarize Hezbollah, force the Iranians out of South Lebanon and eliminate the 13,000 missiles," he said. "Any ceasefire that does not have those three goals is just a pause between the wars. It just sets the stage for another, bigger war."
The U.N.'s presence in the region "is actually harmful in making it harder to protect innocent people from terrorists," Gingrich said.
"You have 2,000 U.N. soldiers sitting there since 1978; they watched Iranians bring in 13,000 missiles, they did nothing about it," he said.
Gingrich called for a NATO-led force in the region and a disarmed Hezbollah -- which may have to happen by force, as the group has vowed it will fight rather than disarm.
Gingrich said the conflict in South Lebanon is "part of the much larger conflict that is building from North Korea to Iran to Syria to the terrorists that were picked up in Canada a few weeks ago."
Gingrich stirred controversy in recent weeks when he referred to the global struggle as "World War III."
War
Friday, July 28, 2006
Sometimes you just gotta Laugh....
Scientist: Inject Sulfur into Air to Battle Global Warming
One way to curb global warming is to purposely shoot sulfur into the atmosphere, a scientist suggested today.
The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. It also releases sulfur that cools the planet by reflecting solar radiation away from Earth.
Most researchers say the warming effect has been winning in recent decades.
Injecting sulfur into the second atmospheric layer closest to Earth would reflect more sunlight back to space and offset greenhouse gas warming, according to Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego.
One way to curb global warming is to purposely shoot sulfur into the atmosphere, a scientist suggested today.
The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. It also releases sulfur that cools the planet by reflecting solar radiation away from Earth.
Most researchers say the warming effect has been winning in recent decades.
Injecting sulfur into the second atmospheric layer closest to Earth would reflect more sunlight back to space and offset greenhouse gas warming, according to Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego.
Hezbollah Says It Has Fired a New Rocket
BEIRUT, Lebanon
Hezbollah said it fired a new rocket, called Khaibar-1, striking near the Israeli town of Afula, south of Haifa. Israeli authorities reported that five rockets hit fields outside Afula, causing no casualties.
The strike came two days after Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech that Hezbollah would start a new phase in the battle striking beyond the Israeli city of Haifa, which has been hit several times in lethal rocket fire.
The area around Afula, 30 miles south of the Israeli-Lebanese border area, has been struck before, but Israeli security officials said Friday's attacks were the southernmost so far.
Hezbollah said it fired a new rocket, called Khaibar-1, striking near the Israeli town of Afula, south of Haifa. Israeli authorities reported that five rockets hit fields outside Afula, causing no casualties.
The strike came two days after Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech that Hezbollah would start a new phase in the battle striking beyond the Israeli city of Haifa, which has been hit several times in lethal rocket fire.
The area around Afula, 30 miles south of the Israeli-Lebanese border area, has been struck before, but Israeli security officials said Friday's attacks were the southernmost so far.
Calling a Spade a Spade...
Israel rules out United Nations role in peacekeeping force
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations ruled out Thursday major UN involvement in any potential international force in Lebanon, saying more professional and better-trained troops were needed for such a volatile situation.
Dan Gillerman also said Israel would not allow the United Nations to join in an investigation of an Israeli air strike that demolished a post belonging to the current UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Four UN observers were killed in the Tuesday strike.
His refusal to conduct a joint investigation will be a slap to UN officials, who have specifically sought to partner with Israel to investigate the bombing.
Gillerman was highly critical of the current UN peacekeeping force, deployed in a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, saying its facilities had sometimes been used for cover by Hezbollah militants and that it had not done its job.
"It has never been able to prevent any shelling of Israel, any terrorist attack, any kidnappings," he said. "They either didn't see or didn't know or didn't want to see, but they have been hopeless."
Gillerman even mocked the name of the force - the UN Interim Force in Lebanon."Interim in UN jargon is 28 years," he said.
War
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations ruled out Thursday major UN involvement in any potential international force in Lebanon, saying more professional and better-trained troops were needed for such a volatile situation.
Dan Gillerman also said Israel would not allow the United Nations to join in an investigation of an Israeli air strike that demolished a post belonging to the current UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Four UN observers were killed in the Tuesday strike.
His refusal to conduct a joint investigation will be a slap to UN officials, who have specifically sought to partner with Israel to investigate the bombing.
Gillerman was highly critical of the current UN peacekeeping force, deployed in a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, saying its facilities had sometimes been used for cover by Hezbollah militants and that it had not done its job.
"It has never been able to prevent any shelling of Israel, any terrorist attack, any kidnappings," he said. "They either didn't see or didn't know or didn't want to see, but they have been hopeless."
Gillerman even mocked the name of the force - the UN Interim Force in Lebanon."Interim in UN jargon is 28 years," he said.
War
Thursday, July 27, 2006
COFFEE ANNAN AND SHRIEK ASSRALLAH...
I remember posting the attached image of leading anti-Semitic UN Secretary General Kofi Annnan and Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah. But then I saw this excellent point being made over at Debbie Schlussel's site; WHY was the UN Chief meeting with a terrorist leader who has no country and no UN mission? Ever wonder what the visit and meeting was all about - archives sure help cast perspective....
The highlight of Annan's visit to Beirut, however, was his meeting on Tuesday
with Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah held at Annan's request. During
the meeting, at Hizbullah's headquarters in Beirut's southern district, (The
terror base - DV) Nasrallah told the UN chief that his group would continue its
struggle until the liberation of all Lebanese territory. Annan reportedly
thanked the Hizbullah leaders for maintaining law and order in the south since
Israel's pullout. The meeting was unlikely to have gone down well with the
United States and Israel who consider Hizbullah an "enemy of peace."
Of course Hezbollah are the enemies of peace - but SO is Kofi Annan and his Jew-hating pals.
Posted by DV on July 27, 2006 from A Tangled Web
A Gem From Mikes America
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Ancient Find in Ireland Points to Psalm 83 and Hope for Israel
As a rule, we don't delve too deeply into religion here at Mike's America. But the conflict in the Middle East tugs at our Judeo-Christian heritage.So when an ancient text is discovered in Ireland this week with the page open to Psalm 83 we take notice. CNN, oddly enough, has the report, which was brought to our attention by Mr. Beamish of the Crank Files.Psalm 83 describes the biblical attacks against Israel and the nightmare of war inflicted by those who attempt to destroy the nation of Israel.The text in the old languages may be a bit too much for most of us modern types to understand. But here is an audio visual presentation which might make it more clear.I think you will find the graphics relating the ancient nations to today's geography especially useful.Israel is OUR fight too!
posted by Mike's America
Ancient Find in Ireland Points to Psalm 83 and Hope for Israel
As a rule, we don't delve too deeply into religion here at Mike's America. But the conflict in the Middle East tugs at our Judeo-Christian heritage.So when an ancient text is discovered in Ireland this week with the page open to Psalm 83 we take notice. CNN, oddly enough, has the report, which was brought to our attention by Mr. Beamish of the Crank Files.Psalm 83 describes the biblical attacks against Israel and the nightmare of war inflicted by those who attempt to destroy the nation of Israel.The text in the old languages may be a bit too much for most of us modern types to understand. But here is an audio visual presentation which might make it more clear.I think you will find the graphics relating the ancient nations to today's geography especially useful.Israel is OUR fight too!
posted by Mike's America
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Syria Threatens to Attack International Force in Lebanon
If this is not a threat, I don't know what is:
One Syrian official issued a strong warning against a proposal that was gaining momentum on Sunday for an international force to guard the Lebanon-Israel border. Deploying such a force without the cooperation of Syrian and Hezbollah, the official said, will risk repeating 1983. That was a pointed reference to the 241 United States service members and 58 French soldiers killed in attacks on military installations by suicide bombers. It has long been considered likely that Hezbollah sent the bombers with Syria’s blessing.
War
'Dirty bomb' shipment to Iran siezed
United Press International
LONDON, July 25 (UPI) -- Bulgarian border guards seized a British truck bound for Iran after discovering it contained radioactive material that could be used to build a dirty bomb.
The truck, owned by Kent-based shipping firm Orient Transport Services, was carrying 10 soil-testing devices containing radioactive caesium 137 and americium-beryllium, Britain's Daily Mail reported at the weekend.
The paper said it was stopped at a checkpoint on Bulgaria's northern border with Romania after a scanner detected abnormal radiation levels.
The Mail quoted a Bulgarian customs official as saying that although documentation listed the shipment as destined for the Ministry of Transport in Tehran, the lead-lined boxes containing the devices were addressed to Iran's Ministry of Defense.
Andrew Maclean, a director of Orient Transport Services told the paper the shipment was perfectly legal. "We had a letter from the (British Department of Trade and Industry) confirming that no export license was needed to send these items to the Iranians," he said.
"We also alerted customs officials about the goods we were transporting before they left the U.K. and the truck carried all the appropriate warning symbols to alert officials and the emergency services of what it was carrying."
The paper said a spokesman for the department confirmed that "This sort of material ... is not covered by our export controls."
War
Iran
LONDON, July 25 (UPI) -- Bulgarian border guards seized a British truck bound for Iran after discovering it contained radioactive material that could be used to build a dirty bomb.
The truck, owned by Kent-based shipping firm Orient Transport Services, was carrying 10 soil-testing devices containing radioactive caesium 137 and americium-beryllium, Britain's Daily Mail reported at the weekend.
The paper said it was stopped at a checkpoint on Bulgaria's northern border with Romania after a scanner detected abnormal radiation levels.
The Mail quoted a Bulgarian customs official as saying that although documentation listed the shipment as destined for the Ministry of Transport in Tehran, the lead-lined boxes containing the devices were addressed to Iran's Ministry of Defense.
Andrew Maclean, a director of Orient Transport Services told the paper the shipment was perfectly legal. "We had a letter from the (British Department of Trade and Industry) confirming that no export license was needed to send these items to the Iranians," he said.
"We also alerted customs officials about the goods we were transporting before they left the U.K. and the truck carried all the appropriate warning symbols to alert officials and the emergency services of what it was carrying."
The paper said a spokesman for the department confirmed that "This sort of material ... is not covered by our export controls."
War
Iran
Monday, July 24, 2006
Suicide armies launched
The Sun
From NICK PARKER
Chief Foreign Correspondent in Lebanon
TEAMS of Iranian suicide bombers were heading for Lebanon’s war zone last night in a terrifying bid to spark meltdown in the Middle East.
Twenty-seven martyrdom-seekers have been sent to Syria on their way to front line positions.
The mad fanatics, belonging to the Iranian Martyrs of Islam World Movement, have been training for months to wreak maximum havoc on military and soft civilian targets. Their aim is to spark terror which will detonate all-out war and suck Western nations into a final bloody showdown.
A spokesman for the martyrs group said yesterday: “Two teams of 18 and nine have gone to Syria separately.
“They have been deployed on a voluntary basis in order to get to the areas of conflict in any way they can.”
The man, named only as Mohammadi, claimed the 27 were picked from 55,000 who registered in Iran. They were briefed and have completed the “relevant courses” so that they could perform both military services and helping the wounded.
Mohammadi added: “If Israel would decide to occupy Lebanon again, they will carry out martyrdom-seeking operations.”
The would-be bombers are also trained to recruit local volunteers and create new cells of suicide attackers.
All of them are fluent in Persian and Arabic, and some speak English.
Mohammadi insisted that the MIWM group has no links with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Another Iranian source close to the group, named as Mohammad Ali Samadi declared: “The first two groups of esteshhadioun (volunteers of martyrdom) have already reached Lebanon.
“They have received adequate training to fight beside their Lebanese brothers. They will identify Zionist targets and attack them with actions of martyrdom.”
The fanatics also aim to avenge deaths and injuries to people like those caught in the Israeli air strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre.
The deployment of suicide squads will strengthen US claims that Iran is the power behind the current turmoil in Lebanon.
Security has been stepped up amid fears of suicide attacks on soft targets in Beirut and areas close to the Israeli border where fighting is raging. A Lebanese security official said: “It is the nightmare we’ve been dreading.”
Israeli troops yesterday seized two Hezbollah guerrillas during fighting in Maroun al-Ras.
The death toll in the conflict continues to mount. At least three people died when Israeli warplanes struck a minibus carrying 16 villagers fleeing from Tairi in Lebanon.
Hezbollah continued rocket attacks across northern Israel. Two people died as more than a dozen missiles hit Haifa. One was killed in a factory — on the day residents returned to work after a week of sheltering from the bombing.
A total of 17 Israelis have been killed by Hezbollah rockets and 19 Israeli troops have died. And 381 Lebanese have been killed.
A UN observer was injured in the crossfire. Italian Capt Roberto Punzo was hit in the stomach by shrapnel. He was last night undergoing surgery.
War
From NICK PARKER
Chief Foreign Correspondent in Lebanon
TEAMS of Iranian suicide bombers were heading for Lebanon’s war zone last night in a terrifying bid to spark meltdown in the Middle East.
Twenty-seven martyrdom-seekers have been sent to Syria on their way to front line positions.
The mad fanatics, belonging to the Iranian Martyrs of Islam World Movement, have been training for months to wreak maximum havoc on military and soft civilian targets. Their aim is to spark terror which will detonate all-out war and suck Western nations into a final bloody showdown.
A spokesman for the martyrs group said yesterday: “Two teams of 18 and nine have gone to Syria separately.
“They have been deployed on a voluntary basis in order to get to the areas of conflict in any way they can.”
The man, named only as Mohammadi, claimed the 27 were picked from 55,000 who registered in Iran. They were briefed and have completed the “relevant courses” so that they could perform both military services and helping the wounded.
Mohammadi added: “If Israel would decide to occupy Lebanon again, they will carry out martyrdom-seeking operations.”
The would-be bombers are also trained to recruit local volunteers and create new cells of suicide attackers.
All of them are fluent in Persian and Arabic, and some speak English.
Mohammadi insisted that the MIWM group has no links with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Another Iranian source close to the group, named as Mohammad Ali Samadi declared: “The first two groups of esteshhadioun (volunteers of martyrdom) have already reached Lebanon.
“They have received adequate training to fight beside their Lebanese brothers. They will identify Zionist targets and attack them with actions of martyrdom.”
The fanatics also aim to avenge deaths and injuries to people like those caught in the Israeli air strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre.
The deployment of suicide squads will strengthen US claims that Iran is the power behind the current turmoil in Lebanon.
Security has been stepped up amid fears of suicide attacks on soft targets in Beirut and areas close to the Israeli border where fighting is raging. A Lebanese security official said: “It is the nightmare we’ve been dreading.”
Israeli troops yesterday seized two Hezbollah guerrillas during fighting in Maroun al-Ras.
The death toll in the conflict continues to mount. At least three people died when Israeli warplanes struck a minibus carrying 16 villagers fleeing from Tairi in Lebanon.
Hezbollah continued rocket attacks across northern Israel. Two people died as more than a dozen missiles hit Haifa. One was killed in a factory — on the day residents returned to work after a week of sheltering from the bombing.
A total of 17 Israelis have been killed by Hezbollah rockets and 19 Israeli troops have died. And 381 Lebanese have been killed.
A UN observer was injured in the crossfire. Italian Capt Roberto Punzo was hit in the stomach by shrapnel. He was last night undergoing surgery.
War
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Iran: Israel doomed to 'destruction'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEHERAN
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.
Ahmadinejad's latest salvo against Israel came as the 12-day-old hostilities in Lebanon continued. The hard-line president drew international condemnation last year after publicly calling for Israel to be wiped out and calling the Holocaust a "myth."
Iran helped create the anti-Israel Hizbullah movement in the early 1980s and is among its main supplier of arms and funds. But Teheran has denied Israeli claims it is sent Hizbullah long-range missiles that have reached Haifa and other points in northern Israel since the battles broke out nearly two weeks ago following a cross-border Hizbullah raid that captured two Israeli soldiers.
"Britain and the United States are accomplices of the Zionist regime in its crimes in Lebanon and Palestine," said Ahmadinejad.
He said "the people of the region will respond" unless Israel and its allies apologize for their policies.
"Arrogant powers have set up a base for themselves to threaten and plunder nations in the region," said Ahmadinejad. "But today, the occupier regime (Israel) - whose philosophy is based on threats, massacre and invasion - has reached its finishing line."
Last week, Ahmadinejad sent a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel that contained statements about Israel and the Holocaust that are "not acceptable," said German officials.
Germany has sharply criticized Ahmadinejad's anti-Israel statements.
In Teheran, the government has sanctioned billboards showing Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and a message that it is the duty of Muslims to "wipe out" Israel. Officials also organized a demonstration in the southern city of Shiraz by Iran's small Jewish community calling for Israel's destruction and praising Hizbullah.
War
Iran
Dirty bomb rockets ready
Hezbollah poised to fire warheads of spent nuclear rods
LONDON – The British intelligence service MI6 has established that Hezbollah is poised to launch a new "rain of terror" on Israel with rockets equipped with "dirty bomb" nose cones, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
"The nose cones will contain spent nuclear rods from Iran's nuclear programme. The rods are wrapped with conventional explosives. The dirty bombs are primarily intended to create increased panic across an already nervous population in northern Israel," claimed a senior intelligence officer in London.
Meantime, Mossad undercover agents are desperately trying to locate where the "dirty bomb" arsenal is located. It is believed to be in the Bekaa Valley.
The Israeli intelligence service has also told MI6 that it believes Hezbollah now has "up to a thousand" other rockets poised for launch.
To read the full report and get access to the rest of Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.
LONDON – The British intelligence service MI6 has established that Hezbollah is poised to launch a new "rain of terror" on Israel with rockets equipped with "dirty bomb" nose cones, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
"The nose cones will contain spent nuclear rods from Iran's nuclear programme. The rods are wrapped with conventional explosives. The dirty bombs are primarily intended to create increased panic across an already nervous population in northern Israel," claimed a senior intelligence officer in London.
Meantime, Mossad undercover agents are desperately trying to locate where the "dirty bomb" arsenal is located. It is believed to be in the Bekaa Valley.
The Israeli intelligence service has also told MI6 that it believes Hezbollah now has "up to a thousand" other rockets poised for launch.
To read the full report and get access to the rest of Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.
DEBKAfile Exclusive: In response to Iranian re-supplies to Hizballah, a US arms airlift began running to Israel Saturday, July 22
It is carrying fresh stock of bombs, missiles and spare parts for Israeli Air Force aircraft and helicopters. Giant Galaxy C141 transports have been landing, unloading and taking off at short intervals.
DEBKAfile adds: The American airlift to Israel follows the air corridor Iran opened to replenish Hizballah’s stocks on Wednesday, July 19, landing supplies at Syria’s Abu Ad Duhur military airfield north of Homs. The deliveries for Hizballah include large quantities of new missiles, including the long-range Zelzal and Fajr 3 and Fajr 5 missiles, Katyusha rockets, anti-tank and anti-air missiles sent out from the RG HQ in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. Some of these missiles can reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Thursday, July 21, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander Brig.-Gen Yahya Rahim Safavi (picture) assumed command of the Lebanon war from Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. RG forward command posts are operating out of Iranian embassies in Beirut and Damascus. Syria has placed its army, Scud
missiles and air force in a state of preparedness.
War
I hate Alan Dershowitz... But in this article He is 100% CORRECT
The predictable condemners
By ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ
The Hizbullah and Hamas provocations against Israel once again demonstrate how terrorists exploit human rights and the media in their attacks on democracies.
By hiding behind their own civilians the Islamic radicals issue a challenge to democracies: Either violate your own morality by coming after us and inevitably killing some innocent civilians, or maintain your morality and leave us with a free hand to target your innocent civilians.
This challenge presents democracies such as Israel with a lose-lose option, and the terrorists with a win-win option.
There is one variable that could change this dynamic and present democracies with a viable option that could make terrorism less attractive as a tactic: The international community, the anti-Israel segment of the media and the so called "human rights" organizations could stop falling for this terrorist gambit and acknowledge that they are being used to promote the terrorist agenda.
Whenever a democracy is presented with the lose-lose option and chooses to defend its citizens by going after the terrorists who are hiding among civilians, this trio of predictable condemners can be counted on by the terrorists to accuse the democracy of "overreaction," "disproportionality" and "violations of human rights."
In doing so they play right into the hands of the terrorists, causing more terrorism and more civilian casualties on both sides.
If instead this trio could, for once, be counted on to blame the terrorists for the civilian deaths on both sides, this tactic would no longer be a win-win situation for the terrorists.
IT SHOULD BE obvious by now that Hizbullah and Hamas actually want the Israeli military to kill as many Lebanese and Palestinian civilians as possible. That is why they store their rockets underneath the beds of civilians; why they launch their missiles from crowded civilian neighborhoods and hide among civilians. They are seeking to induce Israel to defend its civilians by going after them among their civilian "shields." They know that every civilian they induce Israel to kill hurts Israel in the media and the international and human rights communities.
Read More
By ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ
The Hizbullah and Hamas provocations against Israel once again demonstrate how terrorists exploit human rights and the media in their attacks on democracies.
By hiding behind their own civilians the Islamic radicals issue a challenge to democracies: Either violate your own morality by coming after us and inevitably killing some innocent civilians, or maintain your morality and leave us with a free hand to target your innocent civilians.
This challenge presents democracies such as Israel with a lose-lose option, and the terrorists with a win-win option.
There is one variable that could change this dynamic and present democracies with a viable option that could make terrorism less attractive as a tactic: The international community, the anti-Israel segment of the media and the so called "human rights" organizations could stop falling for this terrorist gambit and acknowledge that they are being used to promote the terrorist agenda.
Whenever a democracy is presented with the lose-lose option and chooses to defend its citizens by going after the terrorists who are hiding among civilians, this trio of predictable condemners can be counted on by the terrorists to accuse the democracy of "overreaction," "disproportionality" and "violations of human rights."
In doing so they play right into the hands of the terrorists, causing more terrorism and more civilian casualties on both sides.
If instead this trio could, for once, be counted on to blame the terrorists for the civilian deaths on both sides, this tactic would no longer be a win-win situation for the terrorists.
IT SHOULD BE obvious by now that Hizbullah and Hamas actually want the Israeli military to kill as many Lebanese and Palestinian civilians as possible. That is why they store their rockets underneath the beds of civilians; why they launch their missiles from crowded civilian neighborhoods and hide among civilians. They are seeking to induce Israel to defend its civilians by going after them among their civilian "shields." They know that every civilian they induce Israel to kill hurts Israel in the media and the international and human rights communities.
Read More
UN "APPALLED" AS TERROR INFRA-STRUCTURE DEGRADED...
So, the UN's Jan Egeland has condemned the devastation caused by Israeli air strikes in Beirut, saying it is "a violation of humanitarian law."
It's funny how QUIET Egeland kept when Hezbollah built up their terror base in Lebanon - was that not a violation of humanintarian law?
It's funny how QUIET Egeland was when Hezbollah slaughtered 241 US soldiers back in 1983.
It's funny how QUIET Egeland was when Hizbollah murdered Israeli soldiers and citizens.
But - OH MY GOODNESS - Israel strikes back against the Jihadists and Egeland is shrieking from the rooftops - into the waiting microphones of the MSM.
The UN, of course, is institutionally and profoundly anti-Semitic. It is a moral sewer inhabited by the Jew haters and every now and again creatures such as Egeland emerge from its foul waters to heap criticism of those who fight for liberty, freedom and democracy.
Who gives a damn what this miserable man thinks - Go, Israel Go!
Posted by DV on July 23, 2006 at 02:32 PM from A Tangled Web
War
It's funny how QUIET Egeland kept when Hezbollah built up their terror base in Lebanon - was that not a violation of humanintarian law?
It's funny how QUIET Egeland was when Hezbollah slaughtered 241 US soldiers back in 1983.
It's funny how QUIET Egeland was when Hizbollah murdered Israeli soldiers and citizens.
But - OH MY GOODNESS - Israel strikes back against the Jihadists and Egeland is shrieking from the rooftops - into the waiting microphones of the MSM.
The UN, of course, is institutionally and profoundly anti-Semitic. It is a moral sewer inhabited by the Jew haters and every now and again creatures such as Egeland emerge from its foul waters to heap criticism of those who fight for liberty, freedom and democracy.
Who gives a damn what this miserable man thinks - Go, Israel Go!
Posted by DV on July 23, 2006 at 02:32 PM from A Tangled Web
War
Michael Ledeeen on Iran
Testifying on Capitol Hill:
The bottom line is that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been at war with us for twenty-seven years, and we have yet to respond. Fanatical Iranians overran the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and subjected diplomats to four hundred forty-four days of confinement and humiliation. Our policy was to negotiate a deal, which was consummated in the last hour of the Carter Administration. In the mid-1980s, Iranian-supported terrorists from Hizbollah killed hundreds of Americans in our Beirut Embassy, and, six months later, killed two hundred forty- one Marines in their barracks there. A couple of years after that, Hizbollah took other Americans hostage, from the CIA station chief in Beirut to Christian priests to a distinguished military man, Colonel Higgins, who had served as General Colin Powell’s military assistant in the Pentagon. The priests were eventually ransomed; Higgins and Buckley were tortured and murdered.
No one should have been surprised that the Islamic Republic waged war against us from its first days in power. After all, the founder of the Iranian clerical fascist state, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, declared America “the great Satan,” an existential threat to the Islamic Republic as to all true Muslims.
They have waged an unholy proxy war against us ever since. They created Hizbollah and Islamic Jihad, and they support most all the others, from Hamas and al Qaeda to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. Iran’s proxies range from Shi’ites to Sunnis to Marxists, all cannon fodder for the overriding objective to dominate or destroy us.
More here.
Curtesy FDD
War
The bottom line is that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been at war with us for twenty-seven years, and we have yet to respond. Fanatical Iranians overran the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and subjected diplomats to four hundred forty-four days of confinement and humiliation. Our policy was to negotiate a deal, which was consummated in the last hour of the Carter Administration. In the mid-1980s, Iranian-supported terrorists from Hizbollah killed hundreds of Americans in our Beirut Embassy, and, six months later, killed two hundred forty- one Marines in their barracks there. A couple of years after that, Hizbollah took other Americans hostage, from the CIA station chief in Beirut to Christian priests to a distinguished military man, Colonel Higgins, who had served as General Colin Powell’s military assistant in the Pentagon. The priests were eventually ransomed; Higgins and Buckley were tortured and murdered.
No one should have been surprised that the Islamic Republic waged war against us from its first days in power. After all, the founder of the Iranian clerical fascist state, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, declared America “the great Satan,” an existential threat to the Islamic Republic as to all true Muslims.
They have waged an unholy proxy war against us ever since. They created Hizbollah and Islamic Jihad, and they support most all the others, from Hamas and al Qaeda to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. Iran’s proxies range from Shi’ites to Sunnis to Marxists, all cannon fodder for the overriding objective to dominate or destroy us.
More here.
Curtesy FDD
War
Hezbollah's Iranian War in Lebanon
When Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah held his press conference to declare his new victory over his enemy, Israel, he was triggering –probably without knowing- a new era in the history of Lebanon and the region. “We will continue in faithfulness to our line,” he declared, in legitimizing his cross border attack on an Israeli patrol, killing soldiers and kidnapping two. But the real “fidelity” Nasrallah was referring to wasn’t to his captured men in Israeli jails, but to the regimes decision-makers in Tehran and Damascus. The “operation of July” came as a tipping point in a larger conflict, which superseded Hezbollah’s detainee, the Shebaa farms, borders skirmishes and Israeli tactical responses. Beyond and above the events of that day, Hezbollah was triggering the first Iranian war on Lebanon’s soil: A Syrian-supported offensive, even at the height of the Assad II regime. Bringing fire and smoke to the Lebanese-Israeli borders, and week before to the Gaza-Israel demarcation lines, is not simply two local disputes, one over unilateral Israeli withdrawal in Gaza and the other over real estate on the western slopes of Mount Hermon. Nasrallah (as well as his counterpart of Hamas) has calculated perfectly how to conduct a hit and run with the Israelis ordered by regional regime who have miscalculated their strategies. Pressured by the new regional realities and world concerns about nuclear threats and Terrorism, Iran and Syria wanted to throw their allies into the greatest uncertainties of survival.
Continue reading "Hezbollah's Iranian War in Lebanon (WP)" »
Curtesy FDD
War
Continue reading "Hezbollah's Iranian War in Lebanon (WP)" »
Curtesy FDD
War
Denenberg: In Its Own Words, The Democratic Party's Position On Iraq
By: Herb Denenberg, Special To The Evening Bulletin
07/21/2006
I have just received an official document from the Democratic National Committee in which the party finally reveals its position on the war in Iraq and the other major issues facing the country. When you analyze the document, you will understand why the Democratic Party often doesn't take a stand on the most important issues of our time; if the voters understood the real position of the Democratic Party they would understand that it has melted down and that the party is clearly politically, intellectually, and morally bankrupt.
Recall that Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), leader of the Democrats in the House, told the National Law Journal, "We [the Democratic Party] don't even have a party position on the war." Now I reveal its real position on the war against terror, which I would describe as one borrowed from the French -negotiate, pacify, appease, retreat, cut-and-run, and surrender.
In a document called the "2006 Survey of Democratic Leaders," just sent out by the Democratic National Committee, there are 14 questions on national policy.
Now read the questions on the War in Iraq:
* "Do you support an immediate withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq? Yes or No.
* If you don't support an immediate withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq, what do you believe the time frame should be: By the end of 2006? Sometimes in 2007? By the end of 2007? Don't know?"
Can you believe it? The Democratic Party can see only one alternative in Iraq - cut-and-run immediately, by the end of the year, or by sometime in 2007.
This reveals the pathetic mindset of a once great party. Its leaders have only one plan for the war in Iraq and the war against global terrorism: Get out sometime before the end of 2007.
The great national leaders of the Democratic party, with Howard Dean sitting at the top of its brain trust, can only see one approach to the war in Iraq - get out. It did not occur to the Democratic National Committee that an answer might be: Get out when the Iraqis are able to take over their military and security needs? Or get out when we have defeated the murderous terrorists that now attack the Iraqis and us? Or get out when the Iraqis ask us to?
There is something more shocking than the fact that the Democratic Party can conceive of only one thing in Iraq - some version of cut-and-run, retreat or surrender. What is even more shocking is that the Democrats have descended so deeply into the pesthole of looney leftwing liberalism that they don't even realize their statement of the problem clearly reveals their position.
They also reveal their view of the war in Iraq and the war against terrorism in another way. They ask 14 questions, most of them involving domestic issues such as Social Security's future, tax cuts and the minimum wage. They do not get to the overarching foreign policy issues until question 11, which is whether "You support increased defense spending." Then questions 12 and 13 are the ones on Iraq noted above. How is that for priorities? I would think most rational observers would place the war against terrorism including the war in Iraq as the number one issue. Yet that issue comes in almost at the end, preceded by many questions of greater importance such as whether we should import drugs from Canada.
Others have found the position of the Democratic Party in other ways. For example, one expert from the American Enterprise Institute looked at its position on the war, and concluded it was intent on simply making a political issue of it and in effect it was forced to be rooting for bad news from Iraq. Another critic has pointed out the alliance between the looney left, including much of the Democratic Party, and the global terrorists. See David Horowitz's book, The Evil Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left, for more details. You may argue with those views. But you can't argue with what is in effect the position of the Democratic Party in its own questionnaire and its own words.
One other sidelight on the Democrats' view of the global war. Hugh Hewitt, the superb talk show host, has pointed out that the liberal blogs, which set the main outlines of the Democratic party's platform, such as The Huffington Post, have been virtually silent on the new conflict in the Middle East, except for a little of "the blame Israel for everything approach." I checked the Web site of the Democratic National Committee, and found virtually nothing on the new conflict or even the war in Iraq. So when the looney left and the Democrats aren't taking the wrong positions, they are just silent. Of course there are occasions when the Democratic Party is not silent on the war in Iraq and the sacrifice of our heroes in the military. For example, the Democrats recently ran a fund-raising add featuring the coffins draped with flags of America servicemen.
After being a Democrat all of my life, and after being appointed insurance commissioner and public utility commission by a Democratic governor, and after running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, I recently became a Republican because the Democratic Party can't be trusted to fight the war against Islamic terrorism. It can only be expected to surrender. If you don't get it right on that global war, everything else doesn't make much difference. If your head is being cut off or if your brains are being blown up, it really doesn't make much difference what the minimum wage is or whether we're importing drugs from Canada.
Herb Denenberg, a former Pennsylvania insurance commissioner and professor at the Wharton School, is a longtime Philadelphia journalist and consumer advocate. He is also a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. His column appears daily in The Evening Bulletin. You can reach him at advocate@theeveningbulletin.com
Politics
07/21/2006
I have just received an official document from the Democratic National Committee in which the party finally reveals its position on the war in Iraq and the other major issues facing the country. When you analyze the document, you will understand why the Democratic Party often doesn't take a stand on the most important issues of our time; if the voters understood the real position of the Democratic Party they would understand that it has melted down and that the party is clearly politically, intellectually, and morally bankrupt.
Recall that Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), leader of the Democrats in the House, told the National Law Journal, "We [the Democratic Party] don't even have a party position on the war." Now I reveal its real position on the war against terror, which I would describe as one borrowed from the French -negotiate, pacify, appease, retreat, cut-and-run, and surrender.
In a document called the "2006 Survey of Democratic Leaders," just sent out by the Democratic National Committee, there are 14 questions on national policy.
Now read the questions on the War in Iraq:
* "Do you support an immediate withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq? Yes or No.
* If you don't support an immediate withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq, what do you believe the time frame should be: By the end of 2006? Sometimes in 2007? By the end of 2007? Don't know?"
Can you believe it? The Democratic Party can see only one alternative in Iraq - cut-and-run immediately, by the end of the year, or by sometime in 2007.
This reveals the pathetic mindset of a once great party. Its leaders have only one plan for the war in Iraq and the war against global terrorism: Get out sometime before the end of 2007.
The great national leaders of the Democratic party, with Howard Dean sitting at the top of its brain trust, can only see one approach to the war in Iraq - get out. It did not occur to the Democratic National Committee that an answer might be: Get out when the Iraqis are able to take over their military and security needs? Or get out when we have defeated the murderous terrorists that now attack the Iraqis and us? Or get out when the Iraqis ask us to?
There is something more shocking than the fact that the Democratic Party can conceive of only one thing in Iraq - some version of cut-and-run, retreat or surrender. What is even more shocking is that the Democrats have descended so deeply into the pesthole of looney leftwing liberalism that they don't even realize their statement of the problem clearly reveals their position.
They also reveal their view of the war in Iraq and the war against terrorism in another way. They ask 14 questions, most of them involving domestic issues such as Social Security's future, tax cuts and the minimum wage. They do not get to the overarching foreign policy issues until question 11, which is whether "You support increased defense spending." Then questions 12 and 13 are the ones on Iraq noted above. How is that for priorities? I would think most rational observers would place the war against terrorism including the war in Iraq as the number one issue. Yet that issue comes in almost at the end, preceded by many questions of greater importance such as whether we should import drugs from Canada.
Others have found the position of the Democratic Party in other ways. For example, one expert from the American Enterprise Institute looked at its position on the war, and concluded it was intent on simply making a political issue of it and in effect it was forced to be rooting for bad news from Iraq. Another critic has pointed out the alliance between the looney left, including much of the Democratic Party, and the global terrorists. See David Horowitz's book, The Evil Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left, for more details. You may argue with those views. But you can't argue with what is in effect the position of the Democratic Party in its own questionnaire and its own words.
One other sidelight on the Democrats' view of the global war. Hugh Hewitt, the superb talk show host, has pointed out that the liberal blogs, which set the main outlines of the Democratic party's platform, such as The Huffington Post, have been virtually silent on the new conflict in the Middle East, except for a little of "the blame Israel for everything approach." I checked the Web site of the Democratic National Committee, and found virtually nothing on the new conflict or even the war in Iraq. So when the looney left and the Democrats aren't taking the wrong positions, they are just silent. Of course there are occasions when the Democratic Party is not silent on the war in Iraq and the sacrifice of our heroes in the military. For example, the Democrats recently ran a fund-raising add featuring the coffins draped with flags of America servicemen.
After being a Democrat all of my life, and after being appointed insurance commissioner and public utility commission by a Democratic governor, and after running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, I recently became a Republican because the Democratic Party can't be trusted to fight the war against Islamic terrorism. It can only be expected to surrender. If you don't get it right on that global war, everything else doesn't make much difference. If your head is being cut off or if your brains are being blown up, it really doesn't make much difference what the minimum wage is or whether we're importing drugs from Canada.
Herb Denenberg, a former Pennsylvania insurance commissioner and professor at the Wharton School, is a longtime Philadelphia journalist and consumer advocate. He is also a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. His column appears daily in The Evening Bulletin. You can reach him at advocate@theeveningbulletin.com
Politics
Saturday, July 22, 2006
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.
Citing U.S. officials who spoke on Friday on condition of anonymity, the Times said the decision to ship the weapons quickly came after relatively little debate within the administration, and noted in its report that its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others who could perceive Washington as aiding Israel in the manner that Iran has armed Hezbollah.
The munitions are actually part of a multimillion-dollar arms-sale package approved last year which Israel is able to tap when it needs to, the officials told the Times. But some military officers said the request for expedited delivery was unusual and indicated that Israel has many targets it plans to hit in Lebanon.
The arms shipment has not been announced publicly. The officials who described the administration's decision to rush the munitions included employees of two government agencies, one of whom described the shipment as just one example of a broad array of armaments that the United States has long provided Israel, the Times said.
Pentagon and military officials declined to describe in detail the size and contents of the shipment to Israel, the newspaper said, and they would not say whether the munitions were being shipped by cargo aircraft or some other means. But one U.S. official said the shipment should not be compared to the kind of an "emergency resupply" of dwindling Israeli stockpiles that was provided during the Yom Kippur War, according to the Times report.
A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington told the Times: "We have been using precision-guided munitions in order to neutralize the military capabilities of Hezbollah and to minimize harm to civilians. As a rule, however, we do not comment on Israel's defense acquisitions."
Citing U.S. officials who spoke on Friday on condition of anonymity, the Times said the decision to ship the weapons quickly came after relatively little debate within the administration, and noted in its report that its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others who could perceive Washington as aiding Israel in the manner that Iran has armed Hezbollah.
The munitions are actually part of a multimillion-dollar arms-sale package approved last year which Israel is able to tap when it needs to, the officials told the Times. But some military officers said the request for expedited delivery was unusual and indicated that Israel has many targets it plans to hit in Lebanon.
The arms shipment has not been announced publicly. The officials who described the administration's decision to rush the munitions included employees of two government agencies, one of whom described the shipment as just one example of a broad array of armaments that the United States has long provided Israel, the Times said.
Pentagon and military officials declined to describe in detail the size and contents of the shipment to Israel, the newspaper said, and they would not say whether the munitions were being shipped by cargo aircraft or some other means. But one U.S. official said the shipment should not be compared to the kind of an "emergency resupply" of dwindling Israeli stockpiles that was provided during the Yom Kippur War, according to the Times report.
A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington told the Times: "We have been using precision-guided munitions in order to neutralize the military capabilities of Hezbollah and to minimize harm to civilians. As a rule, however, we do not comment on Israel's defense acquisitions."
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
12th Anniversary of Hizbullah Attack on JCC
(IsraelNN.com) Tuesday was the 12th anniversary of the Hizbullah attack on the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina which killed 85 people and injured 200 others. The B'Nai Brith of Canada said that the attack proves "Hizbullah's reach extends beyond the Middle East."It added, "The Hizbullah and Iran were responsible for this hideous act of terrorism which targeted the Jewish community of Argentina [and] the leaders, sponsors and protectors of those who have committed such fatal acts of...must be brought to justice."
Hizbullah
Hizbullah
Now isn't the time for restraint
By Newt Gingrich
Imagine that this morning 50 missiles were launched from Cuba and exploded in Miami. In addition to buildings and homes being destroyed, scores of Americans were being killed. Now imagine our allies responded by saying publicly that we must not be too aggressive in protecting our citizens and that America must use the utmost restraint.
Our history shows us that we, as Americans, would reject such bad advice. After all, we have never reacted to a direct attack on our soil with any restraint. Every time America has been attacked by an enemy, we set about defeating it and ending the threat.
This was true of Pearl Harbor in World War II, after which we replaced the imperial Japanese government. The regimes of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy met the same demise. Without actually being attacked, President Kennedy risked nuclear war to eliminate the threat of Soviet missiles in Cuba. After the 9/11 attacks, we replaced the Taliban in Afghanistan once it became known that they were providing refuge for the al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attack. This is our history as Americans. We believe that our government has a duty to protect us.
When compared with U.S. history lessons, the advice of the Group of Eight industrial nations to Israel is wrong. The communiqué says the No. 1 priority is a cease-fire that would effectively leave Hezbollah in possession of all its rockets. We'd never accept such advice for ourselves. The Israelis should not accept it for the same reasons: It would not end the threat.
Israel, a fellow democracy, has the same duty and right to protect its citizens from enemy attack. It is doing so while making every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The Israeli response is wholly justified based on a history where Israeli concessions to the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah-Hamas terrorist alliance have consistently resulted in their enemies preparing for the next attack. The terrorists have been attacking with increased capability, brutality and violence aimed at civilians. This is only the latest cycle in an ongoing 58-year campaign to destroy Israel.
In 2000, the Israelis withdrew from southern Lebanon, creating an opportunity for peace. Instead of peace, for six years Iran, Syria and Hezbollah moved more than 10,000 missiles into the vacated area. More recently, the Israelis withdrew from Gaza to provide another circumstance for peace and an opportunity for a self-governing Palestinian people to work toward creating a place of prosperity, but instead Hamas created a place of terror. Now Israel is the target of more than 1,000 missiles from both Gaza and southern Lebanon in the past week alone.
Iranian involvement is not in question. There are at least 100 Iranian guards in southern Lebanon. Apparently, it was an Iranian missile fired with Iranian know-how that hit an Israeli warship. Because Hezbollah and Hamas are waging war against Israel as proxies for Syria and Iran, the United States should announce that we support Israel's effort to remove every one of the thousands of missiles in southern Lebanon, and that we will decisively stop any effort by Syria and Iran to intervene.
United Nations Resolution 1559, supported by the European Union, called for Hezbollah to be disarmed. If not now, when? If not by the Israelis, who? The G8 advice, if taken, would only guarantee the cycle of violence. The terrorist alliance must be destroyed or it will be rebuilt with more dangerous capabilities. The appeals for an Israeli cease-fire, if heeded, will enable Israel's enemies to re-lay the groundwork for yet another violent campaign for what has been a nearly six-decade episode with the sole objective of destroying Israel.
The key steps to ending the violence in Lebanon first requires recognizing that Hezbollah in its military form must be eliminated, that the 100-plus Iranian guard in southern Lebanon must be removed and that the allowing of the Syrian and Iranian dictatorships to supply, train and equip the terrorists must be stopped.
To do that, the United States should offer to help strengthen the Lebanese government so that it has the ability to re-establish itself in all of Lebanon and defeat the military wing of Hezbollah. We should encourage the Israelis to work with the Lebanese government to eliminate the thousands of missiles within its borders that threaten Israel. Finally, Iran and Syria must be forced to cease their support of Hezbollah and Hamas by the United States communicating to them such dire consequences that they could not sustain the relationships. And then we should be prepared, if necessary, to impose those consequences.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America.
War
Imagine that this morning 50 missiles were launched from Cuba and exploded in Miami. In addition to buildings and homes being destroyed, scores of Americans were being killed. Now imagine our allies responded by saying publicly that we must not be too aggressive in protecting our citizens and that America must use the utmost restraint.
Our history shows us that we, as Americans, would reject such bad advice. After all, we have never reacted to a direct attack on our soil with any restraint. Every time America has been attacked by an enemy, we set about defeating it and ending the threat.
This was true of Pearl Harbor in World War II, after which we replaced the imperial Japanese government. The regimes of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy met the same demise. Without actually being attacked, President Kennedy risked nuclear war to eliminate the threat of Soviet missiles in Cuba. After the 9/11 attacks, we replaced the Taliban in Afghanistan once it became known that they were providing refuge for the al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attack. This is our history as Americans. We believe that our government has a duty to protect us.
When compared with U.S. history lessons, the advice of the Group of Eight industrial nations to Israel is wrong. The communiqué says the No. 1 priority is a cease-fire that would effectively leave Hezbollah in possession of all its rockets. We'd never accept such advice for ourselves. The Israelis should not accept it for the same reasons: It would not end the threat.
Israel, a fellow democracy, has the same duty and right to protect its citizens from enemy attack. It is doing so while making every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The Israeli response is wholly justified based on a history where Israeli concessions to the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah-Hamas terrorist alliance have consistently resulted in their enemies preparing for the next attack. The terrorists have been attacking with increased capability, brutality and violence aimed at civilians. This is only the latest cycle in an ongoing 58-year campaign to destroy Israel.
In 2000, the Israelis withdrew from southern Lebanon, creating an opportunity for peace. Instead of peace, for six years Iran, Syria and Hezbollah moved more than 10,000 missiles into the vacated area. More recently, the Israelis withdrew from Gaza to provide another circumstance for peace and an opportunity for a self-governing Palestinian people to work toward creating a place of prosperity, but instead Hamas created a place of terror. Now Israel is the target of more than 1,000 missiles from both Gaza and southern Lebanon in the past week alone.
Iranian involvement is not in question. There are at least 100 Iranian guards in southern Lebanon. Apparently, it was an Iranian missile fired with Iranian know-how that hit an Israeli warship. Because Hezbollah and Hamas are waging war against Israel as proxies for Syria and Iran, the United States should announce that we support Israel's effort to remove every one of the thousands of missiles in southern Lebanon, and that we will decisively stop any effort by Syria and Iran to intervene.
United Nations Resolution 1559, supported by the European Union, called for Hezbollah to be disarmed. If not now, when? If not by the Israelis, who? The G8 advice, if taken, would only guarantee the cycle of violence. The terrorist alliance must be destroyed or it will be rebuilt with more dangerous capabilities. The appeals for an Israeli cease-fire, if heeded, will enable Israel's enemies to re-lay the groundwork for yet another violent campaign for what has been a nearly six-decade episode with the sole objective of destroying Israel.
The key steps to ending the violence in Lebanon first requires recognizing that Hezbollah in its military form must be eliminated, that the 100-plus Iranian guard in southern Lebanon must be removed and that the allowing of the Syrian and Iranian dictatorships to supply, train and equip the terrorists must be stopped.
To do that, the United States should offer to help strengthen the Lebanese government so that it has the ability to re-establish itself in all of Lebanon and defeat the military wing of Hezbollah. We should encourage the Israelis to work with the Lebanese government to eliminate the thousands of missiles within its borders that threaten Israel. Finally, Iran and Syria must be forced to cease their support of Hezbollah and Hamas by the United States communicating to them such dire consequences that they could not sustain the relationships. And then we should be prepared, if necessary, to impose those consequences.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America.
War
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
The Smoking Gun
IAF foils rocket transports from Syria
While army continues to strike Hizbullah, limit its weapons resources, outside groups trying to rearm group. IAF manages to bomb trucks transporting missiles from Syria. IDF Maj.-Gen. Eisenkot: These rockets belong to Syrian army
Hanan Greenberg
Although Hizbullah has suffered a harsh blow from Israeli air force strikes which took out a good percentage of their available weapons, Syria was continuing to smuggle arms into Lebanon to rearm the group, IDF Operations Branch Head Major General Gadi Eisenkot said during a press briefing Tuesday.
Thus far, the IAF managed to intercept a number of trucks transporting rockets from Syria to Hizbullah, including trucks laden with the 20mm-diameter rockets with warheads like the one that hit the Haifa train depot Monday, claiming eight lives. Maj.-Gen. Eisenkot said he would be very surprised if official elements in Syria were unaware of these transports.
“These are rockets that belong to the Syrian army. You can’t find them in the Damascus market, and the Syrian government is responsible for this smuggling,” Eisenkot said, but stressed, “We are not operating against Syria or the Lebanese army.”
War
While army continues to strike Hizbullah, limit its weapons resources, outside groups trying to rearm group. IAF manages to bomb trucks transporting missiles from Syria. IDF Maj.-Gen. Eisenkot: These rockets belong to Syrian army
Hanan Greenberg
Although Hizbullah has suffered a harsh blow from Israeli air force strikes which took out a good percentage of their available weapons, Syria was continuing to smuggle arms into Lebanon to rearm the group, IDF Operations Branch Head Major General Gadi Eisenkot said during a press briefing Tuesday.
Thus far, the IAF managed to intercept a number of trucks transporting rockets from Syria to Hizbullah, including trucks laden with the 20mm-diameter rockets with warheads like the one that hit the Haifa train depot Monday, claiming eight lives. Maj.-Gen. Eisenkot said he would be very surprised if official elements in Syria were unaware of these transports.
“These are rockets that belong to the Syrian army. You can’t find them in the Damascus market, and the Syrian government is responsible for this smuggling,” Eisenkot said, but stressed, “We are not operating against Syria or the Lebanese army.”
War
Time for the US to Pull Out of Philly
In the last 3 years there have been more than 1650 Murders in Philly. This year by the 200th day we have had 205 killings. You would think that the City Council would be concerned. Nah not in the Democrat stronghold of Philly. What does City Council do instead? Pass a Ban on Smoking, and draft a resolution to pull our Troops out of Iraq. LOL you've got to love Democrat Priorities....
Oh and Icing on the cake the Mayor has requested State Troopers to help with the Murder problem, the Governor has told him no but he might send the National Guard instead.
Oh and Icing on the cake the Mayor has requested State Troopers to help with the Murder problem, the Governor has told him no but he might send the National Guard instead.
Bush's brilliant thought
You've triggered a brilliant thought. (Laughter.) ... I remember a year ago what took place during the G-8 hosted by Tony. There were terrorist attacks in London... and there was outrage, as there should have been, and a determination to work together to protect life... [T]hat same determination must be applied to the Middle East, as well.
The terrorists... went into London subways, they'll fire rockets into Israel, all aiming to disrupt, to destroy, to prevent free societies from flourishing... the stakes have been clarified once again, during yet another G-8. And Tony and I will call upon our fellow leaders to come together and to make it clear that we reject this kind of violence, and that we will be steadfast in our support of freedom.
- President George Bush, with Prime Minister Tony Blair, at the G-8 summit, July 16
The Hizbullah-Iranian attack on Israel, under Lebanon's auspices with Syrian support, was indeed a clarifying event. While gratuitously and unhelpfully lecturing Israel on the need for "utmost restraint," Sunday's G-8 statement nonetheless clearly placed the blame on "extremist forces" for creating the current crisis, mentioning Hizbullah and Hamas by name and Iran and Syria by implication. These forces, the G-8 stated, aim to "destabilize the region and to frustrate the aspirations of the Palestinian, Israeli and Lebanese people for democracy and peace."
"These extremist elements and those that support them cannot be allowed to plunge the Middle East into chaos and provoke a wider conflict. The extremists must immediately halt their attacks," the statement continued.
This is relatively strong stuff, given that it is a consensus statement from the entire G-8, including Russia. But Bush and Blair were even more explicit. Time and again, when pressed on whether they would demand a cease-fire from Israel, they returned to the "root cause" of the problem, namely Iran and Syria.
"[T]he absolute essence of this," said Blair, "the only way we are going to get this situation calm... is if we address the reasons why the situation has arisen. And the basic reasons are that there are... extremists backed, I'm afraid, by Iran and by Syria... [I]f we want to make this work, we have got to deal with those underlying conditions that have given rise both to the problem in the Gaza [Strip] and the problems [in] Lebanon."
Bush, if anything, was more pointed. "[T]his recent flare-up... helps clarify a root cause of instability in the Middle East - and that's Hizbullah and Hizbullah's relationship with Syria, and Hizbullah's relationship to Iran, and Syria's relationship to Iran. Therefore, in order to solve this problem it's really important for the world to address the root cause... [T]here seems to be a consensus growing that in order for us to have the peace we want... we must deal with... two nation states that are very much involved with stopping the advance of peace, and that would be Iran, and that would be Syria."
It has been the case for decades, but it is finally dawning on the world that there are not two conflicts - the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Islamist-Western conflict - but one. As John Gibson, a commentator for Fox News, put it, "When the Iranians get nukes this ruckus we're witnessing today will look like a walk in the park... It seems like a war between Israel and some terror groups. It's really a war by Iran on us."
Hizbullah is the principal international arm of Iran and has killed hundreds of Americans. Though the official US 9/11 report found only circumstantial evidence linking Hizbullah to the 9/11 hijackers, it stated that, "senior managers in al-Qaida maintained contacts with Iran and the Iranian-supported worldwide terrorist organization Hizbullah... al-Qaida members received advice and training from Hizbullah."
Israel is now busy destroying Hizbullah as thoroughly as it can. As of Sunday, IDF sources stated that Israel had eliminated about 25 percent of Hizbullah's missile capacity. Defense Minister Amir Peretz has said that Israel requires another week or two to finish the job.
If Israel succeeds in destroying Hizbullah, it will have done the world, not only ourselves, a great favor. Bush and Blair, and perhaps other leaders, seem to understand this, and that the broader task of free nations is to confront Hizbullah's sponsors in Damascus and Teheran.
War
Bush
Monday, July 17, 2006
Are We At WAR or Not????
Every American has to ask themselves these Questions...
Is this WWIII?
Who are we at War with?
Can we afford to wait for the rest of the World to give us permission to Fight?
Gingrich Says World War III Has Begun
NewsMax July 17 2006
World War III has begun, and the nation’s leadership is failing to deal with this reality, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich concludes.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press with Tim Russert Sunday, Gingrich explained that "today is not the fifth day of the war, it’s the 58th year of the effort by those who want to destroy Israel. As Ahmadinejad, the head of Iran, says, he wants to defeat the Americans and eliminate Israel from the face of the earth. So we should not see this event in isolation. There is an ... Iran/Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas alliance trying to destroy Israel.”
". . . the Israelis withdrew from Gaza to create the circumstance of peace. The Israelis withdrew from south Lebanon to create the circumstance of peace,” Gingrich continued. "They now have a thousand missiles fired from Gaza, they’ve had hundreds of missiles fired from south Lebanon. You clearly have Iranian involvement. There are at least 400 Iranian guards in south Lebanon. Apparently it was an Iranian missile fired by Iranians which hit an Israeli warship yesterday. The United States should be saying to Syria and Iran, 'South Lebanon is going to be cleared out. We are for Israel and the Lebanese government breaking the back of Hezbollah, getting rid of all 10,000 to 13,000 missiles, and we will decisively stop any effort by Syria and Iran to intervene.'”
Gingrich says the current crisis facing Israel is part of a larger world war that involved the U.S.
"I mean, this is absolutely a question of the survival of Israel, but it’s also a question of what is really a world war,” Gingrich said.
He then cited a litany of events that confirm this conclusion.
"North Korea firing missiles. We say there’ll be consequences, there are none. North Koreans fire seven missiles on our Fourth of July; bombs going off in Mumbai, India; a war in Afghanistan with sanctuaries in Pakistan … the Iran/Syria/Hamas/Hezbollah alliance.”
In addition, he said "there is the war in Iraq funded largely from Saudi Arabia and supplied largely from Syria and Iran.”
Other evidence of the war, Gingrich argues, includes:
The British home secretary saying that there are 20 terrorist groups with 1200 terrorists in Britain.
Seven people in Miami videotaped pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda
Eighteen people in Canada being picked up with twice the explosives that were used in Oklahoma City, with an explicit threat to bomb the Canadian parliament, and saying they’d like to behead the Canadian prime minister.
In New York City, reports that in three different countries people were plotting to destroy the tunnels of New York.
Gingrich explained: "We are in the early stages of what I would describe as the third world war, and frankly, our bureaucracies aren’t responding fast enough. We don’t have the right attitude about this . . . And frankly, the Israelis have every right to insist that every single missile leave south Lebanon and that the United States ought to be helping the Lebanese government have the strength to eliminate Hezbollah as a military force, not as a political force in the parliament, but as a military force in south Lebanon.”
Asked host Tim Russert "This is World War III?”
"I believe if you take all the countries I just listed, that you’ve been covering, put them on a map, look at all the different connectivity, you’d have to say to yourself this is, in fact, World War III,” Gingrich said.
Additional Comments on the War from Newt Here and Here
War
Gingrich
Is this WWIII?
Who are we at War with?
Can we afford to wait for the rest of the World to give us permission to Fight?
Gingrich Says World War III Has Begun
NewsMax July 17 2006
World War III has begun, and the nation’s leadership is failing to deal with this reality, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich concludes.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press with Tim Russert Sunday, Gingrich explained that "today is not the fifth day of the war, it’s the 58th year of the effort by those who want to destroy Israel. As Ahmadinejad, the head of Iran, says, he wants to defeat the Americans and eliminate Israel from the face of the earth. So we should not see this event in isolation. There is an ... Iran/Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas alliance trying to destroy Israel.”
". . . the Israelis withdrew from Gaza to create the circumstance of peace. The Israelis withdrew from south Lebanon to create the circumstance of peace,” Gingrich continued. "They now have a thousand missiles fired from Gaza, they’ve had hundreds of missiles fired from south Lebanon. You clearly have Iranian involvement. There are at least 400 Iranian guards in south Lebanon. Apparently it was an Iranian missile fired by Iranians which hit an Israeli warship yesterday. The United States should be saying to Syria and Iran, 'South Lebanon is going to be cleared out. We are for Israel and the Lebanese government breaking the back of Hezbollah, getting rid of all 10,000 to 13,000 missiles, and we will decisively stop any effort by Syria and Iran to intervene.'”
Gingrich says the current crisis facing Israel is part of a larger world war that involved the U.S.
"I mean, this is absolutely a question of the survival of Israel, but it’s also a question of what is really a world war,” Gingrich said.
He then cited a litany of events that confirm this conclusion.
"North Korea firing missiles. We say there’ll be consequences, there are none. North Koreans fire seven missiles on our Fourth of July; bombs going off in Mumbai, India; a war in Afghanistan with sanctuaries in Pakistan … the Iran/Syria/Hamas/Hezbollah alliance.”
In addition, he said "there is the war in Iraq funded largely from Saudi Arabia and supplied largely from Syria and Iran.”
Other evidence of the war, Gingrich argues, includes:
The British home secretary saying that there are 20 terrorist groups with 1200 terrorists in Britain.
Seven people in Miami videotaped pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda
Eighteen people in Canada being picked up with twice the explosives that were used in Oklahoma City, with an explicit threat to bomb the Canadian parliament, and saying they’d like to behead the Canadian prime minister.
In New York City, reports that in three different countries people were plotting to destroy the tunnels of New York.
Gingrich explained: "We are in the early stages of what I would describe as the third world war, and frankly, our bureaucracies aren’t responding fast enough. We don’t have the right attitude about this . . . And frankly, the Israelis have every right to insist that every single missile leave south Lebanon and that the United States ought to be helping the Lebanese government have the strength to eliminate Hezbollah as a military force, not as a political force in the parliament, but as a military force in south Lebanon.”
Asked host Tim Russert "This is World War III?”
"I believe if you take all the countries I just listed, that you’ve been covering, put them on a map, look at all the different connectivity, you’d have to say to yourself this is, in fact, World War III,” Gingrich said.
Additional Comments on the War from Newt Here and Here
War
Gingrich
Background on the Nexus of Hate from FDD
I have two backgrounders up.
The first chronicles the support Syria provides Hezbollah, and why it must bear considerable responsibility for the havoc Hezbollah's occupation of Southern Lebanon has wrought in Lebanon and Israel.
Syria's Nexus of Terror
With Hamas and Hezbollah holding three Israeli soldiers captive and the regional crisis intensifying rapidly, attention has shifted to Syria's role in supporting terrorism and its history of facilitating attacks against Israel and U.S. forces in Iraq.
The Assad family has ruled Syria since 1970. President Bashar al-Assad inherited the presidency from his father, Hafez al-Assad. Although a secular dictatorship, it is run by a religious minority, the Alawis, a minority Shiite sect.
Syria has been on the U.S. State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism since 1979. It has hosted terrorists in Damascus, allowed terrorists to pass with impunity through its territory, provided seed money to new terrorist groups, and sold weapons on the international black market.
Syria is the subject of sanctions under the Syria Accountability Act 2003. The USA Patriot Act 2001 as well as an executive order restricts contact between U.S. financial institutions and the Commercial Bank of Syria and freezes the U.S.-based assets of Syrian terrorist entities.
Syria's War Against Israel
The origins of Hezbollah date back to Syria's decision in 1982 to let 1,000 of Iran's Revolutionary Guard into the Beqaa Valley in Syrian-occupied Lebanon. Since then, Hezbollah has launched repeated attacks against Israel, culminating this week with the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers and the launching of hundreds of missiles against Israeli civilians. Source: Middle East Intelligence Bulletin.
Hamas has murdered more Israelis than any other Palestinian terrorist group. Its savage attacks accounted for the bulk of Israeli deaths during the Second Intifada. Hamas' leadership is based out of Damascus. Following the kidnappings, Hamas leader Khaled Meshal held a press conference in Damascus. It's the only free speech that Syria permits. Source: Haaretz.
Syria allows others Palestinian terrorist groups to operate from Damascus, including Ahmad Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Abu Musa's Fatah-the-Intifada, and George Habash's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Source: U.S. State Department.
Syria has also provided weapons, including rockets, to Hezbollah, which have been used to attack Israel. Source: Middle East Intelligence Bulletin.
Syria allows terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, to train both in the Beqaa Valley in Syrian-occupied Lebanon and in Syria proper. Source: U.S. House of Representatives.
Syria's War Against A Free Iraq
Prior to the Iraq war, Syria helped Iraq avoid U.N. sanctions by accepting the transportation of military products from Iraq. David Kay, head of the Iraq Survey Group, told the Daily Telegraph that he had uncovered evidence that unspecified materials had been moved to Syria shortly before last year's war to overthrow Saddam. Source: Daily Telegraph.
Before the Iraqi insurgency united behind the al-Qaeda-backed Zarqawi, many of its splintered groups operated out of Syria. The insurgent faction loyal to Saddam Hussein was based out of Damascus. At the time, it was led by Saddam's half-brother Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan and Mohamed Yunis al-Ahmed. It was only after extensive U.S. pressure that the regime delivered al-Hassan to U.S. authorities. Source: MSNBC.
Syria's unwillingness to police its borders has allowed terrorists to pass through Syria into Iraq. Despite tremendous U.S. pressure, Syria refuses to provide enough troops to police its border with Iraq. Source: CNN.
Syrian officials have also provided weapons to insurgents crossing its border into Iraq. U.S. attempts to quell smuggling of arms and hosting of insurgents has led to battles that have claimed the lives of many U.S. troops. Source: CNN.
The second explores the deeds and words of Hezbollah's current leader Hassan Nasrallah, explaining how his war isn't just against Israel, nor even against the United States, but against the entire civilized world.
Hassan Nasrallah's Trail of Terror
Hassan Nasrallah is Secretary General of Hezbollah, a militant Islamist group that wants to create a Shiite theocracy in Lebanon.
In the early 1980s, Nasrallah was part of the Amal movement, a Shiite militia with ties to Syria, where he was in charge of the Beqaa area in Lebanon. Later, Nasrallah founded Islamic Resistance, which carried out numerous terror operations in Lebanon. In 1982, Nasrallah abandoned Amal for Hezbollah. In 1992, he assumed control of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and other Western countries. Prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Hezbollah was responsible for more American deaths than any other terrorist organization. Nasrallah, as a long-time member and leader, bears much responsibility for this.
Nasrallah operates outside the control of his host state. Safe from punishment under Lebanese law, Nasrallah has used his impunity to wage barbaric terror attacks against civilians in Israel, Lebanon and elsewhere.
Hassan Nasrallah's War Against Israel
In a speech on April 9, 2000, Nasrallah said: "All the major disasters which befell the region stem from the existence of the state called Israel. So long as there is a state called Israel, disasters and suffering will continue. This is a cancerous body in the region... When a cancer is discovered, it must be dealt with fearlessly; it must be uprooted."
On July 14, 2006, Nasrallah told al-Manar television: "You wanted an open war, and we are heading for an open war…[w]e are ready for it.”
Nasrallah has also bragged about the military capability of Hezbollah. "The resistance has more than 12,000 missiles," he explained, "[and] the north of occupied Palestine [northern Israel] is entirely within the range of the missiles of the Lebanese resistance."
His overt threats against northern Israel have been coupled with more cagey hints about his ability to attack the rest of the country. "As for reaching beyond the north - the less said the better. We have no reason to say whether or not we have such capabilities. Let's keep quiet about this."
"It will sink and with it will sink scores of Israeli Zionist soldiers," Nasrallah gleefully explained after an attack on an Israeli ship. He went on to warn – more ominously – "this is just the beginning."
As leader of Hezbollah, Nasrallah ordered the launch of Syrian and Iranian-made missiles on Israel, raising the prospect of a greater regional conflagration.
Hassan Nasrallah's War Against the West
In the 1980s, Hezbollah earned the dubious distinction of being the most brutal and ruthless terrorist group operating in Lebanon. Hezbollah was responsible for the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut that killed 63 people and an attack on U.S. military barracks that killed 241 American servicemen, as well as the bombing of the French multinational headquarters that killed 58 Frenchmen. Hezbollah was also implicated in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina that killed 85 people, as well as of the Israeli embassy there.
During the Danish cartoon controversy, Nasrallah traced the Danish newspaper's chutzpah in publishing the offensive cartoon of Prophet Muhammad back to the failure to execute Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa against Salman Rushdie: "If any Muslim had carried out the fatwa of Imam Khomeini against the apostate Salman Rushdie, those despicable people would not have dared to insult the Prophet Muhammad - not in Denmark, not in Norway, and not in France."
Speaking at a graduation ceremony, Nasrallah noted that "the US Empire is slithering over our region" and that the United States is controlled by "Christian Zionists."
Nasrallah regularly makes demagogic speeches at Lebanese Mosques where he spreads violence and hate towards the United States. In a speech in February 2006, Nasrallah said, "America, America you are the Great Satan." He then led a chant of "Death to America."
The United Nations Security Council has called "for the disbanding and disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." UN SCR 1559 (2004). Yet Hezbollah continues to operate its own militarized statelet in Southern Lebanon.
War
Syria
The first chronicles the support Syria provides Hezbollah, and why it must bear considerable responsibility for the havoc Hezbollah's occupation of Southern Lebanon has wrought in Lebanon and Israel.
Syria's Nexus of Terror
With Hamas and Hezbollah holding three Israeli soldiers captive and the regional crisis intensifying rapidly, attention has shifted to Syria's role in supporting terrorism and its history of facilitating attacks against Israel and U.S. forces in Iraq.
The Assad family has ruled Syria since 1970. President Bashar al-Assad inherited the presidency from his father, Hafez al-Assad. Although a secular dictatorship, it is run by a religious minority, the Alawis, a minority Shiite sect.
Syria has been on the U.S. State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism since 1979. It has hosted terrorists in Damascus, allowed terrorists to pass with impunity through its territory, provided seed money to new terrorist groups, and sold weapons on the international black market.
Syria is the subject of sanctions under the Syria Accountability Act 2003. The USA Patriot Act 2001 as well as an executive order restricts contact between U.S. financial institutions and the Commercial Bank of Syria and freezes the U.S.-based assets of Syrian terrorist entities.
Syria's War Against Israel
The origins of Hezbollah date back to Syria's decision in 1982 to let 1,000 of Iran's Revolutionary Guard into the Beqaa Valley in Syrian-occupied Lebanon. Since then, Hezbollah has launched repeated attacks against Israel, culminating this week with the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers and the launching of hundreds of missiles against Israeli civilians. Source: Middle East Intelligence Bulletin.
Hamas has murdered more Israelis than any other Palestinian terrorist group. Its savage attacks accounted for the bulk of Israeli deaths during the Second Intifada. Hamas' leadership is based out of Damascus. Following the kidnappings, Hamas leader Khaled Meshal held a press conference in Damascus. It's the only free speech that Syria permits. Source: Haaretz.
Syria allows others Palestinian terrorist groups to operate from Damascus, including Ahmad Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Abu Musa's Fatah-the-Intifada, and George Habash's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Source: U.S. State Department.
Syria has also provided weapons, including rockets, to Hezbollah, which have been used to attack Israel. Source: Middle East Intelligence Bulletin.
Syria allows terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, to train both in the Beqaa Valley in Syrian-occupied Lebanon and in Syria proper. Source: U.S. House of Representatives.
Syria's War Against A Free Iraq
Prior to the Iraq war, Syria helped Iraq avoid U.N. sanctions by accepting the transportation of military products from Iraq. David Kay, head of the Iraq Survey Group, told the Daily Telegraph that he had uncovered evidence that unspecified materials had been moved to Syria shortly before last year's war to overthrow Saddam. Source: Daily Telegraph.
Before the Iraqi insurgency united behind the al-Qaeda-backed Zarqawi, many of its splintered groups operated out of Syria. The insurgent faction loyal to Saddam Hussein was based out of Damascus. At the time, it was led by Saddam's half-brother Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan and Mohamed Yunis al-Ahmed. It was only after extensive U.S. pressure that the regime delivered al-Hassan to U.S. authorities. Source: MSNBC.
Syria's unwillingness to police its borders has allowed terrorists to pass through Syria into Iraq. Despite tremendous U.S. pressure, Syria refuses to provide enough troops to police its border with Iraq. Source: CNN.
Syrian officials have also provided weapons to insurgents crossing its border into Iraq. U.S. attempts to quell smuggling of arms and hosting of insurgents has led to battles that have claimed the lives of many U.S. troops. Source: CNN.
The second explores the deeds and words of Hezbollah's current leader Hassan Nasrallah, explaining how his war isn't just against Israel, nor even against the United States, but against the entire civilized world.
Hassan Nasrallah's Trail of Terror
Hassan Nasrallah is Secretary General of Hezbollah, a militant Islamist group that wants to create a Shiite theocracy in Lebanon.
In the early 1980s, Nasrallah was part of the Amal movement, a Shiite militia with ties to Syria, where he was in charge of the Beqaa area in Lebanon. Later, Nasrallah founded Islamic Resistance, which carried out numerous terror operations in Lebanon. In 1982, Nasrallah abandoned Amal for Hezbollah. In 1992, he assumed control of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and other Western countries. Prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Hezbollah was responsible for more American deaths than any other terrorist organization. Nasrallah, as a long-time member and leader, bears much responsibility for this.
Nasrallah operates outside the control of his host state. Safe from punishment under Lebanese law, Nasrallah has used his impunity to wage barbaric terror attacks against civilians in Israel, Lebanon and elsewhere.
Hassan Nasrallah's War Against Israel
In a speech on April 9, 2000, Nasrallah said: "All the major disasters which befell the region stem from the existence of the state called Israel. So long as there is a state called Israel, disasters and suffering will continue. This is a cancerous body in the region... When a cancer is discovered, it must be dealt with fearlessly; it must be uprooted."
On July 14, 2006, Nasrallah told al-Manar television: "You wanted an open war, and we are heading for an open war…[w]e are ready for it.”
Nasrallah has also bragged about the military capability of Hezbollah. "The resistance has more than 12,000 missiles," he explained, "[and] the north of occupied Palestine [northern Israel] is entirely within the range of the missiles of the Lebanese resistance."
His overt threats against northern Israel have been coupled with more cagey hints about his ability to attack the rest of the country. "As for reaching beyond the north - the less said the better. We have no reason to say whether or not we have such capabilities. Let's keep quiet about this."
"It will sink and with it will sink scores of Israeli Zionist soldiers," Nasrallah gleefully explained after an attack on an Israeli ship. He went on to warn – more ominously – "this is just the beginning."
As leader of Hezbollah, Nasrallah ordered the launch of Syrian and Iranian-made missiles on Israel, raising the prospect of a greater regional conflagration.
Hassan Nasrallah's War Against the West
In the 1980s, Hezbollah earned the dubious distinction of being the most brutal and ruthless terrorist group operating in Lebanon. Hezbollah was responsible for the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut that killed 63 people and an attack on U.S. military barracks that killed 241 American servicemen, as well as the bombing of the French multinational headquarters that killed 58 Frenchmen. Hezbollah was also implicated in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina that killed 85 people, as well as of the Israeli embassy there.
During the Danish cartoon controversy, Nasrallah traced the Danish newspaper's chutzpah in publishing the offensive cartoon of Prophet Muhammad back to the failure to execute Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa against Salman Rushdie: "If any Muslim had carried out the fatwa of Imam Khomeini against the apostate Salman Rushdie, those despicable people would not have dared to insult the Prophet Muhammad - not in Denmark, not in Norway, and not in France."
Speaking at a graduation ceremony, Nasrallah noted that "the US Empire is slithering over our region" and that the United States is controlled by "Christian Zionists."
Nasrallah regularly makes demagogic speeches at Lebanese Mosques where he spreads violence and hate towards the United States. In a speech in February 2006, Nasrallah said, "America, America you are the Great Satan." He then led a chant of "Death to America."
The United Nations Security Council has called "for the disbanding and disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." UN SCR 1559 (2004). Yet Hezbollah continues to operate its own militarized statelet in Southern Lebanon.
War
Syria
More Benefits From McCain-Feingold
A New Alliance Of Democrats Spreads Funding
But Some in Party Bristle At Secrecy and Liberal Tilt
By Jim VandeHei and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, July 17, 2006; A01
An alliance of nearly a hundred of the nation's wealthiest donors is roiling Democratic political circles, directing more than $50 million in the past nine months to liberal think tanks and advocacy groups in what organizers say is the first installment of a long-term campaign to compete more aggressively against conservatives.
A year after its founding, Democracy Alliance has followed up on its pledge to become a major power in the liberal movement. It has lavished millions on groups that have been willing to submit to its extensive screening process and its demands for secrecy.
These include the Center for American Progress, a think tank with an unabashed partisan edge, as well as Media Matters for America, which tracks what it sees as conservative bias in the news media. Several alliance donors are negotiating a major investment in Air America, a liberal talk-radio network.
But the large checks and demanding style wielded by Democracy Alliance organizers in recent months have caused unease among Washington's community of Democratic-linked organizations. The alliance has required organizations that receive its endorsement to sign agreements shielding the identity of donors. Public interest groups said the alliance represents a large source of undisclosed and unaccountable political influence.
But Some in Party Bristle At Secrecy and Liberal Tilt
By Jim VandeHei and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, July 17, 2006; A01
An alliance of nearly a hundred of the nation's wealthiest donors is roiling Democratic political circles, directing more than $50 million in the past nine months to liberal think tanks and advocacy groups in what organizers say is the first installment of a long-term campaign to compete more aggressively against conservatives.
A year after its founding, Democracy Alliance has followed up on its pledge to become a major power in the liberal movement. It has lavished millions on groups that have been willing to submit to its extensive screening process and its demands for secrecy.
These include the Center for American Progress, a think tank with an unabashed partisan edge, as well as Media Matters for America, which tracks what it sees as conservative bias in the news media. Several alliance donors are negotiating a major investment in Air America, a liberal talk-radio network.
But the large checks and demanding style wielded by Democracy Alliance organizers in recent months have caused unease among Washington's community of Democratic-linked organizations. The alliance has required organizations that receive its endorsement to sign agreements shielding the identity of donors. Public interest groups said the alliance represents a large source of undisclosed and unaccountable political influence.
Ooo Goodie Katie is going to tell us how to solve the worlds problems
Viewers told her they want more perspective and "a better understanding of the ramifications of the news," she says. "I got the distinct sense they want us to go a little bit deeper" with historical background and "how is this relevant to their lives. (And) we heard from many people the news is just too depressing. Obviously, we can't sugar-coat what's going on, but there are cases where we can be more solution-oriented."
Despite pre-Katie promises of an evening news overhaul, don't look for radical changes, which could prove "too jarring" and turn off loyal, often older news viewers, CBS News president Sean McManus says. (Couric's newscast will also go multiplatform, with Web video, a blog, podcasting and radio simulcasts.)
The network's first goal is to gain a larger share of current news viewers: Under Bob Schieffer, the Evening News has already done so, adding 300,000 viewers this year, the only network newscast to increase its audience. Still, CBS remains a distant third, and "paltry" lead-ins from weaker local stations may make gains hard to come by, he says.
Gee I can't wait, Can You.... LOL
Despite pre-Katie promises of an evening news overhaul, don't look for radical changes, which could prove "too jarring" and turn off loyal, often older news viewers, CBS News president Sean McManus says. (Couric's newscast will also go multiplatform, with Web video, a blog, podcasting and radio simulcasts.)
The network's first goal is to gain a larger share of current news viewers: Under Bob Schieffer, the Evening News has already done so, adding 300,000 viewers this year, the only network newscast to increase its audience. Still, CBS remains a distant third, and "paltry" lead-ins from weaker local stations may make gains hard to come by, he says.
Gee I can't wait, Can You.... LOL
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Great Perspective from Iraq The Model
No more half-solutions.
In spite of what we are facing here every day I find myself, just like many others, so attached to following what's going on between Israel and Lebanon and that's mostly because of the close resemblance between the two cases.
In both cases we see a weak government suffering to control a powerful militia that is challenging the will of the rest of the country and engaging in a proxy war making the people suffer the results of regional conflicts that in no way can benefit their country.
The other reason why I'm closely following this ongoing crisis is that the powers involved in this conflict between Lebanon and Israel are closely connected to the powers fighting in Iraq and we here believe that the battle over there will have an impact on the situation here in one way or another.
It's still very difficult for people here to predict how this crisis is going to end especially that politics mix with ideology in a complex way in this region, however there's a general sense that the fires of war are going to spread to the rest of the region but still no one here can see the way this bigger war is going to end.
This comes from the nature of strategy adopted by the fighting powers and here I'm talking about the Arabic/Islamic component whose strategy relies on keeping a crisis open and always on reaching half-solutions to enable the leaderships to retain their positions…of course this also means keeping the countries of the region behind of the rest of the world and I see the same strategy being employed this time.
Iran proved that it's able to drag the region into a state of chaos by maneuvering its tools in Syria, Hizbollah, Hamas and the militias in Iraq. Iran knows that such a conflict directed by militias that blend with civilians will lead to long-lasting chaos and represents a half-solution that debilitates the other powers and at the same time it's not a costly tactic for Iran! A 100 million dollars in the hands of gangs are enough to cause a lot of destruction that cannot be cured by billions in reconstruction, and it always costs less to destruct than to build.
The key point in this strategy is to keep the half-solution alive. This method proved successful in keeping the despotic regimes in power for decades and these regimes think this strategy is still valid. What makes them this way is their interpretation of international comments which came almost exactly as they always do; calls for restraint and urging a cease-fire which they (Iran and her allies) think will mean eventually going back to negotiations which they know very well how to keep moving in an empty circle.
That was clear from Nesrallah's earlier speech when he said "whether today or a month or a year from now, the Israelis will sooner or later find themselves forced to negotiate…"
Of course Nesrallah did not talk about the rest of his hidden policy which is provoking another crisis once the first one cools down.
The same is going to happen in Iraq if the situation did not change from the way it is today and maybe one day the Iraqi south will be similar to the Lebanese south and we will probably see the militias embarrass the country with "adventures" just like Nesrallah is doing now, that's of course is what nobody here wants to see; nobody but Iran.
The question is did Iran make the right calculations this time? And is the world willing to accept more of those half-solutions?
I don't think so…
Trying to play the same scenario and adopt the same policies over and over again will bring undesirable outcomes for Iran this time and I can see that there's an Israeli determination to break the cycle; the thing is that Israel does not have to deal with the problem that America has to deal with; Israel does not have the political brakes that view the war in different ways. I mean to Israel this war is about existence and that's why Israel is going to go as far as it takes to secure this existence while the geographically-distant America view it differently and the attitude of some Americans who feel that this war is not that serious is understood.
But I do think that it is time to be decisive for one important reason; those who direct the conflict in the region do not seek a solution and even if America looks geographically far right now one should not forget that technology will not allow her to remain so in the future and I think dealing with conventional arsenals today is better than to deal with nukes in the future and that's the threat the world is going to face as long as religion mixes with politics in the middle east.
The hesitation of the international community can be so dangerous and the intentions of the axis of terror are so clear. That's why firm and resolute measures have to be undertaken against Syria and Iran who are directly responsible for the mess in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.
Posted by Mohammed
Iraq
Iran
Lebanon
In spite of what we are facing here every day I find myself, just like many others, so attached to following what's going on between Israel and Lebanon and that's mostly because of the close resemblance between the two cases.
In both cases we see a weak government suffering to control a powerful militia that is challenging the will of the rest of the country and engaging in a proxy war making the people suffer the results of regional conflicts that in no way can benefit their country.
The other reason why I'm closely following this ongoing crisis is that the powers involved in this conflict between Lebanon and Israel are closely connected to the powers fighting in Iraq and we here believe that the battle over there will have an impact on the situation here in one way or another.
It's still very difficult for people here to predict how this crisis is going to end especially that politics mix with ideology in a complex way in this region, however there's a general sense that the fires of war are going to spread to the rest of the region but still no one here can see the way this bigger war is going to end.
This comes from the nature of strategy adopted by the fighting powers and here I'm talking about the Arabic/Islamic component whose strategy relies on keeping a crisis open and always on reaching half-solutions to enable the leaderships to retain their positions…of course this also means keeping the countries of the region behind of the rest of the world and I see the same strategy being employed this time.
Iran proved that it's able to drag the region into a state of chaos by maneuvering its tools in Syria, Hizbollah, Hamas and the militias in Iraq. Iran knows that such a conflict directed by militias that blend with civilians will lead to long-lasting chaos and represents a half-solution that debilitates the other powers and at the same time it's not a costly tactic for Iran! A 100 million dollars in the hands of gangs are enough to cause a lot of destruction that cannot be cured by billions in reconstruction, and it always costs less to destruct than to build.
The key point in this strategy is to keep the half-solution alive. This method proved successful in keeping the despotic regimes in power for decades and these regimes think this strategy is still valid. What makes them this way is their interpretation of international comments which came almost exactly as they always do; calls for restraint and urging a cease-fire which they (Iran and her allies) think will mean eventually going back to negotiations which they know very well how to keep moving in an empty circle.
That was clear from Nesrallah's earlier speech when he said "whether today or a month or a year from now, the Israelis will sooner or later find themselves forced to negotiate…"
Of course Nesrallah did not talk about the rest of his hidden policy which is provoking another crisis once the first one cools down.
The same is going to happen in Iraq if the situation did not change from the way it is today and maybe one day the Iraqi south will be similar to the Lebanese south and we will probably see the militias embarrass the country with "adventures" just like Nesrallah is doing now, that's of course is what nobody here wants to see; nobody but Iran.
The question is did Iran make the right calculations this time? And is the world willing to accept more of those half-solutions?
I don't think so…
Trying to play the same scenario and adopt the same policies over and over again will bring undesirable outcomes for Iran this time and I can see that there's an Israeli determination to break the cycle; the thing is that Israel does not have to deal with the problem that America has to deal with; Israel does not have the political brakes that view the war in different ways. I mean to Israel this war is about existence and that's why Israel is going to go as far as it takes to secure this existence while the geographically-distant America view it differently and the attitude of some Americans who feel that this war is not that serious is understood.
But I do think that it is time to be decisive for one important reason; those who direct the conflict in the region do not seek a solution and even if America looks geographically far right now one should not forget that technology will not allow her to remain so in the future and I think dealing with conventional arsenals today is better than to deal with nukes in the future and that's the threat the world is going to face as long as religion mixes with politics in the middle east.
The hesitation of the international community can be so dangerous and the intentions of the axis of terror are so clear. That's why firm and resolute measures have to be undertaken against Syria and Iran who are directly responsible for the mess in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.
Posted by Mohammed
Iraq
Iran
Lebanon
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Every One of these ASSHOLES in RED need to be run OUT OF OFFICE
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 2nd Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary
Question: On the Amendment (Sessions Amdt. No. 4659, As Modified )
Vote Number: 200 Vote Date: July 13, 2006, 03:44 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Amendment Rejected
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 4659 to H.R. 5441 (Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 )
Statement of Purpose:
To appropriate an additional $1,829,400,000 to construct double-layered fencing and vehicle barriers along the southwest border and to offset such increase by reducing all other discretionary amounts on a prorata basis.
Vote Counts: YEAs 29 NAYs 71
Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---29
Allen (R-VA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Lott (R-MS)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
NAYs ---71
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)
Immigration
What's It Gonna Take
As the world frets and wringes it's collective hands over the fact that Israel has the Balls to defend itself, what's it gonna take. 10,000, 100,000 how many dead Jews before we react? As we watch the UN and the Collective boojwah bullshit of Europe condemn Israel for defending itself from attack. What is it gonna take?
As crazed Muslim Terrorists shoot rocket after rocket into Israel no one condemns, as Muslim terrorists strap bombs to themselves and their children to blow up bus loads of Jewish Children no one condemns, as Terrorist soldiers stream across borders and kill people and take hostages no one condemns.
The best part is Muslim Terrorists get outraged that a nation won't free murderers in exchange for kidnap victims, and then THEY CONDEMN the nation that they have attacked when it shoots back.....
What Kinda BULLSHIT is this? And How Long are we going to sit on the sidelines and allow IRAN to orchestrate this not so comic opera before us?
Do we wait until 100,000 Jews are killed, is that what it will take? Do we really have to see a mushroom cloud, or massive amounts of Jewish dead before it is alright for us to do what must be done?
Now before it is to late we need to act. Sooner or later Iran must be stopped. The only question is how many will have to die at the hands of their puppet Terrorists, before we do what has to be done?
Terror
Israel
Iran
As crazed Muslim Terrorists shoot rocket after rocket into Israel no one condemns, as Muslim terrorists strap bombs to themselves and their children to blow up bus loads of Jewish Children no one condemns, as Terrorist soldiers stream across borders and kill people and take hostages no one condemns.
The best part is Muslim Terrorists get outraged that a nation won't free murderers in exchange for kidnap victims, and then THEY CONDEMN the nation that they have attacked when it shoots back.....
What Kinda BULLSHIT is this? And How Long are we going to sit on the sidelines and allow IRAN to orchestrate this not so comic opera before us?
Do we wait until 100,000 Jews are killed, is that what it will take? Do we really have to see a mushroom cloud, or massive amounts of Jewish dead before it is alright for us to do what must be done?
Now before it is to late we need to act. Sooner or later Iran must be stopped. The only question is how many will have to die at the hands of their puppet Terrorists, before we do what has to be done?
Terror
Israel
Iran
Friday, July 14, 2006
Senate denies funds for new border fence
Senate denies funds for new border fence
By Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 14, 2006
Less than two months after voting overwhelmingly to build 370 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, the Senate yesterday voted against providing funds to build it.
"We do a lot of talking. We do a lot of legislating," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican whose amendment to fund the fence was killed on a 71-29 vote. "The things we do often sound very good, but we never quite get there."
Mr. Sessions offered his amendment to authorize $1.8 billion to pay for the fencing that the Senate voted 83-16 to build along high-traffic areas of the border with Mexico. In the same vote on May 17, the Senate also directed 500 miles of vehicle barriers to be built along the border.
But the May vote simply authorized the fencing and vehicle barriers, which on Capitol Hill is a different matter from approving the federal expenditures needed to build it.
"If we never appropriate the money needed to construct these miles of fencing and vehicle barriers, those miles of fencing and vehicle barriers will never actually be constructed," Mr. Sessions told his colleagues yesterday before the vote.
Virtually all Democrats were joined by the chamber's lone independent and 28 Republicans in opposing Mr. Session's amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. Only two Democrats -- Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Thomas R. Carper of Delaware -- supported funding the fence.
Kris Kobach, who was a counsel to the attorney general under John Ashcroft, told a House subcommittee last week that one of the most unusual aspects of the Senate bill is a provision -- slipped into the more-than-800-page bill moments before the final vote -- that would require the United States to consult with the Mexican government before constructing the fencing.
"I know of no other provision in U.S. law where the federal government requires state and local governments -- every state and local government on the border -- to consult with state and local governments of a foreign power before the federal government can act," he said.
Read the Full Story Here
This is why we can NEVER ALLOW AMNESTY. These Scumbags that say they represent us have NO interest in protecting us or our Border. And don't be mistaken the country is under attack ECONOMICLY by having an uncontrolled border. So not only didn't they fund the Fence they have made it IMPOSIBLE to build, by requiring Mexicos PERMISION to build it! If anyone can provide a link to the Names of the 28 Republicans that voted against funding the Fence it would be appreciated
Immigration
By Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 14, 2006
Less than two months after voting overwhelmingly to build 370 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, the Senate yesterday voted against providing funds to build it.
"We do a lot of talking. We do a lot of legislating," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican whose amendment to fund the fence was killed on a 71-29 vote. "The things we do often sound very good, but we never quite get there."
Mr. Sessions offered his amendment to authorize $1.8 billion to pay for the fencing that the Senate voted 83-16 to build along high-traffic areas of the border with Mexico. In the same vote on May 17, the Senate also directed 500 miles of vehicle barriers to be built along the border.
But the May vote simply authorized the fencing and vehicle barriers, which on Capitol Hill is a different matter from approving the federal expenditures needed to build it.
"If we never appropriate the money needed to construct these miles of fencing and vehicle barriers, those miles of fencing and vehicle barriers will never actually be constructed," Mr. Sessions told his colleagues yesterday before the vote.
Virtually all Democrats were joined by the chamber's lone independent and 28 Republicans in opposing Mr. Session's amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. Only two Democrats -- Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Thomas R. Carper of Delaware -- supported funding the fence.
Kris Kobach, who was a counsel to the attorney general under John Ashcroft, told a House subcommittee last week that one of the most unusual aspects of the Senate bill is a provision -- slipped into the more-than-800-page bill moments before the final vote -- that would require the United States to consult with the Mexican government before constructing the fencing.
"I know of no other provision in U.S. law where the federal government requires state and local governments -- every state and local government on the border -- to consult with state and local governments of a foreign power before the federal government can act," he said.
Read the Full Story Here
This is why we can NEVER ALLOW AMNESTY. These Scumbags that say they represent us have NO interest in protecting us or our Border. And don't be mistaken the country is under attack ECONOMICLY by having an uncontrolled border. So not only didn't they fund the Fence they have made it IMPOSIBLE to build, by requiring Mexicos PERMISION to build it! If anyone can provide a link to the Names of the 28 Republicans that voted against funding the Fence it would be appreciated
Immigration
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Important Update for those of us in the Philly Area
Saudi Wahhabists Promoting Islamic Extremism Through Villanova Jihad Camps
By Beila Rabinowitz & William A. Mayer
July 12, 2006 - Villanova, PA - PipeLineNews.org - The heavy hand of the Saudi Kingdom is being felt in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
When Villanova's Foundation for Islamic Education [FIE] requested an expansion permit from the Lower Merion Council they were met with protests from concerned residents who were fed up with the group's flaunting of its zoning agreement.
As we noted in a July 10 piece - Residents Protest Expansion Of Islamic Center In Villanova, PA - Venue For Young Muslim "Jihad Camps" -
"Residents of Lower Merion County protesting the expansion of the Foundation for Islamic Education because of zoning violations, recently became aware that the center is planning to hold a Muslim Youth camp with many of the controversial speakers who appeared at a self-described "Jihad Camp" in 2001.The FIE acknowledged they had violated the rules, but what they didn't tell residents is that their Foundation is a satellite campus of the radical Islamist Al-Azhar University [Cairo, Egypt].
The FIE is funded and owned by the ex-Saudi Minister of Energy and Electricity - Abdullah Taiba and is a satellite campus of the American Open University the American division of al-Azhar University in Cairo, a hotbed of Muslim Brotherhood activity.
A hearing on the expansion permit is scheduled to take place on August 10. Even prior to the news about the camp, Lower Merion councilman Philip Rosenzweig conceded that "it would take time for the FIE to reestablish trust with the neighbors," according to a July 5th article Philadelphia Inquirer..."
FIE's Pennsylvania's incorporation filing for FIE lists the following corporate officers:
Mahmoud A. Taiba - President
Abdulaziz A. Hanafi - Secretary
Abdullah I. al-Hobayb - Treasurer
Mahmoud Abdullah Taiba, President of FIE epitomizes the Saudi mixture of finance and fundamentalism. Taiba, an engineer by profession is the chairman of the Saudi Consolidated Electric Company and the former Secretary General of the Saudi Energy and Electricity Ministry.
In 2005 he was appointed by King Fahd to be the new vice chairman of the Shoura Council. The Majlis Ash Shoura [Council of Consultation] evaluates most matters in the kingdom for their compatibility with Islamic law. Decisions made by the Shoura council are implemented upon the review of King Fahd.
Taiba is therefore a key player in the inner workings of Saudi Arabia's official religion, which is the Wahhabist Sunni sect of Islam, Islam's most fundamentalist, intolerant strain.
It also makes Villanova's FIE a direct extension of the Saudi government, controlled by the Saudi royal family whose goal is to promote Wahhabism worldwide.
The image to the above left shows, left to right - Badr Al-Olayan, Abdul Rahman Al-Jomaih and FIE Treasurer Abdul Aziz Hanafi as they distribute certificates and prizes to outstanding students during a graduation ceremony held for recent Islamic converts.
Abdulaziz A. Hanafi is among the most influential businessmen in Saudi Arabia; the above image appeared in an Arab News article, "IEF Director Refutes Reports of Forced Conversions" which details the Philippine government's investigation into reports that its workers in Saudi Arabia had been forcibly converted to Islam and recruited by terrorist organizations [an April 2005 Dept. of State report lists the Abu Sayyaf Group - ASF - as a "violent Muslim terrorist group operating in the southern Philippines...The ASG engages in kidnappings for ransom, bombings, beheadings, assassinations, and extortion"].
Forced conversion is a recurring charge made against radical Islam, it occurs in nearly every Islamic state, please see our June 1, 2005 article Multiculturalism And The Phenomenon Of Forced Conversion To Islam. We take the charges lodged against the FIE's Saudi headquarters very seriously.
To the already established transgressions of FIE, developed in our above linked July 10th article we now must add the influence that the Saudi based Islamic Education Foundation is exercising through FIE, to the mix.
While in no way alleging that those at FIE are actively engaged in terrorism, the philosophy that they espouse is Wahhabism, they are an adjunct of a Saudi hate factory Al-Azhar University that is a focal point of the Muslim Brotherhood and they are a puppet of the Saudi government.
The Brotherhood is the group responsible for the assassination of Anwar Sadat [the "Blind Sheik" Abdul Rahman the Imam who was convicted in the first World Trade Center bombing and Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin-Laden's top lieutenant both were implicated in the plot to kill Sadat] and it is the immediate predecessor to al-Qaeda.
What we are talking about here is an ideology that has declared war on the West.
FIE's camp programs prior to 2001 were actually called "jihad camps," the speakers list on the current camp contains troubling people including Siraj Wahhaj who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 plot to blow up New York landmarks. He also testified as a character witness for the above referenced Blind Sheik in his terrorism trial.
FIE has been an exceedingly poor neighbor and the information that we set forth in this piece only deepens our concern leading us to demand that FIE's requested permit be denied by the Lower Merion Council, that a thorough investigation be made and proceedings to shut the place down be initiated.
©1999-2006 PipeLineNews.org/Beila Rabinowitz/William A. Mayer, all rights reserved.
Terror
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