PrairiePundit

The gulliveration of the US Tom Freidman discusses the rest of the worlds frustration at being unable to tie down the US and require their approval before the US uses it power. He ask for stable ways to manage this desire in the rest of the world. One obvious way would be a reasoned and persuavive argument for an alternative to the use of force that would accomplish the objectives of removing tyrants like Saddam from power. In the run up to the war the anti war movement, to the extent it had a rational component wanted to keep Saddam in power while the WMD snipe hunt continued. Had the US been persuaded to follow this course Saddam would still be committing mass murder of Iraqis. The potential confrontation with Iran, may follow a similar pattern. The Russians will continue to persue their short term commercial interest by helpin ayatollahs build the capacity to make nuclear weapons. What argument does Russia have that their commercial interest are more important than US...

Anti war whiners who lied about the effect of sanctions are complaining about lack of WMD found In Iraq the daily find of Saddam's killing fields is ignored by anti war pukes who seem to revel in Saddam's ability to hide his weapons or his incompetance in proving he had none. Con Coughlin says: "The onus to provide the evidence was on Saddam, not on London and Washington, and his failure to do so led to his overthrow. Certainly if Saddam did not have these weapons, then it was very much in his interests to have made a thorough declaration to the UN inspection teams. Had he done so, Saddam would still be in power, the Iraqi people would still be subjected to his tyrannical rule and more mass graves would be filled with the bodies of his victims."

Problem with Iraq While driving to Big Spring, Texas Thursday there was a large stretch of Texas where the only radio station I could receive was NPR. Listening to NPR is like listening to books on tape. One of the stories read at length concerned doctors at a hospital in Baghdad and teh trouble he has had getting medicine and a new generator. The NPR story went on and on about the doctor and other in Iraq waiting for the US bring them what they need. While NPR never got it, it was clear to me that these people are still suffering under an attitude of socialism where one waits for others to bring them what they need. In a capitolist environment, drug companies would be competing with each other to get the medicine tothe hospital as soon as possible. Generator suppliers would be competing with each other for the opportunity to sell the hospital a generator that they would deleiver and install. Other stories about post war Iraq, reflect a similar attitude. When are the Am...

Roadmap trap for Palestinians USS Clueless analysis is similar to the one stated here. The roadmap requires the Palestinians to stop terrorist activities. Such an event is remote at best. The Israelis can go along with the roadmap and the Palestinians will get the blame for blowing another chance for peace.

Frank's war plan Fred Barnes has an excellent piece on gen. tommy franks plan for liberating Iraq. "With the Franks plan, American forces repeatedly achieved tactical surprise in the war, notably when American, British, and Australian special forces from Jordan captured Iraq's Scud missile sites in western Iraq two days before the larger war began. Iraqi defenders there 'didn't have a lot of time to be caught by surprise because we killed them,' Franks said in an interview last week at Central Command headquarters in Tampa. 'I have to believe the regime was surprised.'" A point made here before: "A Bush administration official said Franks is 'easy to underestimate,' and Rumsfeld initially seemed to do just that." "...Afghanistan was a laboratory for military transformation. Lessons from Afghanistan were applied on a broader scale in Iraq. 'We learned precision [bombing] is good and it makes the difference,...

al Qaeda reacts to cleric arrest An email for al Qaeda threatens assasination of Saudi officials if the two arrested clerics are killed. Way to go al Qaeda. You have just confirmed these guys connection to your murderous outfit. "The London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that the e-mail, sent by unnamed persons close to Osama bin Laden, said the al Qaeda leader promised reprisals if the two were indeed dead. "'Sheikh Osama and the leaders of al Qaeda in Afghanistan are closely following reports of the deaths of Sheikh Ali al-Khodeir and Ahmed ak-Khaledi,' the daily quoted the e-mail as saying. "The London-based Saudi opposition Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia has said that the two may have been killed by police Monday during raids in the holy Muslim city of Medina. "'If it was especially confirmed that Sheikh Ali al-Khodeir was martyred then our response against the al-Saud family ... will be as great as the Sheikh is to us,...

Palestinians claim cease fire discussions with Hamas For the Palestinians to move forward on the road map they have to get Hamas to quit murdering Israelis. Prime Minister Abbas says je expects to have such an agreement next week. The value of such an agreement to the peace process is doubtful because for Hamas it would only be a tactical stand down. The only way the Israelis can truly have peace with the Palestininas is for Hamas to be destroyed.

Saudis arrest more in Medina Eleven have now been arrested in Medina in connection with the Riyadh attacks. Included in the group were three Moroccans and two clerics who had told people not to cooperate with the investigation. The arrest of the clerics may be significant, since many clerics have been preaching jihad and persuading young men to join the terrorist. "'It's huge,' said a Saudi official. He said most of those arrested in Medina were part of a cell that was planning to leave for Europe or the United States to carry out terrorist attacks. "Saudi officials also said police found explosives and bomb-making equipment at a building in Medina where some of the suspects were arrested today. Medina and Mecca, also in Saudi Arabia, are the two holiest sites in Islam." "...In one location in Medina, Saudi officials said, police arrested Ali Khudair and Ahmed Khalidi, two clerics who had called on Saudis to protect the group of 19 susp...

Tax cut strategy Dick Morris says the latest tax cuts put the Dems in a bind in 2004. Because of sunset provisions, many of the cuts expire in the presidential election year. Failure to renew them can properly be called a tax increase. It will be hard for Dems to win on a platform of raising taxes, yet many will have to do that to get nominated.

Dems out of touch Donald Lambro analyzes Democrats shrinking voter base. "A party that repeatedly loses the presidency is seriously out of touch with the national problems that concern voters most. The Democrats have elected only two presidents in the last three decades. "But when a party also loses its majority in Congress, the governorships and the state legislatures, and is losing its base, it has lost touch with every level of American politics. That means it no longer has anything relevant to say and is headed toward extinction."

Salon views economy as a pie to be cut Liberals have alway had a tough time understanding tax policy and its interaction with the economy. Republicans like george Bush look at tax cuts like an investment in the American economy that will produce great returns for the people and the government. Liberals tend to look at tax cuts as expenditures that could have been used in one of their vote purchasing schemes.

African Incompetance Many in Africa need assistance. In a remarkably thoughtful editorial, the Arab News focuses on the cause of the famines that go beyond climate conditions. Many African governments are incompetant. Add to this the tribal warfare and deliberate malfeasance of leaders like Robert Mugabe and it is almost too easy to use hunger as a weapon of mass destruction.

Amnesty International's preferred Taliban and Saddam In the Alice in wonderland world of Amnesty International the war on terror has made the world worse. Worse than when Saddam and Taliban engaged in summary executions and chopped off lims in a soccer stadium? Mass graves are still being found in Iraq, and these people think Iraq is worse off. Note to Amnesty International, none of the people found in the mass graves in Iraq and Afghanistan were killed by the US. Amnesty is more interested in the unlawfaul combatants in Cuba than in their victims in Afghanistan. It is a group more interested in being anti American than it is in true human rights.

EU comercial ties with Iran color attitude on coming confrontation The confrontation wit Iran will likely not get much European support. Irans largest trading partner is Germany. "The EU, on the other hand, is negotiating a trade and cooperation agreement with Iran under a policy dubbed conditional dialogue,' which is meant to link improved ties with parallel progress on political issues." "...Unlike over Iraq, Britain and France are on the same side for the moment in backing cautious engagement with Iran. Both also have oil investments in the country of 65 million people."

Rocker shocks reuters by praising Bush's African aid Bob Geldof went to Ethopia and "shocked the international aid community on Wednesday by praising President Bush's administration as one of Africa's best friends in their fight against AIDS and famine." "...The Irish musician and activist said Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton talked passionately about Africa, but had done little, while the European Union had provided a 'pathetic and appalling' response to the continent's humanitarian crisis"

Bali bomber admits his role The man accused of masterminding the bombing of a night club in Bali admitted his role and said "...I wish all the world could be one Muslim country." "Mukhlas also admitted to knowing Osama Bin Laden well, but denied that the leader of al-Qaeda had assisted him in his activities. "Al-Qaeda is suspected of having links with Jemaah Islamiah, a regional militant group believed by police to have been behind the Bali bombings."

Al-Jazeera director general deposed Al-Jazeera's special relationship with Saddam's Iraqi regime has come back to haunt it leader. "Al-Jazeera and Mr Ali have been accused by western media of collaborating with the former regime in Baghdad, which the ex-director general visited before the US-led war, interviewing the president for an hour. "Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the American-backed Iraqi National Congress, has accused several Al-Jazeera journalists of working for Iraqi agencies based on documents allegedly found in state archives in Baghdad."

Cambodia arrest muslims suspected of terrorism Foreign muslims were arrested in Cambodia under suspicion of connections to al Qaeda and Islamic Jemaah Islamiah. "The Egyptian and two Thai Muslims, who had been teachers at a the al-Mukara Islamic school near the capital, stood accused of plotting to carry out attacks in Cambodia, a government official said."

Saudis arrest al Qaeda leader The Saudis arrested three more men in connection with the Riyadh bombing including one of the 19 originally sought before the bombing. "Al-Watan daily said at least three alleged al-Qaida members were arrested in an Internet cafe in the holy city of Medina, including Ali Abd al-Rahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi, who is believed to be the mastermind of the bombings. The paper said there were reports of two other arrests. "U.S. officials have said al-Ghamdi is among al-Qaida's top men in Saudi Arabia."

Court permits secret hearings in deportation cases The Supreme Court let stand an appeals court ruling which permitted the US to try certain deportation cases related to 9-11 to be tried in secret. The case probably signals the courts willingness to grant the government broad authority to deal with terrorist matters.

Iran arrest not enough for US Iran's claims of arrest of al Qeada operatives does not meet US demands. Iran has failed to name the arestees and has also failed to turn them over to the US or Saudi Arabia.

Islamic militants add to death toll While over 2000 Algerians were killed by a recent earthquake, Islamic militants added to the death toll by murdering a family of 14 one only 18 months old. All were shot in the head and then had their throat cut. What a religion?

Saudis ask Iran for return of any Saudi nationals Saudi Arabia has asked Iran to send any al Qaeda suspects who are Saudi nationals back.

ICC suit against Blair It did not take long to prove the wisdom of the Bush administration in opposing the International Criminal Court. Britain ratified the treaty and one of the first persons sued for crimes against humanity was Tony Blair. Even as mass graves of Saddam's victims are still being uncovered, left wing idiots are suing the liberators and not the perpatraitors. The court has become just what opponents suspected--a platform for left wing political theater, a place where those who lost the political debate go and ask for a redeal. If the court is to be taken seriously, the suits should be dismissed immediately, and the people who filed it should be subject to sanctions for filing frivilous litigation.

Pax Americana in the "arc of crisis" The US involvement in the "arc of crisis" which runs from north Aftrica to the Indian subcontinent is extensive and necessry to maintain peace among the mainly muslim states of the region. The mess muslim governments have made for themselves would have a negative effect on the rest of the world if the US were not involved to bring some sanity to the situation. In the post colonial world, where the UN is incompetant to save these people from themselves, it has become the US's burden. There is hope for the region. The chinese character for "crises" is made up of two idiograms--trouble and opportunity. Perhaps the area should be renamed the "arc of trouble and opportunity."

Affirmative fraud Thomas Sowell ask if being placed on a basketball team will make you tall. "For example, a study some years ago showed that the average black student at MIT scored in the top 10 percent in mathematics among students nationwide — but in the bottom 10 percent at MIT. One-fourth of these black students failed to graduate. "There is neither glory nor money to be had from flunking out of MIT. But you can have a fulfilling professional career after graduating from Texas Tech or Cal State Pomona."

The case for missile defense The Bush administration says that North Korea is a threat justifying missile defense. The defense system is also a hedge against military surprise and intelligence failures. "...the missile-defense system to be fielded next year and in 2005 will include a combination of ground-based missile interceptors, sea-based interceptors and Patriot PAC-3 systems, as well as sensors on land, sea and in space." "The systems to be deployed for advanced missile defense include additional ground-based and sea-based interceptors, deployment of the Army's Theater High-Altitude Area Defense, and the Air Force's Airborne Laser systems. "Missile defenses also will include 'a family of boost-phase and midcourse hit-to-kill interceptors based on sea-, air- and ground-based platforms,' the directive says. It also mentions enhanced sensors and the development and testing of space-based defenses." "North Korea is a k...

The case for missile defense The Bush administration says that North Korea is a threat justifying missile defense. The defense system is also a hedge against military surprise and intelligence failures. "...the missile-defense system to be fielded next year and in 2005 will include a combination of ground-based missile interceptors, sea-based interceptors and Patriot PAC-3 systems, as well as sensors on land, sea and in space." "The systems to be deployed for advanced missile defense include additional ground-based and sea-based interceptors, deployment of the Army's Theater High-Altitude Area Defense, and the Air Force's Airborne Laser systems. "Missile defenses also will include 'a family of boost-phase and midcourse hit-to-kill interceptors based on sea-, air- and ground-based platforms,' the directive says. It also mentions enhanced sensors and the development and testing of space-based defenses." "North Korea is a k...

The case for the A-10 The Air Force wants to ground one of its most potent weapons. The A-10 is a close air support weapon that works in close coordination with ground troops. While some look at it as an ugly beast brought in when troops are in trouble, it is much more. By taking on enemy elements in close contact with US forces, the ground troops give the Air Force something it could not do on its own. It gives them a fixed target they can destroy. The Marine Corps, pioneered close air support and used it like heavy artillery. Perhaps, the USMC should see about putting a tail hook on the A-10 and use them to replace their Harriers.

Seeing Islam as evil Christian evangelicals are responding to attacks by muslims with verses from the Koran they beleive show the evil side of the religion. Most muslims believe that the Islam as practiced by bin Laden is evil and wrong. The MEMRI texts of Friday sermons in the mosques around the middle east do not show any love toward Christians or Jews. In fact they show hatred intolerance and calls for violence. Some muslims think the christians are being hostile.

Iran feels the heat Iran's membership in the axis of evil is beginning to be uncomfortable. The allegations of al qaeda operatives pulling the strings on the attacks in riyadh from Iran has not only brought new focus, it has resulted in the cut off of dialog with the US. "For the first time they're (the Iranians) starting to think: 'Maybe the Americans really are going to come after us'," said one local political analyst, who declined to be named.

The death of liberal America A Brit looks at liberal america. "A professor of history from Yale, who I happened to sit next to on one of my inter-city flights, told me he was earnestly praying for a dreadful downturn in the American economy. 'Otherwise we are stuck with this administration for the next five years and I don't know what damage that is going to do to America's standing in the world.'" A party whose only idea for achieving power is to wish ill upon the country they hope to rule is pretty sick. The idea that the US war against terror and the liberation of Iraq have damaged the US standing in the world shows how out of touch liberals are. The benefits of this foreign policy has alrady moved intractable enemies like India and Pakistan, and Isreal and the Palestinians to talk of peace. It has put pressure on the angry ayatollahs of Iran to reform or suffer a regime change. The North Koreans are quickly losing markets for their missiles ...

Investing in paranoia For those who do not want to take George Bush at his word there is the Carlyle Group to blame the wars and everything else that happens on. "If you like a first-class conspiracy theory, the Carlyle Group is the business for you. Go to google.com, type in the company name, and watch as the gossip lines up. Within minutes, you may be convinced that this largely unknown Washington investment house is the secret ruler of the world, a potent gang of powerful men plotting wars, famines and the eventual takeover of Mars."

Left Wing Brit Paper Blames Bush For Oklahoma Education Spending George Bush is responsible for the largest increase in Federal spending on education ever. But the article from the Guardian does not mention this fact. Instead, it claims tht money spent on national security has taken away from schools. Typical of left wing thinking, it is critical of federalism, which makes states responsible for certain government functions, like education. No wonder the Brits have such a poor education system. The article does not mention that Britain is having some of the same problems with education spending that Oklahoma is, and it is led by a liberal government that cannot blame George Bush for their lack of funds. The headline says Bush makes poor pay for spending on national security. There are two things wrong with this assertion. In the US the poor pay nothing in federal income taxes--nothing. It is also an example of what is wrong with liberal and socialist thinking that has ...

Iraqi General Said to Order Troops Not to Fight Sun Tzu said the best victory is one where you compel your enemy to not fight. According to reports in this article, a Republican guard General told his troops to lay down their arms, after he received a payment from the US and was flown out of the country. If true, it is a remarkable coup by the CIA.

Saudis Capture Smuggler With 60 Kilos TNT Saudi check points have found a smuggler with 60 kilos of TNT and another with 50,000 rounds of ammunition in his car.

How German Lost the War in Iraq A catolog of all Germany has lost as a result of Shroeder's policy on Iraq. "That French President Jacques Chirac is even less popular in the US than Schröder gives German diplomats slight consolation. But opposition to US policy from France never comes as a shock. Indeed, Chirac's tone and tactics conform to textbook Gaullist patterns. By contrast, German assertiveness vis-à-vis the US was stunning--perhaps because, as it is said, you have to be fully behind someone who you stab in the back." The views of a former advisor to Chancelor Kohl make interesting reading.

Even Dems Do Not Trust Dems On Terror About two-thirds of Americans do not think any of the nine Democrat candidates can be trusted in the war on terror. It gets worse for the Dems. among democrats 49% do not think the nine Dems can handle the war on terror, and only 26% of Democrats believe they can. This points out just how disasterous the democrats attempts to seperate themselves from bush on the war on terror has been for them and their party. A week ago the focus of discussion among the candidates was that bush was weak in fighting terroism. clearly the public did not believe them.

Congressional Critics Do Not Know What They Are Talking About--Garner Gen. Garner finds his critics offensive. "In response (to critics) Saturday, Garner ticked off a list of accomplishments that he said his team had produced in the five weeks it has been on the ground: "• Two-thirds of Iraqi children are back in school. "• 80 percent of the police forces are back at work. "• Elections of town councils have been held in 17 major cities. "• There are plans to buy the next harvest. "'For anyone who thinks things are going badly, I offer them a chance to work here,' he said."

Iranian Parliament Urges Reform on Unreformable Ayatollahs In Iran the Parliament has about the same power as a student coucil in a US high school. The ayatollahs still make the rules. It is unlikely they can be brought to heel the way English kings eventually were. But, the Parliament is asserting itself at a time when the US has broken off talks with the government because of al Qaeda activity from Iran. If the leaders in the Parliament had the courage to embrace what the US is asking for, and the willingness to accept US assistance they could break the ayatollah's grip on power.

Kennedy Vietnam Myth Historians are still arguing whether President Kennedy would have pulled out o vietnam after the 1964 election. What little evidence there is for this theory, has to be based on a false assumption that the situation in Vietnam would have continued as it was when Kennedy made any suggestion that he favored a pull out. Static analysis of a dynamic situation where your enemy confronts you with new facts on the ground makes any such predictions more than speculative. Kennedy's men were the ones who advised President Johnson on the war. Then were the ones who created a quagmire by refusing to use adequate force and refusing plans to achieve decisive results.

Saddam's Dead Baby Parades Not Related to Sanctions The parades were a staple of Saddam's anti sactions message and were grist for propgandist who supported him, but they were faked. "Iraqi doctors say they were told to collect dead babies who had died prematurely or from natural causes and to store them in cardboard boxes in refrigerated morgues for up to four weeks - until they had sufficient corpses for a parade. "Many of the children died, they say, as a result of the Iraqi government's own neglect as it lavished funds on military programmes and Saddam's palaces in the knowledge that it could blame sanctions for the lack of medicines and equipment in hospitals and clinics. "'We were not allowed to return the babies to their mothers for immediate burial, as is the Muslim tradition, but told they must be kept for what became known as 'the taxi parade',' said Dr Hussein al-Douri, the deputy director of the Ibn al-Baladi hosp...

Cassablanca Bombers Linked to Cleric at London's Finsbury Park Mosque Literature from a cleric at the same mosque where Moussaoui and Reid were recruited, was found in Moracco in the homes of some of the bombers. In the literature the cleric parised bin Laden.

Brits Find Evidence Saddam Was Developing Missile With 600 Mile Range In what is called a "smoking gun" the Brits say the discovery was made through interrogations of people who worked on the project. The 600 mile range is significantly beyond the 93 maximum permitted under UN sanctions.

Iran Has Blown Its Chance The Bush administration is backing away from negotiations with Iran since the Riyadh bombings were run by al Qaeda operatives in Iran. Defense Department officials in the US are willing to support a general uprising in the country where millions are dissatisfied with rule by wacky ayatollahs.

The Iranian Connection More evidence keeps surfacing of an al Qaeda Iranian link. "And at the heart of the claims, it slowly became clear, was a handsome young former colonel in the Egyptian Army, Saif Al-Adel, who experts claim has risen from the ranks of one of Osama bin Laden's personal guards to al Qaeda's new military chief and the third-most powerful man in the terrorist network's ranks. He is on the U.S. list of 22 most-wanted terrorists. "'Saif Al-Adel is the newly appointed military chief of al Qaeda who took over as military chief when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured [in Pakistan earlier this year],' said Rohan Gunaratna, a former investigator at the U.N. Terrorism Prevention Branch, and author of Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror."

North Korea's Problem One of the problems facing North Korea is the shrinking market for their missiles and nukes. Obviously Iraq is no longer a potential client. Iran and Syria would be subject to regime change if they atempted such a purchase. The same would be true of Libya. There really are not that many other customers out there for these products> Osama has no place to take delivery of missiles. His resources have been constrained to the point where it is unlikely that he could afford a baby nuke, much less a delivery vehicle. This is why his focus has been on chemical and biological WMD. Chatter Boxes One of the boxes bin Laden's crowd has found themselves in since their disbursale from Afghanistan, is the need to communicate to put an attack in motion. The 9-11 attack was hard to detect becaue most of the communications on planning and target selection took place in person in Afghanistan. Now command figures have to call or email attackers making...

Digital warriors Den Beste has a good analysis of vulnerabilities and responses to them in the use of digital technology in modern warfare. One thing he does not address is the problem of "chip frying." One of the weapons the US hinted at prewar was a cruise missile that could destroy enemy computer chips and make their communications and some of their weapons inoperable. A crude beam weapon could be used in anti aircraft defense to knock out the preceision capabilities of US aircraft. It could also be used to make communication with troops more difficult. One of the advantages the US has right now is the cost of sophisticacted weapons systems makes them virtually unavailable to potential adversaries. Because Osama can't build JDAMs and has no means of delivering them, he has to rely on human bombs which are relatively cheap but not inexhaustible. The Morocco attacks is a case in point where one of his human bombs did not explode and has been a rich resource...

Desperate for tourist In an act that can only be described as desperate, French and German tourism officials have told their countrymen to be nice to Americans. "Mr. Pérol, the director general of Maison de la France, a travel trade organization, recently hauled 300 hotel directors and others into a vast hall under the Louvre to preach the benefits of, well, simply being nice."

Soldier's Superman Suits The US and MIT are working on nano tech solutions for the battlefield. "The MIT center focuses its research on materials and equipment to protect soldiers in the field or to provide them with medical assistance. The research falls into seven categories: energy-absorbing materials, which attenuate directed energy attacks; mechanically active materials such as artificial muscles; sensors that warn of chemical or biological intrusions; medical devices; manufacturing techniques for nanomaterials; nanomaterial integration; and modeling and simulation."

Shake the ground Under their Feet The mad mullahs, imans and ayatollahs on a weekly basis have asked allah to shake the ground under the feet of their enemies--the US and Israel. For that reason it is ironic that the terrible earthqauke in Algeria, a muslim country at war with itself, has killed up to 1800 so far. If earthquakes are an act of god, what was allah willing? Are is it more likely these purveyors of hate do not know what they are talking about?

Canadian Chickens Canadians worry that their governments failure to support the US gives little incentive to lift the ban on beef after the discovery of Mad Cow disease north of the border. "At the time, some of us suggested that the prime minister's reluctance to join the so-called Coalition of the Willing could result in those chickens -- metaphorically speaking -- eventually coming home to roost. "Little did we imagine just how soon that might happen. "But as the saga of BSE, or mad cow disease, plays itself out across Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan, it's hard not to wonder what impact the prime minister's snub of our biggest trading partner (not to mention the bad-mouthing of U.S. President George W. Bush by Liberal caucus members) will have on the speedy reopening of the U.S. market to Canadian cattle and beef."

Quagmire Watch Paul Krugman is only optomistic when he thinks bad things will happen to the "Bush economy." In the grand tradition of Johnny Apple he has used his NY Times stage to declare the economy is headed for a quagmire. This should be a pretty good sign that the economy is headed for a robust period of growth.

Chemical, Biological Weapons Pursuit The Pentagon's latest report on countries and terrorist seeking chemical and biological weapons contains the usualy suspects--Iran, Syria, Lybia and al Qaeda. "Al-Qaida's interest in chemical, biological and nuclear weapons has long been known. Bin Laden has said Muslims have a religious duty to make and use weapons of mass destruction against Americans and Jews."

Investigating the Investigation Democrats have no shame. Members of the Texas Democratic Party in an effort to thwart the domcratic process left the state to avoid a quorum that would permit a vote on a more equitable realignment of congressional districts. This profoundly undemocratic act is now the subject of several investigations of people who tried to find them. The perversity of this latest investigations is typical for this most undemocratic party.

Clearing Jenin Israeli Defense Forces faced many challeges in getting the terrorist out of Jenin in april 2002. "Palestinian forces were thoroughly prepared for an Israeli operation in Jenin. The camp was booby-trapped from top to bottom. "From the very first moment that their tanks left Jenin last month [after an initial IDF raid], we began to work on the plan to draw the Israeli soldiers into a trap and then blow them up," recounted a Palestinian fighter. Everyone, apparently, had a hand in these efforts: "The entire camp was busy preparing charges and explosives," Mohammed Balas, an eyewitness, was quoted as saying in the Israeli newspaper Yedi'ot Aharonot. "Even women and small children openly laid explosives in the streets." Jenin's defenders did not hesitate to endanger their fellow Palestinians, nor did they think twice about planting bombs in houses-"inside cupboards, under sinks, inside sofas," according to one resid...

Terrorist Not Interested in Freedom The terrorist are not asking for civil institutions. "There is no relation between the terrorists and desire for such liberties. On the contrary, they are totally against such freedoms. The agenda of most of the terrorist movements that have existed in the Arab and Islamic world for over 20 years now is destructive, not reformist. Leaders of such movements continue to make that clear. They consider civil institutions un-Islamic and unacceptable. It is not lack of freedom that is the reason for the existence of such groups. If that were so, how would one explain their appearance in open Western societies, where voting and political diversity are allowed and where they have total freedom of expression? The fact is that they have chosen to use weapons against such societies because they are against them."

Dems National Security Problem The Democrats keep attacking Bush as weak in the war on terror but the public disagrees--strongly. Deborah Orin writes: "The problem is clear in the latest CBS/New York Times poll, where 86 percent agree Bush has made progress against terrorism and when asked which party they'd trust on terrorism, 58 percent say Republicans and 18 Democrats." The Dems spent last weekend making their attacks and 86% of those polled disagree with them. Even worse for the Dems is their own number 18%. That number means that over half the Democrats do not think their parties positions on national security are strong. The Democrats classic mistake is trying to differientate themselves from Bush on the war on terror rather than hugging him. They have put themselves in the position of benefitting only if the American people are hurt by terrorism.

Moroccans Tie bombing to Al Qaeda A senior al Qaeda operative outside of Morocco sent $50,000 to cover the cost of the bombing operation is Cassablanca. "But the rest of the operation was purely Moroccan. Officials added that a small team of Moroccans who had been trained in Afghanistan were used as intermediaries to choose and train the operatives inside Morocco. "Authorities say that 14 suicide bombers were involved in the attacks and that 12 of them had been killed. Two others are in police custody, one of them badly wounded."

Al Qaeda Is Spending Its Men and Blowing Its Networks The latest attacks are not working even in anti US papers like the Guardian. "Supposed spokesmen of al-Qaida may make grandiose claims that they outwitted the Americans, waiting until after the war to strike. Behind such vanity and posturing there may well be a degree of desperation. Even with the Americans in Iraq, and with much deplorable mismanagement evident in that country, there is no sign so far that American occupation can be made into the pivot of a successful campaign by the extremists, as they clearly hope. Their actions this month make that less rather than more likely. "There remains the dismal possibility that they will get lucky and that one of their operations will come off with truly cataclysmic, rather than merely dreadful, effect. But the picture otherwise is that, country by country, these groups are blowing their networks, spending their young men, waking up security establishments, and lo...

Quagmire Watch The Christian Science Monitor beat Johnny Apple to it this time. They have described Iraq's occupation as a quagmire only one month into the operation. "A sense of quagmire hovers over the liberation that went sour. Fifteen thousand additional troops to help maintain order will bring the American troop level in Iraq to almost 160,000. That represents 40 percent of the Army's 10 active divisions and dims the hopes of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for an early reorganization of the military into smaller, more agile units." Didn't Vietnam at least take a few years to become a quagmire? At this rate journalist would describe having to stand in line at McDonald's a quagmire.

Butterfly Flight Simulater Tracks Monarchs Scientist have figured out how the Monarch butterfly finds its way to Mexico on a 2000 trip. "A series of experiments has revealed how this tiny insect is able to marry a sophisticated biological clock with the sun's position so that it can fly across the North American continent without losing its way. "Monarch butterflies migrate between their wintering roosts in central Mexico to their summer breeding grounds as far north as the US-Canadian border. Scientists have now discovered that they employ an internal biological clock that enables them to use the sun as a reliable compass no matter what time of day it is. "This form of navigation is so accurate that it allows some monarch butterflies to return to the same trees in the Mexican mountains that were used by their great, great grandparents as roosting sites the previous winter. "Scientists, led by Steven Reppert of the University of Massachusetts Me...

More on Saudi Arrest Some of the four arrested on Tuesday in Riyadh are believed to have al Qaeda ties. "Security remains tight throughout the Kingdom, with armed checkpoints stationed at major landmarks and outside many Western residential compounds. The Saudi government seems to have given the go-ahead for a full-scale crackdown on militants, with Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, making it clear that there is no room in Saudi society for anyone who sympathizes with the aims of Islamist insurgents."

Iran Admits It Has Al Qaeda Iran says it has al Qaeda operatives in custody. "One Bush administration official told CNN that Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special representative for Afghanistan, met Thursday in Geneva with Iranian officials. It was during that meeting that Iran said it had several al Qaeda operatives in custody, the official said." US officials have said intercepted communications show al Qaeda operatives directed the attacks in Saudi Arabia from Iran.

Hizballah Navy Captured The boat captured by the Israelis had a Hisballah instructor on board. "The vessel, the Abu Hassan, was stormed by naval commandos off the coast at Haifa and found to contain bomb-timing devices and 122mm rockets with other equipment for manufacturing explosives. "The Israelis said that the boat was on her way from Lebanon to Egypt, from where the Hezbollah man, named yesterday as Hamad Muslam Moussa Abu Amra, was planning to cross into the Gaza Strip." "...Officials said the equipment on the vessel off Haifa included 36 CD-Roms giving instructions on bomb-making and suicide missions, 25 rocket detonators and a radio-activation system for remote-control bombs...."

Dems Put Species Ahead of National Security Democrat Senators voted to limit military traing to protect "endangered animals and plants." The Democrats, who have on a 18% approval rating on national security issues put critters ahead of training the military. Fortunately the House wants to lift the restrictions so the matter will go to a conference committee. More From the Byrd Brain Former Kleagal Sen. Robert Byrd accused the President of lying to get the US into a war in Iraq. "When it comes to shedding American blood, when it comes to wreaking havoc on civilians, on innocent men, women and children, callous dissembling is not acceptable," Mr. Byrd said. "Nothing is worth that kind of lie — not oil, not revenge, not re-election, not somebody's grand pipe dream of a democratic domino theory." Most people should know that a lie is saying something a person knows is untrue. If Byrd is talking about the difficulty in finding Saddam...

Reluctant Bomber Shows Morocans His Buried Bomber Jacket A human bomb who decided not to explode took Morracan authorities to a graveyard where he buried his undetonated explosives. "Other newspapers in Morocco on Thursday carried unconfirmed reports that the police had unravelled plots to carry out attacks in the cities of Marrakesh, Fez and Essaouira, all popular with tourists. "Extremist groups were preparing attacks in Marrakesh against Jewish and foreign targets, "in the same way as those perpetrated in Casablanca on May 16," reported the Al Ahdath Al Maghribia daily. "Investigators had found 'a veritable bomb factory... with large quantities of pentrite' - the substance found in the shoes of British national Richard Reid, the so-called shoe-bomber who allegedly tried to blow up an airliner heading from Paris to Miami in December 2001 - in the Sidi Moumen slum near Casablanca, wrote L'Opinion newspaper."

23 Al Qaeda Suspect on Trial in Belgium The suspects include those accused of assinating the leader of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan two days before the 9-11 attacks. Another suspect is accused of attempting an attack on a US base in Belgium.

"Peace Keeping" Debate for Congo What to do about the killing in the Congo. "Everybody in Bunia is waiting: frightened civilians huddling under tarpaulins, United Nations observers in their blue helmets, aid workers on their walkie-talkies, and youthful militia fighters leaning against lampposts with their assault rifles. "They're all waiting to see who arrives first here in the biggest town in northeastern Congo - a crack multinational force of peacekeepers with a mandate to demilitarize the place or the opposing militia fighters said to be regrouping in the hills just a few miles to the southeast." It is clear that the current force can barely defend itself. The debate at the UN is over sending so called "Chapter 7" forces that would have authority to be more aggressive witht he warring afactions. The problem with inserting forces in the middle of a civil war is tht they do not have a dog in the fight and wind up being a targe...

Mass Graves Found in Congo A grave containing about 30 bodies was found in the congo were some 700 UN troops are attempting to unsuccessfully control the killing. Ironically, Human Rights Watch thinks more UN troops are needed after finding the grave. There has been little reaction from this group to the atrocities of the former Iraqi regime that are being uncovered by US forces.

NY Times Addiction to Anonymous Sources Editor & Publisher takes on the NY Times. "The real lesson from the Blair affair is that the Times' system for dealing with accuracy in its newspaper and discipline in its newsroom is badly broken -- if, indeed, any system exists. It's all very well to 'trust' reporters, as Times executives insistently declared, but the dull credulity top editors evinced throughout this episode suggests they have not learned the first thing the old hardscrabble City News Bureau in Chicago told its greenest recruits: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. "How is it, for instance, that The New York Times could be gulled into publishing on its front page a story accusing a teenager of being the triggerman in the Washington-area sniper attacks -- without any editor apparently ever asking the tyro reporter to identify these unnamed 'law-enforcement officials' he is quoting? "One inescapable conclusio...

Saudi Crackdown on Islamic Charities The Saudis have finally started getting serious with Islamic charities, which are believed to be a source of terrorist funding. "All Saudi Arabian donations to Islamic groups overseas will have to pass through a new Swiss organisation that is transparent and auditable. "Donations would only be distributed to organisations approved by the governments of the countries where they were based, Prince Saud told the meeting. "He said he was concerned about the use of funds by Islamic charities in Indonesia."

Saudi Arrest 4 More Saudi authorities arrested 4 men believed to be associated with al Qaeda. The arrest were apparently in Riyadh.

Hizballah Weapons Boat Seized Hizballah, which syria claims is only interested in ending Israeli occupation of Lebanon (which ended several years ago), has been causght by the Israeli navy attempting to smuggle arms on a fishing boat.

Andrew Sullivan on Saudi Attacks "...What might be happening is the reverse of what happened in the 1990s. In that decade, crackdowns on Islamist militants in the Middle East led them to export their terror abroad to the West. Now that the U.S. and its allies have fought back hard, these murderers may by default be turning their attention back to the Arab autocracies that helped spawn the terrorism in the first place. Could this finally force the Saudis to take the threat seriously? Could the murder of fellow Muslims and Arabs undermine al Qaeda's appeal among disaffected young men in the region? Here's hoping on both counts."

Al Qaeda's Acts of Impotence Jim Robbins has an excellent analysis of al Qaeda strategy. " ...at the operational level — that is, in the way they coordinate their attacks towards achieving their strategic goals — they aren't so bright. The bombings took place in countries they said were ready for revolution, but it is unclear how these attacks will lead to the desired end-state. Militarily, the attacks have little impact. They strike in a loosely coordinated and opportunistic way. They hit soft targets (apartments, clubs, markets) and inflict few casualties. They attack in series, but their efforts are so widely dispersed they cannot generate momentum. They have no mass, and no capacity for sustainment (especially since they specialize in suicide attacks). "In Karachi, Pakistan the Muslim United Army claimed credit for 21 bombings at foreign-owned gas stations. Apparently, they seek to create a hostile investment climate, as well as to wreck local commerce....

South Koreans Get Real A recent poll shows South Koreans by a margin of 88.5% favor linking aid to the North Koreans with progress on removing nuclear arms from the communist regime. This is a dramtic increase from a few weeks ago.

Dem Groups Against Portions of Defense authorization Bill Union bosses are upset with a bill that would give the Secretary of Defense "greater latitude in structuring his department. It would give managers more freedom in hiring, firing and promoting, and it replaces automatic pay raises with a process based on performance." "'You have a handful of union bosses who are afraid of losing their power,' said Mr. Davis, whose Fairfax-based district includes tens of thousands of the Pentagon's civilian employees. 'The unions give millions to the Democrats, and now they're calling in their marker.'"

Bob Herbert Not Very Smart The NY Times columnist thinks Halliberton gets better treatment than the Dixie Chicks. Of course, business are smart enough not to make disrespectful comments about the president. The chicks are free to make what ever coments they want, they just have to live with the consequences. If Halliberton executives made goofy gratuitious insults about world leaders it would also have to live with the consequences of such statements. Herbert has no point.

Bush Puts EU On Defensive About GM Food Europe's ban on genetically modified food is causing hunger in Africa, President Bush said. "In a speech that the White House said would put forward what aides called a positive agenda that would show a far softer side to American foreign policy, Mr. Bush insisted that widened use of 'high-yield bio-crops' would greatly increase agricultural productivity in some of the poorest nations. "'Yet our partners in Europe are impeding this effort,' he said, clearly meaning France and Germany, though he named no countries. 'They have blocked all new bio-crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears.' "The result, he charged, was that African nations that fear being shut out of European markets are not investing in the technology. He appeared to be referring to countries like Uganda and Namibia." This challenge to Euro paranoia over food coupled with concern over hunger in Africa is a clla...

Reporter Found Reaction to Speech "Heartbreaking" Reaction to NY Times reporter Chris Hedges speech at Rockford college continued to reverberate. "College officials have attempted in the past year to revive the ideal of civic engagement espoused by 19th-century graduate and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams. It’s an activist mindset of caring and being active in one’s community, Pribbenow said. "They launched a marketing campaign with the slogan 'Think. Act. Give a damn.' "Some would say that’s what some students did. “'Damn, we’re not apathetic anymore,' said 16-year professor Hank Esponsen." Perhaps they should invite David Horowitz to speak. He has had plenty of experience dealing with uncivil audiences.

Kerry Trails Bush in Home State John F. Kerry trails George Bush by 6 points in the latest poll of 500 Massachusetts voters. In January Kerry led by 16.

Hawks and Doves Liberals have always been good at "framing the debate." During the Vietnam war the internal debate in the Defense Department was between those who argued for a more effective use of force and those who argued for a more restrained use of force. Those who argued for restraint, were not arguing that there should be no war. They wanted to limit the impact of the war in the region, in the mistaken assumption that restraint would limit casualties. In fact restraint increased the casualties to both sides and created a "quagmire." Those arguing for a more effective use of force, wanted to take decesive action to prevent the North Vietnamese conquest. In the debate those favoring a more effective use of force were the "hawks" and the restrainers were the "doves." In the real world, the effective use of force cost fewer lives and takes less resources in the long run, restraint is the real killer.

Al Qaeda Wants to "Set the Ground Ablaze Under Your Feet" Al Qaeda sent another tape to al Jazeera. This one has Ayman al-Zawahiri saying: "The crusaders and the Jews only understand the language of murder." Yes Ayman, we understand your language, that is why we are fighting you.

The Chatter Box The BBC has an interesting piece describing chatter and how it is followed. "... a phone call gave away the Karachi hide-out of Ramzi Binalshibh, the senior al-Qaeda suspect caught last September. It is thought a sample of his voice - recorded from an al-Jazeera interview - was fed into the NSA's computers; within days he made a satellite phone call, and the US had a location. "And an intercepted e-mail led to the arrest last March of another suspected bin Laden aide, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. As 'chatter' indicated he was planning further attacks, satellite tracking of his associates' communications threw up an e-mail with his address." This article appears to confirm my response to the Christian science Monitor piece below.

Suicide Hijackers Three al Qaeda suspects were arrested in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia, following an attempted hijack of a passenger plane. The three Moraccans had their last wills with them, similar to the 9-11 hijackers, as well as knives.

Scattered Al Qaeda Harder to Target? The Christian Science Monitor suggest that a dispersed al Qaeda is harder to target. Perhap, not. The story goes on to say, "The diffused nature of the network and its ability to remold itself is one reason behind the growing number of warnings that are now surfacing about possible new Al Qaeda strikes." If they are harder to strike, how is it that there is a growing number of warnings? What has happened is that the dispersion has made it more difficult for the group to communicate without having their mail read. The "diffusion" has given the NSA the chance to listen in on conversations that would other wise have taken place in a cave in Afghanistan. How was it, that the Saudis were able to raid an al Qaeda safe house nearly catching the terrorist the week before their attack? No one came that close to the attackers who participated in what bin Laden called the "battle of New York and battle of Washington....

The Euro The recent rise in the value of the Euro against the dollar is not a bad thing for the US. It makes US goods cheaper in europe and European goods more expensive in the US. In other words Mercedes automobiles and French wines will cost more in the US and American computers will cost less in France and Germany. Since the Brits, who were strong allies in the liberation of Iraq, still have not adopted the Euro they are less likely to be impacted. The UK does have to make a decision soon on whether to embrace the Euro, and they will have to wheigh this along with other disadvantages to the single European currency.

Uganda Does Terror Roundup Uganda began screening foreigners yesterday in search of muslim extremeist. So far 200 have been brought in, many without proper documentation.

Iran Behind Khobar Towers Blast Former FBI Director Louis Freeh reveals how Iran intelligence services working with Saudi Hizballah members killed 19 US servicemen and wounded another 400. He also reveals how the clinton Whitehouse refused to help his investigation, and when Bush 41 interceded with the Saudis to get cooperation and the evidence needed for indictments, the Clinton team refused to press charges. The indictments were not returned until Febuary 2001 shortly after Bush 43 took office. Is it any wonder why democrats have no credibility on the war on terror?

Iran Has Suspected Al Qaeda Base That Directed Saudi Attacks The US intercepted messages suggesting an al Qaeda cell in Iran was responsible for the attacks in Riyadh last week. The US is lodging a strong protest with Iran. Iran will be expected to turn over the al Qaeda representatives immediately. The Iranians would be wise to remember the counsel given the Taliban. Turn over the terrorist are share their fate. "In a terse statement on Monday, the White House said that it would 'pay close attention to what we hear and what we see' in the way of an Iranian response to the new American complaints. Today an administration official said the United States now 'expects an authoritative answer from Iran on what we've been picking up.'"

Geology of North Korea studied A Study of North Korean geolgy was undertaken by experts from the US. They looked at data in Japan gathered during the time Korea was ruled by Japan, and aalso got data from South Korea. North Korea is known to have many of its weapon systems underground, and a study would probably suggest what kind of ordinance would be needed to penetrate the facilities.

Saudis Arrest Two More At least two al Qaeda supects were arrested in Jeddah where intelligence resports suggested another attack might be coming. A third suspect apparently escaped.

Anti War NY Times Reporter Booed Off Stage Chris Hedges left in tears. His speech at a graduation ceremony criticizing the war in Iraq was not well received. "Hedges began his abbreviated 18-minute speech comparing United States’ policy in Iraq to piranhas and a tyranny over the weak. His microphone was unplugged within three minutes. "Voices of protest and the sound of foghorns grew. "Some graduates and audience members turned their backs to the speaker in silent protest. Others rushed up the aisle to vocally protest the remarks, and one student tossed his cap and gown to the stage before leaving...."

The Other Neo Conservatives Jonah Goldberg has an excellent piece on "neo conservatives." There is one group of neo conservatives he does not discuss, the southern white voter. Most liberals tie this shift to policies on race, but they are way off the mark. The shift occurred after civil rights battles had been won. It did begin at the time the Democrats went off the deep end on Vietnam. The beginning of the decline of the Democratic Party in the South was tied to their disasterous handling of the war in Vietnam and their general weakness on national security issues. That is the issue that defeated George McGovern, not civil rights. If southerns voted for Nixon because of civil rights, they had to be disappointed, since he started affirative action programs and relentlessly pushed busing. The 1974 class of Democrats that won in the wake of the Watergate scandel help to cement the Democrats' weakness on national security issues, by cutting off military suppo...

Congo Peace Keepers Could Be Lunch Lendu tribal fighters have engaged in cannibalism Bunia church leaders said. "The Lendus cut open their chests and ripped out hearts, livers and lungs, which they ate while still warm. The UN noted that similar reports emerged after an April 3 massacre of up to 1,000 people in Drodro (40 kilometers northeast of Bunia) and 14 surrounding villages." From the Strategy Page.

Al Qaeda Targets the Soft Side, Hits Self Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek says: "OVER THE PAST two years in Indonesia, Tunisia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, Al Qaeda has gone after soft targets. And while it’s relatively easy to blow up hotels, nightclubs and residential buildings, indiscriminate violence against locals ensures that Al Qaeda loses appeal in country after country. That means governments gain support to act. "Nowhere is this more apparent than in Saudi Arabia. For decades now, supporting Islamic extremism has been cost-free for the Saudis—government and people alike. They could appease militants, appear pious and buy themselves peace, all with little consequence. But now that Al Qaeda has for the first time killed Saudi civilians, the terrorist group might—just might—have destroyed the true basis of its support. Fundamentalist terror is finally going to be fought in the Arabian heartland, the only place where it can be rooted out....

Defense Department Fisks BBC's Pvt. Lynching The BBC's report on saving Pvy. Lynch was knocked at the Pentagon. "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Any charge that the U.S. military misrepresented the facts of Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch's rescue April 1 from an Iraqi hospital to make the mission appear more dramatic or heroic is 'void of all facts and absolutely ridiculous' the Pentagon said Monday."

Al Qaeda Operative Pleads Guilty The last of the Buffalo Six admitted that he attended al qaeda training in afghanistan, "to become a better muslim." "Al-Bakri and the other five men admitted to undergoing training and using a number of weapons, including assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. He also revealed that he and the others had undergone training in the use of plastic explosives, Molotov cocktails and land mines. "Al-Bakri on Monday divulged another grim detail: A few months before the September 11 terrorist attacks, trainers at the camp stated that al Qaeda intended to attack America, and requested trainees to volunteer for suicide missions." ..."At a guest house en route to the camp, al-Bakri said, he saw a book written by bin Laden that contained maps of various U.S. installations in the Middle East. Prosecutors on Monday declined to specify what locations were described in the book. "It has previously been reveal...

Amnesty International Concerned About Psyop Music The BBC reports that Amnesty International is concerned about the use of heavy metal music and repetitive playing of Barney's theme music to break down Iraqi prisioners resistance to questioning. "The US's Psychological Operations Company (Psy Ops) said the aim was to break a prisoner's resistance through sleep deprivation and playing music that was culturally offensive to them. "However, human rights organisation, Amnesty International, said such tactics may constitute torture - and coalition forces could be in breach of the Geneva Convention." The BBC did not ask Amnesty International whether the Iraqi mass graves indicated violations of the geneva Accords or was evicence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Beeb and Amnesty continue to strain at gnats while ignoring the elephant in the room.

NY Times Seeks World Domination Stanley Kurtz has an excellent piece on the NY Times attempt to get world hegemony with its aquisition of foreign papers. It looks like an attempt to take on Rupert Murdoch while pushing leftwing ideology. Kurtz believe the Washington Post needs to go national with its more balanced approach. The argument seems to be based on hard copy print editions. The internet has made the Post available to the world already. For people like me the internet is a better way to get news. It doesn't get your hands dirty and doesn't generate trash that has to be disposed of. While I am not an environmental wacko, when the nearest dump is 20 miles away, you think about those things.

Dems Taxing Dillema Democrat's priorities require spending more money. When the tax cuts go into effect they would have to raise taxes to fund their projects. It should be noted that the Dems also have the problem of having argued that the tax cuts raise the deficit, would have to explain how their expenditures do not. "Most Democratic presidential candidates had hoped to finance their ambitious campaign proposals -- especially expanded health insurance coverage -- by blocking those future cuts, arguing that stopping tax reductions before they happen cannot be considered a tax hike. But if those reductions go in force this year, tax hikes appear to be an inevitable part of the Democratic agenda." ..."Already, Democrats are refining their messages to reflect the new reality. Kerry told reporters in Iowa on Friday: 'Let's have the debate about America's choices: Health care or tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. If it requires us to go backw...

Destroying Al Qaeda Infrastructure The hard work of taking down al Qaeda has not been distracted by the war in Iraq. Sen. Graham's assertions to the contrary are wrong says Army officer Benjamin Collins who is deployed in Afghanistan. "This has absolutely nothing to do with the war in Iraq ... it is the natural evolvement of a fight against a terrorist network, and furthermore, it is representative of the character of our nation that our soldiers work tirelessly in order to reduce the amount of collateral damage in finding such an enemy, and this takes time. "I invite Mr. Graham to come to Afghanistan and visit the soldiers who sift through mountains of intelligence and to listen to the Special Forces teams who spend months building rapport with the local communities in the hope of garnering information that may lead to identifying terrorists and reducing their ability to find a safe haven. At the very least, he would leave with a greater understanding of the t...

UN's Inadequate "Peace Keeping" Force Two membersof the 700 strong UN force in the congo were killed. The BBC reports, "So far the UN peacekeepers have proved too few in number to stop the fighting between ethnic militias that has left hundreds of civilians dead." But do not get too concerned, there is a 12 man French team on their way.

3 Al Qaeda Cells Believed in Saudi Arabia Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Bandar said that there were three to five al Qaeda cells in his country planning strikes on saudi and US targets. Among the evidence seized in the raid on the safehouse in early may was wigs, and female clothing, which suggest the group planned to use disguise in one of their operations. "The prince said intelligence monitoring had picked up almost as much chatter about an impending attack as was gathered before the three simultaneous bombings in Riyadh last week that officials have linked to Al Qaeda."

Left Wing Brit Paper Thinks Franks should Be Tried in Belgium ....the Guardian Unlimited has an opinion piece taking the US to task for liberating Iraq. One of the allegations is that the US used around 1,500 cluster bombs. Interesting in the same paragraph they ackowledge that the UK used 2,100 cluster bombs but do not call for war crimes trials against their own military. Their biggest mistake is the allegation that the US shot indiscriminately at civilians. They do not even acknowledge tht when one side uses unlawful combatents, the other side is entitled to deend itself. That is precisely why using forces without uniforms that mix with civilians is deemed unlawful. It endangers civilians. It is the Iraqis tht are responsible for the civilian deaths. Of course the peice does not mention Iraqi crimes against humanity and the discovery of mass graves where Iraqi civilians were slaughtered by their own government. This is moral obtuseness and blindess on a massive scale...

Canadian Terror Suspect Sought in Saudi Arabia One of the 19 men sought in connection with the weapons cache found on May 8 is a Canadian. "Jabarah is the elder brother of Mohamed Mansour, who according to American and Canadian authorities, was recruited by Al-Qaeda leaders to blow up American targets in Southeast Asia."

More Saudi Comments on Root Causes of Terror Attacks Arab News Commentary: "Did last week’s bombings in Riyadh come as a surprise? Those who know what our children are being taught about Islam, their teachers and the kind of ideas they are constantly fed were not surprised. Those who listen to cassette recordings — which in reality have no basis in Islam — and believe what is said in the recordings were not surprised. Those who listen to what is often said at Friday sermons were not surprised. Those who know how people who follow different schools of thought are ridiculed and treated with contempt were not surprised. "Any person who digs into the root causes of last week’s explosions and the resulting death and destruction will not be shocked at what actually happened. The implications of those tragic events, which involved the smuggling of weapons into our country, will be far-reaching and spread to all levels." Little Green Footballs finds some fellow tra...

Roadmap to Bombings The Palestinians who do not want a settlement that includes an Israeli state greeted the latest peace attempt with their fifth bombing in two days. Everytime any peace initiative is attempted a wave of human bomb attacks is launched by Hamas and other terrorist orgaizations. It is clear that one way to save Israeli lives is to not have any more peace initiaves.

Terrorist Attacks Traced to Britian The UK is described as a support base for al Qaeda terrorist. In hearings for suspected terrorist being detained in Britian new details were released. "The Special Immigration Appeals Commission, sitting in London, heard how a dozen terrorist attacks and planned attacks around the world could be traced in part to Britain. "They included the 1998 bombing of the American embassies in Kenya and Mozambique, in which hundreds were killed and thousands injured, and a thwarted plot to bomb the Christmas market in Strasbourg three years ago. At the centre of the network was a number of radical clerics, including Abu Hamza, the hook-handed north London imam who faces the loss of his British citizenship." Another unnamed iman was apparently also involved in the plots.

Force to Space The problem of containing looters in Baghdad, indicates additional force is needed. If you think of the example of police deciding that they are going to prevent crime of any type in a certain block of the city, it is obvious that if they put enough police in that block so that the entire block is under constant surveillance, they can not only spot a crime but a policeman will be in position to cut off the criminals escape route. In Baghdad in areas where looting is occuring, troops need to be out in force so that if one groups spots looting another will be in position to cut off the escape route of the looters. This overcomes the advantage of retreat over pursuit. The US forces should also take advantage of helicopters in force throughout the city to spot the looters and their escape routes. As these high force to space ratio operations begin having an effect, the looting will soon stop altoether, and force requirements will be reduced. The effect will...

Cruel and Unusual Interrogation? The Psyops battle for information in Iraq has left some Iraqis listening to heavy metal mixed with Barney's theme. "The idea, says Sgt. Mark Hadsell, is to break a subject’s resistance by annoying that person with what some Iraqis would consider culturally offensive music. The songs that are being played include “Bodies” from the Vin Diesel “XXX” movie soundtrack and Metallica’s 'Enter Sandman.' 'These people haven’t heard heavy metal before,' he explains. 'They can’t take it.' Few people could put up with the sledgehammer riffs of Metallica, and kiddie songs aren’t that much easier, especially when selections include the 'Sesame Street' theme and some of purple dinosaur Barney’s crooning." Music that leaves you saying "What do you want to know?"

Al Qaeda Self Destruction The Strategy Page says Al Qaeda's attacks that kill people it claims to want to liberate will have the same result as Egypt's Moslem Brotherhood had when it bombed Egyptians--rejection. "Many of these Egyptian radicals came home in the 1990s, and began another, more violent, terror campaign. While their main target was foreigners, especially tourists, this created a popular backlash for several reasons. First, the violence kept tourists away and a large number of Egyptians lost their jobs. Second, the attacks also tended to kill Egyptians. This made the Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya members unpopular, particularly when some Egyptian children died. Finally, the Moslem Brotherhood had survived for so long because their main goal was clean government and a better life for all Egyptians. Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya was more concerned with violence against non-Moslems and strict enforcement of religious customs that were not all that popular in Egy...

NY Times Op-Ed Says US Owes North Korea an Apology Is the NY Times serious? "A good start would be a public apology for the excesses of the American air campaign in the Korean War: the saturation bombing of North Korean cities, the use of napalm, the attacks on irrigation dams in order to cause flooding." The only apology owed these people is that they were not liberated from their mass murdering despots 50 years ago. Since the Korean war the Kims have killed several million people through famine and more direct means, and the NY Times publishes an op-ed saying that the US should send it regrets over attempts to free these people. They must really miss Clinton, it sounds like something he might do.