Defining “Victory” in Iraq

Mr Totten is usually right on the money and it is hard to find a better analysis of the situation in Iraq than this one. I have been trying to articulate this myself to no avail. Once I read this I felt relieved to know that someone has finally found a way to read my thoughts.

If you read the rest of the article I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Commentary » Blog Archive » Defining “Victory” in Iraq: "As recently as the first half of 2007, the idea of an American victory in Iraq seemed like a fantasy to just about everyone, including me. General David Petraeus surged additional troops to Iraq, however, and he transformed the joint American-Iraqi counterinsurgency strategy into what nearly all observers now acknowledge is a remarkable and unexpected success. Few bothers to argue otherwise anymore. What remains ambiguous and contested is the definition of an American victory.

It’s slightly tricky for a couple of reasons. Pinpointing the exact date when a counterinsurgency ends – not just in Iraq, but any counterinsurgency – is impossible. There are no final battles. There can’t be. And if we don’t know when the war is over, it can be difficult to figure out what over even means in the first place. So how will we know if we’ve won?

Part of the problem here is that the war in Iraq is usually thought of as a single war in Iraq. But there have been at least three wars in Iraq since 2003 – the U.S.-led war against Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party regime, the civil war between Sunni and Shia militias, and the insurgencies against government and international forces waged by a constellation of guerrilla and terrorist groups. All three wars are distinct from each other, and two of the three are already over."

Iran doubles uranium-enriching centrifuges to 6,000 – Ahmadinejad

The UN is good for what exactly? Not intimidating bad guys into line!

If we, the Free World, wish to stop Iran, we need to give them a nuke or two. In the same locations as the centrifuges. Quickly.

DEBKAfile - Iran doubles uranium-enriching centrifuges to 6,000 – Ahmadinejad: "Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday, July 26: “Islamic Iran today possesses 6,000 centrifuges at the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.

He said the US, Britain, France, Russian, China and Germany, the nations whose officials met the Iranian nuclear negotiator last Saturday in Geneva, “had tempered their demands.” They asked Iran not to freeze enrichment but rather not to expand its current program beyond 6,000 centrifuges, according to Tehran radio. Ahmadinejad clarified this by saying: “Today, they have consented that the existing 5,000 or 6,000 centrifuges not be increased and the operation of this number is not a problem.”"

Syrian officers take hand in North Lebanese clashes – against Hizballah

When I found this I was in disbelief because why would the Syrians fight against their own intolerant terrorists?

DEBKAfile - Syrian officers take hand in North Lebanese clashes – against Hizballah: "A ceasefire was scheduled to go into force in the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli Friday evening, July 25, after fierce sectarian clashes left six dead and 33 injured, most caught in crossfire. The figure rose to nine after a night of heavy fighting.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that rocket-propelled grenade and sniper fire was exchanged all day between two districts, the largely Alawite Baal Mohsen and the Sunni Bab Tabbaneh.

The Alawites, who dominate the Assad regime in Syria, fought under Syrian military intelligence officers in civilian garb with weapons supplied from Damascus. The anti-Syrian Sunnis are armed by the Lebanese majority bloc led by Saad Hariri. The clashes have been going back and forth for two months with neither side prevailing.

A Syrian official, Dr. Riyad Daud, legal adviser at the foreign ministry in Damascus recently advised US and Israel to watch Tripoli to understand recent trends. Our sources report he was indicating the Tripoli battle as a landmark because there Syrian officers have ordered the Alawite fighters to drive Hizballah militiamen out of their district.

Damascus is seen as drawing the line against the spread of Hizballah and Iranian influence from Beirut to northern Lebanon, a region it views as exclusive Syrian turf. The Syrians are at the same time working closely with Iran and Hizballah in central and southern Lebanon opposite Israel and the US Sixth Fleet which patrols the eastern Mediterranean.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources add that the political situation in Beirut remains precarious. The national unity cabinet failed Thursday to agree on a policy agenda for a parliamentary vote of confidence to approve the new government line-up. It also postponed deliberations on the issue of Hizballah’s disarmament."

Anti-Patriot Act Poster Boy Kidnaps Own Kids

What a moron. I am not sure if I dispise the mother or father more. This woman is too stupid to breed, yet she did and the kids are paying for it. Get the kids out of Yemen and let them choose where to live.

What a bad gene pool to be bred from. Poor Kids.

Pajamas Media » Anti-Patriot Act Poster Boy Kidnaps Own Kids: "That decision to remove the case worker and return the children to Swensen would eventually prove catastrophic for Amina, Layla, and Sami.

In 2006, after Ashraf Al-Jailani’s deportation, Swensen — who promised the court that she had no ability or intention to take the children to Yemen — did exactly that for what was supposed to be a summer trip to see their father. Al-Jailani, however, refused to let them return as was his right under Yemeni law, notwithstanding Swensen’s full custody granted by U.S. courts.

According to reports from her family, Swensen — who now calls herself Mia Olsen — has unsuccessfully tried to retrieve her children from their father in Yemen. They also report that the children are regularly beaten by Al-Jailani and that he has threatened Swensen’s life if she ever returns to Yemen. It is quite possible that Swensen will never see her children again.

No doubt the saddest element in this story is that the Al-Jailani children were ultimately betrayed by their own mother, who was complicit in their abduction through her own naïveté, her willfully ignoring the danger signs of her husband’s long history of violence, and her voluntary decision to take them to Yemen against all advice. Her accomplices were all of those organizations and media outlets that used Al-Jailani’s case to their own benefit, even exploiting the children by constantly citing the children’s inability to see their father. Now that their anti-Patriot Act poster boy has abducted the very children they used for their own agendas, their deliberate silence, inaction, and apparent utter lack of concern for the children’s welfare only compound their treachery."

Pakistan cedes Hangu to the Taliban

The Peace at All Costs crowd will be pleased. By allowing the Taliban a region to train and consolidate they are endangering the entire region. Of course, if the Hangu district is autonomous enough that the Pakistani Government refuses to take responsibility there, then NATO might have to step in and finish those Talibani terrorists off. Even if the foolish Left cry about it.

Pakistan cedes Hangu to the Taliban - The Long War Journal: "The Pakistani government has signed yet another peace accord with the Taliban in a settled district of the Northwest Frontier Province. Just one day after the military canceled an operation in Hangu, the provincial government cut a deal with the Taliban.

The peace agreement in Hangu largely mirrors the accords signed throughout the tribal areas, according to details published in Dawn. The Taliban are required to recognize the government’s writ, stop attacks on government security forces, and refrain from running a parallel government and legal system. In exchange, the government will withdraw the Army from Hangu and “pay compensation to people who were affected during the operation.” In the past the Taliban received direct payments from the government.

Both sides are required to release prisoners. The government detained seven Taliban, including three “high profile” leaders in mid-July, including Rafiuddin, a Taliban leader in Hangu and a deputy of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The release of Rafiuddin is high on the list of the Taliban’s demands. An additional 30 Taliban fighters were detained during a one week operation in the district. The Taliban are currently holding 29 government officials and security officers.

The Hangu tribal jirga, which represented the Taliban during talks with the government, is said to be heading to the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency to conduct talks with a Taliban commander named Mohammad Karim Khan. The government cut a deal with the Taliban in Khyber on July 9, and the extremist now control wide swaths of the tribal agency."

Obamamessiah rocking and rolling

Obamamessiah rocking and rolling straight into the sermon on the mount! Hilarious Satire from England! He ventured forth to bring light to the world | Pierre Legrand's Pink Flamingo Bar: "Obamamessiah rocking and rolling straight into the sermon on the mount! Hilarious Satire from England! He ventured forth to bring light to the world

Brilliant bit of satire that captures perfectly the idiocy the campaign of Obamamessiah. Naturally an Englishman wrote it.

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the

Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the

Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

He ventured forth to bring light to the world | Gerard Baker - Times Online6
"

2 Marines Kill Another Marine Over Stolen Drug Money

The Corps has the lowest incidence of criminal behavior, but a few of these scum still get through. It is too bad that these idiots were not discovered in time to save a life. Bury them under the brig.

FOXNews.com - 2 Marines Kill Another Marine Over Stolen Drug Money - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "Carney, 21, and Lovely, 20, are charged with one count each of murder and making a criminal threat. They also face a sentencing enhancement for the personal discharge of a firearm. Carney also faces a charge of attempting to dissuade a witness.

Both have pleaded not guilty."

Boundless Arrogance - NYT Update II (Heh)

Wolf Howling: Boundless Arrogance - NYT Update II (Heh): "I blogged below on the Drudge Report's story about the NYT editor, David Shipley's decision not to run a McCain opinion piece that responded to Obama's 'My Plan for Iraq' editorial that the NYT published last week. I updated that with Mr. Shipley's incredibly arrogant e-mail reposnse to the McCain Camp in which he, in essence, only would agree to publish a McCain response if it was substantailly reworked to mirror Mr. Obama's call for timetables for withdraw. It was a display of arrogance and bias writ large. I thought that the matter ended there, but that is not the case. TNOY has obtained the notes of David Shipley wherein he has helpfully edited the McCain editorial to show them what he would find acceptable"

Media Donates $ to Democrats By 100-to-1 Ratio So Far This Cycle

The Jawa Report: IDB: Media Donates $ to Democrats By 100-to-1 Ratio So Far This Cycle: "What's all this rightwingnut fearmongering about a 'liberal press?' LOL

An analysis of federal records shows that the amount of money journalists contributed so far this election cycle favors Democrats by a 15:1 ratio over Republicans, with $225,563 going to Democrats, only $16,298 to Republicans .

Two-hundred thirty-five journalists donated to Democrats, just 20 gave to Republicans — a margin greater than 10-to-1. An even greater disparity, 20-to-1, exists between the number of journalists who donated to Barack Obama and John McCain.

Searches for other newsroom categories (reporters, correspondents, news editors, anchors, newspaper editors and publishers) produces 311 donors to Democrats to 30 donors to Republicans, a ratio of just over 10-to-1. In terms of money, $279,266 went to Dems, $20,709 to Republicans, a 14-to-1 ratio.

Forget that pesky MSNBC 'follow the money' expose of media political contributions that put donations from many high-profile media managers, editors, writers and broadcasters at 9 to 1 in favor of Republicans.

Just kidding! Wanted to see if you're still paying attention."

Three covert Palestinian networks coordinate attacks in Jerusalem, say security sources

The terrorists are happy to work together because they know that the Liberals around the world are on their side and want to see the West destroyed. Thank the Lord for the few world leaders, like Bush, who are willing to fight back against these pigs.

This is not a good development, but is logical considering how they are changing to consolidate their meager wins in politics and the Media.

DEBKAfile - Three covert Palestinian networks coordinate attacks in Jerusalem, say security sources: "Masses of weapons and explosives are cached in the Palestinian villages and districts of Jerusalem, where three Palestinian terrorist networks are working together to coordinate attacks in the city, according to security-intelligence sources. They decide whether the lone killers use firearms, explosives, knives or mechanical weapons, like the diggers which smashed through Jerusalem’s main streets twice this month. With much of Jerusalem under intense development and Arabs employed at many building sites, police fear a future attack could be carried out by toppling a crane on a densely populated district.

Shin Bet director Yuval Diskin said Wednesday, even before the second bulldozer attack which injured 29 people, that going into Jerusalem’s Shuafat is more dangerous than the Jenin refugee camp. “A security vacuum encircles Jerusalem,” he said, “through which terrorists are free to enter the capital.”

Meir Sheetrit, minister of interior, reported after research that the Palestinian family reunion program approved by Israel had been used to plant scores of active terrorists in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Shin Bet probes in the Arab districts of Jerusalem have turned up close cooperation between Hamas and the fiercely radical Hizb al-Tahir, which is attracting increasing numbers of Palestinian terrorists to its ranks.

Hizb al-Tahrir now controls the mosques on Temple Mount and its environs, having pushed out and replaced the Muslim Waqf sentry posts at the shrine and organized them on the lines of a terrorist militia.

Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah and pro-Jordanian elements, which once ruled Arab sectors of Jerusalem, have lost out to the Islamic fundamentalists.

According to DEBKAfile’s security sources, the Galilee Liberation Brigades – Imad Mughniyeh fighters, an offshoot of the Lebanese Hizballah among Israeli Arabs, works hand in glove with the Hizb and Hamas.

Counter-terror experts fear that the police, including the Border Guards, which are in charge of security in Jerusalem, are out of touch.

According to one official, their methods of operation were adequate for the traditional law and order tasks of yesterday – but cannot cope with the cycle of terror overtaking Jerusalem in the past year. Jerusalem needs young, vigorous police chiefs with special training in combating terror and organized crime - which often overlap - to replace the old school of police officers who still categorize every attack according to outdated criteria which place terrorism and crime in separate boxes. They then complain they are helpless against the new brand of terrorist, the one-wolf killer."

Iran, Syria Want To Wait Out Bush For Next War

Not exactly news to anyone who thinks critically. At least it is finally getting into the Media, even if it is just a small article in the Middle East that the Liberal Media can safely ignore.

I can't wait until Bush leaves, but neither of his potential replacements are going to scare the bad guys. One of them actually makes the bad guys happy! What a disaster.

Iran, Syria Want To Wait Out Bush For Next War - MiddleEastNewsline: "The Israeli intelligence community has assessed that Iran
and Syria have decided to maintain restraint until the departure of U.S.
President George Bush.
The intelligence community, in an assessment that echoed that of
Washington, has determined that Iran and Syria would continue preparations
for war with Israel and the United States. But the Israeli intelligence
agencies assert that Damascus and Teheran would seek to maintain regional
calm until Bush leaves office in January 2009."

Taliban leader surrenders as British special forces close in

Only in the UK would anyone dare to post news as good as this! Even then the BBC will avoid it and find something negative to say about the British troops. They might even throw in a few compliments for the terrorists and the good work they do by slaughtering innocent women and children and reducing the world's population.

The British Commandos are arguably the best in the world and the bad guys know it. Surrender now and lets get the War over so that we can rebuild the world as a better place.

Taliban leader surrenders as British special forces close in | Mail Online: "The most senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan's wartorn Helmand province has given himself up because he feared being killed by British special forces.

The news will be a massive blow to insurgent forces.

Mullah Rahim surrendered to authorities in Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence said last night.

Rahim - thought to be one of the five main Taliban commanders - is reported to have handed himself in to Pakistani police near the border and is being held in the town of Quetta.

The success of a Nato campaign directly targeting the Taliban leadership has led to hopes that a power vacuum at the top has weakened the group. Hours after Rahim turned himself in, British forces killed their third senior Taliban leader in little more than three weeks.

Top British commanders said Rahim's surrender was a massive breakthrough that would plunge militants in Helmand into disarray.

Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Robin Matthews said last night: 'The Taliban's senior leadership structure has suffered a shattering blow.

'They remain a dangerous enemy, but they increasingly lack strategic direction and their proposition to the Afghan people-is proving ultimately negativeand self-defeating.' Gulab Mangal, Governor of Helmand, urged militiamen to join the Government side.

He said: 'I advise all those Taliban who are engaging with terrorist actions that the fighting has no benefits. Choose a good, bright and honourable way.'

The three Taliban chiefs killed by British troops include Abdul Rasaq, known as Mullah Sheikh, who died in a precision missile strike after Rahim surrendered.

It came eight days after the death of an associate of Rahim called Bishmullah, and 24 days after leading bomb-maker Sadiqullah was killed in a helicopter missile strike."

Maliki and the US

This is just the conclusion of an excellent article about politics. Go read the rest if you want to understand the conclusions better.

BLACKFIVE: Foreign Relations: Maliki and the US: "Greyhawk and Matt are perfectly correct that Maliki's statements in the past have always been overconfident of his capacity to ask America to leave. It's also clear that his current situation favors a continuing presence of US allies, to continue to train his security forces in the short term; his air force in the medium term; and to provide a useful alliance and security guarantee v. Iran and others in the long term. You can trust the man to understand these matters, but in public, he must appear strong and defiant in order to retain the confidence of his governing coalition, and the broader Iraqi public.

If we recognize that, we will come to an arrangement that suits both our peoples, and can be sustained in the long term without political stress. Success in COIN requires a state of the type Iraq is starting to appear to be: strong, independent, and a legitimate voice for the interests of its population. That is how you get them to turn to politics as a way of expressing their interests.

The other thing successful COIN requires is the maintenance of popular will to sustain the effort. "An arrangement that suits both our peoples, and can be sustained in the long term" is just what we need to make a free Iraq concrete and permanent. This is the way to get it. What is done in private is one thing, but in public, Maliki and Iraq must be seen to "win."

The US does not need to "win." This is the government we have so carefully nurtured, and at such cost. We will win -- if they do."

A nameless group is up and showing support for Greenlanders

Interesting. That is all I will say until I learn more.
A nameless group is up and showing support for Greenlanders « SIOE Stop Islamisation Of Europe: "A nameless resistance group has taken responsibility for the action. There were banners hung up along the motorway in Denmark saying “stop Islamic racism” and “stop Islamic racism, long live Greenland.” Mohammed has also been hanged on lamposts around the country with signs hung around his neck with inscriptions like “pedophile highwayman.”

The editors received these images with the wording:

“Here are the first pictures from our action on Zealand. We send the other images from Funen and Jutland and the rest of Zealand in the next few days. Our action will continue until the Islamic Religious Affairs controls the racists in Gellerup, allows Greenlanders to come back, treats them properly and gives each of them a personal apology. We will continue to hang muhammed until this happens. “"

Blackwater plans shift from security business

Blackwater plans shift from security business - Marine Corps News, news from Iraq - Marine Corps Times: "Blackwater Worldwide said Monday that it planned a shift away from the security contracting business that earned it millions of dollars and made it a flash point in the debate over the use of security contractors in war zones.

“The experience we’ve had would certainly be a disincentive to any other companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk,” company founder and CEO Erik Prince told The Associated Press during a daylong visit to the company’s North Carolina compound.

Blackwater executives say they have unfairly become a symbol for all contractors in Iraq and thus the company is a target for those opposed to the war. It will continue guarding U.S. officials in Iraq but its future will be focused on training, aviation and logistics."

Meet the 4000

Military News, benefits, careers, photos, discussions - Military Times HOME

This is a link to the list of our Heroes who have been killed in this War. Go read it and say a prayer for them.

Community frets over loss of chem weapons jobs

Not sure how to feel about this. I am happy! But the loss of the jobs is kind of sad, too. I wonder if a chemical company can buy the property and hire a large number of people.

Community frets over loss of chem weapons jobs « BGG: "Who’s sorry to say goodbye to a thousand tons of old slime? The people who make their livings by babysitting it, of course. But all good things come to an end, like the extremely hot villain in Hellboy II. Damn it all. Er…but I digress.

By the end of this month, the last of 1,269 tons of VX will be eliminated, and dismantling of the Newport Chemical Depot will begin. About 130 jobs will be gone permanently by September, according to the Kentucky-based operating contractor Mason & Hanger. After that, depending on the time it takes to dismantle the facility, jobs will be lost in waves. The total closure process could take until 2012, according to officials.

Since the Depot opened in 1941, it has been the largest employer in Vermillion County, employing about 1,000 workers in recent years.

…“We’ve always looked at that facility as about a thousand jobs.”"

Bush law chief seeks conflict declaration on Qaeda - Yahoo! News

This is about time! Force the Democrats to admit that they don't WANT to declare war on the terrorist groups that have declared war on us. Make them explain that they do not believe the terrorist's assertions about wanting to kill us all. I want to be able to plaster their lies right next to clips of what our enemies are saying.

This might just be fun!

Bush law chief seeks conflict declaration on Qaeda - Yahoo! News: "Congress should explicitly declare a state of armed conflict with al Qaeda to make clear the United States can detain suspected members as long as the war on terrorism lasts, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey said on Monday.

Mukasey urged Congress to make the declaration in a package of legislative proposals to establish a legal process for terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo, in response to a Supreme Court ruling last month that detainees had a constitutional right to challenge their detention.

'Any legislation should acknowledge again and explicitly that this nation remains engaged in an armed conflict with al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated organizations, who have already proclaimed themselves at war with us,' Mukasey said in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute.

'Congress should reaffirm that for the duration of the conflict the United States may detain as enemy combatants those who have engaged in hostilities or purposefully supported al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated organizations,' he said."

Dirty Jobs for the Common Good™

Groupthink :: View topic - DNC: Dirty Jobs for the Common Good™: "The scandalous new cover of New Yorker Magazine, depicting Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim and his wife Michelle as a militant black supremacist, turns out to be nothing more than the first step in a bold new Democrat strategy of playing both hands while the opponent simply watches, stated Earnest Trutok, Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of Media Relations in the Obama Camp. "We have prepared a large pile of dirty and revolting images that show Barack and his family in a much worse light than this," Trutok added, admitting that the forthcoming cartoon is jarringly out-of-place in the traditionally progressive New Yorker. "We have no choice but to run them ourselves in the friendly media due the refusal of the Republican Party to play its proper role in the final months of the campaign," Trutok stated.
~

Race-baiting is ugly when the Republicans do it. But when it can advance progress, it's OK.
"Our entire strategy was based on the predictable Republican race-baiting and Islamophobia, that's why we chose Obama over Hillary," explained Trutok. "She was only a white woman, but Barack's color and Muslim roots were a double whammy and a total shoe-in! And we were exactly right, except the Republicans have refused to play bigots.

"Therefore, we must not only brilliantly defend the integrity of our candidate, but also stage vicious attacks against him that would prove to the American Public that the Republicans are nothing more than racists and alarmists. The average voter will merely assume that such attacks are coming from the McCain camp," Trutok said.

"Our most potent weapon in this election is the continued victim status of our candidate," agrees Allyce Safir-Simpson, Senior Poll Analyst for the Obama campaign.

"We noticed a sharp downturn in poll numbers whenever Barack took any concrete position," she explained, referring to a dilemma that has dogged Sen. Obama since the early days of the campaign. "Our main point has always been Hope and Change, but it can get uncomfortable when some busybody asks what we actually mean by this. However, we notice a jump in the Senator's poll numbers every time we manufacture an incident that seems to imply that he is the victim of some form of hate crime." "

Irony: Evil Inflation Causing Ohio Women to Starve

This is just too funny! NPR and the Left Media (is there another kind? ) are worried about these poor women who can't find a job since they have never worked and could not even get through high school. Now, their welfare checks aren't keeping up with inflation and they might have to eat less. And lose a hundred pounds or so. Poor girls.

Rusty's take on it is wonderful! Enjoy!

The Jawa Report: Irony: Evil Inflation Causing Ohio Women to Starve: "Though probably not any time soon. Via NPR

A generation ago, the livelihood of Gloria Nunez's family was built on cars.

Her father worked...

And apparently he was the last to do so.

Nunez's van broke down last fall. Now, her 19-year-old daughter has no reliable transportation out of their subsidized housing complex in Fostoria, 40 miles south of Toledo, to look for a job.

I bet the van wanted to die!

Nunez, 40, has never worked and has no high school degree...

...Even if she could, she says it's particularly hard to imagine how she'll keep it. She says she needs someone to give her a lift just to get to an interview. And with gas prices so high, she's not sure she could afford to pay someone to drive her to work every day."

Second Palestinian bulldozer rampage injures 24 on Jerusalem main street

The Media kept claiming that the first terrorist to do this attack was just a lone-wolf, even though the GLB claimed it. Now they do it again, will the terrorists finally get credit for it?

The Palestinians complain about the lack of their people being allowed to work in non-Palestinian areas, but when they do get work they use the access to kill. What a great way to make it seem like they want peace.

DEBKAfile - Second Palestinian bulldozer rampage injures 24 on Jerusalem main street: "A quick-thinking passing civilian and a border guard shot the driver dead after five vehicles and a bus were rammed opposite the Liberty Bell Park on King David Street, 200 yards from King David Hotel where UK premier Brown stayed Monday. Twenty-four people were injured, one seriously. Two are children.

The bulldozer burst out of a nearby building site in Yemin Moshe.

The terrorist was Ghassen Abu Tir, 22, from Umm Tuba, a Palestinian village in southeast Jerusalem, who was employed at the building site. He was a relative of Muhammed Abu Tir, a Hamas lawmaker held in an Israeli jail.

The Hizballah-sponsored Galilee Liberation Brigades claimed this attack like the first bulldozer rampage of July 2 when another Jerusalem Palestinian killed three people and caused heavy damage on Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street."

San Diego Police Rescue, Then Kill, Aggressive Man

San Diego Police Rescue, Then Kill, Aggressive Man: Top News Stories at Officer.com: "Police said the man was on the cruise with at least 800 other people when he somehow ended up in the water after 11 p.m. He was identified today as Steven Paul Hirschfield, 37, of Los Angeles.

The boat's captain sent a distress signal, and two Harbor Police boats and one Coast Guard vessel pulled Hirschfield from the water.

But Hirschfield began fighting with police as soon as he was on board, said San Diego Harbor Police Sgt. Dave Fouser.

'You're trying to help some guy out the water, and he's fighting,' Fouser said. 'He became very combative with the officers, and somewhere in the course of the fight, he was able to get one of the officer's Tasers away from him.'

Fouser said Hirschfield knocked one officer to the deck and then used the Taser to strike him in the face.

When Hirschfield then tried to grab one of the officer's guns, Fouser said, the other officer shot him.

Hirschfield was taken ashore to an ambulance and was pronounced dead from the single gunshot wound, Fouser said.

The San Diego Police Department's homicide unit was investigating the shooting along with the San Diego Harbor Police Department and the county District Attorney's Office."

World warned over killer flu pandemic

World warned over killer flu pandemic - Health News, Health & Wellbeing - The Independent: "The world is failing to guard against the inevitable spread of a devastating flu pandemic which could kill 50 million people and wreak massive disruption around the globe, the Government has warned.

In evidence to a House of Lords committee, ministers said that early warning systems for spotting emerging diseases were "poorly co-ordinated" and lacked "vision" and "clarity". They said that more needed to be done to improve detection and surveillance for potential pandemics and called for urgent improvement in rapid-response strategies.

The Government's evidence appeared in a highly critical report from the Lords Intergovernmental Organisations Committee, which attacked the World Health Organisation (WHO) as "dysfunctional" and criticised the international response to the threat of an outbreak of disease which could sweep across the globe.

The Government said: "While there has not been a pandemic since 1968, another one is inevitable." Ministers said it would could kill between two and 50 million people worldwide and that such an outbreak would leave up to 75,000 people dead in Britain and cause "massive" disruption.

Peers joined ministers calling for urgent action to build up early warning systems across the Third World that can identify and neutralise outbreaks of potentially deadly new strains of disease before they are swept across the globe by modern trade and travel. Peers also called for new action to monitor animal diseases, warning of the potentially disastrous effects of conditions such as the H5N1 bird flu virus jumping to humans and demanded that Britain step up funding for the WHO to tackle the threat.

With international tourist journeys now reaching 800 million a year, giving unprecedented potential for epidemics to spread across borders, and many cities rapidly growing in developing countries, which would provide "fertile ground" to spread disease, peers on the committee warned that conditions such as Sars, avian influenza and ebola "have the potential to cause rapid and devastating sickness and death across much of the world if they are not detected and checked in time". "

Palestinians: Israel uses rats agains Arabs

This is either funny or scary.

Funny: trained Jewish rats. HAHAHAHA!
Scary: Muslims pumping the city full of poisons and claiming it is to kill rats.

Palestinians: Israel uses rats against J'lem Arabs | Israel | Jerusalem Post: "'Rats have become an Israeli weapon to displace and expel Arab residents of the occupied Old City of Jerusalem,' Wafa reported under the title, 'Settlers flood the Old City of Jerusalem with rats.' The report continued: 'Over the past two months, dozens of settlers come to the alleyways and streets of the Old City carrying iron cages full of rats. They release the rats, which find shelter in open sewage systems.'

Wafa quoted unnamed Arab residents as saying that they had tried to eliminate the rats with various poisons, but to no avail."

Now for the Hard Part: From Iraq to Afghanistan

For an insightful and thoughtful read, go read this full story. It is worth the length!

Now for the Hard Part: From Iraq to Afghanistan | Stratfor: "That is why the critical question for the United States is how many troops it can retain in Iraq, for how long and in what locations. This is a complex issue. From the Sunni standpoint, a continued U.S. presence is essential to protect Sunnis from the Shia. From the Shiite standpoint, the U.S. presence is needed to prevent Iran from overwhelming the Shia. From the standpoint of the Kurds, a U.S. presence guarantees Kurdish safety from everyone else. It is an oddity of history that no major faction in Iraq now wants a precipitous U.S. withdrawal — and some don’t want a withdrawal at all."

Para Hero Slams Treatment Of Frontline Troops

The military knows that they have a job to do, and they are more than willing to do it and make the world a better place.

Colonel Tootal, take the Liberal jerks on and I pray that you can win. They control the government and will try to paint you as a bloodthirsty maniac who loves to slaughter little kids for fun. They will try to make you look like the Taliban and the Taliban look like you and your troops.

You beat the terrorists and thugs who wanted to kill you and your men. Now you have a worse and more insidious enemy - the Liberals. I will pray for you, sir.

MoD News - Para Hero Slams Treatment Of Frontline Troops: "A highly decorated commander who led British troops in Afghanistan has strongly criticised defence officials and the government for poor treatment of frontline soldiers and for being 'stuck in a Cold War mentality' that has denied troops in the field key equipment.

In his first public statement since leaving the army last week, Lt Colonel Stuart Tootal, who led 3rd battalion of the Parachute regiment in Afghanistan in 2006, said he had been deeply shocked by how 'our wounded soldiers were not being looked after'.

'All the guys I fought with were really motivated and really professional and the least a grateful nation owes them is the right gear and the right support,' he told The Observer

Tootal, who received the Distinguished Service Order for his role in Afghanistan, agreed that conditions for injured soldiers were much improved but said that wounded servicemen being on mixed NHS wards with civilians remained 'unacceptable' and that, though changes proposed by the government's Command Paper on service personnel welfare announced last week were a 'welcome positive step', they were 'late in the day'.

The senior officer's resignation after 20 years in the army caused consternation among defence chiefs when news leaked last year. Last month another senior soldier who served in Afghanistan, Brigadier Ed Butler, a former SAS commander, left the army amid reports of frustration with equipment shortages and budget cuts. "

The War In The Pacific

I bet you thought this was going to be about the Second World War!

The Drug Gangs are getting smarter and this is not a good thing. Of course, part of that is the Communist regimes who are slipping them State support. Anyone reading this full article should understand why the US is activating a Fleet in the Caribbean for the first time in decades. It might be a good thing to use more military resources in Columbia too, but that is not our territory.

The War In The Pacific: "The War In The Pacific
by James Dunnigan
July 20, 2008

The submarine war off the northwest (Pacific) coast of South America is getting, well, strange. For the last few years, the cocaine producing gangs of Colombia have been having considerable success exporting their product via submarines. About a third of the 600 tons of cocaine coming out of Colombia each year leaves via the Pacific coast. Most of this is being carried in submarines, that move the cocaine to North American. Off the Pacific coast, it's believed that only about five percent of these subs have been caught.

These are not submarines in the true sense of the word, but "semi-submersibles". They are 40-50 foot fiberglass boats, powered by a diesel engine, with a small "conning tower" above the water, providing the crew (of 4-5), and engine, with fresh air, and permitting the crew to navigate the boat. A boat of this type is the only practical kind of "submarine" for drug smuggling. A real submarine would be much more difficult to build, although you can buy commercial subs for a million dollars or so. These, however, can carry only a few hundred pounds of cargo, and not for long distances.

The semi-submersibles are built, often using specially made components brought in from foreign components, in areas along the Colombian coast, or other drug gang controlled territory). Russian naval architects and engineers have been discovered among those designing and building these boats. Based on interrogations of captured gang members, these subs cost about $600,000 to construct, and carry about ten tons of cocaine.

At one point it was thought that as many as half of them were captured or lost at sea. But this is apparently not the case. That's because most of these "subs" are built for a one way trip. This keeps down the cost of construction, and the cost of hiring a crew. That one voyage will usually be for about a thousand kilometers, with the boat moving at a speed of 15-25 kilometers an hour. So the average trip will take a day and a half.

Some subs have been caught while being towed by a larger ship. Apparently this enables the semi-submersibles to cover longer distances, and then be cut loose for the final approach to the shore of California or some area in Europe or on the east coast of North America. While the subs are most frequently used from the Pacific coast of Colombia, they are showing up elsewhere as well.

These subs are not stealthy enough to avoid detection all the time. However, it appears that these semi-submersibles do work, because the drug gangs keep using them more and more. Delivery by sea is now the favored method for cocaine smugglers, because the United States has deployed military grade aircraft detection systems, and caught too many of the airborne drug shipments. The smugglers did their math, and realized that improvised submarines were a more cost-effective way to go.

The Colombians are trying to get the United States more involved in shutting down this submarine operation, pointing out that terrorists could use similar vessels to attack U.S. warships, or targets along the coast. Replacing the ten tons of cocaine with explosives is pretty easy to do.

Meanwhile, the Colombian Army is clearing the Pacific coast of areas that are capable of hiding these building operations (which are usually along a river that empties into the Pacific). This process will take several more years, so for now it's up to the navy and air force to catch these subs after they enter the ocean. "

"Those who don't want to convert will be able to live in peace under the authority of Islam. Then we have to fight -- just like our broth

Once again the terrorists tell us what they want to do and why. Once again the Leftists and the Media ignore them and twist the words to blame us. Or at least America and Bush. Yet again, they want to bring Islam to all and they are following the Koran to that end.

Sura (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."

Jihad Watch: "Those who don't want to convert will be able to live in peace under the authority of Islam. Then we have to fight -- just like our brothers on Sept. 11": " "Look," says Abu Mustafa, whose beard cascades down his chest, "there will be three possibilities. Some will find their way to Islam. Those who don't want to convert will be able to live in peace under the authority of Islam." For those who don't want to accept the hegemony of Islam, however, holy war is the only recipe. "Then we have to fight -- just like our brothers on Sept. 11," Abu Mustafa says.

This is in accord with Muhammad's directions: "Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war…When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them….If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya [the tax on non-Muslims specified in Qur’an 9:29]. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah’s help and fight them. (Sahih Muslim 4294)

The attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. seven years ago were a response to the contempt held for Islam by the Western world, he says. "If Muslims are attacked anywhere in the world, one has to hit back, and it doesn't matter where." Salafist Islam is like a cat, he says. "It is very friendly, but if it is attacked, it turns into a tiger."

This idea -- that "one has to hit back" -- is traditional Islamic theology: that defensive jihad is fard ayn, obligatory on every Muslim to aid in some way, if a Muslim land is attacked."

Hizballah’s No. 2: War not over, more Israeli soldiers may be abducted

When you give a thug what he wants, he will try it again. And again.

Send in the military and fight these scum to a standstill and then kill off the leaders. Let commandos hunt them like the Nazi hunters are still hunting down the Nazis. Pig bastards.

DEBKAfile - Hizballah’s No. 2: War not over, more Israeli soldiers may be abducted: "Sheikh Naim Kassem, deputy secretary-general of Hizballah, said Saturday, July 19, that abductions of more Israeli soldiers may not be ruled out “in order to achieve the organization’s goals.” He declared that his pro-Iranian Shiite group remained at war with Israel.

His statement to the Qatari Al-Arab paper was at variance with the tenor of the speech his boss, Hassan Nasrallah, made in Beirut three days ago, after completing a bodies-for-prisoner exchange with Israel.

The war would go on as long Israel “occupies the Shaba Farms, the village of Ghajar and the Kfar Shuba hills [Mt. Dov on the Hermon],” said Kassem.

Regarding future kidnaps of Israeli soldiers, he said “I won't speak about this issue because it has to do with military activity in the struggle with Israel and with the question of whether this confrontation will demand such an action. These are details which will become known in the future.”

Hizballah had yet to exact revenge for the assassination of military commander Imad Mughnyieh in February, he said.

The tenor of Hassan Nassrallah’s speech in Beirut, after trading the remains of two kidnapped Israeli soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser for five Hizballah prisoners, was different. He stressed the importance of inter-factional dialogue in Lebanon as his organization’s first priority.

This reflected Tehran’s current strategy of diplomatic engagement with Washington, whereas his deputy Kassem spoke on Saturday in bellicose terms of continuing the war with Israel, more in keeping with the Hizballah’s war preparations."