ICE Agents Rescue Smuggled Toddlers in California

If this was in San Francisco the smugglers would have been given aid and not needed to kidnap children. Except for fun. Which is also legal if these monsters had only lived a few miles further north.

People who harm or threaten to harm kids should be flogged. Until they promise to never even touch another child.

ICE Agents Rescue Smuggled Toddlers in California: Top News Stories at Officer.com: "Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents rescued two young children who were being held hostage for ransom by a pair of immigrant smugglers, officials said.

The undercover operation took place on July 31 after the parents of the children contacted authorities in Mexico and the United States.

ICE officials said the parents had unsuccessfully attempted to enter the U.S. illegally with their children. They paid two smugglers, sisters in their mid-20s, to make a second attempt, ICE officials said. This time, the parents went in one vehicle and the children, 3-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl, went in another vehicle. Border agents caught the parents and sent them back to Mexico, but the children made it to the U.S., ICE Assistant Special Agent Dane Bowen said.

'They took the two small children in two separate vehicles. They had impostered documents for them and successfully brought them across the border,' Bowen said.

The smugglers contacted the parents and told them that they would have to pay $7,000 to get their children back, and if they didn't pay, 'there were others who would,' Bowen said.

Bowen says the smugglers are sisters, both in their mid-20's, who were living in a mobile home in San Ysidro and are also undocumented immigrants. Bowen says the smugglers also told the parents if they wanted their children to be returned it would cost them $7,000 and if they didn't they "knew someone who did.".

ICE agents contacted the sisters and an agent posed as the toddlers' aunt. She set up a meeting with the women at a Best Western Motel in Chula Vista. When the women arrived and agents saw the two children were with them, they arrested the two women.

The suspects are Mireya Delores Enriques Velazquez and Miriam Enriques Velazquez. Officials said they live in a mobile home in San Ysidro and are illegal immigrants. The two women were arraigned Monday morning. They were charged with transportation of illegal immigrants and remain in custody in federal jail. Bowen said additional charges, including kidnapping, could be added later in the case.

The children were reunited with their parents and are currently in the United States. "

24th MEU opens Garmsir Civil Military Operations Center

Thank the Lord for the Marines! They might have to spend a little more time in the mountains before they get to go home, but they are doing good things and just need a little more time to get the locals ready to take over.

Semper Fi!

24th MEU opens Garmsir Civil Military Operations Center: "Marines and the British Forces of Task Force Helmand opened a Joint Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) yesterday in the vicinity of the British Forward Operating Base Delhi, in Garmsir District here.

On its first day the CMOC had 31 visitors and paid 15 claims.

The Marines established the CMOC; provided the initial administration, command and control to run the center; and will continue to maintain the secure environment in which the center will operate. The Marines’ focus will be battle damage reparations and coordinating with those follow-on agencies to continue the work of reconstruction and development.

Task Force Helmand will focus on building an enduring capability to support stabilization, reconstruction and development.

Already the British Forces have assigned a Stabilization Advisor to Garmsir. The Stabilization Advisor will work with the local government, military and support agencies to assist and coordinate reconstruction and development efforts as it applies to governance, law, security, and the economy. The Afghan government is also committed to Garmsir’s reconstruction and has assigned a representative from their Ministry of Reconstruction and Rural Development. Afghan locals will be hired for administration and support roles i"

Animal rights activists suspected in fire

I hate terrorists no matter who they try to kill. These thugs are disgusting and need to be found and beaten for endangering innocent people.

Animal rights activists suspected in fire - UPI.com: "Police say they are investigating a weekend firebomb attack on the home of a California scientist who had rankled animal rights activists.

Medianews reported Sunday that the predawn bombing Saturday forced the family to evacuate their Santa Cruz home via an escape ladder and was being investigated as a possible attempted homicide.

The apparent target was David Feldheim, a neuroscientist at the University of California-Santa Cruz who was on a list of researchers in what Medianews called a threatening animal-rights pamphlet left at a coffee shop last week.

Medianews said some injuries resulted from the hasty escape, and police considered the attack an attempted murder since people were in the house when the fire was started."

2/7 Marines extended in Afghanistan

Not great news for the families, or the terrorists. If my Brothers keep up the good work they will be home soon enough.

Semper Fi!

2/7 Marines extended in Afghanistan - Marine Corps News, news from Iraq - Marine Corps Times: "The decision to extend the tour of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, in Afghanistan comes just a month after defense officials told the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit that it would stay an extra month in Afghanistan.

According to the official, the decision to hold the battalion there longer is part of an effort to capitalize on the gains the Marines have made in the training mission. The extension means that the battalion would return home in late November.

Asked about Gates’ decision, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the secretary was responding to a request from the commanders."

How General Petraeus Saved the U.S. Economy

While I am naturally suspicious of USNews, This is an excellent analysis! Not sure what happened over there that they are printing honest, non-biased reports, but I am happy to see it.

Thank the Lord and President Bush for giving us General Petraeus!

How General Petraeus Saved the U.S. Economy - Capital Commerce (usnews.com): "With oil prices continuing to plunge—and they may have a lot further to go—I've started wondering about this "what if" scenario: Where would oil prices be today had we abandoned Iraq to civil war and al Qaeda? What if President Bush had announced on Jan. 10, 2007, that instead of surging U.S. troops under the command of General Patraeus, he was ordering their withdrawal? Imagine if Iraq had descended in complete chaos and terror and genocide. Somalia or Rwanda on the Tigris and Euphrates, I guess.

Right now, Iraq is pumping out some 2.4 million barrels of petroleum a day. (That's about what the country was producing before the war and double the level of production at its post-liberation low point.) But given tight global oil markets, what would the price of oil be—and what would the state of the U.S. economy be—with perhaps all of those 2.4 million barrels off the market? Actually, we don't have to imagine very hard at all. Hurricane Katrina took about 2.4 million barrels off the market (because of refining shutdown and a halt to foreign oil deliveries), and oil prices spiked. And then layer on top of all that a possible regional war. Saudi Arabia and Iran might well have intervened on the side of the Sunni and Shiite. Wouldn't we all be screaming about $200-a-barrel oil—or maybe twice that?"

Police Admit Collaboration in Bedouin Ambush of Jewish Hikers

Is this a democratic and fair country? I used to think so! This sounds more like some Liberal or fascist bastion where the People are set up to commit "crimes" and then arrested on the trumped up charges.

To paraphrase an historic quote: Let the People go!

Police Admit Collaboration in Bedouin Ambush of Jewish Hikers - Inside Israel - Israel News - Arutz Sheva: "A police detective admitted in court last week that police forces hid as Bedouin Arabs attacked Jewish hikers, and then jumped out to arrest the Jews who fought back.

The incident occurred last Tuesday, on the third day of a week-long "Land of Hilltops Trek" from the northern Shomron to southern Judea. As the 200 youths and adults passed by Maoz Esther (near Maaleh Michmas, between Jericho and northern Jerusalem), they were attacked by Bedouin Arabs with clubs and rocks.

Veteran Yesha (Judea and Samaria) settlement pioneer Daniella Weiss, former Mayor of Kedumim, spoke to IsraelNationalNews from the scene and described what happened:

"Everything was going very well, until we arrived in Maoz Esther. A bunch of Arabs swooped down upon us with rocks and clubs, and three of our people were injured; they have just been evacuated by ambulance. At one point, one of our escorts tried to protect one of our boys, and he shot in the air. Right then, something amazing happened:

"From behind a little hill suddenly emerged some cars and policemen wearing civilian clothes, but with police hats - and they arrested the one who shot in the air, as well as some of our other escorts who were carrying weapons!

"Apparently, the police were waiting and watching the whole time, doing nothing until our boy shot in the air." "

Cyber warfare: Examining the relationships

Good information about the cyberwar and how things need to change to help the US, and the world, adapt to it. I am not sure that all of this is possible in the current political climate, but all of it seems to make sense to me.

I will pray that our next government will actively work to provide the US and the world with more security. This President has worked towards it and lost his way in the constant slanders and attacks from the Left.

Cyber warfare: Examining the relationships: "...the concept of operations for computer network attack (CNA) needs to be broken out of the information operations (IO) hierarchy. It does not belong there. Much like the concepts of the use of armor to support troops in World War 1 was supplanted by new armor-cavalry concepts of operation, where the model changed towards infantry in support of armor, cyber operations take on new expanded roles beyond IO. CNA is but one element of cyber operations and kinetic effect through cyber operations. The highly hierarchical and brittle security models of command and control (C2) infrastructures in the military and corporate world reflect a target rich environment.

These brittle networks are reflected in the social and organizational structures, the physical and data communications, and the information dissemination and cognition models. Where defense has been studied, the offense task against these elements in societies where the asymmetric balance is against the United States, has not been truly considered. In general the third world is categorized as technologically inferior, the European and Pan Asian community as off limits, and domestic threats ignored. This would be great if everybody played their roles equally and allies didn’t spies on allies, and corporate espionage didn’t happen, and the world stage was a static environment. How much better to be prepared for cyber conflict before it happens."

Carla Bruni video

A friend sent me this video link about the very pretty Carla Bruni, the First Lady of France. Ohh, la la!! I just wanted to share the fun!

TERRORIST DEMANDS BRITISH TAXPAYERS PAY FOR HIS PORN-IN-LOO LAWSUIT

Maybe this pig will feel better if they played him a recording of women and children dying as their guts a poured on the floor after a bomb disemboweled them? It might be worth a shot! And he needs gay porn to view since it is well known that females are offensive to Muslims. You didn't know? Well, read this:

The Qur'an:

Sura (4:11) - (Inheritance) "The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females" (see also Sura (4:176)).

Sura (2:282) - (Court testimony) "And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not found then a man and two women"

Sura (2:228) - "and the men are a degree above them [women]"

Sura (5:6) - "And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it" Men are to rub dirt on their hands if there is no water to purify them following casual contact with a woman (such as shaking hands).

Sura (24:31) - Women are to lower their gaze around men, so they do not look them in the eye.

Sura (2:223) - "Your wives are as a tilth unto you; so approach your tilth when or how ye will..." A man has dominion over his wives' bodies as he does his land. This verse is overtly sexual. There is some dispute as to whether it is referring to the practice of anal intercourse, which it has been used historically to justify. If this is what Muhammad meant, however, then it would appear to contradict what he said in Muslim (8:3365).

Sura (4:3) - (Wife-to-husband ratio) "Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four"

Sura (53:27) - "Those who believe not in the Hereafter, name the angels with female names." Angels are sublime beings, and would therefore be male.

Sura (4:24) and Sura (33:52) - A man is permitted to take women as sex slaves outside of marriage.


From the Hadith:

Bukhari (6:301) - "[Muhammad] said, 'Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?' They replied in the affirmative. He said, 'This is the deficiency in her intelligence.'"

Bukhari (6:301) - continued - "[Muhammad said] 'Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?' The women replied in the affirmative. He said, 'This is the deficiency in her religion.'" Allah has made women deficient in the practice of their religion as well, by giving them menstrual cycles.

Bukhari (2:28) - Women comprise the majority of Hell's occupants. This is important because the only women in heaven ever mentioned by Muhammad are the virgins who serve the sexual desires of men. (A weak Hadith, Kanz al-`ummal, 22:10, even suggests that 99% of women go to Hell).

Bukhari (62:81) - "The Prophet said: "'The stipulations most entitled to be abided by are those with which you are given the right to enjoy the (women's) private parts (i.e. the stipulations of the marriage contract).'" In other words, the most important thing that a woman brings to a marriage is between her legs.

Bukhari (62:58) - A woman presents herself in marriage to Muhammad, but he does not find her attractive, so he "donates" her on the spot to another man.

Abu Dawud (2:704) - "...the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: When one of you prays without a sutrah, a dog, an ass, a pig, a Jew, a Magian, and a woman cut off his prayer, but it will suffice if they pass in front of him at a distance of over a stone's throw."

Ishaq 593 - "From the captives of Hunayn, Allah's Messenger gave [his son-in-law] Ali a slave girl called Baytab and he gave [future Caliph] Uthman a slave girl called Zaynab and [future Caliph] Umar another." - Even in this world, Muhammad treated women like party favors, handing out slave girls to his cronies for sex.

Ishaq 969 - "Men were to lay injunctions on women lightly, for they were prisoners of men and had no control over their persons." - This same text also justifies beating women for flirting.

TheOPINIONATOR: TERRORIST DEMANDS BRITISH TAXPAYERS PAY FOR HIS PORN-IN-LOO LAWSUIT: "Iraqi Terrorist and former leader of the fanatic Mehdi army, Ahmed Al-Fartoosi, responsible for the deaths of dozens of British soldiers is suing the British Ministry of Defence ---why?? -- because someone left pornography near a toilet that Al-Fartoosi used.

How ironic that a man who apparently had no problems with killing dozens if not more people should scream like a baby over his 'virgin' eyes looking at nude pictures is cause for a lawsuit. But then again - did anyone force open Ahmeds eyes and make him look at the porn?? Obviously not. Thus if he looked at it - he did so voluntarily. Nevertheless, the mere presence of the likely magazine is enough for this brave muslim to put his hand out to receive compensation for his 'discomfort'.

The other 'egregious' offences committed against Fartoosi for which he wants the British taxpayers to provide free legal aid so that he can in essence............sue the British taxpayers are:
#

HEARING porn videos being played on a soldier’s laptop;

#

BUMPING his arm and thigh when being put in an armoured vehicle; and

#

LOSING sleep in his cell due to noise and lights from a corridor."

Lord Nelson and Captain Cook's shiplogs question climate change theories

More information for the Religion of Global Warming to ignore. Soon it will start to overwhelm them and they will be sad little figures on the floor whimpering in pain because they lack a natural mechanism for handling Facts that do not fit their Beliefs. Of course, that is why they take massive amounts of drugs to pad them from Reality and Facts. I almost pity the poor losers.

On the other hand, this is a great discovery. It will be interesting to see what the Facts show about climate change.

Lord Nelson and Captain Cook's shiplogs question climate change theories - Telegraph: "The ships' logs of great maritime figures such as Lord Nelson and Captain Cook have cast new light on climate change by suggesting that global warming may not be an entirely man-made phenomenon.


By Tom Peterkin
Last Updated: 11:56AM BST 04 Aug 2008
Lord Nelson and Captain Cook's shiplogs question climate change theories
A paper by Dennis Wheeler, a geographer based at Sunderland University, recounts an increasing number of summer storms over Britain in the late 17th century

Scientists have uncovered a treasure trove of meteorological information contained in the detailed logs kept by those on board the vessels that established Britain's great seafaring traditition including those on Nelsons' Victory and Cook's Endeavour.

Every Royal Naval ship kept a detailed record of climate including air pressure, wind strength, air and sea temperature and major meteorological disturbances.

A group of academics and Met Office scientists has unearthed the records dating from the 1600s and examined more than 6,000 logs, which have provided one of the world's best sources for long-term weather data.

Their studies have raised questions about modern climate change theories. A paper by Dennis Wheeler, a geographer based at Sunderland University, recounts an increasing number of summer storms over Britain in the late 17th century.

Many scientists believe that storms are caused by global warming, but these were came during the so-called Little Ice Age that affected Europe from about 1600 to 1850.

The records also suggest that Europe saw a spell of rapid warming, similar to that experienced today, during the 1730s that must have been caused naturally.

"British archives contain more than 100,000 Royal Navy logbooks from around 1670 to 1850 alone," Mr Wheeler said. "They are a stunning resource. Global warming is a reality, but our data shows climate science is complex. It is wrong to take particular events and link them to carbon dioxide emissions.

"These records will give us a much clearer picture of what is really happening."
"

Why Isn’t Anyone Linking The Rise In Unemployment To The Rise In Minimum Wage?

Nothing to add to this. Just read it.

Why Isn’t Anyone Linking The Rise In Unemployment To The Rise In Minimum Wage? - Say Anything: "Why Isn’t Anyone Linking The Rise In Unemployment To The Rise In Minimum Wage?
By Rob on August 4, 2008 at 06:20 am

Neal Boortz:

Why in the world isn’t anyone connecting the increase in the jobless rate last month to the increase in the minimum wage? At the beginning of the last month the minimum wage went up by 70 cents. When employers are forced to pay people more than they are worth .. they get kicked to the curb. Trust me, I know. I was fired once because the minimum wage went up and I was the last person hired.

Good point, and we can actually go back further than just this year. Many states have minimum wages set higher than the federal minimum wage, so the hike in the federal minimum has had a different impact depending on what the state was at already. But here in North Dakota we went from $5.25/hour in 2007 to $6.55/hour now in July. That’s a hike of $1.30/hour in a little over a year.

Anyone who has ever had to budget for payroll knows that is a significant increase in expense. For a 40 hour/week employee it’s roughly $208/month in additional payroll. If you spread that out over four or five em"

FOX News Cameraman Helps Rescue Injured Marine From Insurgent Blast in Afghanistan

This is proof that Fox News is totally biased to help the military! They are even willing to help save the lives of Marines! I can't wait to see how the non-balanced Media handle this. Will Olbermann totally freak out and call this cameraman evil?

Mr Jackson, I thank you for saving my Brother. Semper Fi!

FOXNews.com - FOX News Cameraman Helps Rescue Injured Marine From Insurgent Blast in Afghanistan - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News: "A FOX News cameraman helped save the life of an injured Marine in Afghanistan — and was injured himself — when the armored Humvee convoy he was traveling in was struck by a roadside bomb Sunday night in the Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold.

Two U.S. Marines were badly injured when the improvised explosive device detonated near their convoy. Though FOX News cameraman Chris Jackson was injured in the blast, he went back to the burning vehicle to rescue one of the Marines.

'The cabin was on fire and I jumped out,' said Jackson in a report filed immediately following the attack. 'I went, grabbed the sergeant out of the shotgun seat, pulled him out.'"

Spook School?

Is this a school to train spies? I think that most corporations and Media groups would LOVE to have people with this training! This could be a lot of fun, can I get permission to attend? It might have to be a computer class, but I think that might be the point, anyway.

So, who do I have to talk to?

Spook School - News - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: When classes at the University of Washington resume this fall, some students at the school will be under the watchful eye of a Central Intelligence Agency spook. In fact, some of them will even be learning from him.

This fall, Dr. Tim Thomas, a CIA agent specializing in "open source" data mining, will begin a two-year stint as an officer-in-residence at the UW's Institute for National Security Education and Research (INSER), which is financed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. That office is an umbrella organization for groups such as the U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the CIA—which will provide the university with $2.5 million in grant money over the next five years.

It's not unusual for political or military organizations to recruit on campuses, but it seems strange for the UW to align itself with an agency most recently in the news for overseas kidnappings and harsh interrogation tactics such as waterboarding.

INSER focuses on so-called "open source" intelligence—gathering information from publicly available documents, newspapers, TV shows, and blogs in other countries. Under Thomas's tutelage, students will learn the fine art of data mining and intelligence gathering, and discuss U.S. foreign policy and the strategic differences between the cold war and the war on terror.

"It's the kind of expertise we didn't particularly have here," says Bob Roseth, director of the Office of News and Information at UW. [Thomas has] been vetted very thoroughly. He's not just any CIA agent."

While INSER focuses more on information retrieval and intelligence gathering than espionage, the UW has kept the program fairly quiet. INSER has been around since January 2007, but faculty members—including UW spokesman Norm Arkans—were unable to provide many details about the program. What's more, students don't appear to be aware that intelligence agencies are present on campus.When classes at the University of Washington resume this fall, some students at the school will be under the watchful eye of a Central Intelligence Agency spook. In fact, some of them will even be learning from him.

This fall, Dr. Tim Thomas, a CIA agent specializing in "open source" data mining, will begin a two-year stint as an officer-in-residence at the UW's Institute for National Security Education and Research (INSER), which is financed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. That office is an umbrella organization for groups such as the U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the CIA—which will provide the university with $2.5 million in grant money over the next five years.

It's not unusual for political or military organizations to recruit on campuses, but it seems strange for the UW to align itself with an agency most recently in the news for overseas kidnappings and harsh interrogation tactics such as waterboarding.

INSER focuses on so-called "open source" intelligence—gathering information from publicly available documents, newspapers, TV shows, and blogs in other countries. Under Thomas's tutelage, students will learn the fine art of data mining and intelligence gathering, and discuss U.S. foreign policy and the strategic differences between the cold war and the war on terror.

"It's the kind of expertise we didn't particularly have here," says Bob Roseth, director of the Office of News and Information at UW. [Thomas has] been vetted very thoroughly. He's not just any CIA agent."

While INSER focuses more on information retrieval and intelligence gathering than espionage, the UW has kept the program fairly quiet. INSER has been around since January 2007, but faculty members—including UW spokesman Norm Arkans—were unable to provide many details about the program. What's more, students don't appear to be aware that intelligence agencies are present on campus."

A real threat: Terrorists tampering with food

A real threat: Terrorists tampering with food : Nation & World : Abilene Reporter-News: "The deliberate contamination of the nation's food supply is a serious threat.

In January 2004 the Bush administration responded to the threat of contamination of the nation's food supply with a Homeland Security Presidential Directive, according to an April report from Trust For America's Health titled 'Fixing Food Safety: Protecting America's Food Supply From Farm-to-Fork.'

The directive calls for a coordinated national approach to countering threats to the food supply. The directive tasked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with leading national food defense efforts while working in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Despite increased responsibility and concern, the Food and Drug Administration has not received additional funding to support food-related anti-terrorism activities, while the USDA has received an additional $150 million, the TFAH report said."

IDF Soldiers Risked Lives To Rescue Terrorist Clan

Why the heck are Israelis taking time off from fighting the terrorists to SAVE the terrorists? This is definitely a political move to make some of the Gazans like the Israelis, or at least hate them less.

I doubt it will work! This is a stunt.

IDF Soldiers Risked Lives To Rescue Terrorist Clan - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Arutz Sheva: "IDF soldiers risked their lives Saturday in order to save the Fatah-aligned Hilles terrorist clan from the Hamas army in Gaza. The rescue effort was performed under Hamas fire said Colonel Ron Asherov, head of the northern brigade in the Gaza Belt region.

'Our soldiers could hear the bullets flying past their ears as they evacuated the Palestinians to our side,' said Col. Asherov.

Lieutenant-Colonel (res.) Yoel Tzur termed the rescue effort 'idiotic' and charged that the government ordered it as another measure to help Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas, after initially having asked Israel to accept the terrorists, reversed his stand and refused political asylum to all but about a dozen.

'We show humanitarian sensitivity, but how would we react if five of our soldiers had been killed,' Tzur asked rhetorically.' He added, 'We are talking about terrorists who attack us with Kassam rockets and hold kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.'"

Al Qaeda confirms death of top bomb maker Masri

The Jawa Report: Al Qaeda confirms death of top bomb maker Masri: "Confirmed... Abu Khabab al-Masri, a chemical weapons expert DEAD!

Via AFP

Abu Khabab al-Masri was among a group of 'heroes' who joined 'the caravans of martyrs,' said a statement signed by Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, Al-Qaeda's general commander in Afghanistan.

And we are left with a bit of a mystery...six people died in the strike that killed Masri...

Pakistani security officials had told AFP that Abu Khabab al-Masri's 18-year-old son, another Egyptian, two Saudis and a Pakistani were also among the six people killed when missiles hit a house attached to a village mosque.

That is SIX.....so who are these two gentlemen who also were listed in the AQ statement as killed in action...

It named other slain militants as 'the mujahed sheikh and educator Abu Mohammad Ibrahim bin Abi al-Faraj al-Masri,' Abdul Wahhab al-Masri and Abu Islam al-Masri."

Plant Drops Labor Day For Muslim Holiday

If we tried to get a Christian holiday to replace a US National, albeit Communist inspired, Holiday, there would be fits! Especially because it is replacing Lenin's Birthday, a holiday for the Socialist masses.

This is also a call for Sharia Law to be democratically enforced in the US. What a crock.

Islam In Action: Plant Drops Labor Day For Muslim Holiday: "Some workers at a local plant will no longer to be able to take their Labor Day holiday because of religious reasons.

Workers at the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day but will instead be granted the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

According to a news release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a new five-year contract at the plant included the change to accommodate Muslim workers at the plant.

Tyson's director of media relations Gary Mickelson said the contract includes eight paid holidays -- the same number as the old contract.

Eid al-Fitr -- which falls on Oct. 1 this year -- marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.

Union leaders said implementing the holiday was important for the nearly 700 Muslims, many of them Somalis, who work at the plant that employs a total of 1,200 people.

Nineteen-year plant veteran William Pentecost doesn’t agree with the decision.

'I don’t think it's right. I really don't think it's right,' he said.

Tyson company spokeswoman Libby Lawson said by phone that, 'This isn't a religious accommodation, this is a contractual agreement. The majority asked for it.'"

Where Al Qaeda Excels

Good to see that AQ still has some things going for it. I would hate for this 'lost' war to be over too soon.

Counter-Terrorism: Where Al Qaeda Excels: "The movement of al Qaeda's main effort from Iraq to Pakistan does not involve large numbers, and the numbers have declined since the terrorists began urging new recruits to head for Pakistan. For several years, about a hundred foreign volunteers (usually for suicide type attacks) entered Iraq each month, brought in via an al Qaeda network in some Arab and European countries. Money is collected there, often under the guise of an Islamic charity, to pay for airfare, fees (some of the operatives along the way are basically mercenaries) and bribes (to get past border controls of countries trying to stop this traffic).

Now, only a few dozen al Qaeda recruits are getting to Pakistan each month. It's more expensive to get to Pakistan, compared to Iraq, and the government does not make it easy. There's also been a decline in cash contributions. Al Qaeda was beaten in Iraq, after years of saying they were winning. Al Qaedas mass murder campaign in Iraq killed mostly Moslems, and this was unpopular among potential donors. The violence in Iraq used the idea of "al Qaeda" to unite many very different Islamic militant groups, and the same concept is being used in Pakistan. Here there are tribal militias, operating as vigilantes against real or imagined sins against Islam. In the cities there are many different groups. Some are at war with another Islamic faction, others simply wish to impose their religious beliefs and practices on all other Moslems. But many do not want to be associated with al Qaeda, because of the groups reputation of violence towards Moslem women and children.

Local politicians (in Pakistan and Afghanistan) would like to blame much of the unrest on outsiders, and al Qaeda certainly fits the bill. But al Qaeda is a relatively small operation, and most of the Islamic radicals in the area are locals. Using religion as a tool to gain political and military advantage is an old problem, especially in Moslem countries. In general, Moslems like to play down this aspect of their religion, preferring to call Islam, "the religion of peace." But too many Moslem clerics, and ambitious politicians, are all too willing to exploit the militant and violent aspects of Islam. This is especially true along the Pakistan-Afghan border. But al Qaeda is a much smaller player in the region than its media coverage wound indicate. Al Qaeda is much better at playing the press than it is at doing anything else. "

UPDATE: Anthrax Attack Suspect Dead

Too true. Now we will never know the truth about who did this. Too bad. Maybe someday we will know more. I hope.

Homeland Security Watch » Anthrax Attack Suspect Dead: "It is unclear if anything Ivins did before the attacks in September and October 2001 was suspicious. We’ll never know whether Bruce Ivins was indeed the perpetrator among the 20-30 scientists at Ft. Detrick under investigation. Ivins had been told about the impending prosecution and apparently committed suicide by overdosing on Tylenol with Codeine."

Son of Hamas MP Leaves Islam for Jesus

Thank you Lord! Welcome to the Light of the Lord Joseph.

The Jawa Report: Son of Hamas MP Leaves Islam for Jesus: "Praise the lord!

Via Jewish Journal: Haaretz Weekend Magazine has a fantastic profile coming up on Masab Yousef, whose father is the top Hamas leader in the West Bank. The younger Yousef, who once assisted his father politically, has moved to California and converted to Christianity. If that didn’t stop you dead in your tracks, this will: “Send regards to Israel, I miss it. I respect Israel and admire it as a country.

Joseph, as he now calls himself knows that leaving Islam brands him an apostate and it he ever returns to his home he will likely be killed. Under Sharia law the penalty for a Muslim who converts to Christianity is death."

Tehran hosts Assad to celebrate winning nuclear dispute with West and cooling of US-Israel ties

I guess that Iran has every reason to celebrate their win. Too bad their win makes the world more unstable. Will this be the legacy of Bush? A stable Iraq and Middle East because they have to be united in perpetual war against the Iranians?

What a horrible thought.

DEBKAfile - Tehran hosts Assad to celebrate winning nuclear dispute with West and cooling of US-Israel ties: "The Syrian president Bashar Assad was due to visit Tehran in a week’s time. The trip was brought forward to Saturday, Aug. 2 to coincide with the deadline the six powers gave Iran for an answer to its offer of benefits in return for its consent to suspend uranium enrichment – or face a fourth round of sanctions.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report: Iranian and Syrian rulers are so pleased with their unforeseen success in outmaneuvering the West that they called an urgent summit for follow-up planning.

When a line of Iranian leaders rejected the ultimatum on their “right” to develop a nuclear program, Washington responded mildly “we are not counting the days”, while the European Union said there was no hurry. In any case, as DEBKAfile reports in a separate article on this page, a huge German energy deal with Iran has drawn the sting of any prospective penalties.

The Syrian-Iranian get-together also follows the failure of top Israeli leaders traveling to Washington in the past three weeks to persuade the Bush administration of the urgency of considering military action against Iran’s nuclear installations – or at least backing an Israeli operation.

Transport minister Shaul Mofaz was the last arrival after chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, foreign minister Tzipi Livni and defense minister Ehud Barak.

Iran’s supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, president Mahmoud Ahminejad and Assad can therefore pat each others backs over the cooling of US-Israeli strategic relations in on top of their other successes.

DEBKAfile’s analysts report that their feats owe more to the way the West plays into their hands than their own ingenuity:

1. In mid-June, the Bush administration decided to embark on a secret dialogue with the Islamic Republic. DEBKA-Net-Weekly was the first publication to expose this radical turn of events and to trace its progress. After procuring a direct line for business with US government leaders, and wrapping up deals, mostly behind Israel’s back, on the burning issues of oil pricing, Iraq and Lebanon, Iran nullified any leverage Washington had. Tehran can now afford to make light of the six-power ultimatum on its nuclear activities.

2. At about the same time, Israel entered into peace talks with Syria through Turkish mediation. The result: While Iran was developing its back-door rapprochement with the US, the Syrian ruler had hit the jackpot for buying back international legitimacy and a respected role in Middle East politics, without giving up his warm ties with Tehran or his sponsorship of terror.

Damascus can now afford to dump its diplomatic track with Israel as soon as Ehud Olmert steps down as prime minister in September.

The insistence of Olmert’s would-be successors – Livni and Mofaz from his own Kadima and Labor leader Barak – on continuing the talks with Syria, on condition that Assad pulls away from Tehran – not only mislead the public about their purpose, but feed the Damascus-Tehran alliance which is aimed against Israel.

3. French president Nicolas Sarkozy gave Assad a massive boost to the stability of his regime when he hosted him as the guest of honor at the last French Bastille Day parade. Sarkozy assured him then that he would act through the UN Security Council to abolish the international tribunal set up to prosecute the murderers of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. This let the chief suspects, Assad’s close kin and intelligence chiefs, off the hook.

4. A torrent of studies suddenly coming out of US think tanks in recent weeks shows how hard American research and intelligence circles are leaning on the administration to expand its dialogue with Tehran. Bush is being urged to call off sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program and withdraw US backing from Iran’s disaffected minorities’ revolt against the Islamic regime – all for the purpose of putting US-Iranian relations on a normal footing."

So begins the hand-wringing about mad biodefense scientists « BGG

The vast majority of these biodefense scientists are stable family guys who want nothing more than to end the threat of all the germs and diseases that Nature throws at us. We should thank them rather than cast aspersions upon them.

Thanks guys and gals! We are safer because of you. Despite the fear mongers who want us to think otherwise.

So begins the hand-wringing about mad biodefense scientists « BGG: "This issue has been debated for a long time. Several years ago I would have pooh-poohed the idea that highly trained and vetted scientists would present such a risk. But for at least the last couple of years I’ve felt that the expansion of biodefense labs is related not to research need but to homeland defense money. If you build it they will come, and a couple of them might be frakking nuts. Do we not now have enough investment in the study of the most dangerous, but least likely threats? How much more likely do these threats become, due to expanding the numbers of labs people handling them?

On the other hand, if Ivins was our guy, he’s been working in biodefense for nearly 20 years. Who knows when he could have gone over the edge? Would anyone have known? His coworkers seem to have liked him and don’t believe he was responsible, by the statements we’ve seen so far."

Apparent suicide in anthrax case

Well, this is not too good. How can this guy be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt as the psycho if he is dead?

Well, at least the FBI finally caught someone. Sort of.

Apparent suicide in anthrax case - Los Angeles Times: " A top government scientist who helped the FBI analyze samples from the 2001 anthrax attacks has died in Maryland from an apparent suicide, just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him for the attacks, the Los Angeles Times has learned.

Bruce E. Ivins, 62, who for the last 18 years worked at the government's elite biodefense research laboratories at Ft. Detrick, Md., had been informed of his impending prosecution, said people familiar with Ivins, his suspicious death and the FBI investigation.

Ivins, whose name had not been disclosed publicly as a suspect in the case, played a central role in research to improve anthrax vaccines by preparing anthrax formulations used in experiments on animals.

Regarded as a skilled microbiologist, Ivins also helped the FBI analyze the powdery material recovered from one of the anthrax-tainted envelopes sent to a U.S. senator's office in Washington.

Ivins died Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital after ingesting a massive dose of prescription Tylenol mixed with codeine, said a friend and colleague, who declined to be identified out of concern that he would be harassed by the FBI."

Coalition forces capture Hezbollah Brigades operative in Baghdad

More captured terrorists! Hurray!

The bad part is that these pigs are Iranian trained and supported from the well known terrorist group that Iran backs in Lebanon. That means the Media will ignore this or find it as an excuse to claim that Bush is making things up for an excuse to attack Iran.

Coalition forces capture Hezbollah Brigades operative in Baghdad - The Long War Journal: "Coalition special operations forces captured two members of the Iranian-supported Hezbollah Brigades during a raid in eastern Baghdad on early Thursday morning. The intelligence-driven raid targeted the home of a propaganda cell member, Multinational Forces Iraq reported. The cell member was responsible for videotaping Hezbollah Brigades attacks on US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad.

“This propaganda cell is suspected of making, videos of attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces, which are then used to raise funds and resources for additional attacks against Coalition forces and Iraqis,” the US military stated in a press release."

U.S. official: Iraqis told me WMDs sent to Syria

Well, more proof yet that the US covered up the existence of the Iraqi WMD.
Why the cover up?
Why not just find the weapons and destroy them? Even if it means we have to invade another hostile country?

The world is not safer with anyone having these kinds of weapons. Especially unstable countries.

U.S. official: Iraqis told me WMDs sent to Syria: "A former American overseer of Iraqi prisons says several dozen inmates who were members of Saddam Hussein's military and intelligence forces boasted of helping transport weapons of mass destruction to Syria and Lebanon in the three months prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Don Bordenkircher – who served two years as national director of prison and jail operations in Iraq– told WND that about 40 prisoners he spoke with 'boasted of being involved in the transport of WMD warheads to Syria.'

A smaller number of prisoners, he said, claimed 'they knew the locations of the missile hulls buried in Iraq.'

Some of the inmates, Bordenkircher said, 'wanted to trade their information for a release from prison and were amenable to showing the locations.'

The prisoners were members of the Iraqi military or civilians assigned to the Iraqi military, often stationed at munitions facilities, according to Bordenkircher. He said he was told the WMDs were shipped by truck into Syria, and some ended up in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley."

'All Swedes are gay'

If we want to prosecute 'hate crimes' then all these terrorist attacks need to be considered as such. 'Honor killings' need to be treated as such, also. Nazis and the KKK related groups all learned not to attack people, when will the Muslims?



Islam in Europe: Stockholm: 'All Swedes are gay': "During the knife assault the Arabs said to the victims among other things that 'all Swedes are gay', whereas they stabbed one of them with a knife, completely unprovoked.

In the newspaper it was described as a 'hate crime' just because the victim was a homosexual, but if it had been heterosexual Swedes it would certainly not have been called a hate crime, despite the fact that it meets the complete definition of it, that is that the perpetrator expresses hate during the attack or that the underlying reason for the attack is based on the victim's ethnicity. No, since our dear politicians have seen fit to put in an exception in the law about 'hate crimes', namely that it doesn't count if the victims are Swedish, even if they are attacked for their ethnicity."

ISNA and MPAC Seek to Silence Steven Emerson at Congressional Hearing

Muslims are firm believers of Freedom of Speech. Honest! They believe in Freedom for All!

As long as you are their slave and accept the Freedoms they deign to grant you. Like breathing.

Good for Congressman Sherman for standing up to these pigs. Now he just has to oder these groups to be arrested for treason and inciting treason.

Counterterrorism Blog: ISNA and MPAC Seek to Silence Steven Emerson at Congressional Hearing: "As mentioned in Andrew Cochran's July 28 posting, the Investigative Project on Terrorism's (IPT) counterterrorism leader Steven Emerson will be testifying on Thursday July 31 at a Congressional hearing on "Foreign Aid and the Fight Against Terrorism and Proliferation: Leveraging Foreign Aid to Achieve U.S. Policy Goals." This hearing will take place at the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade this Thursday at 10:30 AM ET in room 2200 of the Rayburn House Building.

In the past day, however, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) have been working on a public relations campaign to silence Steven Emerson at this July 31 hearing. ISNA sent out an "Urgent Action Alert" to its membership calling for them to lobby Congressman Brad Sherman to either have "balanced, qualified testimony"... [or demand that] "the session be canceled." MPAC sent a similar letter to Congressman Brad Sherman and also issued "demands" calling for its membership to lobby for silencing Steven Emerson or for Congress to "cancel or postpone" the hearing. ISNA charges Steven Emerson with "Islamaphobia" [sic] and "hate mongering," while MPAC charges Steven Emerson with "bigotry." Not surprisingly, ISNA and MPAC don't support their accusations with any facts or specifics, just ad hominem name-calling to silence and discredit those who speak out against Jihad.

As reported tonight, Congressman Sherman refused to buckle under such lobbying efforts stating that "[t]his hearing will go on. We need to make sure that the State Department is not giving U.S. tax dollars to those on the other side in the war on terrorism."

ISNA's and MPAC's efforts to either silence Steven Emerson or ensure that an "expert" hand-picked by such pro-Islamic supremacist groups provides "balanced" [sic] testimony should be another wake-up call that such groups seek to not only impact the debate on Jihad and Islamic supremacist terrorism, but also control that debate entirely. Yet ISNA and MPAC remain unwilling to be accountable for their own organizations' and members' actions, statements, and ideological support."

Iraqi official visits U.S. wounded at Walter Reed

What a nice guy! It is amazing that an Iraqi politician can visit our wounded troops when a US politician finds excuses not to. Can we trade this guy for Sen. Obama? Please?

Iraqi official visits U.S. wounded at Walter Reed « BGG: "“We have come … to express our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these great warriors, soldiers, in freeing the Iraqi people and in helping us in Iraq recover from tyranny and dictatorship,” Jawad Karim al-Bolani, Iraq’s minister of the interior, said through a translator to a handful of journalists in the lobby of the medical center."

Afghanistan: The Real Enemy Stays In The Shadows

Reading this story just makes me want to carpet bomb the poppy fields and get the War for Afghanistan over with. Sure, the West might "lose" if they cut off the drug money that the Afghanis live off of, but if we then air drop in new cash crops then we can win in the long run. Buy Afghani products! Except poppys...

Afghanistan: The Real Enemy Stays In The Shadows: "The Afghan media is bribed to play up real or imagined stories of foreign troops killing Afghan civilians. Afghan troops and police kill far more civilians, but that's not news, because that's been going on forever. The important things is that the Taliban and drug gangs will pay journalists for 'foreigner kills Afghans' stories, with a bonus if the Western press picks it up (and they do grab some of the better done fabrications)."

Death By Cell Phone

I love stories like this that show how the Muslim lack of faith in modern tools. Yes, phones and weapons are tools. If the Muslims would only get an education on things other than Islam they might start to be able to fight this War they start and win. Praise Allah for keeping his people ignorant!

Electronic Weapons: Death By Cell Phone: "Islamic terrorists operating in Indian Kashmir got sloppy with their cell phone use, and destroyed a valuable support network that included some local Moslem politicians. Counter-terrorism forces monitored cell phone traffic, and some conversations in Kashmir revealed a terrorist network that included some local Moslem politicians. The terrorists had developed security procedures for using their cell phones, but Indian intelligence eventually identified who was using the phones and for what. Improved Indian cell phone monitoring methods were suspected by the terrorists, but they became obvious when some local politicians were implicated in providing cell phones, and other assistance, to the terrorists."

Iraqi Army Scouts

More good news! The Iraqis are getting troops who are almost as good as ours. No wonder the few remaining terrorists are fleeing the country!

I will pray for these brave people's families and hope that they will continue to restore their country.

Infantry: Iraqi Army Scouts: "The Iraqi Army has had problems with finding and training troops capable of mobile operations, and effective enough to work with American units. The U.S. troops move pretty quickly, and expect a high degree of effectiveness from those they do work with. To help solve the problem, the U.S. Army offered Iraqi commanders a special training course that would select the most capable troops, and train them to a higher standard. These troops would be called "scouts" and would be formed into companies (about 150 troops), but used mainly as platoons (20-40 troops). U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEALs often conducted the training, and only about 50-70 percent of those selected, finished the three month scout training.

Iraqi commanders used their scouts they way they often rely on American troops. That is, when an enemy location is raided, the scouts would be held back, to be used if enemy fighters had to be pursued. This was particularly necessary at night, when most raids took place. If a raid was a particularly complex and dangerous one, you could use scouts, whose superior skills and experience insured the operation was a success.

Each Iraqi division has at least one company of scouts. These troops have been available for several years now, and the terrorists and militias have tried to destroy them by attacking them or their families at home. Some scouts quit the army over this, and some were murdered (along with wives and children). Most scouts remained at their jobs, and the number of volunteers for scout training has increased. "

Video: Muslim Woman Attacks Man for Calling Mohammad a Pedophile

The Jawa found this funny video of a Muslim street preacher telling about why Jesus is not a Part of God and the Islam is perfect while Christians are infidels for believing that God had a Son. She pauses and a guy in the crowd try to ask her questions and then says (Paraphrase on my part) that Mohammad can't be the Savior because he is a pedophile who molested a nine year old girl and married her. This, naturally, upsets the poor member of the Religion of Peace and Tolerance and she is forced to assault the infidel. Infidels should understand that if Allah tells someone to rape a child, that is ok. The Religion of Peace and Child Rape!

Just as Allah tells them to wipe their butts with a bare left hand.

Just as Allah is telling me to insult Muslims and test their Tolerance. If you don't believe me then you are an infidel!

The Jawa Report: Video: Muslim Woman Attacks Man for Calling Mohammad a Pedophile: "Video: Muslim Woman Attacks Man for Calling Mohammad a Pedophile

I guess we'll just go ahead and keep with the fatwa this theme this AM. You got to admit it, this guy has balls. She slaps him in the face and he calmly goes on to correctly explain to the woman who attacked him that Mohamed was in his fifties when he consummated his relationship with his nine year old bride Aisha."

Mustard Gas Leak Confirmed in Kentucky

Things happen. Even in the best situations, things still go wrong. At least this is only a trace leak and not something serious! I will be happy when the last of these antiques are destroyed and no longer a threat to the locals who are guarding them.

FOXNews.com - Mustard Gas Leak Confirmed in Kentucky - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "Richard Sloan, public affairs officer for the chemical storage site at Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, said trace amounts of mustard gas vapor were detected during a routine inspection of a storage area this week. Army workers won't know whether there is also a liquid leak until a closer inspection inside the igloo.

Because the igloo is full of artillery weapons containing mustard agent, the biggest chore in cleanup efforts is to pinpoint which one is leaking, he said.

'If they could walk in there and find a puddle, that would be wonderful, but that's probably not going to happen,' Sloan said. 'What they're probably going to do is find several thousand projectiles and no way of telling which one of those had let a little vapor through.'

Another concern is the summer heat, which could raise the temperature inside the opened igloo and heighten the chances of additional leaks. Once the leak or leaks are identified, the 155-millimeter projectiles that are affected will be stored in packed containers to limit the risk of future leakage."

German Officers Mistaken for Strippers

This must have been a good laugh for all! I would have loved to watch the cops trying to explain they are real cops while the ladies are trying to get them naked!

HA!

German Officers Mistaken for Strippers: Top News Stories at Officer.com: "No one had ordered strippers for the 30th birthday party - but the two policemen who arrived after midnight to quiet the raucous celebration found themselves greeted by a round of applause.

Female partygoers in western Germany mistook the real-life officers for fake ones who entertain parties by peeling off enticing man-in-uniform outfits.

Police spokesman Bernd Hoffmann said Monday the case of mistaken identity took place in Simmern, west of Frankfurt, after neighbors called to complain about the noise.

The two officers arrived about 12:45 a.m. Sunday. The partygoers had not ordered strippers, but thought someone had sent them as a birthday surprise.

'It took them a while to realize they were real police officers,' Hoffmann said. 'It was a bit funny for all sides.'"

World War II Deception Story

Just too funny not to share. Have a great day!

Schneier on Security: World War II Deception Story: "Great security story from an obituary of former OSS agent Roger Hall:

One of his favorite OSS stories involved a colleague sent to occupied France to destroy a seemingly impenetrable German tank at a key crossroads. The French resistance found that grenades were no use.

The OSS man, fluent in German and dressed like a French peasant, walked up to the tank and yelled, 'Mail!'

The lid opened, and in went two grenades.

Hall's book about his OSS days, You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger, is a must read."

Iraqi Official: Obama Believes This is Bush's War & Must End in Lack of Success If Not Actual Defeat

Not much to add to this. GW is brilliant as ever and I can't top his comments. Just go read it.

Gateway Pundit: Iraqi Official: Obama Believes This is Bush's War & Must End in Lack of Success If Not Actual Defeat: "In private, though, Iraqi officials admit that Obama's analysis is 'way off the mark.' Without the surge, the Sunni tribes wouldn't have switched sides to help flush out al Qaeda. And the strong US military presence enabled the new Iraqi army to defeat Iran-backed Shiite militias in Basra and Baghdad.

Nevertheless, in public at least, no Iraqi politician wants to appear more appreciative of American sacrifices than the man who may become the next US president.

Iraqis were most surprised by Obama's apparent readiness to throw away all the gains made in Iraq simply to prove that he'd been right in opposing the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. 'He gave us the impression that the last thing he wanted was for Iraq to look anything like a success for the United States,' a senior Iraqi official told me. 'As far as he is concerned, this is Bush's war and must end in lack of success, if not actual defeat.'

Even so, Obama knows that most Americans believe they're still at war with an enemy prepared to use terror against them. So he can't do what his antiwar base wants - declare an end to the War on Terror and the start of a period of love and peace in which 'citizens of the world' build bridges between civilizations."

Israel: Deal With The Devil

Is the fighting with Hamas forcing Fatah to move to a more moderate position to survive? What an interesting concept.

I love that it could be happening! I never would have predicted that Iranian pressure to kill the Jews might lead to Peace in the Middle East. Divide and conquer?

Israel: Deal With The Devil: "The growing war between Hamas and Fatah has presented Fatah with the option to turn on terrorist groups, and form an alliance with Israel. This is seen as the only solution to the dozens of West Bank Israeli checkpoints that slow traffic to a crawl, but are considered essential in limiting the movement of Palestinian terrorists. Fatah, however, has been spouting 'hate Israel' propaganda for decades, and turning kind and gentle would split the organization. But Fatah is being forced to ally itself with Israel, because Hamas operatives in the West Bank are apparently under orders to destroy Fatah there any way they can, and take control. This involves the use of Islamic radical death squads, that murder Moslems for not being Moslem enough, and Arab Christians for not being Moslem. Thus Fatah is fighting for its life, and making common cause with Israel whether it likes it or not."

Iran: The Israeli Threat

The Iranian Mullahs are spending fortunes on military hardware to protect their super expensive nuclear programs. Naturally, this is leading to some discontent as the rest of the country is falling apart. Let's keep the pressure up and see how long it takes for them to collapse.

Iran: The Israeli Threat: "The government continues to fight on several fronts. At home, the secret police have managed to neutralize student reform organizations by jailing the leaders of any groups that show up. Adult reformers are easier to deal with. Threaten their livelihoods, and ability to support their families, and they are tamed. That leaves the Internet pests, who are particularly troublesome because they stay hidden and pass information to foreigners. Attempts to police the Internet have been stymied by exiled Iranians passing on technical tips on how to avoid such censorship. So while there are fewer political demonstrations, the population still seethes, and grows more unruly. Newspapers are now banned if they report economic problems. That sort of things is making people angrier than the loss of political freedom.

In Iraq, things are not going well at all. Last year's surge offensive destroyed al Qaeda, and this year rolled on to crush the pro-Iranian Mahdi Army. Meanwhile, the Iranian backed Badr Brigade (the military arm of the ISCI, or Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq) kept their heads down and played by the rules of electoral politics. While ISCI was kept alive for years inside Iran, they have not shown a lot of gratitude. Most ISCI members are not willing to turn Iraq into a junior partner in Iran's Islamic world empire. ISCI wants more power within Iraq, and doesn't want to share it with Iran."

Gaza smuggling tunnels are for milk, say Palestinians

Can even the Liberals believe this set of lies? HAHAHAHAHA! This is too Funny!

Gaza smuggling tunnels are for milk, say Palestinians: "Palestinian officials from the Gaza Strip have distributed a set of carefully-staged photographs they say are evidence that the smuggling tunnels running under the Gaza-Egypt border are for milk and other essential goods, not weapons.

The photographs show masked Palestinian militants lifting jugs of milk and sacks of baby food from the entrance to one of the tunnels on the Gaza side of the border.

Israel insists that the tunnels, of which intelligence estimates indicate there are hundreds, are used to import small arms and advanced weapons like heavy mortar shells, anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles. The tunnels are also said to be the conduit via which the Palestinians receive the material used to build their Kassam rockets.

Hamas has acknowledged Israel's position by insisting during ceasefire negotiations last month that it would not agree to halt smuggling efforts as part of the truce."

Asymmetric warfare: A research agenda looking at epistemological based or not

Personally, I thought that FM-3-24 was designed to give us the terminology that was missing. I kind of agree with the author about the lack of good terms, but it is still evolving and changing as the Military learns to handle the curves thrown at it by the terrorists. And the Liberals.

Asymmetric warfare: A research agenda looking at epistemological based or not: "I know that the FM-3-24 discusses these in detail, but where is the agreed upon breadth of research to back up the assertions of the discipline. The military likes to embody concepts and ideas into people. So, and so, was the father of this or that. Great, and big thinkers are important. Einstein though was writing in response to a problem the physics world had at the time. He was trying to answer his disciplines big questions.

I am not here to solve all the problems that the advancement of COIN and Asymmetric warfare practices would necessitate for the rigor of science. In one part I am simply the observer, but in the other part I am deeply interested in the results. In my research the complex issues of national treaties and boundaries overlay the issues of a world wide telecommunications infrastructure. This begets the problem that all computer network attacks are going to be asymmetric in nature and many of the principles of counter insurgency are going to be required.

The fourth and fifth generation warfare communities could claim that they have accomplished at least some of the tasks of starting a science. Some soldiers will say that military science covers the needed terrain of thought well enough. I think though that counter insurgency is at odds with the hammer of science and axe of the arts. Somewhere in between the differing worlds consensus can be found. I think of the military activity as an applied science or closer to my skill set as a technologist. Likely indigestion or my own ego inflating my specialty as a technologists."

$40Mln Wasted On Empty Iraq Prison

Most construction sites have tons of waste and fraud. This is a construction effort in a combat zone where the locals were stealing the materials for their damaged homes and the contractors needed to put guards on his materials from the workers. Not a pretty sight.

I guess the solution is to not try to help the locals? We should just import "hard-working" Mexicans to finish all these projects since the locals are not very reliable?

We have to spend money to fix things and make friends. I hate to say that I understand, but I do. Too bad that the Liberals who are so tolerant of most crime, can't stand to see it when it is done under the close watch of a Moderate Republican.

The St. Petersburg Times - World - $40Mln Wasted On Empty Iraq Prison: "In the flatlands north of Baghdad sits a prison with no prisoners. It holds something else: a chronicle of U.S. government waste, misguided planning and construction shortcuts costing $40 million and stretching back to the American overseers who replaced Saddam Hussein.

“It’s a bit of a monument in the desert right now because it’s not going to be used as a prison,” said Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, whose office was due to release a report on Monday detailing the litany of problems at the vacant detention center in Khan Bani Saad.

The pages also add another narrative to the wider probes into the billions lost so far on scrubbed or substandard projects in Iraq and one of the main contractors accused of failing to deliver, the Parsons construction group of Pasadena, California."

Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board

It is wonderful to see something like this to start culling some of the so-ca;;ed experts. I wonder if I should take their application? It is kind of pricey! One of the best ways to keep out the wanna-bes is a high price tag. Good!

If we get the word out about this, then we will see some of the experts vanish because they can't get certified.

BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews: "Prior to the events of 9/11 you’d have been hard pressed to find an anti- or counter-terrorist “specialist”. If you did you were most likely talking to someone serving in a special unit of the military. AFTER 9/11 anti-terrorism “specialists” seem to come out of the woodwork and included everyone from those who worked behind guns to those who collected into, or analyzed it, or quantified it, or consulted on it… Well, you get the picture. Someone needed to set industry standards and then support those standards with publications about best practices and offering training. Enter the Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board or ATAB for short."

Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost

Very cool report of the Taliban attack on the US/Afghani outpost on July 13th. Reading the stories of the survivors and heroes is inspiring! Can we make this into a movie?

Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost | Stars and Stripes: "Everything was on fire. The trucks. The bazaar. The grass.

It looked surreal. It looked like a movie.

That was what Spc. Tyler Stafford remembered thinking as he stepped onto the medical evacuation helicopter. The 23-year-old soldier would have been loaded onto the bird, but the poncho that was hastily employed as his stretcher broke. His body speckled with grenade and RPG shrapnel, the Vicenza, Italy, infantryman walked the last few feet to the waiting Black Hawk.

That was Sunday morning in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. At a forward operating base — maybe as big as a football field — established just a few days prior.

Outnumbered but not outgunned, a platoon-plus element of soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team accompanied by Afghan soldiers engaged in a fistfight of a firefight.

After maybe two hours of intense combat, some of the soldiers’ guns seized up because they expelled so many rounds so quickly. Insurgent bullets and dozens of rocket-propelled grenades filled the air. So many RPGs were fired at the soldiers that they wondered how the insurgents had so many.

That was July 13. That was when Stafford was blown out of a fighting position by an RPG, survived a grenade blast and had the tail of an RPG strike his helmet.

That was the day nine Chosen Company soldiers died."

Sunday Ship History: Coast Watchers in the South Pacific

I always was interested in these brave souls who risked it all. Eagle has what might be the definitive story that is too short for a book. Go read it and enjoy!

EagleSpeak: Sunday Ship History: Coast Watchers in the South Pacific: "It seems that every good movie about the naval war in the Pacific mentions the 'Coast Watchers.' In Harm's Way, Father Goose and even the The Wackiest Ship in the Army all feature coast watchers in setting out the path to Allied victory.

So, who were the Coast Watchers?

The Coast Watchers, also known as the Coast Watch Organisation, Combined Field Intelligence Service or Section 'C' Allied Intelligence Bureau, were Allied military intelligence operatives stationed on remote Pacific islands during World War II to observe enemy movements and rescue stranded Allied personnel. They played a significant role in the Pacific Ocean theatre and South West Pacific theatre, particularly as an early warning network during the Guadalcanal campaign.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Coast Watchers were not a spur of the moment creation of World War II. Instead as is found here:

Shortly after World War 1, the [Australian] Naval Staff instituted a system of civilian coast watchers, whose duty it was to report any matters of naval intelligence coming to their notice. Slowly the scheme was developed until the settled part of the Australian coast was under observation. In the late twenties the organization was extended to Papua, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands."

Private Contractors' Role in Afghanistan To Grow With Awarding of Latest Contracts

So many people think of private contractors as mercenary killers that it is great to see an acknowledgment that it is the non-military contractors who out number the military kind.

These guys deserve the money they are paid because they are in danger of being killed by the Muslims they are helping. One of the side effects of helping in Muslim lands is that the contractors are usually infidels who just want to make life better and do not care about religion. If Allah wanted life to improve in the Middle East, he would have miracled it better!

Private Contractors' Role in Afghanistan To Grow With Awarding of Latest Contracts - washingtonpost.com: "With billions of dollars newly available in fiscal 2008 supplemental war funding, the Congressional Research Service last month estimated that the Defense Department is now spending $2.3 billion a month in Afghanistan. Add $500 million monthly from the State Department and more from other agencies, and the total U.S. outlay in Afghanistan this fiscal year will be about $34 billion.

The war's demands and the availability of that kind of money guarantee a flood of new contracts. A review of the FBO Daily Web site for July contracts shows that the administration, which in Iraq turned to the private sector for tasks once handled by military or government personnel, is stepping up this practice in Afghanistan.

One of the most ambitious efforts is a solicitation from the U.S. Agency for International Development, clarified on July 15, which proposes expansion of an existing program to "increase both the human and physical capacity of the justice sector in Afghanistan."

The work statement says, frankly, that "corruption, local influence, lack of security and insufficient salaries" along with "lack of both physical and human capacity . . . plague and weaken the ability of the formal court system to deliver justice."

To remedy this, USAID is looking for a private contractor to coordinate what it calls "Justice Sector Development," a huge undertaking that would involve working with U.S. and international organizations, as well as with U.S. and NATO military units engaged in rule-of-law issues. The contractor would work with the Afghan Supreme Court to introduce a simplified case-management system and build courthouses around the country. It would advance the development of law schools and promote "access to justice for women and public awareness of rights."

USAID also announced this month that it is looking for a contractor "to increase licit and commercially viable agricultural-based alternatives for rural Afghans" to replace drug production. The target area is the six provinces in southern Afghanistan described as "most insecure and unstable," including Helmand and Kandahar.

The goal of the contract is to significantly reduce and ultimately eradicate poppy production. In developing alternatives, bidders should consider generating income for the Afghans involved as well as promoting "anti-corruption, gender, 'Afghanization' (local project ownership) and local governance," according to the USAID proposal. "

Does Obama share your views on the major issues? 20 questions

Power Line Forum | Does Obama share your views on the major issues? 20 questions: "A recent poll by Pew Research reported that 55% of those people who were supporting Obama claimed what they liked most about him was his “stand on the issues.” Really? Taking this short quiz may help you double-check.

Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements:


1. ILLEGAL immigrants should be given drivers licenses.

2. If following an attempt at an abortion, the baby is born alive, we should kill him or her.

3. Our new president should immediately hold a conference for the leaders of all Muslim nations so we can listen to their concerns.

4. A “Marriage” can be between a man and woman, or a man and man, or a woman and woman.

5. If America wants to be respected in the world, we can’t drive our SUVs, and eat as much as we want.

6. After September 11, I immediately thought it was important to understand what causes such madness.

7. People in small towns in Pennsylvania and the Mid-West are bitter, which explains why they cling to guns and religion.

8. Even though doubling capital gains tax will result in less revenue for the government we should do it anyway. It’s about fairness...some people make too much money.

9. A church whose magazine publishes a claim in June 2007 that Jews invented a bomb which only targets Africans and Arabs is actually not that controversial.

10. We cannot continue to rely on the US military to achieve homeland security. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as WELL-FUNDED.

11. We should commit the US to cutting global poverty in half by 2015 at an estimated cost to US taxpayers of around $800 billion.

12. It’s unreasonable to expect a nominee for President to vet the people he/she asks to conduct a search for a Vice President.

13. We should slow down our development of future combat systems for the US Military.

14. It’s OK to make a fundamental promise to use public finance during the general election in order to win a Primary, and then to break the promise at the start of the general election because its all about winning.

15. It’s OK for a candidate for president not to pay parking tickets for 20 years, as long as he/she pays them off at least two weeks before announcing a run for president.

16. We should never criticize the words spoken by a candidate’s spouse, even if that spouse is actively giving speeches promoting the candidate, talking about policy and other political issues.

17. A church whose Senior Pastor condemns the US government for creating HIV to kill African- Americans, is actually not that controversial.

18. For a Presidential candidate’s National Campaign Chairperson to compare a Primary between an African-American male and a Blond White Woman, to OJ Simpson murdering Nicole is OK.

19. Child sex-abusers should be considered for early release.

20. Iran is not a threat..., it spends less than one hundredth of what the US spends on Military.

The more statements you agree with the more likely your views are in line with the positions held by Senator Obama.

All 20 questions reflect statements made/positions held by Senator Obama… click on the links if you want to check on the actual wording and context. "

TERROR THREAT IS IN THE CARDs

Very creepy. Even if this is from a freak who just wants to scare people, that still makes it a terrorist threat in the name of Jihad.

Where do these freaks come from?

TERROR THREAT IS IN THE CARDS - New York Post: "NYPD detectives are investigating a chilling new terror threat - a series of cards from a 'New York Jihad' that look like birthday-party invitations but warn of bombs in lower Manhattan this summer, The Post has learned.

The cards were mailed last week to the homes of seven city residents, including former Fox News television producer Kelley Vick and a person in the 26th Police Precinct, which covers West Harlem, according to Vick and police sources.

The card reads: 'Bombs! Bombs! Bombs! Lower Manhattan. July, August, September. New York Jihad.'"

Prosecutors Argue for More Secrecy in Aipac Case

People who leak classified information about the War should be imprisoned in a military prison. Say, Gitmo...

These two leaked things that needed to be kept secret or people might be killed. They should get a few years in prison so that their knowledge can become less critical if leaked by these fools.

Prosecutors Argue for More Secrecy in Aipac Case - July 27, 2008 - The New York Sun: "A federal judge went too far when he ruled that two pro-Israel lobbyists charged with trafficking in classified information were entitled to present certain secret information in court to mount their defense, prosecutors argued in a new brief filed with a federal appeals court.

Large portions of the public version of the brief were blacked out, but the thrust of the government's argument was that Judge Thomas Ellis III should have treated the former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, more like typical spies and less like foreign policy advocates who stumbled into classified information as they pursued their work.

"The district court's view that unlawfully conspiring to disclose classified information about troop movements to a foreign government is 'patently' unprotected by the First Amendment, but disclosing classified information to a foreign government about terrorist attacks on those same troops is a 'core value' of the First Amendment proves the point that 'judges ... have little or no background in the delicate business of intelligence gathering,'" prosecutors wrote in the brief filed late Friday night. "Clandestinely obtaining and passing U.S. government classified information to the Israeli government does not represent participation in a 'public debate' to 'influence United States foreign policy.'""

A third of Muslim students back killings

This is a very strong of Muslims who would rather force Sharia into the British Legal System. I know that a few of the students probably lied and "admitted" to being full of hate for the country they live in, just to throw off the research. Right?

At the end of the article, you will find a bunch of protestations by Muslims and Liberals who call this study biased by Right Wing politics. Well, the Left should know how to bias a report, since they do it regularly in most news reports.

I am going to take this study with a grain of salt, as I always do. Still, I think it also has a lot of truth to it since it confirms what I have seen in my life. Also, YouGov tends to be very unbiased as far as I have seen.

I still fear for England. I will pray for you. I will pray that you will finally start forcing these people to either adjust to life in the country they have moved to, or go back to the country and lifestyle they seem to prefer. Tell them to go home if they don't like England!

A third of Muslim students back killings - Times Online: "ALMOST a third of British Muslim students believe killing in the name of Islam can be justified, according to a poll.

The study also found that two in five Muslims at university support the incorporation of Islamic sharia codes into British law.

The YouGov poll for the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) will raise concerns about the extent of campus radicalism. “Significant numbers appear to hold beliefs which contravene democratic values,” said Han-nah Stuart, one of the report’s authors. “These results are deeply embarrassing for those who have said there is no extremism in British universities.”

The report was criticised by the country’s largest Muslim student body, Fosis, but Anthony Glees, professor of security and intelligence studies at Buckingham University, said: “The finding that a large number of students think it is okay to kill in the name of religion is alarming.

“There is a wide cultural divide between Muslim and nonMuslim students. The solution is to stop talking about celebrating diversity and focus on integration and assimilation.”

The researchers found that 55% of nonMuslim students thought Islam was incompatible with democracy. Nearly one in 10 had “little respect” for Muslims. "

At least 45 killed in 25 bomb blasts in two important Indian cities

The Religion of Peace converts more people to a Peaceful status. May they rest in peace. Amen.

DEBKAfile - At least 45 killed in 25 bomb blasts in two important Indian cities: "Eight roadside bombs in the southern “Silicone Valley” town of Bangalore left two dead Friday, followed Saturday by 17 bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, where the death has risen to 38. At least one hundred were injured.

Both were claimed by the Indian Mujahideen, which accounted for three of the four blasts in India since 2006, including the May blasts in Jaipur in which in which 65 people died.

The bombings in Ahmedabad and Bangalore were similar in nature, said Indian intelligence sources, using timers, ammonium nitrate, nuts, bolts and nails. Some of the devices were some strapped on bicycles. In Ahmedabad, the explosions were coordinated to maximize the deaths, striking the emergency teams responding to the first blasts and then targeting four hospitals.

Officials in New Delhi have accused Pakistan of a hand behind the recent upsurge of well-planned bomb attacks, including this month’s suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. Islamabad consistently denies the charge."

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."