Tribute to the military

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

General recognizes pilots of daring rescue mission

Courtesy of Multi-National Force - Iraq

Monday, 30 July 2007

Gen. David Petraeus, commander, Multi-National Force -  Iraq, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross to Chief Warrant Officer Kristopher Hobt, Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, and Chief Warrant Officers Micah Johnson and Allan Davison from the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, during a recent ceremony at the Multi-National Corps - Iraq headquarters on Camp Victory.   Photo provided by MND-C PAO.

Gen. David Petraeus, commander, Multi-National Force - Iraq, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross to Chief Warrant Officer Kristopher Hobt, Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, and Chief Warrant Officers Micah Johnson and Allan Davison from the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, during a recent ceremony at the Multi-National Corps - Iraq headquarters on Camp Victory. Photo provided by MND-C PAO.

BAGHDAD — The top U.S. general in Iraq presented awards to four Apache pilots for their part in the July 2 rescue of two other pilots downed by enemy fire during ceremony Friday in the Victory Base Complex .

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Forces-Iraq, honored the four pilots of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, and eight others who helped rescue the pilots.

U.S. Army Chief  Warrant Officer Allan Davison and Chief Warrant Officer Micah Johnson, both AH-64D Apache attack helicopter pilots for Company A, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Davison and Johnson landed their attack helicopter in a hostile area and evacuated the two downed OH-58 Kiowa helicopter pilots of the 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade.

Chief Warrant Officer Micah Johnson, right, shakes hands with Gen. David Petraeus, Multi-National Force-Iraq commander, after Petraeus presented him with the Distinguished Flying Cross during a ceremony in Baghdad Thursday. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathan Hoskins.

Chief Warrant Officer Micah Johnson, right, shakes hands with Gen. David Petraeus, Multi-National Force-Iraq commander, after Petraeus presented him with the Distinguished Flying Cross during a ceremony in Baghdad Thursday. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathan Hoskins.

Apaches only have two seats, so Johnson, the front seat pilot, let one of the Kiowa pilots take his seat in the Apache while he and the other Kiowa pilot strapped themselves to the outside of the aircraft and sat on the wings, said Johnson.

"It looked like they were both in pretty good shape, but one of them kind of looked like he had been through enough, like he was a little shocked, as I would be, too. I told him to get in front," he said.

Once the pilots were strapped in, Davison, the pilot in command, took off and headed to BaghdadInternational Airport where the pilots were dropped off.

While this was taking place, their Apache wingmen were circling above providing security.

Those two pilots, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Seung Choi and Chief Warrant Officer Troy Moseley, received Air Medals for their efforts.

Although happy at being awarded medals and recognized by the top commander in Iraq, the pilots said their greatest reward was finding the downed pilots alive.

"We've seen a lot of aircraft shoot-downs," Johnson said in an interview after the rescue. "Every one that we've all probably seen, it's resulted in burning aircraft and black smoke and usually catastrophic loss of life. If not loss of life, then there have been serious injuries. Just to see those two alive, it was amazing. It was great."

(Story by Spc. Nathan Hoskins)

In other developments throughout Iraq:

•           We join the people of Iraq in conveying our congratulations to the Iraqi soccer team! We watched every one of your games with excitement and admiration, and are truly delighted you have won the 2007 Asian Cup.  Throughout this demanding competition, you represented Iraq with distinction and honor, inspiring all Iraqis by your unity, teamwork, dedication and athletic ability.  We salute you and congratulate you on this tremendous achievement.

•           Coalition forces killed seven terrorists and detained one suspected terrorist during an operation near Muqudadiyah Wednesday and Thursday.

Richard Reid the Shoe Bomber: Jail is where Allah wants me

 

This is the first extraordinary picture of maniac Shoe Bomber Richard Reid behind bars as he dreams that Allah will set him free.

Richard Reid in prison photo courtesy of icnetwork, UK

The UK Mirror has exclusively seen prison letters from the 33-year-old Briton who is serving 110 years in a US jail for trying to bomb nearly 200 air passengers out of the sky.

He never once expresses remorse or regret for his vile crime. Instead, he rambles that "everything which occurs in this life contains some good for us".

But though the simple-minded street mugger turned zealous Muslim convert believes he will be rewarded in heaven he fantasies of freedom on earth.

Declaring his belief that God will make his delusional hopes come true, he writes: "I had a couple of good dreams about my situation changing for the better in the not so distant future, so this is a blessing from Allah.

"I place my trust in Allah that he will bring that into fruition and ask him to give me patience until the time when that occurs."

Al-Qaeda trained Reid is serving his time in ADX Florence, a Supermax jail in Colorado where he is so reviled by inmates he lives in virtual isolation.

For the rest of the story: The Shoe Bomber in Prison: This is where Allah wants me

Ala Akbarf,

Bosun

Will the Democrats find common sense and come around; Highly unlikely

According to the Washington Post, James Clyburn (Democrat, South Carolina) said that a strongly positive statement progress in Iraq by General Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to cut and run from Iraq. (Heavens forbid, the Dems would not want to do the right this against radical Islam)


Clyburn complained that General Petraeus carries significant weight among the 47 members of the Blue Dog caucus in the House. However it is questionable if the good General carries as much weight with moderate and liberal (and turncoat) Republicans who care more about elections that the protection of the free world from radical Islam. According to Clyburn, a strongly positive report by Petraeus would be "a real big problem for us." Clyburn's candor may be commendable, but it sure does illustrate the Dems cut and run policies in Iraq. And, it sure appears to me that the Dems do not really care about Iraq, war on terror, or Islamofascism.

Clyburn, a positive report would be a "real big problem for us. Source:
'Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could Split House Democrats on War' by Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza Washington Post (yesterday)

The entire democratic party is suffering a leadership crisis meltdown. Their (the top leaders) appear to have extreme mental disorders. God help us from these nuts.

The DNC party of no on national security, including the border crisis, is about to get its clocked cleaned AGAIN for

1) lying
2) dirty political scam games
3) failing to defend our kids from pedophiles, jihadists, and Mexican crime cartels alike

They can't seem to figure out that SAFETY comes first and social feel-good achieve nothing worth having AIN'T gonna fly.

Hell, even the latest health bill has pro-illegal tax crap in it. Gotta keep that crime cartel vote happy, don't you know -- they might stop their real estate scam payoffs and force some poli-slime to actually earn their damned Life Styles of the Rich and Famous. Quoted from my friend Rhet 2 at Hannity Forum..

Ala Akbarf,


Bosun

Monday, July 30, 2007

Fran Townsend: Iraq Withdrawal Means al-Qaeda Attacks on U.S.

Courtesy of NewsMax.com


“I think there is an attraction and a very sincere commitment by everybody, Republicans or Democrats, to bringing the boys and girls home," Fran Townsend, the White House's Chief of Counterterrorism, tells NewsMax. But she says, "What you don't hear is the same people talk about the consequences of bringing them home. The consequences could very well be dead Americans inside the United States if Iraq becomes a safe haven.” Read the complete interview here:  Fran Townsend: Iraq Withdrawal Means al-Qaeda Attacks on U.S.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Hasty Iraq Pullout Seen as High Risk

Hasty Iraq pullout seen as high risk

Courtesy of Washington Times

U.S. intelligence and military officials agree with President Bush's belief that a withdrawal of troops from Iraq will increase the danger of global terrorism and further destabilize Iraq, the Middle East and other parts of the world....Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, agrees that an abrupt change in strategy or a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops could be dangerous.

"What I would hope for is that we are very deliberate if we have a change in strategy ... and not try to do it in a very quick time frame, because I think there's a lot of danger and risk associated with that," Gen. Odierno said recently.

Two Democratic presidential candidates disagree with that viewpoint and are calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

"It doesn't take legislation [to end the war]," Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Democrat, said Monday night during the CNN/YouTube presidential debate. "... We should tell President Bush: no more funds for the war. Use that money to bring the troops home."  For the rest of the article: Iraq pullout high risk

US: Dead birds and rat poison prompt DC Metro to close 3 stations in Washington area

Courtesy of International Herald Tribune

 Three Metro train stations were briefly closed Sunday in the United States capital while hazardous materials crews investigated a few dozen dead birds and a substance that eventually was identified as a commercial pest poison. All signs point to a contractor making a mistake, said a spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The poison was spread outside at least six Metro stations.

"We want people to know they weren't in any danger," spokeswoman Candace Smith said. The FBI's joint terrorism task force and officials from the National Institutes of Health joined the investigation as reports of the dead birds increased during the day. "There is no indication at this point that this is an attack that has been aimed at people or anything like that," said Alan Etter, District of Columbia fire and EMS spokesman. Information on the substance was preliminary because it had been washed away by wind and rain.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/29/america/NA-GEN-US-DC-Metro-Stations-Closed.php

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Terrorists seeking Nukes

Courtesy of National Terror Alert Response Center

Al Qaeda Seeking Nuclear Weapons

By News Admin | July 27, 2007

Al Qaeda terrorists are continuing to plan attacks against the United States and are seeking nuclear and other unconventional arms for the strikes, a senior Pentagon official told Congress yesterday.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, told a joint House committee hearing that al Qaeda has conducted terrorist attacks against more than two dozen nations since September 11.

“Al Qaeda has and will continue to attempt visually dramatic mass-casualty attacks here at home, and they will continue to attempt to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials,” Gen. Clapper said in discussing the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on threats to the United States. “And if they’re so successful in obtaining these materials, we believe they would use them.”

Read Article

Basit Bin Hasan on Suicide Bombers

Courtesy of MEMRI

Special Dispatch-North African Reformist Thinkers Project/Reform Project
July 27, 2007
No. 1670
Tunisian Poet and Civil Rights Activist Basit Bin Hasan on Suicide Bombers Who Attack Funeral Processions

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit:
Tunisian Poet and Civil Rights Activist Basit Bin Hasan on Suicide Bombers

In a July 13, 2007 article on the liberal Arab website Al-Awan, Tunisian poet Basit Bin Hasan, who is a former director of the Tunis-based Arab Institute for Human Rights, wrote that for some in Arab society killing had become a goal unto itself, and that in order to fight the phenomenon of suicide bombings and other manifestations of disregard for human life, Arab societies must overcome their "moral indolence" and reconsider the meaning of life and death.

The following are excerpts from the article:(1)

"The Killing of Humans with Cold, Organized Violence Has Become a Goal Unto Itself"

"This is going on in Iraq, and in places closer to us than we imagine: suicide bombers are targeting the funeral processions of people who were themselves victims of previous suicide attacks.
"In one single motion, and with rare determination, they blow up their own bodies amidst the bodies of the living and the bodies of the dead. In these attacks they are targeting not [only] the areas of life; they are targeting as well the area that separates life from the afterlife – the time of death and mourning. In this kind of suicide, they have united the killing of the living with the killing of the dead.

"They impair our moral conceptions of life and death, and open the gates to a 'new' time – a time of nothingness, in which suicide attacks turn into an absolute and uninterrupted trajectory, divorced from historical goals, and in which the killing of humans with cold, organized violence becomes a goal unto itself.

"Thus the killing of the living and the dead in suicide attacks targeting funeral processions is a frightening phenomenon that boggles the mind, and which, at this point in history, calls for penetrating intellectual and moral attention."

Our Intellectuals Have Recourse to a Logic of Perpetual Justification of Suicide Attacks

"Is life worth living? Is the goal of life to propagate new and different lives and to attain a form of collective happiness in the world of men? Or is the worth of man the destruction of humanity through the destruction of himself and others? And what is the place of death in the path to recognition of the importance of life?
"Many philosophies, both ancient and modern, have attempted to consider politics through these fundamental ethical questions, [but] our intellectuals are expert in ignoring them and marginalizing them. They have persisted in their feeble and monotonous discussions of suicide attacks and in having recourse to the logic of perpetual justification and tolerance for the intolerable.

"At times, they base themselves on an absolute concept of 'resistance,' without any profound reflection on the multiple meanings of this concept and its historical specificity; at other times, they base themselves on the fact that there is no clear and internationally accepted definition of terrorism... as though the absence of a definition for any given phenomenon can permit opening the gates of moral meaninglessness..."

"The Demon in Man Has Escaped From Its Bottle"

"The Arab intellectuals who have defended suicide attacks, whether openly, or through sly and cunning rhetoric, by describing them as an absolute right that aims to achieve political goals, have not only taken part in justifying crimes of destruction against living beings; they have also contributed in keeping [the question of] the meaning of life and death in our societies from being raised.

"The justification of suicide attacks by intellectuals, who are considered authorities, and through the authority of language and the media, has opened gates of fear that will not be shut before our societies are brought to experience the meaning of nothingness and obliteration in their absolute forms.

"[Now] everyone can kill or be killed: the 'resisting' suicide attacker, who has moved on from killing the enemy to killing all; the extremist politician, who has moved on from fighting he who differs from him politically to killing the society that differs from him; people who kill [other] people frantically attempting to face up to tragedies of life and [its] narrow straits; and the state, over which there is no supervision, and which has established a system to lay siege to all and to murder them, in institutions that monitor daily life.

"Thus the demon in man has escaped from its bottle, and everything has become possible. The human body, which used to be ruled by a biological memory that defined the path from birth to death, and by a moral memory that defined the meaning of its experience in existence, has been left in complete nakedness. It has become a body without memory, sufficient unto itself, no longer to struggle for the rule of memory and to plunge into the risks of life, but which rather [exists] in order to destroy itself and others. Destruction has become the life of the body and the meaninglessness that denies the meaning of life and death.

"Today we see that the suicide attacks, which our intellectuals imagined were a temporary means to achieve political benefit, have turned into a fixed institution of their own, with their own particular logic, which is the death of all logic.

"The number of these attacks has risen in a number of our countries, and their forms and methods have become varied. Men and women throw their exploding bodies into armies armed with the latest achievements of destructive weapons technology. Children and youth are led by adults to places where they will kill themselves and kill others. Unexpected suicide bombings hit cafes, hotels, restaurants, engagement parties, government institutions, the media, mosques, churches, and means of transport.

"Now, the attacks are, by striking funeral processions, searching out regions that we naively imagined were unassailable.... [But] some sons of our societies have transgressed all boundaries and have written in the ink of their corpses the dreadful book of nothingness.    

"The Objectification of the Self and the Other... Is What Makes Any Crime Permissible"

"The objectification of the self and the other, and the stripping of beings from their humanity, is what makes any crime permissible, no matter how hideous or absurd.

"The suicide attackers have, in this great act of objectification, turned into new gods with absolute control over life and death. These black gods, who have lost their ties to history, decide, through the killing of their bodies which no longer mean anything to them, when and how the lives of others will come to an end.
"We are no longer just facing extremists motivated by political and religious goals. We have entered a phase in which the narcissist suicide attackers have gone beyond Islamic conceptions of life and death.

"The phenomenon of increasing suicide attacks and the steadily multiplying groups of suicide bombers is a historic predicament that raises grave questions as to the extent of our dealing morally and responsibly with issues of life and death in our societies.

"Enough of This Destructive Insanity"

"Faced with the phenomenon of absolute killing and violence that are sweeping our societies, some are still repeating that there are limits to the nothingness surrounding us, and that our desire to [survive] will... stop the collapse, and that an absolute conscience will arise from our dark reality and say 'enough of this destructive insanity,' and will bring back society's desire for life...

"The destructive tendency to which the suicide attacks have led us... is one among a number of other manifestations that have taken root in our societies and that are no less frightening...

"These manifestations, and others [like them], are just lead-ins to a greater worry that has settled into what we call our lives – a worry over an uncertain future, and a worry over our inability to define the forces that rule our fates and decide [matters of] our life and death.

"To start emerging from the tunnel [requires] confronting the general moral indolence and opening a large-scale dialogue on the meaning of life and death in our societies..."

Endnotes: 
(1) alawan.com, July 13, 2007.

*********************

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at www.memri.org

Terrorists Standing by on American Soil

Courtesy of CBNNews.com

Terrorists Standing by on American Soil?

By John Jessup, CBN News
July 28, 2007

CBNNews.com - WASHINGTON - Warnings about the threat of terrorism here in the homeland keep coming in.

The latest warning comes from the Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell.

"The most serious threat is that the plotters that are being observed will be successful in penetrating our defenses and conducting attacks that will result in mass casualties."

McConnell says he believes al-Qaeda, in some cases, already has people positioned in the U.S., where small numbers of operatives are raising funds for attacks on American soil.

"Their intent is to effect an attack with mass casualties, secondary attempt would be political or infrastructure targets," he told NBC's Meet the Press.

Last week, McConnell specifically mentioned targets such as Chicago's Sears Tower or other prominent buildings in Seattle, Los Angeles, or Dallas.

Another major worry: leading scientists have told ABC News that the U.S. is still vulnerable to attempts to smuggle nuclear material into the country.

The warnings come on the heels of last week's National Intelligence Estimate in which the nation's 16 spy agencies agreed al Qaeda has strengthened its ability to attack the United States - and has regrouped in the mountainous frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It is here where intelligence analysts believe Osama bin Laden, himself, is hiding and an area in which the Bush administration has not ruled out military strikes.

"Just because we don't speak about things publicly, doesn't mean we're not doing many of the things you're talking about," Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend said.

But Pakistan refutes that bin Laden is in the country in what is becoming a diplomatic row between the U.S. and a key ally in the war on terror.

"We can't allow another safe haven to exist. But if we do things to prevent that safe haven from being created that undermine the government, we create a bigger safe haven with an unstable Pakistan," Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said.

Administration officials acknowledge growing concern about unrest in Pakistan and say it could have a quote severe impact on the U.S.- led global war on terror.

Friday, July 27, 2007

U.S. forces detain 4 suspected militants linked to Iranian smuggling networks

Courtesy of International Herald Tribune

War by Proxy: Can the left deny Iran's involvement any longer?

(AP) BAGHDAD: U.S. forces on Friday captured four militants allegedly linked to smuggling networks transporting weapons and fighters from Iran into Iraq, the military said.

The four suspects were detained during a raid in the village of Qasarin, 15 kilometers (10 miles) north of Baqouba, in the restive Diyala province that borders Iran.

The raid was targeting a "highly sought operative believed to be a senior leader of a weapons smuggling network," the statement said, although it did not specify whether he was among those captured.

The detainees were suspected of helping to smuggle fighters and weapons from Iran into Iraq, including armor-piercing explosively formed penetrators. The powerful roadside bombs have killed hundreds of U.S. troops in recent months.

"Coalition troops remain relentless in our pursuit of those terrorists who seek to bring EFPs and other lethal aid into Iraq," said Maj. Marc Young, a military spokesman. "Iranian influence is hindering the prospects of peace and stability in Iraq."

For the rest of the story, visit International Tribune: U.S. forces detain 4 suspected militants linked to Iranian smuggling networks

Popes aid warns about 'threat of islam'

Courtesy of the UK Telegraph:

The Pope’s private secretary has given warning of the Islamisation of Europe and stressed the need for the continent’s Christian roots not to be ignored, in comments released yesterday.

According the the article, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein was quoted as saying in an advance copy of the weekly Sueddeutsche Magazin, “Attempts to Islamise the West cannot be denied......The danger for the identity of Europe that is connected with it should not be ignored out of a wrongly understood respectfulness....”

For the rest of the article, click the link here: Pope's aide warns of 'threat by Islam'

The U.S. is retrofitting its B-2 Stealth bombers with massivebunker-buster bombs

Breaking from NewsMax.com
U.S. Outfitting B-2's with Monster Bunker BusterBombs — Iran May Be TargetThe U.S. is retrofitting its B-2 Stealth bombers with massivebunker-buster bombs — a move that could be a prelude toan attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities.

To Read the Full Story At NewsMax.com — Go Here Now.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Al Queda turn on themselves...Libs depressed.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for the cowardly liberals and metro-males, but, it appears that we may be starting to see positive results from the surge and the efforts of the finest military forces in the world. For those of us who truly support our troops and their efforts, this is nothing new. (not those who support the troops, but, are against the war.) Good good news for America is bad news for Lib-defeatists such as Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Durban, John Kerry, Jack Murtha, Jim McDermott, Howard Dean, and the Democrat(ic) National Committee.

I surely hope that some of our more vocal liberals and Lollywood elitists will live up to their promise and move out of our country.

Fed up with being part of a group that cuts off a person’s face with piano wire to teach others a lesson, dozens of low-level members of al-Qaeda in Iraq are daring to become informants for the US military in a hostile Baghdad neighborhood.

The ground-breaking move in Doura is part of a wider trend that has started in other al-Qaeda hotspots across the country and in which Sunni insurgent groups and tribal sheikhs have stood together with the coalition against the extremist movement.

“They are turning. We are talking to people who we believe have worked for al-Qaeda in Iraq and want to reconcile and have peace,” said Colonel Ricky Gibbs, commander of the 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, which oversees the area. Source: Al-Qaeda faces rebellion from the ranks

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Friday, July 20, 2007

There are 5 Americans being held hostage in Iran

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

Here we go again. Let's see what this cowboy is going to do. Will he turn out to be another Jimmy Carter to our shame, or will he do the responsible thing and get our citizens back? Only time will tell. It has already been since May.

I do not want to hear anything more about talking to these maniacs. I am ready to go in for our own. Call me whatever you like, I have been holding back from war for a very long time. If we do nothing but talk now, in the eyes of the Middle East, we have lost all credibility. Would you please remind the Left that this is not good for what they call, "Relationships" in the world!

Frankly, I don't give a hoot what the rest of the world thinks except in one sense: Fear us. As long as they fear us, they will not attack us. These are just the simple facts of war. Do you want to stop wars? Make your enemy afraid. It is just that simple.

The three people who the IRG have captured and thrown into jail are Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Kian Tajbakhsh who is a respected Urban Planner and sociologist working for the Open Society Institute, Ali Shakeri, a peace activist, Parnaz Azima, a correspondent working for Radio Farda, the joint Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty–Voice of America Persian-language radio broadcast to Iran, and Robert Levinson who disappeared in early March during a visit to Iran's Kish Island and is believed to be held by the Iranian authorities. Levinson, a retired FBI agent, reportedly had traveled to Iran to investigate a matter on behalf of a private client.

The charges are as follows:
While on the way to airport after a visit with her 93 year old mother, some thugs (IRG probably) stole her passport. This 67 year old grandmother has been charged with being involved with a propaganda campaign to foment a "soft revolution" against the brutal clerical regime.

Kian Tajbakhsh has been charged with "seeking the overthrow of the Iranian government. He and Esfandiari are being held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, which contains many other Iranian political prisoners and dissidents."

Ali Shakeri and Parnaz Azima may be joining them soon due to trumpt-up charges. Panaz has been charged (because she works for RFE) of "an institution that spreads propaganda against the Islamic Republic." (And the Europeans still want to have more talks?)

At least Radio Free Europe did not sit on their hands. They used some very strong 'words' toward the Iranian regime. How about you, Mr. President?

The Iranians are hoping to use this former FBI Agent as a pawn to gain leverage in the release of the bastards we caught.
While some may think this is related to Bush in some way, let me make this clear. These arrests started in December of last year, and they got worse when the Iranian regime started cracking down on any dissent. Not every damn thing is George Bush' fault.

Remember. All of these people had passports which were confiscated, and most of them have dual-citizenship.

Sources: The Jawa Report, Iran's Growing List of Hostages and The Invisible Crisis: What if Iran took hostages and no one noticed? (I highly recommend all of these, especially the last two. I found them through google, but you have to add the year 2007, or you will get Jimmy Carter stuff.)

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

TODAY’S TERRORIST THREAT

Courtesy of the FBI

TODAY’S TERRORIST THREAT: A National Intelligence Estimate

07/18/07

National Intelligence Estimate on conference table

On Tuesday, we joined with the entire U.S. intelligence community in issuing what’s called a “National Intelligence Estimate”—the most authoritative written judgment on national security issues—on the current terrorist threat to the homeland.

The estimate says that “increased worldwide counterterrorism efforts” have disrupted plots and “constrained” al-Qa’ida’s ability to strike the country; at the same time, it says that because of terrorists’ “undiminished intent” to attack the U.S., our nation will “face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years” and that the U.S. is currently in “a heightened threat environment.”

Our role in shaping the document? Fairly substantial. An FBI analyst on detail to the National Intelligence Council was the principal drafter of the estimate, and our analysts played a key role throughout the process, including drafting one of the foundational assessments that went into it.

The following are among its key judgments:

… “Al-Qa’ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership. Although we have discovered only a handful of individuals in the United States with ties to al-Qa’ida senior leadership since 9/11, we judge that al-Qa’ida will intensify its efforts to put operatives here.”

… “We assess that al-Qa’ida will continue to enhance its capabilities to attack the Homeland through greater cooperation with regional terrorist groups. Of note, we assess that al-Qa’ida will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al-Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI), its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the Homeland. In addition, we assess that its association with AQI helps al-Qa’ida to energize the broader Sunni extremist community, raise resources, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for Homeland attacks.”

… “We assess Lebanese Hizballah, which has conducted anti-US attacks outside the United States in the past, may be more likely to consider attacking the Homeland over the next three years if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or Iran.”

… “We assess that the spread of radical—especially Salafi—Internet sites, increasingly aggressive anti-US rhetoric and actions, and the growing number of radical, self-generating cells in Western countries indicate that the radical and violent segment of the West’s Muslim population is expanding, including in the United States. The arrest and prosecution by US law enforcement of a small number of violent Islamic extremists inside the United States—who are becoming more connected ideologically, virtually, and/or in a physical sense to the global extremist movement—points to the possibility that others may become sufficiently radicalized that they will view the use of violence here as legitimate. We assess that this internal Muslim terrorist threat is not likely to be as severe as it is in Europe, however.”

… “We assess that other, non-Muslim terrorist groups—often referred to as ‘single-issue’ groups by the FBI—probably will conduct attacks over the next three years given their violent histories, but we assess this violence is likely to be on a small scale.”

The estimate is just that—our best collective judgment on the likely course of future events, not a definitive statement on what will happen. It is carefully prepared and vetted, with input from across the intelligence community as well as outside experts.

To read the entire report, go to the Director of National Intelligence website (pdf).

TODAY’S TERRORIST THREAT: A National Intelligence Estimate

Courtesy of the FBI

TODAY’S TERRORIST THREAT: A National Intelligence Estimate

07/18/07

National Intelligence Estimate on conference table

On Tuesday, we joined with the entire U.S. intelligence community in issuing what’s called a “National Intelligence Estimate”—the most authoritative written judgment on national security issues—on the current terrorist threat to the homeland.

The estimate says that “increased worldwide counterterrorism efforts” have disrupted plots and “constrained” al-Qa’ida’s ability to strike the country; at the same time, it says that because of terrorists’ “undiminished intent” to attack the U.S., our nation will “face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years” and that the U.S. is currently in “a heightened threat environment.”

Our role in shaping the document? Fairly substantial. An FBI analyst on detail to the National Intelligence Council was the principal drafter of the estimate, and our analysts played a key role throughout the process, including drafting one of the foundational assessments that went into it.

The following are among its key judgments:

… “Al-Qa’ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership. Although we have discovered only a handful of individuals in the United States with ties to al-Qa’ida senior leadership since 9/11, we judge that al-Qa’ida will intensify its efforts to put operatives here.”

… “We assess that al-Qa’ida will continue to enhance its capabilities to attack the Homeland through greater cooperation with regional terrorist groups. Of note, we assess that al-Qa’ida will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al-Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI), its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the Homeland. In addition, we assess that its association with AQI helps al-Qa’ida to energize the broader Sunni extremist community, raise resources, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for Homeland attacks.”

… “We assess Lebanese Hizballah, which has conducted anti-US attacks outside the United States in the past, may be more likely to consider attacking the Homeland over the next three years if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or Iran.”

… “We assess that the spread of radical—especially Salafi—Internet sites, increasingly aggressive anti-US rhetoric and actions, and the growing number of radical, self-generating cells in Western countries indicate that the radical and violent segment of the West’s Muslim population is expanding, including in the United States. The arrest and prosecution by US law enforcement of a small number of violent Islamic extremists inside the United States—who are becoming more connected ideologically, virtually, and/or in a physical sense to the global extremist movement—points to the possibility that others may become sufficiently radicalized that they will view the use of violence here as legitimate. We assess that this internal Muslim terrorist threat is not likely to be as severe as it is in Europe, however.”

… “We assess that other, non-Muslim terrorist groups—often referred to as ‘single-issue’ groups by the FBI—probably will conduct attacks over the next three years given their violent histories, but we assess this violence is likely to be on a small scale.”

The estimate is just that—our best collective judgment on the likely course of future events, not a definitive statement on what will happen. It is carefully prepared and vetted, with input from across the intelligence community as well as outside experts.

To read the entire report, go to the Director of National Intelligence website (pdf).

FBI - Iraqis being smuggled across the Rio Grande

Courtesy of National Terror Alert Response Center
FBI - Iraqis Being Smuggled Across the Rio Grande

July 17, 2007 - Brian Ross and ABC’s Blotter report the FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M. According to the report, agents say the group is is bringing “Iraqis and other Middle Eastern” individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico.An FBI intelligence report distributed by the Washington, D.C. Joint Terrorism Task Force says the illegal ring has been bringing Iraqis across the border illegally for more than a year.Border Patrol officials in the area said they were unaware of the specifics of the FBI’s report, and federal prosecutors in New Mexico told ABC News.com they had no current cases involving the illegal smuggling of Iraqis.

The FBI report, issued last week, says the smuggling organization “used to smuggle Mexicans, but decided to smuggle Iraqi or other Middle Eastern individuals because it was more lucrative.” Each individual would be charged a fee of $20,000 to $25,000, according to the report.

For the rest of the story, link to the Complete Article

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The Caliphate or the United States?

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

I have been banning all Iranian products into my house since 1979. Here is a group now that is asking you to do the same. Actually, they are asking for a little more.

Ask President Bush, today, to impose strict economic sanctions against Iran’s import of refined petroleum products. Iran, one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil, lacks the facilities to produce a refined product. As a result, Iran is one of the largest importers of gasoline – nearly half of all gasoline used by Iranians. Now, the Iranians are feeling the pinch of raised prices and gasoline rationing imposed by the government.

A bipartisan group in the U.S. House is seeking economic sanctions against Iran in an attempt to reduce the amount of gasoline imported by Tehran.

The legislation calls for companies that provide Iran with gasoline or assists with the import of gasoline would not be allowed to sell gasoline to U.S. customers. Iran imports most of its gasoline from Persian Gulf states and India.

According to Rep. Mark S. Kirk, R-IL: "This is becoming the critical weakness of the Iranian government, meaning its dependence on gasoline. Riots [in Iran] show the gasoline shortage is a growing danger to the Iranian regime and a diplomatic opportunity for Western countries to force Iran to adhere to international nuclear rules."

The legislation would provide President Bush with several options, as well as several penalties. Included among these are: denial of loans and credits from the Export-Import bank and loans or licenses for exports to the U.S. [Um...I thought we already had this?] The House Foreign Affairs Committee has already approved “legislation designed to strike at investments in Iran.” State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, "We need to do everything that we can to continue to raise the stakes in Iran in terms of its nuclear program."

Another supporter of the bill, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., said, “Our goal must be zero foreign investment.” To reach that end, the U.S. is also working with European allies to try to increase penalties against Tehran. Of course, the countries that do a lucrative business with Iran don’t want to do anything to upset the powers that be.

Vote Your Opinion NOW!

Just as we have defeated big business here in America (NO illegal aliens!), we must bring to the light our European 'friends'. We must explain to them, in a calm way, that there are higher ideals in this life than how much money you can grab. This is one of them.

Unless you want all of your women living under the Caliphate, which means clothed from head to toe with no skin showing, you must be with us on this. There truly is a war against us. It is to elimate everyone who does not believe as they do, Sharia Law, their idea of what a Muslim should be, and many more horrific things.

If you want to understand more, you may be interested in this book:

The Final Move Beyond Iraq.

Thank you.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Americans, Wake Up!

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

It would appear that even after September 11, 2001, some people still do not understand that this is an ideologic war most of all. After all, who is doing most of the bombing of innocents and most of the blaming? I AM TALKING ABOUT THIS CENTURY. Good God.

Maybe I should let someone else speak for a moment.
How many more terror plots will we unravel before one slips through the net and is carried out again domestically? N.Y. City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said after the announcement of the arrests on Face the Nation, “Al Qaida is a philosophy now..it’s a movement.” Well, that is a good first step away from denial. It has only taken six years to get that baby step. But it is not Al Qaeda only. I pray it will not take another 6 years for Americans to comprehend that the philosophical problem is political Islam. The President’s lack of clarity and leadership in naming the ideology of our enemy, the inconsistency of Islamism with American pluralism, and the primary responsibility of Muslims not only to counter terror but to defeat political Islam will continue to give American Islamists the cover they need to grow under his watch with the stamp of approval of the Bush administration. Until we are willing to unravel the ideology which facilitates and apologizes for terror, we are ‘stuck in the mud.’

On June 2, 2007, right after the announcement of the JFK Plot arrests, U.S. Attorney, Roslynn Mauskopf read a statement stating,
    “the defendants are charged with conspiring to bomb one of the busiest airports in the United States, located in the one of the most densely populated areas in the northeast…had the plot been carried out, it could have resulted in unfathomable damage, deaths, and destruction.”
This last time the Islamists were driven by a hate for the Kennedy name, but it derives from the same hate for America which is a common manifestation of global Islamism. In the daily practice of medicine, it would be malpractice to have a disease smolder with such a predictable recurrence of acutely possibly fatal exacerbations over a prolonged period of time while a physician only treated the symptoms and ignored the primary cause—political Islam. That is, except in the case of the terminal hospice patient. An unending series of plots across the globe against liberal democracies is our long war against an ideology. That ideology is not terror. It is political Islam.
Would you believe him if he were a Christian? A Jew? How about a Hindu?
Mr. President, as a devout Muslim, I can tell you that the only way the United States can make progress in this war is to have your administration give anti-Islamist Muslims acknowledgement for the centrality of their ideas in this war of ideologies. We can defeat political Islam only if we engage it and marginalize Islamists while positively engaging spiritual Islam. It is time for the administration to set the parameters defining the ideology we are fighting and be critical of organizations which facilitate it. The words of encouragement and admonition to Muslim organizations to lead the charge against radicalism are too vague. The reality is that the priorities, ideologies, and minority politics of the current agenda of the Islamic organizations the administration has courted and which attended last Wednesday’s press conference are far from being on the right page in this conflict.
Yes, he is a Muslim who has been speaking out against these Islamists for years, but who has heard him? Who will give him the time of day? The press?
The informants and so many others have stepped up in connection with other foiled plots despite the pressures against them from Islamists and the MSM. MSM often feed into conspiracy theories about informants, by legitimizing the victimization of Muslims for being “coerced” as informants. The Denver Post made just such a claim as recently as May 18, 2007. Their report claimed that, “Arab-Americans and Muslims are concerned about FBI efforts to recruit them as informants and other tactics designed to prevent terrorism.” This story was, to no one’s surprise, picked up and widely distributed by the Islamist organizations, e.g. CAIR.
And you wonder why CAIR is prevelant with only 1700 members? America had better wake up to real and true threat that we are all facing. If you would like to read his entire article, you will find it here. You may also reach him at his site: American Islamic Forum for Democracy. If you keep up with his writings and read his site often, you may learn a lot more than what the establiment is telling you.

Before I end this post, I just want England and Scotland to know that I have not forgotten them, and they are in my prayers. I am gathering 'news' to try to determine what is really happening over there. I thank God, my Lord in Christ, that everyone is okay...this time. America, WAKE UP!

Hat tip: Thank you, Mr. Jasser.

Please check for viruses

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts. (Today is Monday, and I want to keep this on top for a few days, because it is important. Thanks for understanding.)

I have spent most of yesterday and all night getting Spybot Search and Destroy (just hit next when the Wizard tells you to go back because something is not complete--for the free version) and Ad Aware (also free), because Norton did not catch the viruses that infected my computer. I am so sorry to put you through this, but it is better that I tell you now than to have you infecting others. That is, if you are infected.

I became suspicious when I went to sign in at one of the private sites where I write. I typed the first letter of my ID, and there was my whole address book! I got into a heated arguement with the administrator of that site for stealing my info, and he gently pointed me to the possibility that I may be infected. I was sure I was not, because I have Norton. YEAH, RIGHT.

It will take about an hour each for them to scan your computer (if this is your first time), but it is worth it. I do recommend that you read the tutorial for Spybot. Again, I am so very sorry. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me. Have a day. (I know I left out the 'nice' this time. I do not think this is nice.)