Jihadis in Ireland?

Mysterious men believed to be from Afghanistan.

Hmmm.

Three men have been arrested following the discovery of a number of devices at an apartment block in Tralee this evening.

It is believed the devices may be components for explosives.

This has not been confirmed and they have not as yet been examined.

It is understood that gardaí were acting on intelligence when they went to search the Atlas House complex at McCowen's Lane in Tralee this evening.

Atlas House is used as a hostel for asylum seekers and foreign nationals. Gardaí sealed off one of the apartments after a number of devices were found.

The three men, who are believed to be from Afghanistan, were arrested.

They are being detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and can be held for up to three days.

All three are aged in their 30s and 40s and it is believed that at least one of them has come to garda attention since his arrival in this country.

H/T threecoloursblue.

More here.

Gardaí would not confirm if the men were part of any terrorist cell acting in the country or linked to well-known fundamentalist groups in Afghanistan such as al-Qaida.

Update: A few more outlets now reporting the story include the Belfast Telegraph, the BBC and the Irish Times.

Indymedia Ireland suggests there was a planned Al Qaeda attack for St. Patrick's Day.

Al-Qaeda have been planning a co-ordinated terrorist attack against Ireland. It is believed that an Afghan terrorist cell is operating in Ireland in preparation for an attack on March 17th during the St. Patrick's day parade. Sources have revealed that suicide bombers were to launch their attacks by mingling with crowds in Dublin city centre, at Heuston station and aboard the Luas.

A planned attack on Shannon airport is also feared.

Update: Ed Morrissey has more.

A jihadi mission against Ireland would destroy the self-blaming explanations that many in Europe and the US offer regarding the nature of Islamist terrorism. It would show that the terrorists don’t target the West because of American foreign policy, or because of Western support for Israel. They target the West because of its secular governments and Christian cultures. In that context, Ireland makes a perfect target, especially since they might have been caught napping if they actually bought the we-brought-it-on-ourselves meme.

Update: The Indymedia link has been taken down and replaced with the following statement:

Sorry. This story has been hidden due to a possible breach of the editorial guidelines and is under review by the editorial group. If you think that this story should be allowed to remain on the newswire, please check our editorial guidelines and if you think that your article does not breach any of these guidelines, you can contact the editorial collective to make your case.

They're probably afraid of offending anyone...

Update: The three have been released.

Three men from Afghanistan arrested on suspicion of terrorist activity were released without charge. Gardai raided a hostel at Atlas House on McCowen's Lane, Tralee, Co Kerry, where the men were staying and seized a number of items including electronic components and radio parts.

Initially the electronic parts were believed to be components for an explosive device but after questioning the men for several hours gardai do not believe the items are suspicious.

Doofus With a Cause Planned to Walk from Britain to India, Dream Dies in France

You can't even feel sorry for saps like these. You've got some self-righteous pinhead who actually believes you can exist without money, and he sets off with two other dopes to walk 9000 miles from Britain to India without having to pay for anything along his way.

So the freeloader manages to get about 250 miles into the trek before abandoning the walk once he realizes the French in Calais aren't down with the cause.

Poor thing.

Ardent and idealistic, he calls himself a "community pilgrim".

But when Mark Boyle set out on a mission to show he could survive on peace and love instead cash, he was a pilgrim who didn't make much progress ... thanks to the tightwad French.

The aim of the firebrand anti-captialist was to walk 9,000 miles from Britain to India totally penniless, relying on the generosity of human beings in pursuit of his dream of a money-free global economy.

"Most of the problems in the world such as greed, fear and insecurity, manifest themselves in money," he declared.

"So I'm going out and instead putting my trust in the universe."

Just stop and soak that in for a bit. Some socialist schmuck thinks we can live without money.

Now he's stunned to find out he's a laughingstock.

However, just 250 miles later, when he got to Calais and asked the French if they shared his Utopian vision, the answer was a resounding 'Non'.

Instead, they accused him of being a "freeloading backpacker" and refused to help him and his two companions.

Eventually - cold, tired, bedraggled and hungry - they decided to call off the pilgrimage, less than a month into the planned two-and-a-half year trek.

To add insult to injury, the three were forced to use the hard currency they hate so that they could get back to the UK.

Naturally, this tool has a blog. I wonder how he managed to purchase his computer?

Writing on his blog, 28-year-old Mr Boyle, a member of the Freeconomy movement - which encourages barter instead of money - said of their French experience: "Not only did no one speak the language, they also see us as just a bunch of freeloading backpackers, which is the complete opposite of what the pilgrimage is really about."

That really scared us, and given that we now were pretty much out of food, hadn't slept in days and were really cold, we had to reassess the situation.

"We spoke to a few people who were willing to talk and they said that France would not go for this unless we could speak fluent French, which none of us could.

"The advice was to make a beeline for Belgium, as folk said they would be more likely to want to speak English.'

But the nearest big Belgian town was Bruges, 105 miles away.

"All we had was three tins of soup, a bag of trail mix and a chocolate bar to sustain us. As it was unlikely that we would get a chance to help or be helped by French people in the journey getting there, the task looked daunting to say the least.

"Deflated, we sat down and thought about what on Earth we were going to do - head off on the three-day hike to Bruges with practically no food and hope the situation there got better, or to call it all off."

How about wearing a sign saying you'll lecture people for food?

Mr Boyle, the former boss of an organic food company, left his job in July to concentrate on the Freeconomy movement and he and his companions set off on the India trip from Bristol on January 30.

Now they're three jobless nitwits who are going to have a tough time getting by.

Without money.

Read the comments after the story. You'll have tears in your eyes.

Update: Times Online also has an item on this moron. A reader comment:

Where do people like Mr Boyle get these mind-bogglingly moronic ideas?

Money is at its root a simple-to-understand and universally acceptable enabler of interchange among people; indeed, money liberates people all over the world to be able to live creatively, invent, and accomplish, instead of wasting the better part of their lives haggling, bartering, and laboriously carting around heavy goods on their backs.

This soft-head wants to project his own personal anxieties about "insecurity" and "fear" on all the rest of us, and in so doing, foist upon us a world in which any remaining smidgen of efficiency in both local and international trade is obliterated. Somebody please re-train this poor fellow and move him past the Pleistocene Age.

Let's send some messages of support to the soldiers in Afghanistan

Because Matt over at Blackfive asked. The soldiers in Afghanistan often refer to this area of operations as the forgotten front and after the recent news story run by the New York Times and after all of the hullabaloo coming from the news of Prince Harry's deployment to that AO, and now followed by his sudden apparent departure maybe it is time to show the guys and gals in Afghanistan some attention.

Our paratroopers are in the fight of their lives and they need to hear that America loves them.

Please send an email of support to skysoldiers173rd@gmail.com

Or you can mail cards to:

Leta Carruth
P O Box 100
Cordova, TN 38088

Due to security reasons in Afghanistan please do not put addresses or phone numbers on any correspondence. All emails will be printed out here in the US and mailed to Afghanistan as they do not have the resources to receive a large number of emails. All letters and emails will be vetted to make sure there are no negative comments. These are letters of support, so please keep them positive and uplifting.

A Huge THANK YOU to the proponents of (and the leaders of) this effort - Tanker Babe and Mrs. Diva!

It's Official: Most People Think The Media Sucks

No wonder journalists rank below lawyers and terrorists on the popularity scale.

It isn't that they continue to screw stories up on a daily basis, but they also have an agenda, a holier-than-thou attitude and a stubborn refusal to acknowledge the fact nobody gives a shit about them or what they think.

Now they're being tuned out in droves.

Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey.

While most people think journalism is important to the quality of life, 64 percent are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities, a We Media/Zogby Interactive online poll showed.

"That's a really encouraging reflection of people who care A) about journalism and B) understand that it makes a difference to their lives," said Andrew Nachison, of iFOCOS, a Virginia-based think tank which organized a forum in Miami where the findings were presented.

Nearly half of the 1,979 people who responded to the survey said their primary source of news and information is the Internet, up from 40 percent just a year ago. Less than one third use television to get their news, while 11 percent turn to radio and 10 percent to newspapers.

Now of course those of us who have blogs need news sources for information, don't get me wrong. But the day has long since passed where we're subjected to being stuck in a one newspaper town.

We're able to find news and opinion from every corner of the globe instantly and those news outlets that continue to practice biased, agenda-driven news coverage (hello New York Times!) continue to descend into irrelevance. If certain sources are consistently biased or wrong, others will be thre to fill in the void.

Naturally, we need some arrogant, pompous twit to explain the obvious.

Howard Finberg, of the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, said the public often doesn't understand that the sources they are accessing online such as Google News and Yahoo News pull stories from newspapers, television, wire services and other media sources.

"It's delivered in a non-traditional form, that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't traditional journalism underneath it," he explained.

Thanks for clearing that up, Howie.

We're too damn stupid to be able to read.

Update: Hot Air links here and here. Thanks!

Now check out this idiot from CBS.



Heat rays. The new waterboarding, perhaps.

Update II: As if we needed another example of media incompetence, behold this gem of a headline from AP: Bush Resigns Because of Plagiarism.



Update III: Thanks to Don Surber for the link!

Sensitive Muslims Don't Dig Satire

We noted yesterday the Danish art exhibit in Berlin shutting down due to threats from members of a certain religion.

Spiegel Online has more details today.

A Berlin gallery has closed an exhibition of satirical art by the controversial Danish group Surrend after receiving threats from a group of Muslims. The men were objecting to a picture of the Kaaba at Mecca under the title "Dumb Stone."

Eighteen months ago, the severed head of Muhammad was enough to get an opera temporarily cancelled (more...) in Berlin. This time around, it's an irreverent image of the Kaaba in Mecca that has caused an exhibition in the German capital to shut its doors.

But there is one major difference between the two incidents: Whereas the mere spectre of possible attacks was enough to get the Deutsche Oper to put the kibosh on a Mozart opera in 2006, Berlin's Galerie Nord closed its doors this week after a group of Muslims walked into the gallery and threatened staff with violence.

"It was a very explosive situation," Jan Egesborg, whose satirical art group Surrend created the Galerie Nord exhibition, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "We don't want to be part of the current Islamophobic tendency in Europe. We weren't trying to provoke Muslims."

Nothing like some PC twits groveling before their Islamic overlords. Whatever happened to calling the police or simply telling these punks to take a hike?

Caving in to these creatures just invites more self-censorship.

Obama Rage Sweeps Kenya; Elders Plan to Fine Clinton

They're demanding apologies for showing the dreaded photo of The Messiah in the native garb.

Kenyan elders demanded an apology from Washington on Thursday ahead of a planned protest over a controversial photo of U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama in traditional Somali dress.

The picture, which appeared on a U.S. Web site, showed the Democratic frontrunner donning a white headdress and robes during a visit in 2006 to the remote north-eastern town of Wajir.

The photo took centre stage in an increasingly acrimonious race for the White House, with Obama aides accusing his party rival Hillary Clinton's camp of "the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering" after it was published.

Obama, whose late father was from western Kenya, has fought a whispering campaign by fringe elements who wrongly say that he is Muslim and have even compared his surname to that of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Clinton's campaign denied it officially approved the picture's release.

The dispute has angered many in Kenya, especially ethnic Somalis from the northeast, who resent the implication that Obama did anything wrong during his visit.

Wajir residents plan to demonstrate after Friday prayers to show their support for the Illinois senator.

Mohamed Ibrahim, who attended one of two crisis meetings held in Wajir on Thursday by clan members who hosted Obama on his trip, said Washington must immediately make amends to them and especially to the elder pictured with him.

"The U.S. government must apologise to us as a clan and the old man," Ibrahim told Reuters by telephone. "We have been offended and we cannot afford to just watch and stay silent."

He said it was essential Clinton "clear her name" too.

Now they say if Mrs. Clinton wants to get off the hook, she can pay up in livestock.

I kid you not.

Kenyan elders may impose a fine on U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, payable in livestock, after a photo of her rival Barack Obama in robes dragged their people into the race for the White House.

Workplace Genius: Motivation By Waterboarding

This waterboarding is the gift that keeps on giving, much like the Abu Ghraib photos.

Just the mere mention of it drives the left into paroxysms of rage and incoherence.

Well, they're incoherent most of the time, but you get the point.

Report: Employee Lawsuit Alleges Company Used Waterboarding to Motivate Workers

A supervisor at a motivational coaching business in Provo is accused of waterboarding an employee in front of his sales team to demonstrate that they should work as hard on sales as the employee had worked to breathe.

In a lawsuit filed last month, former Prosper, Inc. salesman Chad Hudgens alleges his managers also allowed the supervisor to draw mustaches on employees' faces, take away their chairs and beat on their desks with a wooden paddle "because it resulted in increased revenues for the company."

Prosper president Dave Ellis responded that the allegations amount to "sensationalized" versions of events that have gone uncorroborated by Hudgens' former coworkers.

"They just roll their eyes and say, 'This is ridiculous . . . That's not how it went down,' " Ellis said.

The suit claims that Hudgens' team leader, Joshua Christopherson, asked for volunteers in May for "a new motivational exercise," which he did not describe. Hudgens, who was 26 at the time, volunteered in order to "prove his loyalty and determination," the suit claims.

Christopherson led the sales team to the top of a hill near the office and told Hudgens to lie down with his head downhill, the suit claims. Christopherson then told the rest of the team to hold Hudgens by the arms and legs.

Christopherson poured water from a gallon jug over Hudgens' mouth and nostrils - like the interrogation strategy known as "waterboarding" - and told the team members to hold Hudgens down as he struggled, the suit alleges.

"At the conclusion of his abusive demonstration, Christopherson told the team that he wanted them to work as hard on making sales as Chad had worked to breathe while he was being waterboarded," the suit alleges.

Nothing like so fun team-building exercises.

Update: Hot Air links. Thanks!

Now This Is a Contest I Might Enter

Hey, they promise a special night, right? I'm sure we could have great, um, conversation.

Scarlett Johansson may only have eyes for Ryan Reynolds, but for one night only, the "Other Boleyn Girl" star is prepared to party with a different date.

The humanitarian hottie is taking her philanthropic passions a step further and has put herself up for auction to raise funds for Oxfam America — giving the average American the chance to accompany her to the highly anticipated June premiere of "He's Just Not That Into You." The book-based flick also stars Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Long and Ben Affleck.

But before the winner starts rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty, he or she will have to be treated to extensive services before a chauffeured car comes by with Johansson waiting inside. Sigh. (Well, would you want to be seen with Scarlett without a little "assistance"?)

No assistance necessary, thank you.

Start the bidding.

The Future of Health Care in America: Nurses Who Are 'Grubby, Drunken and Promiscuous'

Yes, if you vote for hope and change, you too can enjoy the wonders of socialized medicine like they have in Great Britain.

Really something to look forward to.

Maybe I'll go for drunken and promiscuous. Grubby, maybe not.

A Conservative peer has launched a stinging attack on "grubby and drunken" nurses at a hospital in Bath.

Lord Mancroft was treated there for gastroenteritis in 2007, but was appalled at the filthy condition of the wards and the heartless attitude of "lazy and promiscuous" staff.

He slammed Labour for still not having sorted out the NHS after ten years - describing the state of Britain's "horrible" hospitals as "internationally embarrassing and humiliating".

Lord Mancroft, vice chairman of the Countryside Alliance and a hereditary peer (third baron of Mancroft), was rushed to the Royal United Hospital in Bath in August last year after an attack of gastroenteritis.

Speaking in debate on patient care, he said: "I can tell your lordships only that it is a miracle that I am still alive.

"The wards were filthy: underneath the bed next to me was a piece of dirty cotton wool, and there it remained for seven days; the ward was never cleaned.

"It was a gastroenterology ward, with lots of people with very unpleasant infectious diseases. The wards, the tables, the beds and the bathrooms were not cleaned.

"I was extremely infectious at that time and no precautions were taken with me at all.

"The staff were furious when my wife wanted my bed cleaned when it clearly needed cleaning. I was just lying there, a pathetic person. It was appalling."

Worse still, he said, was the attitude of the nurses on the ward, whom he described as "an accurate reflection of many young women in Britain today".

Ouch.

"The nurses who looked after me - not all of them; we should never generalise and there were one or two wonderful ones - were mostly grubby, with dirty fingernails and hair," he said.

"They were slipshod, lazy and, worst of all, drunken and promiscuous. How do I know that? If you are a patient, lying in a bed and being nursed from either side, the nurses talk across you as if you are not there.

"I know exactly what they got up to the night before. I know how much they drank and what they were planning to do the next night, and it was pretty horrifying.'

He said it was "pretty unpleasant" to see how the staff treated a man next to him who was dying - and died virtually alone.

"The nurses thought that he was a nuisance. They changed his bottle, gave him his pills, occasionally fed him and propped him up."

No doubt this guy will get the best of care next time he shows up at the hospital.

Jack Ruby's Gun to Be Auctioned

Now this is an interesting souvenir to have. Definitely a bit macabre, but it'll probably get a bundle.

The gun used to kill JFK assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, is to be sold at an auction hailed as the best collection of American 'pop culture' ever assembled.

The Colt Cobra revolver used by Jack Ruby to kill Oswald in 1963, just days after Oswald was arrested for assassinating the U.S. President, could fetch several million pounds alone, auctioneers believe.

Another interesting item up for bid will be Hillary Clinton's the Wicked Witch of the West's hat from The Wizard of Oz.

Collected over the past 25 years, the lots also feature the Wicked Witch of the West's hat from 'The Wizard of Oz'.

President of New York-based auction house Guernsey's, Arlan Ettinger, said the collection of 850 lots could fetch more than £3 million when it goes under the hammer in Las Vegas next month.

Mr Ettinger said: "This collection is as good as it gets.

"Most collections have one or two great things and then things trail off from there.

"This collection - there would have to be 100 items here - any one of which would be a star attraction anywhere else."

I've got years of experience!

Wilders to Critics: Get Lost

You've got to admire Geert Wilders for at least having a pair. It's more than can be said for 99% of the politicans on the planet whose knees wobble with every threat issued by the seething Muslims who don't quite grasp the concept of freedom of speech.

Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has called on right-wing politician Geert Wilders not to release his planned anti-Islam film. Mr Verhagen is the first member of the cabinet to make a direct appeal regarding Mr Wilders' controversial film plans. The Labour party has criticised the minister's statement as premature, since there is still no clear information about the content of the film.

Well, maybe they can just wait and watch it first, perhaps. Nothing more pathetic than premature capitulation.

Mr Wilders, who is head of the right-wing Freedom Party, has responded in a text message by saying his critics can "get lost".

More from DutchNews.

Meanwhile, the nonstop whining over the Mohamed cartoons continues.

"While they might have a right to publish the cartoons what they are doing is wrong, because they know how offensive it can be to Muslims," Shennawy said. "Personally, I believe that freedom of speech is good and needs to be upheld, but as an artist there is no reason to make something that will offend an entire people, especially now that they know exactly what kind of reaction they will get."

Uh, Maybe 'Holocaust' Is a Poor Choice of Words

How about we'll open a can of whoop-ass, we'll obliterate them, we'll send them off to meet the virgins? Any of these are preferable to invoking the word holocaust.

Because no matter how this is spun, you're going to have the worldwide media freaking out, and that just doesn't help the cause.

Believe me, I'm as sympathetic with the plight of the Israelis as anyone could be. But this just isn't going to help.

An Israeli minister gave warning today that the army may unleash a “holocaust” on the Gaza Strip if Islamists there do not end their daily barrages of home-made Qassam rockets and their increasing use of Iranian-built Grad missiles.

"The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves," Matan Vilnai, the Deputy Defence Minister said.

The use of the term "holocaust” is usually restricted to descriptions of the Nazi genocide of the Jews in Europe in the Second World War, and many Israelis resent its use in any other context. Mr Vilnai’s deployment of the word appeared to show Israel’s growing frustration that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza refuse to curb their attacks, despite heavy tolls inflicted in Israeli air strikes and tank raids.

Just this week, we've had the Palis parading dead babies around for the photographers and the media willingly laps it up. Seemingly every headline notes that children, babies or youths were killed in airstrikes.

Stop and think how the media will use your words, and act accordingly.

Then beat their asses back to the stone age.

Israeli defence officials said that preparations for a big ground offensive to storm Gaza and break Hamas have been completed, but that they are waiting for improved weather conditions to begin what many predict would be a hugely bloody offensive into the crowded streets of Gaza’s cities and refugee slums.

Naturally, the media-savvy Hamas goons respond like only they know how.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said of Vilnai's comments: "We are facing new Nazis who want to kill and burn the Palestinian people."

Harry's Afghan Adventure Comes to Screeching Halt; Promises to Bust a Cap in Drudge's Ass

Like most normal human beings, I'm forever indebted to Matt Drudge for bringing us Monica Lewinsky, among other interesting stories. Over the past ten years, he's gone where most media cowards dare not tread.

But what the hell was he thinking by revealing the fact Prince Harry was stationed in Afghanistan? Did we really need to know this?

I don't think so.

Well, Harry's Afghan adventure is now over since his cover has been blown.

The MoD has decided to pull Prince Harry out of Afghanistan after details of his secret deployment were broadcast around the world.

In a statement released today the MoD said that the decision to remove Harry from Afghanistan was 'regrettable'.

Secret deployment. Get it? This is like when that schmuck Geraldo Rivera basically gave away coordinates of deployed troops on live television.

Actually, it's worse.

Military chiefs are now making final preparations to remove the prince from the front line and fly him back to Britain.

The move follows fears that Harry could become a target for Taliban fighters in the region now the news blackout on his deployment has been broken.

In its statement the MoD said the decision to remove Harry from the battlefield was taken not just for his own safety but for the safety of the soldiers that serve alongside the prince.

"Whilst it had been intended that Prince Harry should return in a matter of weeks with the remainder of the Household Cavalry Regiment Battlegroup, the situation has now clearly changed," the statement said.

"Following a detailed assessment of the risks by the operational chain of command, the decision has been taken by Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of Defence Staff, in consultation with General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, to withdraw Prince Harry from Afghanistan immediately.

"This decision has been taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier."

In an interview just last week, Harry conceded that on his return to the UK, he could be a "top target" for homegrown jihadists sympathetic to the Taliban.

"Once this ... comes out, every single person that supports them will be trying to slot me," he said.

Once back in Britain, the least the authorities could do is unleash Harry on this tool. I doubt too many folks would mind.

Update: Just a Grunt noted in the comments that Drudge wasn't the first to actually break the story, but he's the first one that received any attention.

The almost unprecedented media blackout had largely held bar an unnoticed report in Australian women's magazine, New Idea, in January.

But it collapsed when Drudge went ahead and published its story yesterday afternoon, forcing the Ministry of Defence to issue an official confirmation.

Allahpundit also has some thoughts.

Chemical Ali to Swing; Shhh! He Used WMD's

The moonbats running the BBC amazingly admit that Iraq had WMD's. This is buried toward the end of their item bemoaning the coming execution of "Chemical Ali". Lookee here: The BBC goes through their usual handwringing about the fate of this scum, as in:

The two men will remain in limbo not knowing whether they are to live or die, says our correspondent.

So? We also remain in limbo not knowing if the BBC will start calling terorrists what they are, which is "terrorists," which a term you never see used in the story. But I digress.

Then the BBC editors get to the meat and potatos.

The regime claimed the Anfal campaign was a necessary counter-insurgency operation during Iraq's bloody eight-year war with neighbouring Iran.

Majid acquired his nickname Chemical Ali during the operation after poison gas was used.

Wow. Here is the BBC, one of the leading practitioners of BDS, admitting by definition that Iraq had and used WMD's. No kidding. Welcome to the party, pal.

Maybe now the BBC can take another step toward reality and inform Barack Obama that Al Qaeda was in Iraq before 9-11.

A Kinder, Gentler Communist Hellhole

Good news! We have a kinder, gentler Cuba, according to this puffpiece from my good friends at the BBC (Becoming Completely Communist) network:

Cuba has signed two legally binding human rights agreements at the UN in New York, just days after Raul Castro was sworn in as the new president.

The covenants - part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - commit Cuba to freedom of expression and association, and the right to travel.

Correspondents detect a possible signal of a shift in human rights policy.

Uh, memo to the "Correspondents": It will become a "possible signal of a shift in human rights policy" when the Cuban government actually changes their behavior for the better. So far this action by the Cuban governement has about as much meaning as the Chicago Cubs management saying every spring that they want to win a championship.

Actions and behavior speak much louder than words, but then again, the left has never figured that out.

But some people get it.

Critics of the Castro government have called on it to make good on the agreements by freeing dissidents.

Absolutely and positively. Action talks and bullcrap walks. I call on the BBC editors to be as dedicated to criticising the Cuban government for their 60 years of human rights violations as they have been in ripping Bush and the U.S. over Gitmo and the war on terror.

It's put up or shut up time for Cuba and their left wing MSM shills.

ROP Rides Again

THE PRICE OF FAITHLESSNESS
Iran to Punish Apostasy with Death
Apostasy -- or the formal renunciation of religion -- is already punishable in Iran with death. But now, Iran wants to make the death penalty for apostasy part of the penal code. The European Union is concerned and has asked Iran to reconsider.

The European Union this week sent a letter to authorities in Iran expressing its concern over a proposed change to the penal code that would make apostasy punishable by death.

The EU is responding to news that the Islamic Republic is planning to subject "apostasy, heresy and witchcraft" to the Hudud -- the body of fixed punishments assigned to crimes that are considered violations of the "claims of God." Other Hadud crimes include alcohol consumption, theft, highway robbery and illegal sexual intercourse.

As the news agency Reuters reported earlier this week, the EU, which opposes the death penalty as a matter of policy, expressed "acute concern" over the proposed penal code revision.

"These articles clearly violate the Islamic Republic of Iran's commitments under the international human rights conventions," Slovenian leaders, who currently head the rotating EU presidency, wrote in a statement.

"The EU calls upon the Iranian authorities, both in government and parliament, to modify the draft penal code in order to respect the obligations."

The death penalty has already been applied to apostates in Iran -- but this was never, since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979, institutionalized as a matter of legal practice.

Iran typically dismisses Western criticism of its legal system, claiming that Islamic law is fundamentally different.

The main concern seems to be arising from the Baha'i faith, which forms a religious minority in Iran but, unlike Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, is not officially recognized by the regime.

On Thursday, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the Baha'i community in Germany is particularly worried about the fate of three Iranian Baha'i, who were arrested in 2006 in the southern Iranian city of Schiras for having founded a center for Baha'i children and youth. They were sentenced to four years imprisonment and are said to be in a secret service rather than normal prison.

At the beginning of February, the EU officially protested the sentence and expressed its concern about the "worsening situation for ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, in particular that of the Baha'i." The Iranian court defended its decision on the basis that the Baha'i, in promoting their faith, were spreading propaganda "against the Islamic regime."

The Baha'i faith developed out of Shia Islam in the 19th century and its followers have been subject to discrimination for generations.

Religion of Peace™

Via Spiegel International

Adam Gadahn Dead?

Dr. Rusty has the details. Let's hope this is right.

Is American al Qaeda member and indicted traitor Adam Gadahn dead? Shortly after a U.S. Predator drone attack killed Abu Laith al-Libi last month rumors began to circulate on Islamic message board that Gadahn had been one of those killed in the raid. Later, a Pakistani newspaper quoted "sources" saying Gadahn was killed.

NBC News also claimed that it had a source in Pakistan who was friends with Adam Gadahn and that Gadahn had disappeared after the Predator strike. Gadahn's friends, said the story, were worried about him.

Let's hope that's disappear. As in vaporized.

I was wondering where this fat slob was. It took over a month for Ayman Al-Zawarhi to get his message out after al-Libi was iced, and Gadahn was supposedly the media wiz.

Danish Art Exhibit Closed Due to Threats From Practitioners of Peaceful Religion

Just in time, I guess, it's almost Friday over there. They may be too busy praying to issue the death threats tomorrow.

AN exhibition by Danish artists in Berlin has been closed due to threats received over a photo deemed to be offensive to Muslims, organisers said.

The exhibition, which opened in central Berlin on February 22, has been closed to ensure the safety of staff and visitors, Ralf Hartmann from the artists' collective Kunstverein Tiergarten said today.

The show by Danish collective Surrend is aimed at depicting what they say is the absurdity of extremism in all religions.

One of the 21 photos is of the Kaaba - the cube-shaped building inside the Grande Mosque in Mecca - with the inscription describing the stone as "stupid".

Another shows an astronaut on the moon standing next to an Israeli flag. The photo has the inscription "Neonazi-Hallucination".

Apparently, nobody is offended by Neonazi-Hallucination, and if they were, the artists would probably tell them where to go. It's safe to take shots at the Israelis.

The Islamists, though, they'll capitulate to.

Thanks to Hot Air for the link.

Obama's Terror Bomber Pal Also Has the Hots for Chavez

Jonah Goldberg really broke open the dam Wednesday in his Los Angeles Times column on the relationship between Barack Obama and convicted terrorist bomber William Ayers.

So it should come as no surprise that a Marxist revolutionary like Ayers would be down with the La Revolucion!.

And I should thank Ayers for being stupid enough to keep this blogsite open for all to see, at least for now.

Anyway, I was checking through some of his sporadic posts and came across this gem, his November 2006 speech to the World Education Forum in Caracas.

I walked out of jail and into my first teaching position—and from that day until this I've thought of myself as a teacher, but I've also understood teaching as a project intimately connected with social justice. After all, the fundamental message of the teacher is this: you can change your life—whoever you are, wherever you've been, whatever you've done, another world is possible. As students and teachers begin to see themselves as linked to one another, as tied to history and capable of collective action, the fundamental message of teaching shifts slightly, and becomes broader, more generous: we must change ourselves as we come together to change the world. Teaching invites transformations, it urges revolutions small and large. La educacion es revolucion!

Granted, by today's Democrat Party standards, this is pretty much boilerplate blather.

It's also Marxist drivel, shrouded in the promise of some nebulous change.But wait, there's more.

Totalitarianism demands obedience and conformity, hierarchy, command and control. Royalty requires allegiance. Capitalism promotes racism and militarism – turning people into consumers, not citizens. Participatory democracy, by contrast, requires free people coming together voluntarily as equals who are capable of both self-realization and, at the same time, full participation in a shared political and economic life.

Uncle Joe would be proud of this guy.

Let those of us who are gathered here today read this poem as “The Teacher’s Obligation.” We, too, must move in and out of windows, we, too, must build a project of radical imagination and fundamental change. Venezuela is poised to offer the world a new model of education– a humanizing and revolutionary model whose twin missions are enlightenment and liberation. This World Education Forum provides us a unique opportunity to develop and share the lessons and challenges of this profound educational project that is the Bolivarian Revolution.

Viva Mission Sucre!
Viva Presidente Chavez!
Viva La Revolucion Bolivariana!
Hasta La Victoria Siempre!

Over to you, Barack.

It's bad enough he wrote proudly, as Goldberg notes on September 11, 2001, about his terrorist past. Five years later he offered this screed. It concludes thusly:

And here we are: international law shredded, torture defended, citizens rounded up and held without honoring their Constitutional rights, nationalism promoted relentlessly, disdain for human rights on the rise, militarism ascendant in all aspects of the culture, the mass media flat on its back, people nodding dully as we accede to an orange alert and march in orderly lines through security checkpoints and random searches, organized vote suppression and rampant fraud at the polls, mass incarceration of Black men, war without end, and on and on.

Five years after, we might stir ourselves to impeach the criminal heading up this cabal, we might prepare for the criminal trials these domestic hijackers deserve, and, at the very least, we might tell the truth in the public square and thereby contribute to building a mass movement for peace and justice.

Clearly, Ayers is out of his mind.

I know I'll hear the usual guilt by association bit. This doesn't imply Barack Obama supports this lunatic's vision.

But if he shares any of these insane beliefs, he's wholly unqualified to be President of the United States.

Obama needs to be thoroughly questioned about Ayers. I doubt the fawning media is up to the task.

Oh, and while they're at it, maybe they can ask Obama about Rashid Khalidi.

The Top 25 Dirtiest Cities in the World

Nestled in amongst all the impoverished cities on the African continent is Moscow at #14, Baghdad at #8 and Mexico City at #5.
Congrats Putin and Senor Fox.
The 25 Dirtiest Cities

Russia, China and India make up most on the Top 10 Most Polluted Places on Earth.

Remember these sort of things when liberals are telling you how bad this country is.

Ahmadinejad declares Iran is #1

The little dictator in the ill fitting leisure suit has declared Iran as the #1 power in the world.

"Everybody has understood that Iran is the number one power in the world," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to families who lost loved ones in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

"Today the name of Iran means a firm punch in the teeth of the powerful and it puts them in their place," added Ahmadinejad, who on Sunday will become the first president of the Islamic republic to visit neighbouring Iraq.

Okay little man whatever you say. Of course given his successes against the British navy and his ability to continue moving forward with his nuclear weapons program he really has effectively given a "firm punch in the teeth of the powerful".

"Today the message of your revolution is being heard in South America, East Asia, in the heart of Europe and even in the United States itself," he said.

Ahmadinejad said he talked with people everywhere he travelled in the world and "it is like I am in district 17 in Tehran", referring to the low-income area in the south of the Iranian capital where he was giving his speech.

"I have been to most parts of the world. I read the news every day. Every day I speak to different figures from different countries and have meetings with them," he commented.

The revolution he is speaking of is the revolution which overthrew the Shah in 1979, dubbed "The Islamic Revolution". All of those areas he mentioned suffer almost daily terrorist attacks and killing of their citizens by the growing Muslim minorities in their midst, whom of course conduct violence in the name of religion and then demand concessions to their "culture" to, of course grant them better ability to continue carrying out more attacks.
Tell you what Dinner Jacket, when you can brag about putting a man on the moon, curing some devastating disease, or marshaling the resources in your command to provide some widespread humanitarian relief such as the US has done in Indonesia give me a call and we will talk about this #1 ranking. By the way how is the recovery going for the earthquake stricken city of Bam?

Better then winning the lottery

Beer aficionado wins lifetime supply

"It's not about drinking high quantities of beer, it's about enjoying the diversities of beer," Venzke said.

Wynkoop said Venzke was chosen for his "humor" as well as "a combination of impressive beer drinking experiences ... and beer ambassadorship."

Ahhhh the diversity of beer.

CodePink Hag Can't Find a Cop, Calls for Help From the Marines

You just can't make this stuff up.

This despicable, vile, Marxist douchebag Medea Benjamin, who runs around publicly fellating Hugo Chavez and bashing the United States every chance she gets, has the gall to call for help from the Marines when she encounters a little problem.

Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who can turn the air blue when shouting chants against American Marines called out for the Marines in front of Marine Recruiting offices in Berkeley yesterday.

Eamon Kelley, the young Marine who is featured in Move America Forward’s TV commercial that ran on Fox News earlier this week, could hardly believe his own ears when Benjamin called on the Marines for help.

Kelley, who is recovering from back surgery, spent his day in Berkeley, where CodePink continues with Berkeley council’s blessing, to keep a virtual blockade at the recruit center, expanding its efforts to harass American troops and to turn back any young Americans looking to enlist.

City Council stubbornly refuses to apologize and continues to subsidize free parking for CodePink to drive soldiers out of town.

“While we were at the protest in Berkeley from 12 to 4 p.m., a white Volvo drove by and a man spat upon CodePink,” Kelley wrote in an email to MAF’s Melanie Morgan. “They chased him down the street and got into a verbal altercation. The police were NOWHERE in sight.

“That’s not the best part, ready for this?

“Medea Benjamin yelled and I quote “Marines!” She actually yelled for our help because this man had stepped out of his car. I even asked her if she was yelling Police and she told me, “I said Marines” then put her arm around my friend Allen (the Marine Vet). Ironic?”

Benjamin, who turned on her former close friend, San Francisco Bay Area activist Maria Ruzicka, later killed in Iraq in a widely-publicized suicide bombing, over Ruzicka’s decision to work with the U.S. military to secure compensation for the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan, is on the record for supporting Cuba and Venezuela.

“Benjamin has drawn conservative criticism for her support of Hugo Chavez and her attacks on the U.S. embargo of Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Conservative writer David Horowitz’s FrontPageMag has attacked her as “a long-time Castro acolyte.” .

“Many of the causes that Ms. Benjamin espouses are Communist in nature. The Washington “peace” rally at which she spoke last month, for instance, was organized by the Workers World Party, a Communist organization…In years past, she staunchly opposed US military and to those fighting against Communist forces in Central America…She favors the creation of a government-sponsored universal health care system funded by taxpayer dollars. She exhorts the US government to lift its trade embargo against Cuba—a nation she notably lauds as a place where people have managed to “thrive despite the odds against them.”

Typical of these leftist swine. They spit on the Marines, yet call for their help when someone returns the favor.

H/T Killian Bundy.

Satan Just Called, and Hates Any Comparison to This Devil

Caption this one.

Help Wanted at the Examiner

The Examiner is a Washington DC based newspaper whose editor is Bill Sammon. However the website has news from all over and they are looking for some help. Maybe you want to unleash the inner Woodward or Bernstein in you or you have some latent blogger tendencies you want to explore. Visit the site and click on their link if you are interested

Examiner.com is looking for dynamic, driven, locally based individuals who have a passion for their local community to join our network of Examiners.

We are building a community of Examiners to focus on specific topics ranging from sports to tourism to local politics. Examiners are local experts who have a voice, knowledge and an opinion.

Think of an Examiner like a blogger on steroids. Examiners will have the tools, platform and exposure to not only report, but build a community of others who share their passion. Are you currently a blogger? Consider becoming an Examiner.

On The Wings of Pelousi

Czech Social Democrat leader meets Syrian Baath officials
Czech opposition Social Democrat (ČSSD) leader Jiří Paroubek Wednesday met senior officials of the Syrian ruling Arab Socialist Baath Party, but the talks had no "specific political content," he said.

Paroubek was reacting to the server iDnes.cz that wrote that the Social Democrats had established contact with a brutal dictatorial party openly sponsoring terrorism and that they discussed cooperation.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said Paroubek's trip was regrettable. "The so-called foreign policy of the opposition runs counter to the Czech Republic's interests," Topolánek told journalists in the White House.

Topolánek is now on a visit to the USA.

Topolánek said the trip had to be discussed. "While in the opposition, we never pursued any foreign policy different from that pursued by the government," he added.

Topolánek said he would prefer Paroubek and Social Democrat deputy chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Lubomir Zaoralek to travel to Syria as tourists.

Topolánek said he had been donated from U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, who was of Cuban origin, a white bracelet, a symbol for which people were sent to jail in Cuba at present.

"Upon my return, I will wear it on account of Paroubek and Zaoralek," Topolánek added.

Baath is a pan-Arab party with the headquarters in Damascus. It seeks Arab unity from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean.

It has been ruling in Syria since the 1963 coup. No parties but Baath and its allies are allowed in Syria.

Referring to the Syrian media, the server iDnes says that Paroubek stressed at a seminar on European policy that Syria had to be part of any peace process and voiced support to the Syrian right to the return of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Paroubek said the ČSSD had consulted Czech Foreign Ministry before his visit to Syria and the delegation was accompanied by the Czech ambassador to Syria.

"As a result, all talks of the ČSSD delegation are being conducted in keeping with the Czech foreign policy official line towards Syria," Paroubek said.

Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova confirmed to ČTK that the office knew about the Social Democrats' visit to Syria.

"According to our information, these are the talks on the party level. As a result, we cannot or will not comment on them," she said.

Paroubek is accompanied by his wife Petra and Zaoralek, ČSSD shadow foreign minister.

The Syrian side invited the Social Democrats and has covered the costs of their accommodation.

The ČSSD delegation is scheduled to meet representatives of Syrian industry and trade but also top representatives of the state administration and parliament, for instance, the Syrian parliament chairman and the foreign minister.

The visit was organised by the Czech-Central Asian mixed chamber of commerce within its efforts at improving the Czech Republic's trade relations with central Asian countries, the ČSSD said.

Syria's about as geograhically central to Asia as China is to the Mid-West.

Via The Prague Monitor

Meanwhile, SANA, the Syrian news agency, reports that

Assistant Secretary General of al-Baath Arab Socialist Party Abdullah al-Ahmar discussed on Tuesday with Chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party Jiri Paroubek means of bolstering the cooperation between the two parties.

So much for no 'specific political content'.

Al-Ahmar briefed Paroubek on the economic reforms in Syria, pointing out to Syria's encouraging investment atmosphere. He also briefed him on the latest regional development and the party's stances regarding them.

For his part, Paroubek affirmed his country's interest in pushing the peace process in the Middle East forward and developing relations with Syria in all fields.

Later, in a seminar on the European policies towards Arab causes, Paroubek affirmed that Syria is a key player in the region, adding it is wrong to overstep it. He stressed that Syria must be a part of any peace process, expressing his support of Syria's right to restore its occupied land in the Syrian Golan.

Paroubek added that his party follows a balanced policy towards all parties in the Middle East, and that it is necessary to find a peaceful resolution to the region's problems.

Regarding Syrian-Czech relations, Paroubek underlined the need to boost trade, tourism and cultural relations, pointing out to Syria's historical sites that are considered an important tourist attraction.

In another entry, SANA provided a more revealing angle

President Bashar al-Assad discussed with Chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party (SDP) Jiří Paroubek means of further enhancing and developing the existing cooperation and friendship between al-Baath Arab Socialist Party and the SDP for the best benefit of the two countries.

President Assad and Paroubek also reviewed the latest developments in the Middle East, stressing necessity of establishing a just and comprehensive peace in it.

The meeting was attended by Assistant Secretary General of al-Baath Arab Socialist Party Abdullah al-Ahmar, the delegation accompanying Paroubek and the Czech ambassador in Syria Tomas Ulicny.

Mr. Paroubke on Wednesday highlighted Syria's active role in the region in solving the Middle East problems, calling for enhancing Syrian-Czech relations in economic, culture and tourist fields.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Via SANA

Shocking 'New' Abu Ghraib Photos So Unspeakable, Rise Nearly to Frat Initiation Levels

They're being plugged as disturbing. Maybe I'll be disturbed by the fact the New York Times now has seven months of fresh material leading up to the election.

I figure they can't keep making up stores about John McCain, so this will give them cause to just keep bashing Bush.

Anyway, here's the breathless account from Wired.

Viewer discretion advised, of course. Sadly, there are no photos of prisoners jumping over sharks.

This next one is so unspeakably cruel, one can hardly hold back the tears.


The horrors!

Wanted: New Al Qaeda No. 1 Man in North Africa

Send your resume quickly. Ability to talk trash, murder innocents and explosives training helpful, but not necessary. Anyone with the name Abu Musab is strongly deterred from applying.

The current occupant of the job may soon be stepping down involuntarily.

The leader of al Qaeda's wing in north Africa is believed to be among several Islamist militants besieged by Algerian government soldiers in the Kabylie region east of Algiers, two newspapers reported on Thursday.

Abdelmalek Droudkel, also known as Abu Mus'ab Abd el-Wadoud, leader of the al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, may be among other rebels troops have been surrounding for a week in a mountainous area between the two eastern provinces of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia, Liberte and El Watan said.

Backed by helicopters, an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 soldiers are taking part in the operation, Liberte said, citing well-informed sources.

The authorities were not immediately available to comment on the reports.

The Kabylie region is known to be the main base for the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat or GSPC, which changed its name to al Qaeda in January 2007.

The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including twin suicide bombings that targeted U.N. offices and a court building in Algiers in December 2007,killing 41 people, 17 of them United Nations staff.

NY Times: So What, It's Only Plagiarism, We Have Other Things to Worry About

These chumps just keep stepping in it.

Not only have them been busted plagiarizing, their approval rating has bottomed out, and they now trail President Bush in approval ratings.

Heh.

A majority of Americans condemns The New York Times for publishing a story suggesting John McCain had an affair with a female lobbyist eight years ago, according to two polls.

The Rasmussen poll showed two-thirds of those familiar with the story believed it was an unfair attempt to smear the presumptive Republican presidential nominee; 22 percent backed the Times.

Eighty-five percent of Republicans thought the story was unfit to print, while 69 percent of independents and 40 percent of Democrats also cried foul.

In a survey by the Pew Research Center, 57 percent said it was wrong for the Times to publish the story; only one in three defended it.

Just last week, they were gleeful over President Bush's low approval rating. Of course, they used some polling outfit they claim is well-known, but a more reliable pollster recently has the president at 35%.

Remarkably, today they compound their misery by rehashing an already discredited theory about John McCain's citizenship.

Are they really this out of touch? Apparently so.

Mr. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.

Plenty of ridicule already for this one.

Nanny-State Tool: I'm Not Running For President

Think about it. Obamamania has washed over the land, his rival Giuliani is long gone, we've got the token independent in already with Nader, and frankly, there's no interest in this guy anyway.

Even reality has a way of seeping into the biggest of egos.

Of course, he plays it cute with the but...

I believe that an independent approach to these issues is essential to governing our nation — and that an independent can win the presidency. I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not — and will not be — a candidate for president. I have watched this campaign unfold, and I am hopeful that the current campaigns can rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership. The most productive role that I can serve is to push them forward, by using the means at my disposal to promote a real and honest debate.

Maybe he did some focus group testing and realized his declaration that global warming was equal to terrorism didn't quite go over well.

Probing the 'Roots' of Terror: Start With Islam and Go From There

Here we go, searching for the root causes of terrorism.

To think, people will take this clown seriously.

Underlining that terrorism has no religion, a Muslim leader Wednesday argued for a more in-depth investigation into the reasons that turn an ordinary man into a terrorist.

'Security agencies declare so and so individual as terrorist but we never come to know their basic reasons that make them resort to violence, if its true,' Sirajuddin Qureshi, president of the India Islamic Cultural Centre (IIIC) here, told reporters.

He said a person usually turned to terrorism due to a certain sense of injustice and deprivation. 'Either he has seen his mother or sister being raped; brother or father being killed, or he has been kept out of society,' Qureshi said.

Such a person has revenge on top of his mind and looks at everyone as an enemy, he said, stressing: 'We need to know why they become terrorists.

Uh, maybe a twisted interpretation of the Koran?

We read in media that innocent Muslims are being picked up after a terrorist attack. This body should inquire into these cases,' Qureshi said, deploring that most people caught up in the security net usually turn out to be innocent.

More Insanity in Britain: Hezbollah Radical to Speak at Antiwar Meetings

The descent into madness in Britain continues unabated, the latest chapter of the Leftist-Islamist convergence.

The Home Secretary came under fire last night for allowing a radical Lebanese propagandist with links to the extremist group Hezbollah to enter Britain for a national speaking tour.

The Conservatives urged Jacqui Smith to ban Ibrahim Moussawi from the UK, warning that he was "likely to foment extremism or promote violence".

Mr Moussawi edits Hezbollah's newspaper and is former political editor of the Iranian-backed group's television station, which is banned in many countries including France, Spain and the U.S. where its output is seen as anti-Semitic.

He was recently barred from entering Ireland, where he was due to speak at anti-war meetings.

He is scheduled to appear at an event in London tonight organised by the Stop the War Coalition, with more events planned around the country over the coming week.

Shadow Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones attacked the Government's record of allowing radical extremists into the UK, after ministers previously ignored calls to deny Mr Moussawi entry to the UK.

She said: "The Government has the power to deny entry to people whose presence is not conducive to the public good.

"Yet in the past they have let in extremists to preach hate.

"Jacqui Smith failed to stop Ibrahim Moussawi from coming last December, despite my specific request that she do so.

"Regardless of what Moussawi actually says when he is here, it is vital that the Government always makes the security of the UK its top priority.

"That means stopping those who are likely to foment extremism or promote violence from coming here to speak. Ibrahim Moussawi should not be allowed to return to the UK."

The Stop the War Coalition website describes Mr Moussawi as "Editor of the journal Al-Intiqad in Lebanon, linked to Hezbollah."

So a purported antiwar group welcomes in a member of Hezbollah? A bit of a disconnect, no?

Of course not, they're on the same side.

From their site:

This meeting is a chance to hear key figures from the Middle East and leading activists and writers from Britain discuss the impact of the War on Terror and the continuing campaign to get the troops out. Five years after the invasion of Iraq the world has become a much more dangerous place. As many as one million people have been killed during the occupation of Iraq. The country’s infrastructure is in shreds. Gordon Brown has promised British withdrawals, but there are still 5,000 British soldiers in Iraq. The only reason they are staying there is to give political cover to George Bush’s continuing occupation.

This cretin Moussawi masquerades as a journalist.

Al-Manar television - the Arabic word for "beacon" - where he worked until recently as foreign and political editor, is Hezbollah's main mouthpiece in the Middle East and around the world, broadcasting from Beirut.

It describes itself as the "station of resistance" and campaigns on behalf of Hezbollah and against the state of Israel, and American and British policy in the Middle East.

It routinely describes fighters who are killed and suicide bombers as "martyrs", and condemns Israeli forces as criminals.

The station has been widely condemned for anti-Semitism after it broadcast a 30-part series based on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a forged document setting out a supposed secret Jewish conspiracy to take over the world.

Bosses at the station deny anti-Semitism, claiming they are merely anti-Israeli.

Really Bad News for the Israelis

Palestinians will soon be the majority in that area of the world. Israel stands to be abolished not by warfare but by birthrate.

Of course if the Palestinians keep up their usual suicide attacks and death by workplace accidents involving large amounts of explosives and automobiles it may take them a little longer.

Census figures show that Palestinians are likely to become a majority in Israel and the occupied territories in five years, a report said Wednesday.

'I have a feeling they're not really in tune too much with this kind of technology'

This would be far more comical if we didn't have to deal with this prehistoric pack of ghouls.

A Taliban threat to attack Afghan telecoms companies is the latest sign of paranoia from militants who fear their mobile phones will betray their hiding places.

The Islamist militia on Monday gave mobile operators a three-day ultimatum to shut down their networks at night or face attacks on their towers and offices.

It issued the demand because "the occupying forces stationed in Afghanistan usually at night use mobile phones for espionage to track down the mujahideen," a Taliban spokesman told Reuters.

Genius idea then to attack the towers, no?

Of course if these cavemen had the sophistication of, say, your average second-grader or Berkeley resident, they might figure out the secret to how to go undetected.

Howard Melamed, chief executive of U.S.-based cellular communications group CellAntenna, said the Taliban threat reflected a lack of understanding of the technology.

"Common sense would dictate: turn your phone off and it's OK," he told Reuters. "I have a feeling they're not really in tune too much with this kind of technology."

First Casualty Among the Veterans for Congress

It isn't completely over yet but isn't it ironic that the first casualty is the challenger to John Murtha. Meet LTC William Russell

A state judge yesterday ruled that the lone Republican running in the primary for the Western Pennsylvania seat did not collect enough signatures to make the ballot.

Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson said Republican candidate Bill Russell's nominating petition contained only 993 valid signatures, seven fewer than required.

That left Mr. Murtha, 75, a Democrat, without opposition in the primary or general election.

Mr. Russell, 45, left the Army two years short of retirement and moved from Washington, D.C., to Johnstown to challenge Mr. Murtha. He said yesterday that bad weather and other factors made it difficult to collect enough signatures in the heavily Democratic district.

For more information on veterans running for congress go here.

All is not lost for Mr Russell however.

Mr. Russell, citing a lack of money, said he was not planning an appeal to the state Supreme Court but would entertain a write-in nomination. To qualify as a write-in, Russell would need at least 1,000 votes and would have to be the top vote-getter in the Republican primary.

He still has one more shot, so I implore all Republicans in this PA district get out the vote and this piece of garbage, Murtha, out of office. I hope he is enjoying himself at his little pork barrel celebration tonight.

Political Cadaver: I'm Not Releasing My Tax Returns Now, and How Dare You Even Ask About It!

Shocker: Mrs. Clinton lied again.

Clinton Won't Release Taxes Soon

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she won't release her tax returns until she has the Democratic presidential nomination in hand, and not before tax filing time comes in mid-April.

Clinton argued for openness Tuesday night during her latest debate with Democratic rival Barack Obama.

"I will release my tax returns," Clinton said during the debate. "I have consistently said I will do that once I become the nominee, or even earlier."

Pressed about the timing of releasing her tax returns, campaign aides were more reticent Wednesday, indicating that Clinton would not release the sensitive financial data during a hotly contested primary, but only at tax filing time.

"As is customary, as the Democratic nominee Senator Clinton will release her tax information in April at tax time," said spokesman Jay Carson.

It is conceivable that the Democratic contest would still be competitive on April 15, the tax filing deadline. Obama has built a slight edge in delegates earned during the primary season, and the two rivals are headed for big tests Tuesday in Ohio and Texas that could reshape the race.

I doubt we'll be seeing those White House records she said she's rushing to make public, either.

Clearly, she and her husband have something to hide.

McCain Mocks Clueless Obama

One of the more pathetic moments watching the Democrat debate last night was seeing these two hapless mopes fumble the simplest of national security questions from a sympathetic Tim Russert.

As the rambling wore on, I became more convinced than ever John McCain can shred either of these lightweights.

He's wasting no time.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain mocked Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday for saying he would take action as president "if al-Qaida is forming a base in Iraq."

"When you examine that statement, it's pretty remarkable," McCain told a crowd in Tyler, Texas.

"I have some news. Al-Qaida is in Iraq. It's called `al-Qaida in Iraq,'" McCain said, drawing laughter at Obama's expense.

Obama quickly answered back, telling a rally at Ohio State University in Columbus, "I do know that al-Qaida is in Iraq."

"So I have some news for John McCain," he added, saying there was no al-Qaida presence in Iraq until President Bush invaded the country.

Clueless.

That, of course, isn't true.

The Messiah needs to read up and stop spouting anti-war talking points, or he'll soon find himself damaged beyond repair on the national security issue. His admitting not even paying attention to Afghanistan on his subcommittee role because he was busy campaigning was astonishingly naive.

I guess he's courting that all-important Code Pink vote.

Update: Hot Air has the videos.

RIP, William F. Buckley

A giant in the conservative movement has passed away.

Via (where else?) but The Corner.

I’m devastated to report that our dear friend, mentor, leader, and founder William F. Buckley Jr., died overnight in his study in Stamford, Connecticut.
After year of illness, he died while at work; if he had been given a choice on how to depart this world, I suspect that would have been exactly it. At home, still devoted to the war of ideas.

Buckley was an intellectual titan and will be greatly missed.

Hot Air is already firing up the videos.

Update: LGF notes the Huffington Post, in a rare bout of sanity, has closed off comments.

Assorted reaction via Memeorandum.

Don Surber: God needed some intelligent conversation.

Naturally, the KosKids are gleeful (h/t SecretInternetDoucheBag).

Considering what Buckley meant to conservatives, I tried to think of pioneers of today's liberal movement: A regular pantheon of allstars.

Jemaah Islamiyah Hijack Plotter Escapes

Amazing, isn't it, how often these terrorists manage to escape? Usually it's in places like Yemen.

This time it's in Singapore.

A key member of a Southeast Asian terror network, who had plotted the hijacking of an airplane to be crashed into Singapore's Changi airport, has escaped from prison and is at large, the government said Wednesday.

Mas Selamat Kastari, the leader of the Singapore cell of Jemaah Islamiyah, escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon, the Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"Extensive police resources have been deployed to track him down," the ministry said, while urging the public to immediately contact police if they learn of his whereabouts.

"He walks with a limp and is presently at large. He is not known to be armed," it said.

Mas Selamat had been detained since March 2006 under Singapore's Internal Security Act, which provides for indefinite detention without trial, after having been deported from Indonesia.

Indefinite detention? Ooh, the Democrats will be very upset to find this out.

He had fled the city-state in December 2001 in the wake of the government's arrests of local JI members soon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Mas Selamat is alleged to have been involved in JI plots to attack Western establishments such as the U.S. Embassy, the American Club and military installations here. After he fled Singapore, he allegedly plotted to hijack an airplane in order to crash it into Changi Airport.

He was detained in Indonesia in 2003 for possessing falsified identification documents and was held for three years before being deported to Singapore.

The Singapore government detained more than 30 alleged JI members here in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States alerted authorities here to the existence of the clandestine group in Southeast Asia.

Good News: Wilders Film Almost Ready

You think the cartoon jihad was bad? Wait until you see the meltdown over the upcoming film by Geert Wilders.

A politician making an anti-Koran film that has stirred Muslim outrage, brought him death threats and alarmed the Dutch government said on Wednesday the movie would be finished this week.

Geert Wilders has given few details about the content of his film "Fitna", other than saying that in it he intends to present his views about the Koran. In the past he has called for the Koran to be banned and likened it to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

He said talks with Dutch broadcasters would begin next week over the screening of "Fitna", an Arabic term used in the Koran and sometimes translated as "strife".

At the same time as the film is televised it will also be made available on a special internet site www.fitnathemovie.com, intended to skirt any restrictions on access.

"It is very good news. The film will definitely be finished this week, that is to say before March 1," Wilders told Reuters.

The project has sparked street protests as far afield as Indonesia.

Pakistan's upper house of parliament adopted a resolution this week condemning efforts to denigrate Islam and promote hatred, referring to cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad first published in Danish newspapers in 2005 and to Wilders' film.

Turkey has voiced concern about the film, and the Iranian government called it a "provocative and Satanic" act.

Several films purporting to be Wilders' 15-minute film have appeared on the YouTube Web site. Access to the site was disrupted around the world last weekend after Pakistani Internet service providers tried to prevent local users from seeing them.

These maniacs haven't seen a second of footage and are freaking out already.

Expect a total meltdown by Friday, the Muslim Day of Perpetual Rage.

Dutch Muslims have said they want to open mosques on the day Fitna is screened to demonstrate tolerance and diffuse tension.

Tolerance? I didn't know that word was in their vocabulary.