Fight, Don't Fight, Fight and the State of Mind

Bill and Hillery and Tony flew into the left coast yesterday for a power brokers meeting with probably 10 to 20 others...........would have loved to be that fly on the wall.......

It looks like Isreal is gonna run that 15 to 20 mile buffer zone and "Kleen" it out of the rocket launchin sob's range, that hide behind women and children to do their deeds of sacrifice. (It is a war crime to use civilians as human shields) Dana at CSPT has more...And to who's benifit? And when does one country say "enough is enough"? I would expect Premier Olmert will demand a world wide coalition of military to git into that zone, (when he's done good and ready) and maybe differences will subside fur a bit. Not sure , Olmert says "be prepared for pain, blood, and tears before this is over" We can all pray it ain't so, can't we? Short term solutions would be less costly on all.......but this might be our last opportunity for the longterm route, if we have the stomach. It seems appeasment has just about pettered out in this generation.

This is scary, but I thought the second half of John Kerry's interview with Alan Combs was about some if the most sensible things I ever thought I could hear from Kerry. Kerry said, paraphrasing, he was in total support of the actions of Isreal and that it was time for it stop. And he totally condemded Hezbolla for their actions. I swear, I couldn't believe my ears.

Mel's in deep dodo with about half the country with his "exposed bigotry" but we'll furgive him..........someday.........

Fidal's goin in fur surgery and leavin his brother in charge for a bit.......wonder why he's goin to Paris for the surgery? Are there no quality hospitals in Cuba yet? This mans whole life has been funded by mentals without a clue. Hurry back asswipe.......wezz need yur C-gars.

On the lighter side of life........Oil corporations are recording record profits for the 3rd quarter in a row. For those who still don't have a diddly ass clue how tricke down works, the tax coffers of just about every state in this nation is chuck full with money. The only thing the left has to bitch about is (maybe) the division of capital is getting a bit wider. But how can anyone explain how this growth rate is bad for any.........

Protecting this country is still GW's priority and we are at war.......a clash between terror and democracy. Our society must survive and our works is far from done. We have over-come so much with the table set, but we must be willing to look at the long term commitments to our safety and prosperity. Time will tell.

Many have forgotten about the horrors of Sept 11th and have gone about their lives and forgotten that risk are taken, and the protection of this country is the foremost priority of the President. Hezbolla, Al-Qaeda,Hamas is dangerous to the world. And GW know's it.

Thank you Mr. President.........it's my county.......take it or leave it.

Rovinsworld.........stand by

note: you want "sources" and "links".........argue about it......I'll provide them.

Has Hezbollah Folded?

Captain's Quarters has posted:

Has Hezbollah Folded?

Hezbollah politicians have agreed in principle with the Saniora government to an international military force to occupy Lebanon and, more importantly, to disarm the "guerillas" that touched off the war:

Hezbollah politicians, while expressing reservations, have joined their critics in the government in agreeing to a peace package that includes strengthening an international force in south Lebanon and disarming the guerrillas, the government said. The agreement — reached after a heated six-hour Cabinet meeting — was the first time that Hezbollah has signed onto a proposal for ending the crisis that includes the deploying of international forces.The package falls short of American and Israeli demands in that it calls for an immediate cease-fire before working out details of a force and includes other conditions.

Ed's complete post here

And this from ColdWarrior:

Even Islam recognizes that calling for a cease fire/truce is not the earmark of a winner...
We, the US, the West, have failed to recognize this basic tenet, going back to Korea. Perhaps a bit of unconditional surrender should be at the heart of everythnig we do regarding militant Islam? This play acting with truces, and cease fires, and such, over the decades has accomplished what? It has merely strengthened the resolve of militant Islam to press onward, knowing that the West has no stomach for war, for sacrifice and we have a vocal press/media that reinforces this notion, constantly.

Hezzbollah wants an end to hostilities? Sure. When the last Hezzbollah fighter looks skyward aasking Allah "Where in the hell did that F-16 come from???"Come at Hezzbollah, and Syria, and Iran, and all other forms of militant Islam with the steady message....NO truces...NO cease fires...NOTHING until militant Islam is disarmed...disarmed by themselves or by us.

Once this is accepted as a fact of life, militant Islam will be less willing to engage in this sort of garbage, and Moslems may finally see a time when they themselves are no longer held hostage to every wannabe Mahdi that comes down the pike, be it bin Ladin, or Nasrallah, or Ahmadinejad....

We'll trade with you, we'll invest with you, we'll help educate your kids...but fire one shot, set off one bomb, attack one American interest anywhere, and all bets are off. Police yourselves, or we will police you ourselves.

That, my friends, is what needs to be at the root of ALL our diplomatic efforts across the globe.

Posted by: coldwarrior415 at July 28, 2006 10:00 PM

Al Qaeda No. 2 Calls for Muslims to Start Holy War Against Israel Thursday, July 27, 2006

CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call in a new videotape released Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq."
full story here

Earth to Ayman al-Zawahiri.......you're reading out of the wrong scriptures. Isreal will never be defeated..........does it bother you to be referred to as "#2"? Sounds like a "movement" to me.

Ayman al-Zawahiri.........the next time a bullet wizzes by your way.......grab hold. Or better yet, stand right in front of #1, so we don't have to waste the lead. (Would that be called the "one-two punch?)

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate these people........I just hate what they have become.

Middle East Turmoil Continues

Hezbollah Fights Israeli Incursion Into Southern Lebanese Town
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

BEIRUT, Lebanon At least nine Israeli soldiers were killed in heavy fighting with Hezbollah guerrillas in south Lebanon Wednesday, FOX News confirmed.

Hezbollah guerrillas battled to stop Israeli troops from taking one of their southern Lebanese strongholds on Wednesday, inflicting several Israeli casualties, as Arab and Western foreign ministers assembled in Rome for talks on the crisis.

An Israeli bombardment killed at least three U.N. observers in a border post Tuesday. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was shocked by the "apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces of a U.N. Observer post in southern Lebanon."
In a phone call to Annan on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed "deep regret" for the deaths of the U.N. peacekeepers.

Olmert said the peacekeepers were killed mistakenly and expressed dismay over Annan's accusation, according to a statement released by his office. The prime minister promised a thorough investigation and said the results would be presented to Annan.

complete story

China Condemns Israeli Strike for Killing Chinese U.N. Observer
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

"We are deeply shocked by this incident and strongly condemn it," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement on the ministry Web site.

complete story

Meanwhile back at home:

Democrats urge al-Maliki to clarify view on Hezbollah
By Christina Bellantoni
THE WASHINGTON TIMES July 26, 2006

Congressional Democrats say Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should condemn the Hezbollah attacks on Israel if he wants to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress today.
Some members are considering skipping the planned speech, saying Mr. al-Maliki's July 19 remarks urging the world "to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression" are "troubling" because Iraq is supposed to be a U.S. ally.

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois said that he is confident the Israeli-Lebanon conflict will be part of the ongoing dialogue between the United States and Mr. al-Maliki and that he will not disinvite the Iraqi leader. "He should speak and we should all on a bipartisan basis be there to engage him," Mr. Hastert said.

Mrs. Pelosi said the Iraqi leader's comments are "unacceptable," adding, "Unless Mr. Maliki disavows his critical comments of Israel and condemns terrorism, it is inappropriate to honor him with a joint meeting of Congress."

full story here

NEWS FLASH/SPLASH. Nancy Pelosi says something most Americans agree with!

While I can't help but feel the Democrats are doing this for purly political reasons, (because they never seem to get it right), maybe they have finally grasp the fact that we are in a GWOT.

This could be a very "uncomfortable" situation if our "statesmen/people" to embarrass Maliki while we have 130,000 US troops on the ground in Iraq. Personally, I believe the Prime Minister should come out and condemn Hezbollahh for their terrorist activities. If this is the representation of the Iraqi government, the Shia ties with Iran are too strong and need to be cut in the butt. Iran and Syria need to be shaking in their boots/sandals" and should not feel any comfort from any of the world powers. And Kofi Annan needs to retire!

Personal observation: I think Amy Kellogg (the Fox News Correspondent in Isreal) is not only beatuiful, but very good at her job. Get home safe Amy.

UPDATE:

Kofi Annan Could Have Ordered Peacekeepers to Leave

By Julie Stahl CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief

July 26, 2006

Haifa, Israel (CNSNews.com) - The four United Nations peacekeepers killed in an Israeli attack on their outpost were required to stay at that post "until they were ordered by the [U.N.] secretary general to withdraw," said a member of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization on Wednesday.

full story here

The UN and especially Kofi Annan need to be suspended/terminated until further notice! (note to Kofi: Get the "peacekeepers" the hell out of there you idiot. In case you didn't notice, there's a war going on..........) Sincere prayers for the familys that lost their loved ones in this preventable travesty.

The Middle East Debate

The other day I was reading comments from a post at one of my favorite sites, Wizbang. While I forget the caption of the thread, I was so fasinated by the comments, I cut them out and would like to share them here. Most of the comments are pro-Isreal, but Andre had a different view:

"Imagine, thinking that Israel isn't always right and has a large part in it's problems. Horrors! Can't ever say anything about Holy Israel. Can't ever suggest that maybe it wasn't the greatest idea to plop a country right in the middle east and drive it's inhabitants out! No, if you do you're an anti-semite! It gets so frustrating to see so many people that just don't get it. There's plenty of blame to go around on BOTH sides and the only thing that will stabalize the region is both groups losing their egos and the creation of an economically secure palestinian state. Continuing to pretend that Israel is just this "poor widdle country" being picked on is nonsense. Continuing to pretend that the Arabs in the area don't have valid grievances against Israel is more nonsense. "

Posted by: Andre at July 19, 2006 11:52 AM

It's this type of arrogance that is the reason why nothing will ever change in the middle east until one side is completely destroyed.

Posted by: Andre at July 19, 2006 12:18 PM

Andre said "It's this type of arrogance that is the reason why nothing will ever change in the middle east until one side is completely destroyed."

FINALLY YOU SAY SOMETHING SMART!!!!!!!!!!!
Hezballah wants Israel destroyed. They dont want peace. They dont want a ceasefire. They want ISRAEL DESTROYED. Dont you get it??? Have you ever heard anyone from Hezballah say "we can live in peace with Israel".

Andre go read the poem the Hangman. Who do you think Hezballah will go after if Israel just up and dies? Do you think that they will simply go away or do you think they will go after US??
Stop helping the hangman. Stop being part of the problem. And stop being STUPID. Israel has gave in to every demand over the years except to go find a hole, crawl in and die and it hasnt brought peace yet. Their enemies have shown time and time again they wont stop until Israel is destroyed. Well if I have to choose between Israel suriving or Hezballah I will take Israel. If you love Hezballah so much why dont you go join them and rail against Israel with your buds.
Posted by: retired military at July 19, 2006 02:17 PM

What I know is this. Each side has what they consider to be valid reasons for disliking the other and continuing to engage in violence against the other side. My problem is pretending that Israel is some innocent little country that has never done it's share of dirty deeds. As long as Israel supporters continue to act this way, these actions will continue and more Israelis will die, and more Arabs will die. The SMART way is to concede that BOTH SIDES have sins to atone for and to try to amicably reach a mutual settlement instead of railing on about how Israel is "justified" in whatever actions it takes.

Posted by: Andre at July 19, 2006 02:34 PM

Here's the point. I can go out and find Palestininan scholars that will document the horrors and unfairness of Israel occupation and existance, as easily as you can find Israeli scholars that will take the opposite opinion. But the only thing that matters is whether each side is going to be willing to put that aside in order to stop the killing. Further, when you have poor, desperate people (like many Palestinians) they are going to lash out against those that they feel are responsible for their plight. The Middle East is a big mess that the US, Israel, the palestinians ALL have a part in. To not concede that is to be intellectually dishonest.
Posted by: Andre at July 19, 2006 04:28 PM

Andre"As long as Israel supporters continue to act this way, these actions will continue and more Israelis will die, and more Arabs will die. The SMART way is to concede that BOTH SIDES have sins to atone for and to try to amicably reach a mutual settlement instead of railing on about how Israel is "justified" in whatever actions it takes."

At the risk of repeating myself.

It doesnt matter ONE WHIT what supporters of Israel say, dont say, do, or dont do, acknowledge or dont acknowledge. It never has and it never will.What matters is that Hezballah wants ISRAEL DESTROYED. Now if someone felt that way about you can I see where as you might be a bit preturbed and not act too nicely towards them. THAT IS WHY HEZBALLAH CAME INTO BEING. TO DESTORY ISRAEL. You are trying to equate "a bad deed" from Israel with MASS GENOCIDE.In short you are saying Well Israel shot one of their soldiers so Hezballah should be excused for using 20 nukes on their country.There is NO MORAL EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. Israel is a COUNTRY who is a part of the UN and recognized as such. HEZBALLAH IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION WHOSE PURPOSE OF BEING IS TO DESTORY ISRAEL. How freaking DENSE CAN YOU BE????You cant have a discussion with someone who only wants to see you dead and wont stop hounding you until you are dead. You can only do one thing. YOU KILL THEM FIRST. That is the only way PEACE will be established is if one of the two sides is dead.One side is a country.The other side is a TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.

If we were trying to "right the bad acts of the world" we should start with places like Russia, China, and Iran. We arent. We are attempting to resolve a conflict where ONE SIDE WONT STOP UNTIL THE OTHER SIDE IS TOTALLY ANNIHILATED. You cant reason with that you can only kill them before they kill you. GEEZ what an idiot.

Posted by: retired military at July 19, 2006 04:32 PM

Andre
" But the only thing that matters is whether each side is going to be willing to put that aside in order to stop the killing."

EXACTLY GOOD POINT!!!!.

Hezballah ISNT WILLING TO STOP THE KILLING. They have shown this OVER AND OVER AGAIN.Israel is willing but wont be left alone. This has been proven OVER AND OVER AND OVER. So get off your "ITS ISRAEL's FAULT TOO" kick and open your eyes and look at the facts.

If Hezballah disarmed, gave back their Israel captives and moved away from the border of Israel what do you think Israel will do? Continue to attack them? Not likely. They would have to retreat back to their own lines and break off attacks. Hezballah has refused to do this and even your "HOLY OF HOLIES" the UN has stated that they must. They have refused to stop attacking Israel and thave have refused to obey UN DIRECTIVES. Have you seen any UN Directives for Israel to disarm? Stop attacking? ANYTHING? The ANSWER IS NO.
Hezballah is clearly at fault for starting this and clearly at fault for continueing it. Even Ray Charles could see this.

Posted by: retired military at July 19, 2006 04:36 PM

And finally Scott in Ca., (a frequent poster at Wizbang chimed in with this gem:

Andre, grow up. There were nearly a million Jews in the Middle East before Israel existed. Those Jews lived under Arab governments that abused them, restricted their lives and work, made them second class citizens, and barely allowed them to live at all. The creation of Israel was justified for that alone. I do hope you understand the history of the region. Prior to 1920, there were no Arab states in the region. Egypt was the only nominally independent Arab state, and it was under British control until 1922. Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq were all created out of provinces of the dismantled Ottoman Empire. They are products of Europeans drawing lines on a map, not of "national" aspriations. These states were created first of all to give the Europeans control over the region, and secondly to give a form of self-determination to the Arab inhabitants of the regions. But what about the Jewish inhabitants of the region? Well, Isreal came along and gave THEM a state. The European diaspora of Jews and the Holocaust are secondary to that. Jews deserve a state in their native region no less than Arabs do. There are 22 Arab states now. We do NOT need a 23rd.

There will not be another Palestinian state. One exists now, Jordan, and it is sufficient to absorb the remaining Arabs living on Jewish land. After this little theatrical production this week, Israel is not going to allow the Arabs to have a state whose borders are 10 miles from TA and Jerusalem. Deal with it.

Posted by: Scott in CA at July 19, 2006 12:38 PM

While I tend to agree with most of what Retired Military and Scott have to say, there is another "element" that was never mentioned that I feel very strongly about. I will get to that in a bit.

JUST A LITTLE SHAKER

Woke up to a "little movement" in the house. But 38 miles away I'll bet they felt it a little harder. It's being reported as a 5.0 earthquake.

Idiot ?'s in the Washington Press Corps

9:45 AM 07/18/06Listening to Tony Snow (live) on Fox News------- I am expecting the liberal left news media (some idiot reporter or editor) to blame the Bush administration, (Katrina style) for not evacuating American citizens out of Lebanon in a manner befitting their expectations.

Editors note: (I will save space here for the diatribes)
Extra! I forgot liberal polititions......Nancy Pelosi wants Bush to help pay for the exodus when her party (when in control) voted for legislation not allowing this procedure by the government. Sweet Nancy voted in favor. This report just came from the desk of Brit Hume live.

Helen Thomas wants to know why the U.S. has not called for a cease fire. Earth to Helen- send someone over and ask Hezbolots the same question.

Another reporter just asked if this (the conflict by Isreal) is isolating Iran and Syria. Duh! Not only should this be isolation, these two countrys should be under the microscope to see where this "pandemic" is being created.

Up Close and Personal

Joyce Hough...............................Ayanna Hobson & The Soul Mates

Rory Block.......................................... The Alameda Allstars
Eric Bibb ..............................................Lydia Pense & Cold Blood
Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson ................Shane Dwight
Coco Montoya................................................Tommy Castro
Roomful of Blues ............................................Shemekia Copeland

At our 10th Annual "Blues by the Bay" Festival I had the privilege of introducing myself, shaking hands, and escorting these fine muscians to our hospitality area. Then I made sure they got on stage (on time) and (on some occations) instructed them to move their vehicles, buses, motor homes to make room for others coming in.

Our venue is right on Humboldt Bay where the view and the temperature (65-70) is a slice of heaven. The single most comment I heard from these road warriors was "We just love coming here and getting out of the heat".Some of these people had come from Vegas and Reno where the temp was in the high 90's.

The weekend was a treasure chest of talent most will never forget in their lifetimes. I know I won't.

I'm off to the "California World Music Festival" in Grass Valley, Calif. Will be returning home sometime Monday. Blogging will be "light" to "non-existent".

While I'm gone, I will expect all wars to have ended, peace pipes smoked, and the price of fuel down 30 cents a gallon. Any questions?

p.s. Many thanks to Lindsey, Alan, and Glenn (our director) for making Blues by the Bay a huge success.

Middle East Calamity (Part Two)

From Michael Medved via Hugh Hewlitt:

LAND FOR TERROR?
There's something about a ringing phone at five in the morning that's chilling, not just startling; inevitably, that's the kind of interruption to sleep that one associates with bad news. This morning 's call (July 12) came from my brother Jonathan in Jerusalem. Last time he called me early in the morning with a news bulletin it was nearly five yearss ago; on that Tuesday morning, I was already up, getting coffee, going through the newspapers at about 6.30, when he told me to put on the radio, to watch the news: something horrible was happening in New York City with planes flying into buildings. I remember during the unfolding events of 9/11 thinking of the irony: my brother in Jerusalem called with an alarming update about a terrorist attack not in Israel, but here in the USA -- where we always assumed we were safe.

This morning's call provided another shock to that illusion of safety -- for Americans, for Israelis. Jonathan conveyed the horrible news that Hezbollah had attacked across the Lebanese border, killing Israeli soldiers, kidnapping two of them, and that Israel's decisive response (including the call up of reserves) heralded the prospect of one more major Middle Eastern war. "We're kicking the crap out of Hezbollah," my brother reported. "From air, sea and land. But nobody knows what's supposed to happen next."

Indeed. The Arab fanatics may celebrate (as terrorist mobs in Lebanon danced and cheered, even in the midst of Israeli attacks) but decent people can feel only a sense of dread and helplessness. The only possible good news from the recent developments involves a new sense of clarity-- that quality so cherished by our good friend, Dennis Prager. For years, going back to the bright sunshine surrounding the announcment of the Oslo Accords on the White House Lawn in 1993, Israel has committed itself to a general policy of "land for peace" -- agreeing to the notion (later promoted in the "Road Map" of President Bush) that making territorial concessions to hostile Arabs would lead to greater security and less hostility. The developments of recent weeks should end any confidence in "land for peace" once and for all. Not only did the Oslo Accords, with their establishment of Palestinian control over the territory in which 90% of all Palestinians live, explode after a few years into an horrendous "Intifada" that claimed the lives of nearly a thousand Israelis, but other "disengagements" produced similarly disastrous results. For fifteen years, Israel maintained a "security zone" in Southern Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah missiles and killers from massing at the border, but in the late '90's Prime Minister Ehud Barak abandoned this buffer in the hopes that the Hezbollah terrorists (the same gang that murdered 243 US Marines in their Beirut barracks) would behave responsibly once the provocative presence had been removed. Yesterday, operating from within the former Israeli buffer zone, these killers invaded a sovereign state, killing and kidnapping its soldiers-- after a barrage of missiles had distracted the commanders.

In the same context, ten months ago Israel evacuated every inch of the Gaza Strip-- going so far as the uprooting of well-established Jewish villages to make sure that the tender sensibilities of local Palestinians need not encounter a single Jewish soul. Since that "disengagement," more than 1,000 rocket attacks have rained down on Israeli villages and cities from Gaza-- showing the Palestinian preference for rockets over rationality, suicide over statehood.

The entire concept of "Land for Peace" is the main casualty of this new war. Israeli policy makers now confront the inescapable reality that rewarding terrorism by abandoning territory only empowers terrorists... and encourages precisely the tactics that led to the withdrawl.In place of "Land for Peace," the Israeli political activist and columnist Yael Amishav (who happens to be married to my father) suggests a new concept of "Land for Terror." For each terror attack across the border, Israel will seize more land --- establishing a publicly declared ratio of acres-per-casualties. The seizures must be firm, decisive and immediate-- and long term, if not permanent. "The Land for Terror" concept guarantees negative consequences for outrageous behavior. If Palestinian leaders refuse to rein in the terrorist mass murderers, then they will see their little empire (established by Oslo) begin to shrink, piece by piece. It's not a pretty concept, or an easy one to enforce. But "Land for Terror" makes more logical sense than "Land for Peace."

In any event, the Israeli government appears to have embraced this new approach -- with its decisive moves into both Gaza and Lebanon. The next steps remain unclear, frightening. But one can only hope for a future morning that might bring the refreshing experience of getting an early overseas phone call that conveys good news-- for a change.

RightWingNutHouse also has an excellent wrap on the whole situation:

Israel has had Enough

The country of Israel has been stung enough for far too long and has bitten back like a tiger swatting a rat.

It is being reported on Fox that Israel has bombed the Beruit Airport.

This could be the "definition" the world has been searching for to end terrorism, or at least bring it the shameful sin it is, because only the scum of the earth are terrorist.

Updates coming:

Israelis Expand Attacks on Lebanon After Hezbollah Rebels Kidnap Two Soldiers Thursday,

July 13, 2006 BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israeli forces intensified their attacks in Lebanon on Thursday, imposing a naval blockade on the country and pounding its only international airport and the Hezbollah TV station in Israel's heaviest air campaign against Lebanon for 24 years.
Fox News via AP

Report: Al Qaeda Claims to Have Kashmir Wing, Applauds Train Bombings
Thursday,
July 13, 2006

SRINAGAR, India - A man claiming to represent Al Qaeda told an Indian news agency on Thursday that the terror network had set up a wing in Kashmir and appealed to Indian Muslims to take up jihad.

Muslims who "take up jihad" are in for a rude awakening. The West and (hopefully) most European Nations will not tolerate this. No civilizeded nation should practice indiscriminate slayings of humans for an ideology or a religion. The global war on terrorism just took a giant step forward. I think those who woke up the sleeping giant (Israel) have lobbed their last rocket into that country without feeling the full wrath of a formally patient nation.
And if Iran is funding these attacks, they may want to think about ducking into a shelter.

The "shouting" is over.

JeanneB, a commenter over at CQ ask some interesting questions:

"Captain Ed:Do you think it's a coincidence that N. Korea drummed up a crisis at the same time Israel's enemies were provoking war---not to mention the deadline facing Tehran?
Two weeks ago Iran faced a looming deadline to respond to the West's proposal. Wouldn't Iran benefit significantly from the opportunity to observe how China/Russia would respond to N. Koreaaggressionon? Why do we never hear any speculation that the NK provocation was coordinated with Iran and timed to distract the world from Tehran's intransigence?
Then add the simultaneous provocations of Israel on two fronts, both of which have Iranian backing. All of this is happening at the exact time Iran was given to answer the proposal on its nuclear program.

Looked at this way, it's hard not to conclude that Iran is pulling the strings and creating worldwide threats meant to obscure its refusal to cooperate.President Bush lumped Iran and N. Korea in an "Axis". I've always thought they collude to create multiple fronts for the U.S. to deal with. (Will Chavez create the next "crisis"?).

I would appreciate your input on this. Did Iran plan these simultaneous crises in N. Korea and Lebanon/Palestine with the goal of softening the impact of its refusal to disband its nuke program?"

Scott Johnson at Powerline has "A four-cornered hypothesis" on the events unfolding.

Number One:

Minneapolis attorney Andrew Jacobson connects the dots among current events in Israel's neighborhood:

1. Iran is trying to build a bomb and moving fast in those efforts. Who knows how long it will take, but the Manhattan project took us less than 4 years, starting from scratch and without computers or prior technology. Difficult to believe that it will take Iran (which has already been working on this program for a number of years) 10 more years to complete. I just have no faith that the Iranians are that dumb.

Read the rest here

Plame,Wilson,Novak, Who Cares?

I'm sorry, but this is just too old and tired for me to get "up" about. I really could give a rats ass if Valerie got outed. Joe Wilson's a pompous ass. It was cool that the moonbats got all worked up about getting Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. Nice try moonies. Do we really need four years of an elected democratic controlled congress that is going to waste the peoples money impeaching the President, Vice President, et al, while we are still in a war? I don't think this is in the best interest of the country. But that is the looney lefts ambition.

Slanted report? The office of Sen. James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican, has accused former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw of a lack of objectivity and balance in the upcoming Discovery Channel documentary "Global Warming: What You Need to Know." "Brokaw's partisan past and his reliance on scientists who openly endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 and who are financially affiliated with left-wing environmental groups, has resulted in a documentary that is devoid of balance and objectivity," said a statement put out by Inhofe aide Marc Morano. Mr. Inhofe is chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Roger Pielke Sr., a climatologists and professor of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University, viewed an advance copy of the Brokaw special and said it contained "errors and misconceptions."

Sabotage potential. We have no evidence that the U.S. was able to sabotage North Korea's Taepodong-2 missile, which malfunctioned 42 seconds into launch on Tuesday and crashed. But we do note that special operations forces (SOF) are playing an increasing role, overt and covert, in the world under Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's rule. We also note that one of the reasons that SOF procured the powerful .50- caliber Barrett's sniper rifle was to have the capability to disable ballistic missiles. It's a scenario for missile defense you won't see in any literature from the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency: insert a commando behind the lines, who positions himself within shooting range of the launchpad. "One of the original reasons for procuring the .50-caliber sniper system was to disable missiles," a SOF source says. "A round pumped in prior to launch, or during to cover the noise, in the right place would cause a catastrophic malfunction."

Finally......... It has been "entertaining" to say the least reading the Frisch-Goldstein-Greenwald-Patterico saga the past 48 hours. If you missed it, your not surfing the blogs good enough. Even Brit Hume mentioned the resignation of Frisch tonight over the sad comments she said threatening Jeffs kid.

Note: Patterico did go to work.

The rest of these people have way too much time on their hands.

It's Time For The Blues!

The Tenth Annual "Blues by the Bay" kicks off this morning in Eureka, California

Live audio stream via KHUM here starting at 10:30 am (Pacific Time)

A Glorious Fourth!

From a successful shuttle launch and fireworks that dazzled the skys, the pride of Americans celebrating our independence could be seen yesterday all across the fruited plains.

It was also reported that "Old Glory" was displayed with pride across the country, (with the exception of LA and NY City). American pride abounded for most of the day..........

Update: North Korea had a few "fireworks" of their own.

Clueless,Clueless,Clueless

From Powerline:
I went to the trouble of making a mini-podcast of the portion of today's Meet the Press where Bill Bennett appeared along with Dana Priest of the Washington Post, Bill Safire, and others, talking about the LA and NY Times' outing of the terrorist finance tracking program. It is an appalling conversation. Bennett is the only one who makes any sense; Safire plays an especially dishonorable role. And Dana Priest gets in an outrageous cheap shot against Bill which demonstrates, once again, why the words "liberal" and "mean-spirited" go hand in hand.

Please go and listen to this audio.

Follow-up: Bill Bennet's conversation with Jonah Goldberg and the state of the MSM/Elite Media:

Is it suprising to anyone that the "media-elite" has taken it upon themselves to decide what is to be considered classified. Can this "hate-Bush-at-all-cost" include sacrificing the security and safety of this nation for purely political reasons? Because their "in the publics interest" stance doesn't hold water in my opinion. And neither does "the terrorist already knew this" and it was "no secret".

Patterico has an excellent post on the "not a secret" stance the NYT's has taken here.

Happy Independence Day!

Before I surf over to my favorite sites such as CQ, Wizbang, Powerline, CSPT, Patterico, et al, I would like to wish everyone a safe and wonderful 4th of July. From our President:

On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" so they can begin their American Dream. The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Through the Internet we are learning about and communicating with people of different nations, with different languages and different races throughout the world. Bringing the world closer with understanding and knowledge can only benefit all nations. We invite all nations to celebrate with Americans online this Fourth of July. Happy Birthday, America!

We are a nation that is truly blessed.

Dana at Common Sense Political Thought has linked a 2005 post he wrote that is compelling. Read it here