So said Mitt Romney earlier today in a letter (PDF link) urging the United Nations to revoke its invitation to Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmandinejad. He also pulls no punches in calling out the UN’s record of human rights failures, and threatening to “reconsider [America’s] level of support and funding for the United Nations.” This is exactly what we need the next commander-in-chief to tell the world.
Islamofascism
Iron Man Blasts Off against Political Correctness
Here’s the theatrical trailer for the latest comic-book film, Iron Man. For those unfamiliar with the character, Tony Stark is a billionaire arms inventor who is taken captive in a war zone and forced to build a weapon of some sort. Instead, he fashions a suit of armor to escape, then battles evil with a more sophisticated suit. But the interesting thing is how un-PC it is. Since the film is set in the present day, Stark is captured in Afghanistan. Thus, we see Iron Man beating the tar out of jihadists which are actually portrayed as Arabs. How the heck did this make it out of Hollywood?
Belated Memories of 9/11
I apologize for the delay—the attack on America deserves to have been remembered on September 11.
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The following is the conclusion to a heartbreaking essay by Miranda Frum (16-year-old daughter of National Review’s David Frum). I urge you all to take some time to read it all:
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That night when my father finally came back, we watched the news. My brother and I decided to act like adults just in case we had to be adults later. The news showed people in a far away place we imagined to be happy, courtesy of Aladdin, dancing in the streets, celebrating. They had succeeded in something. I will never forget the fear I saw that day, or the pain it caused my parents. The men were dancing in that far away place, but the song they were dancing to was the tears and pain of Americans.
–
The following is the conclusion to a heartbreaking essay by Miranda Frum (16-year-old daughter of National Review’s David Frum). I urge you all to take some time to read it all:
–
That night when my father finally came back, we watched the news. My brother and I decided to act like adults just in case we had to be adults later. The news showed people in a far away place we imagined to be happy, courtesy of Aladdin, dancing in the streets, celebrating. They had succeeded in something. I will never forget the fear I saw that day, or the pain it caused my parents. The men were dancing in that far away place, but the song they were dancing to was the tears and pain of Americans.
–
That was six years ago. But it still seems like yesterday.
That was six years ago. But it still seems like yesterday.
Barack I’ll-Bomb-Ya
For a while I was hoping Hillary Clinton would get the Democrat nomination, but now I’m thinking maybe Barack Obama would be the better general election opponent. First he agrees to unconditionally meet with America’s enemies within the first year of his administration, and now he’s threatening to invade Pakistan. Y’know, a Muslim nation that not only didn’t attack us on 9/11 (where have I heard this before?) but whose government is actually an ally? Oh, and did I mention that Pakistan already has nukes?
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Dean Barnett posts an appropriate bumper-sticker on the subject, and Mitt Romney nailed it, too: “from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week.”
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Dean Barnett posts an appropriate bumper-sticker on the subject, and Mitt Romney nailed it, too: “from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week.”
Liberal Theory of Relativity
Here’s a rather striking example from the lefty blogosphere of Bush Derangement Syndrome and general resentment of America. The post itself is actually an important message about Islamic honor killings, and I agree 100%. But just when I think the Left might be getting a dose of reality, the Comments section brings the nuts out of the woodwork. The highlights:
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[A]lthough honor killings are rare in the good old U.S. of A., there are nevertheless plenty of Americans who still place the “family honor” above the welfare of their kin. I point to my parents-in-law, who have now placed their phony-baloney reputations above three generations of sexually abused family members by intimidating anybody who dared suggest that the perpetrators should be exposed.
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You’ve got my total sympathy for the suffering those creeps put your loved ones through, but two nuts do not a national trend make. And if the perps were to be exposed, they’d go down for the count (that is, unless they got a left-wing judge to hear their case. Ironic, no?). A pretty defining difference between America & the Middle East, I think.
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It’s important to note that the increase in the number of so-called “honor” killings in Kirkuk goes along with the occupation. The dissolution of the established social structure under the occupation is leading to devastating things.
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Boy, I’d like to see some solid numbers on that one! But just for fun, let’s temporarily assume it’s true: 1.) “My life is crappy right now, therefore I’m entitled to kill my daughter”? Uh-uh. 2.) It’s entirely proper to condemn Bush’s handling of the war, but that’s a separate issue from whether or not it should be waged at all. Liberals could also use some perspective: y’think those devastating things are likely to get better with the fundamentalists as the country’s dominant force? Dream on.
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That [viciously anti-woman] attitude exists, sadly, in this country too – it’s just that usually the consequences aren’t death.
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Out of 300 million people, some consider women inferior?! Unheard of! If somebody wants to argue that it’s a national trend extending far beyond the scope of Bill Clinton, then show me what constitutes that attitude here.
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Right on about the attitude towards women, an attitude that is deteriorating fast here in this country with all this crazy legislaton being sanctioned by the Supreme Court, with a man being given the legal right to tell a woman what she can do or can’t do with her body.
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I get it. Bemoan the killing of girls and your (partial) inability to kill children in the same breath. If not for abortion’s human consequences, this would be hilarious.
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Amidst all this we had the usual assurances that Islam is not to blame for honor killings (a courtesy that the far Left seems to forget when discussing, say, Fred Phelps or abortion-clinic bombers), but the interesting thing was how few could resist the knee-jerk reaction to opine, “Yeah, but America does [insert-crime-here]!” Is it really that hard to make a simple condemnation of evil?
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The Liberal Theory of Relativity: “Every woe and/or wrongdoing in this world can be related back to the evils of the United States in some way.” Just don’t question their patriotism, whatever you do.
–
[A]lthough honor killings are rare in the good old U.S. of A., there are nevertheless plenty of Americans who still place the “family honor” above the welfare of their kin. I point to my parents-in-law, who have now placed their phony-baloney reputations above three generations of sexually abused family members by intimidating anybody who dared suggest that the perpetrators should be exposed.
–
You’ve got my total sympathy for the suffering those creeps put your loved ones through, but two nuts do not a national trend make. And if the perps were to be exposed, they’d go down for the count (that is, unless they got a left-wing judge to hear their case. Ironic, no?). A pretty defining difference between America & the Middle East, I think.
–
It’s important to note that the increase in the number of so-called “honor” killings in Kirkuk goes along with the occupation. The dissolution of the established social structure under the occupation is leading to devastating things.
–
Boy, I’d like to see some solid numbers on that one! But just for fun, let’s temporarily assume it’s true: 1.) “My life is crappy right now, therefore I’m entitled to kill my daughter”? Uh-uh. 2.) It’s entirely proper to condemn Bush’s handling of the war, but that’s a separate issue from whether or not it should be waged at all. Liberals could also use some perspective: y’think those devastating things are likely to get better with the fundamentalists as the country’s dominant force? Dream on.
–
That [viciously anti-woman] attitude exists, sadly, in this country too – it’s just that usually the consequences aren’t death.
–
Out of 300 million people, some consider women inferior?! Unheard of! If somebody wants to argue that it’s a national trend extending far beyond the scope of Bill Clinton, then show me what constitutes that attitude here.
–
Right on about the attitude towards women, an attitude that is deteriorating fast here in this country with all this crazy legislaton being sanctioned by the Supreme Court, with a man being given the legal right to tell a woman what she can do or can’t do with her body.
–
I get it. Bemoan the killing of girls and your (partial) inability to kill children in the same breath. If not for abortion’s human consequences, this would be hilarious.
–
Amidst all this we had the usual assurances that Islam is not to blame for honor killings (a courtesy that the far Left seems to forget when discussing, say, Fred Phelps or abortion-clinic bombers), but the interesting thing was how few could resist the knee-jerk reaction to opine, “Yeah, but America does [insert-crime-here]!” Is it really that hard to make a simple condemnation of evil?
–
The Liberal Theory of Relativity: “Every woe and/or wrongdoing in this world can be related back to the evils of the United States in some way.” Just don’t question their patriotism, whatever you do.
Disaster Averted at JFK
Au contraire, John Edwards – this war thing is real, and still going on:
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NEW YORK — Federal authorities announced Saturday they had broken up a suspected Muslim terrorist cell planning a “chilling” attack to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport, kill thousands of people and trigger an economic catastrophe by blowing up a jet fuel artery that runs through populous residential neighborhoods.
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Three men, one of them a former member of Guyana’s parliament, were arrested and one was being sought in Trinidad as part of a plot that authorities said they had been tracked for more than a year and was foiled in the planning stages.
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“The devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is just unthinkable,” U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf said at a news conference, calling it “one of the most chilling plots imaginable.”
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In an indictment charging the four men, one of them is quoted as saying the foiled plot would “cause greater destruction than in the Sept. 11 attacks,” destroying the airport, killing several thousand people and destroying parts of New York’s borough of Queens, where the line runs underground.
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NEW YORK — Federal authorities announced Saturday they had broken up a suspected Muslim terrorist cell planning a “chilling” attack to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport, kill thousands of people and trigger an economic catastrophe by blowing up a jet fuel artery that runs through populous residential neighborhoods.
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Three men, one of them a former member of Guyana’s parliament, were arrested and one was being sought in Trinidad as part of a plot that authorities said they had been tracked for more than a year and was foiled in the planning stages.
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“The devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is just unthinkable,” U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf said at a news conference, calling it “one of the most chilling plots imaginable.”
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In an indictment charging the four men, one of them is quoted as saying the foiled plot would “cause greater destruction than in the Sept. 11 attacks,” destroying the airport, killing several thousand people and destroying parts of New York’s borough of Queens, where the line runs underground.
Is Iraq a Civil War?
Somebody at the Corner (sorry, I don’t recall who) directed my attention to a thoughtful piece by Sergeant David A. Patten of the Third Infantry Division in Baghdad, who explores whether or not the violence in Iraq constitutes a “civil war.” You should take the time to read the rest, but here’s his conclusion:
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There is no dispute about the dire situation in Iraq. Insurgents, militias, terrorists, and death squads are killing civilians at an alarming rate. Security forces are unreliable, and the Iraqi government is not meeting the needs of the people. Iraq is in a worse state than U.S. policymakers expected it would be three years ago.
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However, it does not follow that Iraq is in a civil war. While the government is weak, there is no political force presenting it with a serious challenge. Iraq is, indeed, an unstable nation, but there is little danger of regime change, the ultimate purpose of a civil war. The armed groups most likely to participate in an eventual civil war lack both the capacity and the will to enter into such a conflict in earnest at the present time.
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This does not mean that violence will decline; quite the contrary, as the referendum on the future status of the disputed city of Kirkuk nears, violence may increase. Nor does the central government appear able to consolidate power in the short term. Its inability to provide security and basic services will lead local officials, including unelected leaders of religious factions, to assume more power. But, in the long term, the central government will survive and take on a more significant role in keeping Iraq unified. For U.S. and coalition policymakers, assisting Iraq’s transition to democracy will require patience, diplomacy, and ingenuity.
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However, unfounded concerns over a civil war erupting could prompt an overreaction from U.S. policymakers. Should they conclude that Iraq is in a civil war—even if they base their determination on political expediency and no clear criteria—the most likely response would be a demand for withdrawal. A premature withdrawal of coalition forces could motivate the Sunni Arab insurgency to unify behind a political program; Sunni Arab civilians would likely lose any remaining confidence in the security forces, and many more would flee their homes. The Jaysh al-Mahdi undeterred would expand its influence and become the government’s rival for the people’s loyalty. Premature withdrawal could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, creating the conditions for a civil war that do not currently exist.
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There is no dispute about the dire situation in Iraq. Insurgents, militias, terrorists, and death squads are killing civilians at an alarming rate. Security forces are unreliable, and the Iraqi government is not meeting the needs of the people. Iraq is in a worse state than U.S. policymakers expected it would be three years ago.
–
However, it does not follow that Iraq is in a civil war. While the government is weak, there is no political force presenting it with a serious challenge. Iraq is, indeed, an unstable nation, but there is little danger of regime change, the ultimate purpose of a civil war. The armed groups most likely to participate in an eventual civil war lack both the capacity and the will to enter into such a conflict in earnest at the present time.
–
This does not mean that violence will decline; quite the contrary, as the referendum on the future status of the disputed city of Kirkuk nears, violence may increase. Nor does the central government appear able to consolidate power in the short term. Its inability to provide security and basic services will lead local officials, including unelected leaders of religious factions, to assume more power. But, in the long term, the central government will survive and take on a more significant role in keeping Iraq unified. For U.S. and coalition policymakers, assisting Iraq’s transition to democracy will require patience, diplomacy, and ingenuity.
–
However, unfounded concerns over a civil war erupting could prompt an overreaction from U.S. policymakers. Should they conclude that Iraq is in a civil war—even if they base their determination on political expediency and no clear criteria—the most likely response would be a demand for withdrawal. A premature withdrawal of coalition forces could motivate the Sunni Arab insurgency to unify behind a political program; Sunni Arab civilians would likely lose any remaining confidence in the security forces, and many more would flee their homes. The Jaysh al-Mahdi undeterred would expand its influence and become the government’s rival for the people’s loyalty. Premature withdrawal could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, creating the conditions for a civil war that do not currently exist.
Domestic Terrorism Averted
“There is no terrorist threat,” Michael Moore told us. Well, big guy, what say you about this?
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Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack the Army’s Fort Dix and massacre scores of U.S. soldiers — a plot the FBI says was foiled when the men took a video of themselves firing assault weapons to a store to have the footage put onto a DVD. –
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Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack the Army’s Fort Dix and massacre scores of U.S. soldiers — a plot the FBI says was foiled when the men took a video of themselves firing assault weapons to a store to have the footage put onto a DVD. –
The defendants, all men in their 20s from the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East, include a pizza deliveryman suspected of using his job to scout out the military base.
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“Today we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons that this group was trying to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of bullets,” said FBI agent J.P. Weiss.
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“We had a group that was forming a platoon to take on an army. They identified their target, they did their reconnaissance. They had maps. And they were in the process of buying weapons. Luckily, we were able to stop that.”
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Authorities said there was no direct evidence connecting them to any international terror organizations such as Al Qaeda. But several of the men said they were ready to kill and die “in the name of Allah,” according to court records.
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Their goal was “to kill as many American soldiers as possible” in attacks with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said.
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Investigators said they infiltrated the group with an informant well over a year ago and bided their time while they secretly recorded the defendants, five of whom lived in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb about 20 miles from Fort Dix.
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“This is what law enforcement is supposed to do in the post-9/11 era — stay one step ahead of those who are attempting to cause harm to innocent American citizens,” U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said.
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Weiss saluted the unidentified New Jersey store clerk who noticed the suspicious video as the “unsung hero” of the case. “That’s why we’re here today — because of the courage and heroism of that individual,” the FBI agent said.
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In addition to plotting the attack on Fort Dix, the defendants spoke of attacking a Navy installation in Philadelphia during the annual Army-Navy football game, and conducted surveillance at other military installations in the region, prosecutors said.
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One defendant, Eljvir Duka, was recorded as saying: “In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone is trying attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad.”
–
[…]
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“It doesn’t matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away,” another defendant, Serdar Tatar, was alleged to have said. “Or I die, it doesn’t matter. I’m doing it in the name of Allah.”
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The men trained by playing paintball in the woods in New Jersey and taking target practice at a firing range in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, where they had rented a house, authorities said.
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They often watched terror training videos, clips featuring Usama bin Laden, a tape containing the last will and testament of some of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and tapes of armed attacks on U.S. military personnel, erupting in laughter when one plotter noted that a Marine’s arm was blown off in an ambush, authorities said.
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[…]
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In court documents, prosecutors said the suspects came to the attention of authorities in January 2006 when a Mount Laurel, N.J., shopkeeper alerted the FBI about a “disturbing” video he had been asked to copy onto a DVD.
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The video showed 10 young men in their early 20s “shooting assault weapons at a firing range … while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic ‘Allah Akbar’ (God is great),” the complaint said. The 10 included six of those arrested, authorities said.
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By March 2006, the group had been infiltrated by an informant who developed a relationship with Shnewer, and the informant secretly recorded meetings last August, according to court documents.
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One of the suspects, Tatar, worked at his father’s pizzeria and made deliveries to the base, using that opportunity to scout out Fort Dix for an attack, authorities said.
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“Clearly, one of the guys had an intimate knowledge of the base from having been there delivering pizzas,” Christie said.
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The men also allegedly conducted surveillance at other area military installations, including Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and a Philadelphia Coast Guard station.
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[…]
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“If these people did something, then they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer who represented scores of detainees after the 2001 attacks. “But when the government says ‘Islamic militants,’ it sends a message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous.”
–
Some thoughts:
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1.) Thank God a desire to avoid “Islamophobia” cries didn’t prevent that shopkeeper from sounding the alarm! I can hear the PC-ers now: “Is it a crime for Muslims to play paintball? You racist!” If he had played by CAIR’s rules, the Fort Dix bloodbath would’ve had a far greater likelihood of success. It needs to be hammered home that liberal “sensitivity” is going to get people killed.
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(Yes, I heard about the other shootings reported today. I remember Virginia Tech. There’s plenty of violence that’s not Islam-related, and obviously we have to be ever vigilant about suspicious activity in general. But the point is that we cannot let our desire to be inoffensive smother our survival instinct, and blind us to factors like religion that, yes Virginia, are relevant.)
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2.) What if these idiots didn’t record anything in the first place, or weren’t so careless with their words at the shooting range? It’s scary to think this might not have been preventable, and even scarier to consider how sophisticated their planning was, even without al-Qaeda training (if there wasn’t…). Another reason why we have to confront not just terrorist groups, but the ideology of jihad head-on.
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3.) A couple of these guys were reportedly in the US illegally—a dire problem on which both parties are MIA.
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In the Corner Mark Krikorian has more concerns, while Cliff May sees a hopeful sign. Go read ‘em both.
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“Today we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons that this group was trying to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of bullets,” said FBI agent J.P. Weiss.
–
“We had a group that was forming a platoon to take on an army. They identified their target, they did their reconnaissance. They had maps. And they were in the process of buying weapons. Luckily, we were able to stop that.”
–
Authorities said there was no direct evidence connecting them to any international terror organizations such as Al Qaeda. But several of the men said they were ready to kill and die “in the name of Allah,” according to court records.
–
Their goal was “to kill as many American soldiers as possible” in attacks with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said.
–
Investigators said they infiltrated the group with an informant well over a year ago and bided their time while they secretly recorded the defendants, five of whom lived in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb about 20 miles from Fort Dix.
–
“This is what law enforcement is supposed to do in the post-9/11 era — stay one step ahead of those who are attempting to cause harm to innocent American citizens,” U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said.
–
Weiss saluted the unidentified New Jersey store clerk who noticed the suspicious video as the “unsung hero” of the case. “That’s why we’re here today — because of the courage and heroism of that individual,” the FBI agent said.
–
In addition to plotting the attack on Fort Dix, the defendants spoke of attacking a Navy installation in Philadelphia during the annual Army-Navy football game, and conducted surveillance at other military installations in the region, prosecutors said.
–
One defendant, Eljvir Duka, was recorded as saying: “In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone is trying attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad.”
–
[…]
–
“It doesn’t matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away,” another defendant, Serdar Tatar, was alleged to have said. “Or I die, it doesn’t matter. I’m doing it in the name of Allah.”
–
The men trained by playing paintball in the woods in New Jersey and taking target practice at a firing range in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, where they had rented a house, authorities said.
–
They often watched terror training videos, clips featuring Usama bin Laden, a tape containing the last will and testament of some of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and tapes of armed attacks on U.S. military personnel, erupting in laughter when one plotter noted that a Marine’s arm was blown off in an ambush, authorities said.
–
[…]
–
In court documents, prosecutors said the suspects came to the attention of authorities in January 2006 when a Mount Laurel, N.J., shopkeeper alerted the FBI about a “disturbing” video he had been asked to copy onto a DVD.
–
The video showed 10 young men in their early 20s “shooting assault weapons at a firing range … while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic ‘Allah Akbar’ (God is great),” the complaint said. The 10 included six of those arrested, authorities said.
–
By March 2006, the group had been infiltrated by an informant who developed a relationship with Shnewer, and the informant secretly recorded meetings last August, according to court documents.
–
One of the suspects, Tatar, worked at his father’s pizzeria and made deliveries to the base, using that opportunity to scout out Fort Dix for an attack, authorities said.
–
“Clearly, one of the guys had an intimate knowledge of the base from having been there delivering pizzas,” Christie said.
–
The men also allegedly conducted surveillance at other area military installations, including Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and a Philadelphia Coast Guard station.
–
[…]
–
“If these people did something, then they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer who represented scores of detainees after the 2001 attacks. “But when the government says ‘Islamic militants,’ it sends a message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous.”
–
Some thoughts:
–
1.) Thank God a desire to avoid “Islamophobia” cries didn’t prevent that shopkeeper from sounding the alarm! I can hear the PC-ers now: “Is it a crime for Muslims to play paintball? You racist!” If he had played by CAIR’s rules, the Fort Dix bloodbath would’ve had a far greater likelihood of success. It needs to be hammered home that liberal “sensitivity” is going to get people killed.
–
(Yes, I heard about the other shootings reported today. I remember Virginia Tech. There’s plenty of violence that’s not Islam-related, and obviously we have to be ever vigilant about suspicious activity in general. But the point is that we cannot let our desire to be inoffensive smother our survival instinct, and blind us to factors like religion that, yes Virginia, are relevant.)
–
2.) What if these idiots didn’t record anything in the first place, or weren’t so careless with their words at the shooting range? It’s scary to think this might not have been preventable, and even scarier to consider how sophisticated their planning was, even without al-Qaeda training (if there wasn’t…). Another reason why we have to confront not just terrorist groups, but the ideology of jihad head-on.
–
3.) A couple of these guys were reportedly in the US illegally—a dire problem on which both parties are MIA.
–
In the Corner Mark Krikorian has more concerns, while Cliff May sees a hopeful sign. Go read ‘em both.
Alan Colmes Makes Me Sick
He just said that Iran (you know, the guys who kidnapped a group of British sailors) doesn’t want a conflict because their rhetoric is “softening.” So lemme get this straight: As long as they talk nice while they’re committing flagrant acts of aggression, it counts as a net decrease rather than an escalation?
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Reminds me of the scene in Mars Attacks where the Martians announce “Don’t worry; we are your friends!” as they’re shooting everything in sight. Except, of course, then the Left presumably knew it was a joke.
Quote of the Day 2
“In dubious honor of Rosie O’Donnell defending mass murdering sociopath Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. She complained, believe it or not, about how we ‘robbed him of his humanity.’ Funny. I thought he did that when his chosen career path was that of ‘Mass-murderer of children and other innocent people.’”
Conservative Standards 