Yoni the Blogger Rapid Fire

No time, but here are three posts from Yoni the Blogger.

September 29, 2006

17 Terror Alerts Reported

17 Terror Alerts Reported 10:11 Sep 29, '06 / 7 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) Authorities report there are 17 specific credible terror alerts of planned attacks and/or the kidnapping of Israelis from inside pre-1967 Green Line Israel.

Posted by Yoni Tidi at 08:34 AM | Permalink

Soldiers Uninjured in Hevron Attack

Soldiers Uninjured in Hevron Attack 12:09 Sep 29, '06 / 7 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) Soldiers escaped injuries on Friday morning when an armed Arab male pulled a weapon and fired at them in Hevron. Soldiers wounded the attacker in his leg with return fire.

Posted by Yoni Tidi at 08:33 AM | Permalink

Another Woman and Girl Rescued from Torment in Arab Village

Another Woman and Girl Rescued from Torment in Arab Village
12:50 Sep 29, '06 / 7 Tishrei 5767
by Hillel Fendel

A Yad L'Achim special: Eight hareidi-religious Jews in disguise rescued a Jewish girl from her Moslem father's home in the PA-controlled city of Tul Karem, east of Netanya.

Accounts differ as to how precisely the rescue took place, but it was clearly planned thoroughly in advance. The story began several years ago when an Arab man from Tul Karem met a Jewish girl from Ashdod, and it was "love at first sight," according to the Arab. The Jewess has a different version, however; she says he first fooled her into believing he was Jewish - and neglected to mention that he was already married with children. In fact, when the two later married and moved to Tul Karem, the first wife and five children lived nearby, without her knowledge.

The Jewish woman said her husband forbade her to go outside and beat her, and also later beat her daughter, born five years ago.

After a while, the woman went to visit her mother in Ashdod, taking her daughter with her. A few days later, she informed her Moslem husband that she was not returning. The man was willing to accept his second wife's departure, but not that of his daughter - and he traveled to Ashdod and snatched her back to Tul Karem. He later claimed that back in Tul Karem, she "flowered," and that she had complained of being beaten by her grandmother "and not being allowed to stay up past 8 PM."

The mother then called Yad L'Achim, an organization that actively combats Christian missionaries and helps Jewish women suffering in Moslem villages. One account says that the religious men came into the town dressed as Arabs and asked directions for the man's house, while others say they were dressed as IDF soldiers and arrived under the guise of a terrorist-arresting operation. In any event, they entered the house, took the man and the 5-year-old girl, sped out of town, and immediately afterwards, released the father.

Meanwhile, another car was bringing the mother and grandmother to meet them. A Yad L'Achim operative who took part in the rescue was quoted in the Maariv newspaper as describing the emotional reunion: "The little girl had been sitting curled up in the car, then she got out, barefoot and with pajamas, and when she saw her mother, they embraced and fell together on the road, together with the grandmother."

The reunited mother and daughter are now in an undisclosed location, planning the legal battle to allow them to stay together. The father, for his part, has filed a complaint with the police of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Yad L'Achim (lit., Hand to Brothers) reports that it has saved "hundreds of Jewish women" in this manner in the course of the past year. Chairman Rabbi Shalom Dov Lifshitz said, "Hundreds of Jewish children and youths are rolling about in Arab villages, not knowing a thing about their Jewishness."

In the Jewish year 5765, which ended last Rosh HaShanah, the organization rescued 58 such children and 34 women in 47 rescues. The story that generally repeats itself is that the women regret having married Arabs, but their husbands refuse to allow them to return to their original homes.

"The children we saved would never have cried out 'Shma Yisrael,' would not have known they were Jewish, and certainly would have had no way of growing up as Jews," Yad L'Achim sources say.

A spokeswoman for the group said that the rescue was a last-resort mission, "after we turned to all the relevant authorities and were not answered, and after we saw that there was a definite threat upon the girl and others." She noted that two Arab women had recently turned to the group for help as well, "and we helped them happily."

Yad L'Achim also says it brought about the closure of 27 missionary centers in the past year, as well as 18 the year before.

One of the issues the group is currently dealing with involves the revelation that a missionary cult is running a nursery in a municipally-owned building in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem. Yad L'Achim reports that it recently discovered that for the past three years, an educational association has been illegally subletting the building to a missionary organization, which in turns operates a nursery there, "spreading its racist, anti-Semitic teachings, with missionary objectives, without the knowledge of the parents and children."

City Councilmen Rabbis Yosef Deitsch and Yaakov Shnor have asked Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky to immediately cancel the lease.

The two discovered the missionary activity when they were looking for better quarters for two Chabad nurseries, which are currently serving 90 children in a nearby bomb shelter in very crowded conditions

Good job!

Posted by Yoni Tidi at 08:31 AM | Permalink

Muslim Genocide, committed by Muslims.

Israel Matzav brings an article from the Ma'ariv on the millions upon millions of Muslims murdered, by themselves. The article is chock-full of detailed examples and horrifying figures, and ends with this:

Another fact: Since WWII, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the national conflict with the lowest number of victims, but with the world’s highest number of publications hostile to Israel in the media and in the Academia.

Terror of the Day

I think I will change this feature from "Kassam of the Day" to "Terror of the Day". Today was (thankfully) Kassam-free, but that is only because the IDF kicked some serious Kassam-butt today. But that doesn't mean the paleos are not furthering their terror goals:
From Arutz Sheva:

Update on Car Bomb in Rishon L'Tzion
14:00 Sep 29, '06 / 7 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) Police report that a car bomb did explode near or in front of 98 Herzl Street in Rishon L'Tzion.

A senior police commander reports that the blast was terror related; stating it appears the one fatality is the terrorist. At least two people are in moderate condition and others light.

The Digital Wife's cousins live in Rishon L'Tzion. Rishon is such a beautiful coastal town. It sorta reminds me of San Diego, but on the Mediterraneanan. That terrorist blowing himself (herself?) up in the car reminds me of that tasteless (but funny) Volkswagen commercial.



Update: It appears the car bomb was a criminal murder, not a terror attack. 5 people were wounded and the guy inside the car was associated with criminals, and was previously tried to be killed.

Kassam of the Day

Kassam rocket lands near Sderot; none wounded

A Kassam rocket landed near Sderot on Thursday night.

No one was wounded and no damage was reported.

Video from the war in Lebanon

I have not watched this video yet, but Yoni the Blogger posted about it a while ago. It is about 25 minutes long. Click here for a larger version.



Update: Here is the original post of the video and some background on it. From On The Face blog:

Itai Anghel

During the third week of the Israel-Hezbollah war a fascinating report was broadcast on Uvda (Fact), a highly respected investigative news show hosted by veteran journalist Ilana Dayan.

Itai Anghel accompanied regiment 931 of the Nahal Brigade (infantry) to a battle that took place on the night of August 6-7 in Houleh, a Hezbollah-controlled village in Lebanon that is about 2 kilometres north of the border with Israel. Anghel documents the fierce battle that took place using a camera equipped with a night vision lens. I think it is quite possibly the most significant piece of reporting to come out of the war.

Itai generously sent me a link to his report that includes English subtitles. You can watch it below (length, 25 minutes).

A few things to know before you watch: With the exception of the officers - Avi Dahan and Biche - all the soldiers are reservists in their 20's and 30's who did their three-year mandatory army service (ages 18-21) in the unit; in other words, they are civilians who responded to emergency call up notices. A small bit that was edited out includes an exchange between Itai and the reservist with glasses, during which the latter explains that in civilian life he lives on a kibbutz and leads nature hikes. There are a couple of minor errors in the translation but they don't detract from the impact of the report, which is compelling and intense. Note especially Itai's observation, in voice over narration, at the very end. (I won't spoil it for you, but I think it says a lot about how people can draw very differing conclusions from the same events).

How dare you call us intolerant!

This could almost be a daily roundup of ludicrous ironies and outrageous intolerance, subjugation, and violence by the Muslim world on anyone who thinks differently then them. uchh. Here are just a few items from today's news.

Muslim Journalist Faces Death Penalty For Printing Pro-Israel Articles
17:27 Sep 27, '06 / 5 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) A court in Bangladesh is scheduled to try a Muslim journalist for writing articles favorable to Israel. The country's laws state that the journalist, Salah Uddin Choudhury, could receive a death sentence.

"The only dialogue we will accept is when all other religions agree to convert to Islam"
Posted: September 27, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
JERUSALEM – Pope Benedict XVI's meeting this week with a delegation of Muslim leaders and his calls for interfaith dialogue following earlier remarks about Islam are really "Crusader conspiracies" to subjugate the Islamic faith and force "Christian-Zionist" worldviews upon Muslims, a prominent Gaza Strip preacher told WorldNetDaily in an interview.

Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Gaza's Jihadia Salafiya Islamic outreach movement, which seeks to make secular Muslims more religious, called the pope a "puppet" for "that Crusader George Bush."

The Gaza imam said the only Christian-Muslim dialogue that is acceptable is one in which "all religions agree to convert to Islam."

"The call for so-called dialogue by this little racist pope is a Trojan horse with the main goal of reaching a new system in which the ideals [of Christianity] are a new ideology that will rule relations between nations and people. The dialogue he wants is dangerous," said Abu Saqer, speaking to WND from the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

"The pope is the spiritual and religious wing of the Crusader ideology," Abu Saqer said. "He is totally coordinated with Bush. Through this dialogue he hopes to break the lines of unity between Muslims and polarize the Muslim world, which has some partisans who will accept this new dialogue. But true believers know Islam must rule all relations. The only dialogue we will accept is when all other religions agree to convert to Islam."

Kassam of the Day

Two rocket attacks today...

Kassam Attack on Sderot
15:24 Sep 27, '06 / 5 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) Arab terrorists from the Gaza Strip fired a Kassam rocket a short time ago towards the Negev city of Sderot, frequent target of such attacks. There were no injuries reported in the bombing.

Kassam Rocket Attack South Of Ashkelon
15:36 Sep 27, '06 / 5 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) Arab terrorists have fired another Kassam rocket, which exploded south of Ashkelon without causing damage or injuries. The rocket attacks have become almost a daily occurrence the past two weeks following a brief interlude.

The 'Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province'

I haven't read this post, yet, but if Defense Tech says I must read it, I will read it.

Defense Tech: The 'Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province'

I don't usually post these sorts of things. But there's an e-mail making the rounds, from a marine in Fallujah, that's too good not to share. From bank-robbing insurgents to Oprah-watching locals to the "Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province," this marine has vidvidly, succinctly captured life during wartime -- and made it all funny, to boot. Go read, now.

Update: I read it. 'tis goood.

What Ceasefire?

The rockets have been raining non-stop out of Gaza. Here is today's story:

Via Yoni the Blogger
Kassam Rocket Slams into a Sderot Home
07:44 Sep 26, '06 / 4 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) A Kassam rocket fired from northern PA (Palestinian Authority) controlled Gaza slammed into a home on Herzl Street in Sderot. One person is reportedly injured, in moderate condition.

War zone, only worse:

Whoa.

Via Pajamas Media:

War zone, only worse:

PJM in Sydney

September 25, 2006 11:33 PM

“More than 150 Brazilians were murdered each day last year on average, putting Brazil on a par with some war zones in terms of its homicide rate, the Justice Ministry said on Monday. Some 55,000 Brazilians died of homicide in 2005 — a few thousand more civilians than in three years of war in Iraq, according to leading estimates.” (Reuters)

Granny Get Your Gun

For a larger version, click here. (hat tip: PJM)

"Call Us Murderers and We'll Kill You"

Via LGF:

Missed this one over the weekend, but several readers emailed about George Jonas’ excellent column on the phenomenon of recurring Islamic rage: Jihadists don’t care about logic. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

What did the Pope do? As most readers know, he quoted a remark made by the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeologus: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

Was the anointed of Byzantium on to something? The Pope certainly didn’t say so. He just quoted the beleaguered emperor, who — being squeezed between hostile Turks and demanding Venetians at the time — had vented about the Prophet and his bellicose followers in conversation with a Persian scholar. Little did he suspect that his words would hit the fan nearly 600 years later.

“The infidelity and tyranny of the Pope will only be stopped by a major attack,” announced al-Qaeda from its cave on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Al-Qaeda’s political arm in New York, a.k.a. the United Nations, took no position, only using the opportunity to condemn Israel for one thing or another.

Why do some Muslims have such an uncanny talent for proving the case of their critics? When accused of violence, they threaten violence. Better still, they engage in it. “Call us unruly and we riot,” they say, in essence. “Call us murderers, and we kill you.” Don’t they see that this makes them a joke?

Well, no, they don’t — and they’re right. Saying such things may make someone a joke in a debating society, but Islamofascists fight in a different arena. They don’t care about winning the debate; what they want to win is their Kampf, better known these days as Jihad.
Lo and behold, they’re winning it. By now the whole world tiptoes around the sensibilities of medieval fanatics. We take pains not to offend ululating fossils who cheer suicide bombers. Or raise them. We prop up rickety regimes whose sole contribution to modern times is to nurture ancient grievances and revive barbaric customs. We worry about the feelings — feelings! — of people who stone their loved ones for sexual missteps. We pussyfoot to protect the delicate psyche of oily ogres who amputate the hands of petty thieves, issue fatwas on novelists and cover up their hapless wives and sisters to the eyeballs.

We do this, obviously, not because we’re impressed by the logic of the Islamofascist line — “call us murderers and we’ll kill you” — but because we’re intimidated by it.

5,000 Years in 90 Seconds

Here is an interesting and well done summary of the conquerors of Israel and the Middle East over the past 5,000 years.

The Great Deception:

Via Pajamas Media:

The Great Deception:

PJM in Tel Aviv

September 25, 2006 1:48 AM

Instead of spending her New Year’s holiday relaxing, Israeli blogger Imshin was busy translating. The article she felt the world must read runs the numbers in detail: 60,000 Arabs have died in the Arab-Israel conflict since 1948 — a few thousand were Palestinian. During this same period, millions of Muslims and Arabs have died at the hands of….Muslims and Arabs. The conclusion: “the great deception of the libel against Israel is the great tragedy of the Arabs and the Muslims - for it allows this horrific carnage to continue undisturbed.”

Hezbollah Melting into the Civilian Population

Via LGF, AP reveals a striking method of Hezbollah's method of disappearing from the 'battlefield' - "they melt back into the population". I think Charles also didn't mention that Hezbollah is violating the Geneva convention of endagering civilians by hiding among them.

In this reeking pile of propaganda masquerading as a news report, Associated Press writer Hamza Hendawi inadvertently reveals an interesting fact: Lasting quiet returns to south Lebanon.

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon - Hezbollah fighters have vanished in south Lebanon, melting back into the population. Whether peace holds will depend on how they put up with the newest players in their longtime stronghold: the Lebanese army and a beefed-up U.N. peacekeeping force.

Now just a minute. “Melting back into the population?” Isn’t this the same Associated Press who told us that all of the Lebanese casualties were “civilians?” Who never published a single photograph of a Hizballah fighter in action? Who mocked allegations that Hizballah was using the real civilians as human shields? Who screamed non-stop about “disproportionate” action by Israel?

But now Hizballah fighters, who (if you believe the AP) were never there to begin with, have mysteriously “vanished.”

What a joke.

Tolerance: A Two-Way Street

Charles Krauthammer - Tolerance: A Two-Way Street

Hat tip: Israel Matzav

Jihad Watch: Mum's the Word, Lest We Provoke a Lethal Tantrum

Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch:

James Lileks nails it (thanks to Doc Washburn for the link).

If you mock Islam with a drawing or a novel, you get riots and dead people. News of mishandled holy books yields riots and dead people. Insufficiently reverent short films by a Dutchman yields a dead person, specifically the Dutchman.

Now we add this detail: Quoting medieval religious colloquies is a reasonable justification for burning churches, shooting a nun and holding up signs demanding that the pope convert to Islam or saw off his own head. (There have been reports of carpal tunnel syndrome among radical Islam's enforcers, and they have requested we all help out.)

This is a new twist: Now history itself cannot be discussed. Since it's difficult to predict what else will enflame the devout, Islam has to be treated with unusual deference, like a 3-year-old child with anger management problems.

But it's not what we say that truly offends. It's what we are. The West's lack of interest in joining the Ummah is an affront in itself, and we broadcast our sins in High Infidelity. If you believed that the West's apostasy was an affront to God, you'd spend your leisure hours torching straw popes too.

Progressives at home and abroad seem oddly unconcerned. "Islamophobia," after all, is just a product of the BushCo junta's relentless fearmongering, and Benedict is the Nazi pope who personally swipes the condoms from people's bedroom drawers.

But it's an inconvenient truth, to coin a phrase, when the ranters show up with vibrating uvulas demanding the pope's assassination. (Would they be satisfied with a docudrama version? It would go over big at Cannes.)

Read it all. Read it again. Pass it around.

Axis of Meshuganahs

Pajamas Media:

Axis of Meshuganahs:

“The Moose wonders whether Karl Rove wrote Hugo Chavez’s speech at the UN? […] What was really disturbing was not El Loco’s unhinged speech but rather the positive response he received from the “distinguished” diplomats at Turtle Bay […] America now faces an Axis of Meshuganahs - from Caracas to Teheran. Unfortunately, they are not just crazy, but evil and with oil riches and with nukes. And the world just laughs and applauds. But, it’s not funny.” — Marshall Whitman @ Bull Moose

Touchdown!

No this is not a celebratory post about last week's single Lions touchdown of the year, this morning the space shuttle Atlantis landed safely.

Via Pajamas Media:

Space shuttle Atlantis has made a pre-dawn landing here after a successful 12-day construction mission to the orbiting International Space Station. The shuttle touched down at Kennedy Space Center at 6:21 am (1021 GMT) Thursday, in the space shuttle program’s 15th nighttime landing in Florida.

“Welcome back, Congratulations on return,” NASA communicator Tony Antonelli told the Atlantis crew as they ground to a halt on the runway. “It’s nice to be back,” answered Atlantis Commander Brent Jett, who piloted the third shuttle mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts.

Bush: I take Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel seriously - Haaretz - Israel News

Gosh, I love our straight talking, apolitical president.

Bush: I take Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel seriously

United States President George W. Bush says that he takes Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at his word when he declares that Israel should be wiped off the map.

"My judgment is you've got to take everybody's word seriously in this world," Bush said in an interview to CNN.

"You can't just hope for the best," he said. "You've got to assume that the leader, when he says that he would like to destroy Israel, means what he says. If you say, 'Well, gosh, maybe he doesn't mean it,' and you turn out to be wrong, you have not done your duty as a world leader."

The Moderate Mahdis

Cox & Forkum: The Moderate Mahdis

From The Age:Muslim nations must have nukes: Mahathir.

Muslim nations in the Middle East should arm themselves with nuclear weapons to deter Western enemies from attacking them, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said.

"They should have tanks, warplanes, warships, guns and missiles," Mahathir said.

"Yes, they need to have nuclear weapons too, because only with the possession of such would their enemies be deterred from attacking them."

Mahathir, 81, who retired as prime minister in 2003, remains highly respected and influential throughout the Muslim world. ...

When asked whether Muslim nations in the Middle East should acquire nuclear weapons, Mahathir replied, "Well, if you allow Israel to have them, why should the others not have them too?"

In original "The Moderate Mahdis" cover story, Robert Tracinski wrote:

The Madhi [of Sudan in the 1880s] was a wild-eyed fanatic who, the encyclopedia notes, "moved from orthodox religious study to a mystical interpretation of Islam." But his vision was essentially the same as that offered by Mahathir: to strike back at the West and expel the "colonialist" infidels, restoring the original might of the Islamic empire.

Mahathir is, in effect, offering his vision for a new, modern, "moderate" Mahdi -- in the form of a business-suited autocrat seeking battleships, ballistic missiles, and nuclear bombs.

And that is precisely what makes Mahathir and his ilk all the more dangerous. The "extremists" like the Taliban doom themselves to insignificance by the very fact of their consistent adherence to their religious philosophy. But those who can make compromises with the demands of this world -- those who embrace the same moral and religious precepts, but implement them in a more reasonable, practical form -- are much more dangerous. They give their irrationalist philosophy some degree of power in the world.

But the biggest threat to the West is not the moderate Mahdis. It is the failure of our leaders to identify the malevolence of the Muslim "moderates" and see them as a threat.

Mad Man Ranting!

I don't understand why the U.S. lets madmen the likes of Hugo Chavez and Ahmanejad into the United States, then gives them a pulpit to spew hatred, violence and the elimination of Israel (yesterday). Today, Chavez calls Bush the devil. MM has more:

Watch the video:

...

He held up Noam Chomsky's book and called President Bush the devil:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the United States to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling President Bush "the devil."

"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."

More transcript from Musing Minds (via Pajamas):

I think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States because their threat is in their own house. The devil is right at home. The devil, the devil himself is right in the house. And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here. (crosses himself) Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today. This table that I am now standing in front of, yesterday ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the President of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as ‘the devil’ came here talking as if he owned the world. Truly as the owner of the world. I think we can call a psychiatrist to analyze yesterday’s statement made by the President of the United States.

11:28am Eastern - Inveighing against America's "immoral veto." Spewing about Lebanon...American hegemonistic pretensions.

11:41 Wrapping it up. Puts in yet another plug for Chomsky. "Recommending it highly...It smells of sulfur here. May God bless you all."

Scariest part: The applause from the UN assembly. Prolonged clapping.

Runner-up: The immediate laughter upon Chavez calling President Bush the devil.

Mad Man Walking!

Iran's president Ahmanijad gave a little fireside chat to the UN yesterday. Here is the transcript of his speech. Please keep in mind that in my humble opinion this man is a sadistic, ruthless tyrant, who constanly calls for Israel to be wiped off the map, and has repeatedly said if he had nuclear weapons he would destroy Israel with them. Oh, and he was one of the 1979 U.S. embassy kidnappers.

The ongoing failure of imagination

I have not yet read this article, but it probably is pretty scary. I guess what's so hard about these types of articles is that the unimaginable is so painful to imagine. I don't know what we can do to prevent it, or to prepare for it.

President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly

Here is the transcript of the President's speech to the UN:

President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly

lgf: More Torture Horror Techniques

Ha! LOL!

lgf: More Torture Horror Techniques

A world exclusive from Jim Treacher: Secret CIA interrogation techniques revealed!

America’s shame just keeps growing.

The Faux Shirt Stain: Interrogator points at suspect’s chest: “Look, you’ve got something on your shirt.” When suspect looks down, interrogator brings up index finger, tweaking suspect’s nose. Interrogator laughs. This grievous affront, a loss of honor in the eyes of Allah, administers massive psychic trauma to suspect. Repeat as needed.

The Urkel: Suspect is locked in room lined with 72-inch plasma screens showing non-stop Family Matters episodes featuring ‘90s “urban nerd” Steve Urkel. Longest recorded breaking time: 2.3 hours.

The Echo: Interrogator repeats all of suspect’s statements in snotty voice...

Suspect: All unbelievers will fall before the sword of Allah!
Interrogator: [Flouncing about room in effeminate fashion] All unbelievers will fall! Before the sword! Of Allah! Who is my boyfriend! Pppbbbbbbhhht!!

Interrogator’s failure to be struck down instantly places suspect under extreme psychological stress. In case of emergency, interrogator may deploy Nyah-Nyah-Nyah Protocol.

Applebaum: Enough Apologies

lgf: Applebaum: Enough Apologies

Anne Applebaum hits the nail on the head: Enough Apologies. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

Nothing the pope has ever said comes even close to matching the vitriol, extremism and hatred that pour out of the mouths of radical imams and fanatical clerics every day, all across Europe and the Muslim world, almost none of which ever provokes any Western response at all. And maybe it’s time that it should: When Saudi Arabia publishes textbooks commanding good Wahhabi Muslims to “hate” Christians, Jews and non-Wahhabi Muslims, for example, why shouldn’t the Vatican, the Southern Baptists, Britain’s chief rabbi and the Council on American-Islamic Relations all condemn them — simultaneously?

Maybe it’s a pipe dream: The day when the White House and Greenpeace can issue a joint statement is surely distant indeed. But if stray comments by Western leaders — not to mention Western films, books, cartoons, traditions and values — are going to inspire regular violence, I don’t feel that it’s asking too much for the West to quit saying sorry and unite, occasionally, in its own defense. The fanatics attacking the pope already limit the right to free speech among their own followers. I don’t see why we should allow them to limit our right to free speech, too.

Synagogue Shooting in Norway

From lgf: Synagogue Shooting in Norway

Last weekend at least ten shots were fired with an automatic weapon at a synagogue in Oslo, Norway: Synagogue shooting spurs calls for tighter security. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

Norway’s justice minister was contacting key members of the Jewish community in Oslo on Monday, after a round of shots was fired at the capital’s synagogue over the weekend. Higher security around the synagogue may involve closing off the street where it’s located.

No one was injured in the shooting, which damaged the front of the synagogue in Oslo’s St Hanshaugen district. Police said more than 10 shots were fired, probably from an automatic weapon, at the synagogue’s façade early Sunday morning.

“We are taking this type of violence very seriously,” Justice Minister Knut Storberget told newspaper Vart Land on Monday. “That’s why it’s necessary that police devote all available resources to the case.”

lgf: And Now for Some Antisemitism

From lgf:

And Now for Some Antisemitism

Republican Senator George Allen, during a debate with Democratic challenger Jim Webb, is asked a completely outrageous question about his possible Jewish ancestry: Video: Allen Reacts to Religious Identity Probe. (Hat tip: Joel.)

It really has come to this.

Blow if you think Ahmadinejad blows:

Via Pajamas Media:

Blow if you think Ahmadinejad blows:

PJM in Tel Aviv

September 19, 2006 12:56 AM

A coalition of major Jewish organizations is holding a rally against global terrorism and its state sponsors across the street from the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Attendees are being told to bring their shofar – the ceremonial ram’s horn blown to mark Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

Bunker Busters Bulk Up

Defense Tech: Bunker Busters Bulk Up: Interesting article, but I am posting it to bring you this one line:

The Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is a behemoth of a bomb, weighing almost 30,000 lb. It is designed to "overwhelm target characterization uncertainties," according to program officials.

Heh.

The world turned upside down

The world turned upside down:

PJM in Barcelona

September 15, 2006 5:37 AM

“It’s impossible not to note the hysteria sweeping through Congress, culminating with the literally insane vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee to allow terrorists on trial — and their al-Qaeda lawyers — to see all the classified evidence against them, including (one presumes) information that would identify spies we have placed in that group, allowing for quick and easy executions of deep-cover agents, as well as blowing other surveillance programs to allow al-Qaeda to evade detection in their future plans.” (Big Lizards)

On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs

Via LGF:

Here’s a great little essay by Dave Grossman: On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.”

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools.

But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

Read the whole thing...

Why not go to Israel?

Israel Matzav: Trade Center attack spurred survivor to make aliya

"There is terror all over the place and Israel is the Jewish homeland. All Jews should think about coming here."

My thoughts too. If we are going to fight terrorism anyways and risk our lives just by living, why not risk it from within our own Jewish homeland? (I believe that it is less of a risk in Israel, but that is another discussion)

The Time Traveler

A must-read in its entirety, by Dan Simmons, but here are a few paragraphs:

“Let’s imagine,” said the Time Traveler, “that on December eighth, Nineteen forty-one, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke before a joint session of Congress and asked them to declare war on aviation.”

“That’s absurd,” I said.

“Is it?” asked the Time Traveler. “The American battleships, cruisers, harbor installations, Army barracks, and airfields at Pearl Harbor and elsewhere in Hawaii were all struck by Japanese aircraft. Imagine if the next day Roosevelt had declared war on aviation . . . threatening to wipe it out wherever we found it. Committing all the resources of the United States of America to defeating aviation, so help us God.”

“That’s just stupid,” I said. If I’d ever been afraid of this Time Traveler, I wasn’t now. He was obviously a mental defective.“The planes, the Japanese planes,” I said, “were just a method of attack . . . a means . . . it wasn’t aviation that attacked us at Pearl Harbor, but the Empire of Japan. We declared war on Japan and a few days later its ally, Germany, lived up to its treaty with the Japanese and declared war on us. If we’d declared war on aviation, on goddamned airplanes rather than the empire and ideology that launched them, we’d never have . . .”

I stopped. What had he called it? Category Error. Making the problem unsolvable through your inability – or fear – of defining it correctly.

The Time Traveler was smiling at me from the shadows. It was a small, thin, cold smile – holding no humor in it, I was sure -- but still a smile of sorts. It seemed more sad than gloating as my sudden silence stretched on.

...

“Your enemy is he who will give his life to kill you,” said the Time Traveler. “Your enemies are they that wish you and your children and your grandchildren dead and who are willing to sacrifice themselves, or support those fanatics who will sacrifice themselves, to see you and your institutions destroyed. You haven’t figured that out yet – the majority of you fat, sleeping, smug, infinitely stupid Americans and Europeans.”

He stood and set the Scotch glass back in its place on my sideboard. “How, we wonder in my time,” he said softly, “can you ignore the better part of a billion people who say aloud that they are willing to kill your children . . . or condone and celebrate the killing of them? And ignore them as they act on what they say? We do not understand you.”

I still had not turned to face him, but was looking over my shoulder at him.

“The world, as it turns out,” continued the Time Traveler, “is not nearly so complex a place as your liberal and gentle minds sought to make it.”

A Beautiful Mind

Via Pajamas Media:

Beautiful Mind:
PJM in Seattle
September 9, 2006 9:23 PM

An autistic man, a 45 minute helicopter ride over Rome, and a five and a half yard strip of paper on which he draws the entire city. Easily one of the most amazing feats you have ever seen.

VDH: Five Years and Running

Victor Davis Hanson: Works and Days: Five Years and Running

As always, a must-read.

Firebomb Attack Against Montreal Jewish School

Via Yoni the Blogger:

Firebomb Attack Against Montreal Jewish School 08:42 Sep 10, '06 / 17 Elul 5766

(IsraelNN.com) A firebomb was hurled at a Jewish school in Outremont, Montreal last week. There were no injuries.

The incendiary device landed in a classroom that was emptied some 20 before the attack, resulting in damage but no injuries.

Surveillance tapes showed the attack occurred on Friday night, shortly after midnight, targeting the Skver-Toldos Jewish Boys School. Damage in the attack, labeled a ‘hate crime’ by local police, is estimated at US $50,000.

Living legacy: The children of 9/11

From Michelle Malkin:

Go to ABC News for an extraordinary gallery of photos of children who lost parents on 9/11.

The September 11 Scholarship Alliance has a good list of programs benefitting children who lost parents on 9/11.

Lileks 9/11 Video

Via LGF:

A 9/11 remembrance from James Lileks: Sept. 11, 2001.

In Memoriam

Francisco Cruz

1954 - 2001

The Quiet Guitar Player

Francisco Cruz was a security guard for Summit Security at the World Trade Center, he was last seen guiding firefighters through 5 World Trade Center.

"He was a good man," said his wife, Carmen Candelaria, who uses her family name. "I loved him so much."

The couple had been together for 21 years, she said, and Mr. Cruz was especially caring and sensitive during her occasional bouts with asthma.

"He helped me very much. When I was sick, he would go to the doctor with me or take me to the hospital," she said. "He was very special in my life."

Francisco Cruz was not much for words — the kind of guy who would go to a party, look over the dance floor and head straight for a dark, quiet corner. When Mr. Cruz, a security guard for Summit Security in the World Trade Center, did have something to say, he let his guitar speak for him, spewing out fiery renditions of tunes by Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and Jose Feliciano. "Music was his life," said his brother Tomas Cruz. "It allowed him to escape outside of himself. He would just come alive."

Music hooked Mr. Cruz, 47, at an early age. While kids all around him were busy dreaming baseball, Mr. Cruz became mesmerized by a neighborhood kid who was learning to play the guitar, and earning lots of attention because of it. Young Mr. Cruz wanted to be cool, too. "But we didn't have a guitar, and our mother didn't have the money to buy one," his brother recalled. "So we would steal my uncle's guitar and hang out in the hallway with it, like we knew what we were doing."

Soon, Mr. Cruz had taught himself and his younger brother how to play. "I'll never be half as good as he was," Tomas Cruz said, "but when I'm playing, it keeps me with him and takes me back to our good times."

Family Tributes:

Gathered from online tributes (links below). Translations from the original Spanish (included); thanks to the Digital Dad.

September 1, 2002 – From Ethan, Francisco’s 8-year-old stepson

Dear Papa,

I want you to know that I miss you so much.I love you with all my heart.I think about you every day and sometimes I cry.You were like my real father and I thank you for that.Thank you for the love you gave me and for buying me all the toys that I wanted.Rest in peace.I will see you some day.Don't worry about Mama I will take care of her.Love you always your son.
Ethan Candelaria

September 1, 2002 "Para el amor de mi vida" (From Carmen, Francisco’s Wife)
Querido Frankie,

Aun recuerdo que en la madrugada del 11 de Septiembre 2001 tu no querias ir a trabajar,pero tenias que hacerlo.Mas tarde recibi tu llamada donde me desias que no sabias lo que estaba pasando afuera
Me acuerdo que te grite "Frankie salte del building" y tu me contestaste que no podias por que tenias que ayudar a los demas.Esa fue la ultima vez que escuche tu voz y se escuchaba el miedo que tu tenias.Nunca pense que me ivas a dejar y mucho menos de esa manera.Francho hace casi un ano que te fuistes de mi lado pero aun el dolor de haberte perdido se siente igual.Yo se que tu estas con el Senor y que estas descansando en paz pero, quiero que sepas que aun te extrano mucho.Tu eras mi esposo,mi amigo y mi companero.La persona con quien comparti mi vida por 22 anos.El hombre a quien yo quise,quiero y voy a querer toda la vida.Vivir sin ti no sera facil pero yo tratare de seguir adelante como tu lo hubieras querido.Te extrano mucho tu esposa y amiga Carmen.

Que descanses en paz y nos veremos algun dia.I Love You Francho.

Translation:

My dear Frankie,

Once memory from the dawn of September 11, 2001 is that you didn't want to go to work, but you had to do so. A little later, I received your call where you told me that you didn't know what was going on outside. I remember that I yelled "Frankie get out of the building!" and you answered me that you couldn't because you had to help the others. That was the last time I heard your voice and I heard the fear that you had. I never thought that you would leave me and even less in this way. Frankie it's been almost a year since you left my side but the pain of losing you still feels the same. I know that you are with God and that you are resting in peace, but I want you to know that I miss you terribly. You are my husband, my friend, my companion. The person with whom I shared my life for 22 years. The man that I wanted, that I want, and that I will always want for my whole life. Living without you will not be easy but I will try to continue forward like you would have wanted. I miss you very much, your wife and friend, Carmen

You should rest in peace and we'll see each other again another day. I love you Francho

September 1, 2002

Dear Frankie,
We really miss you.We hope your in a better place near god.Mom really misses you alot,she feels lonley without you,but she excepted what happened and hopes one day she will be with you in heaven,until then we pray every day for you.God Bless you,we will always love you.

Love Freddy and Family [Alfredo Candelaria, Buffalo, NY]

P.S.
I will never forget you.
-Carmen Candelaria(Wife)

March 11, 2002

Dear Frankie

Althought your stay here on earth was brief, you gave the best of yourself to those around you. We trully miss you, we will never forget you and we'll make sure that your nieces and nephews know your legacy. You are our HERO. Rest in peace. love your sister in law

[Zulma Cruz (Staten Island, NY)]

March 11, 2002

I love you Frankie, I love you very much, I'm sending you a letter to you to say I love you very munch and I miss you. You are now in heaven with Papa Dios.

Love your niece Nikki (3 years old) [Staten Island, NY]

August 29, 2002 (From Carmen, Francisco’s Wife)

Para mi querido esposo,

Hace casi un ano que me dejastes,pero no pasa un solo dia en que yo no pienso en ti.Te extrano mucho.Tu eras mi esposo,mi amigo, mi companero y el amor de mi vida.Siempre te llevare en mi corazon y en mis pensamientos.Que descanses en paz y algun dia nos volveremos a encontrar y seguiremos siendo felices.Te ama tu esposa, amiga y companera

Carmen

Translation:

For my dear husband,

It's been almost a year since you left me, but not a single day passes that I don't think of you. I miss you very much. You are my husband, my friend, my companion, and the love of my life. I will always carry you in my heart and in my thoughts. You should rest in peace and one day we will return to meet again and continue being happy. You are loved by your wife, your friend, and your partner/companion.

Carmen

September 1, 2002 (From Carmen, Francisco’s Wife)

Querido Frankie,

Te extrano mucho.Hace casi un ano que te perdi pero aun parece que fue ayer.Visito tu tumba casi todos los dias y te hablo.Siempre te digo cuanto te extrano y cuanto quisiera verte otra vez.La familia tambien te extrana mucho.Yo se que tu estas con Dios y que estas descansando en paz.Nos volveremos a ver algun dia y entonces estaremos junto para siempre.Te quiere y nunca te olvidara tu esposa y amiga .

Translation:

Dear Frankie,

I miss you very much. It's been almost a year since I lost you but it seems like it was just yesterday. I visit your tomb almost every day and I talk to you. I always tell you how much I miss you and how much I wish I could see you again. The family also misses you very much. I know you are with God and are resting in peace. We will see each other again some day and then we will be together forever. Your wife and your friend loves you, wants you, and will never forget you.

September 14, 2003 (From Carmen, Francisco’s Wife)

Querido Frankie

Tu me haces mucha falta todos los dias de mi vida. Yo se que ahora tu eres otro angel que vela por nosotros. yo miro tu retrato y pienso en ti todos los dias. Hasta que nos volveamos a ver y te quiero mucho. Tu esposa Carmen

Translation:

Dearest Frankie

I miss you very much every day of my life. I know that now you are another angel that flies for us. I see your picture and I think of you each and everyday. Until we return to see each other again, I love you very much,

Your wife, Carmen

More information on Francisco Cruz:

Francisco Cruz was a security guard and an avid guitarist. He passed on a chance to work for higher pay at another building because 'he loved the World Trade Center'

Francisco Cruz wasn't much of a talker.

Soft-spoken and shy, the West Brighton resident would retreat into a quiet corner at parties and social gatherings. But put a guitar or bass in his hands, and Mr. Cruz would come alive.

From volcanic rock 'n' roll riffs to pulsating salsa beats, Mr. Cruz let his music do the talking.

"Music was an outlet for him to express himself," said Zulma Cruz, his sister-in-law. "He had a passion for music."

A security guard for Summit Security at the World Trade Center, he was last seen, Ms. Cruz said, guiding firefighters through 5 World Trade Center.

"He was a good man," said his wife, Carmen Candelaria, who uses her family name. "I loved him so much."

The couple had been together for 21 years, she said, and Mr. Cruz was especially caring and sensitive during her occasional bouts with asthma.

"He helped me very much. When I was sick, he would go to the doctor with me or take me to the hospital," she said. "He was very special in my life."

Although Mr. Cruz was a relative newcomer here -- moving to West Brighton four years ago -- the Island long held a special place in his heart. The serene waters at Clove Lakes Park reminded him of his native Puerto Rico, said Ms. Cruz, and he gravitated there on visits to her West Brighton home.

"His dream was to have a house on Staten Island," said his wife.

He played in rock and Latin bands for a quarter of a century. When he wasn't jamming in small Brooklyn clubs with his brother, Tomas, he was entertaining relatives at family affairs, Ms. Cruz said.

Jimi Hendrix, the left-handed rock guitar legend, was among her brother-in-law's biggest influences, said Ms. Cruz.

And just as Hendrix's high-voltage solos and lyrical phrasing fanned Mr. Cruz's musical zeal, he attempted to instill the same love of music in his three nieces, five nephews and stepgrandchildren.

"Every Christmas they would get something related to music -- a little guitar or keyboard, headphones or CDs," said Ms. Cruz, who has one of her brother-in-law's original guitars. "The kids loved it."

Mr. Cruz took the youngsters under his wing, helping them learn their instruments. Her daughter, Candice, 16, always sought his assistance before taking a music test in school, Ms. Cruz said.

Born in Puerto Rico, Mr. Cruz moved to Brooklyn in the early 1960s. He graduated from John Jay High School in Brooklyn, and from Kingsborough Community College, also in that borough, with a music degree.

But in 1983, he and his wife wanted to "try another life" and moved back to Puerto Rico, Ms. Candelaria said. The experiment lasted just 18 months before the couple returned to Brooklyn.

"He loved New York too much," she laughed. "He loved Brooklyn." They settled in West Brighton in 1997.

Mr. Cruz was employed by several security companies in Manhattan before joining Summit Security 13 years ago.

He worked in Tower 2 and his affection for the Twin Towers tragically became his undoing. Less than a year ago, Mr. Cruz had passed on an opportunity to work for higher pay at another Manhattan building.

"He loved the World Trade Center," Ms. Cruz said.

On the day of the attack, Mr. Cruz was sent to 5 World Trade Center after the second hijacked plane slammed into Tower 2. He and a team of security guards were escorting firefighters through the structure to aid the evacuation.

"The security guards knew the ins and outs of the building," said Ms. Cruz. During the evacuation, Mr. Cruz telephoned his office manager, who was on a below-ground level of Tower 2, and instructed those still in the office to leave the building before it collapsed, Ms. Cruz said.

Mr. Cruz relished nature as much as he did working at the Twin Towers and playing guitar. The majestic trees and serene pastoral nooks drew him to Clove Lakes Park, where he combined his ardor for the outdoors and music. Guitar in hand, Mr. Cruz would sit by the lake for hours, composing and arranging music. Mr. Cruz also enjoyed visiting Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta R.C. Church in West Brighton.

In addition to his wife, Carmen, and his brother, Tomas, surviving are his son, Francisco Jr.; his mother, Juliana Velasquez; his sister, Iris Cutillo, and five stepgrandchildren.

Sources, and further links:

http://www.asisdetroit.com/documents/information/memorial.pdf

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/3981.html

http://www.legacy.com/Sept11.asp?Page=TributeStory&PersonId=133507

http://www.silive.com/september11/lr/index.ssf?/september11/lr/cruz.html

http://www.september11victims.com/september11victims/VictimInfo.asp?ID=830

http://www.dcroe.com/2996/

[The preceding tribute is part of Project 2,996, a worldwide effort to memorialize each individual 2,996 victims of 9/11. May we never forget. (Have we already?)]

Update:
If you have something to add, or would like to make changes to this tribute, I have created a Wiki page here [ http://sep11.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Cruz_Sr. ]. Feel free to edit or add anything.

I never knew you, Francisco, but from reading about you and your family's online tributes to you, you have touched my heart with your simple warmth and love of life. You cared about others, and communicated in your quiet way through music. You were last seen helping firefighters rescue people. You were, and still are, and inspiration to all who meet you. Thank you.

May you rest in peace.

Yishai

Photograph from September 11

Via LGF:

A poem by Wislawa Szymborska, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize for Literature. (Hat tip: Canadian Lady.)

PHOTOGRAPH FROM SEPTEMBER 11

They jumped from the burning floors
one, two, a few more,
higher, lower.

The photograph halted them in life,
and now keeps them
above the earth toward the earth.

Each is still complete,
with a particular face
and blood well hidden.

There’s enough time
for hair to come loose,
for keys and coins
to fall from pockets.

They’re still within the air’s reach,
within the compass of places
that have just now opened.

I can do only two things for them
describe this flight
and not add a last line.

9/11 Rapid Fire, part II

Michelle Malkin:
Never forget: South Tower collapse
Never forget: United Airlines Flight 93
Never forget: North Tower collapse

Pajamas Media:
9/11: FIVE YEARS AFTER

Project 2,996: Here is a list of the 3,412 blogs who individually honor and remember each of the 2,996 victims of 9/11. I am proud to be a part of it with my tribute below to Francisco Cruz.

OT:
Bagel Blogger: Israel - Hezbollah War 2006 -
Commemorating the Israel Fallen - Faces of the 114 IDF soldiers and 43 Israeli civilians who were killed.

Israel Matzav:
US cutting off Iranian banks

9/11 Rapid Fire

Many little posts about 9/11:

Glenn Reynolds about the Democratic party: "If they'd kept their mouths shut, this would be about the terrorists... Now it's about the terrorists and the Democrats."

Israellycool:

"I accept that in a free society you have to justify reductions in people's liberties. I accept that, bearing in mind my starting point is that the most important human right is the right to life."

- Australian Prime Minister John Howard, referring to changes in Australia's security laws in response to global terrorism

Michelle Malkin:
Never forget: United Airlines Flight 175
Never forget: American Airlines Flight 11
The 2,996 Project

Poster exhibit of 9/11 victims via Moussaoui trial exhibits (click photo twice for hi-res larger image)

Never forget: American Airlines Flight 77

Israel Matzav:
Life goes on: The unlearned lessons of 9/11

There's much, much more...

Refresher Course

Cox & Forkum: Refresher Course
They also have many links and past cartoons there.

9/11 Comprehensive Roundup 2006: Five Years In - And So It Begins...

At The Winds of Change: 9/11 Comprehensive Roundup 2006: Five Years In - And So It Begins...

Pajamas Media: Iraq Taking Command:

Pajamas Media: Iraq Taking Command: "The transfer of military command to the Iraqi government began today with one division (out of ten), and the small air force and navy at a ceremony in the Green Zone. (AP)"

OPFOR Blasts Iran's New Fighter

Opfor picks apart Iran's "new" fighter. And guess what? Just like the Mad Mullah's claim that heavy water cures cancer and AIDS, this fighter is a bunch of bull.

Pajamas Media: Fox News Runs Stream of 9/11 Coverage

Pajamas Media: Fox News Runs Stream of 9/11 Coverage

An email tip from one of PJM’s readers: “Fox News has been running internet coverage of 9/11 events on an unpublished internet stream. I have been watching the coverage since this afternoon after I discovered the link was active.

“At midnight EDT, Fox rolled the coverage and restarted it with Fox and Friends at 8 a.m. EDT, Tuesday September 11, 2001.

“The Windows Media Player link can be found HERE.

“Also see the stream HERE.”

10 Runs, one inning

Yanks, Quiet Through 7, Rally for 10 Runs in Eighth - New York Times

Butt-Kicking Granny Turns Tables on Purse-Snatcher

Butt-Kicking Granny Turns Tables on Purse-Snatcher

lgf: Thailand Jihad Death Toll

This is only one of many countries where jihad goes on unnoticed and unfettered.

In the jihad in South Thailand, almost totally unreported by media, at least 1,730 people have been killed since January 2004.

The death toll in the insurgency that flared in southern Thailand in January 2004 is at least 1,730, with 2,510 people injured, an academic monitoring the conflict said today.

Fewer people have been killed so far this year compared with the previous two years but there has been a significant rise in bombings in the last 12 months, particularly since June, said Professor Srisomphop Chitpiromsri of Prince of Songkla University in the southern Pattani province.

Best of the Web Today

Just a reminder that James Taranto is a great columnist, and if it isn't already, the Best of the Web should be on your daily reading list. The following two stories are from today's BOTW.

BY JAMES TARANTO
Tuesday, September 5, 2006 2:46 p.m. EDT

Moderate Terrorists
"The first Muslim to be crowned Miss England has warned that stereotyping members of her community is leading some towards extremism," reports London's Daily Mail:

Hammasa Kohistani made history last year when she was chosen to represent England in the Miss World pageant. . . .

She said: "The attitude towards Muslims has got worse over the year. Also the Muslims' attitude to British people has got worse.

"Even moderate Muslims are turning to terrorism to prove themselves. They think they might as well support it because they are stereotyped anyway. It will take a long time for communities to start mixing in more. . . ."

So let's see if we follow this argument. According to Kohistani, Muslims are so thin-skinned and so violent that they respond to prejudice with terrorism.

Um, isn't that an invidious stereotype?

Maybe she got the idea from a 1997 Onion piece, datelined Hebron, West Bank:

In an emotionally charged press conference Monday, crazed Palestinian gunman Faisal al Hamad expressed frustration over the stereotyping of his people.

"As a crazed Palestinian gunman, I feel hurt by the negative portrayal of my people in the media," said al Hamad, 31, a Hebron-area terrorist maniac. "None of us should have to live with stereotyping and ignorance."

He then began screaming and firing into a busload of Israeli schoolchildren.

"It hurts that in this supposedly enlightened day and age, people still make assumptions about other people," al Hamad said. "We should not rely on simple generalizations. Each crazed Palestinian gunman is an individual."

For another angle on the stereotyping of Muslims, consider this Reuters dispatch:

Al Qaeda called on non-Muslims especially in the United States to convert to Islam and abandon their "misguided" ways or else suffer, according to a video tape posted on a Web site on Saturday.

Now Reuters for the past five years has refused to call al Qaeda a terrorist group or even acknowledge that 9/11 was a terrorist act. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." So when the word terrorist appears, it's generally in scare quotes.

But no scare quotes around "Islam" in the passage above. In Reuters' view, the men of al Qaeda may or may not be terrorists, but they are true Muslims.

Impossible!
"U.S. and Iraqi forces have captured a top al Qaeda in Iraq leader who ordered the bombing in February of a Shiite Muslim shrine in Samarra that started a wave of ferocious sectarian killings, Iraqi officials said Sunday," the Washington Post reports from Baghdad:

The arrest of Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, described by officials as the No. 2 leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was the latest in a series of blows to the Sunni Arab insurgent group, believed responsible for numerous suicide attacks on civilians and other deadly violence. . . .

"The al Qaeda organization in Iraq has been seriously weakened and is now suffering from a leadership vacuum," Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, said at a news conference. . . .

Iraqi officials said al-Saeedi, an intelligence officer for then-President Saddam Hussein, was captured within the past few weeks as he hid among women and children in an unspecified location just north of Baghdad.

This is all lies! All lies, we tell ya! Everyone knows Iraq has nothing to do with al Qaeda. It's just a distraction! Even more preposterous is the claim that "an intelligence officer for then-President Saddam Hussein" would join al Qaeda. Saddam Hussein was a secularist, whereas the al Qaeda guys are religious fanatics. Everyone knows that, except maybe the boobs who watch Fox News! The kind of transformation the Post is describing would violate the laws of physics. It's just another example of the Bush administration's war on science, and it's sad to see the Post drinking the neocon Kool-Aid.

Paradigm Shift

In a hopefully planned shift from weenie diploma-speak, Bush tells it like it is - Iran is a terrorist nation, and must not be allowed to produce nucular [:)] weapons.

Bush: Ahmedinejad is tyrant, Iran as dangerous as al-Qaeda

US President George Bush called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad a "tyrant." During a speech Bush gave, he said that he will act to prevent the Iranian regime, who, in his eyes, is as dangerous as al-Qaeda, from obtaining nuclear weapons. (AFP)

Israel considering Lockheed Skyshield air defense

Israel Matzav: Israel considering Lockheed Skyshield air defense

The Jerusalem Post is reporting this morning that with more than 10,000 Hezbullah short-range rockets still in place in Lebanon, Israel contacted US defense contractor Lockheed-Martin and asked it to run tests and make adjustments to a high-powered, rapid-fire cannon built by the company to intercept incoming aerial targets.

The Skyshield 35 Air Defense System is a cannon that fires a unique 35-mm. AHEAD (Advanced Hit Efficiency And Destruction) shell that destroys incoming targets. It ejects 152 sub-projectiles that are released just ahead of the incoming target up to distances of close to 10 kilometers.

The projectiles create a cloud ahead of the incoming rocket and penetrate it, inflicting enough damage to prevent it from striking its target. The system was developed by the Switzerland-based Oerlikon Contraves Corporation.

Initially developed to intercept incoming aircraft, and specifically unmanned drones, Lockheed Martin has been testing the system for the past few weeks to see if it is also suitable to intercept and destroy Katyusha rockets fired by Hizbullah. Before the war, the Defense Ministry had asked Lockheed to run tests to see if the system would be effective against the Palestinian homemade Kassam rocket.

The main changes that need to be made to the system are with the ammunition used to intercept the rockets.

According to officials close to the project, the quality and amount of explosives inside the shells need to be increased for the system to accurately intercept primitive rockets such as Katyushas and Kassams. The testing is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Israeli defense officials have visited the US test site to watch the system's performance.

The Post reports that there are three other anti-missile systems that are also under consideration: Northrop Grumman's Skyguard land-based, air-defense system - also known as the Nautilus (which it says is now unlikely to be chosen), the Vulcan Phalanx cannon, which has already been installed on Navy missile ships and used to intercept incoming anti-ship missiles, and the Barak antimissile system, which is also used by the Navy, and which was developed by Israel's own Refael.

A good step in the right direction for Israel. We need to do a lot more on this front, though.

No Graffiti = No Hate Crime:

Pajamas Media: No Graffiti = No Hate Crime:

“Surveillance video recovered by Montreal police shows a masked man throwing a firebomb at the door of an orthodox Jewish school in an attack early Saturday…..Although officials of Jewish groups disagree, police have been unwilling to declare the attack a hate crime. In the absence of graffiti or other other evidence, it is being treated as an unexplained case of arson.” (CBC)

Moral: Sign your work.

Video: "Two terrorists dead and the house is full of ammunition... Surround the house..."

Two terrorists dead and the house is full of ammunition... Surround the house...

Night Combat in Lebanon, August 2006 via Powerline: “Israeli video journalist Itai Anghel went into Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon with the Nahal Brigade and shot 25 minutes of riveting house-to-house combat footage with a night vision lens. The Hezbollah fighters wore Israeli uniforms.

“To watch the video, paste this URL into your browser:
http://switch248-01.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=209947&ak=63628786

“The piece is a powerful, moving portrait of Israel’s war that is worth every second of its twenty-seven or so minutes. I’m taking the liberty of reminding readers who may be interested but haven’t had the time yet to take a look.” — Scott @ Powerline

Hizballah's Rocket Campaign Against Northern Israel, Illustrated

Ball bearings embedded in sign which reads "Slow - Children Crossing"

Hizballah's Rocket Campaign Against Northern Israel, Illustrated
by Uzi Rubin @ The Institute for Contemporary Affairs.

A few main points are below, but read it all if you can.

• From July 13 to August 13, the Israel Police reported 4,228 rocket impacts inside Israel from rockets fired by Hizballah. No geographical area in the world has sustained such a large quantity of rocket strikes since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 1980s.

• Most rockets fired by Hizballah at Israel were taken from the Syrian arsenal rather than from Iran. On most occasions, the rocket warhead contained anti-personnel munitions, a mixture of explosives and steel balls or fragments that were lethal to all those caught outside.

• One-fourth of the rockets that landed within Israel landed within built-up areas. During the first two weeks, rocket attacks averaged about 100 per day. Then in early August, Hizballah proceeded to double its rate of fire to a daily average of 200 rocket attacks. There was a decline during the final week, but on August 13, the day before the cease-fire, 250 rockets landed in Israel. Israeli counterattacks apparently had no serious influence on Hizballah's rate of fire, but had an effect on the accuracy and geography of the attacks.

• Israel's losses and damage from Hizballah rocket attacks include 53 fatalities, 250 severely wounded, and 2,000 lightly wounded. There was extensive damage to hundreds of dwellings, several public utilities, and dozens of industrial plants. One million Israelis lived near or in shelters or security rooms, with some 250,000 civilians evacuating the north and relocating to other areas of the country.

• Early Warning sirens provided timely alarms, saving innumerable lives. Israel's long-standing policy of constructing public shelters, combined with building codes that require reinforced spaces in private dwellings, proved to be generally effective as a system of passive defense against most of the rockets fired by Hizballah. Nearly 80 percent of fatalities involved persons caught in the open.

• Rockets and rocket launchers emerged as one of the defining weapons of the second Lebanon War and will remain so in the foreseeable future. This impacts on the security of U.S. and Western interests in the Middle East. Effective response measures must be devised and deployed as soon as possible. Two objectives should be pursued: first, to reduce the "Flash to Bang" (Hizballah rocket launch to Israeli response) cycle time to a few seconds from the time of launcher location pinpointing; and second, to develop and deploy effective and affordable active defense against rockets to protect vital civilian and military installations.

(Hat Tip: Pajamas Media)