"Lawfare" Keeps Israeli Officials Home

Using the usual tactics of fear and intimidation, Palestinians stop Israeli officials from travelling. It matters not that the so-called government of the Palestinians is run by groups who are perpetrating violence against a sovereign nation and innocent civilians. The fact that Palestinians have died makes Israel guilty of "evil."

When will the Palestinians hold their own government and the terrorists of their own lands guilty for the violence they commit? The rest of the world graciously welcomes those visitors. Perhaps they should be arrested when they travel to other nations. Then, they could be charged with war crimes. Undoubtedly, the Palestinian activists would scream about being singled out and discriminated against. They would get all kinds of media sympathy and attention. People would feel sorry for them and give them sepcial treatment. Oh. My mistake. That's already happening.

hmm...Why is it that so few people recognize this two-faced behavior and media manipulation for what it really is?

Immigration, Democrats Duck-and-cover, and The FDA

For those who think the United States is alone in it’s immigration troubles, you should check out Italy’s immigration situation. Kind of reminds me of how the US deals with Cuban refugees. If they are fond at sea they are returned to Cuba, if found on land, they are on arrested. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is in it’s own kettle of hot water over that. Recent reports indicate no change from Bush policies. Isn’t it amazing how many policies and plans from the Bush era that Obama promised to change, but is now claiming to be new and better? Like…when the troops are getting out of Iraq.


Speaking of Iraq, Nancy Pelosi is battling the CIA over interrogation briefings. News reports in 2002 quoted Congressmen as saying they received full briefings on CIA and other agencies actions. But, once the war began to drag on, losing public support, Democrats followed public opinion. They also began claiming they had no knowledge of actions that were going on in various places and organizations. Well, sooner or later, the truth comes out, as Pelosi is finding. Still, the number two Democrat, Stephen Hoyer, twisted the focus of the story away from Pelosi is making up stories to something else:

But Hoyer added that focusing on what had been told to lawmakers on interrogations was a distraction from the question of what techniques were used, and whether they were legal.

The point of the article, and the issue, is that Pelosi and other high ranking Democrats knew all along what was going on. But, the media and Leftists are spinning things to blur that focus.

(…soon, no one will care that Democrats lied…only that Bush did something wrong…just wait, you’ll see…)


Finally, I would like to weigh on the whole Cherios vs. the FDA thing. The media would have you believe that right wing crazies are rabidly claiming all kinds of things on this issue. It doesn’t matter that the same style of attacks are used by the Leftwing to demean right wing actions. Nor does it matter that most of the media claims are taken way out of context. It seems that America, and it’s government, has lost focus on something pretty important. The basic point of the FDA is that only drugs can be advertised as healing things. But, the truth is that drugs do not heal. They only help manage health. People worldwide have used diet to maintain health for millennia. So, at its core, the FDA claim is flawed. We seem to have forgotten that a proper diet, as opposed to the standard US diet, can maintain and help manage your health. Instead we believe the lie that we need all these drugs to keep us healthy. I do not deny there are circumstances where drugs are needed. But, we need to have a better focus on what drugs really do. They help manage health issues, but they do not heal them. The FDA needs to get it’s facts straight on that.

History Repeats Itself In Afghanistan and Pakistan

Reports on Friday and Saturday indicated that the Taliban is using civilians as human shields. This article seems to imply that this is a surprise. I fail to understand why it should be. This has been a tactic of intimidation used by every terrorist guerilla warfare group, at least in recent history--Hamas, the Taliban, all the way to Vietnam, Moa, Che Guevara, and even farther back in time. Unfortunately, the frightening part of the article is the last paragraph:

On Friday Karzai said "we cannot justify in any manner, for whatever number of Taliban, for whatever number of significantly important terrorists, the accidental or otherwise loss of civilians."

Like it or not, civilian suffering is a part of standing against evil. The Taliban, or whatever extremist group you care to name, will always use that suffering to get their opponents to stop fighting for fear of hurting innocent someone. They will try to plaster the media with how ugly the destruction is that gets “imposed by the good guys.” We must remember one very important thing. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE SUFFERINGS OF OTHERS. And, extremeists will never be stopped if we put suffering or some other difficulty ahead of defeating those extremist groups. Taking President Karzai’s statement at face value would indicate he has already given up the will to fight. For the sake of our soldiers, and those of supporting nations, I hope not. If that occurs, Afghanistan will become another Vietnam for someone.


But, then again, given Thursday’s announcement that US troops won’t go to Pakistan just brought flashbacks of Vietnam to me. Any student of history knows that a big reason North Vietnam overcame the South was the ability to hide and build forces in Laos and Cambodia. The communist forces successfully controlled those other countries, and then used them as bases. With the take over of the Swat area and areas closer to Islamabad by militant forces, coupled with the inability of the Pakistani Army to turn back the tide (some reports indicate they are being complicit in the takeover), this is looking more and more like Vietnam. Contrary to popular media reports, Bush did indeed set us on the road to get out of Iraq. His timetable has become the same timetable that President Obama is using. The question now becomes: will Obama be able to get us out of Afghanistan without the disgrace we suffered in Vietnam?

Afghanistan, and Liberal Europe

Did you know that many Taliban fighters are afraid to defect from cause? Much as Iraq has changed since former fighters began to fight for the country, it could also be true in Afghanistan. But, a stronger, more secure government is needed to pul it off.

"Ninety-five percent of the Taliban want to reconcile with the government if they can be assured security," Mullah Abdul Salam, a former high-ranking Taliban commander and now district chief in Musa Qala in the southern Helmand Province, told Reuters. "But the government of Afghanistan cannot ensure their safety. If they defect to the government, the other Taliban will kill them. They are fighting for their lives."

This possibility has a lot of promise. Petraeous has said what worked in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan. And, he has cited several good and valid reason why. Yet, while the tactics and applications that brought so much success in Iraq may not work in Afghanistan, the goal needs to be the same.

Meanwhile, the Spanish are out to arrest Bush administration officials.

The case, against former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and [five] others, was sent to the prosecutor’s office for review by Baltasar Garzón, the crusading investigative judge who ordered the arrest of the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

A previous attempt was made by human rights groups in Germany. This attempt has been filed by a different human rights group, the Association for the Dignity of Prisoners, using Spanish jurisdiction since Spanish prisoners are believed to have been tortured. Mr. John yoo, whose legal opinions were the basis for Bush policies, commented that such cases could prompt military and intelligence agencies to reduce efforts to protect due to the threat of legal actions. Needless to say, there is a fine line between gathering intelligence and abuse of prisoners. The problem is that many “prisoner rights” are based, not on good policy, but on self esteem and other such concepts. This whole line of thinking ignores the wrong that is done, and the need for restitution to the victims, in the name of making nice to those who did wrong. Terrorists are no different. They hide behind legal obscurities to maim and destroy, but are treated exactly the same by liberaldom. Without some sort of punishment, aside from locking people up in country club environments—even though surrounded with barbed wire and walls—there will never be any real change in a criminals’ or terrorists’ hearts. These types of lega; actions, while perhaps motivated to keep excesses in check, will most likely only curb truly necessary and proper action, giving criminals and terrorists even greater reign.

bin Laden speaks, Obama changes nothing and Democrats...well...

A new tape from bin Laden is calling for the ousting of Somalia President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The tape claims Sharif has sold out to the infidels. Sharif has already called for, and received cabinet backing, for implementation of Shari Law. But, for those who think appeasement will be enough:

But the hard line Islamists rejected the move, saying it would not be a strict enough version of Islamic law.

Not strict enough? That should give serious pause to anyone thinking of negotiating with bin Laden and those like him. Even though Sharif has support from several Islamic groups, al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab still fights the government, and controls most of southern and central Somali. bin Laden was previously based in Somalia, so there could easily be large sentiment in his favor among extremists. And, the focus is on that word: extremists. As Sharif is finding, appeasement does not work with hard line extremists.

More concerning is the possible home connections of al-Shabab.

For several months the FBI has been investigating at least 20 Somali-American men from the Minneapolis area who traveled to war-torn Somalia, where some of them trained and fought with an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group known as al-Shabaab, according to counterterrorism officials.

While there is no proof that these men are actually planning any type of attacks in the US, there is growing concern over the possibilities, especially since the latest bin Laden message. Several investigations are on-going.

Meanwhile, The Senate confirmed Obama’s nominee for Solicitor General, who just happens to be a former law school colleague. But, there are other indications in his continuing lack of change.

A former Clinton administration lawyer who's been the dean of Harvard Law School since 2003, Kagan is seen as a possible Obama nominee for any future opening on the high court.

Despite his call for change, and his claim to want Washington outsiders in his government, Obama continually seems to be picking former Clinton advisors and colleagues for his administration.

(…so much for any real change…)

Finally, another Democrat has been caught in a scandal.

A divided Ohio Elections Commission found Thursday that former Attorney General Marc Dann twice violated state elections law by using campaign funds to pay for an expensive in-home security system and a cell phone often used for personal calls.

His election was part of a Democratic near sweep of Ohio’s elected offices after state investment scandal involving Republicans. It is interesting to note that, in Clintonesque style, Dann had already resigned back in May due to a sexual harassment scandal.

More of the Same...

Washington needs to be very cautious making deals with Afghan insurgents? Really? Do you think the Obama administration will listen?

The International Crisis Group said previous deals had broken down within months and strengthened the militants.

Instead, it said Afghans needed a stronger state and the rule of law.



In its report, the Brussels-based ICG warned that previous truce deals with militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan "enhanced the power and activities of violent insurgents, while doing nothing to build sustainable institutions".

A timely warning given that US military officials say the administration is close to announcing the strategy. The question is will the media hold Obama to the standard? Or will they continue to soft pedal the warnings and push the liberal agenda of appeasement with the enemies of peace?

(…gee…do we really need to ask?...)


Meanwhile, the NYT reports another Democrat is caught in a scandal. With her husband as a major stockholder, Maxine Walters influenced the doling out of bailout funds for OneUnited, one of the nation’s largest black-owned banks. Ms. Walters did not even disclose her relationship to Treasury officials until later. Treasury officials claim the disbursement was made on the merits. Does that change the facts of impropriety? Does it really matter if it is a minority owned bank? Apparently it does to the liberal media. Just read the article.

(…just one more case of Democrats manipulating the finicial system…but not being held accountable…what a surprise…)

Banks, Obama, Islam, and...What the...?

Think Sharia Law will not come to the states? Think again.

University Bank now has an entire subsidiary devoted to financial products that comply with Muslim religious law, or Shariah. It has done nearly $80 million in Islamically approvable “mortgage-alternative” financing for residential and commercial real estate in 15 states.

For the past decade, Dow Jones has computed a stock index for Shariah-compliant companies. The law schools at Harvard, Fordham and the University of California, Berkeley, have held academic conferences on Islamic finance.

In fact, the Harvard Business Review had an article that detailed how numerous business mergers and actions had been forced to become Sharia compliant due to involvement by Muslim companies or nations. It has even been reported that Muslim financial institutions have remained much more stable during this financial crisis. I will readily admit the need for more stringent controls to be in place for lending. A sizable portion of the financial crisis is the extension of too much credit to too many people. But, is Sharia Law the way to go? As it did in Lebanon, this could lead to a very slippery slope giving the religion of Islam control of America.

Speaking of strange successes, Obama is being credited for success in Iraq. The sad thing is the success is due to policies and procedures during the Bush administration. The frightening part is…he is welcoming giving power to Taliban leaders, albeit moderate ones.

"Yesterday, Mr. Obama accepted and approved the path of peace and talks with those Afghan Taliban who he called moderates," Karzai said during a function in Kabul to mark International Women's Day.

The part of the article I found most amazing…

The Taliban, who often operate out of bases across the border in Pakistan, could not be reached Sunday but have turned down similar overtures from Karzai in the past.

(…like the Taliban is going to respond to interview requests to verify news…)

Finally, in an odd piece of news Friday, Spanish police arrested a man with a caast made of cocaine.

A Chilean man with a broken leg was arrested at Barcelona airport after his "cast" was found to be made of cocaine not plaster, Spanish police say.

The 66-year-old carried six cans of beer and two hollowed-out stools that also contained cocaine, they add.

I have a couple questions on this one. First, he was arriving in Spain. How did he get past airport security in Chile? And, second…I want to know what tipped of the cops to check the cast in the first place.

12/11 Morning Report

Hugo Chavez is making a lot of moves these days, despite having lost his referendum push at home. The Banco del Sur is slated to take the place of the IMF, which Chavez describes as a “tool of Washington.”

Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela have all joined the initiative.

Chile and Peru decided to remain on the sidelines, while Colombia, which had expressed interest, has put its decision on hold following recent disagreements between Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Mr Chavez.

Believing the IMF plays favorites with developed nations over emerging and developing ones, Chavez has been pushing this since December 2006. Some of the difficulty getting funds is due to a wave of industry nationalization in the region. Of course, withdrawing from the World Bank and IMF would mean Venezuela would default on its bonds.

(…can’t imagine why a dictator would want to get out of his debts…can you?...)


In other South American news, Christina Frenandez has been sworm in as President of Argentina. She ran a very unorthodox campaign.

Refusing to debate any of her rivals and granting few interviews, Fernandez preferred to be photographed overseas meeting world leaders - projecting a flair for diplomacy while masking a lack of executive branch experience.

She faces a lot of tough challenges. High on the list are strengthening the courts, continuing economic improvement. She expected to govern from the center-left political position. She also expected to continue the relationship with Chavez.

(…unfortunately she is being compared to Hillary Clinton, too…)


Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, NATO and Afghan troops took back a Taliban stronghold. Breaking a deal with the British back in February, the Taliban took over the town and began terrorizing the area, bringing a death toll of some 6000. French media reports the Taliban simply walked out of town, supposedly to protect civilians from bombings. But, according to the BBC report, reminiscent of al-Qaeda tactics in Iraq, people seem to be turning against the Taliban once again.

President Hamid Karzai said the decision to enter Musa Qala came after local Taliban commanders agreed to side with the Afghan government because of brutality committed against townspeople by the Taliban, al-Qaeda and foreign fighters.

(snip)

He told of a 15-year-old boy accused of spying by the Taliban who was hung from a ceiling and roasted to death by a gas-fed fire started beneath him. The next morning the militants told the boy's mother she could pick up her son, the president said.

(…fear will keep people cowed for a while…but hope of something better will bring a change…amazing how with all it’s problems, people keep turning to coalition forces for that help…)