BrooklynsView

I Am Thankful...

2006-11-22T01:48:00.000-05:00

...To the Almighty One (He knows who He is), for making all the things that I am thankful for, possible.

...For my lovely wife, and two beautiful children, a girl and a boy.

...For the Founding Fathers, of the U.S. and for the Framers of our Constitution.

...For the Men and Women in Uniform and Armed Forces who uphold the Constitution.

...For the "Embeds" and "Milbloggers" (again, you guys know who you are) who show us the greatness of the US military.

...For Instapundit. If Glenn would not take a break between his posts, I would never leave his site.

...For YouTube, CombatVids and their imitators, for keeping me busy the rest of the time.

...For the Democratic society we live in.

October Video

2006-10-31T12:09:00.000-05:00

Here are some great video clips, as a treat.

VBIED no more. Gotta hand it to the Air Force.

Some really good Terry Tate Spoofs. You have to see the original Terry Tate in order to fully appreciate these clips.

A great Israeli weapon called Corner Shot. The name speaks for itself, check it out.

Finally, twin 9mm auto glocks, seriously, I think I just crapped!

Major Anti-Pork Battle Won

2006-09-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

Glenn Reynolds brings us good news on the earmark reform legislation, but as he says:

It's not the end of the fight against pork, but it's certainly a very significant step. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Indeed.

Daily Dose Of Bandit.3.6.

2006-09-12T10:10:00.000-04:00

Bandit, on the aftermath of 9/11, and of course some great news of even more progress in Iraq.

Frederick C. Rimmele, III. Dr. & Naturalist

2006-09-11T23:58:00.000-04:00

Exactly five years ago on 9/11/01 at 9:03AM United Airlines flight 175 flew into the southern side of the South Tower of the WTC and all onboard died on impact. One of those on board was Fred Rimmele, or the Ponytail Doctor as he was known to some of his patients.

What drew me so much to this victim who was obviously loved by all, was the "All American" aspect of it, if you will. What I mean is, that unlike some of the Police and Firefighters that may have had some sort of glamour to the way they died, many of the rest of the victims where regular folks that lived life respectfully in their own decent way. That is special. It is sometimes overlooked but it makes that point all the more important.

When that plane impacted the South Tower, it did not just kill 51 innocent Americans, it shattered the dreams of those that loved them. Each one as an individual had their whole life ahead of them, with dreams and plans of a future. Be it a family, be it professional but it was a future nonetheless. If you want to be able to relate a little of what it feels like to lose a loved one, just imagine what you have planned for this week. Now imagine if your week would be the same without that loved one. If that still doesn't impact you, now multiply what I said by a lifetime.

Frederick Rimmele was 32 when he died. He was from Marblehead, Mass. and was a doctor at Beverly Hospital in Beverly, Mass. he was extremely dedicated and even made after hours phone calls to his patients, he was also known for his sarcastic sense of humor. He loved the outdoors, and his hobbies included bird watching. . He is survived by his parents and by his wife, Kimberly Trudel. The family requests that memorials be made to the Nature Conservatory.

For those that don't know what 2996 stands for and/or haven't seen any memorials for the victims of 9/11, here is a link straight to the source of the creator of this great idea.

9/11 Anniversary Roundup

2006-09-11T11:39:00.000-04:00

Blackfive has lots of action for 9/11 today, including his own 2996 Tribute.
PJ Media has tons of 9/11 commentary.

Glenn Reynolds has his own roundup and it's ongoing throughout the day.

And, the best 9/12/01 headline.

Blog Silence Ends Now

2006-09-10T20:11:00.000-04:00

I"ve been busy/away. Back to posting daily.

Also, look out for for my 9/11 Tribute, I will try to keep it at the top.

A Plame Affair

2006-09-01T11:12:00.000-04:00

The outing that wasn't. The WaPo in its reporting, still manages to blame Bush/Cheney.

Jihads Daddy

2006-09-01T11:09:00.000-04:00

The Origins of British Jihad by Stephen Schwartz, in the Weekly Standard.

What's That Buzzing Sound

2006-08-31T09:20:00.000-04:00

The famous last words of another terrorist scumbag. (H/T PGS)

Public Distrust In The MSM

2006-08-31T09:16:00.000-04:00

An eye opening article by Mary Katharine Ham. Plus a follow up, now this, is thorough and entertaining.

Nuclear Predictions

2006-08-31T09:12:00.000-04:00

How come reading this makes me feel like we are taking steps backward?

B5 Interview With USMC Capt. J. Kimber

2006-08-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

As always, it is a great interview. Just a bit of background. Captain Kimber commanded 3/1's India Company, he together with others were relieved following the Haditha incident.

Steyn On 9/11 Myth's

2006-08-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

As with all of Mark Steyn's articles, this is well worth the read. One of the points that he makes is:

But the problem isn't scientific, it's psychological: if you're prepared to believe that government agents went to the trouble of researching, say, gay rugby player Mark Bingham's family background and vocal characteristics so they could fake cellphone calls back to his mom, then clearly you're not going to be deterred by mere facts.

That, is a very strong point, remember it when you are dealing with the kooks.

Rated R

2006-08-30T12:39:00.000-04:00

MJT posted a video of the recent Hezballah/Israeli War.

Doves, Terrorists And The UN

2006-08-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

A complete "How To" guide from HH Blowhard. I know it's a little old, I must have missed it before and I couldn't resist posting it. It is still relevant, and will be as long as the UN is run the way it is now. (H/T Pure Gum Spirits)

Wondering In Iraq

2006-08-29T23:54:00.000-04:00

Capt B is back in Iraq, he obviously has time to wonder. (H/T B5)

Maybe There Is Hope

2006-08-29T16:51:00.000-04:00

Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American Nobel Prize winning chemist, wrote an article rebuking the current Arab Leadership, and (this is the important part) how they can reconstruct the masses and be a better group of people. Read it all at Big Pharaoh. I just hope that he will still be alive tomorrow at this time.

Do You CAIR?

2006-08-29T16:49:00.000-04:00

If you don't. Start caring now. Scary stuff over at Power Line.

UPDATE: (8:58 PM) See CAMERA's take on this story.

Muslim Assimilation

2006-08-29T16:26:00.000-04:00

The WaPo had a long article on the issue of Muslim Assimilation. The article shows that Muslims in America are not any more assimilated than the Muslims in the UK. It starts out with the following premise:

If only the Muslims in Europe -- with their hearts focused on the Islamic world and their carry-on liquids poised for destruction in the West -- could behave like the well-educated, secular and Americanizing Muslims in the United States, no one would have to worry.

The WaPo feels that it has to counter that argument, and therefore goes to great lengths to prove that Muslim in America are just as religious. I must say that I agree that Muslims in the US are not assimilating that much, as the article proves.

But, after they proved their point they left one thing open. Why are there more terrorist attacks and activity in the UK? The answer to that is something that the WaPo will never tell you and that is why they did not ask the question. The answer is because the terrorists are having a much harder time getting things together in the US because we are actively seeking them out. If the UK continues to be tough on the terrorists, and if they continue to root out any such activity then the terrorists will attempt to make noise elsewhere. It has nothing to do with how religious they are, but rather how vigilant we are.

Ahmadinejad Is Bored Again

2006-08-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

Today he called for President Bush to debate him. I am not sure if he wants to hear President Bush say Nuclear, or if he wants to hear him try to pronounce Ahmadinejad. Now that, sounds painful.

EU Helping Lebanon?

2006-08-29T16:15:00.000-04:00

In reply to the Italian FM's piece in the WSJ, Raja thinks, he is nuckin' futs, or "overly optimistic" (which means, what are you smoking?) as one commenter wrote. Either way, I don't think that they have the backbone to pull this off, as Raja questions:

As I read through the piece I thought about Nasrallah's interview yesterday and how he said that he had no problem with the Unifil contingent so long as it did not try to disarm him. I also could not help but imagine a European base or military convoy obliterated by a suicide bomber - similar in magnitude to that which transpired in 1982.

Hezballah & The Shebaa Farms

2006-08-29T14:15:00.000-04:00

MJT, Gives us his take on the recent news that Hezballah dismantled its outposts on the Shebaa Farms. Some of it sounds encouraging.

So the charade continued for years. Hezbollah screamed, Syria dithered, Lebanon shrugged, and Israel scoffed. Now Hezbollah is being forced by the Lebanese government to dismantle their own military outposts along the border with Shebaa. Their “resistance” may not be finished. But it’s even less credible now than it recently was.

Don't miss MJT's report from Israel's southern border.

Anan Feeling The Love In Lebanon

2006-08-29T14:12:00.000-04:00

They gave him the polite treatment. He should count this as a blessing, since he is still alive.

The Argument For Profiling

2006-08-27T02:43:00.000-04:00

Jonah Goldberg in the Chicago Tribune.

The SLA Factor

2006-08-27T02:01:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering where the SLA stood in all of this, look at this from the JP.

Amir Taheri Brouhaha

2006-08-27T01:52:00.000-04:00

Lots of analysis of Amir Taheri's article in Fridays WSJ.

First, here is Power Line's take on it.
Here is Raja of TLB's view.
Here is Beirut to the Beltway's opinion.
Then we have this at LeBop saying that it doesn't matter anyway.

UNIFIL Is Hezballah Ally

2006-08-27T01:41:00.000-04:00

In this weeks Weekly Standard and article accuses UNIFIL of explicitly detailing sensitive information about Israeli positions and the like. This should let everyone know exactly where the UN stands in this conflict.

Booby Trap In Iraq

2006-08-26T22:58:00.000-04:00

Blackfive has a photo of the latest thing to watch out for.

Hightail It Outta There?

2006-08-26T22:53:00.000-04:00

Morning Coffee with Cut & Run... then what?

Purrrfect Morale Booster

2006-08-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

The troops get recharged thanks to these dancers.

"Friend Of The Jews"

2006-08-25T17:46:00.000-04:00

Power Line has the scoop. As the saying goes "With friends like this..."

Sears Tower Terror Plot

2006-08-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

Yup, and they have it on Video. Religion Of Peace, My *ss!

Welcome To New York

2006-08-25T17:38:00.000-04:00

Patterico was ripped off and now he is pissed. Mr. & Mrs. P it wasn't personal, enjoy your stay.

Daily Dose Of B36.

2006-08-25T17:34:00.000-04:00

Check out Bandit's good news of the day.

Freedom Is definitely Cooler

2006-08-25T17:33:00.000-04:00

As with all demonstrations that have two sides, the Pro-Freedom side is always cooler and it certainly has better looking women. Gateway Pundit, brings us A Rave Against the Mullahs! Now tell me, would you rather be hangin' out with a burka clad woman?

Sexbomb

2006-08-25T15:08:00.000-04:00

Yes they both cause explosions, but that doesn't make it a bomb, dumb*ss! Blackfive with One Man's Grenade is another's...

Must Be Blog Sweeps Again

2006-08-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

Who Knew? Pamela of Atlas, Video blogging at the beach. What? No Burka? Infidel!

Watching The Watchers II Alan D. VS. HRW

2006-08-24T16:02:00.000-04:00

In case you don't remember, here is the first installment. In the second, Alan Dershowitz takes apart HRW's review of the Hezballah/Israeli War.

After investigating a handful of cases, Human Rights Watch found that in "none of the cases of civilian deaths documented in this report [Qana, Srifa, Tyre, and southern Beirut] is there evidence to suggest that Hezbollah forces or weapons were in or near the area that the IDF targeted during or just prior to the attack."

No cases! None! Not one!

Anyone who watched even a smattering of TV during the war saw with their own eyes direct evidence of rockets being launched from civilian areas. But not Human Rights Watch.

WTF HRW, go feed your crap to someone else.

Lebanese Rant

2006-08-24T14:54:00.000-04:00

Raja, lets it all out, in this well written post. Here is some of it:

Message to Hizballah propaganda people:

You don't go beat up on someone a hundred times your size, and then cry "wawa" when the guy finally turns around and beats the crap out of you! Oooh... "made in the USA!"

Duh!!!

You knew what they were capable of doing all along... even when your brainwashed supporters were distributing baklawa after you kidnaped those Israeli soldiers.

Read it all here.

Peace Now...So Yesterday

2006-08-24T14:44:00.000-04:00

MJT posted this piece yesterday. I didn't comment then, because I figured all I need is to get a grip and then I will be able to post about it. More than 24 hours past since I first read this, and still, I was fidgeting the whole time that I was reading, simply because there are so many things wrong with what these people are saying, that I don't know which issue to tackle first. If it gets to you as it did to me, go to the comment section and get a little leverage on other people's opinions. I personally felt better when others were saying that these people are living in a pipe dream.

Iranian Monster

2006-08-24T14:17:00.000-04:00

This is scary, and it tells us about the M.A.D. doctrine. It also gives us a bit of a background, to all this madness.

TomKat Irony..Er..Tomcat..No..Tom Cruise

2006-08-23T14:15:00.000-04:00

Smash made a discovery that is, well, pretty ironic, if I may say so myself. Be sure to view the video of the final Tomcat takeoff.

FATWA!

2006-08-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

It's a DEATH FATWA, and Glenn Reynolds supports it.

HEH!

Candid Interview With Gen. John Abizaid

2006-08-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

Hugh Hewitt conducts a very thorough interview with General John Abizaid. The following exchanges are -in my opinion- of utmost importance:

HH: Is it all one war, General? Afghanistan, Iran, the Hezbollah-Israeli battle?

JA: Well, from where I sit, it's all connected. And whether it's one war or not can be debated from a political perspective. But from a military perspective, as I look at it, the...all of the lines lead back to one or two sources. They either lead back to Sunni-sponsored extremism, or to Shiia-sponsored Iranian extremism. And sometimes, on occasional points in the battlefield, they even cooperate with one another. So it's certainly connected. No doubt in my mind.

And this one, no one should ever forget!

HH: And General, that leads me to my last question. World Trade Center is in theaters now in the United States. It reminds people of five years ago. How great is the threat to the home front from those WMD that you've discussed just now? And do the American people fully appreciate that threat?

JA: I can only say that as I...when I go home and spend time where my headquarters is in Tampa, or when I spend time where I'm from on the West Coast, it's hard to really notice that there's much of a war going on, thinking that there's a World War II level of effort going on in the middle of the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Horn of Africa, is hard for most people to appreciate. I think it's important that people understand the dangers of not contesting this area. If we let the extremists get embedded, if we let the extremists gain ground, if we let the extremists have time and resources, then I believe they'll eventually insinuate their way into the mainstream. They could then gain territory, gain time, gain weapons of mass destruction. And over time, they'd move us to the war that we're all, the big war that we're all trying to avoid. So I can only tell you that what we're doing out here is very, very important for our security. We were actually fighting these people well before 9/11, and it takes a little bit of time and effort, but people need to educate themselves about why we're fighting who we're fighting, and what it means if we back away from them. I think our young troops that are out here fighting are doing a wonderful job, and an absolutely necessary job. And I'd also like to say, just to kind of close up, Hugh, is that I don't believe it's necessary to stay out here in this huge force size forever. We can, over time, get our own forces down as long as the moderates in the region are willing to stand up, take responsbility, and move against these extremists on their own. So helping them help themselves is really the key to our success. I believe we're doing that in a lot of places. It's a hard fight, it's a long fight, but with patience and perseverence, we can do it. We certainly have got the courage of our troops to rely upon, and they won't let us down.

Must. Read. The. Whole. Thing.

B36.'s Progress Report

2006-08-23T13:42:00.000-04:00

Get your daily dose. Now, doesn't that feel much better?

Gotta Love The Air Force (Video)

2006-08-23T13:38:00.000-04:00

Pure Gum Spirits posted an excellent video of a firefight in Iraq and the great conclusion. I think we can say, Mission Accomplished!

Marine Takedown!

2006-08-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

Reminder: Don't rob a store when there is a Marine in the vicinity. I loved this part the most:

"Another guy in the store said he was in the Army and asked if I needed any help."
With a grin, Sjostrom replied to the man, "The Marines got here first."

Hoo-ah!
(H/T Drudge)

Israel Lebanon Conflict Background

2006-08-22T13:23:00.000-04:00

A lot of the questions that may have been bothering you are tackled in this piece by Debka.

Before I give you the link, I just want to remind you that anything that is written at Debka, needs to be taken with a nice overflowing spoonful of salt. As MJT wrote about them:

DEBKAfile revels in making predictions and getting ahead of the news cycle, so to speak. It’s never a good idea to put too much stock in what they report.

Now that I got that out. Here is the link. So enjoy this piece not as news, but rather (No, not Dan Rather) like entertainment.

Good News From Iraq

2006-08-22T12:35:00.000-04:00

Get your daily dose from Bandit.36. He ventured out of IZ, go there to read how it went, I don't want to ruin it for you.

Black5 talks to USMC Gunnery Sergeant Erik E. Duane, who is also known as "Sheik Lion". He talks about all of the progress that is being made, in almost every sector. You can tell that this guy loves his job and the Iraqi People.

Capt B with another great Marine Regiment, this one is making sure that all will have drinkable water.

Daily Dispatch, with the success of an uneventful holiday in Iraq. (H/T Glenn Reynolds)

BUT! Omar at ITM, doesn't see it this way, he says "This has got to be stopped!". He is referring to the sniper attacks that killed 20 people.

I agree that it should stop, but consider this, last year 935 people died just because of a rumor of a bomb, this year just 20 died (sniper attacks), that is 920 people saved by the actions that were taken over the last year. I would venture to say that it is an improvement.

Passengers Protect Their Airplane

2006-08-22T11:28:00.000-04:00

Passengers that noticed two fidgeting Asian men refused to let the plane take off until the two men were removed. I am not sure what this means for the future, but it certainly is a good start.

British Convert Roundup

2006-08-22T10:53:00.000-04:00

Tel-Chai Nation, has the lowdown on British converts to the Religion Of Peace. (H/T Greyhawk)

Terrorism Is Real It's Deadly & It's Here!

2006-08-22T10:37:00.000-04:00

So said Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, during the press conference after they formally charged 11 of the men arrested in relation to the plot to blow Airliners out of the sky.

MSM Spanks Itself

2006-08-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Mort Zuckerman dishes out a good spanking today for the direction that the media goes in and the methods they employ. Don't mistake my sarcasm, what he is saying is good, for example:

The world's information media seem either incapable of or unwilling to apprehend what's now going on around the globe. Al Manar, Hezbollah's TV station, has always been devoted to hate. Al Jazeera, the other Arab cable network, likes to proclaim its integrity but demonstrates nothing of the kind. These two propaganda channels have inflamed the Arab masses with anti-Israel, anti-American propaganda. The American media, of course, have presented the war in a more balanced fashion - but the "balance" of on-the-one-hand, on-the-other reporting is bogus. Truth simply doesn't always reside in the middle. (emphasis my own)

The reason why I find this odd, is that he is one of the few people that can actually have an effect on the direction of the MSM and considering that he is Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of U.S. News & World Report and is the publisher of the New York Daily News (According to TMG) he should do something more than just posture about it in an editorial.

France & UN Axis Of Weasel

2006-08-21T12:44:00.000-04:00

Raja has a good rant. I can't resist quoting part of what he writes.

As for France, and its commitment regarding the UN force, my thoughts echo those expressed by editorials published by the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. The Journal wonders whether UN resolution 1701 is still alive,

Most U.N. resolutions don't have the shelf-life of a gallon of milk, which isn't always a bad thing. But in the case of resolution 1701 - the cease-fire agreement for Lebanon and Israel adopted unanimously this month by the Security Council - things seem to be going sour even faster than that. And that is cause for serious unease.
And the Times mocks Jacques Chirac mercilessly for his "contribution" to the implementation of 1701,

It would be tempting to laugh about France's paltry commitment of 200 additional peacekeepers for Lebanon, if it weren't so dangerous. After insisting for years that they be treated like a superpower, the French are behaving as if they have no responsibility for helping dig out of the Lebanon mess.

Read the whole thing here.

The Syrian Equation

2006-08-21T12:34:00.000-04:00

Across The Bay has some excellent thoughts and observations related to Syria. More on Syria here.

8/22/06 = End Of The World?

2006-08-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

Michael Totten is blogging apocalyptic kinds of things. I guess it's appropriate, since he is currently filling in for Andrew Sullivan.

Blog Silence Ends Now

2006-08-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

Another weekender with family. It's back to blogging now. Thanks for your patience.

Israel At Crossroad

2006-08-18T12:52:00.000-04:00

This news is trickling in, that the Lebanese Army reached the Israeli Border. To be honest, I don't think anyone can really know what that means yet.

It is no secret that there is lots of talk about replacing parts of the government. Read this "Arik wake up! Olmert's in a coma" and see that there are still many fights to come.

Lebanon At Crossroad

2006-08-18T12:39:00.000-04:00

First, yesterday there were two news conferences as described here, they were given by Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt, on how they see things.

Second, read what some bloggers say about it. CM says, the world lost a major opportunity to shift Lebanese dependence away from Hezballah. As he points out, precious time has been lost.

Just two days ago, I was optimistic. But now, the very tiny window of opportunity the West and its Lebanese allies had to make a dramatic change has closed.

It's too late.

Hezbollah was the most prepared for the aftermath of this conflict. This is ironic because Israel's entire agenda was to keep Hezbollah from being prepared for anything ever again. Israel took great pride in the fact that all Hezbollah leaders fled to the bunkers. Yet, in those bunkers, Hezbollah was preparing for the next step

Raja, reinforces what CM said, by showing that the ball is in Hezballah's court.

Surveying Damage In N. Israel

2006-08-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

Michael Totten went to Northern Israel ( Kiryat Shmona )and he saw the damage(+photos) caused by the katyushas. He also warns us about what is yet to come.

AP Salute (& other dark humor)

2006-08-18T00:23:00.000-04:00

Enjoy, some light stuff, before we get into the news of the day.

Paratrooper demonstrates the proper way to salute the MSM.
Six Meat Buffet, with My Name Is Ahmadinejad: Iran has never been so funny!
Point Five, with Starving Palestinian Children Forced To Eat Cell Phones To Survive.

Lebanese Pride II

2006-08-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

There is good news and bad news. The good news is that there are more and more Lebanese that feel this way. Another one here. The bad news is that these people largely don't live in Lebanon.

Lebanons Future Looks Depressing

2006-08-17T15:49:00.000-04:00

At least that's how it seems, from this roundup by MJT.

Daily Dose Of Bandit36

2006-08-17T15:24:00.000-04:00

Be sure to see this good stuff, coming out of Iraq. Check back every day.

Lebanese General Arrested

2006-08-17T15:09:00.000-04:00

This can't be good. Adnan Daoud was arrested for drinking tea with IDF soldiers, during the latest conflict.

Debunking 9/11 Myths: The Blog

2006-08-17T15:00:00.000-04:00

The Book now has it's own Blog.

Here, they explain the purpose of the book.

The goal of this book is not to tell the complete story of what happened on September 11, 2001. There are numerous excellent sources, including the 9/11 Commission’s report and the New York Times and other newspapers, that chronicle the attacks in painful detail. Instead, this book aims only to answer the questions raised by conspiracy theorists themselves. Strip away the political theorizing and logical leaps, and every conspiracy theory ultimately comes down to a small set of claims based on evidence that can be examined. These claims are the only points where the theorists’ elaborate conjectures make contact with the real world. Without these foundations, the theories crumble. In every case we examined, the key claims made by conspiracy theorists turned out to be mistaken, misinterpreted, or deliberately falsified.

You can buy the book here.

Lebanese Pride

2006-08-17T14:59:00.000-04:00

Doha at TLB is feeling the "fuzzies" as the Lebanese Army heads south.

Holy Moses! (& other dark humor)

2006-08-17T13:34:00.000-04:00

Enjoy, some light stuff, before we get into the news of the day.

BP interviews a 50 year old Israeli voter.
Sandmonkey switches over in a letter to Nasrallah.
Beth has some new modern Rules Of Engagement.
Froggy with a new Iraqi camera.

Sweet Dreams, Condi!

2006-08-16T14:29:00.000-04:00

Condoleezza Rice wrote an article, that appears in todays WaPo, it is titled "A Path To Lasting Peace{ful dreams}". Ok, I added that last part. The article sounds hopeful with a plan to keep the ceasefire in effect, but I think it misses a point. Like all those who think that we can negotiate with these Terrorist Organizations, they forget one important component, "Been there, done that", and it failed miserably. The reason being, that there is no partner on the other side that is ready to live in peace, side by side with Israel. Oh, and look this part.

Finally, this resolution clearly lays out the political principles to secure a lasting peace: no foreign forces, no weapons and no authority in Lebanon other than that of the sovereign Lebanese government. These principles represent a long-standing international consensus that has been affirmed and reaffirmed for decades -- but never fully implemented. Now, for the first time, the international community has put its full weight behind a practical political framework to help the Lebanese government realize these principles, including the disarmament of all militias operating on its territory.

Puhleeze! How do you expect me to believe that? Every time the World Body (UN or Otherwise) gets together, and stops Israel from defending itself, they say the same thing, over and over again, that " We mean it this time, we are going to force them to disarm", and then what happens, they rearm, be it Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the Palestinian Terrorist groups, or Hezballah in Lebanon. Now, Condi says it a little different, " We are really, really going to enforce the disarming" but we hear the same thing that was promised before. I don't want to be the pessimist, but this is how I see the situation. If you still can't see it the way I do, read this and see who is running the show in Lebanon. I rest my case.

The Real War

2006-08-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows that Israeli's are unhappy, with their Leadership right now. But does anyone realize that the Lebanese aren't exactly happy that Hezballah got to where they are now? CM at LPJ is not happy, he goes so far to say that now the Real War might start. The one that Hezballah warned about, in the beginning of this conflict. Here is some of it.

The main concern right now is that political assassinations will strike Lebanon again, like they did in 2005. Walid Jumblatt noted in the Wall Street Journal that he and Prime Minister Saniora are likely targets. Add to that list any Lebanese politician, especially a dissenting Shia leader, who goes against Hezbollah or the Syrian regime.

Also, check out Raja, he thinks that we are walking backward.

Israel/Hezballah: Round 2.

2006-08-16T13:21:00.000-04:00

Are they preparing for another round? It certainly seems so. More so, is anyone surprised? They shouldn't be, since Hezballah came out on top, at least that's the way most people see it.

The Associated Press' Expert

2006-08-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

In trying to understand what motivates people to do terrorist acts, the AP quotes one Azzam Tamimi, director of the London-based Institute of Islamic Political Thought. This guy sounds pretty important.

Now, take a look at this video and see how radical Tamimi is. If anyone tries to convince you that Islam is a religion of peace, have them view this video.

UPDATE! Check out this video where Tamimi is interviewed by Tucker Carlson, and he just talks out of both sides of his mouth, as if it comes so naturally.

Excellent InstaPodcast

2006-08-15T20:13:00.000-04:00

The Glenn and Helen Show interview David Dunbar and Brad Reagan, editors of Popular Mechanics' new book, Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts.

Night Action In Iraq - Video

2006-08-15T20:04:00.000-04:00

Blackfive posted video footage of a raid at night. It's filmed through night vision and sums up the raid from planning to the eventual arrest.

More Video: This one from Uncle Jimbo. Makes you proud of the paratroopers.

Apology For Haditha Marines

2006-08-15T14:48:00.000-04:00

Minnesota Republican Rep. John Kline, a retired Marine Corps colonel, issued this apology in order to distance himself from those that accused the marines.

Good News Out Of Iraq

2006-08-15T14:29:00.000-04:00

Darrell at Morning Coffee, has a great roundup of recent positive events, and as he notes, you will never get this through the MSM.

For more good news check out bandit36. (H/T Darrell)

Israel You Squandered An Opportunity

2006-08-15T13:29:00.000-04:00

To say that, is being charitable. I feel more like the current Government in Israel rolled the dice, and at stake were the lives of many, and they came up short. Lebanese Political Journal writer CM, explains why he feels this way. He also has faith in PM Saniora, and he gives him some advice.

Thank God, Prime Minister Saniora is leading Lebanon. He's got the right values, the right will, and the right connections to educate Arab regimes about what they can better do to strengthen Lebanon and the region:

1. Don't just throw money at Lebanon. Invest in Lebanese governmental institutions.

2. Pressure Syria heavily.

3. Squeeze Iran.

4. Promote Lebanese democracy by becoming more active in it. Don't use proxies to speak on your behalf. Your ambassadors can take part in shaping modern Lebanon, just as the American, French, and British ambassadors do. And your word carries more weight than theirs since it's you who are backing your words with billions of dollars.

Let's hope that his optimism, pulls through.

Message To Nasrallah

2006-08-15T13:13:00.000-04:00

Raja writes Hassan Nasrallah: ENOUGH! The people posting comments, seem to agree with him.

Reporting From The MidEast Front III.

2006-08-15T13:10:00.000-04:00

Michael is doing, what he does best!

ITM Vacationing In Cairo

2006-08-14T16:46:00.000-04:00

Mohammed, from Iraq The Model, is hangin' in Egypt, with Big Pharaoh. They also hung out with Sandmonkey, who gives a peek into some of the conversations that took place in the car.

Journalists Kidnapped In Gaza

2006-08-14T16:37:00.000-04:00

According to Reuters News Agency, two FOXNews Journalists were kidnapped in Gaza.

Here, is a possible name of one of the victims. (H/T Matt Drudge)

Reporting From The MidEast Front II.

2006-08-14T14:22:00.000-04:00

Michael has another post. I found this observation, amusing.

On the way back to Tel Aviv we passed once again through entire towns eerily emptied of people. As far as I know there has been no looting of houses, of stores, or of anything else. It would be so easy to steal whatever you want in an apocalyptic environment. But I don’t think anyone did.

Many countries in the world would not be so lucky, including the United States. Looting was rampant in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

This can't be true, aren't the Joooos the biggest thieves, it must his lying eyes.

So Cute...So Dangerous!

2006-08-14T13:52:00.000-04:00

Call it Baby Bombers. Or Crib Death. Either way, this is horrific.

As Golda Meir famously said: “We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us”. She was talking about Israel. If anything, this shows that you cannot just leave the problem. Look, now it's on our doorstep.

All Missing Egyptians In Custody

2006-08-14T13:46:00.000-04:00

With the arrest of the last two missing students, all are accounted for. I have a question. Why was it that only one, turned himself in? Are we ever going to know what they were trying to accomplish?

Ceasefires, Victories, Defeats....Stalemate.

2006-08-14T13:44:00.000-04:00

The current situation in Lebanon, can at best, be called a stalemate for Israel. For Hezballah however, it is an entirely different story. The reason being, that we cannot trust the numbers that are given to us about pretty much everything. For example. How many dead? How many katyushas are left? So, the speculation goes on.

Hezballah Won. They absolutely did.

No they didn't.Israel did.

What are ya' talkin' about? Iran and Syria Won.

And of course, WTF, how should we know?

Hezballah: The Powerful.

2006-08-14T12:15:00.000-04:00

Over at Lebanese Political Journal Charles Malik, writes that Hezballah was grossly underestimated.

As a total sidenote: Charles Malik, is the Former Lebanon.Profile, here is his reason for changing his alias.

Hezballah: The Sympathizers.

2006-08-14T11:15:00.000-04:00

Although Hezballah is on the State Dept.'s list of terrorist organizations, the government does not do anything to stop the public from openly supporting a terrorist organization. Think of it like this, imagine all these people were supporting Al-Qaida, would that change anything, it shouldn't since they both are treated equally by the State Dept.

Let's take a look at some of the support that has come in for Hezballah:

Washington, DC: Outside the White House.
San Francisco: 8/12/06. "Nazi Kikes Out Of Lebanon"
Toronto: 8/12/06. Scroll down a bit.
London: 8/05/06. Hezballah Flag flies in front of Big Ben.
Belgium: 8/06/06. Not a big surprise.
Istanbul: 8/04/06. No big surprise here either.

Make no mistake. What these people are supporting, is Hezballah. They don't give a donkeys a** about Lebanon.

Dearborn Terrorists:Hezballah Connection

2006-08-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

Many people have been wondering, what makes a few students want to blow up bridges and do other acts of terrorism?

Well, the answer is twofold.

One, around the world right now support for Hezballah is very high. I will prove it in the next post.
Two, YOUR taxdollars are funding a public school that actively promotes Hezballah, and no one in the MSM picked up on this yet.

Iran's War

2006-08-13T23:57:00.000-04:00

Raja at The Lebanese Bloggers, reacts to some harsh realities, that exist in the Middle East in general, and Lebanon in particular.

Reporting From The MidEast Front

2006-08-13T12:17:00.000-04:00

Michael Totten is up close and personal at the Israeli/Lebanese border, and he is reporting on events as usual.

Did Bush "Lose It"

2006-08-13T00:01:00.000-04:00

Power Line and others certainly think so.

Israeli And Arab "Peace" FAQ

2006-08-12T23:52:00.000-04:00

Hugh Hewitt has this as a Special Edition of FAQ's. Glenn Reynolds likes this part most.

1) What would happen if all the Arab nations and their terrorist proxies like Hezbollah set down their arms and gave up their ambitions to drive Israel into the sea?

There would be peace in the Middle East.

2) What would happen if Israel disbanded the IDF, junked its nuclear weapons and declared to its neighbors that she would do anything to live in peace?

Israel would be annihilated, millions of its citizens killed. The term genocide could be used to describe the ensuing holocaust, but since that term has been so hopelessly debased by American academics, a new term would have to be created like super-duper-mega genocide to really capture the nature of things.

It's a real eye-opener. Read the rest here.

Israelis Rushing Against The Clock

2006-08-12T23:49:00.000-04:00

With the government of Israel expected to accept the ceasefire proposed by the UN, the IDF is pushing very hard to maximize the time they have left.

Marc Lee, Navy SEAL, RIP

2006-08-11T14:19:00.000-04:00

Michael Fumento writes a personal obituary for Marc. Be sure to read this it's about the first time they met. ( It's in the paragraph titled "Firefight at Mulaab" )

Operation Bojinka: The Good News.

2006-08-11T14:13:00.000-04:00

Everyone seems to be reporting that this is how the tip came in. It certainly is a start, considering all of the depressing news that normally comes out of that community in London.

Also, a flashback to what was probably a "Dry Run" although that took place in America.

Extreme Divide In Lebanese Blogosphere

2006-08-11T13:34:00.000-04:00

I have found that throughout this conflict, some of the Lebanese Bloggers, who were moderate or even conservative in their views, vis-a-vis the US and Israel, have totally flipped around. Now I can understand someone that is pissed at the Israelis or even the US, and I can understand them blaming the "other side" for the deaths of civilians.

What I don't understand, are the Bloggers that just a few months ago were talking to Israelis, hosting them on their sites and some, even at the risk of being caught,(which BTW is considered Treason in Lebanon) went to visit some of the Israelis that they met through the internet. And now those very same Bloggers are siding with the extreme liberal wacko views in the world. For example, Perpetual Refugee went from really trying to understand Israelis and Jews, to hating them with such a passion that he will host a video of people that promote throwing all the Joooos into the sea.

If you need more examples of Lebanese Bloggers gone wacko, look at this claiming that the Israeli Invasion of Lebanon was planned a month before it took place, and that the US was in on it. If you still need more, look at the comments in this post which BTW, the post itself is in question if those are the facts. Yet, you can find countless of these "conservative" thinking Lebanese, who at the first sign of some friction, crossed over to the "crazies".

The good news is, that there are some very well written and wonderful Lebanese Bloggers that maintain the values that are accepted worldwide as moderate or conservative. An example of that can be found here (Across The Bay), and here (Lebanese Political Journal).

Israel Is Pushing Further In

2006-08-11T13:24:00.000-04:00

Despite efforts at the UN to bring about a ceasefire in Lebanon, there are reports that PM Olmert gave the go ahead to push deeper into Lebanon.

Lebanon Past And Future

2006-08-11T02:16:00.000-04:00

Across the Bay (BTW an excellent Lebanese Blogger) likes what Lee Smith has been saying and comments on it.

Troop Morale High In Iraq

2006-08-11T01:50:00.000-04:00

This may come as a surprise to the "Blame America First" crowd, but as Register columnist Gordon Dhen saw when he visited Iraq last month, the troops' morale was high.

Interestingly, the closer to the action the Marines were, the more time they spent "outside the wire" looking for the enemy and interacting with the Iraqi people, the better they thought of themselves and their mission. That may sound strange – the more danger they're in, the higher the morale – but it's true....

Well, I am not surprised at all, though it certainly is encouraging.