Moving Day

The Mrs. and I are moving to the new digs on Friday morning. Needless to say, I will be slightly preoccupied in the days ahead. I will therefore take this moment to wish you all a very happy New Year. See you next week.

The Unrepentant David Irving

Just last week, David Irving received an early parole from an Austrian judge. His crime, of course, was holocaust denial. He was subsequently booted out of Austria and immediately returned to his native Britain. It didn't take long for Irving himself to prove the early release was nothing short of a disgrace.

Here is the dog at his press conference;

"Why have the Jews been so hated for the last 3,000 years, that there has been pogrom after pogrom in country after country. It's the one question they have been shy of."

"Mel Gibson was right" (reference to Gibson's statement that Jews were responsible for all the world's wars)

No one is more responsible for this pig going free than Austria. The appointed judge was nothing short of a Joerg Haider fanatic. He was a lock for early release.

The Jerusalem Post reports that on the very day after Irving's release, Austria denied a Croatian request for the extradition of a Nazi war criminal. I would say it was a successful week for the happy partners of the Anschluss. Austria claims to be a modern democratic state. Why then is their right hand outstretched in that all too infamous salute?

The only fitting end to this story would be a Zyklon B cocktail for Irving. But then again, his last will would probably deny it happened.

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Iran Is Not Alone In The War Against The Dollar

In previous posts (here, here and here) I have written about Iran's plan to "dump the dollar" in favor of the Euro. They have company. Bloomberg News reported today that the United Arab Emirates will convert 8 percent of its foreign-exchange reserves from dollars into euros before September. Here is Sultan Bin Nasser al-Suwaidi, the UAE's Central Bank Governor:

"We will accumulate euros each time the market appears to dip, as part of a plan to expand the country's holding of euros to 10 percent of the total from 2 percent today". The U.A.E. has started ``in a limited way'' to sell part of its dollar reserves.

Al-Suwaidi went on to say that the total value of the UAE's current foreign currency reserves is $24.9 billion, 98 percent in dollars and 2 percent in euros.

More from Bloomberg News;

Gulf Arab energy producers will earn as much as $500 billion from oil sales this year, the International Monetary Fund forecasts. The region's central banks reserves represent a fraction of the currency holdings of state-owned investment firms such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority which is estimated to have over half-a-trillion dollars under management.

The U.S. current account deficit widened to $225.6 billion in the third quarter, while oil producers in the Middle East and central Asia will run a surplus of $322 billion for all of 2006, according to the IMF.

Iran has already declared economic war against the US. Other Arab nations are falling in line. Is anyone paying attention???

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Tagged By.......

ANGEL

You gotta do what you gotta do.....

3 things I want for Hannukah:

1- A Greater Israel free of pseudostinians
2- A good single malt and a Cuban
3- A surprise from my wife


3 things I don't want:

1- Phone calls from people who don't care
2- A koran in the hotel nighttable
3- An airport strip search by Helga

Moslems Do Ignore Fatwahs When They Want To

Moslems in general and Jihadists in particular have found it very handy to use the "fatwah" as a religious type of certification for their behavior. It's Allah's will after all. A very interesting article in today's Jerusalem Post hits on a whole new angle to the fatwah. Sometimes, the fatwah is not necessarily binding.

An unnamed Moslem cleric issued a fatwah in 2005 which was interpreted as forbidding Moslems from playing soccer. Here's a quote;

"You must play the entire game with the intention of improving your physical fitness for the purpose of fighting jihad for Allah's sake and preparing for the time when jihad is needed... you should speak about your body, its strength and its muscles, and about the fact that you are playing as a means of training to run, attack, and retreat in preparation for waging jihad for Allah's sake."

Playing ball for the sake of anything else other than the preparation for war is off limits. As a result, three members of a well known Saudi team immediately quit the squad. One of them was later arrested in Iraq while planning a suicide attack.

So how did Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Iran (some may include France in this group) all participate in the 2006 World Cup? The Mufti of Saudi Arabia called on the "appropriate authorities to prosecute those involved in the publishing of these fatwahs in a Shari'a court." Other Saudi officials claimed that since soccer was not mentioned in the Koran, the fatwah was out of line.

My read is that fatwahs are binding when they call for the killing off westerners and Jews, but when the call is against what the world refers to as "the beautiful game", all bets are off. The fatwah is wrong. The issuer should even be punished. I wonder when a cleric who issued a fatwah which authorizing the killing of innocents was prosecuted. Apparently fatwahs can be ignored. At least when it's convenient.

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No Deposit, No Return

The Arabs in general and the Palestinians in particular, have always looked to "the right of return" as a demographic weapon designed to democratically destroy the State of Israel. The cat's out if the bag. The weapon is a dud. This from Palestinian Media Watch;

PMW has documented yet another corroboration in the official Palestinian Authority (PA) paper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida that it was Arab leaders who were responsible for the flight of Arabs from the new State of Israel in 1948.

A backbone of PA ideology, and indeed of anti-Israel propagandists worldwide, is the myth that Israel expelled hundreds of thousands of Arabs from Israel and created the Palestinian "refugee" situation.

However, a regular writer for the official PA paper, Mahmud Al-Habbash, writes in a recent column that in 1948 the Arabs left their homes willingly under the instruction of their own Arab leaders and their false promises of a prompt return. He refers to these promises as “Arkuvian,” after Arkuv – a figure from Arab tradition - who was known for breaking his promises and for his lies – and states that the Arabs who left their homes, and became refugees did so believing their leaders’ deceptive promises. He places the blame and the responsibility on the shoulders of the Arab leaders and does not mention any so-called "Israeli expulsion."

Read quotes from the article here.

If all the Pseudostinians, who at one point in time had relatives living in Israel, were allowed to "return", Israel would be swamped by rabid Islamists looking for revenge. The Jews would be outnumbered. The Jewish democratic state would vanish. In a democratic process, the Arabs would vote the Jews right out of legality. This is why the right of return was always such a sticking point. It was a tool for the Arabs to legally destroy Israel, probably under the auspices of the UN.

No more. They walked, not ran. They left willingly, not at gunpoint. Sorry Ahmed, no money back guarantee.

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Festivals of Light

Chanuka; The Original Festival of Lights

Christmas; Another Festival of Light

Ramadan; A Different kind of Festival of Light

The Dollar Wars

I last reported here on December 15th that Iran has upped it percentage of euro based oil sales, replacing the dollar as the currency of choice. It doesn't stop there. Here's the Iranian Oil Ministry's in house press agency, Shana;

"All oil and foreign revenue will be calculated in euros. It has also been decided that future accounts of various executive organizations will be based in euros.''

The statement continues to explain that this will help Iran reduce its dependency on the dollar. What they really mean to say is that they want to cause a dollar sell-off.

Other "friendly" nations have been long to follow suit.

Bank Indonesia is boosting euro holdings. According to Senior Deputy Governor Miranda S Goeltom, Bank Indonesia is boosting euro holdings. Indonesia has $39.9 billion in reserves.

Sultan Bin Nasser al-Suwaidi, the Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, said that the bank was considering when to shift as much as 8 percent of the nation's $24.9 billion in reserves into euros.

Last but not least, Venezuela. Domingo Maza Zavala a board member of the Central Bank of Venezuela said that Banco Central de Venezuela has slashed the percentage of its $35.9 billion worth of reserves invested in dollars and gold to 80 percent from 95 percent a year ago. The country also increased its euro holdings to 15%, up from 5% a year ago. Zavala explains;

"The U.S. dollar has suffered a long process of deterioration. The diversification strategy started this year."

If Chavez had it his way, the deterioration would continue. But the fools just don't get. A cheaper dollar would only make US exports that much more attractive. Maybe Iran could help wipe out the trade deficit. Bottom line; as much as they want to pummel the dollar, a large majority of their holdings are in dollars. Even they aren't that stupid.

H/T Bloomberg News

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Here We Go Again

Courtesy of the Ottawa Citizen

Iran Is Dumping The Dollar

In a post last week, I reported that the Iranians have started accepting Euros instead of US dollars as payment for crude oil. Traditionally, crude oil, like gold, has always been traded against dollars. The Iranians have threatened this change for some time. The situation appears to be getting worse.

The Iranian business newspaper "Sarmayeh" quoted National Iranian Oil Company President Gholamhossein Nozari as saying; "Currently, more than 57 percent of oil-product sales are made in Euros, and we will suggest to our other buying parties' to switch to euros as well".

Iran's oil-export contracts for months have included a clause that allows the nation to seek payment in the euro and other currencies. Recall that Iran exports approximately 4 million barrels of oil daily. If Iran would eliminate dollar transactions for its oil, the demand for 250 million dollars a day would dry up. When demand disappears, prices go down. The dollar would depreciate. The economic war has already started.

(1 Euro= 1.32 Dollars)

H/T Bloomberg News
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Don Surber 123beta

An Israel Against The Jews

"Thanks God the curve of Zionist regime's life is on the decline adding that this is a divine promise and will of world nations. Those who have supported the Zionist regime during their lifetime should be aware that its lifetime will be over and their interests as well as reputation will be endangered. Just as the ground was prepared to assign such a regime, the Zionist regime will be overthrown by its supporters. When I said the Zionist regime must be wiped off the map, the Zionist media of course harshly blasted me, but everyone must know that just as the USSR disappeared, this will also be the fate of the Zionist regime, and humanity will be free."

The author of this quote needs no introduction. His target is well marked. As an American and an Israeli, I have a comforting message for the Persian Kitty. Rest easy and relax. Israel is imploding on its own. You don't need nukes. Just wait. Israel will do the job for you.

This horrifying news item from today's Jerusalem Post;

The familiar sight of Lubavitch Hassidic Jews inviting youths to put on Tefillin (Phylacteries) may suffer a serious setback if a bill proposed by Labor MK Ophir Paz-Pines in the Knesset on Monday becomes law. The bill would prevent adults from placing pressure on anyone under the age of 18 to increase or decrease their religious involvement.

According to Paz-Pines, too much pressure is placed on youths to alter their religious traditions. Pressing youths to observe or discard religious practices can "cause the break-up of a family and cause damage to minors," he said.

Ephraim Shore, a director of Jerusalem's Aish Hatorah Yeshiva, disagreed with Paz-Pines's reasoning, saying: "There are so many reasons for schisms in the family... We have a heritage that has lasted over 3,000 years and we believe in teaching it to people. This heritage has not traditionally caused schism in the family."

Shore rejected the assertion that some teenagers might be brainwashed into adopting religious practices.

"If you teach a Jew the beauty of Shabbat and he lights candles on Friday night, that is his choice, not some brainwashing," he said. "It's a free country. We have a popular Web site that 2 million people visit a month. Should we change it to an 'adult only' Web site just so that teens won't be exposed to the dangerous material we post there about Jewish life and traditions?"

Can you imagine that a Jewish lawmaker in the Jewish State, wants to criminalize the act of introducing Jewish laws to Jews?

I have been accosted many times by these individuals. They usually greet you with a warm smile and ask you if you would like to put on Tefillin. If you prefer not to, they simply wish you a good day. Brainwashing? Hardly. Is this simple act of good will likely to break up a family? A family no, but it could break a country.

This isn't the first time that the current anti-Semitic government has tried to take the law out of God's hands. Just last Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year), Israeli police arrested a Jew for blowing the Shofar (rams horn) near the Western Wall for fear it might disturb the arab neighbors.

If Israel were to slowly lose its Jewish identity, then it becomes just another country. Is it really worth it all? Who needs a Jewish State that isn't Jewish? It's a beautiful country, but so is Alaska. The weather is great, just as it is in the Bahamas. It's much easier to earn a living in just about any other democratic society.

Myself, like so many others I know, are here because Israel is the Jewish State. We have a profound understanding of our history. We feel the 2,000 years of brutal exile. We feel like we have finally found our way back home.

If this bill passes, then Ahmadinejad can really smile. He won't have to lift a finger. The end would be in sight.

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James Al-Bakr's New America

James Al-Bakr's New America. Sorry, couldn't pass on this one. H/T to Planck's Constant.





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James Al-Bakr Of Arabia

Based on what I've seen from the Iraq Study Group Report, it is clear that either James Baker has converted to Islam and wants to destroy Israel, or he just simply wants to destroy Israel. Since his famous "F*** the Jews" outburst, his position is very clear. Being the dominating personality that he is, you won't have to look long and hard to find his fingerprints all over the report. Some choice bits;

"The United States will not be able to achieve its goals in the Middle East unless the United States deals directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict."

This is very dangerous stuff. The linkage between Israel's fight for survival against the Hamas led Pseudostinians and the war in Iraq is absurd. What this seemingly innocent statement does is shift the blame for the failure of the war effort from the Bush Administration to the Israelis. If the Israelis would only play nice and submit to the outrageous suicidal terms demanded by the Ishmaelites, then, things would have turned out differently in Iraq. Correct. They would have turned out different; a hell of a lot worse. Israel would be ablaze with terrorist activity which would feed off the ultimate capitulation. The conflict in Iraq would instead be a full fledged regional war being waged from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. No one would recommend troop withdrawals then. Blame the Israelis and free the Republicans.

RECOMMENDATION 14: This effort should include as soon as possible the unconditional calling and holding of meetings, under the auspices of the United States or the Quartet (i.e., the United States, Russia, European Union, and the United Nations), between Israel and Lebanon and Syria on the one hand, and Israel and Palestinians (who acknowledge Israel’s right to exist) on the other. The purpose of these meetings would be to negotiate peace as was done at the Madrid Conference in 1991, and on two separate tracks one Syrian/Lebanese, and the other Palestinian.

If Madrid '91 is a role model for peace talks, why do we need more? Don't we have peace? To Baker, successful peace talks are the type that forces Israel to cede territory without any take from the enemy. Hamas in the south, Hezbollah in the north and Iran threatening extinction from the east is Baker's idea of successful peace talks.

Baker, like so many others, finds it more comfortable to place all the blame on anyone but the culprits. Islam is guilty. They don’t need the excuses that Baker makes for them. Islam says it's not about the Pals or Israel. It's Jihad. To the Jihadists, Madrid, Oslo and Wye are only places of future conquest. Nothing more, nothing less. To James Al-Bakr; hang it up.

Coming Up: Syria and the Right of Return.

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Stop The ACLU On FOX!!

Congratulations to our friends at Stop The ACLU for their featured spot on FOX News. Our best wishes and keep up the good work.

See it all here.

Teheran Plans To Dump The Dollar

It has been reported today in two Iranian newspapers that Teheran has started to accept Euros instead of US dollars as payment for crude oil. The dollar has always been the currency used to purchase oil. The Teheran Times reported today that according to a source in the Oil Ministry, Euro based oil sales have started. The Minister of Economy Davoud Danesh-Ja'fari was quoted in Iran Daily saying that Iran wants to keep its dollar based transactions to a minimum. Iran is the world's fourth largest producer of crude oil.

The timing of the move is critical. Just this week the dollar has hit a 20 month low against the Euro. It is possible that Central Banks throughout the Mid-East may start to convert their dollars into Euro as dollar trade in the region dries up, further pressuring the greenback. OPEC has recently hinted at supply cuts to drive the price of oil up in order to compensate for the weaker dollar.

Iran has warned it would limit dollar-based transactions following the U.S. decision of Sept. 8 which blocked Iranian Bank Saderat from doing business in the U.S. for its alleged support of terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

Not all the battles are fought with bullets.

H/T to Bloomberg News

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Hezbollah War Crimes On Film

The NY Times has released a report compiled by the "Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies"; a private research group headed by Reuven Erlich, a retired colonel in military intelligence, who worked closely with the Israeli military. The report was given to the Times by the American Jewish Congress. The report contains IAF film of Hezbollah war crimes.

Here's what the Times says about the report;

"In a new report, an Israeli research group says Hezbollah stored weapons in mosques, battled Israelis from inside empty schools, flew white flags while transporting missiles and launched rockets near United Nations monitoring posts.

Israel says that it tried to avoid civilians, but that Hezbollah fired from civilian areas, itself a war crime, which made those areas legitimate targets.

The report includes Israeli Air Force video that it says shows several instances of Hezbollah personnel firing rockets next to residential buildings in southern Lebanon and then being bombed by Israel. The adjacent buildings were presumably damaged, but there is no information on whether civilians were inside.

In video from July 23, a truck with a multi-barreled missile launcher, presumably from Hezbollah, is parked in a street, sandwiched between residential buildings. The video was transmitted from an Israeli missile approaching the truck. The screen goes fuzzy as the missile slams into the target.

In another video, from a Lebanese village, rockets are seen being fired from a launcher on the back of a truck. The truck then drives a short distance and disappears inside a building. Seconds later, the building itself disappears under a cloud of smoke from an Israeli bomb."

See the video here.

I wonder what the UN and Human Rights Watch have to say for themselves.

Linked to Woman Honor Thyself Stop The ACLU Right Truth Don Surber Planck's Constant Wake Up America

The Wrong Way To Educate

I always knew that Israel's Minister of Education Yuli Tamir was a tree hugging, left wing, self hating anti-Semite. She is also one of the founding members of "Peace Now", a radical left-wing appeasement group. Like so many other Israeli politicians, she is living proof that #@$% floats. She has risen to a position of power despite her incompetence. She too, has reached a new low.

Her newest plan for her struggling education system is to include the "Green Line" on the maps in all school textbooks. The Green Line represents the Israeli borders before the 1967 war. This would exclude Gaza, the West Bank (including half of Jerusalem) and the Golan Heights from the map of Israel. Nothing like teaching defeatism at a young age. In Palestinian schools there is no Israel on the maps. Now, according to this witches plan, Israel will eliminate half of Israel from the map.

This Jezebel is so successful in her current position that crime in the schools has reached an all-time high. So too, has violence against teachers. Israel was once proud of its high ranking education system. Not any more. So where is the focus of the Minister? In setting her corrupt defeatist political agenda.

Here is a comment from a shocked fellow politician;

MK Zeev Elkin (Kadima), a member of the Education Committee's response was that "The education minister is better off taking care of a reform in the education system instead of wasting her time implanting her personal ideology on the student's textbooks."

Her response? If the Green Line would not be included, then that would be a political statement. When will the madness end? If you don't protect yourself, no one else will. This government is on a suicidal mission. There are all too many more from outside the country who are more than willing to help. God help us.

P.S. I later ran across Olmert's take on the situation;

“There is no reason not to mark the Green Line and where the borders of the country were in 1967. However, there is a duty to present the fact that the government’s stance and the consensus in the country rule out returning to the 1967 borders.”

A fool and a liar.

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Mandatory Reading

To all my readers;

I highly recommend you read today's post at The Pugil Stick. Hats off to Atheling2.

Here's the opening;

"The 910 Group is a grassroots organization devoted to stopping Islamofascism, in support of the Anti Islamosfascism Movement , created by activists Steve Baldwin and Jack Wheeler, who founded the American Anti Communist Movement in the 1980’s.Here is an excerpt of their Memo to all Conservative Groups: "

The Capitulator

An alarming precedent was established when Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza last summer. Then PM Sharon did not heed the numerous warnings issued by the military and intelligence services that said any withdrawal from Gaza would lead to more terrorism. Sharon knew better. The facts speak for themselves. Gaza has fallen into the hands of Hamas and Israel has fallen into the hands of Olmert.

Olmert is not a quick learner. The IDF and the intelligence services have repeatedly warned Olmert that any sign of weakness during the false ceasefire will only spur on more attacks. Olmert knows better. Olmert has disregarded the advice and has set forth on a policy of restraint. Like that helps. Here's what Woe-lmert had to say;

"The cost of human life could be higher if the Israeli government doesn't continue exercising restraint. We already saw this is November, when there were extensive operations in Gaza, but the number of Qasaam was higher than ever."

What spin. Olmert handcuffs the army, and then argues that since they were ineffective in stopping the fire, they shouldn't try. I heard one of advisors in a TV interview claim that the Europeans appreciated his restraint and that Israel was "scoring a lot of points" in Europe. More spin. This statement comes two days after the Europeans gladly joined the Arabs in approving six UN resolutions condemning Israel. Lots of points.

The only lives that Olmert is saving are those of the terrorists. There is no sovereign nation in the world that after six years of incessant rocket attacks would refuse to fire back in order to protect its citizens. If Castro would have fired one bullet, let alone a rocket at Florida, Cuba would have disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle. He knew that. That's why he never fired. The Pseudostinians know that they can fire hundreds of rockets and Olmert will not budge. To Olmert, as long as only Israelis are dying it's not so bad. Gotta keep the Europeans happy.

As Usual, The UN Has It Backwards

A committee convened by the UN Human Rights Council said on Friday that Israel should be made to pay compensation for damage it caused during the war with Lebanon, although they left the final decision to Human Rights Council itself.

"It should consider creation of a commission competent to examine individual claims for reparations and compensation" - Commission member Joao Clemente Baena Soares

"If the council, the international community, wishes to set up a mechanism, I remind you that the Security Council established a commission on Iraqi reparations for Kuwait. Why not also a commission for Lebanon?" - Commission member Stelios Perrakis

Why not also a commission for Israel?

(Israel under Hezbollah Katyusha attack)

When Perrakis was asked why the report does not mention the damage suffered by Israel at the hands of Hezbollah, nor does it mention possible compensation for such damage, he answered;

"Of course it (the report) was not one-sided, it was within the limits imposed by the mandate."

Correct he is. The UN never mandated the commission to investigate the damage suffered by Israel at the hands of Hezbollah. Here is the mandate;

"The Commission, according to paragraph 7 of resolution S-2/1, was mandated: “(a) to investigate the systematic targeting and killings of civilians by Israel in Lebanon; (b) to examine the types of weapons used by Israel and their conformity with international law; and (c) to assess the extent and deadly impact of Israeli attacks on human life, property, critical infrastructure and the environment.”

"That said, taking into consideration the express limitations of its mandate, the Commission is not entitled, even if it had wished, to construe it as equally authorizing the investigation of the actions by Hezbollah in Israel. To do so would exceed the Commission’s interpretative function and would be to usurp the Council’s powers."

Shocking. As you will soon see, the UN itself recognized that the conflict was started by the Hezbollah attack and kidnapping of July 12th. Despite this, the UN feels no need to seek compensation for Israel. The UN is investigating whether the attacked country must pay damages to the attacker!! True UN justice.

UNSCR 1701 clearly states who opened the hostilities;

"Expressing its utmost concern at the continuing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and in Israel since Hezbollah’s attack on Israel on 12 July 2006"

So does Kofi Annan's report on UNIFIL;

"The crisis started when, around 9 a.m. local time, Hezbollah launched several rockets from Lebanese territory across the withdrawal line (the so-called Blue Line) towards Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions near the coast and in the area of the Israeli town of Zarit. In parallel, Hezbollah fighters crossed the Blue Line into Israel and attacked an IDF patrol. Hezbollah captured two IDF soldiers, killed three others and wounded two more."

It could not be clearer. Kofi Annan and the Security Council officially recognize Hezbollah as the cause of the war yet choose to punish Israel as if it was the aggressor. The commission justifies action against Israel by comparing their actions to those of the Iraqi invaders of Kuwait. How absurd! In making a fair comparison, one would compare Israel to Kuwait. Hezbollah should be under investigation.

According to the UN scales of justice, I guess that Poland owes Germany compensation for damage they caused to invading Nazi troops. The US should pay Japan for the Kamikaze fighters killed during the bombing of Pear Harbor. Attila the Hun and Alexander the Great would also get paid. I am surprised that the UN has not put Spain on trial for fighting back against the early Islamic invasion. Now that would be a real cause for the UN.

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The Democrats Cut And Run From Themselves

With the nightmarish election behind us, the Democrats are changing their tune. Surprisingly enough, this point is raised by the official Democratic newspaper; the NY Times. Here's the lead from today's article entitled "Idea of Rapid Withdrawal from Iraq Seems to Fade";

"In the cacophony of competing plans about how to deal with Iraq, one reality now appears clear: despite the Democrats’ victory this month in an election viewed as a referendum on the war, the idea of a rapid American troop withdrawal is fast receding as a viable option.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are signaling that too rapid an American pullout would open the way to all-out civil war. The bipartisan Iraq Study Group has shied away from recommending explicit timelines in favor of a vaguely timed pullback. The report that the panel will deliver to President Bush next week would, at a minimum, leave a force of 70,000 or more troops in the country for a long time to come, to train the Iraqis and to insure against collapse of a desperately weak central government.

Even the Democrats, with an eye toward 2008, have dropped talk of a race for the exits, in favor of a brisk stroll."

What a shock! The Democrats lied! All the talk of immediate withdrawal is dead for the simple reason that it is not plausible. It is nothing short of surrender. The Democrat's played the role of Aesop to the tee. To tell the truth would be to lose the election.

One good thing can yet come of this. The President should come out more emboldened than ever before. This Democratic turnaround should be viewed as nothing short of a vote of confidence for the White House. Cut and run, walk or crawl, is the shortest road to failure. The Democrats knew it all along. Finally, after the election, they are admitting it.

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The Right Truth

Hezbollah On The March

At 3PM today in downtown Beirut, Hezbollah plans to fire the first shot in the new Lebanese Civil War. Hezzie leader Nasrallah has called out the horses for what he calls "mass demonstrations" intended on toppling the Anti-Syrian Siniora government, and installing a national unity government. What Nasrallah really means is a government controlled by Nasrallah from the inside and by Syria from the outside. Here's Nasrallah on the march;

"I call upon you all for a popular action to put pressure to achieve this goal. The government has proven it is incompetent and has failed to fulfill its promises and achieve anything significant."

"We have seen that all political efforts have reached an impasse, since the ruling faction is insisting on holding power exclusively. Therefore, nothing remains for us and for all the national opposition forces to do except to undertake popular activity that will apply pressure in order to achieve this goal of a national unity government."

The Lebanese Army will be on hand to maintain order. Lebanon's army chief, General Michel Suleiman has warned of a possible violent showdown. He said troops should not hesitate to intervene to prevent clashes between the two sides.

Although Hezbollah represents a minority of the Lebanese citizens, they have gained a large backing after this past summer's war with Israel. If push comes to shove and things get out of hand, today may very likely be the start of the new civil war in Lebanon. A Hezbollah takeover would surely lead to UNIFIL's eviction from their posts in the South. The ramifications of that event are clear. Let the games begin.