What's In a Name?

How very French:

Iran's president has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language. In one example, "pizzas" will now be known as "elastic loaves."

Iran's official news agency says the presidential decree orders all governmental agencies, newspapers and publications to use words deemed more appropriate by the official language watchdog, the Persian Academy.

So, starting today, I suggest we do the same thing. Ahmadinejad shall now be known as 'lying Islamist terror-sponsoring asshole,' while Tehran will be known as 'Israel's next bomb testing facility.'

6abc.com: Iran President Bans Foreign Words

technorati tags: Iran Ahmadinejad Israel Middle+East war

Big Surprise of the Day

Hm. Can't say I'm terribly surprised.

Intelligence reports indicate the leader of Hezbollah is hiding in a foreign mission in Beirut, possibly the Iranian Embassy, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

Hezbollah leader said to be hiding in Iranian Embassy - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

technorati tags:Hezbollah, Islam, Iran, Iranian+embassy, Israel, Lebanon, middle+east

The Return of Jihadfinger

The Islamic Index Finger of Destruction made a return appearance today in a videotaped message from Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Dressed in a dapper gray and white combo (which is all the rage in the middle-east), he railed in support of 'martyrdom' attacks everywhere and as usual:

He also called for the "downtrodden" throughout the world, not just Muslims, to join the battle against "tyrannical Western civilization and its leader, America."

"Stand with Muslims in confronting this unprecedented oppression and tyranny. Stand with us as we stand with you against this injustice that was forbidden by God in his book (the Quran),"

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."

Al-Zawahri said Muslims everywhere must rise up to attack "crusaders and Zionists" and support jihad "until American troops are chased from Afghanistan and Iraq, paralyzed and impotent ... having paid the price for aggression against Muslims and support for Israel."

At least we got the mandatory Zionist and Crusader references in.  Enough.  Enough with the 'aggression against Muslims' shit.  Just stop.  You sons of bitches are the ones who keep murdering people and then glorifying it like some whacked out Al Qaeda's Most Gruesome Videos competition.  If you assholes would chill the hell out and stop blowing shit up and murdering people in the name of your pedophile prophet there'd be no reason for us to come over there and light your asses up.

Newsvine - Al-Qaida Calls for Holy War Against Israel

technorati tags:Ayman+al+Zawahiri, As+sahab, Al+Qaeda, terrorism, video, jihad, bin+Laden, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Israel

What Kind of A World Do We Live In?

Mahmoud Komati, a senior political figure in Hezbollah said the following in an interview with the Associated Press:

"The truth is _ let me say this clearly _ we didn't even expect (this) response.... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati. He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel to the July 12 cross-border raid, in which three Israelis were killed.

In the past, he said, Israeli responses to Hezbollah actions included sending commandos into Lebanon to seize Hezbollah officials or briefly targeting specific Hezbollah strongholds.

He said the Shiite group had anticipated there would be negotiations on exchanging the Israeli soldiers for three Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it did before.

How stupid can one group of people really be? First of all, everyone and his slightly slow brother knows this isn't about a prisoner swap. If it were, the swap would have been done and this whole situation would have ended by now. This is the hand of Iran mixing the pot of discord to deflect attention from themselves.

In response to Komati, however, I say this. The Israelis have every right to be pissed off. You people have wanted their blood for thousands of years. You got a nice grace period during the 1930s and '40s where the Germans decided to give you a hand, but now it's all you again.

Israelis are sick and tired of the whole persecution thing, and I think they're probably pretty pissed off at Hezbollah constantly bitching and whining that they started it. Anti-semites all sound like kids who got their asses kicked one too many times on the playground and always ran to mommy claiming the other kid threw the first punch.

Now Hezbollah, and to an extent, the Lebanese people are trying to get sympathy from the world because Lebanon, a country that declined to control a terrorist faction operating within its borders is getting a mudhole stomped in its ass by a country that's had it with missiles, rockets, kidnappings and murders.

Lebanon itself needs to own up to the fact that its failure to control and eliminate Hezbollah from their territory is as much a cause of these strikes as Israel's determination to end the attacks against their citizens

So Israel surpassed your expectations.  Maybe this time you'll learn to play nice.

BREITBART.COM - Hezbollah Says Israeli Response a Surprise

technorati tags:Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Shiite, Shia, Islam, war, Hezbollah, Hizb'allah, Hesbollah, middle+east

The Truth Bites Oblivious Iran In the Ass

On July 16th, this appeared on FoxNews.com:

Iran on Sunday denied Israeli claims that it had troops stationed in Lebanon and that it helped Hezbollah fire Iranian-made rockets at Israel andone of its warships, saying the guerrilla group could defend itselfwithout outside help.

"There are no [Iranian] guards there. Shipment of[Iranian] missiles to Hezbollah is also not correct," Foreign Ministryspokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters Sunday.

What a difference a week makes:

The bodies of Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers killed by the Israeli army in Lebanon have been transported to Syria and flown to Tehran, senior Lebanese political sources said.

Israeli and Egyptian security officials confirmed the news, which follows a report that first appeared in The New York Sun, that Iranian forces posted to southern Lebanon have been aiding Hezbollah terrorists in their attacks against Israel, including helping to fire rockets into Israeli population centers.

The Lebanese sources said between six and nine dead Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers were brought in trucks last week into Syria for a flight back to Iran.

War Dead Flown to Iran - July 24, 2006 - The New York Sun

technorati tags:Revolutionary+Guard, Iran, Ahmadinejad, Iranian, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Hezbollah, Hizb'allah, Hizbullah, Terrorist, middle+east, war

Penpals from Hell

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is evil, completely ignorant of reality, and further is batshit crazy.  Anyone following the news with more than a passing interest probably already knows this, but just in case, I present the final nail in the coffin:

A German government official said on Thursday that [a] letter written by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to German Chancellor Angela Merkel asks her to help solve the Palestinian problem and deal with Zionism.

“There’s nothing about the nuclear issue (in the letter),” the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue for the German government.

“It’s all related to Germany and how we have to find a solution to the Palestinian problems and Zionism and so on. It’s rather weird.”

Of course, this comes from a man who refuses to accept the proven fact that Germany tried this particular course of action once before and met with less than spectacular results.

Iran leader asks Germany for help on Zionism - News from Israel, Ynetnews

technorati tags:Mahmoud+Ahmadinejad, Angela+Merkel, Iran, Germany, middle+east, Zionism, Israel, Palestinian

The Funniest Thing You'll Read All Day

This is utterly classic. Full credit goes to Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy; it's too good not to share.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls President Bush and tells him:“President Bush, I called you because I had a dream.

”Bush: “What was the dream about, Ahmadinejad?”

Ahmadinejad: “I dreamed that USA was rebuilt and on the top of each house there was a flag.”Bush: “And what was written on the flag?”

Ahmadinejad: “Allah is big, Allah is great!!!”

Bush: “You know what Ahmadinejad, it’s good that you called because I had a dream too. In my dream Iran was rebuilt and on the top of each building there was a flag too.

”Ahmadinejad: “what was written on the flags?”

Bush: “I don’t know, I can’t read Hebrew!”

MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy - It's the strategery, stupid

technorati tags:Ahmadinejad, Bush, Iran, US, Israel, Hebrew, joke, middle+east

An Unlikely Alliance?

Ever since Israel began their assault on Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah (can we please just agree on one spelling?) incursion into Israel and the resulting deaths and kidnappings of Israeli soldiers, the story has been the same. Anyone within range of a camera or microphone on the Lebanese side of the border presents the same sob story about how Hezbollah doesn't represent the average Lebanese citizen and likewise how Israel is the aggressor.

Lebanon, however, needs to own up and shoulder the responsibility for allowing Hezbollah to operate within its borders to the extent that it does. Likewise, if Lebanon is so adamant that Hezbollah does not represent Lebanon, how can they explain this:

The Lebanese Minister of Defense warned Israel Thursday that if IDF ground forces are sent into southern Lebanon, Lebanese troops will fight along with the Hizbullah against Israel.

Lebanese Army may join forces with Hizbullah | Jerusalem Post

technorati tags:Hezbollah, Hizbullah, Hizbollah, Hizb'allah, Lebanon, Israel, War, World+War+III, IDF, middle+east, terrorism

The More Things Change

The Taliban might be out of power in Afghanistan, but their legacy lives on.  The sooner we realize that we simply can't drag a stone-age mentality kicking and screaming into a 21st century democracy, the better off we'll be.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has signed a decree authorizing the introduction of a moral police force to ensure strict adherence to Islamic injunctions.

The Afghan service of the BBC said Karzai approved the creation of a commission formed by high court president Fazlollah Shinvari, religious affairs minister Nematollah Shahrani and judge Mohammad Ghasem, who will define the powers of the new corps in charge of Taleban-style moral policing.

Karzai reportedly gave in to pressure from the Ulema Council, which wanted him to approve the measure.

AFGHANISTAN: KARZAI GIVES IN TO CALLS FOR MORAL POLICE

technorati tags:Karzai, Afghanistan, Islam, Muslim, Shari'a, Taliban, Taleban, Moral+police

Israeli Soldiers Held By Iranians?

If this report is true, it could blow the escalating conflict in the middle east wide open, confirming widespread suspicions that Iran is the culpable party in the whole affair.

Delicate intelligence information coming out of Hezbollah indicated that the 2 missing captives of the Israeli Army Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev have been smuggled outside Southern Lebanon to the capital.

They are secretly being held at the Embassy of Iran in Beirut, under direct Iranian security guards supervision.

It definitely seems plausible enough on the surface.

Lebanese Foundation for Peace

technorati tags:Israel, Hezbollah, Hizbollah, Hizb'allah, Palestine, Gilad+Shalit, soldiers, Lebanon, terrorism, Iran, Iranian, Revolutionary+Guard, Israeli, WW3, WWIII

Bush Swears; Media Goes Apeshit

Who knew that Bush could swear? Wow. On top of the fact that there's no way this fact alone is newsworthy, Bush's comment is accurate and everyone already knows it.  Apparently, it's a slow news day.

A microphone picked up an unaware President Bush saying on Monday Syria should press Hizbollah to "stop doing this shit" and that his secretary of state may go to the Middle East soon.

Unplugged Bush, Blair speak frankly on Mideast, G8 | Reuters.com

technorati tags:Bush, Blair, G8, politics, Syria, Hizbollah

A Fundamental Difference Of Opinion

The sad irony of the middle-east conflict is that the only viable path to resolution is war.  It's almost comical to watch the talking heads on every news outlet proclaim that diplomatic channels are still open and that negotiations might help ease the situation.  Time and time again, the actors in this sad play have proven that nothing short of brute force will force them to change their ways.  Talk is cheap in an area of the world where life is cheaper.

It simply amazes me how willing we are to talk, and negotiate, and draft resolutions in the face of an enemy whose fanaticism and ideological drive are unflappable.  An enemy whose core belief structure mandates terror, murder and general disregard for law or civilization.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday described Lebanon's Shiite guerrillas Hesbollah as "heroes of Islam" during a speech in the city of Tabriz, in Iran's Azerbaijan.

Referring to Israel's offensive in Lebanon, Ahmadinejad said that "this aggression is crazy and is the evident sign of the decline of a fallacious state which is not far from self-destruction." The president also referred to Israel as a state created by "a group of organized criminals."

When faced with a head-of-state whose mind can pervert terrorists into religious heroes and who praises these terrorists' actions and goes on to condemn Israel, you can see the issue.  How are negotiations or talks ever supposed to work with people like this? Iran is but one part of this hydra.

There won't be peace in the middle east until this ideology and those who pervert it are obliterated. It's that simple. No one seems quite ready, save for our enemies, to realize this.  The time for talk, as Israel has realized thanks to Hamas and Hezbollah, has passed.

The gates of world war are creaking open, and I'm afraid we're going to have to march through them in order to reach anything resembling peace.

MIDDLE EAST: HEZBOLLAH 'HEROES OF ISLAM', AHMADINEJAD

technorati tags:Iran, Israel, War, WW3, Hamas, Hezbollah, Hisbollah, Hesbollah, Islam, Muslim, terrorism, Gilad+Shalit, Ahmadinejad, Shiite

Thop The Thilly Hate

Provincetown, Massachusetts has a reputation as 'San Francisco East' for good reason.  Now it appears that tempers are flaring and gays have lashed out at their straight counterparts.

Police say they logged numerous complaints of straight people being called "breeders" by gays over the July Fourth holiday weekend.

What puzzles me is not that gays thought this was an insult; but that people were offended enough to call the police. 

A new intolerance visits Provincetown - The Boston Globe

technorati tags:Provincetown, Massachusetts, Gay, hate+crimes, gay+rights

Silver Bullet, Meet Silver Cuffs

Oh the sweet, sweet irony.

Beer magnate and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pete Coors was arrested on a drunken-driving charge and is due to appear in court next week.

"I should have planned ahead for a ride," Coors said Thursday in a written statement. "For years, I've advocated the responsible use of our company's products. That's still my message, and our company's message. I am sorry that I didn't follow it myself."

Incidentally,

In 1994, Coors Brewing Co. had a fatality related to an employee's drunken driving.

Employee Alfredo Rodriguez, 56, drove for less than a mile on company grounds before he slammed into a utility pole, was thrown from his car and died.

Reports say Rodriguez consumed at least a case of beer.

An investigation revealed Rodriguez had been drinking on the job because open beer taps were available to employees in the cafeteria at Coors.

DenverPost.com - Pete Coors apologizes in drunk driving case

technorati tags: coors beer pete+coors drunk+driving dui

Polly Wanna Rapper?

technorati tags:Parrot, Rap, Beatbox, Odd

Why Iran Won't Back Down

Iran's announcement that it won't release any response to thepackage of EU/US nuclear incentives shouldn't be any surprise. Whilethe world debates what Ahmadinejad and Khameini have up their sleeves,I suggest a quick glance at the Iranian constitution.

• Section 10, Article 152

The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based upon therejection of all forms of domination, both the exertion of it andsubmission to it, the preservation of the independence of thecountry in all respects and its territorial integrity, the defence ofthe rights of all Muslims, non-alignment with respect to thehegemonist superpowers, and the maintenance of mutually peacefulrelations with all non-belligerent States.

• Section 10, Article 153
  

Any form of agreement resulting in foreign control over the naturalresources, economy, army, or culture of the country, as well as otheraspects of the national life, is forbidden.

And perhaps most tellingly:

• Section 10, Article 154

The Islamic Republic of Iran has as its ideal human felicity throughouthuman society, and considers the attainment of independence, freedom,and rule of justice and truth to be the right of all people of theworld. Accordingly, while scrupulously refraining from allforms of interference in the internal affairs of other nations, itsupports the just struggles of the mustad'afun (poor & weak)against the mustakbirun (powerful and arrogant) in every corner of theglobe.

Anyone expecting concessions and capitulation is in for a rude awakening.

IRI's Constitution

technorati tags:Iran, Ahmadinejad, Khameini, Mahmoud+Ahmadinejad, Iranian, Nuclear, US, EU, Constitution, Foreign+Policy

Virginia Exonerates Witch - 300 Years Too Late

We all know that the legal system can take what seems like eons to grind through it's laborious processes.  Trials and hearings are routinely continued and delayed, and even when they do proceed on schedule, they can often take what seems like three hundred years.

In the case of Grace Sherwood, this is exactly how long her vindication took.

Virginia's only convicted witch has finally been pardoned. State Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was asked to exonerate Grace Sherwood, who was tried by water and accused of using her powers to cause a woman to miscarry. On Monday, the 300th anniversary of Sherwood's "ducking" trial, Kaine obliged.

On July 10, 1706, Sherwood's thumbs were tied to her toes and she was dropped into a river. She floated, proof that she was guilty because the pure water cast out her evil spirit, according to the belief system of the time.

Sherwood lived in what today is the rural Pungo neighborhood and she is known as "The Witch of Pungo." She went to court a dozen times, either to fight witchcraft charges or to sue her accusers for slander. In her final case, she was tried for using witchcraft to cause a woman to miscarry.

BREITBART.COM - Woman Accused of Witchcraft in 1706 Cleared

technorati tags:Witchcraft, Witch, Grace+Sherwood, Virginia, law, justice

Lights Out in Chechnya

The man (and I use the term only in the biological sense) behind such atrocities as the Beslan school siege is dead. May he rot in hell.

Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, responsible for modern Russia's worst terrorist attacks, was killed Monday when a dynamite-laden truck exploded in his convoy, Russian officials said.

Federal Security Service head Nikolai Patrushev told President Vladimir Putin that Basayev had been killed overnight in a special operation conducted by Russian forces in Ingushetia, the area of southern Russia that borders Chechnya. Patrushev's meeting with Putin was shown on Russian state television.

Basayev, 41, was behind some of Russia's worst terror attacks, including the seizure of a Moscow theater in 2002 in which dozens of hostages and militants died, the 2004 school hostage taking in Beslan that killed 331, and the seizure of about 1,000 hostages at a hospital in Budyonnovsk that killed about 100.

My Way News - Chechen Rebel Leader Dies in Truck Blast

technorati tags:Beslan, Shamil+Basayev, Chechnya, terrorist, terrorism, Muslim, Islam

The Fourth Reich is Not At Hand

The race card has a very sharp edge, and two distinct sides.

Neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate groups are taking advantage of relaxed recruiting standards to infiltrate the US military to get combat training, a civil rights group reported.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks domestic extremistsgroups, called on US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to adopt azero-tolerance policy toward white supremacist groups in the military.

Oh really? I was under the impression that there might be other, slightly more visible and dangerous groups attempting to infiltrate the US military. Apparently not. From this article it seems that we are to believe the Fourth Reich will rise from the US Armed Forces.

"Neo-Nazi groups and other extremists arejoining the military in large numbers so they can get the best training in the world on weapons, combat tactics and explosives," said MarkPotok, director of the center's Intelligence Project.

Where have I heard of something like this before? Hmmm...

"We should consider this a major security threat, because these peopleare motivated by an ideology that calls for race war and revolution.Any one of them could turn out to be the next Timothy McVeigh," hesaid.

Give me a break people. I have a hard time even reading this article with a straight face; is the threat of Nazism really the ideology of hate we're currently worried about? If so, my calendar is about 60 years off.

You want to talk about an ideology that calls for race war and revolution?

"Any white person is a target...why Bali? Because it will have a "global impact". The author explained: "Bali is known around the world, better than Indonesia itself. An attack in Bali will be covered by the international media."

Again, we've got the mainstream media trying to divert attention away from the real danger using racism as the all-powerful rallying cry.  White supremacists are nothing to be proud of; they're welcome in hell right beside Islamic terrorists; but calling the presence of neo-nazis in the US military a full-on infiltration and presenting it as a near crisis is alarmist bullshit.

There are far more pressing situations to worry about.

The icing on the cake of this piece of crap article:

"We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad... That's a problem."

You call it a problem, I call it irony.

BREITBART.COM - Neo-Nazis infiltrating the US military: civil rights group

technorati tags:Nazi, terrorism, Islam, Nazism, Southern+Poverty+Law+Center, Neo+Nazi, Muslim, race+war, Bali, Al+Qaeda

The Digit of Death

I've noticed that everytime you see a video of some Al Qaeda tool preaching hate and death against the west, they seem to make this gesture. I've dubbed it the mythical Islamic 'Index Finger of Destruction.'

The big question though: where are their other hands? Hmm.

technorati tags:Osama+Bin+Laden, Zarqawi, Adam+Gadhan, Al+Qaeda, Terrorist, Terrorism

I Wish They All Could Be California Jihadis

Not content to be outdone by Dell, Vonage, and Hewlett-Packard, Al Qaeda has now shown it too has embraced the concept of outsourcing.  I doubt you could consider its outsourced employees 'customer service' or 'tech support' however.  'Stone-age ideology and homicide specialist' might be more like it.

For the first time, a former Orange County, Calif. teenage rock music fan has revealed his role as a top al Qaeda leader.

Adam Gadahn, who disappeared from California seven years ago, appeared unmasked on an al Qaeda tape made public on the internet today.

The Blotter

technorati tags:Adam+Gadahn, Terrorist, Jihad, Islam, Al+Qaeda, Adam+Pearlman, Azzam+the+American, Muslim

China: " Can We Give You a Hand?"

I've posted previously on some alarming accusations that China is involved in organ trafficking, specifically from prisoners and Falun Gong practicioners. This insidious practice has been vehemently denied by Chinese apologists and officials who claim that 'thorough investigations' have resolved the issue satisfactorily.

There's some new evidence to the contrary.

A respected Canadian human rights lawyer and a former Canadian cabinet member lent their weight on Thursday to charges that China has been killing Falun Gong dissidents so it can use their organs.

The two men -- lawyer David Matas, and David Kilgour, former secretary of state for Asia and the Pacific -- spent two months investigating the accusations, which China has regularly denied.

"It is simply inescapable that this is going on," Kilgour told reporters as he and Matas released their findings.

They provided transcripts of phone calls placed in Chinese to detention centers and organ transplant clinics in which officials said organs from Falun Gong practitioners could be made available for speedy use.

Matas said the practice amounted to a crime against humanity. "Our findings are shocking. To us, this is a form of evil we have yet to see on this planet," he said.

Team says China harvests Falun Gong organs | Reuters.com

technorati tags:China, Falun+Gong, Falun+Dafa, organ+trafficking, harvesting, Hu, Kilgour, Matas

Conspiracy Theory

I'm not one to chomp at the conspiracy theory bit, but there just might be something to this one.

Abu Musab al-Zargawi's widow says her late husband's al-Qaida organization sold him out to the United States in exchange for an American promise to ease off on its worldwide hunt for Osama bin Laden.

What disturbs me is not so much the content of this allegation - that there may be some sort of high-level agreement allowing Osama bin Laden to remain on the lam.  What irks to me is the fact that it sounds somewhat plausible.  I don't want to believe it, and I can say that at the moment, I don't. I am intrigued at the possibility though.

Considering Zarqawi was a more 'immediate' and more 'visible' threat and had been metamorphosed into the face of the insurgency in Iraq while bin Laden had remained more or less off the world stage of late, Zarqawi naturally would make the better short-term target.  His death would, rightfully, be hailed as a success in the war.  It would also logically be concluded to have a great propaganda benefit at home here in the U.S. and abroad.

Still, one has to consider that Osama was essentially (and supposedly is still) the central target of the war on terror.  The figurehead.  As such, there must be some mitigating reason, some missing factor compelling the U.S. to spare bin Laden and land Zarqawi if this conspiracy theory is to make any sense.

I would introduce the finding of Iraqi government and ministry officials' phone numbers saved in the memory of Zarqawi's cell phone as a tantalizing glimpse of what could very well be this missing factor. Perhaps there is much more to this angle than the media has been playing up? 

Suppose, for the sake of argument, Zarqawi was more 'involved' with these 'government officials' than we would think?  Or vice versa?

The possibilities here are nearly endless, and almost all are quite unsavory.  I'm not necessarily convinced, but there's definitely something unsettling about the way the pieces fit together.

The Rant on Capitol Hill Blue - Did U.S. cut deal to let bin Laden stay free?

technorati tags:Bin+Laden, Zarqawi, Iraq, Al+Qaeda, terrorist, conspiracy, terror, Abu+Musab+Al+Zarqawi, Islam

Die Another Day

Evidently being a member of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's family gives you more than just notoriety. It also seems to give you a second life.

"I don't know how to read into this. An interview with Ahmadi-Nejad in the Mehr News Agency before Ahmadi-Nejad became president, quotes him as claiming his father passed away more than 13 years ago in a driving accident. But news agencies reported the funeral of Ahmadi-Nejad's father last month!"

When and How Many Times did the President's Father Pass Away?

technorati tags:Iran, Mahmoud+Ahmadinejad

Never Saw This Coming

I have to admit I'm a little less than startled at the latest revelation about the nature of the insurgency in Iraq.

The Iraqi government's list of the 41 most wanted fugitives suggests that former members of Saddam Hussein's regime form the backbone of the insurgency despite attention paid to the role of religious extremists such as al-Qaida in Iraq.

"I believe that former regime members form 40 to 50 percent of the insurgency," said Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on militant groups. "Operations by al-Qaida and the Mujahedeen Shura Council make between five to 10 percent only, a maximum of 10 percent.

Rashwan said there was "no doubt" that veterans of Saddam's intelligence and security network form "an important part of the Iraqi resistance at the command level.

"Saddamists and Baathists are responsible for acts of terrorism hitting the country," said Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top Shiite politicians. "They are the main problem. They are using the method of killing to achieve their goals. Some want to bring back the unjust rule that controlled Iraq. On top of those are the criminal Baathists.

My Way News - Former Regime Said at Core of Insurgency

technorati tags:Iraq, Saddam+Hussein, Baath+party, insurgent, insurgency, war, Al+Qaeda, Baathist, intelligence, terrorism

Apple Intros iMac for Education

Apple has announced it's eMac replacement; an $899 iMac!

The $899 iMac boasts some similar specifications to Apple’s base-model iMac that’s available for $1,299. The Core Duo processor is clocked at the same speed — 1.83GHz — and it features an iSight video camera and comes with iLife ‘06 pre-installed. It also comes with 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB, built-in 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet capabilities, built-in 802.11G Wi-Fi wireless networking, three USB 2.0 ports and two FireWire 400 ports.

What’s missing compared to the $1,299 retail model is Bluetooth connectivity, an optical SuperDrive (instead this system features a 24X CD-RW/DVD-ROM “Combo” drive, and ATI-based graphics — this system instead features integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics.

Since I'm not into games anymore, and I don't burn too much other than the occasional backup or music cd, this is perfect and a total steal. It just so happens I'm going back to school this fall. How's that for timing?

Macworld: News: Apple replaces eMac with $899 iMac for education

technorati tags:Apple, iMac, computers, Mac, OSX

Attention Whore of the Year

Taking a cue from the Hugo Chavez 'don't forget about me' playbook:

North Korea's test-firing of a long-range missile in defiance of world pressure may have been aimed at stealing the nuclear spotlight away from Iran, U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said on Tuesday.

"Obviously, it is a bit of an effort to get attention, perhaps because so much attention has been focused on the Iranians," Hadley told reporters.

US: N.Korea may want nuclear spotlight from Iran | Reuters.com

technorati tags:North+Korea, Kim+Jong+Il, Taepodong, missile, communist, politics, war, weapons

Can You Hear Me Now?

I'm sure Jihad Wireless was having some big 'expand your calling circle' event that was too good to pass up.  In all honesty, does this really surprise anyone?

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had the phone numbers of senior Iraqi officials stored in his cell phone, according to an Iraqi legislator. Waiel Abdul-Latif, a member of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's party, said Monday that authorities found the numbers after al-Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a U.S. air strike on June 7.

Abdul-Latif did not give names of the officials. But he said they included ministry employees and members of parliament. He called for an investigation, saying Iraqis "cannot have one hand with the government and another with the terrorists."

CNN.com - Al-Zarqawi's cell phone reportedly yields surprises - Jul 3, 2006

technorati tags:Al+Qaeda, Zarqawi, Iraq, Terrorism, Insurgents, Jihad, War, Middle+East

More Than Meets The Eye

I've been posting a little less recently due to some good old-fashioned reading. I think a little 'unplugged' time is healthy once in a while. I recently read an excellent and extremely creepy novel called 'The Descent' by Jeff Long, which I'd seen the book years ago in the store and had initially passed up. I never forgot about it, and recently went to locate a copy only to find that it had gone out of print.

As luck would have it, a local used bookstore happened to have exactly one copy, so I picked it up and tore through it. It's quite good, and kept me awake several nights as I strained to finish it as quickly as possible.

The plot deals with a sub-terranean race of demonic beings who are ruthless, vicious killers. They enslave and mutilate humans unlucky enough to cross paths with them; the ones they don't eat that is.

Needless to say, I was completely ecstatic when out of the corner of my eye this evening I caught a TV ad for a movie which seemed a lot like the book. When the title 'The Descent' flashed up on screen, I nearly had a spastic joy attack.

I've done a little digging around thus far, and I've managed to turn up the fact that it's a foreign film, which isn't a big issue. The depressing thing is that it seems to be another one of those 'based on the concept of the book' type movies. IMDB lists character names that are nothing like those in the book, and the summaries I've seen don't bode well for anything resembling an interpretation of the actual novel.

I'm torn now as to whether I should go see it, but I'm leaning toward the affirmative. At the very least it'd be kind of neat to see someone else's visualization of the 'hadals.' In the meantime, I'd encourage anyone to read the book.

When I finally started poking around the web this evening, I found yet another movie trailer that caught my eye. Having grown up in the 80s, it'd be blasphemous not to be completely and totally shivering with glee at the first trailer to the Transformers movie. Now all I need to see is a M.A.S.K. movie and all would be balanced and right with the universe.

technorati tags:Movies, Transformers, Michael+Bay, Spielberg, The+Descent, Jeff+Long, drama, fiction, science+fiction

One Big Happy Family

I could have successfully and happily lived the rest of my life without thinking about this. Damn my obsession with late night news-surfing.

Even without a documented connection to a notable forebear, experts say the odds are virtually 100 percent that every person on Earth is descended from one royal personage or another.

Millions of people have provable descents from medieval monarchs," said Mark Humphrys, a genealogy enthusiast and professor of computer science at Dublin City University in Ireland. "The number of people with unprovable descents must be massive.

"The longer ago somebody lived, the more descendants a person is likely to have today. Humphrys estimates that Muhammad, the founder of Islam, appears on the family tree of every person in the Western world.

Yep. That pretty much ruined my day.

My Way News - Genealogists Discover Royal Roots for All

technorati tags:Islam, Mohammed, geneaology, ancestry, Muhammad, Royalty

In a World Where Terrorists Make Movies

Pass the popcorn and the six-dollar Coke; bin Laden is now having his diatribes hyped by a PR machine more effective than Hollywood. It's really too bad these tapes are all the same.  After awhile they get a little repetitive like watching those ads for Fitness Made Simple ad infinitum.  I can almost quote them.

Terror leader Osama bin Laden will release a new Internet message dealing with Somalia and Iraq, according to a Web posting Friday.

The site that frequently carries messages from the terror network has begun sending out teasers for an upcoming release, saying bin Laden will talk about Somalia and Iraq, according to the IntelCenter.

The latest message carries a banner saying, “Good news, soon: To the Islamic nation, and the mujahedeen in Iraq and Somalia in particular, from Sheik Osama bin Laden.” Included in the posting is a picture of bin Laden.

Sight unseen, I'm going to have to give it one middle finger up.  I'll reserve judgment on the second until I've actually seen it.  It's too bad he can't release them on betamax and spare us the 'excitement.'

Site: Bin Laden planning new video - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com

technorati tags:bin+Laden, Osama, Iraq, Zarqawi, Somalia, Al+Qaeda, Terrorism, Terrorist

Israel Ups the Ante

Love them or hate them, you have to acknowledge that Israelis are not a nation to be trifled with. They've got a long reputation of not taking 'crap' from their enemies, and dealing out vengeance with ruthless efficiency. While the overall success of this strategy is up for debate; it definitely shows more courage and steadfastness than most other nations; and likely has done them more good in the area of deterrence than a strictly reactionary and diplomatic policy.

The latest threat from Israel toward Hamas is eye-opening in both scope and honesty. Coming from Israel, it's not a threat but a promise.

Israel last night threatened to assassinate Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh if Hamas militants did not release a captured Israeli soldier unharmed.

The unprecedented warning was delivered to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a letter as Israel debated a deal offered by Hamas to free Corporal Gilad Shalit.

Hamas' demands for Israel to cease hostilities in Gaza in response to the recent rash of kidnappings are simply stupid. Israel was not the aggressor here, and its typical of groups like Hamas to spin the situation until it sounds that way.

You simply don't incite an incident like this and then demand Israel of all nations cave in to your demands in order to stop it. Hamas should know better. The organization's promises are worthless; as empty as their souls. How sad when a group can only be trusted to tell the truth when it comes to their threats. How could anyone expect they'd honor their word?

A Hamas spokesman said the group would never recognise Israel, in spite of a deal its leaders signed this week offering implicit recognition of the Jewish state in return for easing an economic blockade.

Jewish settler Eliyahu Asheri, who was murdered by militants this week, was buried on Thursday as leaders of the Popular Resistance Committees pledged to seize more hostages in the West Bank.

Are these the type of people who will live up to any agreement? Not likely. Hamas is not just another organization of terror; they're a dispicable lot of Islamic apologist enablers who commit atrocities in the name of their cause and then claim that they are the victims. Some of these claims are outright laughable.

Residents complain that sonic booms caused by Israeli jets traumatise children and that shelling confines families to their homes.

Sonic booms are the last thing Palestinians should be worried about.

You reap what you sow.

Israel warns: free soldier or PM dies | News | The Australian

technorati tags:Israel, Gilad+Shalit, IDF, Palestinian, Abbas, Hamas, Ismael+Haniyeh, assasination, politics, middle+east, war, terrorism