Category — Lebanon

 More media bias from the MSM and their flunkies.

Agence France Presse writer Jihad Siqlawi gives us the terrorist viewpoint, in a respectful eulogy to a murderous Hizballah “fighter.”

EL-TIRI, Lebanon (AFP) - Thousands of Hezbollah supporters massed on Wednesday for the funeral of a Lebanese guerrilla whose body was handed over in a rare swap between Israel and the Shiite Muslim militia. [snip]

Black-clad men carried the coffin at the head of a cortege that filled the village streets, chanting “Our party is Hezbollah and our leader is Nasrallah,” and “Death to America”, “Death to Israel.”

From windows and balconies overlooking the procession, women sprinkled the “martyr” with rice and rose petals, ululating with joy, while others handed out sweets in the village.

Israel should have packed the body with Semtex. That would have been a super send off for everybody!

    DENNIS KUCINICH IN SYRIA, BLESSES EVERYONE BUT AMERICANS

Eligible bachelor, pacifist hunk and Ohio Representative, Dennis Kucinich was in Syria last week cuddling the region-stabilizing Bashar Assad for his open-door policy to Iraqi refugees.   The population-expanding meddling in the Iraq War of the Syrian and Iranian regimes has encouraged Iraqis friendly to both countries to take refuge across their borders.   

Experts here conclude that these population-expanding and stabilizing policies were met with approval by the impish hair-dye tester and apple-doll head model, Dennis Kucinich (D-Emented).  Syria and Iran both seek to redress the population imbalance by sending terrorists to Iraq to stop the sectarian violence by killing Iraqis,  a “fair” policy almost certain to meet with Kucinich’s endorsement.

Assad’s intimidation, murder and assassination policies in nearby Lebanon have enabled the American left’s much-admired and peace-oriented Hezbollah to threaten the destabilizing Israeli state to the south.   This reporter believes that Kucinich endorses murder, assassination, and Islamic totalitarianism as a means to continue the  “peace-process”  slaughter, and to promote stability in the region as long as it is legal.

Experts here also believe that American forces, claimed by liberals to be already short on the necessities of  war, lacked the disinfectant supplies that would be needed after Kucinich hand-shaking.  Legal scholars and compassionate conservatives here believe that Kucinich’s blessing of American forces would almost certainly violate Constitutional restrictions on religious expression, and that Kucinich wished to avoid offending Islamist Al Qaeda beheaders worldwide.

WorldNet Daily Online  (Sep 6, 2007) had this to say:  

After praising Syria following a meeting in Damascus with President Bashar Assad, Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich declared he will not visit troops in Iraq during his Middle East tour because he considers the American military presence in Iraq to be illegal.

“I feel the United States is engaging in an illegal occupation….I don’t want to bless that occupation with my presence“,   Kucinich said in Lebanon according to the Associated Press. “I will not do it”…

It is not known when Representative Kucinich will slither back to Washington, DC.

The unintentionally funny and nearly defunct LA Times reported on July 15th that about “45% of all foreign militants in Iraq……are from Saudi Arabia”.  15% are from Syria and Lebanon, with 10% from North Africa.  The stats came from “US military figures, and were made available to the Times by the senior officer”.   Nearly half of the 135 detainees in US military custody are Saudis. 

What can we deduce from a sample of 135 cage-hangers?  Thousands of troublemakers are in Iraqi custody, many of whom might even lie about their names and country of origin. So the LA Times report is based on a sample of 135 guys, half of whom have Riyadh Planet Hollywood ID cards.  I have information from a reliable participant in the war that Chechens even fall out for morning terrorist formation, and stray Pakistanis, Westerners and lots of others.   Iranians, too, are a small but vocal minority shouting  “HERE!”.

The same enigmatic “US military figure” said that 50% of all  Saudi fighters in Iraq go there as suicide bombers.  An interesting statistic, to say the least. To derive it, one needs to poll all of the free-range “Saudi fighters” about their life plans, and whether they have round-trip tickets.   It’s fair to say they don’t show up for interviews.

But the Times  raised two worthy questions, probably intentionally.  We are “allied” with the Saudis in the inaptly-named War on Terror, and Bush Herbert Walker and Bush George Dubya are unashamedly friendly with figures in the disgusting monarchical House of Saud.  Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the royal’s “national security advisor” is a pal of the House of Bush, as is King Abdullah.   

Then there’s The Carlyle Group, in which Bush Herbert Walker is a  prospering partner.  Those interested can investigate it on their own.  It’s the most powerful ethical missile in the left’s arsenal of accusations about the Bush family’s relationship with the Saudis.   The Carlyle Group has wide access to Saud investment funds.  There’s also Herbie’s lecture tours in Arab lands, paid for by the Saudis, and generous gits to his Presidential Library for scholarships to Andover, Dubya’s prep school.

It is, at this point, obligatory to mention that 15 of 19 hijackers on 911 were Saudis. Bin Laden is a Saudi.  Saudi Arabia has lots of sand and oil (although the oil power might be shaky).  Saudi Arabia is profligate with walking-around money, and has a national strategy of buying off enemies and buying up friends.  There’s a lot more, none of which is particularly damning for the Bush family, but appearances are everything.   The Saudis are low, self-seeking, and devious; relationships are contaminated by their presence in them, and our leaders should know it.

True, the Saudis have been fighting Al Qaeda, but for reasons of personal survival.   The ethical issues associated with advancing Wahabbism by subversion and Madrassa remain.  True, also, that the Saudis are troubled by Dubya’s strategies, worred about their extensive Iraq border and Persian ambitions.  This is a convergence of interests, ours and theirs.   They are not our friends. 

The reality is this:  We are allied with a vicious, reactionary, repressive Arab regime in our pursuit of liberalization of the Middle East.  We should be troubled by the first proposition in that last sentence, because they Saudis are troubled by the second.  The two can’t come together, and Dubya appears not to know it.

Called JSOWs, (Joint Stand Off Weapons) or pigs, in military slang, these cluster munitions work well in denying areas of the battlefield to the enemy. Note the word battlefield, as it is the operative word. It explains why the bomblets are there in the first place and why the UN finds them mixed in with the civilian population.

MAJDAL SELLEM, Lebanon - The United Nations on Tuesday urged Israel to hand over detailed information about cluster munitions it used in Lebanon during the war with Hezbollah, saying at least 350,000 unexploded bomblets still pose a deadly risk.

In southern villages like this, experts are removing undetonated bomblets from houses, yards and fields. On one recent day, villagers looked on warily as Tony Wyles, part of a U.N. team, inspected a small cluster bomb at the foot of a fig tree.

“Every bomb is a challenge. You don’t know why it didn’t explode … the slightest movement can trigger it,” Wyles said as he carefully picked up the bomblet — a metal cylinder half the size of a soda can that could kill anyone within 60 feet.

He cautiously slid a layer of tape between the bomb’s trigger and explosive charge, temporarily disarming it for detonation later.

So, give them information: the ordinance is there because of Hizbollah, it’s deadly and there are oodles of them. That about covers what the UN and the Lebanese government needs to know. Oh yeah, a couple of more items, If you don’t like having the effluvium of war in your backyard, don’t get in bed with terrorists and please be careful!

By the way, why is the UN doing this work when Hizbollah caused the condition? Let the Hizbozos reap the rewards of their untoward behavior. The loss of extremities really is a deterrent to future combat activities.

Selected excerpts from Brigitte Gabriel’s speech delivered at the Intelligence Summit in Washington DC, Saturday February 18, 2006

Search the web by her name or by book title, Because They Hate for the entire speech.

I was ten years old when my home exploded around me, burying me under the rubble and leaving me to drink my blood to survive, as the perpetrators shouted “Allah Akbar!” My only crime was that I was a Christian living in a Christian town. At 10 years old, I learned the meaning of the word “infidel.”

[snip]

I was amazed when I saw Americans waking up on September 12, 2001, and asking themselves “Why do they hate us?”

[snip]

Simply put, they hate us because we are defined in their eyes by one simple word: “infidels.”

Under the banner of Islam “la, ilaha illa allah, muhammad rasoulu allah,” (None is god except Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) they murdered Jewish children in Israel, massacred Christians in Lebanon, killed Copts in Egypt, Assyrians in Syria, Hindus in India, and expelled almost 900,000 Jews from Muslim lands.

[snip]

Political correctness forms the shackles around our ankles, by which Islamists are leading us to our demise.

[snip]

According to Gabriel, there are about 1.2 billion (1,200,000,000) Muslims in the world. By her numbers, 15% are radicals. That’s a terrorist army of 180,000,000! Lets cut that number by a third saying she is wrong. That’s 10% or 120,000,000 wearing Semtex underwear! If only 10% of the 10% try to come here, that’s 12,000,000.

I feel better with the lower number, don’t you?

Anyway, it’s something to chat about besides your omega-3 rich diet.

Governor Romney declared today that the Commonwealth will contribute nothing to the visit of Iranian President Mohammed Khatami’s visit to Harvard University. No logisitics, no State Police motorcade, no nothing! I hope he has to stop and pay the toll coming from the airport.

Read the press release here or below:

ROMNEY DENOUNCES KHATAMI VISIT TO HARVARD
Declines to provide escort, or offer state support for trip

Governor Mitt Romney today ordered all Massachusetts state government agencies to decline support, if asked, for former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami’s September 10 visit to the Boston area, where he is scheduled to speak at Harvard University.“State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent jihad and the destruction of Israel,” said Romney.

Romney’s action means that Khatami will be denied an official police escort and other VIP treatment when he is in town.  The federal government provides security through the U.S. State Department.

Romney criticized Harvard for honoring Khatami by inviting him to speak, calling it “a disgrace to the memory of all Americans who have lost their lives at the hands of extremists, especially on the eve of the five-year anniversary of 9/11.”

Said Romney: “The U.S. State Department listed Khatami’s Iran as the number one state sponsor of terrorism.  Within his own country, Khatami oversaw the torture and murder of dissidents who spoke out for freedom and democracy.  For him to lecture Americans about tolerance and violence is propaganda, pure and simple.”

Romney cited a litany of hateful actions by Khatami, including his support for violent jihadist activities:

• During the period of time he was in office, from 1997 to 2005, Khatami presided over Iran’s secret nuclear program.  Currently, the Iranian Government under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is snubbing the international community’s request to cease nuclear weapons production.
• In the recent conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border, Khatami described the terrorist group Hezbollah as a “shining sun that illuminates and warms the hearts of all Muslims and supporters of freedom in the world.”
• Khatami has endorsed Ahmadinejad’s call for the annihilation of Israel.
• During Khatami’s presidency, Iran refused to hand over the Iranian intelligence officials who were responsible for the attack on the Khobar Towers that killed 19 U.S. military personnel.
• In his own country, Khatami oversaw the torture and murder of Iranian students, journalists, and others who spoke out for freedom and democracy.  Khatami relaxed freedom of speech laws giving democracy reformers a false sense of security only to engage in one of the largest crackdowns in the country’s history.
• In Khatami’s Iran, there was no religious tolerance.  According to the U.S. Office of International Religious Freedom, Iran was one of the worst offenders of religious persecutions.  Minorities, such as Evangelicals, Jews, Catholics and others, have suffered.

“Khatami pretends to be a moderate, but he is not.  My hope is that the United States will find and work with real voices of moderation inside Iran.  But we will never make progress in the region if we deal with wolves in sheep’s clothing,” said Romney.

This reminds me of the time then New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ejected (via NYPD I believe) Arafat from an event at the Lincoln Center in New York City.

I know it was a political move meant to show Romney can be tough on terror, but goddammit it is a good one.  If he would only go one step further and have the Massachusetts State Police drop the guy on 95 at the Rhode Island line and make him find his way out of Pawtucket!!!! I am sure my friends on the State Police will be more then happy to oblige.

Go Mitt!!!

 Real Deal

Making the UN the arbiter of the Lebanese/Israeli ceasefire is a huge blunder.  Take Kofi Annan’s latest quotes for example:

“We need to deal with the lifting of the embargo - sea, land and air - which for the Lebanese is a humiliation, and infringement on their sovereignty,” Annan said before ending his visit and flying to Israel.

“And of course the (Lebanese) government needs measures to assure, ensure that the entrances (to) the country - sea, land and air - are secure,” he said during a ceremony at the UN headquarters in the southern port of Naqura.

And was Lebanon allowing Hezbollah to fire rockets indiscriminately into Israel a “humiliation, and infringement on their sovereignty”?  The “good” Secretary General doesn’t mention it.  Additionally, Kofi avoids any talk about disarming Hezbollah although the Security Council has a resolution calling for it.  And as a total afterthought he mentions that Lebanon might actually have to police its border while hailing them for taking “very serious steps” in that direction.

Few people grasp this conflict less than Kofi Annan who is busy stacking the deck against Israel at the UN.  When are we going to dump these fools?

There are a couple of things worth noting in Hezbollah chief terrorist Hassan Nasrallah’s latest interview.  First, the media paints Iran and Hezbollah as this conflict’s winners.  But if true, why is Nasrallah expressing regret?  Victory should be energizing them and filling their ranks with new recruits.  Remember, liberals tell us that strong military action only creates more terrorists.  My bet: the average Lebanese person isn’t giddy about being forced to rebuild their communities and some of their ire is directed at Hezbollah’s provocation of Israel.  Nasrallah’s regret is really an apology to the Lebanese people who may not monolithically support Hezbollah.

Second, deterrence works.  Hezbollah kidnapped those soldiers because they didn’t anticipate the strength of the Israeli response.  They’ll think twice before pulling a similar stunt.  UN resolutions give no terrorist pause, but an active, engaged military force and a political leadership with the will to use it can.

The UN and the media have declared a ceasefire in the Lebanese/Hezbollah/Israeli conflict; however, the reality on the ground is a “bit” different. There isn’t much that Hezbollah could do to make the UN or media end the charade and say the ceasefire had been violated. Kofi won’t even send a sternly worded letter.

In theory, a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon policed by international forces is a good idea. In reality, I am skeptical because these forces are going to sit in their bases and watch Hezbollah operate with impunity. First, the politicians donating these troops have no stomach for the causalities that come with active operations. They know it becomes harder and harder to justify those deaths to electorates far removed from the threat. Second, Hezbollah/Lebanon will only accept a passive observer force. Hezbollah’s ultimate goal is still the destruction of Israel, which means they’ll never accept being disarmed or the insertion of forces designed to curtail their activities. And what happens when Hezbollah decides to attack those forces like they did in the 80s? Hezbollah’s previous success in getting international forces to leave will embolden them.

All of this really begs the ultimate question though. What good is a buffer zone against rockets that can be fired over it? Unless the international force is going to police the entire country, won’t Syria and Iran just provide longer range rockets? Policing the supply routes between Syria and Lebanon might be more effective than a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon.

Even though the buffer zone strategy is somewhat flawed, it’s Israeli’s best option at the moment. Long-term peace is going to require a significant shift in regional sentiment that I don’t see happening anytime soon. Right now military might is the best option open, which is why the US has resisted calling for a ceasefire.

If you pay attention to the conflict in the Middle East, you can learn a lot about who the real bad guys and good guys are. For example, Israel halted bombing and agreed to a 48 hour ceasefire after the unfortunate killing of civilians in Qana with a warning that they would respond to any Hezbollah attacks in the interim. Had Hezbollah killed that many Israelis, they would have celebrated and redoubled their rocket attacks, which intentionally target Israeli civilians.

And then we have this quote from the Prime Minister of Hezbollah Lebanon:

Siniora asked: “Is Israel’s mission to wipe out the Lebanese? It seems they want to kill all of us. One of those killed today is a baby just one day old. With its aggression, Israel is encouraging extremism.”

The Prime Minister effusively praises Hezbollah and its leader whose not so secret goal is the destruction of Israel, but then accuses Israel of trying to “wipe out the Lebanese”? Mr. Siniora needs to take a look in the mirror before he accuses anyone else of “extremism”.

Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi needs to get reacquainted with some historical perspective. Her latest Op-Ed parrots liberal attempts to pin exclusive blame for Middle East woes on the invasion of Iraq:

But war is what this country faces - the war begun with the US invasion of Iraq, and its outgrowth, the war that is now raging between Israel and Hezbollah, via Lebanon.

Apparently Ms. Vennochi’s memory goes no further than the day we invaded Iraq. She magically erases decades of history that are essential to understanding the broader context of today’s events. In the liberal formulation of Middle East chaos, the root of all evil is our invasion of Iraq. If only President Bush had let the UN inspections continue ad nauseam and paid more “attention” to the Israeli-Palestinian problem, just imagine how peaceful the region would be today. It’s almost as fanciful a thought as John Kerry’s endless proclamations that everything would be peaches and cream if only he’d been elected President.

Let’s be honest, this war started long before President Bush took office; we just didn’t recognize it at the time. Does anyone remember the first World Trade Center bombing? Do we recall the bombings of the Khobar Towers, the USS Cole, or a number of US embassies? Was 9/11 a sufficiently aggressive act to admit that this was more than a police action?

And then to imply the Israeli-Hezbollah action is an outgrowth of the Iraqi invasion when that conflict has been ongoing for decades strains credulity. President Clinton spent the final legacy building year of his presidency trying to bribe Yassir Arafat into a negotiated peace. Arafat rewarded him by starting the Intifada and sending suicide bombers into Israel.

Liberals want to throw out any historical context, but there was war well before we invaded Iraq.

Hezbollah finally says something truthful:

“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.

Bingo! Hezbollah miscalculated. It expected another prisoner swap followed by continued rocket attacks on Israeli towns. Israel wisely decided to take the opportunity and shift the game.

And no matter what our lying liberal media says, I don’t believe for one minute that Hezbollah is gaining strength or welcomes the attacks. They’d take a ceasefire in a heartbeat, but Israel is a little bit slyer. It is demanding the unconditional return of its prisoners, a long-term buffer like the Lebanese army (if such a thing really exists), and disarmament of Hezbollah.

Why should Israel agree to a ceasefire and submit to UN constraints if they are going back to rocket attacks and kidnappings? They are right to demand permanent changes and real security. The US would.

The controversy swirling around the evacuation of US citizens from Lebanon reminds me of a great scene from Naked Gun when Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) returns from his “vacation” in Lebanon.

I trusted her and followed my heart. Foolishly, it seems.

I’m just gonna have to learn to forget. That’s why I took my vacation in Beirut - to find some peace.

I was surprised to see that some 25,000 American citizens were “vacationing” with Lt. Drebin in Lebanon, and the controversy about plans to charge them a nominal fee for exit:

Earlier, authorities planned to make Americans sign a note pledging to reimburse the U.S. government before they boarded rescue vessels and helicopters. They were charging the price of a single commercial flight from Beirut to Cyprus, usually $150 to $200, although officials refused to specify.

Before the State Department dropped the plan, Snow defended it by saying the government had to charge evacuees because of a 2003 law.

Is it unfair though? I don’t care who passed the law, but when you enter Lebanon of your own free will, don’t you assume some risk? This isn’t like going to England after all where you could be relatively assured it’s a safe and stable country.

Don’t get me wrong. The US should help its citizens out when they get into jams, but charging them doesn’t exactly bother me either especially when you decide to enter very dangerous areas of the world. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that Hezbollah is not the local tourism board.

It’s frightening how widespread and illogical moonbats are.  You live in Israel.  You are surrounded by radical zealots who want to kill you and destroy your country, but it’ll work out if you just negotiate.  It’s never worked before, but give peace a chance, right?

“Israel is entering another cycle of fighting and continues the foolishness of exaggerated aggression. I came here to protest because there’s a link between starving and oppressing the Palestinians and the bombings in Lebanon.”

“This is a stupid, unnecessary and evil war. Our leaders could have prevented it. eventually the hostages will be released through negotiations, but hundreds will be killed along the way in Lebanon, and I don’t know how many will die here. I think that we must make our voice heard.”

“The Israeli aggression leads to an overall war no one wants. I think that Israel should negotiate with Hizbullah and Hamas and release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages. This way this story will come to an end.”

“The choice of whether to escalate the situation or not is in our hands and the question of saving lives or not is also in our hands…there is no military solution. Only negotiations.”