...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

See you in September: Due to circumstances entirely within my control, I am logging off for now. I hope to be back in the saddle on Sunday, Sept. 4.

See y'all then.

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:35 | link | comments (1)

Explosions in Russia: Two powerful explosions today in an "occupied" region of Russia (occupied by Russians, that is).

As yet, no one has claimed credit for the blasts, which injured the regional Prime Minister. But dollars to donuts it wasn't the work of Wiccans, Buddhists or Seventh Day Adventists.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:55 | link | comments

Murder in Jerusalem: Two students from the U.K., aged 20 and 21, were walking back to Mea Shearim when they were attacked by an Arab wielding a 12-inch long knife.

One of the young men was killed; the other is expected to recover.

A massive manhunt is now on to locate the killer, who, according to Gideon Ezra, Israel's Internal Security Minister, acted alone. Ezra is quoted in the Time Online as saying, "Without doubt, this attack was committed by a lone Palestinian who was not part of any movement which will make the search for him more difficult."

My question: How can he say for certain the killer isn't part of any movement if he doesn't yet know who he is?

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:46 | link | comments

Dastardly Israelis seize Arab land: Oh, those self-aggrandizing, land-grabbing Jews. Swiping Arab property once again to build their apartheid wall.

Will the humiliation never end?

Update: And speaking of dastardly Jews and walls, here's a real tear jerker from the San Francisco Chronicle:

Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip -- Outside the concrete walls that surround Badran Jamil Ahmed Abumansi's home, historic changes are taking place.

Jewish settlers have been uprooted from their homes in the Gaza Strip -- the first time since 1982, when Israel gave control of the Sinai Peninsula back to Egypt, that Israel has dismantled settlements and surrendered the land where they sat. Palestinian leaders are outlining plans to build homes and factories on the land.

Yet in Abumansi's home, the only thing happening is that the sun is setting on another day without work. He sits under a tree behind his home in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, children swarming around him, simply waiting. He wonders how he will be able to support the family that depends on him, an extended family that numbers about 45 souls.

"I wouldn't exclude any kind of job," he says. "Just give it to me. "The children are in school, and there are a lot of expenses. I am waiting to know what will happen after disengagement. I hope the situation gets better and I can go to work."

So far, it has gotten worse.

That's because Abumansi, 38, like hundreds of thousands among the 1.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza, has been dependent economically on the state of Israel...

Guess it's time for old Badran and his fellow Gazans to become econonically dependent on themselves for a change. 

Update: Still more dastardly deeds featuring Palestinians hanging around and minding their own business. From Newsday:

TULKAREM, West Bank -- A group of young Palestinians sat outdoors on a warm night, snacking on sunflower seeds and chatting with a well-known militant leader when a group of white-shirted men jumped out of a Mercedes and fired, a witness said. The undercover Israeli troops killed five people, at least three of them armed.

The army said all five of the dead were armed militants responsible for attacking Israelis. But Palestinians say at least two of the dead were unarmed teenagers who were neighbors of the wanted men but didn't belong to any militant group.

The operation was the first since Israel completed its pullout Tuesday from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements, and it threatened a fragile state of calm that had accompanied the withdrawal.

The militant groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades immediately vowed to take revenge and called for the end of a cease-fire that was declared in February.

Samer Murai, 15, said he was sitting with a group of friends about 10 yards from a group of armed men. Suddenly, he said, someone shouted "stand up" in Arabic and shined a red laser at the group.

"A car came, and armed men got out and shot toward us. I was hit in the shoulder. They were wearing mostly white shirts," Murai said.

The Palestinian gunmen had pistols, Murai said, and a gunbattle ensued. Several of Murai's friends were also injured.

Israeli Col. Roni Numa said all five men killed were militants. The main target was Adel Abu Khalil, 26, an Islamic Jihad militant who Israel said was involved in two recent suicide attacks.

Under the cease-fire, Israel handed over Tulkarem to Palestinian security control in March. Since then, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups have been able to operate freely in the town, Numa told Israel Radio.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:03 | link | comments

The height of kitsch: I'd say it about as high the new life-sized statue of the late Princess Di and her late playboy lover, Dodi Fayed. Di and Dodi died as the result of that high-speed car chase in Paris, a drunken chauffeur at the wheel. (She could really pick 'em, could our Di.)

Dodi's papa, Mohamed al Fayed, has never gotten over the loss of his son--obviously, since he commissioned this creepy memorial. Today, the media were given their first glimpse at the statue, which is installed at Harrod's, the store al Fayed owns. The public will have to wait a bit longer to see it.

Here are the gruesome details, from the Ceeb website:

...The work commissioned by al Fayed shows the couple, who were on vacation together when they died, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes beneath a soaring albatross - a symbol of eternity and good fortune.

Diana is wearing a dress with a plunging neckline, while Dodi's shirt is unbuttoned to reveal a bare chest.

The couple and their driver Henri Paul died Aug. 31, 1997, when their Mercedes crashed into a pillar in a Paris underpass while being pursued by paparazzi. The only survivor, Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, was badly hurt.

The new work's title, Innocent Victims, reflects al Fayed's belief that his son and Diana were murdered, despite a French inquiry that blamed Paul, the driver, who was intoxicated.

"It is a tribute to what might have been if the couple's car had not crashed on Aug. 31, 1997," said Bill Mitchell, a Fayed family friend who crafted the work at a foundry in east London. News media photographers were allowed to see it for the first time Wednesday.

Al Fayed said the bronze statue would allow people to honour the couple's memory with "warmth and love."...

Can't wait to see how the artist managed to capture Dodi's chest hair, always a challenge to render in bronze. And I think the soaring albatross is an especially nice touch, connoting not only the couple's eternal love, but the fact that they both ended up being the albatross around each other's neck. (For more on this "lucky" bird, see Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.)

You have to give Mohamed al Fayed his due, though. He may own Harrod's, but he seems never to have been constrained by considerations of good taste.

Update: NY Nana just sent me the Daily Mail link which shows the statue in all its hideous glory (click on enlarge).

It's even worse than I could ever have imagined. Princess Di looks like a guy who plays Jason on the soap opera, General Hospital, and the soaring albatross isn't soaring very high, leaving one puzzled as to where all the bronze bird poop might be.

Posted by: scaramouche at 19:09 | link | comments

Immoderate moderation: Al That Jaz seems to think that the Muslim Brotherhood, the "opposition" party in Egypt's charade of representative government (people are "elected" and sit in a parliament, but no one but the despot and his flunkies actually has any power) is a "moderate Islamist group".

If that's the case, I guess that holy war it's plum in the centre of would be one of your more "moderate" jihads.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:07 | link | comments

In keeping with IHT tradition...: Another "charming" article in the International Herald Tribune about Israel, this time by someone named Marwan Bishara (Wiccan? Buddhist? Seventh Day Adventist?). 

Mr. Bishara is billed as "a visiting lecturer at the American University of Paris and the author of "Palestine/Israel: Peace or Apartheid". One need only read the word "apartheid" to have a clear sense of where he stands on the issues--and it obviously ain't with Israel.

In his IHT piece, the esteemed lecturer says that, despite the Gaza withdrawal, Israel may be facing a third intifada. He warns of the perils ahead should Israel's response be too heavy-handed:

Sharon has warned of unprecedented retaliation if the Palestinians resort to violence. But Israel's 38 years' use of force has simply failed to deter the Palestinians, and more force will only aggravate the cycle of violence. Furthermore, Sharon has been warned by his attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, that if the military retaliates against Palestinian population centers (there isn't much else), Israel would be guilty of "war crimes."

Hmm. I guess that effectively removes the military option from Israel's arsenal. A brilliant tactic for the Palestinians, since they'll be able to "rebel" to their heart's content, knowing the world will brand any Israeli retaliation a "war crime".

Israel's dilemma is complicated by the close proximity between Israelis and Palestinians, which renders its advanced conventional and nuclear capability practically obsolete. Instead, the balance of power in the minuscule territories is determined by mounting numbers of Palestinians ready to die for their homeland and a declining number of Israelis ready to defend the occupation project. Gaza is a living example of that reality.

The occupation project, huh? Makes it sound very UN-ish, like the even older UNRWA project designed to keep Palestinians angry and destitute.

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:28 | link | comments

Free speech and “hate speak”: Michael Graham used to have a talk show on the radio in Washington D.C.. He was fired from his job at the prompting of CAIR for making the following remarks on the air:

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:20 | link | comments

Next to get the axe--sushi, spearmint toothpaste and SpongeBob SquarePants lunch boxes: Another wacky Muslim potentate is taking a stab at squeezing the last ounce of fun out of the lives of his unfortunate subjects. Suparmurat Niyazov, president of one of those largely Muslim Central Asian entitites which used to belong to the U.S.S.R and has a capital city with a heretofore unfamiliar and unpronounceable name, has decided to ban all forms of recorded music, deeming it to have a negative influence on the hoi polloi. (Might one go so far as to say it's "unIslamic"?)

This means, for instance, the Turkmens will be forced to forgo D.J.s spinning those those impossibly loud tunes at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs as young and old boogie on down and contort themselves into the letters Y.M.C.A.

The president-for-life (hey, aren't they all?) has also banned (in alphabetical order): ballet; beards on young men; car radios; gold caps on teeth;  lip-synching; long hair; and opera.

And just to show that he's truly demented in a Saddam Hussein/Moo-Moo Khadafi/Idi Amin sort of way, he has also decided to close all of Turkmenistan's hospitals except for the ones in the capital, and rename the months of the year after his relatives.

Or 12 of them, anyway.

Posted by: scaramouche at 22:15 | link | comments

Title search: Perusing the selection of new books at my local library, I noticed the latest tome by Toronto Star columnist Linda McQuaig about the motivations for the war in Iraq. Not surprisingly, given the lens through which the fair Linda perceives the world, it sports the Michael Moore-esque title, It's the Crude, Dude. Meaning, no doubt, that the entire Iraq enterprise was prompted by America's greed for Iraqi black gold.

Posted by: scaramouche at 19:35 | link | comments (5)

A lateral move: President Bush says that since Israel has withdrawn from Gaza, the onus is on the Palestinians to take the next step.

And they are, they are. Unfortunately, their version of taking the next step is whinging about how Israel is strenghtening its settlements in the West Bank.

Oh, you mean he actually thought they'd do something else?

Posted by: scaramouche at 19:20 | link | comments

Cyber wars: The jihad has yet to conquer the entire physical world (consider it a work in progress). But the jihadis have managed to spread their tentacles across the incorporeal world--the Internet. According to this article in the Toronto Star, cyberspace is now officially part of Dar al Islam:

Al Qaeda is winning the war in cyberspace. Since 9/11 it has established an extensive virtual sanctuary on the Net.

Greatly aiding both planning and execution of terrorist operations, as well as the growth of radical Islamist ideology, Al Qaeda's dominance of an entire dimension of the war poses a strategic problem for America and her allies.

As the investigation into the London attacks continues, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the Internet has become the indispensable instrument by which Al Qaeda and its affiliates encourage, and plan strikes against Western targets. The Web has become Al Qaeda's communications network, recruiting vehicle, fundraising mechanism and training camp. Every dimension of the global jihad is now conducted, at least in some measure, online. The scope of Al Qaeda's migration to cyberspace has dramatically outpaced the ability of Western intelligence and security services to formulate responses. Since 1998, the presence of terrorist-related websites has surged from under 20 to more than 4,500. Many of these serve as propaganda mechanisms; they distribute graphic images depicting the various horrors of the Iraq war paired with carefully selected music and artful captions. Others serve as chat rooms or bulletin boards, where those united by adherence to radical ideologies can gather virtually to share thoughts and debate strategy.

The Internet has proven to be a type of sanctuary that Afghanistan could never have become. Without ever leaving their jobs, homes, or communities, radical followers of Osama bin Laden can receive training in operational tradecraft, training that will become increasingly widespread until a systematic approach to disrupt it is found and executed. Evidence also suggests that Al Qaeda and its affiliates can use the Internet to research and survey potential targets, transfer money, set up logistical networks and safe houses.

Of all its dimensions, the radicalizing effect of the Internet may be the most threatening long-term challenge. It has profound implications for the future of the ideological struggle. The efficiency with which the Internet has been used to globalize regional conflicts is astounding. The ease by which the insurgents in Iraq are employing a sophisticated media strategy via laptops and digital cameras is indicative of the scope of this problem.

I think the Star is being a bit, dare I say it?,  alarmist here. While there's no doubt the jihadis--whose thinking is mostly stuck in the Seventh Century--have made good (or, more accurately, evil) use of current technology, the Net is far too vast and unfettered to be part of the spoils of war. The jihadis could no more "win the war in cyberspace" than they could pin a moonbeam on the sand. (Everyone now: How do you solve a problem like Osama?....)

On the other hand, we must do everything we can to protect ourselves, and to prevent the jihadis--whether they're organized types taking marching orders from Osama's higher ups, or DIY jihadis inspired by their perusal of hate rooms, hate sites and postings on hate boards--from using cyberspace to further their evil aims.

But this being the Star, the axis of this story turns out to spin not on concerns of jihadis dominating the Web, but on ACLU-like worries about infringing their civil rights:

While Al Qaeda has used an aggressive Internet strategy, Western governments have taken an ambivalent approach to countering the presence of terrorists. Some analysts argue that by allowing Al Qaeda to conduct its online activities, Western intelligence agencies can discover plots and provide more effective warning intelligence to policy-makers. As the many thwarted attacks since 9/11 attest, valuable information is gained from monitoring uninterrupted jihadist activity online. But a better balance must be struck between meeting the collection needs of the intelligence community and obstructing the growth of Al Qaeda...

The above epitomizes the Star's muddled thinking on the subject: The jihadis have taken over cyberspace and even now are inspiring thousands more potential terrorists to sign on to their war. But let's not be too quick to shut them down because it might step on their or someone else's "rights"--and that's what's most important here.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:31 | link | comments

Unfortunate choice of words: Just received an email from the Jerusalem Post advising me that it has "some new service and content features available... to enhance (my) user experience over the disengagement period."

Thanks, but my user experience in witnessing the events of the disengagement period is about as "enhanced" as I can bear. Any more "enhanced", and I might be tempted to lock myself in my bedroom for a few days with my i-Pod and a bottle of vodka.

Posted by: scaramouche at 19:41 | link | comments

Sitting bullsh*t or: Arik's Last Stand?: No one would ever mistake me for a cockeyed optimist (and, no, I would never say, much less think, that the world's a bowl of jello), but I cannot figure out why so many people think that leaving Gaza is the first step on the road to peace. Have the Palestinians changed? Has Hamas gone away? Is worldwide jihad suddenly abating?

No? Then how to account for the assertion--which is totally unsuported by the evidence and completely inconsistent with all that has gone before--that the Gaza withdrawal will prod the Palestinians to change their entire identity and the way they think about the Jewish presence on land--all the land--they claim as their own.

Here's one such wishful thinker, Israel's consul-general in Miami, writing in The Miami Herald:

No doubt, Israel is taking a terrible risk. We know that Hamas, Jihad and others are equipping themselves for another round of fighting against Israel. They are doing their best to smuggle weapons into the West Bank and Gaza, to enlarge the range of the Kassam missiles in order to hit Israeli targets inside Israel after the Israeli evacuation. We know that the incitement and calls to ''kill the Jews'' have not stopped. Moreover, nobody is sure that after Israel withdraws, Israel will enjoy quiet and tranquility.

We must remember that we are dealing with Palestinian fanatics who may interpret the Israeli withdrawal as a retreat. In the past, these enemies have been able to turn their fantasies into reality. These enemies may disrupt the whole process by violating the shaky cease-fire and starting a new uprising. The recent bloody events in Netanya, and other areas in Israel, prove once again the intentions of these fanatics.

We also know that the new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, is politically weak. He may be killed and removed from the scene tomorrow. The fanatics who belong to Hamas, Jihad and others believe in the the bullet, not the ballot. These are the same people who convince suicide bombers to kill the innocent while screaming that ``God is great.''

Despite all these risks, Sharon is determined to move forward with his plan. Sharon wants to give peace a chance with our neighbors, the Palestinians.

Only strong leaders can make such decisions.

To review: Hamas and the other crazed jihadis would sooner kill the Jews than negotiate with them, and this is the segment of Palestinian leadership that's in ascendance; Abbas, a possible negotiating parter even though he's a Holocaust-denier and an Arafat manqué, is weak and may not be around for very much longer; and Ariel Sharon thinks that displacing Jews from Gaza will somehow lead to peace.

I hate to have to point this out, but before the Battle of the Little Big Horn, people thought Gen. George Armstrong Custer was a strong leader too.

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:14 | link | comments (3)

Calculating murder: When I read this story in the Los Angeles Times just now, it made me feel physically sick. It's about how Hamas and Fatah--Jew killers both--are preening like deadly peacocks as they try to convince the Palestinian people that each has a higher tally of Jew-kills under its belt--and is thus worthier to lead Palestinians into battle:

The figures appeared on a Hamas Web site Monday, the day Israel set out to clear the last of its 21 Gaza settlements, Netzarim. Hamas said its numbers were reliable because they were culled from Israeli military statistics -- a claim that could not immediately be verified.

 

I was trying to remember what this kind of cold caluculation reminded me of--toting up Jewish murders with the sang froid of preparing a tax return. And then it hit me: It sounds just like Adolf Eichmann, project manager of the Final Solution.

Only there's nothing in the least banal about Hamas's and Fatah's evil.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:27 | link | comments

A Sunni in Iraq:

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:39 | link | comments

Stranger in a strange land: A Hollywood screenwriter--a Republican (though formerly a Democrat) and an observant Jew--surveys his no-nothing colony of vapid, shallow, anti-Americanism and expresses his disgust. From FrontPage Magazine:

...Hollywood, once upon a time, was one of the most patriotic colonies on the planet. During World War II, Frank Capra made a series of propaganda films titled "Why We Fight." Marlene Dietrich put herself through a most grueling schedule visiting and entertaining our troops and selling war bonds. Jimmy Stewart joined the Air Force. Numerous movie stars put their careers on hold to help the war effort. These men and women loved America and understood who the enemy was and why the enemy had to be not only defeated but obliterated from the face of the earth.

Look at Hollywood now. Sean Penn, a convicted wife-beater, goes to Iraq and apologizes for American war crimes. Hollywood's patron saint is Michael Moore, its liturgy his package of lies, the movie "Fahrenheit 9/11." When this film had its Hollywood premiere, the red carpet was choked with stars just dying to make an anti-Bush statement. We're talking about movie stars who know basically nothing about politics. To call them fools would be generous. I have spent time with too many of these people, and believe me, if you're not talking about how beautiful or how talented they are, the conversation sort of just dies.

It is, I kid you not, a badge of honor in Hollywood to hate America. These airheads who have amassed millions through the free market economy constantly spout nonsense about the need for a Scandinavian style socialist government. They don't even know that the Scandinavian countries are economic basket cases. I'm not making this up. They actually cruise Sunset Strip in their Bentleys and accuse Republicans of being greedy...

Robert J. Avrech goes on to detail two of his recent experiences with these boneheads. The first, when he was hired to write a screenplay about Islamic terrorists which, because of ignorance and political correctness, was turned into a movie featuring Timothy McVeigh militia-types as the bad guys. The second, when his screenplay about an influential right wing radio host (unnamed, but obviously Rush Limbaugh) wasn't negative enough; the producers, it seems, wanted a portrait of a monster, not a human being.

I was thinking it must be hellish to live and work in a place where one is so completely out of synch with the zeitgiest.

Not too dissimilar, in fact, from being a wised-up, pro-U.S., pro-Israel, anti-jihad Canadian living in Canada.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:21 | link | comments

Sex and politics: In a column in the Chicago Sun-Times about "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan, Mark Steyn highlights New York Times writer Maureen Dowd's comments on the subject. La Dowd believes that because Ms. Sheehan lost a son in Iraq, her moral authority regarding the war is "absolute". Steyn rightly skewers Dowd's questionable assertion, and the girlishly, gushingly, glib manner in which she composes all her pieces. He says Dowd "writes like she's auditioning for a minor supporting role in ''Sex And The City.''"

Far be it from me to disagree with the Great Steyn, but I think I can refine his idea a bit. Maureen Dowd writes about politics as one imagines Sarah Jessica Paker's Sex in the City character, Carrie Bradshaw, would if she stopped writing about sex and were given a bully pulpit in the New York Times.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:31 | link | comments

Unwarranted--and uninformed--optimism: Elie Wiesel writes an emotional, eloquent and moving piece in the New York Times about the dismantling of Jewish settlements in Gaza. At the outset, he notes that Palestinians reacted to the Gaza withdrawal in the same way they did during the Gulf War:

IN 1991, when Saddam Hussein's Scud missiles fell in a deafening din on Tel Aviv, some Palestinians danced in the streets and on the roofs of their houses. I saw them. I was in Jerusalem, and I could see what was happening in the Arab quarter of the Old City. It happened again later, each time a suicide terrorist set off a bomb on a bus or in a restaurant. I evoke these scenes with sadness, and for a reason: we have just seen them repeated in Gaza

He goes on to describe the feelings evoked as he watched scenes of the evacuation:

The images of the evacuation itself are heart-rending. Some of them are unbearable. Angry men, crying women. Children, led away on foot or in the arms of soldiers who are sobbing themselves.

Let's not forget: these men and women lived in Gaza for 38 years. Successive governments, from the left and the right, encouraged them to settle there. In the eyes of their families, they were pioneers, whose idealism was to be celebrated.

And here they are, obliged to uproot themselves, to take their holy and precious belongings, their memories and their prayers, their dreams and their dead, to go off in search of a bed to sleep in, a table to eat on, a new home, a future among strangers.

From far away, we watch them on television screens and in the pages of newspapers. Some have behaved in an offensive and undignified manner. They insulted and wounded soldiers; they spat on officers - including some who are decorated heroes, all of them ready to give their lives for their country. But the majority have responded in a dignified way: with tears. As though united in the same despair, soldiers and evacuees cried together, even to such an extent that certain commentators have reproached them, saying: our warriors of yesterday and tomorrow shouldn't give way to easy emotion.

He then notes that, in military terms, the operation can be called a success, for which Sharon should be lauded. He also says that while it is not within Jewish tradition to "rejoice when the enemy falls", he doesn't know whether the Koran has the same thinking on the subject.

Permit me to enlighten him on the subject: It doesn't. In fact, it should be clear by now to even the most askew of cockeyed optimists that the Koran's philosophy is exactly the opposite. Hence the sight of Palestinians rejoicing in the streets when missiles successfully reach targets in Israel and the U.S.

Because he is ignorant of the Koran's teachings, Wiesel cannot comprehend why Palestinians might act differently than Jews:

Let's imagine it, if you will. Let's imagine that, faced with the tears and suffering of the evacuees, the Palestinians had chosen to silence their joy and their pride, rather than to organize military parades with masked fighters, machine guns in hand, shooting in the air as though celebrating a great battlefield victory. Yes, imagine that President Mahmoud Abbas and his colleagues, in advising their followers, extolled moderation, restraint, respect and a little understanding for the Jews who felt themselves struck by an unhappy fate. They would have won general admiration.

I will perhaps be told that when the Palestinians cried at the loss of their homes, few Israelis were moved. That's possible. But how many Israelis rejoiced?

And now, like Ariel Sharon and the rest of the "withdrawal is a good" gang, Wiesel awaits that telling gesture which will demonstrate, even subtly, that Palestinians acknowledge Israel's sacrifice and are looking ahead to a time of peace.

Again, however, his ignorance of Koranic precepts leave him powerless to interpret the self-evident. For example, he describes an encounter last year with Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qurei:

When I asked him (Qurei) what he thought of Mr. Sharon's courageous decision regarding Gaza, it was with a wave of the hand that he objected, adding with disdain: "All that is worth nothing, means nothing. If Sharon doesn't begin right away to negotiate definitive borders, a great catastrophe will be the result." He repeated those words: "right away" and "a great catastrophe."

Despite hearing these words from the horse's mouth, so to speak, "the optimist" in Wiesel refuses to concede that Qureia might actually mean what he says.  He still sees Gaza as "but one chapter in a book that must ultimately be about peace".

Were that it were so, Mr. Wiesel. You more than anyone should know about the nasty things written about Jews in books--and be willing to take Jew-haters at their word. Many decades ago, Hitler wrote a book called Mein Kampf outlining his desire to take care of "the Jewish problem".  At the time, most people dismissed it. Six million Jewish deaths later, we can see with the clarity of hindsight that Hitler meant exactly what he wrote.

The fascists of today are in the grip of another, much more ancient book, one which forms the basis of their entire identity. That book, too, has some particularly nasty things to say about "the Jews". Until and unless we are willing to look at that book plainly; until we see for ourselves  what it has to say about "rejoicing when the enemy falls"; until we are smart enough and brave enough to remove the rose coloured glasses of multiculturalism and political correctness; until then, the Jews of Israel will face the same kind of peril that the Jews of Europe did when Hitler came to power.

Posted by: scaramouche at 15:13 | link | comments

The Hamas Authority: The "government" of Palestinian President is feckless, aimless and, as the inheritors of Yasser Arafat's mantle, perceived by many Palestinians as iredeemably corrupt.

Hamas, on the other hand, is focused, firm and disciplined--a lean, mean suicide machine, gorging on it's 'victory' against the Zionists and seeing the end of the despised entity in sight.

Gee, I don't think that's exactly what George, Condi and Arik had in mind.

An article in today's New York Times elaborates on Hamas's ambitions:

Aides to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, invited reporters on Friday to record him at prayer. The imam outside his office in Gaza City celebrated Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and envisioned universities, schools, parks and mosques being built on settlement land.

At the same time, a few miles away in the Jabaliya refugee camp, hundreds of men and boys, unable to crowd into the Caliph Mosque, sat on nearby sidewalks and in alleyways. In a humid stench of sewage and fried fish, with expressions alert and thoughtful, they listened as their imam called the Israeli withdrawal an "achievement of resistance," celebrated prominent "martyrs of Hamas" and declared, "Allah knows that when we offer up our children, it is much better than choosing the road of humiliation and negotiation."

Israel's evacuation of its Gaza settlements has touched off a fierce political campaign here, and its outcome may determine whether Mr. Abbas can succeed in governing and eventually making peace. Hamas and Mr. Abbas's more secular faction, Fatah, are jostling for position in municipal elections in coming months and legislative elections planned for Jan. 25, the first that Hamas has ever said it would enter.

Mr. Abbas is trying to contain Hamas within the Palestinian political system and ultimately to take its weapons away. Hamas, a far more disciplined, methodical movement than Fatah, wants to strengthen its hold on Palestinian society.

Hamas has "a mission," said Ziad Abu Amr, a political scientist and independent legislator who serves as a liaison between Mr. Abbas and Hamas. "They want to Islamicize the state and society. Yes, in the final analysis, they want control."

It is instructive that the imam spoke of what "Allah knows". These people are so full of themselves, so deranged by their own fanaticism, that they believe they have a direct conduit to God. For that reason, they are the most dangerous enemies Israel has ever faced.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:55 | link | comments

Victory tunes from Palestine: Item from the Jerusalem Post:

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:04 | link | comments

Unilateral matters: Mohammed Dahlan, Palestinian Minister of Civilian Affairs, has some inconsistent ideas about unilateralism. For example, the kind of unilateralism where an Israeli Prime Minister unilaterally and voluntarily decides to vacate a portion of land claimed by Arabs: that's good unilateralism. The unilateralism wherein, in the words of the "young and popular minister" (as Chinese news service Xinhua describes him),  "Israel makes unilateral decision on borders, settlements, Jerusalem and refugees": that's bad unilateralism. Were Israel to resort to that kind of unilateralism, says Daslan, "this would of course enlarge the circle of violence in the region."

Of course.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:29 | link | comments

Might and rights: The most powerful--and hence the maddest--of Iraq's mad mullahs, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, says Iran will never, ever, not in a million, billion years give up its right to enrich uranium.

But, says the Grand Poobah of the shia branch of Islamic fascism, it's only because Iran wants to satisfy its growing need for energy, and because it doesn't want to be dependant for that energy on the EU.

We have rights, rights, I tell you, thundered the grim-visaged leader to a crowd of worshippers yesterday: 

"We don't fear anybody. We have the necessary might and means to defend our rights and we won't give up our rights. No one has the right to compromise over the rights of the nation."

To which the brainwashed throng responded heartily, "Never! Never! (One good thing about the Ayatollahs: they seem to lack the instict for theatrical grandeur of a totalitarian leader like Adolf Hitler--or even a Joseph Stalin. So the Ayatollahs' staged events always look rather threadbare and penny ante. 500 people showing up--or more like rounded up--to hear their supreme leader rant is hardly an impressive showing.)

Amazing how the Lie-atollah managed to say it all with a completely straight face. But then, after you've had lots of practice speaking taqiyah, I guess it more or less becomes second nature.

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:54 | link | comments

The Pope's progress: After reaching out to Jews by visiting a Cologne synagogue, the Pope is set to meet today with leaders of that other monotheistic faith.

No doubt he will expand upon his previously stated opinion that violent jihad as currently practised around the world by an infinitesimal minority of true believers is an aberration of an otherwise, tolerant peaceful religion.

Update: Decidedly mixed messages from the Pope. On the one hand, he blasted the "cruel fanaticism" of the terrorists and called upon Muslims to join hands with Christians in uprooting the terrorism which is "sowing death and destruction, and plunging many of our brothers and sisters into grief and despair".

On the other hand, he refused to draw a connection between Islam and terrorism, and told Muslim leaders they had a "great responsibility" to "guide Muslim believers and train them in the Islamic faith."

So I guess violent jihad and the desire to emulate the perfect but warlike Prophet is not a part of the Islamic faith, and those who want to enlarge Dar al Islam are violating Koranic precepts?

Let's us now all join hands for a blissful chorus of "We Are the World" ('Wir Sind Die Welt'?) as the jihadis and those who trained them in the Islamic faith guffaw at the well-meaning but clueless Pontiff.

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:23 | link | comments

Location, location, location: After claiming credit for "driving" Israel out of Gaza, Hamas, the combat division of the Muslim Brotherhood, has announced it will be relocating the jihad to some other pieces of disputed real estate: the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Ball's in your court, Arik. 

Update: Beeb News headline: 'Today Gaza--tomorrow east Jerusalem.'

Unspoken but implicit follow-up to headline: 'And the day after that, the whole frikkin' entity.'

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:21 | link | comments

All is for the best...The Globe and Mail has a front page puff piece about Canada's new "vice-regals"--Governor-General apointee Michaëlle Jean and her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond. Here's how the Globe describes them in brief:

Michaëlle Jean is a cancer survivor and the child of a single mother who emigrated from Haiti. Ms. Jean had long been estranged from her father and sister until recently. She is known to be deeply concerned about racism, violence and gender equality.

Her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, is a French intellectual who uses his gift for words to expound on nationalism, the evils of capitalism and the legacy of colonialism. He is a documentary filmmaker whose next film, due out in 2006, tackles relations between the United States and the Middle East over the past quarter century.

Now, he finds himself the spouse of Canada's next representative of the Queen.

Yikes. I can see why Paul Martin would think these two were a fitting pair to occupy Rideau Hall. Between the two of them, they could fill up a whole Oprah magazine.

Later on in the article, an unnamed journalist who was a former colleague of Ms. Jean says, "There's not an ounce of irony or cynicism in her."

Ladies and gentleman, I give you Governor-General Candide.

A letter to the editor in the Globe suggests a more suitable candidate for the office: poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

I agree. Leonard is a Canadian icon whose monotonal, incantatory voice has sung some of the most compellingly beautiful lyrics of the past thirty years. (If you don't believe me, listen to the gorgeously crytic song, "Alexandra Leaving" from his album Ten New Songs.)

He has the requisite ethnic diversity--though born Jewish in Montreal (a Quebec birth would play well with the P.M.), he has been a fully-fledged Zen Buddhist for some time now; in recent years has lived in a monastery. And, oh yeah, while he was away leading the contemplative life, his business manager absconded with his entire fortune, estimated at $5.5 million. So he could really use the paycheck, if you know what I mean.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:55 | link | comments

Beastly bedfellows: An article in The Spectator about the unholy alliance in the U.K. between the seethers (the Islamic-fascist-jihadis) and the self-loathers (the far and not-so-far left).

Much would seem to divide these two camps--women's rights, abortion, the intrusion of Islam into public life. But the gap is bridged by what they share in common--an abiding hatred of America, Israel/Jews and the war in Iraq.

The piece concludes with the following observation about George Galloway, leader of the comically misnamed Respect Party (as in, no self-respecting person would ever belong to to such a vile political entity as Respect):

The savvy Galloway, now more godly than gorgeous, has created a conduit through which Islamofascism pumps its poison into Britain’s political bloodstream. It would be quite funny were it not so serious.

I posted the following comment on Robert Spencer's indispensible website, Dhimmi Watch (where I found the link):

Personally, I think the repellent and reptillian Galloway is about as funny as a rattlesnake.

Posted by: scaramouche at 21:33 | link | comments

Where credit is due: Amazing the number of Palestinians who want to pony up and take credit for the Gaza withdrawal. Mahmoud Abbas says it's "a result of our sacrifice, of our patience, the sacrifice of our people, the steadfastness, and the wise people of our nation." (Mahmoud should find himself a new speechwriter. His phrasing is exceedingly redundant. But I guess he could have spun it out even further--"the patience of our steadfast people"; "the wisdom of our sacrifice"; "the wise, patient and steadfast sacrifice of our nation's people", etc.)

Speaking to an immense crowd (well, only semi-immense given that about 700 people are said to have shown up) of cheering supporters at the mothballed Gaza airport, Abbas said his people were in the throes of "historic days of joy".

Not to be left out of all the self-congratulatory back-patting, Hamas--a true credit-whore--has stepped forward to say that it and it alone is responsible for driving the Israelis out.

Whatever delusions Abbas and Hamas may be labouring under--and, being Palestinian, they are clearly labouring under far too many to enumerate here--you know and I know that credit is due to only one individual. And for good or ill, Ariel Sharon gets the nod.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:32 | link | comments

A very Canadian solution: The lead editorial in the National Post (available to subscribers) calls the killing of a young Brazillian by London police who mistook him for a terrorist--and police actions afterward--"a chaotic mess". It turns out that most of the information that emerged in the aftermath of the killing--that the young man aroused suspicion because he was wearing a bulky overcoat in warm weather, that he jumped a subway turnstile, that he failed to respond when told to stop by police--turned out to be completely false. It seem that Mr. Menzies was actually a fairly unremarkable young man who has the misfortune of being the first victim of a new "shoot to kill" policy, and that the policemen who employed this policy and pumped six bullets into his head from point blank range did so because they were so jittery and unnerved by the failed terror attacks of the previous day. (Trust London police to eschew an overt policy of profiling, but to then pump full of lead a swarthy looking non-Muslim from South America.)

In looking at this "chaotic mess", the Post puts forth a very Canadian suggestion. Set up a commission. Listen to scores of different people offer evidence. Spend a great deal of time and millions of dollars to reach a conclusion that is already self-evident: Police should not go around shooting and killing unarmed young men who have done nothing more suspicious than to sport dark hair and an olive complexion.

There. I've just saved everyone a lot of time and money.

Posted by: scaramouche at 16:10 | link | comments

No teeth: The Pope visited a synagogue in Cologne yesterday, only the second Pope in history (Pope John Paul being the first) to step inside a Jewish place of worship.

The synagogue itself was redolent of Europe's and Germany's terrible history and horrible treatment of the Jews; it had been destroyed by the Nazis during the rampage of Crystallnacht.

The Pope, a German who as a young man briefly belonged to the Hitler Youth, warned against the resurgence of the scourge of anti-Semitism--and condemned it in the strongest terms possible.

Unfortunately, in his call for mutual understanding and relgious amity, he failed to note who was responsible for most of the rising tide of anti-Semitism, or that they and their Jihad Jungen were scapegoating Jews in the same way and for the same reason that Hitler did: As a rallying point to help build support for their fascist agenda in order to spread it throughtout the world.

Nor did Benedict explain the moral lapse and blinkered vision which allowed the Vatican to condem acts of terror committed in many countries, while refusing to mention the one nation which has been on the receiving end of more terrorist acts than any other.

Thus, while the Pope's words and deeds are somewhat encouraging, until he is willing to speak plainly and condemn the evil of the jihadis, he will fail to have any significant or lasting impact on curtailing the growing spectre of Jew-hatred, or on influencing world events.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:32 | link | comments

Time for new glasses?: George Bush pere famously admitted to be lacking "the vision thing"--the ability to look at the big picture and formulate an insightful and inspiring policy with which to lead the country into the future. George Bush fils came to his "vision thing" somewhat belatedly. Prior to being elected for the first time, he admitted that foreign policy was unlikely to be his focus--and thus it might have stayed, had Mohammed Atta and Co. not plowed their airplanes into two American landmarks.

Many have found the younger Bush's vision thing extremely compelling. One of them is Israeli leader Ariel Sharon. In the Jewish World Review, Zev Chavets postulates that it is Sharon's admiration for Bush's vision. especially as it relates to the Palestinians, which explains Sharon's ostensibly baffling volte face--why the General Patton, the military strongman of the settler movement has repudiated it in the most agressive way possible.

Chavets concludes,

...During the intifada, Mr. Bush had impressed Mr. Sharon by letting him fight. The president's critics called this "American disengagement." In fact, it was a shrewd confidence builder. Throughout his career, Mr. Sharon never trusted foreigners; he manipulated them. But Mr. Bush was different — the two men thought alike. Mr. Bush disdained Yasir Arafat. He put Israeli security ahead of Israeli concessions. And he was willing to use force. After Saddam Hussein was overthrown, Mr. Sharon embraced George W. Bush as his godfather in a shared cause, the war on Islamic extremism.

Like all of Mr. Sharon's leaders, Mr. Bush has a plan — pacifying Palestine by creating an independent, democratic Arab state next to Israel. Once, under Begin or Meir, Ariel Sharon would have killed to prevent such a vision. Today, in the face of threats from Israeli extremists, he is ready to die trying to make it real.

I, too, admit to feeling exhilarated by an American president who is more willing to confront the jihadis than to cower in fear and retreat from them. But it is difficult to see how Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and the rest of the "kill the Jews" crowd can ever be pacified, not as long as they're still drawing a breath. Nor does the Bush vision consider that the Palestinians have "a vsion thing too". It's called jihad. As such, they aren't so much interested in building an independent, democratic Arab state beside an independent Jewish one as they are in anhilitating and replacing the Jews.

So much as I'd like to believe that all the agro will be the first step on the road to peace, I can't help but recall another "vision thing"--one that was named for the Norweigan capital which served as the site of negotionations. And which was the first step on the road to a new intifada--and a renewed demonization of Israel as the inheritors of the Nazis' mantle. Only this time, Sharon may find that the vision he was lulled into following has so weakened his nation that it will be exponentially more challenging to defend it.

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:18 | link | comments

Full of hot air: The Washington Post asks whether the saga of Cindy Sheehan, the grief-stricken, Israel-blaming mom who is being championed by much of the mainstream media, is "a spark or a flicker".

I'd say it all depends on how long media outlets like the Washington Post are prepared to pump up the story with the hydrogen of their Bush-hatred.

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:43 | link | comments

It's MAD alright: Back in the good old days of the Cold War, before jihad rereared its ugly visage, there was a concept known as "mutually assured destruction" or MAD. It held that, since both superpowers had arsenals full of nuclear warheads, neither side would dare resort to such weapons because doing so would result in retalation and the obliteration of both sides (and the whole world).

The concept was kind of a balancing act, and it only worked because, although they were hardened ideologues with ambitions to dominate the globe, the Russians, in the words of the Sting song, "love(d) their children, too". Thus, they were unlikely to resort to any action which would endanger future generations of hardened ideologues, their kids. (The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1961 was the only time both sides came close to catastrophe--"eyeball to eyeball" in U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk's phrase--but, knowing what a nuclear war might lead to, the Russians backed down at the last minute.)

Here's an article by someone who thinks we should revive the concept of MAD, but this time with the Iranians on the other side of the scale. (link via Butterflies and Wheels)

Put nuclear weapons in the hands of the mullahs, says he, and you could curb American power (the word he uses is "hegemony"--a clue to his political leanings). And you needn't worry that the mullahs will actually use their weapons because, well, because it would be madness to ignore MAD and put the planet on the path to Armageddon.

Ignorance, as they say, is bliss. And in his blissful yet rabid America-hatred, the writer has failed to consider the following:

A) The mullahs are religious zealots who may or may not love their children, but who would be quite content to see them all dead and cavorting in Paradise.

B) The mullahs are insane.

One must possess a death wish the size of the planet itself to want to put nukes in the hands of these maniacs.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:34 | link | comments

Nuns and nukes: Could someone please explain this photo to me? It shows a human chain of what are described as "Iranian students". They have been bused in, er, spontaneously gathered, to demonstrate for their Allah-given right to nukes, er, nuclear energy.

Why are a couple of the sisters dressed like nuns?

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:40 | link | comments

Mo's modest proposal: Mohamed Elmasry, the head of the Canadian Islamic Council, is upset by the recent appointment of two Jews to positions of authority in the Liberal government. Elmasry, who once opined on a a local TV show that suicide bombings of Israeli civilians was an acceptable practice, is peeved because Leo Kolber, a former senator, has been appointed chairman of Canada's new security advisory council, and Jonathan Schneiderman has been tapped to become foreign minister Pierre Petigrew's Middle East advisor. (Thanks to my B.F. for suggesting this story.)

Elmasry thinks these gentlemen are unsuitable, not because of their religion (perish the thought) but because of their "pro-Israel" sympathies. He'd like to see them replaced by--wait for it--Muslim appointees.

After all, reasons the ever-rational Mr. E., aren't  Muslims the ones whose rights are being eroded in the ongoing search for that minute minority of the overly zealous?  As Elmasry explains in today's National Post (story available online by subscription), the civil liberties of Muslims

...have been eroded more than the Canadian average, especially after 9/11 and 7/7, the recent London bombing. It is not politically correct for the government to say we are going to examine the security of the country...[and then] appoint a strong pro-Israeli activist to chair it. It doesn't make sense.

No, Mo. It makes far more sense to hire someone with strong pro-Islamist leanings. Like yourself, for instance.

But only if you're more interested in maintaining  "political correctness" than in catching terrorists.

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:07 | link | comments

Sharon's sharper image: As the wrenching, wretched scenes from Gaza fill TV screens, the Los Angeles Times see the upside of this Jew vs. Jew imbroglio. According to the Times, the pullout "may boost Sharon image".

For a few days, anyway. Then, when it becomes clear that he doesn't intend to cause the same dislocations in the West Bank, or give up the lion's share of Jerusalem, it will revert to form and he will again be reviled.

Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for some short-lived positive P.R.

Posted by: scaramouche at 19:32 | link | comments (2)

Return of the natives: As a bastion of Leftist self-loathing, the San Francisco Chronicle is hardly known for viewing the Israel (a.k.a. "colonizer", "oppressor", "Little Satan"--oops, how'd that one slip out?) with an excess of sympathy. Or even a modicum of sympathy. Or even a scintilla of sympathy. But this article written by one of the Chronicle's unbiased scribes (Wiccan? Buddhist? Seventh Day Adventist?) is a particularly loathsome example of the paper's viewpoint:

As children in the street chanted "Gaza is liberated," 65-year-old Ayed Suleiman Abu-Hashish broke into tears.

"I can't wait to go back," he said. "I bet it has changed a lot since I left nearly 40 years ago."

For many in this squalid refugee camp, Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip, which began Monday, revived hopes they could return to homes they fled in the 1967 Middle East War. It was unlikely that would happen anytime soon, however.

The fate of refugees — many who also fled land that made up the state of Israel before the war — still must be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians in so-called final-status talks.

Also at issue in those thorny talks will be the status of Jerusalem, claimed by Palestinians as their capital but under Israeli control since 1967.

In the meantime, even after the Gaza withdrawal, Israel still commands all entry points into the strip and the West Bank, meaning it can prevent refugees from returning.

Israel has not recognized a general Palestinian "right of return," and was likely to bar the bulk of refugees from returning to Gaza or the West Bank, from where Israel has also pledged to withdraw four settlements. So far, Israel has indicated willingness only to allow a limited number of Arabs to join relatives in pre-1967 Israel under a family reunification plan...

I hope Ayed kept his keys.

And, no doubt, so does the Chronicle.

Posted by: scaramouche at 19:16 | link | comments (2)

"P"-less in showbiz: The artist formerly known as Sean "Puffy" Combs, then as "Puffy", then as Puff Daddy, then as P. Diddy, has undergone another transformation. Henceforth, he will be known as "Bob l'eponge".

Just joshing. From now on, he'll join the ranks of one-named showbiz icons like Charo and Cher and be known simply as "Diddy".

No, not "Diddly", as in "Diddly Squat". "Diddy", as in "Diddy have nothing better to do than mess with his name again?"

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:25 | link | comments

Hate and grief: Cindy Sheehan has been camped out on the doorstep of George W. Bush's Texas ranch for--how many days now? Given how the media has descended on the story like the greedy pirhana they are, it seems like it's been going on all summer.

Sheehan is the grieving mother who thinks her son Casey was killed in Iraq because a sinister cabal of neo-con Jews used their wiles and compelled the President to protect Israel. Her anti-Jewish ravings have caught the attention of no less an anti-Semite than Klanster, David Duke. At the same time, her immoveable Barbara Fritchie routine is playing exceptionally well with those who (mistakenly) see Iraq as Vietnam redux, and who are using Mrs. Sheehan as the vehicle to drive America out of the war.

As the mother of a son myself, I feel for Mrs. Sheehan and her loss. Yet, I can't help but feel that something other, or at least, something more than grief--her failing marriage, her longing to have a moment in the spotlight--has propelled her into the arms of the slavering media, which will use her as a Bush battering ram. I am also disgusted by her anti-Jewish statements, which reek of the same kind of ignorance and hatred which suffuses the world of the people we're fighting. Mrs. Sheehan's statements about Jews being the cause of this war are eerily reminiscent of statements made before and during the Second World War which held the Jews responsible for that horrific conflict, and said America was only going to war to assist the Jews. Then, as now, the Jews are blamed for their own victimization, and foolish people like Mrs. Sheehan embrace an easy answer--"It's the Jews!"--for a complex situation wherein the free world is once again imperilled by fascism, this time of a religious nature. And the media, in championing Cindy Sheehan, serves as the handmaiden--or should I say the pimp?--for her hateful nonsense. 

Update: Christopher Hitchens on "Cindy Sheehan's sinister piffle."

Piffle. I like that.

Update: Arab News looks upon Sheehan's "vigil" with great approval.

No surprise there.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:25 | link | comments

The Gaza strip:

Looks like Arik's been indulging in one too many falafels.

That being said, I doubt the burka'd babe would be so keen to see this kind of strip.

Posted by: scaramouche at 09:54 | link | comments

Lost in Translation: School is around the corner, and I just picked up a new lunch box for my son. It features his favourite cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants, the absorbent, yellow and porous invertebrate who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

I know all this because I've heard the theme song so often it is lodged permanently in my memory bank, along with the theme songs from any number of cartoon and live action shows from the 60s and 70s. (Anytime you want to hear an impromtu rendition of the theme from The Patty Duke Show, please let me know.)

This being Canada, where everything is translated into two official languages--even lunch boxes---SpongeBob's name also appears in French. Disappointingly, for such an ebulliant, irrepressible character (a bit too irrepressible, it you ask me), his name in French is "Bob l'eponge"--Bob the sponge.

That's it. No reference to his being square and wearing pants--which is sort of the whole point of SpongeBob, n'est-ce pas? Just plain old Bob the sponge.

I guess certain things are simply impossible to render in a different language.

Something to think about when you're nibbling a Madeleine and reading Remembrance of Things Past.

Posted by: scaramouche at 16:54 | link | comments

Make me sick: Headline in the Times Online: Arab world delights as evictions edge nearer.

Delighted, are they? Can you imagine their unrestrained glee should the dhimmi entity completely cease to exist?

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:05 | link | comments

Quaint locution: This headline in Islam Online gave me a good guffaw: Gazans eager to restore usurped land.

Love the word "usurped". It's so old fashioned, so, dare I say it?, biblical.

One wonders, though, how accurate it is, given that Israel was dying to hand Gaza back to Egypt after "usurping" it during the Six Day War. Egypt cleverly declined the gift, knowing that Gaza would prove to be a a stilleto in Israel's side--which, indeed, it has been.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:57 | link | comments

Flogging a dead map: Kofi Annan says the sponsors of the road map to Nowheresville, otherwise known as the roadmap to peace, plan to get together in September to discuss what comes next.

Here's my prediction: Abbas will sprout some stones and disarm Hamas; the Palestinians will finally get it together and pour their efforts into building an actual state instead of trying to tear the Jewish one down; martyrdom will be discredited as a pointless waste of life; Palestinians and Israelis will iron out their differences; and the Arabs will finally accept the existence of a dhimmi entity in their midst.

Also, pigs will fly, the moon will turn blue and Hades will become a hockey rink, with Satan driving the Zamboni.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:39 | link | comments (1)

Two of a kind: Since the Ceeb has locked up its employees until further notice, it has had to pad out its schedule with programming from other sources. For Ceeb radio, that means copious filler from the mother-of-all-public-broadcasters, the Beeb. And that means we unsuspecting Canadians get to hear Beeb spin in all its absurdity. Last evening, for instance, I heard a Beeb report about Chechnya, one year after the terrorist attack on the school in Beslan. The "t" word being banished from Beeb airwaves, though, the terrorists who stormed the school were variously described as "hostage-takers", "rebels" and "seperatists".

The report did mention that these don't-you-dare-call-them-terrorists who slaughtered scores of children were Islamic, but kept the religious aspect of the story in the background--far in the background. The story was framed as matter of politics, not religion--that is, people of a different ethnicity and political bent intent on cutting Mother Russia's apron strings.

Of course, since the "t" word has also been banished from the corridors of the Ceeb, a similar report might have emanated from the Canadian broadcaster. Hearing the Beeb story merely confirms how much the Ceeb and the Beeb have in common. Alas.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:41 | link | comments

Good choice, Paul: The appointment of Michaëlle Jean, Paul Martin's comely but decidely underqualified choice for Governor General, is in question today. Or at least, some questions are being raised about whether it was appropriate to appoint her in the first place. In its lead editorial, the Globe and Mail suggests that Ms. Jean--a Haitian by birth--was appointed to help curry votes "in northern Montreal ridings and particularly among Haitians who, while they have voted Liberal, have late stayed away from the polls". It would be difficult to prove such a claim, but given the Prime Minister's well-known propensities and obvious desperation to hold onto power no matter what, it is definitely not outside the realm of possiblity.

The National Post points out another problem. It says there is footage in a documentary on hardline Quebec separatists made by her separatist-inclined husband in 1990 of Ms. Jean--soon to be the Queen's representative in Ottawa--toasting the separatist cause. Oops, that's not likely to sit well with member of the Monarchist League, nor, for that matter with others who see the appointment as having more to do with optics (pretty ethnic French-speaking chick) than qualifications (host of CBC documentary program, otherwise, a little light in the CV).

One more slight hitch; Ms. Jean is a citizen of both Canada and France. Again, kind of weird for someone set to represent Her Majesty in all her glory. I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure that, given that she's both French and not unsympathetic to Quebec separatists, the words "God save the Queen" have likely never passed Ms. Jean's fetching lips.

One would have thought that all these issues might have arisen before Ms. Jean was offered the pomp and circumstantial position. Mais, non: the P.M., in his usual brash fashion, preferred to overlook the drawbacks and make an appointment which he clearly saw to his political advantage, knowing he'd be able to weather any ensuing criticism.

Hey, it worked with Gomery, right?

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:21 | link | comments

Multiculturalism's eloqent opponent: One of the bravest women in the world, Dutch M.P. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, spoke at the sharia law conference in Toronto this weekend. With a plethora of bodyguards to protect her and the other two women speakers--Muslim refusenik Irshad Manji and Homa Arjomad, the women spearheading the campaign against sanctioning sharia courts in Ontario--Ayaan presented her film "Submission". The film documents the brutal subjugation of Muslim women. When it was shown on Dutch TV, it prompted a Dutch-born Muslim of Moroccan origin to express his dissenting opinion by savagely murdering the film's director, Theo van Gogh. The unrepentant jihadi is now serving a life sentence in prison.

Van Gogh's killer was a product of the policy of multiculturalism--a policy which favours the community over the individual, and is based on the specious notion that all communities are equally wonderful and should make little effort to integrate into the larger society. Hirsi Ali blasts this policy for ensuring that many Muslim women will continue to be hidden away, with the result that they will be as oppressed in free Western societies as they were in the more restrictive ones from which they came.

Robert Fulford in the National Post has the most complete report on the conference I have read; the rest of the Toronto media seem to have barely noticed it. (This short--and rather bland--piece in the Toronto Star is about all I could find.) In his column today (which, unfortuntately, is not availbable online), Fulford writes that

...Hirsi Ali paid special attention to muticulturalism--which has become fashionable in large parts of Europe and Canada. The doctrine favours cultural groups over the individuals from within them and teaches that all cultures are equal. That creates a belief that minorities can make their own rules.

"If you take muticulturalism to its logical end," she said, "it becomes racist because you are discriminating against women in one group, allowing them to be mistreated." Multiculturalism is racist! That left her audience something to think about.

She emphasized that genital mutilation is not in Koranic law, but many who practise it claim that religion demands it. Others insist they are following Allah's will when they deny women ordinary rights. A government that sanctions sharia in family law may find itself trapped into endorsing this nonsense...

Posted by: scaramouche at 15:27 | link | comments

Say your prayers: Only two week to go to the premiere of Prayer Room, a witty farrago of Jew-hatred commissioned especially for this year's Edinburgh Festival. The play, by Pakistani-Scot Shan Khan, tells the uproarious tale of what happens when Jewish students at a university, who have been deprived of a prayer room, "occupy" one belonging to Muslim students.

You don't need much of a wink-wink-nudge-nudge to see what Khan is getting at--those awful Jews have robbed Muslims of their "territory", just as they've done in the Middle East.

And in case the allegory is too, um, allegorical, the playwright explains his rationale for writing it: (Thanks to Zico at Dhimmi Watch for the link.)

 "The problem of Israel and Palestine is the biggest one on earth that needs to be sorted out. That is what will stop the terrorists, as a Muslim I will say that. Sort that out, and there will be a domino effect, everything else will fall into place." Instead of a solution we have "double standards on all sides", a lot of ineffectual hand-wringing and a refusal to talk about what matters.

"I'm trying to look at it not from an Islamic point of view. I would like to think that Prayer Room doesn't say, 'Jews get out' or 'Israelis get out', I'd like to think it says 'This is a f***ing world of shit, and no-one is in the right, no-one is in the wrong, what we need to do is open up a good and proper debate, a debate that has never been opened before'. Instead of saying 'Look at these stupid idiots (in Palestine) blowing themselves up', you need to ask, 'What have you done to drive these people to blow themselves up?'"

I hate to dislodge the would-be Tarantino/Mamet (as he's described in the article) from the comfort of his Jew-loathing certainties and his "no-one is in the right, no-one is in the wrong" relativism, but he might consider the possiblity that the Palestinians have done most of their own driving. They've arrived at the kamikaze tactic through a combination of hatred, religious frenzy, cultural irrationalism and fury at uppity dhimmis for confounding Allah's promises to the faithful.

Also, I'd be remiss if I failed to note that only those who despise Israel believe that "the problem of Israel and Palestine is the biggest one on earth." Those whose brains have not been corroded by Jew-hatred might point to a few other more pressing problems, like the jihadis' desire to turn the entire planet into Dar al Islam. The Israel problem--like the Darfur problem, the Kashmir problem, the London problem and all the rest--is merely a symptom. The cause is the pathology of religious supremacism that infects far too many violent believers. Sort that out, and like dominos toppling one after the other, everything else will fall into place.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:35 | link | comments

Ceeb on strike: The CBC has locked out 5,500 employees over their demands for more moolah--which Ceeb mucky-mucks call "excessive".

I don't know enough about ins and outs of the labour dispute to weigh in on the matter one way or the other. All I know is that, instead of the mixture of the fey, the cozy and soft-headed that are typically featured on Ceeb morning radio, today they're playing a pleasant assortment of Canadian tunes.

Makes for a nice change, really.

Update: I spoke too soon. Despite the labour disruption, Shelagh goes on as usual...

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:03 | link | comments

Updating Dorothy Parker:

Me, the G-G.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:04 | link | comments

Ghastly google: This is the story randomly selected by google news to sit atop today's headlines at 8:45 E.S.T. A rancid little piece from a bilious little news source called "Electronic Intifada". (Note the scare quotes strangling the word "plight"in the google headline and body of story, refering to the settlers, who apparently aren't entitled to a "plight", being religious Jews and all.)

As Bubbie used to say, "Feh!"

Update: And just as quickly as it appeared from the toxic ooze, at 8:55 it disappears back into the ether.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:42 | link | comments

Rational fears: Let's see. There's arachnophobia, the irrational fear of spiders. And agoraphobia, the irrational fear of wide open spaces. And triskaedekaphobia, the irrational fear of the number thirteen. But Islam Online profers a brand new phobia, the product of the heightened fear of the times. It's called "Pakistaniphobia", and it seems to be taking France by storm:

The July 7 London attacks perpetrated by four British Muslims, including three of Pakistani origin, are having domino effects on the Pakistani minority in France, sparking an unprecedented  Pakistanophobia.

"This close media and security scrutiny is really playing on the nerves of the Pakistanis in France ," Abdel Rahman Quraishi, the chairman of the Federation of Pakistani Organizations in France , told IslamOnline.net.

Posted by: scaramouche at 21:30 | link | comments

Dead favourites: Having nothing better to do as the summer winds down, a marketing company has conducted a poll and determined that Lucille Ball sits atop the list of  "favourite dead celebrities."

Personally, my favourite dead celebrity is Yasser Arafat.

But only because he's dead.

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:05 | link | comments

Oh “K”: Just when you thought Kofi and Kojo were the only initial “K” Annans who may be implicated in the oil-for-food scam, from out of the woodwork ambles a previously unknown “K” Annan: Kofi’s bro’ Kobina. (Is there anyone in the Annan family whose first name does not start with the letter “K”? Can we soon expect to hear about sister Keesha, aunt Koko, cousin Kodi and great-uncle Kornelius—all of whom I just made up?)

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:45 | link | comments

Locked away: British novelist Fay Weldon says feminists have ignored the wretched inequities faced by Muslim women out of fear that such concern would be seen as intrusive and "racist". She also blasts the policy of multiculturalism--intended to be a compassionate measure--for its unintended consequence of allowing women to be hidden away and subjugated out of public view. From the Times Online:

Multiculturalism ends up as ghettoisation, the exploitation of cheap labour and subjugation of women. Even the kindness of local authorities in putting up street signs in Arabic backfires — why learn English if there’s no need? And yet. The situation of a Muslim woman in Britain today is not so different from that of an English woman in the 1950s, in the era of “no wife of mine works”, when virginity was at a premium, when to be a “spinster” and over 25 was a humiliation, to be “barren” a tragedy, when contraception was largely unavailable; when a woman was defined as a person who had babies and to whom many professions were closed. All that changed with remarkable rapidity.

Fay is on track with her insight about mutliculturalism enabling Muslim women to be frozen in time, but I fear her timeframe is somewhat miscast. These women aren't caught in an England of the 1950s. That would be a signifcant step forward. Rather, they are preserved in the amber of a far earlier era, when laws prescribing and proscribing their behaviour were first cast. And multiculturalism is the social policy which keeps many of them--too many of them--imprisoned there for life.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:24 | link | comments

Sharia, pro and con: Yesterday morning I listened with interest to an interview on CBC radio with one of the two professors who will be teaching a newly-launched course for University of Toronto law students this fall on sharia law.

The well-spoken chap, who is not Muslim, explained that, yes, sharia imposed certain harsh punishments for a number of infractions, but the laws must be understood in the context of the times in which they were encoded, and that the multiplicity of sharia laws were also concerned with establishing an ethical framework for life and justice in Muslim countries.

I'm all in favour of learning more about sharia law; the more we know, the more we'll come to see and understand that a significant portion of this law is antithetical to our own. However, the implication of the interview--and, indeed, of most of the discussion about sharia and Islam on CBC radio--is the standard multi-culti one about how "beautiful" and "peaceful" everything is, even when it's warlike, threatening and totalitarian.

As a counterpoint to the Ceeb's pro-sharia spin, here's a list of the top ten reasons sharia is bad for all societies.

Don't expect to hear it on the Ceeb any time soon.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:49 | link | comments

Le mot juste: There is only one word for the Islamic republic of Iran: brazen. And there is one word for the efforts of the EUnuchs to deter the glorious republic from its nuclear aims: pathetic. From The Telegraph:

An Iranian foreign policy official has boasted that the regime bought extra time over its stalled negotiations with Europe to complete a uranium conversion plant.

In comments that will infuriate EU diplomats, Hosein Musavian said that Teheran took advantage of the nine months of talks, which collapsed last week, to finish work at its Isfahan enrichment facility.

"Thanks to the negotiations with Europe we gained another year in which we completed the [project] in Isfahan," he told an Iranian television interviewer.

Mr Musavian also claimed that work on nuclear centrifuges at a plant at Natanz, which was kept secret until Iran's exiled opposition revealed its existence in 2002, progressed during the negotiations.

"We needed six to 12 months to complete the work on the centrifuges," said Mr Musavian, chairman of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council's foreign policy committee. He made his remarks on August 4 - two days before Iran's foreign ministry rejected the European Union offer of incentives to abandon its uranium enrichment programme.

Critics of the regime will see his comments as confirmation that Iran never contemplated giving up its programme, despite top-level diplomacy involving Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, and his French and German counterparts...

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:23 | link | comments

The primal right of self-preservation: As Western nations take steps to protect themselves from violent jihadis, the New York Times, mothership of MSM cluelessness, poses this probing question (framing it in the voice of the "rights" pit bulls, of course): "In clamping down on radicals, are democracies violating their own values and, in this sense, handing a kind of unintended victory to the terrorists?"

Permit me to answer on behalf of democracries: nein, non, nyet, NO! While freedom of speech is a fundamental democratic value, it is madness, it is suicide, to allow powerful enemies like jihadi clerics to shill for a religious totalitarianism which is every bit as dangerous to the world as Nazism--arguably, even more dangerous--and thus destroy us from within.

If the jihadis succeed, the only kind of rights the ACLUers and other rights-fetishizers will be able to fight for will be the inequitable ones enshrined in sharia law. That is, if the civil liberties crowd haven't all been swept away in the maelstrom of jihadi violence.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:05 | link | comments

Lutheran lapse: I've lost track of all the churches which are morally outraged by Israel's defensive security barrier because of the hardships it has imposed on the Palestinians. (The biggest hardship seems to be low morale among pre-shahids, who haven't been able to murder as many Jews as they'd like to).

The latest denomination in the ecumenical pile-on is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. (Luther, huh? Seems to me he wasn't exactly noted for his fond feelings toward Jews--especially after they rebuffed what he thought were his exceptionally persuasive arguments for their conversion en masse to Christianity; guess that gives him something in common with Mohammed, who also didn't have much luck with the recalcitrant Jews. But that can't have anything to do with the current Church's current animus, could it? After all, several centuries and an entire Reformation--and counter Reformation, and counter counter Reformation--have come and gone. Surely we've moved on since then.)

Or maybe not. Jog my memory. Have the Lutherans (and the Presbyterians and all the other morally elevated divestment-minded folk) ever expressed even a scintilla of revulsion for, oh, I don't know, Zimbabwe? Or Sudan? Or Saudi Arabia? Or Iran? Or North Korea? Or any number of other morally reprehensible failed totalitarian states?

No? Seems to me it doesn't take a genius to see that what we have here is a clear case of Jew-hatred:  Historically, focused on the Jewish people; currently, refocused on the Jewish state.

I suggest the Lutherans take all 95 of their founder's theses and his sundry statements about the Jewish people, and examine whether some of them may be colouring how their church views the Jewish state. Then I suggest they knock it off and turn their attention to Israel's "friendly" jihadist neighbours, including a significant percentage of Palestinians,  who are trying to efface it from the map--a task which would no doubt be made a whole lot easier without that pesky security fence.

Posted by: scaramouche at 00:47 | link | comments

Winning the PR war: Hamas, the combat wing of the Muslim Brotherhood (as Paul Berman described it his his book Liberalism and Terror) is crowing about its great victory in Gaza. The humaniterrorism outfit, which is committed to a Judenrein Israel in our time, is so elated by Israel's impending departure--and so convinced of its own grandiosity--that it held its first press conference in ten years. So, along with claiming a moral and military victory, Hamas is claiming a P.R. victory.

Could someone please cut these unholy warrrior-bullies down to size?

Arik? Mahmoud?

Anybody?

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:01 | link | comments

Some apology: Harry Belafonte got in hot water last week for remarking that many Jews were "high-up" in Hitler's regime.

He would like to apologize for making that ignorant and historical inaccurate statement. What he meant to say was that many Jews assisted the Third Reich's agenda by serving in the Wehrmacht.

Thanks for clearing that up that misconception, Harry.

He also wants us to know that he did not mean to cast aspersions on the Jewish people or the state of Israel. In fact, some of his best friends are Jewish--like his wife, for instance--and he still sings Hava Nagillah in his musical act.

It's just that, well, he's upset that Jewish leaders are so supportive of George W. Bush (ignoring the truth that far more American Jews voted for his Democratic opponent) and thinks that Israel's treatment of the Palestinans sucks. From the Jerusalem Post:

"The point was not to attack Jews," Belafonte said of his controversial comment. 

He was surprised by the reaction his comments provoked, though he stated that "sometimes the Jewish people have laid claim to such a high and pure morality" that they take great exception to facts which challenge that claim, despite that theirs "is a DNA that sits within the entire human family."

But, he said, "I can understand why Jewish leaders would be prone to protect the image of George Bush and his administration."

He continued that the administration fully supports Israel "even when there are questions of the humanitarian, the moral, and the political [motivation] of things that are done to Palestinians."

Belafonte defended his comparison between Hitler and the Bush administration, which disturbed Jewish leaders, as "not inappropriate" given that current White House policies "detaining suspects without charges, creating an atmosphere of fear" are "very much similar to the things that were done when Hitler was on the rise."

He condemned those who didn't raise their voices in pre-war Germany, and explained his statements as an attempt to raise his voice now...

It seems to have escaped Mr. B.'s attention that the "atmosphere of fear" (the atmosfear?) arose through the efforts of religious fascists intent on waging jihad and destroying Western civilization.

Small technicality, that.

Posted by: scaramouche at 15:42 | link | comments

A pessimistic appraisal: Here's the flipside to the Sharansky thesis that democratizing the Arab world will work to the West's advantage. From an op-ed piece in the International Herald Tribune by the impressively named F. Gregory Gause 3rd:

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:15 | link | comments

Shariafest: A festival designed to demonstrate the diversity of Muslim culture has encountered a small hitch. One of the diverse cultures--the restrictive, Wahabist, by-the-book one--is refusing to allow woman to participate unless they conform to sharia law--i.e., no singing in the presence of men. It is also insisting on an Islamic interpretation of the arts--i.e., no paintings with faces, no sitar or guitar music (infidel instruments) and, Allah forefend, no hand clapping.

They joyless organizers of Muslimfest, which you can catch today in Mississaugua, just north of Toronto, have also insisted on

a prohibition on selling or diplaying "un-Islamic" material, as identified and labelled by sharia law, and a mandate that all exhibitors must maintain "Islamic etiquette and behaviour."

As a result of these inflexible rules, Zuriani (Ani) Zonneveld, an acclaimed singer from Los Angeles will not be performing at the festival. Not only would her audience have been restricted to women, but orgnaizers had refused to sell her CD through the festival website. Ms Zonneveld called their actions "male chauvinist" and complained that she felt "discriminated against".

Another woman who declined to participate is a local  artist known for her multimedia installations. She says the organizers invited her without seeing her work, which she describes as "very political". She knows there is no point in showing up with something that has no chance of being exhibited and asks, "Why do they call it Muslimfest when their interpretation of Islam is so narrow?"

Why indeed? The government of Ontario, which, over extremely vocal objections by many Muslim women and moderate Muslims, is still considering a proposal to launch official sharia tribunals in the province, would be wise to heed that query.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:46 | link | comments

AP's puffery: Omar Bakri is one of the bad guys, a fire-breathing cleric who has been inciting jihad against his hosts--the U.K.--while simaltaneously sponging off its beneficent social system. The other day, he skeddadled from his cushy pulpit when it became evident that his brand of Islamic zaniness was no longer going to be tolerated, and has been told he can never return. (Unfortunately, he neglected to take his wives, children and grandchildren--many of whom are also living off the largesse of the state--with him.)

The Associated Press would have us believe that, all in all, Bakri's not that bad a guy. Oh, he tends to be a "by the book" sort of cleric, with a fundamentalist approach to his faith. And he has been involved with a couple of extremist groups. But he's never been charged with anything, and no one has connected him with the London bombings. And the reason he left so suddenly was because (get out your hankies) he wanted to visit his elderly mother in Lebanon.

Awww. What a sweetheart.

AP has been in touch with the soft-hearted mama's boy, and seems to feel his pain:

Speaking to The Associated Press last week, Bakri criticized the government's pressure on him, noting that he had been under scrutiny for years but never charged with any offenses. He said he was proud of his work with disaffected young Muslim men.

And we're proud of you, Omar. You're a regular YMJA (Young Men's Jihad Association).

Update: Omar Bakri sings:

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:43 | link | comments

The bias of scare quotes: In the wake of the first London transit attack, the BBC reviewed its policy re: the use of the word "terrorist". While initial reports employed the dangerous word, upon further reflection, the Beeb decided to heed its self-imposed practice of eschewing "terrorist", reasoning that its usage might be construed as showing bias. So the Beeb went back to using those non-loaded, acceptable words: militants, rebels, insurgents, etc.

But wait. Might those words also be construed as displaying bias? For example, when referring to members of Islamic jihad, whom many (including, no doubt many who work at the Beeb) see as being embroiled in a legitimate battle with those awful, oppressive Israelis, might it be biased to call them "militants"? You know, when so many right-thinking people believe they're--well, let's just come right out and say it, shall, we?--freedom fighters, liberators, Zionist slayers.

Still, musn't be too blatant about that belief, especially after all the tumult over the "t" word.

I  know. Let's throw some scare quotes around the word "miliants", just to show there's some debate as to their true nature.

Done.

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:08 | link | comments

The shifting line: The war on jihadi terror has resulted in the curtailment of certain "rights", and the "rights" crew--the civil liberties advocates, the ACLUers, the Ramsay Clarks, the Cherie Booth Blairs--are screaming bloody murder as they see governments abridging fundamental freedoms in the name of security.

Thankfully, there's at least one person who can cut through the pettifoggery: Charles Krauthammer. He says civil liberties are all well and good--as when, back in the 70s Nazi skinheads, who were offensive but no serious threat to anyone, were allowed to march through a community with a sizeable Jewish population--but we are not obliged to provide a forum for or fail to protect ourselves from those who really are dangerous, like jihadi terrorists:

...Call it situational libertarianism: Liberties should be as unlimited as possible -- unless and until there arises a real threat to the open society. Neo-Nazis are pathetic losers. Why curtail civil liberties to stop them? But when a real threat -- such as jihadism -- arises, a liberal democratic society must deploy every resource, including the repressive powers of the state, to deter and defeat those who would abolish liberal democracy.

Civil libertarians go crazy when you make this argument. Beware the slippery slope, they warn. You start with a snoop in a library, and you end up with Big Brother in your living room.

The problem with this argument is that it is refuted by American history. There is no slippery slope, only a shifting line between liberty and security that responds to existential threats.

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln went so far as to suspend habeas corpus. When the war ended, America returned to its previous openness. During World War II, Franklin Roosevelt interned an entire ethnic group. His policies were soon rescinded (later apologized for) and shortly afterward America embarked on a period of unprecedented expansion of civil rights. Similarly, the Vietnam-era abuses of presidential power were later exposed and undone by Congress.

Our history is clear. We have not slid inexorably toward police power. We have fluctuated between more and less openness depending on need and threat. And after the Sept. 11 mass murders, America awoke to the need for a limited and temporary shrinkage of civil liberties to prevent more such atrocities...

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:45 | link | comments

Taking control: A hopeful story from the U.K., where some Muslim parents are taking steps to keep their youngsters away from radical clerics. These jihadi vultures have been swarming around their kids, like religious birds of prey, trying to enlist them in the army of the brainwashed. They have stalked them at an Islamic community centres, and told them that their priests aren't offering the "correct" version of Islam. The vultures have even tried to follow the kids home. But their parents are having none of it. From the Times Online:

ISLAMIC radicals from a supposedly disbanded organisation clashed violently with mosque elders while trying to recruit teenage worshippers to extremist training camps.

Fights broke out as angry parents prevented agitators from entering the Islamic Centre in Redhill, Surrey, during an hour-long confrontation. They say extremists are now operating covertly by following people to their homes.

Moderate Muslims claim the radicals are or were members of al-Muhajiroun, which has targeted other Home Counties towns. The organisation, headed by Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, is supposed to have disbanded but has been succeeded by a group called the Saviour Sect. Tony Blair announced last week that he intended to ban al-Muhajiroun from Britain.

The Times discovered last year that physical training camps for young Muslims had been set up in Crawley, 25 miles away. Al-Muhajiroun leaders recruited teenagers in the West Sussex town to their cause and taught them how to fight and keep fit.

Now elders in Redhill claim that the same people seen in Crawley have been approaching Muslim males aged between 16 and 20, and trying to pressure them into enlisting at similar training camps.

Worshippers say the extremists’ leader is from Tooting while others are believed to come from Croydon and Brixton, all in South London.

They started visiting the Redhill Islamic Centre three months ago, singling out youths, following them home and trying to convince them to attend seminars, youth groups and camps.

Two radicals began attending the mosque but within a month there were about 15, who tried to speak to worshippers after prayers. Elders and parents blocked their entrance, sparking a confrontation.

Qamar Bhatti, a spokesman for the mosque and member of the Muslim Council of Reigate and Banstead, said: “We were aware that this is how extremist groups were recruiting people to go to Afghanistan.

“They would talk about how they were organised. Then they started to follow people and asked to talk to them. This was disturbing. People started coming to me and saying that people who were not from the area were visiting them at home.

“These visitors would say to them, ‘your priest doesn’t pray right, we do it differently; we have Koran classes; British society undermines our faith’, just starting to chip away at people.

“Some youngsters got involved in all this because they were impressionable. Many parents worry because the parents of those involved in the bombings didn’t know their children belonged to extremist groups.

“These people started talking about seminars, which they later called training camps. We’d already heard about this from friends in Crawley.” The extremists became aggressive with the imam; concerned worshippers called a meeting and decided to ban the extremists...

Bravo to "concerned worshippers". They represent the Muslim vanguard in the battle against the version of Islam which imperils them, their children, and everyone else who does not bow down to it

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:39 | link | comments

Blowin’ in the wind: The Rolling Stones, the geezer rockers who gave protest music a pass in the 1960s, have belatedly discovered their political chops. A song called "Sweet Neo Con" from their latest album takes pot shots at the fashionable crowd’s least favourite tyrant, George Dubya Schickelgruber-McBushSaudBurton. The catchy tune goes something like this:

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:28 | link | comments

Give me a "J", give me an "I", give me and "H", give me an "A", give me a "D", whadya got?...: There goes the Christian Science Monitor again, amusing the aitch-ee-double-hockey-sticks out of me with its hysterical, not to mention bizarre, turn of phrase. Today's rib-tickler: Britain moves on terror boosters.

Try as I might, I now cannot expunge the mental image of Omar Bakri and fellow radical clerics, robes flying, engaged in the sort of physical exertions one sees in the American National Cheerleading Championships.

Update: Reminds me of the scene in the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore movie Bedazzled with the leaping nuns who worshipped the Big Guy by bouncing on a trampoline.

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:46 | link | comments

Pathetic phallus-y: The EUnuchs have ramped up their rhetoric to the mullahs. In recent days, they have gone from suggesting to encouraging to urging the mullahs to halt production of their giant Shiite phalluses. In response to those threats, the mullahs blew the EUnuchs a big, moist raspberry, broke the seals on their nuclear plants and forged right ahead with their plans.

Now the EUnuchs, who are stoneless but hate to have the deficiency pointed out in public, are really p.o.'d. And you know what that means: No more pusillanimous, pussy-footing, milquetoastish diplomacy. No more placatory, Castrato-like beating around the mulberry bush. Oh no. The EUnuchs have advanced full throttle to the next, the ultimate, level of outrage: They are DEMANDING, I repeat, DEMANDING, that the glorious and grandiose Islamic Republic of Iran cease and desist with its nuclear scheme.

That sound you don't hear is the low rumble of the mullahs not quaking in their sandals.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:22 | link | comments

Today's perversely hilarious and Orwellian euphemism: Iran is reported to be resuming its "sensitive nuclear work".

Is that what they're calling it these days?

Further on, the article says that Iran rejected the EUnuchs' package of incentives because it was so paltry as to be "insulting".

Permit me to list some incentives which might prove more of a hit:

- The immediate dismantling of Great Satan's Zionist satellite.

- Burkas for every immodestly dressed woman on the planet.

- Salman Rushdie's head on a silver platter.

- Shiism for everyone, please!

Doesn't seem too much to ask to keep the mullahs from turning Tel Aviv--not to mention Paris, Amsterdam and London--into a charnel house.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:55 | link | comments

Gone but not forgotten: I have hesitated to post anything about Peter Jennings, cut down by lung cancer at the tragically young age of 67. In my bubble-dwelling days, I use to admire the anchor, seeing him as exemplifying the kind of refined, unflappable breed of newsmen produced in Canada and exported Stateside. When 9/11 finally burst my bubble, I came to see him for what he was: a Chomskeyesque self-loather who could be counted on to come down on the Palestinian side of the issue nine and a half times out of ten, all the while maintaining the pretence that his was an unbiased viewpoint. (I won't comment on the rumour that Jennings, a notorious swordsman, counted Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi among his many conquests--well, at least she was marginally better looking than Yasser.)

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:35 | link | comments

Better late than...: The Brits seem to be getting serious--finally, maybe--about turfing out the seething clerics who keep inciting all those juvenliles with diminished responsibility (and also adults with diminished powers of reason). Ten of the fire-breathing holy men are to be summarily thrown out of the U.K. Among them is a particularly nasty piece of work named Abu Qatada. Qatada, a Palestinian-Jordanian, is tight with ObL and is said to be his "spiritual ambassador" in Egypt. A senior British judge has describes the jihadi "diplomat" as a "truly dangerous individual", and in a masterpiece of British understatement, the Home Office says that Qataba and his insanely zealous cohorts are being sent back from whence they came because "their presence is not conducive for reasons of national security."

Too bad it took two attacks on the London transit system--one successful, one failed--and the murder of dozens of people to finally come to that conclusion.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:56 | link | comments

Git mo' rights: The Globe and Mail is in a lather about Omar Khadr. The little jihadi, who is said to have killed an American soldier, among other acts of holy war, has been cooped up at Gitmo for the past three years. The sole Canadian in custody, he has been subjected to lengthy interogrations with no assurance that he will ever have his day in court.

Shameful, says the Globe in an editorial called "Omar in Limbo", especially since, as a young offender, and as a Canadian, he is entitled to certain rights which the mean old Americans refuse to grant him. Even worse, the Canadian government is complicit in his ongoing incarceration, since, even as it protests his plight, it is allowing its security agency, CSIS, to question him without the presence of a lawyer to ensure he won't say anything that can be used against him later, should his case ever come to trial:

...Mr. Khadr faces serious allegations: that he threw a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier in battle; that he worked as a translator for al-Qaeda to help co-ordinate the placing of land mines; that he planted 10 mines against U.S. forces; and that he conducted surveillance on U.S. convoy movements.

But as a prisoner at Guantanamo, he has no impartial tribunal before which he can either clear his name or be given a defined punishment. He has no one before whom he can argue that, as a juvenile, he bore a diminished responsibility for his actions.

Fighting terrorism does not justify discarding the rule of law. Mr. Khadr has been held at Guantanamo since he was 15. After three years, how much more time do interrogators need with this inmate, Mr. Justice Konrad von Finckenstein asked. There is evidence that Mr. Khadr is in poor mental and physical shape. Canadian intelligence agents and foreign-affairs officials who have been interrogating him pass along what they've learned to the RCMP and to U.S. authorities. Do the Canadian interrogators advise the 18-year-old of his rights to counsel or to silence? They would not tell the Federal Court. Do they set out any limits for the Americans on how they may use the information? Again, they would not say, leaving the impression that at Guantanamo, anything goes...

I, too, am concerned about rights, but not in the same way as the Globe (or the Ceeb, which yesterday featured an outraged report by Steve Rukavina on how Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms extends to all Canadians, no matter where they are). I'm worried about the rights of non-jihadis to life and limb as they sit on a subway car beside a juvenile with diminished responsibility who has secretly packed his underwear with explosives.

I guess my lack of concern about Omar's entitlements means the terrorists have already won, right?

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:29 | link | comments

IHT hits bottom, keeps digging: The International Herald Tribune sinks to a new low with this vile piece of anti-Israel drek. The writer (Wiccan? Buddhist? Seventh Day Adventist?) opines that the real reason Israel is withdrawing from Gaza is so that it can "greedily" occupy the rest of Jerusalem.

The piece is so unhinged that all one would not have been surprised had it included  a paragraph or two about shadowy Jewish geriatrics plotting to control the world and a mention of how the blood of juicy young Arabs is a key ingredient in Israeli baked goods.

Posted by: scaramouche at 22:02 | link | comments

Unhappy ending: You've probably never heard of Naji Khalil, but back in the early 90s he had a brief burst of fame. In 1992, the Lebanese-born Khalil and his wife, residents of Montreal, became the proud parents of quintuplets. The Quebec media--which missed out on claiming the Dionne quints as their own back in the 30s because, though French, they were born in Ontario--immediately went into a full-fledged swoon, as did many other media outlets in the country. Rapturous articles--and later, a book, The Wonderful Story of the Quintuplets--were written detailing the hectic but amusing lives of pater and mater and their adorable moppets. Canadians were so taken with the tale that they showered the family with gifts, and Naji, who up till then had been living on welfare, was able to set up his own import-export company.

A heartwarming story, no, about poverty-stricken immigrants making good in their new home?

Well, no. The company Khalil was able to set up because of the generosity of well-meaning Canadians turned out to be one devoted mostly to a very specific kind of import-export: the kind where tainted money is "exported" and "imported" after a thorough cleansing.

His other "export" activity involved trying to ship military hardware to terror racketeers, Hezbollah.

Yesterday, Khalil, who was caught in an FBI sting, pleaded guilty for this crime in an Arkansas court room. He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Posted by: scaramouche at 16:16 | link | comments

Enabling the  mullahs: This one takes the cake--the yellowcake, that is. The IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, should be putting the brakes on the nuclear ambitions of a crazed mullocracy. Instead, the IAEA is helping the mullahs go nuclear by removing some of the roadblocks set up to deter them. From Ireland On-Line:

UN nuclear inspectors were installing the last surveillance cameras and preparing to break their seals, enabling Iran to resume full uranium conversion at its nuclear facility today, Iran’s nuclear boss said.

In Vienna, diplomats accredited to the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, were discussing how to persuade Iran to step back from uranium conversion and de-escalate its stand-off with the West over US allegations that it secretly plans to build nuclear bombs.

But the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, made it clear today that Iran would not be deterred.

“Today all seals will be removed by IAEA inspectors, and all reprocessin(sic) activities can be carried out at the facility,” Aghazadeh said on state television. He said the seals would be broken only after the inspectors had finished installing their cameras and other surveillance equipment at the Uranium Conversion Facility in Isfahan, 255 miles south of Tehran...

Madness. Simply madness.

Update: Cox and Forkum, on target as always:

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:49 | link | comments

 A good book: Prisoners at Gitmo, an excitable bunch at the best of times, have discovered a book to help soothe their savage breasts. The book (or books, actually) features an intrepid hero, earmarked for greatness, who fulfills his destiny by battling the forces of darkness.

Too bad his name is Harry Potter instead of Mohammed. Think how much better off we'd all be if the seethers could have channeled their rage into a ferocious game of Quidditch instead of into the jihad.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:04 | link | comments

Ceeb headline: Half the 4,500 companies in the UN oil-for-food program made illegal payments

Only half?

Posted by: scaramouche at 21:34 | link | comments

Misconceptions: An Islam Online writer contends that the Western media distorts and misrepresents certain notions about his faith. At the same time, he says, it champions ideas and people who are less than exemplary.

For example, Wahabism: unfairly demonized; really just a nice bunch of Muslims who are serious about their faith.  Sayed Qutb: inaccurately portrayed at the guiding force of The Muslim Brotherhood; actually a rogue element in a mostly peaceful movement. Irshad Manji: hailed in Western media as reformer; actually a worthless lesbian. Unnamed woman who led Muslim prayer service: as worthless as Manji, though not necessarily lesbian.

I'd glad he set me straight. Otherwise, I'd still be I'd been labouring under the misperception that Wahabism was a toxic ideology which was behind much of today's terrorism; Sayed Qutb was the revered pundit whose writings about the Muslim "vanguard" served as a source of inspiration for the current crop of jihadis; and Irshad and the unnamed woman were a sign that some Muslims are trying to move their faith beyond its constricting and restrictive 7th Century parameters.

Update: The "lesbian Muslim intellectual" has an op-ed piece in today's New York Times.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:27 | link | comments

Joining the club: Iran continues to cock a snook at the International community as it reignites its nuclear program (for purely non-military purposes, of course). Reading this article in the government-supported Tehran Times, one can sense how eager the totalitarian dystopia is to be included in the nuclear club. And if that means resorting to a little taqiyah and pretending, (in a paraphrase of Woody Allen)  it would never join a club that would have a mullocracy like it as a member, then that's what it's willing to do: 

After the first test of an atomic bomb in July 1945 at the Trinity Site in New Mexico, Manhattan Project director Robert Oppenheimer described the event by quoting from the Bhaghavad-Gita, saying, “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

This is something to reflect upon, especially today, since it is the sixtieth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Where is humanity 60 years into the Nuclear Age?

Paradoxically, many people both fear nuclear war and believe their countries’ must possess nuclear weapons to defend themselves.

Posted by: scaramouche at 09:56 | link | comments

No, let them build their nukes with impunity and maybe the ghost of Slim Pickens can ride the first one to Tel Aviv: The Beeb asks "Should Iran face sanctions"?

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:12 | link | comments

The CSM's funny headlines: The Christian Science Monitor has been known to have some unintentionally hilarious headlines. I recall with great fondness, for instance, its headline about Yasser Arafat's death which said that he had "forged Palestinian identity". A fitting tribute, I thought, for a loathsome kleptocrat who, along with all that "forging" had engaged in sundry other criminal acts, including bribery, extortion, robbery and mass murder.

Today the CSM proclaims in all seriousness that "Iran resumes nuclear work; the West scrambles".

Scrambles, huh? If the mullahs succeed in going nuclear, it's no "eggs"-ageration to say that the West won't be doing the "scrambling", it'll be getting scrambled.  Also boiled, poached, shirred and fried.

And if you add a little spinach, maybe even Florentined.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:59 | link | comments (1)

Jewish Nazis and other nonsense: Former calypso king Harry Belafonte has a somewhat precarious grasp of history. He is convinced, for example, that Hitler's regime--which was committed to and almost succeeded in the total genocide of Europe's Jews--included a number of high-placed Jews. Speaking at a civil rights rally in Atlanta on Saturday, Belafonte said, "Hitler had a lot of Jews high up in the hierarchy of the Third Reich. Color does not necessarily denote quality, content or value." (link via Ringo the Gringo at LGF)

Belafonte was trying to show the similarity between these fictional Third Reich Jews and certain high ranking African-Americans who serve the American "tyrant" (Harry's characterization) currently ensconced in the White House.

In honour of Harry's mishigas, I offer the following reworking of one of his most famous songs:

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:09 | link | comments

Ignoring the real threat: The world has engaged in a variety of efforts to bring down the Jewish state: UN resolutions by the score; a case in the International Court of Justice; moves by various bodies to divest their assets from Israel. (Just last week the U.S. Presbyterian Church announced it was going to punish Israel for its oppressive occupation by divesting from companies doing business with it.)

At the same time, the meshaganeh mullahs keep their own people in a state of totalitarian terror, murder anyone they perceive as a threat (like Canadian photojournalist Zarah Kazemi), fund terror organizations like Hezbollah, fuel the Shiite supremacist "insurgency" in Iraq; and, oh yeah, continue to defy the entire world and enrich uranimum for a nuclear weapon.

Tell me who poses the real threat to the world. And tell me again how resolutions and divestment plans are about the regard for morality and have nothing to do with Jew-hatred.

Update: The dissing continues.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:38 | link | comments

Broken mosaic: Michael Barone on the limits of multiculturalism. He says our glorious "mosaic" of cultures is doomed when one of the tiles, in thrall to its own delusions of supremacy, tries to impose its will on the entire mosaic. The host society--which has built a rickety stucture based on the notion that every culture is swell, except the host culture, which sucks--is thus that much easier to topple. Barone asserts that all cutures are not equal, and that we must be willing to identify what makes ours special and worth defending:

...Multiculturalism is based on the lie that all cultures are morally equal. In practice, that soon degenerates to: All cultures are morally equal, except ours, which is worse. But all cultures are not equal in respecting representative government, guaranteed liberties and the rule of law. And those things arose not simultaneously and in all cultures, but in certain specific times and places -- mostly in Britain and America, but also in various parts of Europe.

In America, as in Britain, multiculturalism has become the fashion in large swathes of our society. So the Founding Fathers are presented only as slaveholders, World War II is limited to the internment of Japanese-Americans and the bombing of Hiroshima. Slavery is identified with America, though it has existed in every society and the antislavery movement arose first among English-speaking evangelical Christians.

But most Americans know there is something special about our cultural heritage. While Harvard and Brown are replacing scholars of the founding period with those studying other things, book-buyers are snapping up first-rate histories of the Founders by David McCullough, Joseph Ellis and Ron Chernow.

Mutilculturalist intellectuals do not think our kind of society is worth defending. But millions here and increasing numbers in Britain and other countries know better.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:03 | link | comments

First thing we do, let's fire all the lawyers: Curious goings-on in Saddam Hussein's legal camp. In the lead-up to his trial, his family has announced the dismissal of Saddam's entire legal team save for one lone Jordanian lawyer.

The family offered no clear explanation for the move (Saddam's devoted daughter Raghad said it had something to do with their obligation "to rearrange the legal defense campaign given the unique nature of the case"--a non-answer if there ever was one). But since, according to The Guardian, "Saddam's legal team included 1,500 volunteers - mainly Arabs - and at least 22 lead lawyers from countries including the United States, France, Jordan, Iraq and Libya", among them "Libyan law professor Aicha Moammar Gadhafi, daughter of the Libyan leader, and former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark", perhaps the team had simply grown too large and unwieldy for the Hussein family to manage.

Or maybe, with that many lawyers on the job the legal bills were becoming too oppressive.  

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:25 | link | comments

Sevan down: Benon Sevan, the scamp who fronted the deliriously lucrative scam known as oil-for-food, is stepping down from the International Despots Country Club. Sevan, who has been sidelined ever since Kofi Annan agreed to let Paul Volker poke around on a limited basis in an effort to get to the middle of the fraud (too many documents have been shredded to allow him to get to the bottom of it) says he's tired of being the scam's designated scapegoat. He says it's unfair to shine the spotlight on him while ignoring the leading role played by the Club's Grand Poobah.

As a parting shot, Sevan insists that the oily scheme, which boosted the fortunes of Saddam Hussein and countless others, was, all in all, a sound program. From the Globe and Mail:

In his statements, Mr. Sevan also praised the work of the oil-for-food program. He noted that the program managed to double the caloric intake of Iraqis and cut by half the amount of malnutrition among children.

Under the U.S.-led occupation, he noted, malnutrition among children has doubled, while millions of dollars meant for reconstruction have gone missing, contracts were awarded without bids, and contractors have over-charged for work.

Whereas, during oil-for-food millions of dollars earmarked for malnourished children disappeared into the pockets of a dictator intent on building enormous palaces and venal officials connected to the I.D.C.C. To Sevan's disordered mind, a much better arrangement, as some of the lucre was perhaps more likely to wash up in the vicinity of his bank account.

Update: CNN reports that another UN underling has likely been arrested for his part in the scam. Bet Kofi's hoping that if enough of these guys are arrested, it will satisfy the Bush administration's demand that someone be held accountable--and Kofi will get to stay on the job.

Update:

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:03 | link | comments

Fanatics on the fringe: The other day Tony Blair referred to Dar al Islamists engaged in anti-social and explosive acts on his turf as "a fanatical fringe".

Posted by: scaramouche at 21:48 | link | comments

Summertime and the bloggin' ain't easy...: I'm taking a break for the weekend. I'll be back, recharched and rested, on Monday.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:11 | link | comments

London's appeasing weasel: Everyone's mate Ken Livingstone, the unChurchillian mayor of London, wants to overturn a ban on a visit by a Muslim cleric who endorses suicide bombings in Israel.

Writing in yesterday's al-Guardian, Ken outlines some of the reasons for rescinding the ban:

Consider the consequences of a ban on Qaradawi for relations with the Muslim community. My political record makes clear that I totally disagree with Qaradawi on gay rights and many other questions. Nevertheless, he is one of the world's most eminent Muslim religious leaders. It is impossible to say that Britain's Muslims should be treated with respect but that their religion's most eminent representatives must be banned. Imagine how the Jewish community, many of whom do not agree with the policies of Israel's government, would react if Israeli leaders were banned because of military actions that have killed thousands of Palestinian civilians.

Every major British Muslim organisation - even those disagreeing with him, such as Imaan, the organisation of lesbian and gay Muslims - believes Qaradawi should be admitted. Whatever his individual views, he is seen as a moderate and is fiercely opposed to al-Qaida. Those believing he should be banned give lip service to treating Britain's Muslim community with respect but in practice deny it. Not only is that wrong itself, but it will increase the number of alienated fanatics...

I'm with Ken on this one. The guy is a revered Muslim leader who only wants to kill Jews. As a revered Muslim cleric who may or may not harbour extremist views, he deserves our respect, and so say all the usefully idiotic gays and lesbians who would be put to death if Qaradawi's laws became the law of the land.

And, hey, we don't want to piss off any more "alienated fanatics", do we? No telling what they might do.

Posted by: scaramouche at 16:56 | link | comments

Relatively speaking: Toronto resident Abdul Issac, the brother of failed London bomber Hamdi Issac (better known by his nommes de guerres Hussain Osman or, alternatively, Osman Hussain) says he's shocked that his brother would be involved in such a scheme.

Well, aren't they always? Shocked, I mean.

Adbul describes his brother--one of five--as "a nice guy, gentle, he's funny, he likes music and dancing".

Just once--once--I'd like a relative to step forward and say: "You know, he was ripe for the plucking. He was aimless, impressionable and had far too much spare time on his hands. I'm not surprised he got involved in the jihad."

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:44 | link | comments

Speaking of appeasers...: The EU says Iran can keep enriching uranium, as long as it does it for goodness and niceness.

Well, that should put the fear of Allah into those meshageneh mullahs!

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:04 | link | comments

Once more with feeling: It's the jihad, stupid: Peter Wilby, a political writer for defeatist, appeasing, terror-enabling newspaper The Guardian is in semi-disguised "let's beat a hasty retreat from those angry Muslims" mode. No wonder. He seems to think their outbursts have a lot to do with the usual miscreants--poverty, alienation, outrage over the plight of the oppressed Palestinians. Also, they lack the heavy weapons which would enable them to fight a conventional war:

A section of the Islamic world believes the west is waging war on it, that this war has intensified with the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, and that it could intensify further with an invasion of Iran. It's no use saying the 2001 attack preceded those invasions. As far as many Muslims are concerned, it went on for most of the 20th century. Arabs were expelled from Israel in the 1940s; Israel occupied the West Bank from 1967; the first Gulf war took place in 1991 and, to Bin Laden's rage, led to US troops polluting sacred Saudi soil. The US has propped up corrupt, secular, pro-western tyrannies throughout the Islamic world - and then blamed and even bombed Muslims for their failure to embrace democracy.

Nor is it any use saying that neither Bin Laden nor the bombers are poor and oppressed and that they don't care about Palestinians. The leaders of the Russian revolution weren't poor and they despised the peasants. But their ideas would have had no traction without the miseries inflicted on Russians under the tsars, and nor would Bin Laden's without the humiliations visited on Islamic countries, and the poverty that remains endemic. A climate has been created in which a minority of Muslims, some living in the west but feeling detached from western society, believe there's a war going on.

How do you prosecute a war against the US and Britain? Muslims fight us on their own soil, but why should they not carry the fight to our homelands as we carry it to theirs? They do not possess the aircraft to fly over Washington and London and carry out "precision bombing". The security around US and British leaders is almost impenetrable, at least compared with that around buses and tubes. Most importantly, Muslim warriors may think, bombing western civilians gets results: the things that make it horrible to us make it more effective in their eyes (shock and awe, perhaps) and if there are enough such outrages, we will demand a retreat from Iraq. They may be wrong on this. But it is the price we pay for living in a democracy: theoretically, we are in charge so we are frontline targets.

"Responsibility" is a better word than "blame". We demand it, rightly, of those who carry out the atrocities; we should demand it also of ourselves and our rulers. The bombers, or rather those who control and influence them, are clear they are at war. President Bush seemed to agree when he declared a "war on terror". Is our role in this war a just one? Do we want to continue the war? If not, what will we do to stop it? Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves.

To review: Their cause is just; they believe in it completely; they fight full out; and we have neither the will nor the stamina to defeat them.

May as well get ready to pay that tribute tax and don our funny dhimmi clothes right now.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:49 | link | comments

The perfect choice:

Michaëlle Jean

Michaëlle Jean, the Haitian-born broadcaster from Quebec who will become Canada's next Governor General, is well known for her political views. She has, for example, cited American foreign policy as the impetus for 9/11 and, like most of those on her end of the political spectrum, sides with the oppressed Palestinians bravely countering the oppressive Israelis.

She is also known to look somewhat favourably the issue of Quebec separatism, which makes her selection as the Queen's representative in Canada a bit of a head scratcher. On the other hand, when you consider all the other things going for her--she's female, black, francophone but not born in Quebec, not to mention young, articulate and babelicious--you can see why Paul Martin chose her.

That and the fact that he wants everyone in Quebec (and the rest of Canada for that matter) to forget about the Gomery flummery, and he couldn't locate a parapalegic Inuit transgendered francophone poet who currently resides in Labrador.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:48 | link | comments (1)

A man with a plan: Tony Blair has a plan for curtailing the activity of "radicals" in the U.K. He's announcing legislation which will allow authorities to send "radicals" from foreign lands who are not British citizens back from whence they came.

Good thinking, Tony (although I'm sure your "human rights"-crusading wife, Cherie might have a few disparaging things to say about it). Sounds a lot like Pervez Mushaffaf's plan for getting rid of Pakistan's foreign-born madrassa students. One small hitch. It doesn't even begin to tackle the problem of all the homegrown "radicals"--like some of the ones who attacked London's transit system.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:00 | link | comments

Clarification: Headline in the Christian Science Monitor about al-Zarqawi's threatening rant--Al Qaeda to West: It's about policies.

Scaramouche to Christian Science Monitor: Nuh uh. It's about jihad.

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:36 | link | comments

Palestinian seethers, Christian division: As if Israel didn't already have enough to contend with Muslim Palestinian seethers, here's an international organization of Christian Palestinian seethers who are just as desirous of seeing an end to a sovereign Jewish state. Oh, they wrap it up in all sorts of pretty language about "non-violence" and "ecumenicism" and "liberation theology" and "moral responsibility"--so at least you know they aren't going to blow you up. But make no mistake: their tactics may be different, but they're working just as ardently to bring the Jews to their knees through "divestment". ("Morally responsible investment" sounds so much nicer, don't you think?)

Here, for example, is a conference the organization is sponsoring at the University of Toronto this October. (My sister-in-law, who works at the university, sent me the link after seeing posters on campus advertising the event.) Read it and puke:

A Call for Morally Responsible Investment:
A Nonviolent Response to the Israeli Occupation

Vision: We recognize the beginnings of a global movement on Morally Responsible Investment and related economic strategies to bring a just peace in Israel-Palestine.  This will be the focus and locus of much related peace work in the coming years.  Thus Canadian Friends of Sabeel seeks to draw together at this conference churches, CROs (Church Related Organizations) and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) working for a just peace in Israel-Palestine to explore the emerging non-violent economic strategies to achieve this end (including shareholder initiatives, partial divestment and boycotts.) We are inspired to this effort by the call from Sabeel Ecumenical Center Jerusalem for Morally Responsible Investment and we are responding to that call.

Mission: To reach out to organizational representatives of churches, CROs and NGOs around the globe who are interested in learning about economic strategies as they pertain to ending the Israeli occupation and promoting a just peace for Israel and Palestine.

Objectives:

• To highlight the rationale – both moral and theological -  for non-violent economic responses to the occupation at this time
• To create an opportunity for educating and informing CROs and NGOs about these non-violent responses
• To create an opportunity for these organizational representatives to network face-to-face at the Conference
• To create, through workshop opportunities, the development of strategic partnerships and alliances

It seems to have escape the organization's attention that Israel is preparing to vacate part of the "occupied land", nor does it seem too concerned about the jihad which threatens both them and the Jews.

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:01 | link | comments

UN to Israel:'"Tear down that wall--so they can kill you!": A group of Geneva-based UN experts, for whom the concept of "human rights" overrides any and all considertions of self-defense (but only as it pertains to the human rights of Palestinians and the self-defense of Israelis) is most perturbed that Israel is defying the UN and continuing to build its security barrier. 

This action conflicts with the International Despot Country Club's desire to ensure terrorists have easier access to Israeli civillians and, well, that darn fence keeps getting in the way.

I can think of only  reasonable and rational response to the I.D.C.C.'s demands: Tough toenails.

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:11 | link | comments (1)

Big Habibi is watching you!: Careful what you say, at least in public: CAIR-CAN, the Canadian branch of the Muslim lobby group, is listening. And if you say something they deem derogatory, you'll land yourself in sensitivity training--a place where your thoughts will be scrubbed clean.

Take the case of Jeff Rubin, chief economist with CIBC World Markets. Back in April, Jeff, who is described as "voluble" and is known for his colorful way with a phrase (apparently, a rarity in his field), made some "insensitive" remarks about the power of oily sheiks (oops, me bad).

Rubin was predicting a spike in oil prices by 2010 due to increased demand and the fact that "this time around there won't be any tap that some appeased mullah or sheik can suddenly turn on."

CAIR-CON took great offense at the implication that oily sheiks and mad mullahs (oopsy!) could behave in such a capricious and self-serving way. It wrote the bank that it was "gravely converned that Mr. Rubin is promoting stereotyping of Muslims and Arabs".

The bank agreed, and Jeff was forced to apologize and attend a session in how to modify his thoughts so as to exclude any notion that Muslim leaders may, on occasion, act irrationally.

No word on whether his reprograming involved reciting until the point of self-induced hypnosis, "Islam is peace, Islam is peace, Islam is peace, Islam is peace, Islam is peace..."

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:29 | link | comments (2)

A Festival of Jew-hatred: Looking for an evening of riveting theatre? Hate Jews? Well, why not combine the two and head for The Edininburgh International Theatre Festival? Later this month you can catch the world premiere of Prayer Room, a new play that's been commissioned especially for the Festival. Here's how it's described in the program: (link via Stephen Pollard)

A witty and provocative new play about multicultural life, commissioned by the Festival from the Scottish playwright Shan Khan.

There was a place, where The Christians and The Muslims existed in relative peace. Everyone was more or less happy, except for The Jews - who were few and had to be thankful to their Christian Overlords, for the little space they were accorded.

Then one day more Jews came, and it soon became apparent to them that they'd need their own space. So they got their own space - but at The Muslims' expense. The Muslims of course are fuming. The Jews feel they're perfectly within their rights. And The Christians are trying to take a back-seat and let the other two share the blame. This place is a multi-faith Prayer Room in a British college.

Now, I may be going out on a limb here, but I have a feeling that the play is what you might call "metaphorical", and that the prayer room is actually a thinly-veiled reference to the Zionist entity (says scaramouche, with tongue implanted firmly in cheek). Of course, keeping the action situated in an imaginary prayer room means the play might get to fly under the radar of that new anti-hate law that the Brits just passed.

Or does that law apply only to hatred "at the Muslims' expense"?

Posted by: scaramouche at 22:02 | link | comments (2)

What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?: Hazel Blears doesn't seem to be having much success with her charm offensive. The British anti-terrorism Minister, who's trying to convince British Muslims that the government is sensitive to their, er, sensitivities and is determined to counter what Tony Blair has called "the evil ideology" in as politically correct a manner as possible, has been rebuffed on her very first stop. She's being accused of ignoring the voices of Muslim young people, or of not listening to enough Muslim young people, or of doing not enough to ensure that the voices of Muslim young people are considered at all times possible in every possible situation. Or something to that effect. Reading this article in The Telegraph, it was difficult to make sense of all their gripes, or of one spokesman's insistence that young people were turning to extremism because they felt estranged from the mosque. (Could have fooled me.)

Hazel's words didn't make much more sense. Here, for example, is how she attempted to soothe the seething crowd:

Miss Blears said: "The counter-terrorism powers are not targeting any community in particular, but are targeting terrorists. That is why they have got to be intelligence-led and used proportionally, fairly, and in a non-discriminatory way.

"These people who are extremists are a tiny, tiny minority. We have got to make sure that the mainstream feel strong enough to take them on and as a Government we will work with them to do that.

"What we have discussed today is the need to teach the true nature of Islam, which is about peace and love."

Except for all the warlike, hateful bits, of course. But, with this audience, best not to dwell on that.

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:10 | link | comments

His heart belongs to Dada: I consider myself fairly open-minded when it comes to modern art. I am preprared to consider the possibility that, when installed in a downtown art gallery, some judiciously stacked orange crates might be considered art. I have even visited an exhibit by artist/shrieker Yoko Ono at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Still, after reading this story on the Ceeb website, I admit to feeling like a bit of a Philistine.

After all, were I as receptive as I think I am, I might have a greater appreciation for the artistry of Istvan Kantor, the subject of the story. Kantor's speciality is neither figurative, nor pointillistic nor abstract expressionistic. No, at the moment Istvan seems to speciallize in blood. More specifically, he's been engaged in a 25-year long performance series during which his artistry seems to consist largely of either a) painting an "X" on a canvas in his blood or b) splattering his blood on the work of other artists. (He was once arrested for throwing his blood on a shiny Jeff Koons sculpture of Michael Jackson. Although, given the King of Pop's recent history, he might have used another bodily fluid.)

For these feats, Istvan has received much acclaim, including a Governor General's award which lauded for his "no-holds-barred, neo-Dada" artistry. (Other weren't so impressed. His impromtu performances have gotten him arrested and barred from such institutions as New York's Museum of Modern Art and Ottawa's National Gallery of Canada.)

Now the artist (who looks like an extra from Star Trek: The Next Generation) has generously offered the province a more lasting example of his art. He want to infuse his blood into the walls and foundation of the AGO's renovation. The plans are the work of Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry (he of the dizzying Bilbao Guggenheim Museum) and Istvan seems to be looking for a way to hitch a ride to immortality on the Gehry train.

At a press conference in Toronto last night. Istvan unveiled his plans. From the Ceeb story:

...Kantor demonstrated his infamous Blood Campaign performance piece: he splashed an "x" in blood onto a cardboard canvas and showed video footage of past blood splattering attempts that have led to his being banned from galleries worldwide.

He then presented his plan to introduce his blood into the AGO renovation, which has been designed by Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry.

"The blood will be infused officially into the walls and foundation of the new AGO," Kantor said. He also wants the gallery to host a retrospective of his artistic career, hold a symposium and publish an accompanying book.

And it would have been a done deal, if that AGO currator would get on board:

Kantor met with David Moos, the gallery's curator of contemporary art last Friday. While the artist came away thinking that the AGO had approved the artistic statement, Moos disagreed, saying gallery officials are still considering his proposal.

"As I understood it after that meeting, I had agreed that I thought his work looked interesting and that I should learn more about it," Moos told CBC News, adding that what he has agreed to is a visit to Kantor's studio. 

Oops. Look like Istvan may have to find another venue for his sanguinary pursuits. Don't feel too bad for him, though. As the father of "Neoism",  which is described as "an international anarchist art movement that has been compared to Dadaism", I'm sure there are plenty of other places where he might open a vein or two in the name of artistic expression.

As for me, I consider myself the mother of "Poopism". It's a fairly disgusting sort of art, also related to Dadaism, made entirely from the frozen droppings of my retriever pup.

If I can get there before he eats them, that is.

Posted by: scaramouche at 16:31 | link | comments

Graven images and mistaken identities: A true story. Actually, two true stories:

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:14 | link | comments

Blears on tour: Hazel Blears, the British anti-terrorism minister who says profiling is simply not on (so bigoted, she sniffs) is on a national tour. She is visiting eight cities in the U.K. in an effort to connect with "grassroots Muslims" (as opposed to "busbomb Muslims"). Ms. Blears and other Blairites are labouring (pun intended) under the misimpression that jihadism is all a big misunderstanding, and that if the U.K. is really, really nice to people for whom jihad is a central principle and motivating force, they will be less inclined to blow up infidels.

In honour of the bleary-brained Ms. Blears, I have penned the following doggerel:

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:19 | link | comments

Burger wars: A Muslim fast-food restaurant that is hoping to rival American chains has been lauched in France. 

The first in a possible chain of European restaurants, it is called Beurger King Muslim (catchy, no?). It has ambitions to dominate and subjugate rival American chains like McDonalds and KFC, and hopes the French will soon submit to its menu.

Posted by: scaramouche at 22:20 | link | comments (2)

Later, traitor: George Galloway, the leader of the "Respect" Party (as in, respect for Islamist enemies of Western civilization) says America is losing the war in Iraq.

He also says that trying to get  Syria to butt out of Lebanon's affairs is like "a knife in Syria's back". (Let's all picture that for a moment, shall we?)

Mr. Galloway is free to speak his mind in democracy. When his totalitarian pals take over, he won't be so lucky. 

Posted by: scaramouche at 22:02 | link | comments

Airplane crashes in Toronto: An Air France Airbus A340 coming in for a landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport during a thunderstorm veered off the runway, broke in half and burst into flames. Two hundred passengers were on board. Despite the horrific scene on TV at the moment, CBC Newsworld is reporting there are survivors, including the pilot and co-pilot, who have been taken to hospital.

The crash comes 20 years to the day of a crash in Dallas/Forth Worth during similar weather conditions.

Update: So far, reports are saying there are lots of survivors (three busloads transported to area hospitals, none with life-threatening injuries. No word of any fatalities. There's supposed to be a press conference in a few minutes. You can listen to it here.

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:16 | link | comments (2)

Past the point of no return: Iran says "there is no going back" on its plans to go nuclear.

Time for another Osirek?

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:32 | link | comments

A tale of two summer camps: One Jewish; one Palestinian.

Notice any obvious differences?

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:29 | link | comments

Time to stop and search some Wiccans, Buddhists and Seventh Day Adventists before they do us irrevocable harm: Racial profiling is the loony, politically correct notion which holds that it is unfair to target one particular group, even if that particular group is exclusively responsible for (in the words of failed suicide bomber Osman Hussain, Hussain Osman) "sowing terror". In today's climate of insanity, it is more important to kowtow to the sensitivies of the group responsible for perpetrating the crimes than to conduct an efficent self defense. Here's a pathetic example of dangerous political correctness, from the CBC website:

British police trying to prevent more suicide bombings must refrain from racial profiling when stopping and searching commuters, the country's Home Office said Tuesday.

Decisions should be based on intelligence information, not on whether someone is of Muslim or Asian origin, Minister Hazel Blears said.

Some of Britain's estimated 1.6 million Muslims feel they are being unfairly targeted for scrutiny after two attacks on London's transit system in July. The government began meetings across the country with Muslim communities Tuesday to improve relations and address concerns of security, education and extremism.

"Picking people up just on the basis that they're Muslim is never going to get the result you want," Blears told the BBC...

It isn't? Aren't they the ones waging the jihad? Or does Ms. Blears (memo to J.K. Rowling: Blears would make an excellent name for a Harry Potter villain) think some other group is involved?

Posted by: scaramouche at 18:00 | link | comments

Good news: You'll be pleased to know that, according to a religious scholar on Islam Online, terrorism is alien to Islam.

And to support his assertion, he cites verses from the Koran advocating peace.

Well, I guess it would be harder to make his case if he quoted those later verses exhorting the faithful to dominate, subjugate and/or kill the infidel--the verses which nullify and make a mockery of the peaceful message.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:43 | link | comments

The mind of a (failed) suicide bomber: Osman Hussain, or Hussain Osman (take your pick--he seems to answer to both), is the 27-year-old Ethiopian-born Muslim who tried but failed to blow up a London bus. After the attack, he escaped to Italy, where he was arrested several days ago. Hussain (or Osman) claims he wasn't really buring with the fire of Allah. Rather, he and a bunch of his pals were watching scenes from the war in Iraq and decided to make a political statement. You know, by getting out their chemistry kits, logging on to the Internet and finding a recipe for making homemade bombs.

Luckily, their formula or indgedients (or both) were flawed, and their bombs errupted with all the force of a soggy firecracker.

At the moment, it isn't clear if Osman is practising a bit of taqiyah in claiming to be more "political" than devout. But until evidence of ties to radical religious elements turn up, I'm prepared to accept him for what he appears to be: a freelance killer motivated more by boredom and notions of self-aggrandizement (Osman said he and his pals wanted to "sow terror") than by an firmly held religious convictions.

Contast Osman to Richard Reid, another failed terrorist. Reid is the Muslim convert who tried--but failed--to explode his Nikes on a flight from London to Boston. There is a tendency to dismiss Reid, not only because his mission failed and his bomb was packed in his shoes, but because he's an odd looking fellow, who resembled a darker, larger schnozzed Lurch from The Addams Family. But in The Times today, there's a story about a letter Reid wrote explaining his actions--a letter which reveals him to be anything but innocuous. The letter was written several years ago from his jail cell in an American federal penitentiary, where he is serving a life sentence for his crime. It was revealed publicly for the first time today when it was published in The Firm, a Scottish legal magazine.

Reid's letter is described as "literate but only slightly punctuated". Here's part of what he had to say:

"You asked me where do I feel that the British system failed me...In reality my actions did not come from some personal grievance but rather because of my belief that the Western countries with America at their head are both openly and secretly fighting the religion of Allah (Islam)."

Reid described his anger at what he perceived as American oppression against Muslims across the world - in Iraq, the Palestinian Authority and Sudan - before launching an attack on the immorality and "self-fulfilment" of Western society which he understood as a threat to Islam.

"All this is in the name of freedom and democracy," wrote Reid of the American foreign policy. "But the reality is that the freedom that they’re talking about is nothing other than forcing the Muslims to accept laws that legalise homosexuality, fornication, adultery etc."

"In any western city you can see the ill effect that allowing the promotion of self fulfillment has had. Teenage girls constantly find themselves responsible of bringing up children whose fathers take little or no responsibility for them."

So there you have two faces of the jihad: Richard Reid, a true believer who thought he was doing his part to turn back the tide of Western iniquity; and Osman Hussain, a half-hearted jihadi and ardent devotee of Western iniquity looking for a "meaningful" way to alleviate his boredom. Both hapless. Both deadly. And--here's the scariest thought--only two of thousands (millions?) out there who are willing to kill us because we are not them.

Posted by: scaramouche at 17:19 | link | comments

Carbs rule!: For a brief moment in history, people in North America were gripped by a low-carb dementia. Out went the potatoes, pasta and pumpernickel. In came the eggs, steak and bacon, and anything else awash in saturated fats. Off came the pounds, as devotees of the Atkins regime became hooked on its powers to help them reduce quickly and painlessly. Up sprang the low-carb emporiums, as the food industry jumped on the low-carb bandwagon, convinced it would become the next big marketing boom, replacing the mania for low fat.

It couldn't last. Man, it seems was no meant to live by protein alone: He needs oodles of noodles, rice and polenta to pad out his meal and give it variety. After a brief burst of glory, the Atkins empire has announced it is seeking bankruptcy protection.

This may be part of the reason why: Tim Hortons, the Canadian donut chain, is booming. So much so that its parent company, Wendy's, has decided to let the public in on some of the carbolicious action.

Proving once again that in the battle between sirloin and crullers, crullers are bound to win.

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:37 | link | comments

Pierre Elliot Duranty: While the Chinese continue to revere Mao Zedong as a great leader, a new biography reveals the truth: Mao was great--the greatest mass murder in history. The 814-page biography, The Unknown Story, asserts that Mao was was a sociopathic thug who adored torture and intentionally starved millions of peasants with the aim of making China the dominent power in the world.

All told, he is said to be responsible for up to 70  million deaths, making other 20th Century totalitarian leaders like Stalin and Hitler look like also-rans in the killing department.

And interesting sidenote is how foolish Westerners--useful idiots--like Pierre Elliot Trudeau, fell under Mao's spell.  From the story in the Globe and Mail:

The authors are contemptuous of the naive Western politicians, including Pierre Trudeau, who were deluded by Mao's propaganda. While millions of Chinese were starving to death, the future Canadian prime minister travelled across China in 1960 "and co-wrote a starry-eyed book -- which did not say a word about famine," they say.

This episode makes Trudeau sound like a later-day Walter Duranty, the infamous New York Times reporter. In the 1930s, Duranty was the Times' man in Russia. He wrote glowing accounts of Stalin's regime while refusing to report on how the tyrant was successfully starving millions of Ukranian peasants. For his efforts, Duranty received a Pulitzer Prize, which despite the reporter's deception and duplicity, has never been revoked.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:08 | link | comments (2)

Still more taqiyah: Iran has announced that it's getting back to enrichment all the uranium it has lying around--purely for electrical purposes, of course.

The mullocracy's latest "screw you" move elicited the usual response from the EUnuchs who've been trying to disuade the meshuganers from going nuclear: a collective show of ineffectual finger-waggling.

And to prove that this time they really mean business, they're threatening to sick the UN on 'em.

Because as we all know, nothing strikes fear into the heart of a crazed zealot more than the prospect of having to face Kofi and friends in the International Despots' Country Club (I.D.C.C.)

Update: Dubya pulls a fast one and slips John Bolton past the Senate and into the UN.

I have a feeling that in coming days Bolton will have a lot more to say about nuclear mullahs and the I.D.C.C.

Posted by: scaramouche at 13:55 | link | comments

Rhymes with taqiyah: Remember the great fanfare with which Mahmoud Abbas announced the tahdiyah, the "truce" between his people and Israel? Seems it's been a tahdiyah in name only. From the Jerusalem Post:

The first seven months of the year have witnessed a marked, gradual increase in attempts by all the terror organizations, especially the Islamic Jihad, to launch attacks, despite the Palestinian declared "tahdiya" (truce) in January 22, a seven page report published by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed, on Monday.

In one of the more horrific plots conjured up by the Jihad terrorists, Omar Bardwill, a member of the Islamic Jihad arrested on June 9 by security forces, was responsible for digging a tunnel between Khan Younis and the Neveh Dekalim industrial site. Once finished it was to be used to smuggle suicide bombers and weapons into the settlement to launch an attack.

Bardwill also revealed to investigators that in January, he had planned together with another cell member to embark on a suicide mission in the Muwassi enclave, where they planned to stab security forces to death. They were to have posed as farm workers in order to pass through the checkpoints. The two decided to use knives out of fear that security forces manning the checkpoints would reveal any weapons they carried.

Since the beginning of the year, 33 Israelis have been killed, 21 of that number after the so-called January 22 truce. The deterioration of the calm simultaneously continued as terror threats increased, coming to a head in July, with 436 attacks being registered for that month alone...

Funny how we're willing to pretend there's a truce when, clearly, there's no truce, while we're unwilling to accept that there's a jihad when, clearly, there is a jihad.

I'd say it's a matter of wishful thinking all round.

Update: Speaking of taqiyah...

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:14 | link | comments

Contempt of court: The theocratic totalitarian dystopia of Iran has a foolproof method of dealing with people who's views it deems dangerous: it arrests them for trumped up charges. That's what  happened to the lawyer for the Kazemi family. Kazemi is the Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who was murdered by Iranian authorities. The death was later ruled "accidental" (as in, she was "accidentally" raped, tortured and had her skull broken).

The lawyer had been trying to appeal the ruling, and had been particularly vocal about the lawyer for the prosecution.

A little too vocal, it seems.  Now the Kazemi's attorney has been accused of peddling nuclear information to Iran's enemies and thrown in the slammer.

Let's see how "politely" Canada protests this latest Iranian outrage.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:05 | link | comments

Old news: In this fast paced world, where headlines seem to change hour by hour, if not minute by minute, the Ceeb has been posting the same story in its current Canadian news section for the past three days. The story? Paul Martin praises Canadian imams.

The Prime Minister met with them Thursday. They issued their carefully worded condemnation of extremism of Friday, which is when the story first appeared on the Ceeb site. Three days later, it now qualifies as old news.

Do you get the feeling the Ceeb is determined to keep the story on the front burner?

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:41 | link | comments