Daily Roundup
Wednesday, 9. August 2006, 08:06:53
- A JPost editorial that I agree with:
Whatever marginal diplomatic gains the Olmert government may try to convince the public the draft resolution contains for Israel, the fact is that regardless of the language eventually adopted, and whatever force of French, Egyptian, Turkish, Italian and German soldiers will or will not be deployed to Lebanon, all any cease-fire resolution will do is ensure that there will be another round of war.
This is the case because none of the moves being considered involve the one action that would prevent the next war. That action is an Israeli victory against Hizbullah in Lebanon, and an Israeli and allied strike against Hizbullah's state sponsors Syria and Iran, which promote Hizbullah's wanton aggression against Israel as a central campaign in their global jihad aimed at annihilating the Jewish state and defeating Western civilization.
The current ceasefire plans are re-working of UN Resolution 1559. Hezbullah has not followed the previous resolution and there is no reason to think they would follow the Franco-American plan either. Take care of the problem, time is not on Israel's side. A similar opinion at NRO (which also blasts the UN).
No, I haven't given up on the idea that this is an Israeli psy-op. Olmert is wishy-washy, but the Israeli public and the military are not. Read this excellent article (and his links to his own articles) for more.
- The Spook says shooting down UAVs is hard. He describes why, how, and the purpose of the UAV that was shot down on its way to Israel.
- Wretchard says Hezbullah is winning strategically because of the media. I see the solution as taking on the nation-states which support Hezbullah: Syria and Iran. Syria is controlled by Allawites who make up just 12% of the population. Defeating them militarily would remove their credibility but it is impossible to know who would replace them. Mark Steyn agrees that Syris should be a target.
- Iran and August 22nd. Robert Spencer and Bernard Lewis discuss the significance of that date.
- Iranian newspaper advocates opening routes for drug smugglers through Iran to Europe. I didn't know Ayatollah Khamenei was an opium addict.
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Comparing Israel and terrorists without the usual media moral equivalence:
When the Israelis capture Arabs in their wars, the captured Arabs are well fed, well housed, and eventually returned to their homes. When the Arabs (specifically the Syrians) have captured Israelis, they castrate them, cut off their male organs, decapitate the Israelis, and stuff their male organs in their mouths and leave the bodies on the field. Sometimes they also defecate on the bodies.
Hey, at least a report says they aren't binge drinkers like Christians.
- Where has Kim Jong Il been hiding? Rumors say he has been hiding in a bunker since launching his missiles on July 4th. He hasn't been seen in public.
- Raul is still missing in action. What is all of this "peaceful succession" stuff? An admission that Fidel won't be returning?
- Pakistan rape law reform blocked; 16 years old is too old, any girl over puberty should be fair game, according to ministers.
- Those terrible oil companies have invested 150% of their profits over the last 10 years in oil exploration and development.
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Idiot in Maine rolls a pig's head into a mosque. The FBI is pursuing hate crime charges.
(Last week, a Muslim man announced he was targeting Jews in Seattle and opened fire, killing women. It was not a hate crime. Very odd...murder, rolling pig's head.)
Needling Ace for his appearance on TV.
Garfield Ridge answers mail and babeblogs.
Update: I am an idiot. The FBI did not say it wasn't a hate crime in Seattle (although he is not charged with one). They said it was not terrorism and that he acted alone.
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opera # 9. August 2006, 13:08
I made a point of checking this out because when I heard their statements on TV I almost choked.
I copied it and can dig it up but it was something like it was a just a lone crazy person and "there was no evidence of a larger organization".
AHEM!!!
cough cough
NO LARGER ORGANIZATION?
Scream now:
IT'S THE JIHAD STUPID!!!
Try GLOBAL ISLAMIC JIHAD as a larger organization and not a lone crazy person.
Anonymous # 9. August 2006, 16:34
What I find particularly depressing is the results of the reported security cabinet vote in the Israeli Parliament: 9 for (increased operations into south Lebanon) and 3 abstentions.
3 abstentions! In this particular case, I can't imagine situation where abstaining on a vote makes the least sense. Maybe they meant absent, as in "I couldn't make it to the vote on account of scattered Katushya rockets.
For crying out loud, couldn't these guys at least man up and vote No, as in No, "I would like the Hezbollah to re-infiltrate southern Lebanon please since I am more afraid of my traitor Israeli-Arab constituents than the long-term survival of the State."
Abstention in this case means...what? You don't have an opinion about the current war for survival (ver. 4) going on? You think the call-up should be for 14,999 reservists instead of 15,000?
What does it take, procedurally, under Israeli law, for Benjamin Netanyahu to be appointed Grand Mashugana for, say, 60 days, to get this job done?
I couldn't find out which members abstained, but I would guess they belong to the following parties:
TUNIGFB (The UN Is Good For Business)
IHAFITKRB (I Have a Friend in the Katushya Rocket Business)
HIFAP (Hey, I Found a Peanut)
On the plus side, I suppose it’s a good thing that this muddled, tentative, halting IDF campaign is having the desired effect of increasing sympathy for Israel around the world.
opera # 9. August 2006, 22:01