IRANIAN WEAPONS ARM IRAQI MILITIA

I guess our pen pal, Ahmadinejad, forgot to mention this in his most recent missive to us "noble Americans".

Let's see, we have Syria actively destabilizing Lebanon and, more than likely, giving aid and comfort to the Iraqi "insurgents. We now have Iran arming the Iraqi militia who are killing American troops, not to mention massive numbers of Iraqis. And there are those who honestly feel that that same Iran and Syria should be "engaged" to assist in quelling the violence in Iraq?

It's clear that we are fighting a proxy war with both Iran and Syria in Iraq. In view of the fact that both of these countries have been both facilitators and havens for terrorism, calling Iraq the major front in the "War on Terror" is not a misnomer.

To leave Iraq at this time would send a signal that would reverberate not only throughout the Middle East, but the world at large. I still hold out hope reason will prevail and even the Nancy Pelosis and Harry Reids who now control Congress will see the folly of their premature exit strategy, better known as capitulation.

Africa Faces Growing Obesity Problem

So, does this signal the end of world hunger? Alas, probably not. It is however, a headline that caught my eye.

PEACE WITH MUSLIMS REQUIRES "LETTING GO" OF SOME OF THOSE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS
No, this is not a parody, it's all too real

If Christians were so "Christian" we could live peacefully, or so says some all-knowing theologian speaking in, of all places, Tennessee:

To live peacefully with Muslims and Jews, Christians must put aside the notion that their faith requires the creation of a Christian kingdom on Earth, a Lipscomb University theologian told an interfaith gathering at the university.

"We are not going to get very far in our relationship with Jews or Muslims if we do not let go of this idea," Lipscomb professor Lee Camp said at Tuesday's conference.
The unusual gathering of several dozen clergy and lay people was devoted to
resolving religious conflict in Nashville and around the world.

"We need to forsake the Christendom model," Camp said. "The most basic Christian commitment … is that we say we believe in the Lordship of Jesus. But, if we claim that, how can a Muslim or Jew trust us, if we say Jesus is the Lord of all Lords?"

So, we can only achieve harmony with Muslims if we first "forsake the Christendom model"? A better example of western civilization in full retreat I cannot imagine. Were it not so depressing, it would be hilarious.

But if that weren't enough, there is still more; you should also bone up on your Islam:

For Kahled Sakalla, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Nashville, some of the answers lie in better education about Islam in the non-Muslim world.

Sorry Kahled, the problem isn't our limited knowledge of Islam, it's the unlimited capacity for violence and mehem in the name of your faith. With apologies to Shakespeare, the fault dear Kahled, lies not in your stars, but in yourselves.

The level of guile that we are constantly presented with is breathtaking. Islam has been the main source of bloodshed for the past quarter-century, and they can't even admit it much less stop it. Islamic countries openly foment and finance terrorist activities toward the West, while their leaders spew forth the vilest anti-Semitism and overt calls for the destruction of Israel. They do all of this while claiming "victimhood" and "intolerance" and American leftists and the media are more than happy to play the part of useful idiots.

UPDATE: A reader had brought to my attention a follow-up article in which Dr Camp disputes how his comments were taken, and in fairness, I feel compelled to bring this to your attention.

As I told the reader, while I think that Dr. Camp's clarification somewhat softens some of his rather extreme quotes from the conference, I still disagree with his basic thrust.

YOU HAVE MAIL!
Ahmadinejad Pens Letter to "Noble Americans"

And guess what? It sounds lake it was written by Howard Dean, though much more polite. Read the whole thing here, if you wish.

The sad truth is that countries such as Iran and Syria (not to mention al Qaeda) have mastered the art of manipulating our willing media. We have reached the point where bin Laden, Ahmadinejad, Assad and a whole host of dangerously bad actors are sharing talking points and goals with many Democrats as evidenced by this letter. I can just see members of the Democrat leadership reading this letter thinking "you know, he has a point", all the while with visions of negotiated peace with tyrants dancing in their heads.

BAD CHOICES, WORSE CHOICES

Iran is building nukes and anyone who believes Iranian statements to the contrary is gullible in the extreme. Russia is selling Iran defensive missile systems, presumably to protect those areas which need the highest degree of protection – those areas where the nuclear development is taking place. Syria, on the other hand, is brazenly assassinating anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians in a naked attempt to re-occupy and eventually annex Lebanon, a sovereign state and fledgling democracy.

Some will owe this situation to our actions in Iraq, but they would be wrong. Iran has been a rogue state since the revolution that began its “great step backward” in 1979 and it is a culture that has been politically devolving ever since. Now they seem to be a leadership hopelessly mired in medieval attitudes and animosities on the fast track to arming themselves with the most terrible and destructive weapons known to man. Syria, on the other hand, has long been a belligerent state, financing, arming and generally facilitating civil unrest throughout the Middle East. Relations between Syria and the West have fluctuated between warm and cold through the years, but I think this is more a result of doing what is necessary to maintain their influence rather than any form of developing moderation.

Often, there are no good choices and bad choices – instead, we are confronted with bad choices and worse choices, but choose we must. History is rife with examples choices between lesser of evils and those examples have taught us that not choosing is often the worst choice of all.

Post 9/11, it became clear that, in the global war against “radical Islam” (a term I find somewhat redundant), we had but two choices – forcibly confront Islam from without or attempt to moderate Islam’s medieval, violent tenets with freedom and democracy from within. We chose the latter option in the hope that self-moderation would follow civilizational development in a region that has remained stagnant for centuries. Since Iraq had spent more than a decade thumbing its collective nose at the U.S. and numerous U.N. resolutions, threatening its neighbors and lusting after (and developing) WMDs, it was targeted for regime change. This was a daunting challenge, to be sure, but a far preferable starting point than the former.

The United States is in Iraq trying to promote a fragile democracy while Iran and Syria are doing everything on their power to negate our efforts, including the wholesale murder of Iraqi civilians and sending fighters into Iraq to attack U.S. troops. A functioning, free democracy in the heart of the Middle East is terrifying to the despotic regimes that have defined Middle Eastern politics for decades, or rather, centuries. The depots in question will stop at nothing to see that the Iraqi experiment ends in failure, lest they lose control of their own populace. Much as Poland’s defiance of the Soviet Union spelled the beginning of the end of Soviet domination in Eastern Europe, a liberal democracy in the heart of the Middle East could portend profound changes, for the better, in the political landscape of the region and Iran and Syria may well be the first recipients (or in their eyes, victims) of that change.

The Iraq war has not been an easy one, though enormously more successful and costing far fewer U.S. lives than its early critics had predicted. Nonetheless, the military action that was once enjoyed enormous support has become an unpopular albatross due to our inability to wrap it up in a tidy package in under three years. The fault lies not in our military prowess, but rather in the short attention span of our populace exacerbated by a full-court press by the MSM. The Islamofacists are not going away and the actions of Iran and Syria as well as their subsequent disregard of “World opinion” thereof clearly shows that they have been emboldened rather than chastised. They smell blood in the water in the form of weakness and fatigue on the part of the west.

Thanks to the never-ending concentration on the negative and complete disregard of the positive emanating from a collection of Democrat politicians and “peace advocate” throwbacks and amplified by the media, our nation’s resolve has been all but vanquished. With those Democrats now controlling the Congress and Senate, retreat is quickly moving from possibility to probability. This development elicits glee not only from Democrats, but from Iran, Syria and a host of other terrorist thugs who have been patiently waiting for America’s dogs of war to be transformed into the puppies of appeasement.

Is this really what the American people want? Do we want to watch Iraq descend into chaos and civil war as those brave Iraqi citizens who embraced democracy are the first to be slaughtered? Would not even the most vehement Bush-Haters among us agree that even a semi-progressive democracy in Iraq is not only far preferable to an aggressive tyranny, but is also conducive to spreading throughout the region? Do we really feel that three years is too long to invade, conquer, rebuild, reform and leave a functioning, free state, particularly when surrounding states (Iran, Syria) actively aid and abet our opposition? Does our loyalty to and support for those who seek freedom and democracy have an expiration date?

If your answers to these questions are “yes”, your vision is sadly obscured by the lens of partisan politics. The “war is not the answer” attitude has been superceded by those who clearly state their goals (destruction of Israel, global Islamic domination, etc.) and on a daily basis demonstrate that they will literally stop at nothing in order to achieve them. Those who feel that negotiation is the answer choose to ignore the fact that submission to Islam is non-negotiable.

There is still time for the Democrats, et al to step back from the precipice of ignominy and stand with the democrats of Iraq. There is still time to show that the United States is the greatest friend to those who choose freedom and self-determination over tyranny and despotism and the greatest foe to those who oppose it. I would like to think that the sober reality of leadership will erode the rhetoric of the campaign and those who championed the “cut and run” strategy will reconsider in view of its disastrous implications.

The clock is ticking.

Airport Arrest Turns Up Nuclear Info

A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying more than $78,000 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide.

Sisayehiticha Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday after a dog caught the scent of narcotics on cash he was carrying, according to an affidavit filed in court.

When agents asked him if he had any cash to declare, he said he had $18,000, authorities said. But when agents checked his luggage, they found an additional $59,000. When they scrolled through his laptop, they said they found the mysterious files.

Hmmm, $78,000 in cash and a laptop containing info on nuclear materials and cyanide. Call me paranoid, but try as I will, I cannot come up with any logical explanation - aside from the obvious. By the way, the unemployed man in question lives in Dallas, had just just arrived from Nigeria by way of Amstrerdam and was on his way to Phoenix.

I seem to notice these obscure stories ever so often. For instance, there was this one in September about some dude trying to board an aircraft with a knife hidden in a carved-out book. He was bound for Yemen and, of course, he had no idea how the knife got there.

And these are just the things we hear about.

NANCY AND HARRY
Is this what America Wanted?

Well, it's not what I wanted but we can't always get what we want, can we?

For some time now, I have been pretty much a one issue voter and my one issue is The War. Call it the Iraq War, the Afghan War, the War on Terror or more to the point, the War to Preserve our Civilization, it is all connected and is the issue that matters the most to me. Yes, I have opinions on abortion, immigration, healthcare and the myriad of other issues on the table, but none of them really matter of we fail in the war of survival in which we are now involved. This is the most serious of issues and we need the most serious of people in place to deal with it.

When President Bush said, before a joint Session of Congress "We will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail" I took it seriously. The election of people such as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to the highst posts in the legislative branch signals a tiredness, a faltering and eventual failure in this most serious of issues. These are people who have argued against the wiretapping of foreign terrorists and for bestowing rights to them when they are captured. Most importantly, these are people who have pledged withdrawl from Iraq. These are people who either ignore or are too blind to see the enormous threat that clearly lies before us. They're just not serious people.

But this is the hand we are dealt and play it we must. While we have suvived worse leaders, rarely, if ever, have we been presented with a threat as dire.

NEW LOOK!

As you can see, the old blog has undergone some changes this morning. A bit more streamlined and easier on the eyes, no? Rest assured that the content will remain unchanged, like it or not.

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?

Some days is feels as though the world is tumbling toward oblivion and this is one of those days. Consider these stories:

Iran Says Nuke Program Is Near Complete
Lovely, an apocalytic madman continues his development of nuclear weapons and the world-at-large has decided that doing nothing is far superior to doing anything. Ahmadinejad is crowing as though he won, I think he did.

Blair - we must work with 'Axis of Evil' states
Before our very eyes, Tony Blair seems to be transforming from Winston Churchill to Neville Chamberlain. He seems to think that a "partnership" with Iran and Syria is the key to peace in Iraq and the greater middle-east. Yeah Neville, er, Tony, that'll work.

Iran plotting to groom bin Laden's successor
Yes, the same Iran that is developing nuclear weapons. Behold your new partner in peace, Mr. Blair.

Al-Qaida plotting nuclear attack on UK, officials warn
Let's see, Iran is developing nukes and his looking to groom the new head of Al-Qaida and Al-Qaida is plotting a nuke attack in the UK. Does the phrase "connect the dots" come to mind?

Netanyahu: It's 1938 and Iran is Germany; Ahmadinejad is preparing another Holocaust
Well, at least someone gets it. Unfortunately, I question if anyone is listening.

Meanwhile, Americans have decided to hand control if the Legislative Branch of our government over to the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Murtha and company. Swept into office on a platform of "we're not Bush", they are well on the way to finding a way to keep their promise.

The White House looks as though they have sensed a winning strategy and is experimenting with the "we're not Bush" approach as well. The President chucked Rumsfeld and has been huddled up with something called the Iraq Study Group - a collection of high-profile has-beens who, it could be argued, layed the groundwork for many of the problems that we now face.

Perhaps the President has just temporarily vacated the spotlight so as to allow the Democrats their moment in the sun, or to allow them to show their true colors. Perhaps the Iraq Study Group will conclude that the Iraq war must be concluded with no less than an unqualified victory, thus bolstering the President's position. These are the things that I would like to think but alas, I am not filled with optimism.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Democrats, needless to say are just beside themselves with joy over the elections.

Our enemies are also feeling quite optimistic as a result of the Democrats' electoral victory.

If you are a Democrat, does it make you uneasy to find common cause with the sworn enemies of western civilization?

My Prediction

Republicans will hold control of the House and Senate.....narrowly.

UPDATE 11/08/06:

Then again, perhaps not. The American people have obviously chosen to hand the reigns of the House of Representatives, and possibly of the Senate as well, to the Democrats. I can only hope that the Nancy Pelosi-led congress will take seriously the most important issue of our time, but it's a slim hope indeed.

Do you know what image that I cannot get out of my head? The last helecopter lifting off from the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, ushering in the era of defeatism and appeasement that plagues us to this day. On that day we showed the world that the United States did not have the stomach to finish a fight, and the world took notice. Will there be a similar scene be played out in Baghdad? If so, mark this day down as the beginning of the end for we have given our government to the appeasers, to those who honestly believe that there is nothing worse than war, not even the shame of defeat and betrayal.

I think a Winston Churchill quote may well be in order: "We seem to be very near the bleak choice between War and Shame. My feeling is that we shall choose Shame, and then have War thrown in a little later on even more adverse terms than at present."

Perhaps the American people have chosen to go back to their comfortable 9/10 world and simply forget this war, but rest assured, the war has not forgotten us.

UPDATE, Later on 11/08/06:

Via Mona Charen at "The Corner":

Nancy Pelosi just told Brit Hume that the war in Iraq is "not a war to
be won but a situation to be solved."

The sounds you hear is that slim hope, of which I wrote above, snapping.