Newspapers finally report on the new cartoon protests, a month after Gates of Vienna

The Telegraph has a story today on the current cartoon protests:

Fears grew of a new confrontation over images deemed blasphemous by Muslims as Pakistan joined Iran in protest over a sketch by a Swedish artist portraying the prophet Mohammed as a dog.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said it had summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires to condemn "in the strongest terms, the publication of an offensive and blasphemous sketch of the Holy Prophet".

The move adds to a chorus of criticism over the series of drawings, by artist Lars Vilks, one of which was published earlier this month by a regional Swedish newspaper.

Lars Vilks's website (link in Swedish) has all the offensive and blasphemous drawings.

What I find interesting is not the protests, which of course are expected, but that it's taken this long for the papers to get around to it.

Gates of Vienna has been covering the Moondoggie story since July 23, including the cartoons, more recently here.

Baron Bodissey and Dymphna were my podcast guests last Monday. Next Monday at noon Siggy and I will be talking about work in the USA and in the EU. Don't miss it.

On the Princess Diana memorial service

When I got up this morning they were playing on TV the Princess Diana memorial service.

While Princess Diana undoubtely was a very beautiful woman and charismatic figure I never quite understood the obsession with her when she was alive, was rather embarrased over the extreme mourning in the days following her death, and am rather appalled over the conspiracy theories over the cause of her death.

Apparently this morning the only person to give a speech about Princess Diana was her son Harry. Why not her friends or the rest of her family remains open to speculation but doesn't matter to me. As far as I'm concerned it's a family matter that is unfortunately played as kabuki for all the world to watch.

And that may be where the appeal of Princess Diana lies.

On the surface she was extraordinarily well suited for her role as princess. She was not a shabby princess with drug scandals, disco nights, raunchy boyfriends and movie-star mother like the Monaco princesses. Instead, her lineage extended further than her husband's, she was "raised proper", and was virtuous and lovely. Like a pricess from a fairy tale she didn't struggle to get a graduate degree in anything, or to become a concert pianist or great tennis player; she didn't do much other than just be. She lived a charmed life of privilege, had two beautiful children, and grew to become an elegant woman of substance.

Just the kind of stuff envy is made of.

But once the horrible truth about how the man who most likely was the love of her life betrayed her from the start and set her up for a farce of a marriage became public, no woman in her right mind felt that envy would have been justified.

I remember a summer twelve years ago or so when I had been helping a friend who was trying to strip wallpaper from her kitchen walls. The wallpaper wasn't budging. I took my steamer to her house and we steamed until our pores couldn't take it anymore, and in the middle of this we stopped for a break to have some lemonade. My friend said, "I bet Princess Diana never has to do this", to which I answered, "No, but she had to sleep with Prince Charles."

Neither one of us complained about stripping kitchen wallpaper after that. For all of us see all celebrities through the mirror of our own lives, and steamed as the mirror might have been, Prince Charles was no prince.

So this morning I kept the TV on because it was a very rare chance to listen to exellent music that is at the root of Christianity. The selections were particularly lovely and the sound quality, even through the little old TV set in the kitchen, was very good.

And I thanked God for the kindness of sons.

Campaigns, and defining diplomacy down

Campaign Finance Reform: A Fable For Modern Times

in a land far, far away, the majority of Democrats began harping about "big money" influencing votes. They whined, cried, said the poor little man had no influence because big money bought face time, perverted the "democratic process," influenced votes, and other nefarious plots against we little fellows. Of course, what really counted were votes, but that too was fairly perverted because congress-critters consistently did everything they possibly could to make sure they got re-elected. And, you know what? It didn't matter which party got re-elected, even if the two houses switched from time to time because they all knew that they would switch back sooner or later. Of course, the spineless republicans assisted in this move towards campaign finance reform this massive re-election gambit because they didn't want to appear to be beholden to big money either.

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Defining diplomacy down:

Finally, George W. Bush has secured the support of the "traditional ally" most favored by the American left. You would think the New York Times would be delighted. You would be wrong.

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Siggy has a very interesting discussion on The Discomfort Of Southern Insight. Read the post, and follow the comment thread.

The most valuable advice you'll ever get, no matter your size

Aussie Catholics rioting over Osama-Jesus?

No, of course they aren't.

It's the time of year for the Blake Prize in the land down under, but it's always season for taking potshots at us Catholics, so here we have what passes for art these days:

Artist defends Osama-as-Jesus

Priscilla Joyce Bracks' Bearded Orientals, Making the Empire Cross is a lenticular image in which the viewer can flip between portraits of Jesus and Osama bin Laden, by shifting slightly from side to side.

Isn't that precious: Bearded Orientals, Making the Empire Cross. Because you know, you gotta include references to empire (be it British, or whatever) and the Cross, since the image itself wasn't laying on the offensive stuff thick enough.

Of course anyone who awards a prize for this "religious art" is morally bankrupt, and it shows: Reverend Rod Pattenden, who awarded the $15,000 prize to the competition winner says about Bearded Orientals, Making the Empire Cross that

the artist was questioning "the idea that you can have absolute good and absolute evil. Life's a bit more complicated than that".

Ponder that for a moment: A clergyman who does not believe in absolute good.

Completing the dhimmitude and complete moral equivalence of the bien pensant, a statue of the Virgin Mary shrouded by a Muslim burqa was also a Blake Prize entry.

If you haven't heard of the Blake Prize, it's a $15,000 prize awarded for religious art,

The Reverend Rod Pattenden, who awarded the $15,000 prize to the competition winner in Sydney yesterday, said his mission was to spark debate about spirituality in a world that was "cynical, degraded and in crisis".

With competition like this, it ought to be.

As if the anti-Catholic imagery is not insulting enough, Reverend Rod manages to fling yet one more insult while he's at it,

Mr Pattenden said he did not expect controversy to result from the exhibition at the National Art School Gallery "because the Christian community doesn't look at art a great deal".

With crap like this being called prize-winning "art", why would it want to?

Meanwhile, over in Sweden, Lars Vilks is receiving death threats.

Captain Ed wants to know, When Exactly Did Art Die?

Update:
Aussie Islamic Leader: Mary in a Burqa is 'Not At All Offensive'

Update, Friday 31 August:
Don't take offense, shut the gate, via Janette.

Slight delay this morning due to work reasons

Regular posting will resume shortly.

Thank you for your patience

By the way, "Castro" didn't endorse Clinton Obama

As I explain in my article today, while in his latest article "Castro" refers to Clinton/Obama "the seemingly invincible ticket" he did not endorse them, contrary to what you may interpret from reading this.

In my article I have a link to the original Granma article from "Castro", and I even bothered to read it in the original Spanish.

The reason? Both Hillary & Obama want democracy for Cuba.

Jimmy Carter, on the other hand, goes over big with "Fidel".

Hagrid, ca. 1977

A little known fact: Hagrid, before taking a job as Hogwarts's gamekeeper, had a gig with Kansas playing the violin and singing

Cubazuela today: The "seemingly invincible Clinton-Obama", and Buckely on Hugo

"Fidel" has written another article for Granma, and he damns "the seemingly invincible ticket of Clinton-Obama" for asking for a democratic government in Cuba. However, he heaps praise on Jimmy Carter, that friend of Hugo.

Apart from the usual stuff one expects from the invisible dictator who writes newspaper articles from an undisclosed location, "Castro" also mentions that he and Che used to play golf together and that Che had caddied in his younger days.

Who'd have thun it!
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William F.Buckley notices that Hugo Chavez is an Annoyance (what took you so long, Bill?)

The thing about Hugo Chavez is that he is not crazy. He just acts crazy.

On the foreign-policy front, he endears himself, or seeks to do so, to every tyrant on Earth. He went to Iran and intended to visit North Korea, but there, Venezuela's National Assembly drew the line. He is abject in his praise of Fidel Castro, and unequivocal in his hatred of American institutions.

It is a pity; but we need to remind ourselves that every now and then democracy simply spits in one's face. The people who voted in 1933 for Adolf Hitler were driven by that dangerous temptation.

In Latin America, the demagogue has a great natural advantage. The reason for this is that the United States represents, to the angry Latin American voter, the hothouse of hateful institutions. Hugo Chavez is head of a country of 27 million people. They are mostly poor. And with poverty there often comes pain from observing those who do not share in it.

We all know where this is leading them.

Expect it to get worse for a long time.

Hillary's Paws

Six members of a low income family have donated $200,000 to Hillary and other Democrats' campaigns since 2005, making them the #3 donor family to Hillary's campaign says the Wall Street Journal: Big Source of Clinton's Cash Is an Unlikely Address.

But look at this,

The Paws' political donations closely track donations made by Norman Hsu, a wealthy New York businessman in the apparel industry who once listed the Paw home as his address, according to public records. Mr. Hsu is one of the top fund-raisers for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign. He has hosted or co-hosted some of her most prominent money-raising events.
...
According to public documents, Mr. Hsu once listed his address at the Paw home in Daly City, though it isn't clear if he ever lived there. He now lives in New York, according to campaign-finance records, on which he also lists a half-dozen apparel companies as his employer. In the campaign-finance forms, Mr. Hsu lists his companies as Next Components, Dilini Management, Because Men's Clothes and others.
...
Mr. Hsu is also a major fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton and other Democrats. When Democrats won control of Congress in November, he threw a party at New York City hot spot Buddakan with many prominent party leaders. Press reports said that toward the end of the night, he grabbed the microphone from the deejay and shouted: "If you are supporters of Hillary for President 2008, you can stay. Otherwise, get out."

Mr. Hsu has pledged to raise $100,000 or more for Mrs. Clinton, earning the title of "HillRaiser" along with a few hundred other top financial backers of her campaign. Earlier this year, he co-hosted a fund-raiser that raised $1 million for Mrs. Clinton at the Beverly Hills, Calif., home of billionaire Ron Burkle. He is listed as a co-host for another Clinton fund-raiser next month in northern California.

The Paw family is just one set of donors whose political donations are similar to Mr. Hsu's. Several business associates of Mr. Hsu in New York have made donations to the same candidates, on the same dates for similar amounts as Mr. Hsu.

The WSJ says, "No one in the Paw family had ever given a campaign contribution before the 2004 presidential election, according to campaign-finance reports."

Coincidence? Laundering? Or really judicious budgeting on the part of the Paws?

Update, Wednesday 29 August
Fron the genius of Doug Ross, Hillary Clinton's A-List Donors
Hillary's Hsu a wanted man

Blacks reach for home ownership...

... and liberals get upset (I underlined the good part):

An aversion to affordable housing?

Redevelopment could slow the African-American exodus, but it's unclear how it would address the far more challenging work of attracting blacks to the city.

At $8.82 an hour, San Francisco has one of the nation's highest minimum wages. It offers a tax credit to working families. As of July, uninsured residents under age 65 became eligible for universal health care. Preschool is available free to every child. The city has approved more affordable housing in the past few years than at any other time in its history, Newsom says.

Many blacks here shun buying affordable housing because those homes have "equity restrictions" to keep them affordable, which means they can't be resold at market rates.

"They see homeownership as a chance to gain assets that will grow. So they'll go outside the city," says Ed Donaldson, counseling director for the San Francisco Housing Development Corp.

Betsy:

Shouldn't this be a cause for celebration - that inner city black families don't want government-subsidized housing, but prefer to buy their own house and build up equity?

It should, indeed.

And while you're at it, every city that has rent-control laws in the USA also has chronic housing shortages.

About the Craig story

Yet another politician in a sex scandal, as if 2008 wasn't going to be tough enough.

I partly agree with Sister Toldjah, but I totally agree with Roger:

Sister Toldjah

That Craig has turned out to be gay after all in and of itself doesn't bother me from a legislative perspective, because you can be gay and vote in favor of things like the DOMA, just like you can be black and vote against affirmative action, and just like you can be a woman and vote against abortion - unlike the left, who believes that minorities who don’t vote the way "they're supposed to" are traitors to their very beings. It's the personal aspect of this that is bothersome - the deception, the lies, the adultery, the criminal nature of what he was arrested for back in June (is that the tip of the iceberg on Craig's adulterous behavior?). He's married. He's broken his vows of marriage. He hasn't been practicing what he preaches. He's deceived his constituency. That's what's bothersome.

Roger L. Simon:

He should resign, not for his behavior in the bathroom, but for his creepy political phoniness.

If there's a contradiction in my attitude, so be it.

Craig has no excuse either way.

Sarko's keynote foreign policy speech

Nicolas Sarkozy announced to the world that "An Iran armed with nuclear weapons is unacceptable," (link in French), raising the possibility of bombing Iran if needed.

I just did a brief translation for Pajams Media. Go read it.

Curiously, the France2 newscast didn't spend much time on that part, choosing instead to talk about Turkey.

Bullsh*t headline of the day: "Venezuela's aid to Latin America exceeds that of U.S."

The AP's Natalie Obiko Pearson and Ian James got the bullsh*t by the horns, and they're tooting Hugo's "charismatic-leader-helping-the-poor-offering-free-health-care-education-adult-literacy-and-job-training-initiatives-that-help-millions-of-[insert country name here]" fantasy (emphasis added):

Bolstered by windfall oil profits, Chavez's government is now offering more direct state funding to Latin America and the Caribbean than the United States. A tally by The Associated Press shows Venezuela has pledged more than $8.8 billion in aid, financing and energy funding so far this year.

Promises, promises.

After whetting our appetites, however, AP has a brief reality check:

While the most recent figures available from Washington show $3 billion in U.S. grants and loans reached the region in 2005, it isn't known how much of the Venezuelan money has actually been delivered. And Chavez's spending abroad doesn't come close to the overall volume of U.S. private investment and trade in Latin America.

Or the billion$$$ in remesas (private money transfers) the legal and illegal immigrants to the USA are sending their relatives in Latin America daily.

Gustavo Coronel explains how Hugo Chavez’s Big Splurge: Buying Few Real Friends. Of course, Ian hasn't read that one.

Ian's the guy that did the puff piece on Hugo and Sean's Excellent Adventure earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Ian's way behind the times: The NYT is starting to wake up They've noticed a change

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has taken over from Fidel Castro the mantle of Latin America's leading opponent of the United States, which remains the largest customer for Venezuela's oil.

And they're not happy:

Mr. Chavez's claim that he is increasing "participatory democracy" by giving voice to Venezuela's disenfranchised poor rests on gestures like the proposal to create grass-roots governing councils with executive authority over a range of issues. In fact, they would further erode democratic checks and balances by stripping power from state and local governments, where opposition parties retain some vestigial power, and giving it to entities dependent on the central government.

Indeed, Mr. Chavez's plan to allow himself to run for re-election as many times as he wants - to achieve his stated goal of governing until the 200th anniversary of Venezuelan independence in 2021 - could lock Venezuela in the grip of an all-powerful strongman for years to come. It's participatory democracy in which only Mr. Chávez and his friends get to participate.

But the AP's notoriously gullible: Notice how they say, Castro Signs Essay Amid Health Rumors, as if they had witnesses to that action.

Over in Bolivia the coca leaves, the production over which Evo's union leader, re making predictions: the coca leaves predict Castro will recover.

I kid you not.

I fully expect Ian and Natalie to have faith in Evo and his coca leaves.

The Bolivians, however are not as enthralled over the Bolivian politcal situation. Indeed, they're in the midst of a political crisis.


(Re the use of bullsh*t on the headline: Long-time readers of this blog know that I strive to keep a certain level of discourse. However, words have meaning, and the meaning really applies in this situation.)
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In a somewhat related item, when I posted about Hugo and Sean's Excellent Adventure, I applauded Maria Conchita Alonso.

Maria Conchita became a naturalized American citizen last week, and has declared herself an enemy of populist governments (link in Spanish).

Unfortunately she forgot her panties (link in Spanish). Let's hope she finds her way.

Today's podcast. the Dissident Frogman explains it all, and today's items

UPDATE
You can listen to today's podcast here

In today's Blog Talk Radio podcast, it's time for Fausta's Blog Talk Radio monthly roundtable with Dymphna and and Baron Bodissey of Gates of Vienna and Siggy. Today we'll be discussing the SIOE's proposed demonstration on September 11 in Brussels.

Please join us at noon Eastern. The call-in number is (646) 652-2639.
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Liars outdoing liars: Huffington Post ups Iraqi deaths past 1 million
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Via Linda, The Dissident Frogman has an educational video.
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Via Larwyn,
Ten Worst Branding Decisions of All-Time
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Obama's not welcome among this crowd.

I don't expect he'd be welcome with open arms in Pakistan, either.
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Elvira's still at it, as expected.
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King/Drew Medical Center: Reparations Paid Back In Blood
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As I mentioned yesterday, The Official Berkeley Breathed Website announced,

Note to Opus readers: The Opus strips for August 26 and September 2 have been withheld from publication by a large number of client newspapers across the country, including Opus's host paper The Washington Post."

Salon has the strip in question.
Atlas Shrugs, Linda, Q&O, SCSU and Captain Ed have commentary.

How do you spell dhimmitude?

Gratuitous fashion advice

Hillary's up in Martha's Vineyard nagging about Katrina and wearing a totally unflattering smock that does nothing for her.

Here's what I suggest instead:
Thomas Pink 3/4 sleeve shirt in a bold pink stripe, preferrably custom-fitted.

As for the nagging, there's no cure for that.

20 Questions

GM Roper asked me 20 Questions this week, and I am honored to answer them. GM's one of the "Friends I Haven't Met Yet", and I'm a big fan of his blog so this is a real treat.
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There's a big bruhaha over a new book about Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa had doubts!

Well, I submit to you this thought:
That's what made her a saint.

Blind faith isn't.
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Dr. Sanity has the Carnival

Saturday afternoon Aznavour: Quien

It's that time again, time for the master of romantic ballads:

Quien?
Cuando ya no aliente
silenciosamente, llegara hasta ti
y como el olvido
ya te habra vencido
le diras querido
al igual que a mi

Quien?
Borrara mi huellas
y encendiendo estrellas en la oscuridad
abrira balcones
rompera crespones
y pondra canciones en tu soledad

Quien sera mi relevo
Quien te va a convencer
Quien volvera de nuevo
a reinar en tu ser

Quien,
cuando yo me ausente
va a cruzar el puente
que manda a cerrar
y pondra colores
en tus sinsabores
y te hara olvidar
pronto mi pesar

yo tengo el doble de tu edad
mas no me importa sucumbir
al ver de cara a la verdad del porvenir
no vistas luto por mi amor
pues no me gusta ser cruel
y se q nunca ese color le fue a tu piel

Quien
cuando yo me vaya
llegara a tu playa
un anochecer
y pondra su empeño
en velarte el sueño
y lo haras tu dueno casi sin querer

Quien
besara tu pelo
y en tu negro duelo te pondra un clavel
y ya diferente te vera la gente
nueva y sonriente
como un cascabel

Quien
viene a suplicarme
quien dime dulce bien
quien trata de borrarme
quien amor en tu sien

Quien
por sustituirme
y por destruirme
sin contemplacion
rompera en pedazos
todos nuestros lazos
y sin compasion
mi pobre corazon
Yes, I know, this video truncated the song, but this version is much sexier than this one, which has the complete lyrics)

Ed fisks Fisk

Robert Fisk is now a truther. While you would think that Fisk by now would have learned to research what he writes about he still doesn't, and claims,

I am talking about scientific issues.

While we all know the answer to Ed's question, Isn't Robert Fisk A Journalist?, Ed explains several of the points Fisk in his total ignorance raises in The Independent article.

The particular item that irks me the most is the "steel melts" argument. Get it through your head, Robert: In order for a building to collapse, steel doesn't need melt, all it needs is for its structural integrity to be compromised.

Anyway, before I go off on a rant, allow me to recommend Popular Mechanics'
Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report
Popular Mechanics examines the evidence and consults the experts to refute the most persistent conspiracy theories of September 11
podcast
and book:


For further truther demolition, listen to Ed's podcast from last Tuesday Aug. 21.

UPDATE, Sunday 26 August
Via Dr. Sanity, Victor Davis Hanson:

Two observations come to mind.

First, we know why there is now a colloquial verb in English "to fisk."

Second, The "Even I" of Fisk's title should read "Especially I."

These are sad times in the West, but the inevitable wages of a quarter-century of elite postmodern thought.

Postpolitical on Castro

During yesterday's rumors about the "not-dead-yet" Castro, I wrote at Pajamas Media that

Is Castro dead? Until the Cuban government makes an official announcement, there is no way of knowing for sure.

The Cuban government, however, has very little to gain and a lot to lose if and when they make an official announcement.

Today Postpolitical (via Barcepundit) has a brilliant post on the Cuban government's options (emphasis added):

As even El Gusano notes, the current state of transition from Fidel to Raul has provoked no visible popular revolt or known palace coup attempts. This is the point at which the state is most vulnerable as well. If Raul is as clever as is claimed, he might just realize that he has hit upon the ultimate method to perpetuate autocratic despotism: rule as regent to an immortal corpse.

Consider it if you will. A dead dictator certainly can't be assassinated or even really overthrown. What's to seize from a pile of bones? Raul need not risk a genuine political transition, or take the time to build his own personality cult, or even give a single speech to persuade the masses to accept him as their new surrogate secular deity and adopted father. The corpse already has all that.

Sure, the secret will leak out eventually. But is the notion that Castro is both dead and ruling, really too much doublethink for a people who are told daily they're drowning in plenty on empty stomachs? The Cuban state has been lying to the people about almost everything for over four decades now. Why should they suddenly lose obedience over this lie? The people might even be eager to consent to the charade. After all, could a dead man's policies be any worse than a living Castro's?

The benefits are considerable for Raul. If they were to accept the corpse ruler, communism in Cuba could last for a thousand years, because a dead man cannot die. But also because the nature of that political contract - accepting rule by a dead head of state -is perhaps the ultimate exchange of independence for total social control. For any people, I can think of no greater indignity or humiliation than the realization that they are in fact governed by a nonexistent executive, which an entire government pretends to believe exists. If that is granted, anything can follow.

I heartily agree with Postpolitical: Don't expect any official notices that Castro's kicked the bucket for the foreseeable future, folks.

Kim Jong-il is probably watching how it all plays out, too.



Share on Facebook

About those rumors....

My friend Val at Babalu has gone out on a limb, Perez Hilton sticks by his guns, and Drudge Report is abuzz with the rumor that Fidel Castro is dead.

I've been listening to Cuban radio stations from the island-prison for the past 5 hours and there is not only no official announcement, there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary; their usual programming has continued as it does any other day.

Read my article at Pajamas Media for more.

Two media items:

The first item has to do with CNN's shameful exercise in moral equivalence and disregard for historical facts, God's Warriors. I watched part of the Christian Warriors episode and fully expected Amanpour to compare the Veggie Tales with the Hamas Mickey Mouse.

Phyllis Chesler in her article, CNN'S Master Plan: Part One, unveils Amanpour's prejudices:

In my no doubt alarmist and paranoid view, she is trying to position American and world Jewish support for Israel as essentially equivalent to American and world Muslim support for Hamas and for other Muslim terrorist organizations who also engage in humanitarian aid and social service projects. Just as the leaders of the Holy Land foundation are being tried as supporters of terrorist organizations in America today, Amanpour's portrayal of Jewish support for an allegedly "illegal," "racist," or "apartheid" Jewish "settler state" with a "handful of Jewish terrorists" may now lead to similar attempts to shut down American-based fundraising for Israel and to dampen Congressional support for military foreign aid to Israel.

Perhaps Amanpour does not envision this at all but merely wishes to show that there is terrorism on both sides of the divide. But this is not true. While there is indeed a "handful" of "Jewish terrorists" or ideologue of Jewish reprisal, (Meir Kahane, Baruch Goldstein, Yigal Amir, and the Jewish Underground are named), such figures are just that--a handful, and their attempts at indiscriminate violence have either been prevented or immediately and seriously punished by the Israeli government.

Further, Amanpour fails to draw the right conclusions from what she does show on camera. In every instance, Israeli government officials, including former Shin Bet and IDF spokesmen are the ones who prevent Jewish terrorists from striking, who arrest and imprison them when they commit violence, who sentence them to between 7-15 years in jail or to life sentences. There are no posters all over Israel glorifying their violent deeds as there are on the West Bank for their shahids and shahidas and in the no-longer occupied Gaza strip. Israeli textbooks and television videos do not sing their praises in Israel as is the case among the Palestinians.

Hip-Hop Republican posts about "Mother Amanpour" and her Magical Kingdom.

The point of CNN's religious fundamentalism series

Atlas Shrugs has more.

Update
I simply never thought of drunkblogging it.

UPDATE 2
Phyllis continues, Christian Crusaders Also Want a Caliphate. The Gospel According to Christiane

Amanpour completely fails to make the distinction between Islamists who teach hatred of infidels and women and who blow infidel and Muslim civilians up (as well as honor-murder their own women); Israelis who are under perpetual terrorist siege and who are trying to defend themselves against Islamist attacks; and conservative Christians who are trying to mobilize votes, change laws, or win hearts and minds with words, not bombs (although she certainly has lots of footage of the bloody bombings at abortion clinics--bombings I personally abhor and mourn--as do many Christians).

Amanpour wants us to like Muslims--even the most extremist among them. They are human, prick them will they not bleed? But she does not want us to like Christians or Jews, especially those who are Zionists.

Read it all.
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The second item has to do with these two photos:



The FBI has asked the public to be on the lookout for these two characters. The Seattle Post Intelligencer has refused to publish the pictures.

(Warning: disturbing photos at the link) Gerard Van der leun rips the SPI to shreds up one side and down the other.

So easy a caveman can do it, and today's items

Siggy has the poster, and the link to the Caveman's Crib.

Any rumors that Siggy's own International Crib of Mystery resembles the Caveman's are simply that, rumors.

Not that I would know.
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Neolithic gum: So easy, a caveman can chew it!
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Vladimir Putin's attempt to achieve fame as a sex symbol got stymied by his severe blood-iron deficiency and total lack of chest hair.

That Tilley hat didn't help, either.

Update
Via Glenn, turns out Vlad was aiming for a different market demographic from mine. But is he butch enough?

And more:
LOLPutin

Meanwhile,

Kremlin watchers have been busy trying to guess what kind of political message the pictures might send, given that Putin has insisted he plans to step down at the end of his second presidential term next year, as required by the constitution.

"I shake my little toush on the catwalk, on the catwalk..."
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More cartoon censorship
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TigerHawk continues his report on the pitiful conditions at the McCaffrey's parking lot.
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You Are 39% Bitchy

You're a pretty sweet person, and you're definitely not prone to bitchy outbursts. Sometimes, though, you can't help thinking mean thoughts about people. But at least you don't act on them!

How Bitchy Are You?

No One Left To Lie To?

Ed asks, Did Clinton lie about targeting Bin Laden?, to which I say, the question should be, "when hasn't Clinton lied about anything?"

Indeed, Clinton never gave the CIA an assassination order on bin Laden. Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball have the whole story. Don Surber points out,

Michael Isikoff, the reporter who broke the Monica Lewinsky story only to have his editors at Newsweek spike the story, has caught Bill Clinton in another lie: He never authorized the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Perhaps it all depends on what the definition of "kill" is.

As AJ Strata rather inelegantly but accurately puts it,

So while he was being serviced by an intern in the Oval Office he [Clinton] let Bin Laden run free to finish his work on 9-11. The ultimate screwing of the American people - and he did not even offer us a drink.

WILLisms: Bill Clinton: Still The Lyingest Liar That Ever Lied.

Every time Bill shakes a finger, he lies:

A Jacksonian last year itemized the wake-up calls that Clinton ignored during his tenure.

If that's not enough to convince you of Clintons' (both of them, since they're running for a second round) perverse disregard for facts, I invite you to read Christopher Hitchens's book, No One Left To Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family. It'll shed some more light on the true character of the co-presidents.

Then there's Hillary's Peter Paul lawsuit (via Jeremayakovka, who's also remembering an anniversary of sorts).

But back to Bin Laden: The fact remains that Clinton didn't do squat because they didn't see Bin Laden as important as keeping his ass from being removed from office. And that's the truth.

Update, Friday 24 August:
Larwyn:

"The LEFT MUST LIE. Those bright enough to use the IDEOLOGY as an easy way to POWER HAVE TO BE AWARE OF THEIR LIES. The next level, knows that their are many lies but it really is FOR THE GREATER GOOD. The rest just believe what they have been taught and what is spun for them daily by the LSM. So nothing shocking about the new leaks proving how CLINTONS HAVE LIED."

The journalism that bloggers actually do

The journalism that bloggers actually do, by Jay Rosen explains what bloggers have known for a while: that some journalists' opinions are not based on, ehem, journalism. It's an interesting read, but I'd like to add four more journalist-bloggers to the list:
Richard Miniter's report, How The New Republic Got Suckered in the Beauchamp story (and Richard's a journalist, too).
Confederate Yankee has also been on the story, and just last week uncovered that the Associated Press ammo story was fake, too.
EU Referendum's report on the corruption of the media reporting in Lebanon.
Charles Johnson's uncovering that the Dan Rather story on Pres. Bush's National Guard memo was totally fake.

I'm sure you can come up with a lot more examples.

Today at noon: Robert Spencer

UPDATED

Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch will join Siggy and I today at noon for a special podcast.

Robert will be talking about his new book, Religion of Peace? Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't

I read the book over the weekend and highly recommend it. The podcast will be all about the book. Don't miss it!

Update:
Here's the podcast

Siggy has a wonderful post you must read, The Promise Of Failure, that relates to the topics we discussed in the podcast.

Here's Robert' schedule for today. It truly was a pleasure and an honor to have him as our guest.

Another sign that the surge is working

I was just visiting at Captain Ed's and look what I found: French Plan Engagement In Iraq.

Sure enough, straight from the Times of London,

France proclaimed its desire to help restore peace in Iraq after a visit yesterday to Baghdad by its Foreign Minister ended the four-year diplomatic freeze that followed the US-led invasion.

As Paris media hailed "The French return to Iraq", Bernard Kouchner concluded his three-day trip with a pledge that under President Sarkozy, France would no longer sit on the sidelines saying "we told you so".

The BBC has more:

France's disagreement with the US over Iraq was now in the past, he [French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner] said.

I knew that Kouchner had writte The Black Book of Saddam Hussein and all that, but to hear that the Sarkozy government is taking this very bold move is amazing. Not only because it signals a complete reversal of the UMP's Iraq policy of the Chirac years but also because Sarko is no fool and would not be siding with the losing team at this point in the game.

Still, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. As Ed correctly points out,

The UN route will likely be the only way in which Sarkozy can provide assistance to the US due to France's domestic politics, which will do little in practical terms.

And then, of course there's the bien pensant attitudes, such as the Times headline itself, "Paris vacates the moral high ground to give Washington a helping hand." I'd say it's more like, Paris finally reaches to moral high ground...

And now for a Mr. Monk moment:

Now dirty chopsticks picked up in China scare

A Beijing factory recycled used chopsticks and sold up to 100,000 pairs a day without any form of disinfection, a newspaper said on Wednesday, the latest is a string of food and product safety scares.
...
Officials raided the factory and seized about half a million pairs of recycled disposable bamboo chopsticks and a packaging machine, the Beijing News said.

At times like this, one has to ask, "WWMMD?"

What would Mr. Monk do?

He'd carry his own carefully sterilized chopsticks, made of non-porous stainless steel, that's what:


How about a Mr. Monk bobblehead, while you're at it?

Venezuela: Welcome to the twilight time zone

Venezuela: A Decree for the Clocks

Moved by claims that it will help the metabolism

Wh?? Help what metabolism?

and productivity of his fellow citizens, President Hugo Chavez said clocks would be moved forward by half an hour at the start of 2008.

Effectively this means Venezuela will be in its own time zone. No other country in the Americas has a 1/2 hr difference with its neighbors.

He announced the change on his Sunday television program, accompanied by his highest-ranking science adviser, Hector Navarro, the minister of science and technology. "This is about the metabolic effect, where the human brain is conditioned by sunlight,"

Must be that reverse seasonal affective disorder Wikipedia talks about. Since Venezuela's in the tropics it certainly can't be because the sunlight is low in winter.

But then, if I had to live under Hugo, I'd be depressed, too.

Mr. Navarro said in comments reported by Venezuela's official news agency.

Of course.

Mr. Chavez said he was "certain" that the time change, which would be accompanied by a move to a six-hour workday, would be accepted.

Of course it would be. Not that the Venezuelans have any choice, do they?

(hat tip: Aaron)

Associated Press Deficit Disorder, this time on ammo

The AP version:

Troops training for and fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing more than 1 billion bullets a year, contributing to ammunition shortages hitting police departments nationwide and preventing some officers from training with the weapons they carry on patrol.

The fact-checked, talked-to-the-ATK's Ammunition Systems Group-largest-ammunition-manufacturing-body-in-the-world Confederate Yankee version:

According to two spokesmen for the world's largest ammunition manufacturer, which runs the military's ammunition manufacturing plant and separately, is a major supplier of law enforcement ammunition, it is a massive and unexpected increase in law enforcement ammunition demand that is causing delays in law enforcement ammunition delays, not the war.

Any questions?

"The Rule", Anarchy and the Will of God, and today's items

Larwyn's on a roll, and she's sent great links:

"The Rule":
GM Roper spells it out for you.
----------------------------------------------------------
Richard has an excellent post, Anarchy and the Will of God

The world of anarchy is one in which man acts without the intermediation of the State. It is a world in which "what works", where "common sense" and the natural order -- not State-sanctioned law -- are the basis for organizing and action.

You must read every word. Siggy & I had the pleasure of talking to Richard two weeks ago, and we touched on the subject of failed states.
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As I have mentioned before, someone's really afraid of Fred, that gun-toting womanizing twice-married gay guy who is loved by his children and liked by attractive women lawyer -who might have lobbied on abortion sixteen years ago-Senator movie star on horseback rascal.

They're criticizing Fred's Gucci shoes (the shoes in the video look more like Ferragamos to me, but what do I know?), and now there's the FCC complaint.

As Dan says,

Their obvious concern over Thompson may be the most compelling reason for interest in him as a candidate I've seen during the last few relatively quiet weeks.

Indeed.

In my experience, having someone find fault with you because your shoes are of too high a quality is a sure sign of envy on their part.
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The new old China continues to import toxic goods: now it's pajamas with formaldahyde in woollen and cotton clothes at levels 500 times higher than is safe..

Clothes can be washed and aired, but now I'm wondering what they add to shoes?

(My most recent pair of Ferragamos was made in Italy, in case you were worried. I have, however, bought a few pairs of shoes made in China. Maybe I should go back to wearing hose for the rest of the summer.)

More blogging later.
Update
The formaldahyde's no cause for concern, says Asia Biz Blog.

Special podcast on Wednesday at noon Eastern: Robert Spencer!

Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch will join Siggy and I this Wednesday at noon for a special podcast.

Robert will be talking about his new book, Religion of Peace? Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't

I read the book over the weekend and highly recommend it. Western civlization stands on Judeo-Christian values, and both are worth defending.

Tomorrow at noon Robert will be podcasting with Pamela of Atlas Shrugs.

Don't miss either podcast!

Update
Related: The ACLU, footbaths and double-standards

Blogger's call with Sen. John McCain

I had the privilege a few minutes ago to take part in a bloggers' call with Sen. McCain, who is supporting very strongly the new strategy in Iraq. The strategy is succeeding, and the Senator will be addressing the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City to emphasize this message.

Ed Morrissey did an excellent job of liveblogging the call at Heading Right

McCain expects the Democrats to force a "surrender date" when Congress reconvenes. He wants to see organized demonstrations in support of the war effort. McCain reminds us that he was the “greatest critic” of Rumsfeld and the previous strategy, but that the new strategy "can and must work".

Read the rest.

Elvira, go home

Elvira Arellano was arrested in Los Angeles and was deported to Tijuana, Mexico. Arellano's been illegally in the USA on and off since 1997, and in 2002 was convicted of working under a false Social Security number - a felony. Whether she made up a Social Security number out of thin air, or she committed identity theft is unclear; Arellano committed a felony all the same. She then defied a court order by hiding at the Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago rather than surrender to authorities.

Nowhere in the thousands of words written about this case show any effort from Arellano in the past ten years to
1. learn the language
2. legalize her immigration status under the existing laws
3. accept the US as "her country", even when she's lived nearly one third of her life here, gave birth to her son here, and is adamant about staying

"I only have two choices. I either go to my country, Mexico, or stay and keep fighting. I decided to stay and fight."

4. most importantly, accept that the rule of law applies to everyone including herself.

Her 8yr old son Saul is in the middle of all this. He was born here while his mother purposely violated the laws of this country. This boy has been exploited in innumerable photo-ops. Last November, Saul went to Mexico's Congress to make a personal appeal for help to stop his mother's deportation. Now

Arellano said she didn't want to be separated from the boy

Apparently Elvira and all of those people who are outraged that "the bad USA is ripping a family apart" have never stopped to consider that it is Elvira herself who chooses to leave her own son behind, rather than remain together as a family and bring him with her to "her country" (her words, not mine), as a responsible parent would do.

Via Blue Crab Boulevard, many immigrants to the USA resent Arrellano's actions:

Chicago Spanish-language radio host Javier Salas said he felt badly for what happened to Arellano. But in leaving the sanctuary of Adalberto United Methodist Church and heading to Los Angeles, it was only a matter of time before she was arrested.

I know two people who were brought to the US illegally by their parents while they were young children. Both of them are now US citizens, and their families are also here legally.

While it took them years of effort and a lot of paperwork, they did it, and they're the ones that tell you that the US is their country. Illegal aliens struggling to get away with crimes by insisting that the rules be changed to accommodate them at their whim are not what legal immigration is about. It is, however, what amnesty and comprehensive immigration reform are about (h/t Hot Air).

But fret not. I'm sure we're going to hear from Elvira soon, again.

Update
More from Captain's Quarters and Michelle Malkin.

Update, Tuesday 21 August
Illegal immigrant = Runaway slave? Buuulsh**


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Yet one more round-robin press conference, and today's items

The party of run-and-run-faster had another "debate" yesterday. There were not challenged at all in their run-and-run-faster premise by the debate's moderator. Mark Finklestein points out,

Stephanopoulos didn't pose one question challenging the Dems' assumption that surrender is the way to go.

Don't expect the Dems to be holding any of these round-robin press conferences at Fox News any time soon.
-------------------------------------------------------
Via Larwyn, and related to the above, The Post 9/11 Liberal
-------------------------------------------------------
It's Not Just Scott Beauchamp and It's Not Just Scott Beauchamp (II)

Don't miss Richard Miniter's excellent article, How The New Republic Got Suckered

Romantic comedy: A review of Moliere

I don't believe that I'd ever watched two corset movies within eight days before, but it was pouring rain outside and the guys were busy, so I headed to the Montgomery strip mall and saw today's matinee of Moliere (in French with English subtitles).



While at first glance you would be correct assuming that this is "one of those artsy-fartsy movies Fausta's so fond of", it also is a funny movie, a beautiful love story and a movie where adults do that most unusual thing in a film: they actually grow as people - and not just the two main characters, but all the characters.

It is a rare treat indeed to watch these characters evolve.

Romain Duris, who I had never seen in anything before, plays the title character. He starts as a grimy deadbeat and ends up becoming a truly good man: good in his career and good as a person. While Duris's performance is excellent, is exceptionally good conversing with the other characters, doing a very physical scene where he plays a horse, and in another where he laughs at other characters. The change from deadbeat to successful playwright also involves a change from sleaze to sexy, and that certainly adds to his appeal. Duris has a very appealing voice, along with Laura Morante, who plays his love interest, the beautiful Madame Jourdain. It is a pleasure to hear those talk to each other.

The film resembles Shakespeare in Love in the sense that it uses the writers' best-known play to tell a beautiful and engaging love story among two grown-ups.

It has slapstick, jokes, visual puns, tears, love, passion, success, and failure.

As a film, Moliere is a pleasure to the senses. The titles at the beginning of the movie are shown over a background of some of the most exquisite silk brocades and velvets ever shown on screen. Morante and Duris have a conversation in a rose garden where you almost can smell the flowers. The lovely locations are beautifully photographed and the cinematography does them justice. The soundtrack incorporates musical themes of the period without being overwhelming. The food looks better than the food in Vatel, another film portraying the same period in French history.

And then, there's the language. You just sit there and let the words wash over you.

Go see it.

Here's a "Making of" short feature in French from You Tube (if you go to YouTube you can watch the rest):




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Seymour

The Anchoress passed a kidney stone so large she named it Seymour. And then the trouble started: she had complication and ended up in the emergency room. We all prayed for her.

I've never had a kidney stone, and I'm glad I haven't. Yes, that is a selfish thought. Kidney stones scare the p*ss out of me.

In the mid-80s The Husband and I lived near where he worked, and since I used to commute to New York, I was out of the house well before it was time for him to get up to go to work. Imagine my alarm when one Spring morning I wake up really early because I was hearing groaning coming from the guest room, and when I called The Husband's name he didn't answer.

Now, I'm not the bravest blogger around (or should I say, pre-blogger since the web wasn't yet), but I jumped out of bed, put on a robe over my pajama as I gathered my courage, and rushed into the guest room. The Husband was grey-pale, bending over in agony over the twin-size bed, unable to speak.

I had never, ever seen him in such a horrible state. That's the only time when I've seen him in such pain. It was awful to see.

I immediately said I'd call an ambulance, but he Did.Not.Want.An.Ambulance. I said nothing, got dressed and told him I was taking him to the hospital. At this point he was so nauseous he was holding a small garbage can on his hands since he knew he wouldn't make it to the bathroom, so he couldn't argue.

While I got the car out of the garage and next to the nearest door, he managed to put on a pair of slacks over his pajama and a brand-new very nice pair of shoes. Big mistake, those shoes.

We get to the emergency room which was only 10 minutes away from our house, I stop the car exactly by the entrance, help him get out (while he put down the little garbage can) and walk with him leaning on my shoulder to the nurses' station. "Kidney stone", says the nurse just from looking at him.

I went and parked the car. After I found a parking spot and walked back to the building The Husband was lying on a stretcher in full view of anyone coming into the Emergency Room, wearing only an IV on his arm, a plastic ID bracelet, and one of those little hospital nightgowns with 2 strings that tie on your back. If it weren't for the sheet they (mercifully) draped over his naughty bits, it would have been a full-nudity situation. The Husband's 6'4" and on the hefty side, and those little nightgowns leave nothing to the imagination. I completed the hospital paperwork, and he looked glad to see me as they carted him away for lab tests. I told him I had to go home to call our respective employers so they knew we would be absent, and our parents. Back then in pre-cell phone days I had to go home and call.

When I got back to the Emergency Room I had some trouble finding The Husband, but sure enough, he was still there, heavily medicated. He was still grey but wasn't groaning. The doctor came over and told me that it was one small kidney stone, said we could go home, gave me a small sieve for when the stone passed, a list of instructions, and told me to call him back when The Husband passed the stone.

But where were his clothes, I asked? The doctor said, "They're in a bag right next to the bed." After a pause, he muttered, "There's no bag," and disappeared.

I would have left without the clothes - had the hospital been amenable to lending us a sheet for modesty - since the particular trousers were old. But the shoes were new, and The Husband hates shopping for shoes because he wears a size 13 wide and those aren't easy to find.

It took me over an hour and I canvassed every person - patients included - in the emergency room but found the shoes, along with the clothes.

On the way home, The Husband remembered that we were scheduled to travel to England with his mom and his sister the upcoming Saturday (it was Tuesday), and asked me to leave him home and go on the trip without him. "Out of the question!" I said, before he even finished his sentence.

He passed the kidney stone two days later, recovered immediately and hasn't had any other occurrences. The trip to the UK was a success and we had a great time.

I'm praying that The Anchoress has as great an outcome.
-----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Sanity has the Carnival.




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Today on Blog Talk Radio: Postpartum Depression Demystified

UPDATE
You can listen to the podcast here


Today at 10AM Eastern, my guest will be Joyce Venis, author of Postpartum Depression Demystified.

It'll be an hour-long podcast, and we'll be taking calls. Please join us!

Jeb sees the light on Hugo

A friend emailed this just now: Getting Real About Chavez

For a long time, I've defended Hugo Chavez. I thought that he was fighting a worthy battle against greed and corruption, against years of foreign domination and cronyism. I thought he was trying to improve the lives of poor people, while establishing a strong economy, an independent and self-respecting nation, and a vibrant democracy.

But now, after watching events unfold in the past few months, I'm ready to admit that I was mistaken.

Like many of those who lean left, I figured that Chavez's megalomaniacal governing qualities were a bit unnerving, but not anything serious to be worried about. In retrospect, I realize that I was willing to overlook his authoritarian tendencies because of one main thing: his avowed commitment to social justice issues and his dedication to ending poverty.

I applaud Jeb Koogler's realization, and his publicly posting that he was wrong in his assessment of Chavez's true nature.

As for the cult of personality, Jeb says,

Chavez appears to be establishing a cult of personality

it's not just appearances, it's a fact:


Sadly, one of Koogler's commenters misses the point entirely on Venezuela's decline, by calling Venezuela a banana republic. Venezuela is now well on its way to being a banana republic, after being one of Latin America's industrialized countries.

And that is the tragedy.



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Dean, and today's items

Via Instapundit, hurricane Dean is getting worse. The Irish Trojan's Blog advises that people in Jamaica and the Yucatan peninsula leave the area now. This is the time to do it, folks.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Princeton University tops the US News & World Report list of American Colleges and Universities.

On the one hand, while I'm not a PU alumna, I've greatly enjoyed all the classes that I've audited at PU: The professors are enthusiastically pleased to be teaching undergraduates, they are throughly knowledgeable in their fields, and I greatly admire their scholarship and human qualities.
On the other hand, with an endowment of nearly $12 billion and undergrad tuition and fees nearing $50,000/yr, it's a good thing PU is ranking at the top - for that kind of money, it should. Several colleges are painfully aware of that, and are trying to look into a different ranking system.

Another issue is that getting into PU is next-to-impossible. No matter how good a student you are, the odds are only 1 in 12, at best maybe 1 in 10. But that will be a post for another day.
-----------------------------------------------------------
BBC bias?
Watch this video: The BBC correspondent in Athens wears the PLO scarf to report on the Athens brush fires.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Via Larwyn, time for the bullet woman photoshop!
And let's not forget the Minnesota man, and the puppy, too.
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you're about to have quadruplets, leave Calgary.

Hugo goes for the gusto

As expected, Venezuela's Chavez calls for end to term limits, along with more control over banks, international reserves and powers to expropriate private property by decree; that is, the whole enchilada arepa.

An expensive arepa it is to import, considering how sending suitcases full of cash to finance pro-Chavez candidates in Latin America. This week it was Argentina's turn, for $800,000:

The money could have been intended for the campaign of first lady Cristina Kirchner or for pro-Chavez groups such as D'Elía's, or may be a kickback to Argentine government officials for a business deal. Either way, if it had been clean, it would have been done by wire transfer.

But let's keep an eye on the menu.

Of course, Hugo's serving that arepa with side dishes, in order to keep the visitng useful tools like Barbara Walters, Cindy Sheehan and Sean Penn happy. The side dish de hoy being

The assembly is expected to approve the proposals within several months and they would then be put to a national referendum.

Chavez control 100% of the assembly (all 167 seats), the courts, and the state and municipal governments (except for a few where opposition candidates won posts).

(To those of you who want to convince me that Chavez has been lawfully elected by wide margins consistently since 1998, let's just say that an audit of the 2004 election showed a 99% chance that there was electoral fraud. Wide margins, of course, do not a democracy make.)

And the platter's got some garnish too,

President Chavez told the assembly his proposals would only affect 33 articles, about 10% of the constitution.

Then there's the bread: six-hours-a-day socialism, by which the maximum working day is reduced to six hours. "Now we are headed straight towards socialism," says Hugo, in a giant leap forward to Mugabe-style prosperity.

Additionally, Captain Ed noticed,

Chavez also has a mechanism that will cripple these officeholders even further. Hugo has formed 20,000 "communal councils" that will have the power to distribute funds from the dictator on infrastructure maintenance and social welfare programs. The councils answer to him, and their distribution of money will solidify Chavez' grip on the nation.

These changes effectively

are intended to 1) reinforce Chavez powers and 2) make sure that no one has access to enough power to launch a threatening bid against Chavez in any future election.

With a menu like that, Hugo's well on his way to being the happiness dictator.

Banana republic flambe for dessert to follow.

Until then, don't go wearing a thong.

Update
Father and son?



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Please also vote for this post at Real Clear Politics.

Wretchard on terrorism, and the name of God

Richard Fernandez, Belmont Club's own Wretchard, was my podcast guest last Friday. Siggy co-hosted, and it was a most interesting podcast, as you would expect any conversation with them to be.

During our conversation, Richard raised a point on terrorism in South East Asia,

Terrorism in South East Asia is a little less deeply rooted in the culture of the area except insofar as it's rooted in the old traditions of piracy and banditry."

The conversation then led to the subject of failed societies. Siggy posts,

In fact, the terrorists aims are deliberately misrepresented- and that is in their interest and the interest of the those who appropriate those causes to serve their own ideologies. The terrorists and their supporters don’t want to see western values (i.e., democratic principles) and successes brought into the Muslim world because western values and successes are antithetical to the ideologies of terrorist and their supporters. Terror flourishes when societies fail. Introduce values that embrace individual freedoms and the freedoms that allow an individual to succeed, and support for terror vanishes.

The petri dish of terror is failure.

If the terrorists and their supporters and apologists really wanted to better the lives of hundreds of millions of oppressed people, they would use America western freedoms as models for success. Instead, terrorists and their supporters seek to destroy the freedoms that have authored success. They deliberately want to keep failed leaders and failed ideologies in place.

Are European societies surrendering themselves to failed ideologies? Today Richard has a post, The Nine Billionth Name of God, on the Dutch Catholic bishop who espouses the absurd notion that "people of all faiths refer to God as Allah to foster understanding". Richard says,

And that in a way, perfectly describes what has transpired in the post-everything world of Europe. The names of God did not matter to the jaded intellectuals until the last. Allah is the nine billionth name of God. And now the stars, without the slightest fuss, are going out.

By failing to understand that what we call God does matter, Bishop Tiny Muskens (that is his real name) has handed the enemies of Western values - to use Siggy's words - the petri dish of terror.

What to do against terror? In the podcast, Richard said,

One of the best things we can do is simply stand up...because it creates a nucleus around which a resistance is in place.

We didn't discuss the Dutch bishop on Friday's podcast, but listen to why it is important to understand how failed societies beget terror here.

Update
Great minds think alike: As I was posting this, Siggy was pondering Evil, On Borrowed Time
Update 2
Professor Bainbridge:

Words matter. To a person of faith, no word matters more than the name of God.

Jeff Kouba of Truth v. The Machine calls it Another Surrender of Breda

More at Memeorandum.

Kidnapping by the book

Via Sigmund, Carl and Alfred,
Online Islamist Forum Hosted in Texas Posts Guide for Kidnapping Americans (emphasis added):

The popular Islamist-jihadist forum www.alhesbah.org, hosted by RealWebHost in Texas, U.S., recently posted an anonymously written document from 2003 titled "The Excellent Summary of the Rules of the Art of Kidnapping Americans." The 60-page guide describes each stage of the kidnapping, explaining how to select the target and then how to follow him, seize him, transport him to a safe location, and hold him there, as well as how to conduct negotiations. The guide also explains how to execute the hostage should negotiations fail.

The guide also includes the qualifications for the kidnappers, too:

As for the kidnappers, the guide states that they should be devout and in good physical condition. In addition, they must be familiar with the locale, and must be able to disguise themselves and to blend in with their surroundings.

My first question reading this is, are there any connection to the gangs currently in the US, to terrorists entering the US, or to the Mexican kidnapping industry?