War of Wits

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah raging in Lebanon is one of those vents that may either fade away into obscurity or shape the history of the Middle East for generations to come. Only the passage of time will reveal the historical context in which this battle occurred. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain; over the next several years, the history of the entire Middle East and quite possibly the world is about to be permanently shaped, albeit by some strange bedfellows.

A lot of people initially viewed this as a small, regional issue that could be solved through some shuttle diplomacy and that it would be over soon. The stock markets barely registered a blip. Now it could potentially swallow the whole Middle East, if left unchecked.

Iran and North Korea have active nuclear weapons programs. There is mounting evidence to suggest that Iranian “officials” were present during the North Korean missile tests. On Thursday July 20th, Assistant Secretary of State for Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill said in Congressional testimony that “is our understanding” that one or more Iranian officials were present at the July test launches.

Whatever they were doing there, I’m sure it was to our detriment.

With the exception(for now) of North Korea, all of the Middle East issues are related, and they all pertain to our War on Terror. This isn’t about just Israel.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim paramilitary terrorist organization. While Muslim, they are not Arabs. They have vowed for as long as I can remember to destroy Israel. They have also killed hundreds of US Marines. Being primarily Shiite, Hezbollah’s handlers and financial backers are Syria and Iran. Iran is primarily a Shiite country.

With a nuclear weapon, Iran becomes powerful. They can destroy Israel. The trouble is, the Arab countries in the region with most of the influence, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan do not want to see Iran emerge as the Middle East’s power broker. The idea of a non-Arab state in the Middle East’s power position doesn’t sit well with them, despite the fact that they too would probably dance for joy if Israel were wiped off the map.

The stage for this latest spasm of violence between Israel and Hezbollah was set when Hamas terrorists kidnapped Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier.

In a show of supposed support to the Palestinians, Hezbollah then kidnapped 2 more Israeli soldiers, spirited them back to somewhere in Lebanon and immediately began issuing demands and lobbing rockets.

The response to Israel’s increasing pressure in Lebanon has been somewhat muted and international calls for a cease-fire have justifiably been rebuffed by Israel and the United States as not being a solution to the overall problem.

Lebanon is between a rock and a hard place.

In these Muslim countries with numerous coups, dictators and failed regimes, the power vacuum always provides opportunities for organizations such as al-Qaeda and Hezbollah to fill that vacuum.

They do this by building local hospitals, schools, roads and sewer systems to gain popular support among the people they are seeking to use as human shields at the first opportunity. Despite the fact that civilians are dying in Lebanon, Hezbollah is entrenched in the Lebanese political establishment and they enjoy widespread support among the Lebanese Shia population.

So now that you have some context, here is how I see it.

Israel is rightfully defending itself from the unprovoked actions of an organization that is sworn to its destruction, and incidentally has scores of gallons of American blood on its hands.

But if they don’t get some close air support for their troops, they’ll continue to suffer heavy casualties like they did when a group of about a dozen soldiers were ambushed from alleyways and rooftops, killing 8.

Syria and Iran both made machinations as if they would get militarily involved with Israel if they invade Lebanon, although Syria has backed off that stance in recent days. Israel has uncovered evidence that Syrian and Iranian shrapnel is present in some of the rocket fragments being launched at them.

Syria and Iran are arming Hezbollah, while at the same time the United States is facing increasing international criticism for taking sides; i.e., giving bunker busters to Israel in a pre-approved deal.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are making veiled threats to get involved if the US doesn’t rein in Israel. I don’t know about you, but where I come from, them’s fightin’ words.

Two of our supposed allies against terrorism -Egypt and Saudi Arabia- where lots of terrorists originate from, are threatening another of our allies, who is themselves threatened by terrorists.

For me, the choice is easy. Good over evil. Democracy over terror. Rule of Law over thuggery. We must stand with Israel. It is our duty as peace-loving people.

Lebanon must decide what it is going to stand for as a country. Is it going to side with freedom and peace and help to eject Hezbollah from it’s soil; or is it going to try and show that it stands with the Muslim world against the Zionists?

Is Lebanon’s fledgling army going to show that it stands up for it’s own sovereignty by getting militarily involved with Israel?

I constantly hear the pundits say there is no military solution to this problem. I for one beg to differ. I believe the only solution to this problem is military.

I believe the only solution to the global problem of terrorism is either a military one or a political one that is brought about only because a military solution was reached first, when one side got their you-know-whats handed to them by the other. I believe that the only way this solution can come about is with the help of the moderate Muslim world. The one that seeks peace.  The problem is, I believe the number of moderate Muslim voices speaking out against violence is on the wane. I hope they prove me wrong, but they never speak out or condemn rabid Muslim killers for chopping off heads or killing civilians or even other Muslims.

But when a western army kills civilians unintentionally they are accused by Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, of deliberately targeting people. Mr. Annan doesn’t seem to understand that his observers were deliberately used as human shields by the terrorists.

Nobody is condemning Hamas or Hezbollah for indoctrinating children with hatred and parading them armed through the streets in front of TV cameras. It is after all, a violation of international law to arm children and send them to fight. Why does Kofi Annan not speak out on this practice?

When someone vows repeatedly to come into your house and kill you and your family, are you going to try and negotiate; try and talk them out of it; or are you going to arm yourself so you can blow his sorry butt down the stairs when he violates the sanctity of your home?

So when Hezbollah or Iran continually swear to destroy Israel, why shouldn’t we take their word for it? The only language terrorists understand is violence. Brute force is the only way to gain their respect. The solution to international terrorism is to make it so painful to these organizations as a whole, that their whole existence is threatened by even sticking their heads out of the caves they hide in.

The problem is not so much terrorism. We can take care of that militarily. The problem is the civilian support that terrorists enjoy, and the lack of intelligence on these groups.

The United States has finally taken the correct position on terrorism concerning the root causes of the Lebanese issue. I can only hope it translates into a shift in US policy in terms of more aggressive action against terrorists worldwide - instead of simply engaging in a war of attrition like we are in Iraq. I fully supported both invasions of Iraq, but next week I will give you a compelling argument why we (our administration)acted immorally, and why we need to reexamine our presence there.

On the NPAT, which is a sort of position paper for political candidates that shows where they stand on various issues, Jane Harman (D-CA) took the following positions that were ideologically all over the map:

On budgetary spending and Tax Issues:

She supports increasing federal funding for the Arts, international aid and national parks, but to simply maintain current military funding with no increase. Without an even stronger military, we’ll be ruled by the Taliban. And judging by their treatment of 1,500 year old Buddha statues, journalists and Afghans who like to sing and dance, they don’t much care for the arts.

She supports modest increases in military training, hardware, modernization, retention and readiness along with a substantial increase in military pay… But she believes that we should simply maintain the current levels in the areas of Intelligence operations, a Missile Defense Shield and R & D for new weapons systems - 3 of today’s most pressing requirements.

On Energy:

She supports strengthening the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, but not the Clear Skies Act.

She supports the Kyoto Protocol which is no more than handcuffing of the US so that other less developed nations like India and China with no commitment to environmental stewardship can compete economically.

On International Aid:

She supports granting US aid when circumstances threaten civilian lives or when it is in the National Security interests of the Unites States, but doesn’t support withdrawing said aid when it is in our national interest.

On International policy:

She supports a United States withdrawal from Iraq but at the same time on the very next question, she is undecided about whether to send more troops to Iraq.

Regarding North Korea:

She declined to answer the question on whether we should use diplomatic and economic pressure in the effort to disarm North Korea.

She is undecided about whether or not to use military force to destroy North Korea’s nuclear weapons capability.

She does not support any efforts to remove North Korea’s Leader, Kim Jong Il.

On National Security:

She supports using military tribunals to try terrorist suspects.

She believes that the US should hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country.

She doesn’t support preemptive strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to US national Security.

On CBS’ Face the Nation, Sunday, July 16th, 2006, she stated “First of all, the doctrine of pre-emption –the Bush doctrine– shouldn’t just be at the end of a gun. It should be pre-emptive diplomacy. And had our government acted in 2004 to enforce Resolution 1559, we might not now have this Hezbollah problem…” It’s always our fault with these liberals. We are the root cause of terrorism, not a bunch of cave-dwelling cult members that chop people’s heads off for fun.

‘Resolution 1559′is UN Security Council Resolution 1559, drafted in 2004. The UN doesn’t enforce it’s own worthless resolutions, why should the United States?  The fact that Rep. Harman doesn’t know this, or chooses to ignore it is very informative. Facts are so inconvenient to the liberal-minded, it’s almost funny to see them squirm to contort the truth.

If the people of California continue to vote this woman into office, then they get what they deserve.

The ACLU threatens our survival.

Two of the most shameful lies the ACLU has ever perpetrated on the American people are that they are interested in American civil liberties, and that the Constitution calls for the Separation of Church and State.

I challenge anyone to show me where in the Constitution the words “Separation of Church and State” can be found.

The reference to religion the ACLU refers to is in the Bill Of Rights, and what it actually says is: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ” .

It doesn’t say “Except in public schools or courthouses or other public places”.

Nor does it mention anything about not being offensive to atheists or miscreants who won’t respect our colors or religious heritage. If anything, it’s completely ambivalent on the subject of religious expression.

The ACLU has consistently held the position that the Constitution should keep the most liberal interpretation, meaning essentially that it permits most anything not actually prohibited by law. Except of course when it comes to Christian prayer. Muslims are free to pray in America anytime or anywhwere they please.

You have to ask yourself why?

The ACLU was co-founded by Roger Baldwin, a pacifist and Communist sympathizer, Crystal Eastman, a radical militant feminist and other goofball socialist characters with no interest whatsoever in protecting the American way of life.

I submit to you, it is still their profound wish to destroy it so they can remake it in their gender neutral, socioeconomically equal, militarily neutered, Communist Ideal. They want to take away our heritage, rewrite history and turn us into nothing more than a bunch of pacifist, weaponless, Godless, emasculated sheep, sucking on the teat of Communism.

In conclusion:

The US Senate is working overtime to obliterate the US borders and attack our own socioeconomic infrastructure by flooding it with hundreds millions of illegal aliens over the next few decades, many of whom have the stated goal of overthrowing the US Southwest and returning it to Mexico through the US political process and electing of US candidates who support their ideals;

The ACLU, Human Rights attorneys, the Supreme Court and the Democratic party are dead set on ensuring that terrorists have more protections that we do in fighting them;

And the American leadership –not the military– lacks a fundamental understanding of the mindset of our enemy. The mindset of a bully. The mindset of a terrorist intent on sowing fear and panic by sinking to new lows each week in terms of how they use a civilized nation’s laws, freedoms, customs and technology against it.

The mindset of people who are so brainwashed that they gleefully blow themselves up, not as an anomaly to win or end a conflict, but as a military doctrine and a rule of engagement to fight it.

We are constantly one step behind these people. We are perpetually reactive, instead of proactive. You can’t win anything that way. Winning requires initiative and guts, two qualities that the Bush Administration is sorely lacking.

Combine the internal problems of the US, the Iraq war mess, the stalemate in Afghanistan, the other two tentacles of the Axis of Evil -Iran and North Korea- the latter whom launched 7 missiles to mark our Independence and the declaration of all out war by Hezbollah in the Middle East and President Bush is in it way over his head.

Excuse me for a moment. I think I smell smoke…

It has been said that Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

There was no real proof that he had anything to do with the great fire that nearly destroyed Rome in 64 A.D., but history suggests that Nero himself fed the beliefs of his growing list of enemies. Much like President Bush with liberal conspiracy theorists in modern times.

Rome was a victim of many things; Its decadence. It’s indifference to the needs and desires of it’s citizens. It’s Quislings as well as it’s sworn enemies.

The United States of America is no different. We face the same internal and external threats. This country busted it’s figurative “cherry” in the Revolutionary War of 1776. We stood up to tyranny and said “ENOUGH!”. We have defended that principle to the death ever since.

What are the biggest threats to our survival at this point in our history?

The United States Senate threatens our survival.

With it’s complete sellout of American border security for the sake of trying to make voters out of the tidal wave of humanity that is choking our civilization to death or exploiting them to score political points. The myth that lettuce would cost $3.00 if Mexicans weren’t picking it is utter nonsense. If it was true, then people would do without lettuce, and buy the equivalent of what’s now about a gallon of gas instead.

Those who subscribe to the theory that the illegal aliens are already here so we might as well throw out the welcome mat and not only legalize the ones that are here, but increase that by hundreds of millions more threaten our survival.

Our own ignorance threatens our survival.

Our enemies work from within. They sow dissent and fear. They are freely given constitutional protections so they can sneak that boxcutter on board without being searched for fear of charges of racism or racial profiling.

Or they hide behind civilians and shoot at us, knowing full well that they can take advantage of the propaganda points and inflame world opinion afterwards.

Or they shave their beards, change their name from Mohammed to Juan, acquire a taste for burritos, learn “Si, Senor”, so they can come here under our anarchist immigration system and wait for a message to activate the sleepers now that the NY Times has been gracious enough to remind our enemies that we’re monitoring both the phones and wire transfers.

The US Supreme Court threatens our survival.

Thanks to them, our enemies will now be given a whole host of protections that we don’t enjoy. Like the Geneva Conventions. They’re free to ambush and kidnap US soldiers and saw their heads off with a kitchen knife, but if we so much as give one of them a bloody nose or insult their manhood, we’ll be prosecuted for war crimes. The tactic was so successful that now it was used in Israel as a way to try and win release of prisoners and lit the fuse to all out war. All this accomplishes is projecting weakness.

IF THIS IS HOW OUR SOLDIERS HAVE TO FIGHT, THE US ARMY HAD BETTER START HANDING OUT THE CYANIDE PILLS, BECAUSE THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF HEADS ROLLING OTHERWISE.

Thus reads the label on many medicines and ointments meant to help a myriad of conditions from fevers to rashes to mental disorders.

Many people suffer from a disease. They recognize the symptoms, but they refuse to see a doctor. The disease is communicable and sometimes deadly. When members of the general public come in contact with the disease, their immune systems often succumb in a very short time.

It begins with a complete failure of the cerebral synapses that control reason and judgment, which mimics Alzheimer’s Disease. If allowed to run it’s course, it will infect millions, and eventually lead to a pandemic.

It is called liberalism. It is a serious disease. But it can be cured.

The New York Times continues to stand by this absurd notion that the public’s right-to-know somehow outweighs their responsibility as Americans not to help our enemies.

As I stated last week, freedom isn’t without consequences. Just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.

The Times is making all sorts of excuses, not the least of which is the one about not being the first to leak the information. That’s just a smokescreen. It makes no difference. Just because someone else said it first, doesn’t make it OK to repeat it.

I constantly hear the argument that President Bush is recruiting terrorists by attacking Iraq, or the Abu Ghraib prison incident, or Guantanamo Bay.

What the news media sometimes fail to understand, is that if they aren’t careful what they report, they could wind up being just as guilty as they accuse Bush of being when it comes to the recruiting of terrorists.

They continue to show photos of the terrorist formerly known as Abu Musab al Zarqawi. I had forgotten about him the day he was killed, but they keep showing the pictures, reminding us of what a brave man he was, followed by reports of bin Laden praising him as “the lion” of Iraq.

They continue to show stories about new recordings -accompanied by 3 year old photos- promising more attacks.

These purveyors of what is supposed to be objective journalism should stop being the mouthpieces of enemy propaganda.

They should stop giving more coverage to wanted terrorists than the brave men who die hunting them down and giving them a measure of justice.

They should refuse to air any statement whatsoever given by a terrorist, especially an avowed terrorist.

And if they really felt that the release of a statement by bin Laden was a newsworthy event, they could simply stick to the facts and report that he issued another threat to the US but they would have no further comment. No photos. No sound. No video.

Every time they show Zarqawi’s picture, some wannabe is inspired by his “martyrdom” to take up arms against us.

Every time they show pictures of naked Abu Ghraib prisoners amongst snarling dogs, someone, somewhere swears allegiance to jihad. To be perfectly clear: a lot of times I disagree with the actions of my government, but I still don’t believe that I should be undermining their efforts in trying to keep our sworn enemies from killing us. It’s called patriotism. Liberals just don’t get it.

One of these days, that al-Zawahiri video is going to be a coded instruction for sleepers to awaken and visit their destruction upon the United States and some dogged reporter will have aided the slaughter because he was too eager to be the first to break the news.

Judicial Tyranny. 

The Supreme Court rulings that came down this week with respect to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the treatment of detainees suspected of being terrorists, is not just a defeat for the Bush administration. It is a virtual gold mine to international terrorist organizations.

A couple of years ago, Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated the Court would begin to look to International opinion in rendering it’s decisions about legal matters of importance in this country. Now they are telling us that military tribunals would have to be authorized by an act of Congress. Until then, they must allow our enemy to nakedly use our very own constitutional protections as a weapon against us.

The Admiral who runs the prison at Guantanamo Bay was roundly criticized by members of the press, but 100% correct when he stated the 3 suicides there were acts of asymmetrical warfare.  One attorney actually tried to argue that suicide is against Islam, so it was an act of desperation, instead of enemy propaganda. What a laugh.

Our enemy respects no one’s life, much less their own. They’re blowing themselves up in Iraq like it’s going out of style. And NO MUSLIMS ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET ARE SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THIS MADNESS. They respect nothing but unmitigated violence. The Supreme Court is telling us that we have violated, and also must abide by the Geneva Conventions relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. I am telling you they’re wrong.

Article IV of The Geneva Conventions clearly and unequivocally states that a prisoner of war is a person that;

• Is commanded by a superior officer and is responsible to that officer (as opposed to being grouped in autonomous, decentralized terrorist cells capable of striking independently.)

• Has a recognizable insignia (badge, flag, uniform, or other identifier). Turbans don’t qualify as insignia or uniforms.

• Carries their weapons openly (as opposed to using burquas, suicide bombers, and IEDs).

• Is an inhabitant of the territory who is a party to the conflict, and has taken up arms against an invader, but who also respect the laws of war, (as opposed to international jihadists).

Therefore, once again, the simplest explanation:

If they cannot be classified under the Geneva Conventions as a prisoner of war; if they fight without being commanded by superiors; f they are not from countries who have signed on to the Geneva Conventions; if they don’t respect the most basic laws of war themselves; then then the Geneva Conventions don’t apply.

The effect of the Supreme Court ruling was to tie our hands and create an imbalance in favor of the enemy. We can’t win this war. Not like this. The gloves should come off… NOW. Or we should disengage until we have a plan to win.

Exhibit B: 

The Palestinians, and their quest for statehood.

The problem here is that they don’t simply seek statehood. They seek the destruction of Israel. How else do you explain the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier this week?

They are currently trying to convince the world they deserve their own homeland, while taking a page right out of al-Qaeda’s playbook and tunneling like the rats they are under an Israeli checkpoint to kidnap a soldier and make demands. While they are under pressure from the entire world to recognize the State of Israel, and make nice, they show their true colors.

This was totally unprovoked, and was a fledgeling “government” engaging in kidnapping and extortion.

Like most Muslim nations hostile towards the US, they claim victimhood and western bias, but don’t accept one iota of responsibility for doing anything to foster those biases.

Now, when Israel responds, they demand the release of prisoners and an end to Israeli military action that is a direct result of their kidnapping of a soldier and extortion.

Then they accuse Israel of igniting a war over (once again) their kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. As if that weren’t enough, they went before the UN to try and get them to issue a resolution condemning Israel. And if that still weren’t enough, they accused Israel of having some sort of premeditated plan to invade them.

In regards to the alleged premeditated plan: There are only 2 possibilities. He’s lying, or he’s telling the truth.

If he’s lying, he’s at best, trying to manipulate international opinion and falsely accusing Israel of trying to destroy them. It wouldn’t be the first time. Remember the empty claims of atrocities at the Jenin refugee camp a few years ago? They went on and on for days, and after the smoke cleared, it became evident that there were no atrocities.

For the sake of argument, let’s say he’s telling the truth. Then, we can infer that they had a pretty good idea they would be attacked if they didn’t stop their own attacks. So why did they tunnel in to seize a hostage then, you ask? Because they want to provoke Israel. And poke them in the eye. Like the little punk that knows he can’t beat you in a fair fight, so he has to resort to dirty tricks, instead of standing toe-to-toe.

Kidnappings are, for the Palestinians, a way of life. A way to settle scores. They kidnap a foreigner or the aide of a mistrusted riva, and then demand negotiations to obtain a happy ending.

I want to believe those people can live alongside Israel in peace, but they continue to show otherwise. The Palestinian people bear the brunt of the responsibility. You reap what you sow. They swatted at a gnat by electing murderers to power to counter corruption. And those in power are now drunk on it, and out of control.

After a bloodbath lasting this many years, the simplest explanation:

They don’t want peace.

In memory of Robert Jones, Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca. Welcome Home.

To paraphrase a principle attributed to William of Ockham:

“All things being equal, the simplest explanation is the correct one.” That’s the principle known as “Ockham’s Razor”.

Exhibit A:

Witness the debate raging over the flag right now. Once again, the 2-party system is engaged in a tug-of-war and you and I are at the mercy of the 800-pound gorillas at both ends of the rope. It’s enough to give you whiplash. The country continues to be torn asunder by this polarization.

On one side, you have Republicans posturing for political traction. Trying desperately to gain some support by rallying “the base” with votes on constitutional amendments to ban flag burning and gay marriage. Ubiquitous election-year politicking. Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly support the premise, but question the timing.

On the other, you have Democrats bending over backwards trying to argue it should remain legal to desecrate and destroy the very symbol that only guarantees their First Amendment rights in the first place because it continues to fly smartly.

In the interest of bridging the political chasm enveloping us, I have a “dummy-proof” approach to end the argument over flag burning once and for all.

Constitutionally speaking, free speech isn’t free of consequences. There are laws against libel and slander. You can’t just say anything you please. There are some limits.

Therefore, if they won’t ban flag desecration outright, my plan would require that anyone who wishes to burn a flag must obtain a permit to do so. They would be required to post that permit at the site of the flag burning for 72 hours before they did so, to alert the public to the impending offense of their sensibilities.

Anyone who fails to obtain such permit, would then face a $5,000.00 civil penalty and federal charges of destruction of government property.

The permits would be a matter of public record.

That way, Americans can easily tell when they did a permit search if that guy was just the village idiot whacked out on too much LSD and still railing at the “establishment”(even though they now are the establishment) or some rabid terrorist intent on inciting jihad.

People need permits to have a parade, protest march, concert or countless other gatherings in public. The reasons why are usually dependent upon how many people will be present at the event, how it will impact pedestrian and vehicle traffic, etc.

Surely, some idiot torching Old Glory in the middle of an intersection in Manhattan would cause a ruckus. Not to mention the fire hazard, the risk to children and contributing to the rise in global warming.

By their own admission, anyone who voted against this believes that freedom of speech is of paramount importance…

Even if it desecrates a national treasure, breaks a mother’s heart, or smears the memory of the fallen, burning that flag as an expression of freedom is more important. The simplest explanation:

This isn’t about free speech. It is about trying to find the most foul, offensive, in-your-face way of provoking not only the government, but the average citizen. It is an attempt to divide and thus conquer.