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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Nearly 10 Years Out, and the Attack on the USS Cole isn't Over...

USS Cole bombing survivor dies in Fla. home

By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer – Tue Dec 29, 2:59 pm ET

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool lost his left foot when a bomb ripped a hole in the side of the USS Cole nearly a decade ago, but the injury was nothing compared with the mental torment that ravaged him almost daily.

He returned home to Florida suffering severe post-traumatic stress disorder and frequent panic attacks so violent he would launch into seizures and even fractured his own wrist several times as he flailed, sister Natala Gokool said Tuesday.
One of the brothers he lived with found him dead in their home last Wednesday, just a week after his 31st birthday, Natala Gokool said. His cause of death was unknown, though she said foul play was not suspected. The family believes the seizures just became too much for his body to handle.

Full story here.

Our hearts go out to this Hero's family, and all those haunted by the attack on the Cole...

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Friday, September 11, 2009

Remember...

There are precious few headlines devoted to it today. People are "moving on." And the White House designated it a "Day of Service," not a day to remember (of course, now it's a "Day of Remembrance and Service." I'm sure that had nothing to do with the backlash...). Seems the Left, the White House included, just wants to forget it ever happened.

But I can't. I won't. On this day each year, I will remember. Every sunny, cool, breezy morning as I drive in a car, I will remember. Whenever I hear news of our troops in Afghanistan, I will remember. At odd moments, out of the blue, I will remember.

I will never forget.

We must never forget.


photographer unknown


National Park Service photo

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Home-Grown Jihad

At what point do we decide we're going to pay attention to the threats on our own soil? Certainly, it's a dicey proposition. We don't want to repeat the era of internment camps and rounding up U.S. citizens without cause. But we'd better start paying attention to the terrorists in our midst, or we're going to have more of this type of tragedy:


A man with "political and religious motives" killed a soldier just out of basic training and wounded another Monday in a targeted attack on a military recruiting center in Arkansas, police said.

The suspect, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, reportedly had been under investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force after he traveled to Yemen and was arrested there for using a Somali passport.

According to ABC News, the investigation was in its early stages and was based on Muhammad's travel to Yemen. While there, Muhammed, a recent convert to Islam, studied jihad with an Islamic scholar, Jihadwatch.org reported.

A police report based on an interview with the suspect said Muhammad, 23, told police he observed two soldiers in uniform on Monday, drove up to the recruiting center in Little Rock and started shooting.
Sigh. Yet another reason that "Religion of Peace" thing doesn't quite ring true with me. You can read the rest here.

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Monday, March 23, 2009

Religion of Peace: Terrortown, NY

I'm not quite sure why this is headline news, since this place has been well known for years, but here we are:

HANCOCK, N.Y. — If you didn't know where to look, you'd probably never find Islamberg, a private Muslim community in the woods of the western Catskills, 150 miles northwest of New York City.

The town, sitting on a quiet dirt road past a gate marked with No Trespassing signs, is home to an estimated 100 residents. There are small houses and other buildings visible from the outside, but it is what can't be seen from beyond the gate that has some watchers worried.

Islamberg was founded in 1980 by Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani, a Pakistani cleric who purchased a 70-acre plot and invited followers, mostly Muslim converts living in New York City, to settle there.Federal authorities say Gilani was also one of the founders of Jamaat al-Fuqra, a terrorist organization believed responsible for dozens of bombings and murders across the U.S. and abroad. The group was linked to the planning of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and 10 years earlier a member was arrested and later convicted for bombing a hotel in Portland, Ore.

[...]

Shoe bomber Richard Reid has been linked to the group, along with convicted D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad. But it is Sheikh Gilani who creates the most controversy and concern.

Gilani has told his followers that "Zionist plotters" plan to rule the world, and he encourates them to leave America's cities and avoid the "decadence of a godless society." Gilani is the man American reporter Daniel Pearl was trying to interview in Pakistan when he was kidnapped and beheaded. The Sheikh was taken into custody and later released by Pakistani authorities; he denies any involvement in Pearl's murder.

[...]

So basically, we have a report that warns state troopers to look out for citizens exercising their Constitutional rights, and classifies them as possible domestic terrorists - but it's very likely that real terrorists have been allowed to operate in upstate NY for years without anyone saying anything. Oh, and the place was founded by the guy Daniel Pearl was headed to interview when he was kidnapped. But Gilani couldn't have had anything to do with that - after all, he says so.

Yeah, that makes sense.

The full story is here.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Religion of Peace: Building Bridges, Beheading Brides

Bridges TV was touted as the TV station that was going to bring understanding to America - to "better the Islamic image" in the U.S.

Yeah, umm.....FAIL:

Beheading in New York Appears to Be Honor Killing, Experts Say

The beheading of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan has all the markings of an honor killing, psychologists and Islamic experts tell FOXNews.com, as the upstate New York woman's husband awaits a preliminary hearing on murder charges.

Muzzammil Hassan, 44, remains jailed after being charged with the second-degree murder of his wife, whose body was found Thursday at the office of Bridges TV, their television station in Orchard Park, near Buffalo.

Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz said Hassan has not confessed to the crime, despite media reports to the contrary.

"He came in and said his wife was dead," said Benz, who declined to elaborate on the particulars of his conversation with the suspect.

But Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III left no doubt that he believes Muzzammil Hassan killed his wife. Hassan will appear for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Orchard Park. If convicted of second-degree murder, he faces up to life in prison.

"He's a pretty vicious and remorseless bastard," Sedita told FOXNews.com Tuesday. "Whether he was motivated by some kind of interpretation of his religious or cultural views, we don't know. We'll look into everything in the case."


More here
**********************************************

And then there's this little gem:


FBI Cuts Ties With CAIR Following Terror Financing Trial

The FBI severed its ties with all local branches of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country's largest Islamic advocacy group, an FBI official told FOX News.

The FBI is severing its once-close ties with the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, amid mounting evidence that it has links to a support network for Hamas.

All local chapters of CAIR have been shunned in the wake of a 15-year FBI investigation that culminated with the conviction in December of Hamas fundraisers at a trial where CAIR itself was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator.

The U.S. government has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.

An official at the FBI's headquarters in Washington confirmed to FOX News that his office directed FBI field offices across the country to cut ties with local branches of CAIR.

More here
Me, I'm a little concerned that there ever WERE ties to CAIR....seriously, how did anyone not know these guys were tied to terrorists?? What's next - the shocking news that Mexican drug gangs are dangerous?

And while we're on the subject, CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in a trial that ended - in a conviction - in freakin' December! It takes until February to cut ties?? Methinks there's a few people whose heads need to be removed from a certain part of their anatomy.

Your tax dollars at work, folks.

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Monday, February 16, 2009

Religion of Peace: Coping with Terrorists, the Pakistani Way

Pakistan has come up with a revolutionary way of dealing with murdering, low-life terrorists: give them what they want:

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across much of northwest Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying the Taliban insurgency spreading from the border region to the country's interior.

[...]

"Our whole struggle is for the enforcement of Shariah (Islamic) law," Swat Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said. "If this really brings us the implementation of Shariah, we will fully cooperate with it."

[...]

...the main changes were included in existing laws stipulating Islamic justice that have never been enforced. They allow for Muslim clerics to advise judges when hearing cases, but do not ban female education or mention other strict interpretations of Shariah espoused by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hey, it works with pirates, right? I mean, paying ransoms has all but eliminated piracy near Somalia, hasn't it? Right? Hello?

Giving the terrorists what they want will work - until they want something else, anyway. After all, why not just take the coward's route. I mean, if you have no spine, no dignity, no values, and no regard for your people, it's a great solution.

Me, I'm for killing them. Bullets are cheap. Sacrificing your sovereignty and freedom is expensive.

As Ben Franklin said, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. "

Let's just hope the President and our Congress are too busy wasting our money to try this one.

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Friday, February 06, 2009

So Why Not Close Gitmo?

I can think of close to three hundred reasons. Three hundred reasons just like this:

At Least One American Believed Killed by Freed Gitmo Prisoners
If the Guantanamo prison base is shut down, critics say, some military combatants currently held there will be sent back to their home countries — where they will rejoin terrorist groups and ultimately kill Americans.

It's already happened.

A New York woman was killed in a terrorist attack at the U.S. Embassy in Sana, Yemen, in September. And U.S. counterterrorism officials have now confirmed that Said Ali al-Shihri, 35, who was released from the Guantanamo Bay prison center in 2007, is the deputy leader of Al Qaeda in that Mideast country and is a suspect in the attack.

State Department officials have identified Susan Elbaneh, 18, of Lackawanna, N.Y., as one of at least 16 people — including her Yemeni husband — who died in the coordinated strike.

Elbaneh was initially thought to be the first American victim of a freed enemy combatant, but a Defense Department source told FOXNews.com Friday that she was not the first American "possibly" killed by a former Guantanamo detainee.

"Due to classification, I cannot get into who or when other than to say it was before the Embassy attack," the source wrote....
Read the rest here.

We're not keeping truants at Gitmo, folks. We're keeping murdering terrorist dirtbags down there. Release them, and we send them right back into the fight. How does that make any sort of sense? They want to kill us. Why the hell can't we even lock them up?

The new Administration wants them in your backyard - or worse, released to roam the streets. John Murtha says it's just fine with him if they're in his backyard (of course, knowing full well that his district doesn't have the maximum security prisons necessary to house them). How about you?

The countries these pieces of filth came from are refusing to take them back. Doesn't that tell you something?

I'm fine with closing Gitmo - once the terrorists safely kept there are permanently prevented from ever being an issue again.

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Beyond the Pale

There just aren't words for how angry this one makes me:



Charges Dropped Against USS Cole Bombing Suspect

The senior military judge overseeing terror trials at Guantanamo Bay has dropped charges against a suspect in the 2000 USS Cole bombing.

The legal move by the Hon. Susan J. Crawford upholds President Obama's Guantanamo order to halt court proceedings at the Navy detention center in Cuba.
The military charges against suspected Al Qaeda bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri marked the last active war crimes case at Guantanamo Bay.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Crawford dismissed the charges against al-Nashiri without prejudice. That means new charges can be brought again later. He will remain in prison for the time being.

"It was her decision, but it reflects the fact that the president has issued an executive order which mandates that the military commissions be halted, pending the outcome of several reviews of our operations down at Guantanamo," Morrell said Thursday night.

The full, disgusting story is here.

I guess it's OK to allow the murderers of our military Heroes to go unpunished - just so long as we don't make the terrorists feel bad.

Welcome to "Hope and Change," folks.

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Monday, February 02, 2009

Okay, NOW I've Heard Everything...

Tough economic times are forcing businesses to compete harder than ever for consumer dollars. People are buying less, spending less, and curtailing extravagant vacations.

So if you're a corrupt, bloated, scandal-ridden bureaucracy that caters to violent left-wing nations and socialist agendas, you've got to dig even deeper to ensure that those billions of dollars of mismanageable funds keep rolling in.

And what better way to do that than capitalizing on the human tragedies of the world that you whine about other people (read, the United States) solving, but do absolutely nothing to solve?

Enter the new vacation spot for the rich and completely disconnected - the U.N.'s new Refugee Run!

That's right, if you're a wealthy European with a hankering to live like the unwashed (but only until you get a craving for escargots and Pernod...) this is the place for you.

Where else can you spend your day in the squalor of a refugee tent from Darfur, Afghanistan, or Iran, and your nights relaxing in the jacuzzi of your luxurious hotel in the Swiss mountains?

Think I'm kidding? Not a chance.

I'm waiting for the U.N. to take some other opportunities it's got out there. I mean, if you're going to cross a line, cross it, dammit! Think about the possibilities. How about:

The African Famine Cafe
Where your lunch is hand-delivered to your table by a starving child. Remember, don't feed the natives!

The Tsunami Water Park
Featuring a wave pool filled with real tsunami debris and replica bloated bodies

The Holocaust House of Horrors
Wander through a terrifying journey filled with moving floors, rooms filled with mirrors, and twisted Nazi scientists as you try to avoid being one of 6 million Jews who may or may not have been murdered by a psychopathic dictator (depending on who you ask). Children under 12 get their own replica yellow star to take home...

Stalin Village
Visit the guest center, where you can play "Raze the village." Challenge other families to see who can wipe out thousands of innocent people first. Are you paranoid enough to beat Stalin's score? And when you're done playing, you can take your picnic lunch out to the perfectly flat, barren wasteland to eat, and enjoy your lunch on what was once a vibrant, thriving village before Stalin ordered everyone killed and the village buried. Visit on his birthday for special discounts!

The 9/11 Fair
What better way to commemorate the deaths of 3,000 innocent people at the hands of Islamic terrorists than a rousing game of Blame America! At the 9/11 Fair, you can learn how to divert aid funds to radical groups, and how to make bland statements denouncing terrorism, all the while condoning nations supporting terrorist groups. It's non-stop hypocritical fun for the entire family. The fair runs the month of September. Negotiations are underway to purchase the soon-to-be-closed Gitmo detention facility for terrorists, in order to allow the fair to be run year round!


Ah, the possibilities are endless.

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The CIA's Top Ten

CIA Director: Al Qaeda is Job 1 of Top 10 Security Challenges in 2009

Iran, North Korea and Al Qaeda are still in, but Iraq is out of the list of top 10 national security threats the United States is likely to face in the coming year.

As Leon Panetta faces a Senate confirmation hearing this week to be the next CIA director, outgoing CIA Director Michael Hayden says several regions and disputes could create serious headaches for the intelligence community in 2009.

Hayden, a Pittsburgh native, put together his list on the way back from a recent Steelers game. It will not be formally presented to his successor, but it does represent the top issues Hayden anticipates will be faced in 2009.

"This is an informal list that I kind of jotted down, what are the things I would fret about over the next 12 months," he told FOX News in the second of two interviews about the nation's greatest security challenges.

"I don't want to get in the business of suggesting ways to threaten the well-being of the planet, but frankly that is what we are in the business of thinking about every day here with our analytic workforce."

Hayden said top of the list is still Al Qaeda, which has been working on expanding its associations with other groups around the world. Hayden said this development is particularly troubling because groups like Lashkar-i-Tayyiba, which was responsible for the attacks in Mumbai last November, start to think outside their region and focus on the United States and elsewhere.

The full article is here. Definitely worth the read, it includes Hayden's reasons for each pick. Here's a quick look at the Top Ten:

1. Al Qaeda

2. Violence in Mexico

3. Iran's nuclear program

4. Europe and the War on Terror

5. Instability caused by the low price of oil

7. Afghanistan

8. North Korea

9. China

10. The Middle East

No real surprises here, but I'm skeptical that the present Administration is going to really want to address many of them. There have been some positive signs with regard to Iraq and Afghanistan, but some scary ones with regard to the Middle East, the War on Terror, and Iran. Unfortunately, if things go wrong, they're going to go very, very wrong.

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OK, So Now Can We Stop Caring About What the Rest of the World Thinks of Us?

Seriously. I'm supposed to be concerned about the rest of the world thinks of my country? When these are the choices they make?

Dismay as Gadhafi chosen to lead African Union


ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Moammar Gadhafi of Libya was elected Monday as leader of the African Union, a position long sought by the eccentric dictator pushing his oil-rich nation into the international mainstream after years of isolation.

Some African leaders offered tepid praise for the choice of Gadhafi, who grabbed power in a 1969 coup. Rights groups called him a poor model for Africa at a time when democratic gains are being reversed in countries such as Mauritania and Guinea.

Once ostracized by the West for sponsoring terrorism, Gadhafi has been trying to increase Libya's presence on the global stage and its regional influence — mediating African conflicts, sponsoring efforts to spread Islam on the continent and pushing for the creation of a single African government.

He attended the session dressed in a gold-embroidered green robe and flanked by seven extravagantly dressed men who said they are the "traditional kings of Africa." Gadhafi told about 20 of his fellow heads of state that that he would work to unite the continent into "the United States of Africa."
So did the Associated Press write this article, or reporters from Fashion Weekly? I mean, if the dude attended the session in a "gold-embroidered green robe," or a chicken costume, who the heck cares? He's a terrorist-sponsoring Islamofascist loon, no matter what he wears - or, for that matter, however the heck you actually spell his last name...Ghadafi, Qaddafi, Khadafy...either way, I think it means "sandwich shy of a picnic" in Arabic.

Gotta love seeing "spreading Islam" AND "single African government tied together," eh? Especially since Islam tends to BE the government in such countries. Since the Islamic nations of Africa have a habit of being a bit terrorist-rich, and really not so peaceful, I'm really not feeling the love coming from that neck of the proverbial woods.

Worry about what the rest of the world thinks about us? Somehow, not a high priority for me.

I wonder if our new President will suck up to Ghadafi Duck, too...

The rest of the article - and one SERIOUSLY unflattering picture of Ghadafi, is here.

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Gunmen Kidnap American U.N. Official

QUETTA, Pakistan — Gunmen kidnapped an American U.N. official and killed his driver in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, underscoring the security threat in a country wracked by Al Qaeda violence and rising criminality.

The official was abducted in the morning on his way to his job as head of the U.N. refugee office in the city of Quetta, senior police official Khalid Masood said. He identified the kidnapped official as John Solecki of the United States.

"Solecki has been serving in Quetta for more than two years," Masood told The Associated Press. "We cannot speculate on the motive behind the crime."

Authorities sealed exit routes from the city, said Wazir Khan Nasir, another senior police official. Meanwhile, police in the border town of Chaman said they were checking vehicles to prevent the kidnappers from whisking the captive to Afghanistan.

It was not immediately clear what impact the kidnapping would have on U.N. staff. September's bombing of Islamabad's Marriott hotel has already prompted new U.N. rules prohibiting expatriate staff in Pakistan from living with their children in parts of the country, including Quetta.


Read more

Related News:
Bomber in Police Uniform Kills 21 Afghan Policemen

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Yep, They're All Innocent at Gitmo...

Wonder if John Murtha is bummed he can't invite this guy to PA:

Bomber's Martyrdom Tape Renews Fears Over Consequences of Closing Gitmo

As President Obama pushes for the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison, the debate over where to house the terror detainees being held there is heating up.

An exclusive video of a former Gitmo detainee's martyrdom tape, obtained by FOX News, is a reminder of the concerns that terror suspects — who have been held but released from Guantanamo Bay — are increasingly returning to the fight against the United States and its allies.

Abdallah Ali al-Ajmi was transferred back to his home country of Kuwait after his release from Guantanamo in 2005. Last April he blew himself up in a homicide attack that killed 12 people in Mosul, Iraq.

Al-Ajmi, known in Guantanamo as Detainee 220, made his martyrdom tape before the attack.

"In the name of Allah, most compassionate, most merciful and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet," al-Ajmi says in the video. "I thank Allah, Lord of the Worlds, who freed me from Guantanamo prison and, after we were tortured, connected me with the Islamic State of Iraq [ISI]. And it is the gift of Allah to follow the path of this nation, the ISI."

In the video, translated by the NEFA Foundation, a non-profit that tracks terror groups, al-Ajmi mentions Guantanamo Bay right away. For many jihadists, having served time at Guantanamo is seen as a badge of honor.

Yeah, well, serving time at Gitmo wouldn't be seen as a badge of honor if no one got turned loose to brag to their friends, but instead, the dirtbags all got left to rot in ignominy for the rest of their lives.

But this does prove that 'religion of peace' thing, doesn't it? I mean, this dude's 'most compassionate, most merciful' god freed him so that he could 'most mercifully and compassionately' blow up innocent people...just steeped in peace.

Yeah, closing up Gitmo and bringing this load of dirtbags to the U.S. mainland is a great idea.

Read the rest of the article here.

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Saturday, January 24, 2009

The Enemy Within: Terrorists Around the Corner

Forget the ones our new President is going to cut loose from Gitmo - we've got another dirtbag to worry about. Check out who's gonna be footloose and fancy free real soon:

NEW YORK — In 1973, a young terrorist named Khalid Duhham Al-Jawary entered the United States and quickly began plotting an audacious attack in New York City.

He built three powerful bombs — bombs powerful enough to kill, maim and destroy — and put them in rental cars scattered around town, near Israeli targets.

The plot failed. The explosive devices did not detonate, and Al-Jawary fled the country, escaping prosecution for nearly two decades — until he was convicted of terrorism charges in Brooklyn and sentenced to 30 years in federal penitentiary.

But his time is up.

In less than a month, the 63-year-old Al-Jawary is expected to be released. He will likely be deported; where to is anybody's guess. The shadowy figure had so many aliases it's almost impossible to know which country is his true homeland.
Before we chucked Khalid into the pen, he was a busy boy. Among his hobbies:

- the Black September's letter-bombing campaign in the 1970s

- a botched terrorist attack in 1979

- very likely, the bombing of a TWA flight in 1974 (which killed 88 people)

But take heart - his lawyer says he was framed.

You can read more here.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

And So it Begins...

Well, one thing's for sure - he's not wasting time.

Obama Administration Moves to Halt Guantanamo Trials

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- Military judges on Wednesday will consider motions by the Obama administration to suspend the Guantanamo war crimes trials for 120 days during a review of the system for prosecuting suspected terrorists.

The motions, filed late Tuesday at the direction of President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will be heard in the cases of five men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks and of Canadian Omar Khadr, who is accused of killing an American soldier with a grenade in Afghanistan in 2002.

Read the Rest
PHOTOS

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Monday, January 19, 2009

9/11 suspects declare guilt at Gitmo war court

I'm just SO excited that our incoming President wants to close Gitmo and bring dirtbags like this to the U.S. mainland...

By BEN FOX, Associated Press Writer

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba – Two alleged orchestrators of the 2001 attacks on America casually declared their guilt on Monday in a messy and perhaps final session of the Guantanamo war crimes court. This week's military hearings could be the last at Guantanamo — President-elect Barack Obama has said he would close the offshore prison and many expect him to suspend the military tribunals and order new trials in the U.S.

Ramzi Binalshibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed architect of the terrorist attacks, were unapologetic about their roles during a series of outbursts as translators struggled to keep up and the judge repeatedly sought to regain control.

"We did what we did; we're proud of Sept. 11," announced Binalshibh, who has said he wants to plead guilty to charges that could put him to death. The judge must first determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial.

Mohammed shrugged off the potential death sentence for the murder of nearly 3,000 people in the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We don't care about capital punishment," said Mohammed, whose thick gray beard flows to the top of his white prison jumpsuit. "We are doing jihad for the cause of God."
He also boo-hooed about being "tortured." Probably didn't like the rice pilaf he was getting. Somehow, I really don't care how he was treated. Whatever we could dream up would probably be too kind for the likes of these two.

Funny how the rest of the world, which yells about us keeping "innocent" people at Gitmo, doesn't want their "innocents" back, isn't it?

You can read the rest of the article here.

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Sunday, January 18, 2009

How's This for Change?

Wish I could say I was surprised:

Feds Say Obama Prayer Leader Is From Group Linked to Hamas

Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is the leader of a group that federal prosecutors say has ties to terrorists.

A Muslim scholar chosen to speak at President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural prayer service Wednesday is the leader of a group that federal prosecutors say has ties to terrorists.

Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is one of many religious leaders scheduled to speak at the prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral.

Mattson has been the guest of honor at State Department dinners and has met with senior Pentagon officials during the Bush administration. She also spoke at a prayer service at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Mattson, who was elected president of the society in 2006, is a professor of Islamic studies at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn.

But in 2007 and as recently as last July, federal prosecutors in Dallas filed court documents linking the Plainfield, Ind.-based Islamic society to the group Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.

Neither Mattson nor her organization have been charged. But prosecutors wrote in July that they had "a wide array of testimonial and documentary evidence expressly linking" the group to Hamas and other radical groups.

Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Obama's inaugural committee, would not discuss the case or say whether the committee knew about it.

"She has a stellar reputation in the faith community," Douglass said Saturday night.

The existence of the court documents was first reported by
Politico.

Read the Rest

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

This Day in Terrorism: Beirut

The explosion of the Marine Corps building in Beirut, Lebanon, created a large cloud of smoke that was visible from miles away. Official USMC Photo


This day in 1983, at approximately 6:20 a.m., a yellow Mercedes delivery truck drove up to the Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport, and charged through the barbed-wire fence. It passed between sentry posts (the Marine sentries did not have loaded weapons), and smashed into the the lobby of Marine headquarters.

One of the sentries reported that the driver was smiling as he passed them.

The truck, which was loaded with the equivalent of about 12,000 pounds of TNT. The four-story building collapsed, crushing many inside to death. The blast produced a mushroom cloud.

Not quite half a minute later, the French Paratrooper barracks suffered the same fate. Another truck loaded with explosives detonated in the underground parking garage, levelling the headquarters.

Rescuers had to contend with sniper fire, but did manage to pull some survivors to safety in the days that followed.

241 American servicemembers were killed; 18 were Navy, 3 Army, and the rest were U.S. Marines. 60 were injured. It was the single deadliest day for the U.S. Marines since Iwo Jima.

The French lost 58 paratroopers; 15 were injured.

Three Lebanese were also killed - two at the Marine barracks, and one at the French barracks.

In response, President Ronald Reagan pledged to keep a military force in the country, despite the "despicable act." Vice President George Bush toured the site three days later, stating that the U.S. would not be cowed by terrorists.

The French retaliated with attacks on Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions in the Bekka Valley; the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was believed to be assisting in training Hezbollah fighters.

Other than limited shelling, the U.S. offered no significant military response to the attacks. A planned strike against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was aborted due to fears of damaging relations with Lebanon's Arab neighbors.

The Marines were moved to an offshore location. In February, 1984, the International Peacekeeping Force withdrew from Lebanon.

In the absence of the lack of strong U.S. military response, and with the withdrawal of the peacekeepers, terrorists celebrated what they saw as a victory. Terrorist attacks against Westerners, and particularly Americans, increased substantially.

The event is widely viewed as the opening salvo of the War on Terror.


For more on the Marine Barracks Bombing:
The Beirut Memorial Online

U.S. Marine Corps Website - 25 Years Later

How it Happened (Military Times)

Ceremony on Sunday marks 25th anniversary of Beirut barracks bombing

"Johnny, there ain't no BLT building."



There are 273 names engraved on the walls of the Memorial. In addition to the inscribed names of those who died in Beirut and those who have died since of injuries from that blast, there are the names of the three Marine pilots from the area who were killed in Grenada. Photo by Lance Cpl. Joseph D. Day

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

In Case You Missed It...

...and you very well may have, since the MSM gave it a pass. After all, when THE ONE is on the verge of taking the reins, why be concerned about a potential attempt to eradicate one of our allies?

Hijacked Iranian Ship Was A Dirty Bomb Meant For Israel On Yom Kippur

On August 21st, 2008, the MV Iran Deyant, 44,458 dead weight bulk carrier was heading towards the Suez Canal. As it was passing the Horn of Africa, about 80 miles southeast of al-Makalla in Yemen, the ship was surrounded by speedboats filled with members of a gang of Somalian pirates who grab suitable commercial ships and hold them and their cargos and crews for ransom. The captain was defenseless against the 40 pirates armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades blocking his passage. He had little choice other than to turn his ship over to them. What the pirates were not banking on, however, was that this was no ordinary ship.
How "not ordinary?" Well:

Within a period of three days, those pirates who had boarded the ship and opened the cargo container with its gritty sand-like contents, all developed strange health complications, to include serious skin burns and loss of hair. And within two weeks, sixteen of the pirates subsequently died, either on the ship or on shore.
The ship has been released. And with none of the MSM covering this, the truth about what is on this ship may never be fully explored or reported - except by the blogs and the Long War Journal. After all, why should we worry about a lunatic who wants to bring about armageddon and has a nuclear program - what could happen?


Read the full story here


H/T to Seamus

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

At Least 60 Dead in Huge Blast at Pakistan Hotel

From FOX News:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A huge truck bomb devastated the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital Saturday, creating a chaotic, fiery scene as rescue crews searched for survivors. At least 60 people reportedly have been killed, including one American.

The blast left a 30-foot deep crater in front of the main building, where flames poured from the windows and rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building — which was in danger of collapsing.
Read More

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

So Long, Slimeball

Official: Senior Al Qaeda Commander Killed in Pakistan

Senior Al Qaeda commander Abu Saeed al-Masri has been killed in recent clashes with Pakistani forces in a Pakistani region near the Afghan border, a security official told Reuters on Tuesday.

"He was believed to be among the top leadership of Al Qaeda," the senior security official told the news agency on condition of anonymity.

More here

Here's hoping his 72 virgins have perpetual headaches.

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Friday, July 18, 2008

And Another Dose of Kindness from the Religion of Peace

Photographer Detained After Filming Taliban Execution of Two Women in Afghanistan

Friday, July 18, 2008
By Ahmad Shuja

The Afghan journalist who filmed and photographed the July 12 execution of two women by the Taliban says he was detained and held for two days by authorities in Afghanistan for suspected ties to terrorists.

The footage and photographs of the executions were distributed by the Associated Press and widely circulated on the Internet, giving rise to suspicions that the photographer, Rahmatullah Naikzad, was connected with the Taliban.

[...]

Naikzad interviewed and filmed the Taliban, who said on tape that the two women “took the pure girls and women” and “indulged them in immoral acts.”

After the interview, he said, the Taliban picked up the two burqa-clad women from a house, put them in a white Toyota Corolla and drove off to a different location.

Naikzad said he followed the Corolla on his bike, with a Taliban car following him.

About a half-hour later, he said, they stopped near Arzo village, close to the Ghazni-Paktika highway, on the outskirts of the province.

The women — one of whom appeared to be carrying a shopping bag — were then taken out of the car and told they would be executed.

Naikzad said he tried to persuade the Taliban not to carry out the executions.

“I told one of the Taliban, ‘These are women, they are harmless. Why would you want to kill them?’ But they didn’t listen to me.”

[...]


Full Story Here

Photos from the execution here (WARNING - GRAPHIC!)

Video from the execution here (WARNING - GRAPHIC!)

Somebody tell me why I'm supposed to feel sorry for these scumbag terrorists when they get locked in Gitmo, again?

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

More Sad News

For the second time in less than a week, sad news about MIA heroes...this time, the news brings a heartbreaking answer on the fate of two Israeli Heroes:

Hezbollah Returns Bodies to Israel in Exchange for Lebanese Militants

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
NAQOURA, Lebanon — Israel freed a notorious Lebanese attacker and four others Wednesday after Hezbollah handed over two black coffins with the bodies of Israeli soldiers, a dramatic prisoner swap that closes a painful chapter from the 2006 war in Lebanon.

The five — including Samir Kantar, who had been serving multiple life terms in Israel for a grisly 1979 attack — were brought home in International Committee for the Red Cross vehicles and received a red-carpet welcome in this coastal border town.

In Israel, family and friends outside the homes of the Israeli soldiers burst into tears when TV images showed Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas taking the coffins out of a black van.


More, including photos, here

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Monday, June 30, 2008

Guantanamo Detainee Charged for Role in USS Cole Attack

Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartman, legal advisor to the convening authority for the Office of Military Commissions, announces at a June 30, 2008, Pentagon press conference, that charges have been sworn against 'Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national of Yemeni descent. It is alleged that Al-Nashiri, an al-Qa'ida operative, participated in the planning and preparation for the attack on the guided missile destroyer USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000, that killed 17 U.S. sailors and wounded 47. Defense Dept. photo by R. D. Ward


By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, June 30, 2008 – A Saudi Arabian national being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been charged with planning and preparing for the attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors and wounded 47 others, the Defense Department announced today.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri was charged today in connection with the Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the vessel as it awaited refueling in the Port of Aden in Yemen, Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, legal advisor to the convening authority in the Office of Military Commissions, told Pentagon reporters today.

The chief prosecutor has recommended that the case be tried as a death-penalty case.

Susan J. Crawford, the convening authority, will review the case and determine which, if any, of the charges should be referred for trial by a military commission, Hartmann said. If she refers the case for trial, Crawford must also decide if she will refer it as a capital case.

The Nashiri swearing brings to 20 the number of detainees at Guantanamo Bay involved in the military commissions process, Hartmann said.

He noted that the military commissions process provides the accused several protections, including representation by a military counsel and a civilian counsel of his own choosing at no expense to the government. The protections, guaranteed by the Military Commissions Act, ensure that Nashiri “receives a fair trial consistent with American standards of justice,” Hartmann said.

Nashiri was charged today with conspiracy to violate the law of war, murder in violation of the law of war, treachery or perfidy, terrorism, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, providing material support to terrorism and attempted murder.

Charges brought against Nashiri today claim he rented apartments and facilities near the Port of Aden to prepare for an attack, bought the boat and explosives used in the attack and arranged for two co-conspirators to launch the attack.

During the attack, two men dressed as civilians are alleged to have piloted what looked like a small, civilian garbage barge up to the ship. The two men allegedly made friendly gestures to crewmembers aboard the ship before detonating explosives hidden in their boat that blasted a 40-foot hole in the side of Cole.

Nashiri also was charged with participating in the unsuccessful attack on the USS The Sullivans as it refueled in the Port of Aden on Jan. 3, 2000, and for helping attack the French supertanker SS Limburg in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 6, 2002. That attack left one crewmember dead and spilled about 90,000 gallons of oil into the gulf.

Nashiri was arrested in October 2002 in the United Arab Emirates and was under CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006.

Hartmann said the charges issued today result from an extensive investigation that brought together the intelligence and law enforcement communities. “We’d rather do it right. We’d rather do it thoroughly. We’d rather do it fairly than quickly,” he said.

If the Nashiri case goes to trial, Hartmann said the defense counsel will have the opportunity to argue points before the military judge, including allegations that Nashiri was subjected to the “waterboarding” interrogation technique by the CIA. “The judge, just as in any matter of law, will make a final decision as to the validity of any piece of evidence,” he said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman emphasized the Defense Department’s commitment to “ensuring that both the process and the military commissions proceedings themselves are as transparent as possible, within the bounds of security and safety.”

The United States has used military commissions for war crime trials since the Revolutionary War, he noted.


Related Sites:
Transcript: USS Cole Briefing
Defense Department News Release
Military Commissions

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Monday, June 02, 2008

Moonbats on Parade: Climate Change

U.K. Bishop Compares Those Who Ignore Climate Change to Austrian 'Horror Dad'

June 2, 2008

A senior bishop in the Church of England has compared people who ignore climate change to Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who kept his daughter locked in a cellar for 24 years, repeatedly raping her and fathering seven of her children.

The Bishop of Stafford, the Right Rev. Gordon Mursell, made the comparison in a parish "pastoral" newsletter and said that people who fail to act to prevent global warming are “as guilty as” Fritzl and “destroying the future of our children,” the Times of London reported Monday.

The bishop denied Monday that he was accusing those who ignore climate change of being child abusers, but said Fritzl was “the most extreme form” of a common selfish streak in humankind.

The rest is here.

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Friday, May 30, 2008

In Case You Had Any Doubt...

...this is what the terrorists want:



SITE Intelligence Group released this and other computer generated images; stills from a video entitled "Nuclear Jihad: The Ultimate Terror." While it is unlikely that this is an Al-Qaeda effort, and the FBI is saying there is no credible threat, there can't be any doubt that the desire to do us harm is alive and well.

What I can't believe is that people still dismiss the threat posed by these malevolent lunatics.

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Chertoff: Hezbollah Makes Al Qaeda Look 'Minor League'

From Fox News:

Thursday, May 29, 2008

JERUSALEM — Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff warned Thursday that the radical Islamic group Hezbollah "makes Al Qaeda look like a minor league team," and poses the greatest threat to national security.

"Someone described Hezbollah like the A-team of terrorists in terms of capabilities, in terms of range of weapons they have, in terms of internal discipline," Chertoff told FOX News. "To be honest, they make Al Qaeda look like a minor league team.

"They have been more disciplined, and they've been in some senses more restrained in the kinds of attacks they carry out ... in recent years, but that's not something we can take for granted," he warned.

Chertoff, speaking before the opening of a two-day terrorism forum in Jerusalem, also warned of the threat of a terrorist smuggling a bomb aboard a passenger airplane.

"I don't think we're really worried about hijacking because we've put a lot of measures in place like a locked cockpit door, flight deck officers who have weapons and the air marshals," Chertoff told FOX News. "So the next threat becomes the bomb. Something that either a person takes on board themselves or smuggles into the cargo."
Well, that's comforting...

Someone want to explain to me why the U.N. - and the U.S.(!) - pressured Israel to back off when they were hitting Hezbollah?


Read the Rest

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Bush Marks 25th Anniversary of Terror Attack on U.S. Embassy in Beirut

From DefenseLink:



President and Nancy Reagan file by the flag-draped caskets of victims of the April 18, 1983, bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon in an April 23, 1983 file photo. Photo courtesy Ronald Reagan Presidential Library


By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2008 – Twenty-five years after terrorists detonated a massive car bomb, killing 52 people at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, President Bush urged unity in condemning terrorism he said continues to threaten the United States.

The Islamic Jihad Organization, today known as the terrorist group Hizballah, launched the April 18, 1983, attack that left 17 Americans and 35 Lebanese citizens dead. Those killed included Marine Cpl. Robert V. McMaugh, an embassy guard, and Army trainers Sgt. 1st Class Richard Twine, Staff Sgt. Ben H. Maxwell and Staff Sgt. Mark E. Salazar.

Employees of the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development and members of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Middle East contingent were also killed.

President Ronald Reagan quickly denounced the “vicious terrorist bombing” as a “cowardly act” that would not deter U.S. goals of peace in the region.

Bush marked the anniversary of the Beirut embassy bombing in a statement released yesterday remembering those killed and honoring the sacrifice of their family and friends and those wounded in the attack. He called the anniversary “a timely reminder of the danger U.S. diplomats, military personnel and locally employed staff bear in their service to the the United States.”

“Since the Beirut attack, we and citizens of many countries have suffered more attacks at the hands of Hizballah and other terrorists, backed by the regimes in Tehran and Damascus, which use terror and violence against innocent civilians,” Bush said. “All nations should condemn such brutal attacks and recognize that the purposeful targeting of civilians is immoral and unjustifiable.”

The bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack the United States had ever faced in its history, although more attacks were to follow.

The Beirut embassy bombing opened a new chapter in attacks against Americans overseas. Six months later, on Oct. 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck barracks in Beirut that houses U.S. and French members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon. The attacks, which occurred 20 seconds apart, killed 241 U.S. Marines, as well as 58 French servicemen and six civilians.

Other embassy attacks were to follow: in 1998 on the embassies in Dar es Salaam,Tanzania; and Nairobi, Kenya; and in 2002 on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan.

Bush noted that the people of Lebanon have remained resilient despite living the better part of three decades living under the threat of violence, assassinations and other forms of intimidation.

“They and their leaders continue to work for a peaceful and democratic future, even as Syria, Iran, and their Lebanese proxies seek to undermine Lebanese democracy and institutions,” he said.

“The United States will continue to stand with the Lebanese people and their government as they struggle to preserve their sovereignty and independence, seek to bring justice to victims of terrorism and political violence, and seek election of a president committed to those values,” Bush said.


Related Sites:
White House Statement

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Monday, April 07, 2008

Hugs, Love and Tolerance from the 'Religion of Peace': The Cabbie from Hell

The latest tender sentiment from that oh-so-peaceful religion comes from Yousef al-Khattab, a New York City cab driver who was born Joseph Cohen. Converting to Islam after attending an Orthodox Jewish school (which, ironically, he says was 'a racist cult'), al-Khattab now spreads his own version of joy and nicety through his website, which has as its mission:

"preserving Islamic culture,” “calling people to the oneness of God” and asking them to “support the beloved Sheik Abdullah Faisal, who’s preaching the religion of Islam and serving as a spiritual guide.”
Awww....how sweet. That is, unless you know that Sheik Faisal was convicted in the UK of spreading hatred and urging the murder of Westerners, Jews, and Hindus, using such 'peaceful' tools as chemical weapons. Another of his ideas for bringing love and light involves using machetes to cut the throats of non-Muslims. What a peach, eh?

Al-Khattab's special brand of internet sunshine has a number of touchy-feely features, sure to impress neighbors in his hometown of Queens:

- a video mocking the brutal murder of journalist Daniel Pearl (but don't worry, folks; al-Khattab says that Muslims don't grab people off the street - Pearl was tried and convicted of being a spy, so what happened to him is just ducky)

- video of a puppet show that mocks the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq (not to be confused with the kid-stabs-GWB puppet show)

- solicitations for Faisal and to get him new computer equipment so he can continue to spread his own special brand of love and joy (now who can resist that?).

Sad news for those of you looking to get a little electronic hug from the 'Religion of Peace,' though - Yousef's site appears to be down today (unfortunately, that's probably due to high traffic).

The biggest pill to swallow is al-Khattab's prominent statement that his website is protected under the First Amendment. He gets around terrorism charges by not directly advocating the murder of Americans. He doesn't tell you to murder Americans, you see - he just tells you to listen to other people who want you to kill Americans. His parents must be so proud.

The rest of the site makes him a scumbag terrorist, legal two-step or no. That little gem, in my book, makes him a bottomfeeding coward. If you hate America, let's just get that out in the open. Al Khattab's the worst kind of extremist loser. Hate America for all she stands for - except the things that save your sorry @$$ from being thrown in jail.

One more reason to avoid using a taxi in New York City.

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Friday, March 07, 2008

Nope, No Threat From Terrorists...

The anti-war, anti-reality crowd would have you believe there's no threat from terrorism. Apparently, 9/11 was a fluke. Or, if you really hang around in the paint fumes for a while, it was a controlled demolition. Either way, the terrorist threat doesn't exist.

Clearly, then, these plots weren't foiled:

  • December 2001, Richard Reid: British citizen attempted to ignite shoe bomb on flight from Paris to Miami.
  • May 2002, Jose Padilla: American citizen accused of seeking "dirty bomb," convicted of conspiracy.
  • September 2002, Lackawanna Six: American citizens of Yemeni origin convicted of supporting Al Qaeda. Five of six were from Lackawanna, N.Y.
  • May 2003, Iyman Faris: American citizen charged with trying to topple the Brooklyn Bridge.
And neither were the rest.

Good thing, too - because if all of these threats were stopped in six years, the possibility of having a Democrat in the White House would be really scary.

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You Can't Make This Stuff Up - Qaddafi Duck Rides Again

Seems the Dems are getting a little bit of campaign advice from none other than Qaddafi Duck:

Libyan strongman Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi weighed in on America's presidential campaign, specifically commenting on both Democratic rivals' repeated calls for "change."

"I've seen that in America, a candidate who wants people to vote for him keeps talking about change," Qaddafi said earlier this week in a televised address on Libyan TV, an obvious reference to Barack Obama.
How flippin' sad does your platform have to be if Muammar "holy-crap-they-just-dropped-bombs-on-my-house" al-Qaddafi can recognize you've got nothing to stand on??

But Moammar has the solution:

Qaddafi offered up Libya as a model for "change," predicting that "the whole world will return to the model of the republic of the masses, to communes, to popular security, to popular defense, to popular capitalism, and to popular socialism.
Popular socialism - now there's an idea the Dems can get behind.

Maybe he should send a resume to Obama - after all, he's down one advisor.

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Thursday, March 06, 2008

NYC Bomber Writes Letter to Congress?

Maybe:

Police are investigating letters that arrived at congressional offices that contained a photo of the New York Times Square military recruiting office before it was bombed and including the words "We did it."
Reportedly, this little love note has gone to at least eight Congressional offices. According to Senator Feinstein's:

"A few offices on the House side have received a letter today addressed to `Members of Congress' with a picture of a man standing in front of the Times Square recruiting station that was bombed in New York today with the statement `We did it.' He is standing in front of it with his arms spread out and he's attached his political manifesto."
Clearly this guy has a screw loose. Not so much because of the bombing, but because he's thinking that sending something to Congress will produce action

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Terror Thursday...

The slimeball who tossed an explosive device at the NYC Armed Forces Recruiting office may have been caught on tape - not really a surprise in Times Square. Fox News has more photos, and video here

And all the way on the Left Coast, police found pipe bombs in a UC Davis dorm. They have a student in custody.

And across the Atlantic, in Jerusalem, there has been another attack by terrorist gunmen.

And the day ain't over yet...

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Monday, March 03, 2008

Fire Ignites 'Street of Dreams' Home Development; ELF Sign Left at Scene

It appears that eco-terrorism has hit Seattle:


Crews battled fires early Monday at four multimillion-dollar show homes in a suburb north of Seattle, and a sign with the initials of a radical environmental group was found at the scene, an official said.
The sign, which had the initials of the Earth Liberation Front, mocked claims the luxury homes on the "Street of Dreams" were environmentally friendly, according to video images of the sign aired by KING-TV.
"Built Green? Nope black!" the sign said.
The homes were new, and unoccupied, so fortunately it looks like no one has been hurt or worse. The rest of the story is here.

I have a few questions:

1. ELF? You pick as your name something that ends up with ELF as its moniker? Yeah, that'll show you're serious. Then again, I suppose it beats Society of American Nutcase Torchmonkey Afficionados (SANTA)...

2. Did anyone but me see "Earth Liberation Front" and think of this scene from Monty Python's "Life of Brian"?

3. How exactly do you strike a blow for the Earth by burning homes, spewing noxious fumes into the air and ensuring that firefighters are going to have to pour a whole lot of water and/or chemicals on the fire?

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It's About Frickin' Time!

Fox News is reporting that U.S. warplanes have fired on an Al Qaeda camp in Somalia, with casualties. Couldn't happen to a more deserving place - Somalia has long been a festering terrorist sewer.

No word on the specific intended target yet, but bombing Somalia for terrorists is more or less like shooting fish in a barrel.


UPDATE: Central Command is apparently stating that planes fired at least one precision guided missile at the town of Dobley, with the target being less than 20 Al Qaeda terrorists.

Reportedly, the military is confident that they hit the intended target. Central Command states that they are doing damage assessments, and should have more information later today.

Click the link at the top of this post for the latest information from Fox.

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Saturday, March 01, 2008

American Alienation (not safe for work)



WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND IMAGES!
(but well worth a view)



H/T to Debey

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Could Someone Tell Barack It Was AAZ That Got Us Into Iraq, Not WMDs - And Pass It On To Hillary

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Two presidential hopefuls, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Hussein Obama, are trading shots on what could, would or should be done in the future regarding the Battle for Iraq in the War on Terror.

Obama said during a debate with his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, that he wants US troops out of Iraq yesterday, but might send them back in "If Al Qaeda is trying to establish a base in Iraq."

That in itself is a less than rousing statement, but wait, there's more.

McCain responded during a campaign speech that Barack should have known that Al Qaeda already is in Iraq, and we have to deal with that reality. McCain added, and I am paraphrasing here, that surrender is not an option.

Barack then said in response that the only reason Al Qaeda is in Iraq in the first place is because George Bush and John McCain started a war there.

And that my friends is where Barack Hussein Obama dug himself into a hole he will never be able to get out of, regardless of whether or not he gets the Democratic nomination.



Read the Rest, at Winter's Soldier Story

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Flight 93 Memorial a Tribute to Terrorists? Oh, HELL No!



To learn more, go here.



H/T The Thunder Run

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Saturday, February 23, 2008

My Two Cents: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Not even a fortnight after fate (with help from the Israelis) dispensed a sorely-needed taste of justice by neatly eliminating scumbag extraordinaire Imad Mughniyeh, the news now comes that another prime example of the worst of humanity has apparently been set completely free:

SAN`A, Yemen — A Yemeni-American, one of the FBI's 26 "most wanted" for terrorism, appeared at a session of his trial in a Yemeni court Saturday with bodyguards and then walked free, apparently not subject to any form of incarceration, eyewitnesses said.

The 41-year-old Jaber Elbaneh attended a session of the trial for him and 22 other Al Qaeda members charged for a series attacks on oil facilities, an eyewitness said speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Footage of the suspect entering and leaving the court unimpeded also appeared on the Dubai-based pan-Arab satellite channel, al-Arabiya.
- AP, via Fox News
Granted, good ol' Jaber isn't quite as high a prize as dear Muggie was. Sure, he did get sentenced to 10 years for masterminding two terrorist attacks in 2006. Oh, yes, and he and 22 of his insane friends broke out of jail in February, digging a little rat hole to a nearby mosque, but he certainly isn't Muggie. Now Muggie - there was a pretty reprehensible guy. And Muggie's death came as a special reason for celebration as far as I am concerned. Watching the story run repeatedly on the news, I frequently saw a familiar image:



Remember that one? That was probably Muggie's most famous handiwork - the hijacking of TWA flight 847. Aside from 9/11, it's the most vivid illustration of terrorism that resides in my memory. But it isn't that particular image I see. I see this one:




SW-2 Robert Dean Stethem. On June 14th, 1985, Muggie and his friends beat the young Navy hero, shot him in the back of the head, and dumped his body out on the tarmac like so much garbage. He was 23. That is what I see when I hear Muggie's name. And that is why I couldn't be happier that the S.O.B. is dead. Blowing him up was probably way too good for him, but I'll take it.

Sadly, Jaber isn't dead; he's free. Clearly the Yemenis didn't think he was a threat, right? Strange, that - since he's planned attacks in Yemen, and since the FBI is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Odd that we'd throw around that kind of money to get a hold of someone who isn't a threat. Jaber's wanted for "providing material support to a terrorist organization and conspiring to provide material support, specifically to Al-Qaeda."

You'd think Yemen would know better. I seem to recall a little incident taking place there. You know, a ship, big whole blown in the side of it, seventeen brave U.S. military personnel killed...

Then again, you'd think we'd know better than to let it go. I thought we meant what we said when we said we'd hunt terrorists down wherever they were. We also said that if countries harbored terrorists, they were no better than terrorists. Apparently, I was mistaken.

One of the biggest difficulties that we have had in this war on terror is that we're finding few true allies. Either because of fear of reprisal, or because their government is already held hostage to political correctness, most other countries are refusing to fully confront the threat posed by Islamic extremism. Many are denying there is a threat - at least, to anyone other than the U.S.

At the same time, our politicians are allowing valuable terrorist surveillance venues to disappear, and continuing to advocate the nauseating irony of bestowing citizens' rights on people who would just as soon kill us as look at us.

So why, exactly, would any country want to stand with us against the terrorists? The terrorists prove on a daily basis that they will do what they say they will. We're not so clear on that point.

We are steadily returning to an era of hiding under the covers, hoping that the bogeyman will just go away. But he won't. We are looking more like we're doomed to repeat, rather than learn from, the bloody lessons we've learned from terrorism.

This week, Serbian protesters attacked the U.S. embassy, setting it on fire.

And the U.S. response amounted to "Heyyyyyy...."

Not too long ago, there was another embassy that got attacked by rowdy students. More than a year later, their hostages were released.

The U.S. spent a year going, "Heyyyyyy....."

That time period had been marked by plane hijackings, bombings, and all sorts of mayhem at the hands of Islamic terrorists. Things eased up significantly when we taught them that ticking us off really just wasn't a great idea. We went from the worst president in American history, who let us be walked on, to arguably one of the best - largely because America was tired of being kicked around. We started acting like a country that believed in freedom, and was not willing to compromise its principles for the false illusion of security.

In recent years, we've gone from a president who seemed pretty darned good at handling the terrorist threat to one who doesn't seem to be very good at actually doing anything. From one who spoke of clear resolve and hunting terrorists wherever we found them to one who doesn't treat unsecured borders as a threat. Inexplicably, it's the same president.

But it could be worse - it very well may be far worse - in less than a year.

We continue to hear about the 'travesty' of maintaining Gitmo. We don't hear about the conduct of the cockroaches being held there.

Our government is failing entirely to control the borders, despite numerous warnings about the threat posed to us from terrorists who can easily cross over. Yes, the 'virtual fence' is almost ready to go. But the 'virtual fence' isn't going to cut it. For one, it doesn't cover all of the southern border - not even close. And in case anyone's forgotten (as our government apparently has), there's a border to the north, too. Now, I'm not living in fear of hordes of Canadians coming down to wreak havoc. But Canada is a VERY large place, with a lot of remote areas. It's a great venue for sneaking into this country.

I hope it brings a measure of comfort to Robert Dean Stethem's family that one of his murderers is now facing his fate (I'm thinking that's taking place somewhere REALLY warm). It's a giant step forward. One more dead terrorist.

Then there's Elbaneh. The fact that a country who supposedly is working with us to arrest terrorists just let Jaber Elbaneh go represents a significant step back. An even larger backward step is the fact that a political candidate has a real chance of winning the U.S. presidency despite saying that would 'personally negotiate' with a country sworn to the destruction of Israel and the west. One step forward, two steps back.

Too many more steps back and we may find we've just stepped off a cliff. The landing is likely to be brutal.

If we don't start taking REAL steps to deal with the entire threat posed by radical Islam and their demented minions, there are going to be a whole lot more Robert Dean Stethems out there, and a whole lot more steps back into a part of history I don't think we want to repeat.

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Friday, December 21, 2007

This Day in Terrorism - Lockerbie (updated repost)



I grew up in a typical Connecticut town, about an hour or so out of New York City - exactly the sort of place you wouldn't expect to ever be impacted by terrorism.

But it was - on this day in 1988, when PanAm flight 103 was bombed, crashing in Lockerbie, Scotland, with a loss of 259 who had been aboard. There were 11 fatalities on the ground as well, when the wreckage tore into homes as it came down.

One of those lost was a friend of my best friend's family - several were CT natives. There were 35 Syracuse University students killed.

It's been 19 years now, but I still remember that day.

Terrorism didn't start with September 11th, or with Lockerbie. This is just another dark milestone on a murderous road - another attack from a real and deadly enemy. It's an enemy we have to defeat, so we don't need to see any more milestones - or gravestones.

Links:
Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 Home Page (Syracuse)
Wikipedia
Syracuse University - Pan Am Flight 103 Archives
Pan Am 103 Trial
Memorial
Remembering Pan Am Flight 103
Victims of PanAm Flight 103

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Monday, October 08, 2007

This Week in Terrorism - the Achille Lauro



On October 7, 1985, in Egyptian waters, four heavily-armed PLF terrorists hijacked the Achille Lauro, an Italian cruise ship with mostly elderly passengers on board.

Their demands included the freeing of 50 Palestinian prisoners from Israel. In order to make their point, they shot and killed 69-year-old American tourist Leon Klinghoffer, who was wheelchair-bound. After they murdered him, they threw his body - still in the wheelchair - overboard.

After two days, the Egyptian government provided them with safe passage in exchange for freeing the passengers and ship. They were at that time unaware of Klinghoffer's murder.

Upon discovery of the fate of Mr. Klinghoffer, however, U.S. Navy F-14 fighters intercepted the Egypt Air 737 flying the hijackers to Tunisia, forcing it to set down in Sicily. The terrorists were taken into custody by Italian authorities, tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison.

Of the hijackers and their accomplices:

Bassam al-Asker was paroled in 1991.

Ahmad Marrouf al-Assadi disappeared in 1991 while on parole.

Youssef al Molqi was sentenced to 30 years, fled to Spain while on furlough, and was recaptured and returned to Italy.

Abu Abbas, the mastermind, was convicted in absentia, remaining at large for years. As of 1998, Abbas was openly residing in Arafat-controlled Palestinian territory. Asked at that time why Klinghoffer was murdered, Abbas stated that "He created troubles. He was handicapped but he was inciting and provoking the other passengers. So the decision was made to kill him."

The U.S. has a long memory when it comes to terrorists - Abu Abbas was captured by U.S. Special Forces near Baghdad, Iraq on April 15, 2003. He died while in U.S. custody.

The PLO, for its part, was sued over the hijacking, but the suit was dropped after the PLO paid an undisclosed sum to Mr. Klinghoffer's daughters. They used the funds to establish the Leon and Marilyn Klinghoffer Memorial Foundation of the Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat terrorism through legal, political and educational methods.

The Achille Lauro continued service after the hijacking - until December 2nd, 1994, when she sank off the coast of Somalia as a result of catching fire a few days earlier.

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Friday, September 28, 2007

POLAR BEARS DISCOVER 9-11 PROPAGANDA IN IRAQI HOME

Release Date: 9/28/2007
Release Number: 07-01-03P

Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment “Polar Bears,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) discovered the cache while conducting Operation Rock Sweep V and VI.

The purpose of the mission was to target specified al-Qaeda operatives identified to be planning and coordinating attacks against Coalition Forces and concerned local citizens in the area.

While conducting the operation, Soldiers searched the targets’ houses looking for illegal weapons.

In one house they discovered a cache that consisted of three blasting caps, a ski mask, a terrorist manual which included directions on constructing vehicle improvised explosive devices, propaganda featuring the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, two cell phones and a card to activate the cell phones.

The propaganda was a small booklet featuring images of the attacks and a script praising the attacks.

“Our assessment is that these guys were getting ready to launch attacks during the Ramadan celebration,” said Lt. Thomas Ceislak, battle captain for 4-31 Inf. Regt. “We got the intelligence for this raid from earlier questioning of detainees and from tips provided by our source network”

The owner of the house was detained and is being held for questioning.

The blasting caps were destroyed during a controlled detonation and the other items are being inspected for further intelligence value.


FOR QUERIES, CONTACT THE MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION – CENTER PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT MND-CENTER_PAO-AT-IRAQ.CENTCOM.MIL OR BY PHONE AT DSN 318-822-7482 OR COMMERCIAL 912-767-4114.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Two of the Faces of 9/11

I posted about these two men last year as part of the 2,996 project. While I was not able to sign up this year, I have decided to repost these tributes to honor two lives lost on this day, six years ago:




Jesus Cabezas called it his picture face – the stony, serious expression pictured above. It was a stark contrast to the sunny disposition of the 66 year old Windows on the World cook. Jesus’ dynamic personality was larger than his 5 foot, 5 inch, 150 lb frame. So was his spirit.

He came home one day holding a knife he’d taken from a mugger during a struggle. “He ran away before I could give it back,” he quipped.

And that wasn’t the only battle he’d fought – Jesus had also successfully fought colon cancer – and won.

He made an impression on those who knew him. Sol Caceres, who worked with his daughter at Woolworth, described it this way: “I only met this man once. More than 10 years ago at his daughter Victoria's wedding. He looked so elegant and debonare walking his daughter down the isle. He was the strong silent type with a lot of love and passion for his family in his heart.”

Originally from Riobamba, Ecuador, Jesus had come to New York more than 30 years earlier, hoping to earn a good living for his family. He lived by himself, sometimes working as many as three jobs at a time, waiting for the time that he could be reunited with his family.

When he first brought his wife and daughter to the States, Jesus still had three children back in Ecuador. The entire family was reunited once he could support them in his new home.

Jesus had been a cook since he was young. He worked in an Italian restaurant for over a decade. While working as the main cook for Manhattan’s Grace Hotel, he had also worked part-time at Windows on the World, high at the top of the World Trade Center. After the hotel was sold, he went to work full time at Windows on the World.

Returning home from work, he would often make his wife’s favorite Ecuadoran dish. On the way to work, his habit was to pause to ask his wife for a blessing. He would then kiss her good-bye, and head off.

On a sunny September morning in 2001, he was in a rush. Late for the morning shift, he did not ask for her blessing, did not give her a good-bye kiss.

Jesus’ grandson David was expecting his “Papi” to attend a soccer game that weekend. But that was not to be.

Mere hours later, Jesus would be gone, The horrific circumstances are well known. The airplanes. The destruction.

What is, sadly, less well known, is the simple joy that Jesus Cabezas brought to the lives he touched. Friends and family would recall that he “smiled about everything.” Coming to the States, he had worked hard, and found joy in doing so. His family had urged him to retire, to move somewhere quiet. But he had refused, saying “I’m a city boy.” He loved his job high above New York City as much as he loved the city itself.

Jesus was one of those quiet heroes, ordinary, every day people who don’t win medals, who don’t see their names in lights. They are heroes in their little circles, heroes to family and friends, to co-workers, to customers, to neighbors. They are the unsung heroes whose flames are small, but burn brightly in their little corners of the world, and far outlast a life that loved ones see as far too short.

September 11, 2001, Jesus N. Cabezas lost his life in the attack on the World Trade Center. But in the hearts of those who knew him, that light lives on.

Links:
September 11th Memorial
A Nation of Immigrants Rebuilds
Newsday.com - Jesus Cabezas
9-11 Victim Memorial - Jesus Cabezas
Guest Book - Jesus Cabezas
UnitedInMemory.net


*************************************



Although the events of 9/11 occurred in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, many other states, and even other countries, were hit hard that day.

My home state of Connecticut was keenly affected by that day. 152 of our own were lost.

One of those my state mourns is Bradley J. Fetchet.

Brad Fetchet touched many lives. After that fateful September day, his family would begin to learn just how many. "In the first week, thousands of people came," his mother would remark in a Hartford Courant interview. "He had friends going from hospital to hospital, going to the Armory to fill out a missing person's report. One of his friends set up a Web site. I have baskets full of letters from kids that I don't even know."

He had moved to Manhattan in 1999, and worked as an equities trader with Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, on the 89th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Despite the sometimes cutthroat nature of that business, Brad was known as a kind, generous young man. He would come home to attend his younger brothers' sporting events, or to take them to games. The young man who preferred to let his birthday go by without celebration needed no special occasion to give to others. He would surprise his parents with gifts -

He liked to surprise his parents, like the time this summer he bought a DVD
player and the movie "Gladiator" for his father, set it up and paused at the
most exciting scene. "He called Frank into the family room and said, 'I have
something to show you,'" his mother recalled. "He laid back on the sofa with
that big smile of his and pressed the button ... He had the best smile."
(Hartford Courant)

He was the go-to guy in his family for setting up the electronics or fixing a problem with the computer.

He was an accomplished athelete, who had played both hockey and lacrosse in highschool and college.

And he was looking towards his future. He and girlfriend Brooke had been shopping for engagement rings only days before.

In a day filled with horror and chaos, Bradley had calmly telephoned his family at about 9 am to let them know that he was OK. He called his father, and then left messages for his mother and his girlfriend.

That is the last that anyone heard from him. At 9:02:54 am, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower, between the 78th and 84th floors. Within an hour, that tower would collapse.

His family has decided to honor Brad by establishing a scholarship fund in his memory. Though Brad has left us, his generosity lives on in the Bradley J. Fetchet Memorial Foundation


Links:
Legacy.com - Bradley James Fetchet
Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods - 9/11
Deft Athelete Was a Role Model to Many
Voices of September 11 (Brad's mother is the Founding Director)
Connecticut's Living Memorial
Connecticut's Official List of Victims
Connecticut Remembers 9/11
UnitedInMemory.net

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Saturday, November 04, 2006

This Day in Terrorism - The Iran Hostage Crisis

The U.S.'s backing of the Shah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) has been the topic of much debate. Eight U.S. Presidents found doing so to be justified. Iran's strategic value, as well as the oil resources there, were cited as reasons.

By the late 1970's, mounting tensions caused by the Shah's failure to grant the reforms he promised had escalated to an all time high. Eventually, they led to the Iranian revolution, where the Shah was deposed. Pahlavi fled Iran in January, 1979. The U.S. attempted to develop relations with the new government, but after the Shah was admitted to the U.S. for medical treatment in October of 1979, the revolutionaries were enraged.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's new leader, promoted demonstrations against American and Israeli interests, denouncing the Americans as the "Great Satan." Protesters numbered in the thousands outside the American embassy in Tehran. While protests were not uncommon, and the embassy grounds had been briefly occupied during the revolution, Iranian police were beginning to take less interest in dealing with the issue, and the situation was becoming critical.

On November 4th, a mob of anywhere from 300 - 2000, depending on whose estimate you read (but likely around 500), seized the embassy's main building. The Marine guards were greatly outnumbered; staff rushed to destroy sensitive information. Some of that information, carefully pieced together after shredding, would be displayed by the captors on television. 66 of the building's 90 staffers were taken captive. Three of those were from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Six staffers escaped and hid in the Canadian and Swedish embassies; the Canadian government helped them to leave the country by providing identification and blending them in with their own diplomats as they returned to Canada.

The group, calling itself the "Imam's Disciples," claimed that its actions were retaliation for American support of the Shah, and demanded that Pahlavi be returned to Iran for trial. However, foreign policy experts saw it as just a demonstration to show that the new government could - and would - oppose the U.S.

Footage of the blindfolded hostages was frequently shown on TV; many reported instances of solitary confinement, beatings, and psychological torture.

The Iranian government initially claimed the action to be one independent of their control, but as they continued to take no action to assist in the hostages release, the claim seemed less and less credible.

The U.S. response, through President Jimmy Carter, was to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions. Oil imports from Iran were suspended, millions of dollars in assets were frozen, and some Iranians in the U.S. were expelled (though some of those appeared to have no relation either to the hostage-takers or the new government).

By February of 1980, the Iranian government issued its official demands:

* Return the deposed Shah to Iran;

* Apologize for prior American actions in Iran (including a U.S.-aided coup in 1953)

* Promise never to interfere in Iran's affairs again

President Carter persued negotiations, but also authorized a rescue mission - Operation Eagle Claw. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, opposed to the use of force, resigned. The mission failed when aircraft were damaged in a sandstorm, and one helicopter clipped a C-130 and crashed, killing 8 servicemen. Debris would be displayed, and the bodies of the fallen dragged through the streets of Tehran.

The Shah died in July of 1980, and Iran began to consider resolving the crisis.

A second rescue attempt was abandoned after the November elections, in which Carter lost by a landslide. His inability to solve the hostage crisis was seen as a significant factor in his loss. Meanwhile, the sensationlism continued - former Attorney General Ramsey Clkark, an anti-war activist, flew to Tehran and participated in a "Crimes of America" trial.

The hostages were finally released on January 20, 1981, moments after the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan - after 444 days in captivity. Negotiations had opened shortly after the November U.S. election, and the release came in exchange for the un-freezing of $8 billion in assets, and Iranian lawsuit immunity.

The former hostages attempted to sue Iran under the Antiterrorism Act in 2000. They originally won when Iran did not provide a defense, but the the U.S. State Department applied pressure, and a Federal judge eventually ruled that they did not have grounds to sue, due to the agreement that freed them. In 2000, the hostages and their families tried to sue Iran, unsuccessfully, under the Antiterrorism Act.

More recently, some of the former hostages have stated that they are sure that Iran's current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was one of their captors. Others are not certain.


Hostages
Diplomats who evaded capture:

Robert Anders, 34 - Consular Officer
Mark J. Lijek, 29 - Consular Officer
Cora A. Lijek, 25 - Consular Assistant
Henry L. Schatz, 31 - Agriculture Attaché
Joseph D. Stafford, 29 - Consular Officer
Kathleen F. Stafford, 28 - Consular Assistant

Hostages released November 19-20, 1979
Kathy Gross, 22 - Secretary
Sgt. James Hughes, 30 - USAF Administrative Manager
Lillian Johnson, 32 - Secretary
Sgt. Ladell Maples, 23 - USMC Embassy Guard
Elizabeth Montagne, 42 - Secretary
Sgt. William Quarles, 23 - USMC Embassy Guard
Lloyd Rollins, 40 - Administrative Officer
Capt. Neal (Terry) Robinson, 30 - Administrative Officer
Terri Tedford, 24 - Secretary
Sgt. Joseph Vincent, 42 - USAF Administrative Manager
Sgt. David Walker, 25 - USMC Embassy guard
Joan Walsh, 33 - Secretary
Cpl. Wesley Williams, 24 - USMC Embassy Guard
1 hostage captured, held and released on 11 July 1980 because of Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis
Richard I. Queen, 28 - Vice Consul
52 Remaining Hostages, held captive until 20 January 1981
Thomas L. Ahern, Jr., -Narcotics Control Officer
Clair Cortland Barnes, 35 - Communications Specialist
William E. Belk, 44 - Communications and Records Officer
Robert O. Blucker, 54 - Economics Officer Specializing in Oil
Donald J. Cooke, 26 - Vice Consul
William J. Daugherty, 33 - 3rd Secretary of U.S. Mission
Lt. Cmdr. Robert Englemann, 34 - USN Attaché
Sgt. William Gallegos, 22 - USMC Guard
Bruce W. German, 44 - Budget Officer
Duane L. Gillette, 24 - USN Communications and Intelligence Specialist
Alan B. Golancinksi, 30 - Security Officer
John E. Graves, 53 - Public Affairs Officer
Joseph M. Hall, 32 - CWO Military Attaché
Sgt. Kevin J. Hermening, 21 - USMC Guard
Sgt. 1st Class Donald R. Hohman, 38 - USA Medic
Col. Leland J. Holland, 53 - Military Attaché
Michael Howland, 34 - Security Aide, held at Iranian Foreign Ministry Office
Charles A. Jones, Jr., 40 - Communications Specialist and Teletype Operator.

Other Hostages
Malcolm Kalp, 42 - Affiliation Unknown
Moorhead C. Kennedy Jr., 50 - Economic and Commercial Officer
William F. Keough, Jr., 50 - Superintendent of American School in Islamabad, Pakistan, visiting Tehran at time of embassy seizure Cpl. Steven W. Kirtley - USMC Guard Kathryn L. Koob, 42 - Embassy Cultural Officer; one of two female hostages
Frederick Lee Kupke, 34 - Communications Officer and Electronics Specialist
L. Bruce Laingen, 58 - Chargé d'Affaires, held at Iranian Foreign Ministry Office
Steven Lauterbach, 29 - Administrative Officer
Gary E. Lee, 37 - Administrative Officer
Sgt. Paul Edward Lewis, 23 - USMC Guard
John W. Limbert, Jr., 37 - Political Officer
Sgt. James M. Lopez, 22 - USMC Guard
Sgt. John D. McKeel, Jr., 27 - USMC Guard
Michael J. Metrinko, 34 - Political Officer
Jerry J. Miele, 42 - Communications Officer
Staff Sgt. Michael E. Moeller, 31 - Head of USMC Guard Unit at Embassy
Bert C. Moore, 45 - Counselor for Administration
Richard H. Morefield, 51 - U.S. Consul General in Tehran
Capt. Paul M. Needham, Jr., 30 - USAF Logistcs Staff Officer
Robert C. Ode, 65 - Retired Foreign Service Officer on Temporary Duty in Tehran
Sgt. Gregory A. Persinger, 23 - USMC Guard
Jerry Plotkin, 45 - Civilian Businessman visiting Tehran
MSgt. Regis Ragan, 38 - USA NCO assigned to Defense Attaché's Office
Lt. Col. David M. Roeder, 41 - Deputy USAF Attaché
Barry M. Rosen, 36 - Press Attaché
William B. Royer, Jr., 49 - Assistant Director of Iran-American Society
Col. Thomas E. Schaefer, 50 - USAF Attaché
Col. Charles W. Scott, 48 - USA Officer, Military Attaché
Cmdr. Donald A. Sharer, 40 - USN Air Attaché
Sgt. Rodney V. (Rocky) Sickmann, 22 - USMC Guard
Staff Sgt. Joseph Subic, Jr., 23 - Military Police, USA, Defense Attaché's Staff
Elizabeth Ann Swift, 40 - Chief of Embassy's Political Section; 1 of 2 female hostages
Victor L. Tomseth, 39 - Senior Political Officer, held at Iranian Foreign Ministry Office
Phillip R. Ward, 40 - Administrative Officer

My Two Cents (Updated for 2006):
For my money, no matter what the U.S. did or didn't do in Iran, the embassy personnel played no part in the Presidential or Congressional decisions. They no more deserved what happened than the victims of 9/11 did. Islamic radicals have hated us, and will hate us, no matter what we do, or don't do. The idea that the revolution was about "freedom" is ludicrous. The Ayatollah's regime brought freedom?! No. The Ayatollah's regime was as oppressive - more so - than any prior. An acquaintance of mine, who lived in Iran prior to the Revolution, has clearly told me of life in Iran before the revolution, and there are volumes of writings out there about what it is now. There is not now - and never has been - a new birth of freedom in Iran after the Shah.

I remember the hostage crisis clearly. It was one of the events that stands out in my mind as helping to define my belief systems. The idea that a President would opt for negotiations and sanctions while our personnel were held for over a year was appalling. The idea that the horrific displays of fallen U.S. military personnel would go without a response, was doubly so. It would result in the same horror I would later feel after watching the events in Modagishu. Carter proved that he was incapable of serving as a Commander-in-Chief, and incapable of standing firm in defense of the country. He defined all that was wrong with the Democratic party to me - and the memory of the inept leadership in the face of that crisis has never left.

And the accusations of Ahmedinejad's involvement have never been thoroughly investigated. One thing is clear from his behavior and rantings - he's certainly capable of it. Either way you cut it, Iran was an enemy then, and is an enemy now. Their support of terrorism, their hatred of the west, and Ahmedinejad's twisted religious fervor and desire to spur on Armageddon are common knowledge. These days, when Iranian religious extremism explodes, it is highly unlikely to be confined within a U.S. embassy on Iranian soil. Now, Iran is a threat to anyone who does not bow before their violent, hell-bent view of Islam.

For more information:
Wikipedia
The Memory Hole (pictures from the crisis)
List of Hostages and Casualties
Remembering the Iran hostage crisis (BBC interviews both a hostage-taker and a former hostage)
Global Security

If you have a post about the hostage crisis, or have found one of interest, please trackback, or list it in the comments section!

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Saturday, July 15, 2006

My Two Cents: No Mercy

Worst case scenario, we're looking at World War III here.

Best case scenario, we're looking in a battle of World War III here.

Let's face it, we're IN World War III - it's just that there are a lot of people who don't seem to get that.

[Note 7/16: As some have pointed out, the Cold War is often referred to as WWIII, which would put us at WWIV. Not sure I agree with that, but I'm willing to concede the point. -- P.]

The War on Terror, as I've said before, isn't a theoretical one. It isn't a catch phrase. It's real. Muslim extremism is a threat to the entire world - not just the western world. Muslim terrorists are responsible for the deaths of innocents on a daily basis - as of this post, more than 5,358 documented attacks since 9/11.

And nowhere has that conflict been highlighted in the past several decades than Israel. It never ceases to amaze me that the entire world seems to want to blame Israel for defending its right to exist. Then again, maybe not such a surprise - they do the same to us. Heck, even our own legislators do the same to us.

I will grant that the way Israel was initially created was not ideal. But then again, neither was World War II. The fact is, they're here. Talking heads, from our Arab "friends," to the Pope, to the UN, to the EU, to nutcases like Ahmadinejad, are condeming Israel for defending itself. As they always have. Israel is a convenient target in a world that decries condeming all Muslims for the actions of an "exremist few," but is all too willing to condemn Israelis for self-defense, to ignore anti-semitism. After all, it's not their problem, is it?

Let's not forget we recently had two soldiers abducted, too. We know what the score is. What would we be willing to do in defense of our heroes? Then again, maybe it's best not to answer that question, because in the present climate, there are some who would argue with the US' right to defend its soldiers, too.

The world has largely thought of conflict in the Gaza strip and West Bank as something that was Israel's problem. Arab nations, while quick to defend the Palestinians when it suits their purposes, are conveniently ignoring one basic fact - they sure as heck don't want the Palestinians in THEIR lands. They have, in fact, outright refused to provide sanctuary for them. Truth is, the Palestinians are seen by their Arab "brothers" in the same type of light as Gypsies in Europe. They're around, but no one really wants to see them. They're part of society, but not a welcome one. And they are merely a convenient route to condeming Israel, the US, and anyone that doesn't think the way the Arab nations do.

I have not always agreed with Israel's tactics. But let's consider what they've been saying, and what they've been doing, in light of events of recent years. Who's right in this situation?

Israel was shouting to the rafters that Arafat was not doing what he could to stop terrorism, that in fact, he was giving orders out of one side of his mouth, while touting peace with the other. Liberal US Presidents were heralded as a hero for work to bring peace to the area - for short periods of time. It always failed. And the "peace" was accomplished by ignoring what Israel knew, what the world would eventually know too. Israel was right.

Israel said the world just did not know what it was dealing with. Muslim extremism was a grave danger, and groups like Hamas were a world problem, not an Israeli problem. That the only language these people understood was violence. Right again.

Israel consistently modified its policies when pressed by the US and others. Israel would pull back from military action, come to the table again and again, negotiate with the very people that were murdering its citizens on a regular basis. Even when past cease-fires had failed. Even when threats were issued. Even when people died. When US troops were in Iraq, and Israel was threatened with a missile attack - and then indeed, attacked, they responded that they would use all available means, including nuclear, to defend themselves. In response to the US' concerns, they agreed to use a missile defense system to defend themselves instead. Israel decided that being an ally meant respecting the needs of your ally in wartime. Right again.

They pulled out of the Gaza Strip in an effort to compromise, though they told the world that this would not bring peace. They warned of escalation when terrorism became a form of government. They warned that this would not bring peace, either. They waited, quietly, while Hamas issued its usual doublespeak, "Wipe Israel off the face of the earth" - "We will negotiate" - "Attacks will not stop" - "We will co-exist." They waited, and they cautioned that the leopard had not changed its spots. They waited while Iran stated a governmental policy of desiring Israel wiped off the map. They advised that Iran and Syria were directly supporting terrorism, and that Lebanon was the puppet of terrorists. They warned that a storm was coming. Right again.

Israel knows Hezbollah better than anyone else in the world. But lest we forget, the US should know them too. Do you remember?

Israel has EVERY RIGHT to defend itself. It needs no one's permission to do so. It has EVERY RIGHT to pursue the recovery of its captured Soldiers. It is combatting terrorists, and isn't that what we're supposed to be doing? What most of the WORLD has acknowledged needs to be done? Israel is fighting on another front on the War on Terror. It is not talking. It is not compromising. It is not waiting - not anymore. Israel knows the time for action has come. Right again.

Israel knows what Hezbollah is capable of. Do you remember what they are capable of?

Hezbollah has declared open war against Israel. Iran has said that an attack on Syria is an attack on Islam - basically, "Hit them, and we're in." Then again, they're in already. Iran founded Hezbollah. Remember who they are yet?

I remember. And that is why if I could, I would send Israel 242 brass plates, to be affixed to munitions bound for Hezbollah targets. Or better yet, bombs themselves - with plates.

One would say the following:

In memory of SW-2 Robert Dean Stethem, USN


The other 241 would bear the names of servicemembers too - 220 of them US Marines; the rest Army and Navy.

Israel, a consistent, valued US ally, is simply taking a lesson from a familiar US military motto: No better friend, no worse enemy.

Israel does not owe Hezbollah any mercy.

Neither do we.

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Thursday, January 26, 2006

My Two Cents: Hamas Rising

By now, you've no doubt heard it a hundred times.

Hamas hit political paydirt in the Palestinian elections. 76 out of 132 seats in the Palestinian legislature, compared to 43 for Fatah. And the turnout was impressive - approximately 78 percent of Palestinian voters showed up to cast their votes.

It's frightening. Very.

And what's perhaps more appalling is what some of the Democratic elite have to say:

Jimmy Carter: The ex-Pres was interviewed on Friday. Although he acknowledged that the "so-called terrorists" had an element "who deny Israel's right to exist," he reminded us that "there have been no complaints of corruption against [their] elected officials." Oh, goodie. I feel much better now. I'm reminded of the people that called a choice between "Saddam" and "you die" a free Iraqi election.

Carter also said that "sometimes you have to learn to work with terrorists."

Um....no. No, Mr. Carter, you really don't.

And Howard Dean is apparently pretty soft on Hamas, too. Some of his more memorable statements:

“I will say, however, that there is a war going on in the Middle East, and members of Hamas are soldiers in that war.” (CNN’s “Wolf Blitzer Reports,” 9/10/03)

“Sooner or later … Arafat is going to leave the scene, either by the usual means in the Middle East, which is some sort of political violence, or the fact that he’s in his late 60s and he’s got a lot of miles on him. When that happens, I think Hamas will probably take over. There will probably be good and bad out of that. The bad, of course, is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. However, if they have to run a quasi-state, they may actually have to be more responsible and start negotiations …” (CBC/PBS’ “The Editors,” 1/3/98)

Wow, so now they'll be more responsible in killing innocent people? Oh, joy. FYI, even Pelosi and Kerry took issue with Dean's pro-Hamas attitude. How scary is that?

Some have said that the Palestinian election is proof that the democratic process there is working. I think it more likely bears out the old adage of people getting the government they deserve.

The election is being billed as a protest against the ineffectiveness of Abbas' government, but it's something far more frightening. This election represents the choice of a people to install terrorism as a government. To vote for state-sanctioned murder. And it has raised the attacks of Hamas from terrorist attacks of the lunatic fringe to the level of acts of war, condoned, planned, and perpetrated by a terrorist state.

Not a terrorist group - a state. The ramifications of that are deadly serious.

Think of having Mexico or Canada vote to install Al Qaeda as their government. How would we react? How would we need to react?

What position is Israel placed in now?

Various media outlets have been talking about Hamas' "humanitarian" pursuits, citing that they provide healthcare, fund soup kitchens, orphanages, etc.

Make no mistake about it. These are murderers. This is an organization that refers to suicide bombers as the "F-16's" of Palestine, and states that it believes that peace talks are useless.

Some of Hamas' not-quite-so-humanitarian efforts - 2000 through 2004:

April 17,2004 - A suicide bomber detonates himself at the workers terminal crossing in the Erez industrial area. One border policeman killed, two wounded. Two Israeli civilians wounded.

March 14, 2004 - Two suicide bombers detonate an explosive belt and bag at the Ashdod port. Ten Israelis killed, 12 wounded.

March 6, 2004 - Suicide bombers in three vehicles detonate at Palestinian checkpoints at the Erez crossing, detonating two car bombs while firing at the Israeli checkpoint. Two Palestinian policemen killed.

Jan. 29, 2004 - A suicide bomber detonates a bag of explosives on the No. 19 bus line on Aza Street in Jerusalem. Ten Israelis and one foreigner killed, forty-four injured.

Jan. 14, 2004 - A female suicide bomber detonates her explosive belt at the workers terminal at Erez. Four Israelis killed, five wounded.

Sept. 9, 2003 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device at the entrance of the "Hillel Café" in Jerusalem. Seven Israelis killed, seventy injured.

Sept. 9 , 2003 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device at a bus stop near the IDF "Tzrifin" Base. Nine IDF soldiers killed, ten injured.

Aug. 19, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blows himself up on the No. 2 bus line in Jerusalem. Twenty-three Israelis killed, one hundred and fifteen wounded.

Aug. 12, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates near a bus stop at the entrance to Ariel. Two Israelis killed, two injured.

June 11, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself on the No. 14 bus line in Jerusalem. Seventeen Israelis killed, one hundred and four injured.

May 19, 2003 - A terrorist on a bicycle blows himself up near a military jeep in Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip. Three IDF soldiers are wounded.

May 18, 2003 - A suicide bomber with a bag filled with explosives detonates himself near the A-Ram Junction in Jerusalem.

May 18, 2003 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself on a bus at the French Hill Junction in Jerusalem. Seven Israelis killed, 20 wounded.

May 17, 2003 - A suicide bomber dressed as a religious Jew and wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at Hebron's Gross Square. Two Israeli civilians are killed.

April 30, 2003 - A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt at the entrance to the "Mike's Place" pub on the Tel Aviv boardwalk, while another bomber hurls an explosive device nearby. Three Israeli civilians killed, sixty-two wounded.

April 15, 2003 - A terrorist armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, an explosive belt, and grenades fires and hurls grenades at the Gaza Strip's Karni crossing before he is shot and killed.

March 5, 2003 - A suicide bomber blows himself up on the No. 37 bus line in Haifa. Seventeen Israeli civilians killed, forty-two wounded.

Jan. 17, 2003 - Guided by a suicide bomber, an explosive-laden raft explodes after Israeli Navy ships fire on it near Dugit, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Nov. 21, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive belt on the No. 20 bus line in Jerusalem. Eleven Israelis killed, fifty wounded.

Oct. 27, 2002 - Despite being shot, a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at a gas station near the entrance to the city of Ariel. Three Israeli civilians killed, serventeen wounded.

Oct. 11, 2002 - Authorities arrest a suicide bomber at the entrance to a café before he can detonate his explosive belt.

Oct. 10, 2002 - In Ramat Gan, a suicide bomber detonates his explosive belt near a bus stop at the Bar Ilan Bridge. One Israeli civilian killed, twenty wounded.

Sept. 19, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates a bag laden with explosives on the No. 4 bus line on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv. Six Israelis killed, sixty-six wounded.

Aug. 4, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body on a bus near Mt. Meron. Nine Israeli civilians killed, forty-eight wounded.

June 18, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosives-laden bag on a bus on Dov-Yosef Street in Jerusalem. Nineteen Israeli civilians killed, fifty wounded.

May 7, 2002 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt, and carrying an additional device in a bag, detonates at a club in Rishon Letzion. Sixteen Israeli civilians killed, fifty-one wounded.

March 31, 2002 - A suicide bomber detonates himself at the "Matzah" restaurant in Haifa. Fifteen Israeli civilians killed, thirty-one wounded.

March 27, 2002 - A suicide bomber wearin an explosive belt blows himself up in Netanya's Park Hotel. Thirty Israeli civilians killed, one hundred forty-four wounded.

March 9, 2002 - In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the entrance of the "Moment Café" in Jerusalem. Eleven Israeli civilians are killed, fifty-eight wounded.

March 7, 2002 - A suicide bomber attempts to detonate an explosive device strapped to his back in the "Kafit Café" in Jerusalem. No one is injured.

Feb. 6, 2002 - A suicide bomber boards a bus traveling between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem, attempting to detonate an explosive belt.

Dec. 12, 2001 - Two suicide bombers detonate explosive devices next to Israeli vehicles in the area of Ganei Tal in the Gaza Strip. An additional device detonates near another vehicle. Three Israeli civilians are injured.

Dec. 2, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device on a bus near Yad L'banim in Haifa. Fifteen civilians are killed, thirty-five wounded.

Dec. 1, 2001 - Two suicide bombers detonate explosive devices on Ben Yehudah Street in Jerusalem. A car bomb nearby explodes immediately afterward. Eleven civilians are killed, and a hundred and seventy are wounded.

Nov. 26, 2001 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at the Erez checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. Two policemen wounded.

Nov. 8, 2001 - On his way into Israel, a suicide bomber detonates himself in the Bakah Al Sharkiah area when authorities try to arrest him. Two IDF soldiers are wounded.

Sept. 9, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the Nahariya train station. Two soldiers and an Israeli civilian killed; forty-six wounded.

Sept. 4, 2001 - In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber detonates explosives strapped to his body on Nevi'im Street in Jerusalem. Thirteen Israeli civilians are wounded.

Aug. 9, 2001 - A suicide bomber blows himself up at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem. Fifteen Israelis killed, one hundred and ten wounded.

Aug. 8, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb next to the Bekaot checkpoint in the West Bank. One IDF soldier wounded.

July 9, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb near an IDF vehicle in the Gush Katif area of the Gaza Strip, wounding an IDF soldier.

June 22, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb near IDF forces in Alei Sinai in the Gaza Strip. Two IDF soldiers killed, one wounded.

June 1, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates himself at the entrance to Tel Aviv's "Dolphinarium" club. Twenty-two Israeli civilians killed, eighty-three wounded.

May 29, 2001 - Two terrorists approach an IDF position at the Tofah Junction in the Gaza Strip. One detonates an explosive device strapped to his body; the other lobs grenades and begins shooting. Two IDF soldiers are wounded.

May 25, 2001 - In the Gaza strip, a suicide bomber detonates a container filled with explosives and three gas balloons at the Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip.

May 18, 2003 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the entrance to a Netanya mall in Netanya. Five Israeli civilians killed, eighty-six wounded.

April 29, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates a car bomb near a bus filled with children at Dir Sharif Junction.

April 22, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates himself near a bus stop in Kfar Saba. One Israeli killed, forty-five wounded.

March 28, 2001 - A suicide bomber blows himself up near a gas station at the Neveh Yamin/Kfar Saba Junction. Two Israeli civilians killed, four wounded.

March 27, 2001 - In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber detonates a bomb strapped to his body near an Israeli bus. Twenty-one Israeli civilians are wounded.

March 4, 2001 - A suicide bomber detonates an explosive-filled case on Netanya's main street. Three Israelis killed, fifty-three wounded.

March 1, 2001 - A suicide bomber blows himself up while in a taxi cab near the Me Ami Junction. One Israeli civilian killed, ten wounded.

Jan. 1, 2003 - A car bomb exploded in Netanya, wounding thirty-five Israeli civilians.

Dec. 22, 2000 - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonates himself at the entrance to a restaurant in the Jordan Valley, injuring three IDF soldiers.

Dec. 15, 2000 - A suicide bomber attempts to detonate an explosive belt near Israeli security forces close to the Erez crossing, also attempting to stab Israeli security personnel.

Nov. 6, 2000 - A booby-trapped raft explodes near an to an Israeli Navy "Dabur" in Rafah, near the Israel-Egypt border; Hamas publicly claims responsibility.

That's who they are. This is who they are:
[Israel Will Cease To Exist (Image from Hyscience via MIM.org)]

And now they are in charge of Palestine.

Our government has said today, "I don't see how you can be a partner in peace when you advocate the destruction of a country on your platform...We will watch very carefully about the formation of the government, but I will continue to remind people about what I just said: If your platform is the destruction of Israel, that means you're not interested in peace."

Our President said, post 9/11, that "The United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support and harbor them, because they're equally as guilty of murder."

Well, what the heck do you do with those who vote the terrorists into office?

For my two cents, I say we refrain from recognizing their government. No aid. No discussion. And we watch...very closely.

I for one will sleep less comfortably...the world just became a little more dangerous.

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Thursday, January 19, 2006

My Two Cents: Bin Laden Offers a Truce

Al Qaeda is now offering a conditional truce (in addition to threatening more attacks, of course) and some of the moonbat crowd is actually saying that we should negotiate.

My immediate thought was of General Anthony Clement McAuliffe of the 101st Airborne, who during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, was offered a surrender by German forces that surrounded them. Not because of the surrounding, mind you, but because of the sentiment.

His response, which I like to believe is sanitized for posterity, was

"To the German Commander: NUTS! The American Commander."

FYI, the Americans held Bastogne.

My second thought was of the story of the Turtle and the Scorpion:

A scorpion and a turtle stood at the edge of a river. As the turtle prepared to swim across, the scorpion asked, "Will you give me a ride across?"

"Absolutely not," the turtle responded. "You are a scorpion, and you will sting me before we get to the other side."

"No I won't," the scorpion answered. "That wouldn't make any sense, because if I sting you while we cross, we'll both drown. I want to get to the other side as much as you do. So let's work together, what do you say?"

It took a while, but the scorpion finally convinced the turtle to let him ride on his back as he swam across the river. As they drew close to the opposite shore, the scorpion raised his tail and stung the turtle.

"What did you do that for?" the turtle cried. "Now we're both dead!"

The scorpion just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm a scorpion. It's what I do."

Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are murdering, vile terrorists. It's what they do. No amount of negotiations and hug-a-terrorist campaigns are going to change that.

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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

A Dark Day in the War on Terror

I almost drove off the road hearing the news last evening on my way home from work:

TWA Hijacker Released From German Prison

This morning brought the reaction:

Hijacker's release angers U.S., slain man's family

I posted about the hijacking of TWA flight 847 on that grim anniversary in June. And unfortunately, I am now posting about the release of Mohammed Ali Hamadi, one of the murderers in that horrible hijacking. He had served only 19 years of his life sentence. Robert Dean Stethem will get no parole for his life sentence.

The U.S. is attempting to have Lebanon turn him over, but there is no extradition treaty with that country.

On the second day of the seizure, the hijackers beat and shot to death Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Md., and dumped his body onto the runway in Beirut.

Witnesses later identified Hamadi as having beaten the tied-up Stethem. According to testimony at Hamadi's trial, when Stethem complained about his bonds, Hamadi responded: "Let the pig suffer."


My Two Cents? We MUST bring this murderer to the justice the German court system refused to enforce. The U.S. should use all resources at its disposal to see that Hamadi's celebration of his freedom is short-lived, and that Robert Dean Stethem and his family are granted justice.

So blog, contact your legislators - do whatever it takes to ensure that Hamadi gets exactly the same amount of mercy shown to Stethem - NONE.

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Friday, November 04, 2005

This Day in Terrorism - The Iran Hostage Crisis


The U.S.'s backing of the Shah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) has been the topic of much debate. Eight U.S. Presidents found doing so to be justified. Iran's strategic value, as well as the oil resources there, were cited as reasons.

By the late 1970's, mounting tensions caused by the Shah's failure to grant the reforms he promised had escalated to an all time high. Eventually, they led to the Iranian revolution, where the Shah was deposed. Pahlavi fled Iran in January, 1979. The U.S. attempted to develop relations with the new government, but after the Shah was admitted to the U.S. for medical treatment in October of 1979, the revolutionaries were enraged.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's new leader, promoted demonstrations against American and Israeli interests, denouncing the Americans as the "Great Satan." Protesters numbered in the thousands outside the American embassy in Tehran. While protests were not uncommon, and the embassy grounds had been briefly occupied during the revolution, Iranian police were beginning to take less interest in dealing with the issue, and the situation was becoming critical.

On November 4th, a mob of anywhere from 300 - 2000, depending on whose estimate you read (but likely around 500), seized the embassy's main building. The Marine guards were greatly outnumbered; staff rushed to destroy sensitive information. Some of that information, carefully pieced together after shredding, would be displayed by the captors on television. 66 of the building's 90 staffers were taken captive. Three of those were from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Six staffers escaped and hid in the Canadian and Swedish embassies; the Canadian government helped them to leave the country by providing identification and blending them in with their own diplomats as they returned to Canada.

The group, calling itself the "Imam's Disciples," claimed that its actions were retaliation for American support of the Shah, and demanded that Pahlavi be returned to Iran for trial. However, foreign policy experts saw it as just a demonstration to show that the new government could - and would - oppose the U.S.

Footage of the blindfolded hostages was frequently shown on TV; many reported instances of solitary confinement, beatings, and psychological torture.

The Iranian government initially claimed the action to be one independent of their control, but as they continued to take no action to assist in the hostages release, the claim seemed less and less credible.

The U.S. response, through President Jimmy Carter, was to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions. Oil imports from Iran were suspended, millions of dollars in assets were frozen, and some Iranians in the U.S. were expelled (though some of those appeared to have no relation either to the hostage-takers or the new government).

By February of 1980, the Iranian government issued its official demands:

* Return the deposed Shah to Iran;

* Apologize for prior American actions in Iran (including a U.S.-aided coup in 1953)

* Promise never to interfere in Iran's affairs again

President Carter persued negotiations, but also authorized a rescue mission - Operation Eagle Claw. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, opposed to the use of force, resigned. The mission failed when aircraft were damaged in a sandstorm, and one helicopter clipped a C-130 and crashed, killing 8 servicemen. Debris would be displayed, and the bodies of the fallen dragged through the streets of Tehran.

The Shah died in July of 1980, and Iran began to consider resolving the crisis.

A second rescue attempt was abandoned after the November elections, in which Carter lost by a landslide. His inability to solve the hostage crisis was seen as a significant factor in his loss. Meanwhile, the sensationlism continued - former Attorney General Ramsey Clkark, an anti-war activist, flew to Tehran and participated in a "Crimes of America" trial.

The hostages were finally released on January 20, 1981, moments after the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan - after 444 days in captivity. Negotiations had opened shortly after the November U.S. election, and the release came in exchange for the un-freezing of $8 billion in assets, and Iranian lawsuit immunity.

The former hostages attempted to sue Iran under the Antiterrorism Act in 2000. They originally won when Iran did not provide a defense, but the the U.S. State Department applied pressure, and a Federal judge eventually ruled that they did not have grounds to sue, due to the agreement that freed them. In 2000, the hostages and their families tried to sue Iran, unsuccessfully, under the Antiterrorism Act.

More recently, some of the former hostages have stated that they are sure that Iran's current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was one of their captors. Others are not certain.


Hostages
Diplomats who evaded capture:

Robert Anders, 34 - Consular Officer
Mark J. Lijek, 29 - Consular Officer
Cora A. Lijek, 25 - Consular Assistant
Henry L. Schatz, 31 - Agriculture Attaché
Joseph D. Stafford, 29 - Consular Officer
Kathleen F. Stafford, 28 - Consular Assistant

Hostages released November 19-20, 1979
Kathy Gross, 22 - Secretary
Sgt. James Hughes, 30 - USAF Administrative Manager
Lillian Johnson, 32 - Secretary
Sgt. Ladell Maples, 23 - USMC Embassy Guard
Elizabeth Montagne, 42 - Secretary
Sgt. William Quarles, 23 - USMC Embassy Guard
Lloyd Rollins, 40 - Administrative Officer
Capt. Neal (Terry) Robinson, 30 - Administrative Officer
Terri Tedford, 24 - Secretary
Sgt. Joseph Vincent, 42 - USAF Administrative Manager
Sgt. David Walker, 25 - USMC Embassy guard
Joan Walsh, 33 - Secretary
Cpl. Wesley Williams, 24 - USMC Embassy Guard
1 hostage captured, held and released on 11 July 1980 because of Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis
Richard I. Queen, 28 - Vice Consul
52 Remaining Hostages, held captive until 20 January 1981
Thomas L. Ahern, Jr., -Narcotics Control Officer
Clair Cortland Barnes, 35 - Communications Specialist
William E. Belk, 44 - Communications and Records Officer
Robert O. Blucker, 54 - Economics Officer Specializing in Oil
Donald J. Cooke, 26 - Vice Consul
William J. Daugherty, 33 - 3rd Secretary of U.S. Mission
Lt. Cmdr. Robert Englemann, 34 - USN Attaché
Sgt. William Gallegos, 22 - USMC Guard
Bruce W. German, 44 - Budget Officer
Duane L. Gillette, 24 - USN Communications and Intelligence Specialist
Alan B. Golancinksi, 30 - Security Officer
John E. Graves, 53 - Public Affairs Officer
Joseph M. Hall, 32 - CWO Military Attaché
Sgt. Kevin J. Hermening, 21 - USMC Guard
Sgt. 1st Class Donald R. Hohman, 38 - USA Medic
Col. Leland J. Holland, 53 - Military Attaché
Michael Howland, 34 - Security Aide, held at Iranian Foreign Ministry Office
Charles A. Jones, Jr., 40 - Communications Specialist and Teletype Operator.

Other Hostages
Malcolm Kalp, 42 - Affiliation Unknown
Moorhead C. Kennedy Jr., 50 - Economic and Commercial Officer
William F. Keough, Jr., 50 - Superintendent of American School in Islamabad, Pakistan, visiting Tehran at time of embassy seizure Cpl. Steven W. Kirtley - USMC Guard Kathryn L. Koob, 42 - Embassy Cultural Officer; one of two female hostages
Frederick Lee Kupke, 34 - Communications Officer and Electronics Specialist
L. Bruce Laingen, 58 - Chargé d'Affaires, held at Iranian Foreign Ministry Office
Steven Lauterbach, 29 - Administrative Officer
Gary E. Lee, 37 - Administrative Officer
Sgt. Paul Edward Lewis, 23 - USMC Guard
John W. Limbert, Jr., 37 - Political Officer
Sgt. James M. Lopez, 22 - USMC Guard
Sgt. John D. McKeel, Jr., 27 - USMC Guard
Michael J. Metrinko, 34 - Political Officer
Jerry J. Miele, 42 - Communications Officer
Staff Sgt. Michael E. Moeller, 31 - Head of USMC Guard Unit at Embassy
Bert C. Moore, 45 - Counselor for Administration
Richard H. Morefield, 51 - U.S. Consul General in Tehran
Capt. Paul M. Needham, Jr., 30 - USAF Logistcs Staff Officer
Robert C. Ode, 65 - Retired Foreign Service Officer on Temporary Duty in Tehran
Sgt. Gregory A. Persinger, 23 - USMC Guard
Jerry Plotkin, 45 - Civilian Businessman visiting Tehran
MSgt. Regis Ragan, 38 - USA NCO assigned to Defense Attaché's Office
Lt. Col. David M. Roeder, 41 - Deputy USAF Attaché
Barry M. Rosen, 36 - Press Attaché
William B. Royer, Jr., 49 - Assistant Director of Iran-American Society
Col. Thomas E. Schaefer, 50 - USAF Attaché
Col. Charles W. Scott, 48 - USA Officer, Military Attaché
Cmdr. Donald A. Sharer, 40 - USN Air Attaché
Sgt. Rodney V. (Rocky) Sickmann, 22 - USMC Guard
Staff Sgt. Joseph Subic, Jr., 23 - Military Police, USA, Defense Attaché's Staff
Elizabeth Ann Swift, 40 - Chief of Embassy's Political Section; 1 of 2 female hostages
Victor L. Tomseth, 39 - Senior Political Officer, held at Iranian Foreign Ministry Office
Phillip R. Ward, 40 - Administrative Officer

My Two Cents:
For my money, no matter what the U.S. did or didn't do in Iran, the embassy personnel played no part in the Presidential or Congressional decisions. They no more deserved what happened than the victims of 9/11 did. Islamic radicals have hated us, and will hate us, no matter what we do, or don't do. The idea that the revolution was about "freedom" is ludicrous. The Ayatollah's regime brought freedom?! No. The Ayatollah's regime was as oppressive - more so - than any prior. An acquaintance of mine, who lived in Iran prior to the Revolution, has clearly told me of life in Iran before the revolution, and there are volumes of writings out there about what it is now. There is not now - and never has been - a new birth of freedom in Iran after the Shah.

I remember the hostage crisis clearly. It was one of the events that stands out in my mind as helping to define my belief systems. The idea that a President would opt for negotiations and sanctions while our personnel were held for over a year was appalling. The idea that the horrific displays of fallen U.S. military personnel would go without a response, was doubly so. It would result in the same horror I would later feel after watching the events in Modagishu. Carter proved that he was incapable of serving as a Commander-in-Chief, and incapable of standing firm in defense of the country. He defined all that was wrong with the Democratic party to me - and the memory of the inept leadership in the face of that crisis has never left.

For more information:
Wikipedia
The Memory Hole (pictures from the crisis)
List of Hostages and Casualties
Remembering the Iran hostage crisis (BBC interviews both a hostage-taker and a former hostage)
Global Security

If you have a post about the hostage crisis, or have found one of interest, please trackback, or list it in the comments section!

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