Lest Anyone Forget We Are At War Still

It seems in talking with people that many have forgotten we are in a war still. There is still an enemy that wants us dead. So when this story hit the wire I decided to share it lest anyone forget we are at war and those thugs are still fighting.

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has urged Egyptians to restart their revolution to press for Islamic law and called on Muslims to kidnap Westerners, the SITE Intelligence Group said Friday. In a video released on jihadist forums and translated by the US monitoring service, Zawahiri also lashed out at President Barack Obama, calling him a liar and demanding he admit defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa.

First, the partisan hacks that opposed the President of the United States from 2001- 2009 failed to respect that he was our country's leader. They would jump on board any foreigner's criticism back then. That, in my view is abandoning your nation, not loving your nation and I have less respect for those idiots. So, you Lefties that continually tried to undermine our nation that way get no place at the foreign policy table.

Next is to Zawahiri. You don't get to call our leader a liar and still hold any respect or credibility. I can sit here and go "liar liar" but I would need evidence. And then it becomes an internal thing, like a family, where we keep a united front outside the house but deal with the issues inside. I know there are people out there who put their wing above the country (like the aforementioned Leftists) but we stayed united despite those folks. And we will stay United now.

"The battle isn't over, but it has started," Zawahiri said, urging "every sincere person in Egypt" to "wage a popular campaign to incite and preach in order to complete the revolution, which was aborted. "The revolution in Egypt must continue and the Muslim Ummah must offer sacrifices until it achieves what it wants and until it snatches from the corrupt forces ... the dignity and honor of Egypt."

That means Western friendly from Egypt is under attack.

Zawahiri said liberating Omar Abdul Rahman, an Egyptian cleric jailed in the United States for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, and inmates at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay was an "obligatory duty for every Muslim." "I call upon Muslims to capture citizens of the countries that wage wars against Muslims," he said.

And there is the call to kidnap Westerners. Cowardly tactic, but we already knew that about these scumbags.

And for the daft folks who think these people can be reasoned with remember two things. First, these people want Shariah law. Don't know what that is then go look it up. The short version is to think of the Old Testament with the most sexist and racist twists. Second, look at the following quote:

"Our captives or Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahamn will not be liberated except through force, for it is the only language that they understand."

Now for our break for some comic relief.

"Obama must admit he and his allies are standing in the defeated line, and that Osama bin Laden, may Allah have mercy on him, and the rest of the Mujahideen and the Muslim Ummah are standing in the victorious line, whether anyone likes it or not."

Lol. Bin Laden died in battle. His enemies outlasted him, bested him, killed him. He is the loser. Game Over.

Missing foreign students and WWIII

I'm sure this is nothing...I mean the government authorities say so.

[FBI Special Agent Richard] Kolko said there is no reason to believe the missing students, all men around 20 years old, represent a threat.

What missing 20-year old male students?

Eleven Egyptian students who were supposed to travel to a Montana university after flying to JFK airport late last month disappeared in New York, spurring federal authorities to issue a nationwide alert, officials said yesterday.

The students - who were traveling with six classmates from Mansoura University in Egypt - had their student visas revoked for failing to show up at Montana State University in Bozeman, the officials said.

The other six students made it to the college.

"The FBI and ICE [Immigration and Custom Enforcement] would like to locate these 11 students in order to speak with them," said FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko after the "be-on-the-lookout" alert was issued to all police in the United States.

Now, that is nothing to worry about? Really? At what point do we worry?

"At this point, all they have done is not show up for a scheduled academic program, and their visas have been revoked," Kolko said.

"We do not know of any association with any terrorist or criminal groups. There is no threat associated with these men. We have simply asked law enforcement's assistance in locating them so that the FBI and ICE may interview them."

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said the situation "has to be taken very seriously."

"Having a number of students from an Arab country arriving on student visas and disappearing is cause for concern," he said.

Montana State University Provost David Dooley said 17 Mansoura University students signed up for a 32-day cultural-exchange program to intensively study English, learn about Montana history and go on several field trips.

They arrived at JFK on a flight from Egypt on July 29, but only one managed to clear immigration in time to make a connecting flight, Dooley said.

By July 31, five others had arrived in Bozeman, but the rest were unaccounted for.

I remember the outrage at various colleges and from the Left when the Student Visa programs were beginning to clamp down on their requirements. Again, it is proven that compromise on the issue was compromising our security. In all seriousness there is nothing preventing this from happening with scores upon scores of foreign students. Perhaps some more national-background profiling is necessary to help diminish the risk of this happening.

Why is this posting also listed under the WWIII category? Because this story is fishy AND it ties very nicely with my unease since the beginning of the Israeli defensive that August is going to be a very troublesome month at best.

This from Yahoo News (no link--it will be dead in a few days anyway)

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has renewed calls on Muslims to rally to the defence of the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah in its war against
Israel, state television reported.

"Today it is the entire Muslim community's duty to defend Hezbollah," Khamenei told a meeting Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the birth of the Shiites' first Imam, Ali.

I have no doubt that Iran is behind the whole mess right now.

Iran helped to create and arm Hezbollah in 1982 in response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon, and Tehran stands accused by the United States and Israel of fomenting chaos in the region by channelling weapons to the guerrillas.

Iran denies the allegation, saying it provides only moral support to the movement.

Nevermind the fact that each rocket fired from Hezbollah right now must have the express approval from Iran...we are simply jumping to conclusions that Iran has an active hand in this offensive against Israel.

Wait, there's more.

The all-powerful Iranian leader lashed out at the
United Nations for what he called its "incompetence", and also attacked some Arab countries for "looking on in silence".

"Some Arabic states that have kept quiet should know that the United States will never consider their interests," Khamenei said.

More than 1,000 Lebanese civilians have been killed in the Israeli offensive unleashed after the capture of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah in a cross-border raid from Lebanon on July 12.

Khamenei also accused the US and Britain on Tuesday of encouraging the "Zionists' crimes" and "seeking to eradicate Islam in this region".

Let me explain how this works. These guys believe that it is OK to have a stated goal of the "extermination" or "annhilation" of Israel, and any resistance to that is "seeking to eradicate Islam". Quite honestly, if these guys are the representatives of Islam in that region then the world will be a better, more tolerant, more peaceful place after their eradication. The ONLY question is if these angels-of-satan are representative of Islam.

And further proof that the end of the world is near...I agree with a Princeton professor (Bernard Lewis to be exact). Some of you have been critical of me for (1) calling this WWIII...and maybe it is not YET WWIII, but I think the liklihood of it is stronger than the liklihood it is not/will not be WWIII, and (2) of having the heebie-jeebies about August.

According to a Flash Report from Drudge I am not too far off.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "and his followers clearly believe that [the time of Armegeddon] is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the US about nuclear development by Aug. 22," which this year corresponds "to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque,' usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1).

"This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind."

Now some smaller minded people have decided to use this as political fodder. Essentially, the end of the world may be beginning this month so 'vote for my party' in November. Logic...they don't need no stinkin' logic. Rationality...won't find that from them either.

Domestically what is important in all of this is that the USA is not going to do much in all of this and it is the fault of the partisans...all of them. Two general groups are to blame.

First, the Left for weakening the resolve of the nation to fight evil which threatens us. Also the Left for putting very short-sighted lenses on the whole issue of terrorism, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, etc. Rather than look at these issues as a "what is best for the survival of the United States against evil" they turned it into a "how can we dennigrate Bush on this topic?" The Democrats turned it into a "what do we need to do to make this a political chip in our favor?" Health of the country be damned. Survival of the country be damned...because the party comes first.

Second, the Right for many reasons. They (Bush in the forefront) failed to make the brazenly honest case about Iraq...it has always been primarily about Iran. Failing to make the ABSOLUTELY HONEST case allowed the partisan Left to turn the survival of America into a political gambit. Next they failed by getting weak in the spine on national security. Yes, many of them will come back and say they were strong...but when they failed on so many fronts that are equally tied to security (border security, immigration reform, illegal immigration lockdown, etc) they hold the blame ticket as well. By having so many of the Right and the Republicans start wavering on Iraq specifically it perpetuated the domestic reality that America's survival is just another campaign issue again in yet another campaign year. Being strong on national security is more than just supporting Bush in fighting "terrorism" and "on Iraq"...it is more than repeating the talking points on those narrow topics.

Shame on 100% of the party members and partisans on both sides. And I guarantee they will continue to do it through November.

Most importantly is this: Keep your eyes firmly planted on Iran. They are the root of all that is going on right now...they are on the verge of nuclear weapons, and all the negotiations in the UN is playing into Iran's advantage.

********** UPDATE **********
You can comment on the blog...and you can comment on Race to the Right's new Discussion Board.

Whose on which side Updated

This story forced me to update the list of countries who have stated a side of WWIII.

The Lebanese Hezbollah's weeklong artillery attack on Israel has been condemned by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and several Persian Gulf states.

At an emergency Arab League summit meeting in Cairo on Saturday, the countries issued a joint statement denouncing the "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts," the New York Times reported Monday.

"These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we cannot simply accept them," said Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

The meeting concluded with the league requesting help from the United Nations Security Council.

Hanna Seniora, a Palestinian analyst with the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, praised the league's opposition to Hezbollah on Sunday.

"It became clear and beyond doubt that the most important Arab countries did not allow their emotions to rule their judgment," Seniora told the Times.

Ah, yes, now they go to the United Nations. One of two things will come from this. They will realize the UN is worthless and cannot help OR they know the UN is inept and are going there just to make it appear they are against the violence as a sham. "We showed outrage, we appealed to the UN Security Council. Give us some credit."

Regardless, while I question Saudi Arabia's motives I put them on the list according to their stated position.

May as well know whose on which side

Israel has a right to defend itself
Israel (of course)
Italy
Canada
United States
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Jordan

Anti Semite...Israel has no right to self-defense
Germany
Britain
Lebanon
France
Palestine
Iran
Russia
Vatican City
Syria
Indonesia
European Union
Spain

********** UPDATE **********
Welcome to the readers of Truth Laid Bear. I don't think this post is really what you were searching for ("Vatican City") but hopefully you will find something the written posts.

Also welcome to the readers of Psycmeistr. Also...feel free to browse, bookmark and participate in the discussions!

********** UPDATE 2 ********** 7/18/06
Updated the list to include Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt.

********** UPDATE 2 ********** 7/20/06
Updated the list to include Spain.

Archduke Gilad Shalit

********** UPDATE 3**********
Israeli vigilantes claim to have kidnapped Palestinians.

There is not a solution to this that does not involve a lot of violence for quite some time...at least I don't have faith in a solution without violence being possible. I'm holding onto hope that this stays within the Middle East but that is starting to fade.

********** UPDATE 2**********
This update is also where I normally put updates...at the bottom of the post, but I have a feeling that THIS whole story is more important and being looked at in too narrow of a lens.

Can I just say I told you so...my conspiracy theory may not be too far off. This JUST in, "Guerrillas who captured Israeli soldiers are trying to 'transfer them to Iran'". Which leads me to several conclusions. If this is true then it is not a Middle East conflict...this is really a Middle East, Islamic Nation, North Korean alliance and their enemy is the West. Even though Europe does not want to admit it, the West is them and it is the U.S. and it is Australia and it is Japan.

"It starts."
********** Original Post **********
Yesterday on the bus someone asked what I think of what is happening around Israel. He does not know about the radio show so I could not just tell him that I'm on record several weeks ago of saying that I believe Cpl. Gilad Shalit is, at least in the Middle East, the 2006 version of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Shalit was kidnapped in an unprovked incursion by Lebanon...and yes, since Hamas was behind the incursion and they are the ruling party it is fair to say the country is responsible.

Immediate response from Israel was some bombings, flyovers in Syria, kidnapping some of the Hamas-ian cabinet (some of whom were assassinated) and taking control of an unused airport.

At that point I declared on the air that it will get much worse before it seriously get better.

Egypt was trying to be the mediator, but I think it would have been for naught because even if everything were solved "diplomatically" the vigilanted in Palestine would have still engaged in retaliatory violent acts which would have again flamed the tension.

In the meantime everyone blamed Israel. Don't know why beyond the fact that Europe, the UN and the Global Left are truly and absolutely anti-Semitic...which, is odd since they claim to be about anti-discrimination. Sorry for the diversion.

Fast forward to the past few days. Palestine was bombing Israel...not as proficiently as Isreal was bombing them, but the act is the same. Then they begged for a cease fire...which I am happy to say Israel did NOT concur with. Palestine kidnapped and killed more soldiers.

So where does that leave us.

Capture of Israeli soldiers raises specter of broader Mideast conflict.
Israel sends first troops into Lebanon in 6 years.
Israel Imposing Blockade on Lebanon
I still think it will only get worse before it gets better.

And guess what. Everyone still is down on Israel. Russia, Greece, Britain, France...everyone except the United States is bitching at Israel.

Go back up to the top of this post to remember what the first event in this chain was. Lebanon violated the border of Israel, attacked soldiers, kidnapped some of them...and that is somehow Israel's fault.

Before returning to the reason this is, as Glenn Beck says, a "crap your pants day", we have to analyze why Israel is not only in the right but not excuting excessive response.

Remember that the United States detractors were/are upset about Iraq because it was a "pre-emptive" strike. The truth is now again being borne out about their objection. It was not "pre-emptive" that they were upset about...it was that the United States was not just sitting back and taking shots. They hold the United States and Israel to the same ridiculous, self-destructive standard: No matter what no response is ever warranted. Remember, many of them did not want us to even go into Afghanistan!

Now refresh the start of this chain of events again: Lebanon violated the border of Israel, attacked soldiers, kidnapped some of them...

That is enough to consider it an act of war. War is (well it should be unless your leaders are Lyndon B Johnson, Richard M Nixon and George H.W. Bush) no holds barred. Israel has every right in the name of SELF DEFENSE to bomb Lebanon into French-like surrender and beyond. Lebannon made the first salvo and it is justified to be continued until Israel is the last man standing!

Now back to the "crap your pants day" explanation.

Rather than me explaining to you why this is going to be, well, bad, I'm going to let you figure it out.

Which country in the world (besides the U.S. which is hamstrung from major actions by being in an election year) wants a resolution that involves Israel's survival?
How many countries in the Middle East alone have "uncontrollable" factions who are violence-first types?
The Israeli Prime Minister has no military experience and in Israel that requires stronger stances against the anti-Semites for political survival...how can he order the bombing? (Remember while answering that question, he is a politician so what is right takes a 2nd seat to what is expedient for his career.)

You are starting to get the picture.

While "peace" has been the facade in the region the underlying truth is both sides have been waiting for a long time for a reason to kill the other.

Now for the X-Files, conspiracy theory watch.
Did you notice that Iran is helping North Korea now? I wonder if there are 2 fronts to the hate-the-West battle, Iran-North Korea and Middle East-Al Qaeda. I wonder if they are working in loose conjunction with each other looking to distract the West on front and then another.

End of conspiracy theory watch.

The situation does not have any factors that lead one to believe this actually can get better without devolving into a much worse state of affairs.

********** UPDATE 1**********
Israel is bombing near Syria...just a matter of time before Syria jumps in.

Hizbollah fires 70 rockets into Israel.

Why is Shalit the Archduke. I have said that it is the beginning of some really nasty stuff. To what end? This is for the world. It is the battle for either a free world or an extremist Islamic state ruling the world.

********** UPDATE 2**********
Can I just say I told you so...my conspiracy theory may not be too far off. This JUST in, "Guerrillas who captured Israeli soldiers are trying to 'transfer them to Iran'". Which leads me to several conclusions. If this is true then it is not a Middle East conflict...this is really a Middle East, Islamic Nation, North Korean alliance and their enemy is the West. Even though Europe does not want to admit it, the West is them and it is the U.S. and it is Australia and it is Japan.

"It starts."

********** UPDATE 4**********
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