Tony Blair made a surprise visit to British soldiers in Basra and then flew into Baghdad for a meeting with Ayad Allawi. Following Blair's meeting with Allawi, Iraqi election officials and British consulate workers, both Allwai and Blair held a press conference.

Among the questions posed by journalists was this one (link via Power Line):

Q: Andrew Marr: Many thousands of people have died for this moment, including scores of British people, are you sure that this prize [word indistinct] was worth that price?

Tony Blair: When I meet the people working alongside the United Nations - Iraqis in fear of their life every day, because they are trying to bring freedom and democracy to their people - when I see their courage and their determination and know that they speak for the vast majority of people in Iraq who want that democracy and freedom, then I know that we are doing the right thing.

And whatever people felt about the original conflict, we the British aren't a nation of quitters. What's very obvious to me is that the Iraqi people here, they're not going to quit on this task either - they're going to see it through. And just imagine the difference that a stable and democratic Iraq would make - not just to people in Iraq but throughout the whole of the region and the world - now when I see that, yes, I believe we did the right thing.

And I will also say this to you, there are people dying in Iraq but the reason people are dying is because of the terrorism and the intimidation and the people who are deliberately killing anyone trying to make this country better.

Now what should our response be as an international community? Our response should be to stand alongside the democrats - the people who've got the courage to see this thing through - and help them see it through. I've got no doubt at all that that is the right thing for us to do.

Blair is one of those people who looks at things in the long-term rather than the short-term. Those who oppose Democracy in Iraq also look long-term which is why someone like Blair needs to project this type of leadership and resolve in bringing ultimate freedom to the millions in Iraq.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

JERUSALEM - Igniting a public uproar, some Jewish settlers said Tuesday they will soon start wearing orange stars on their shirts in a provocative campaign comparing the government's Gaza withdrawal plan to the Nazi Holocaust.

The announcement was the latest escalation in the settlers' drive to block the pullout. On Monday, settler leaders called for mass resistance against the withdrawal — even if it means going to jail.

Settler activists in Gaza said they would distribute the orange stars — reminiscent of the yellow stars that Jews living under Nazi rule were forced to wear — this weekend.

"I want to raise my voice to show that this is illegitimate, to shake the people of Israel to their core," Arieh Tzur, a resident of the Ganei Tal settlement, told Israel Army Radio. Tsur, the son of a Holocaust survivor, said survivors who live in the Gaza settlements support the effort.

This is where I'd like to open it up to the readers. Without going into specifics regarding what your own personal beliefs of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict are, is it right for a group to "relive" the Holocaust in order to protest a withdrawl? Naturally you have to believe the Holocaust happened and not be shrouded in your own hatred for all things Zionist in order to intelligently comment.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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Update:
The Ansar al-Sunnah Army has issued a communique detailing the operation which has been translated. As was suspected, there was a suicide bomber prior to any type of mortar/rocket attack.

- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Rockets struck a mess tent at a military base in Mosul where hundreds of U.S. soldiers had just sat down to lunch Tuesday, and military officials said at least 20 people were killed and more than 60 were wounded. A radical Muslim group, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, claimed responsibility.

The dead included U.S. military personnel, U.S. contractors, foreign national contractors and Iraqi army, said Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of Task Force Olympia in Mosul.

Apparently the city of Mosul is divided by the Tigris River not just geographically, but ethnically as well. On the Eastern side of the Tigris, the Kurds live and U.S. soldiers can patrol with releative security. On the Western side of the Tigris is the side dominated by Arabs. The U.S. base in Mosul is on the Western side of the Tigris.

Almost every day terrorists do "drive-by" rocket attacks on the base and plant IEDs just outside the base. Of course most mortar rounds miss critical facilities within the base, however this one hit a crucial area.

Update:
Times-Dispatch reporter Jeremy Redmon was at the scene of the mortar attack in the U.S. mess hall. He has written a gripping account of what happened in a must-read (via Six Meat Buffet).

Update:
Supposedly Ansar al-sunnah has written something relating to this on their site, but unfortunately I do not read Arabic. I know there is someone that reads Rusty's site that can translate this for the masses. If there is, please contact me and I'll forward the link to the site so we can get a translation.

A translation is wanted because according to various reports, the Army of al-Sunnah claims this was a "martyrdom" killing which could mean the base infiltrated or compromised from within. As we all know, martyrdom requires the person who actually followed through with the attack to die in the act of committing the attrocity.

Update:
Hyscience has a huge roundup of the news coverage of the attack along with putting the story in context.

Update:
U.S. military explosives experts are invesitigating the cause of the explosion which gives further credence to the rumors indicating the explosion may have been from within rather than from a rocket attack.

Update:
According to the BBC, Mosul has a history of providing military commanders for Saddam's army as well as intelligence officials.

According to Charles Glass, who reported for the London Review of Books from Mosul, there are signs the city's anti-American insurgency is being marshalled by shadowy figures from the former dictator's Baath party.

A reporter in the city told the BBC News website in November that several Syrians were among the fighters captured by US forces.

I have changed the title of this post because the more information that comes out leads me to believe this was not a mortar or rocket attack as first reported. Even the U.S. military calls the attack a "blast" and is investigating what occured.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

PARIS - Two French reporters held hostage for four months in Iraq were released Tuesday and handed over to French authorities.

"I have a profound joy in announcing to you that Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot have just been freed by the Islamic Army," Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin told the Senate, which erupted with applause.

Chesnot's brother, Thierry, said the two men were in good health. "It's the best Christmas present we could get," he said of the release.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous said the two men were expected in France on Wednesday. They were handed over to French authorities in the Iraqi capital, he said.

Update 12/22:
Reuters reports the French hostages were not freed due to a ransom paid. I'm a bit skeptical about this however based upon other hostages being released because of a ransom. France also indicated they were paying a ransom for these two journalists over a month ago.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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Possible robbery turned into a hostage situation at a Washington DC Rite-Aid Pharmacy. Details to follow. Link 1 Link 2 Link 3

(Simultaneously launched by Bravo Romeo Delta from Demosophia, The Jawa Picyaune, & Anticipatory Retaliation)

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(Taipei, Taiwan) According to American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokeswoman Dana Smith, the United States will station active duty military officers to its de facto embassy in Taiwan for the first time since 1979 in a reversal of a long-standing policy. Historically, the AIT has employed retired military personnel to coordinate diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The announcement of closer military cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan is expected to anger China which has vowed to invade the island if independence is declared. However, according to Jane's Defense Weekly, a protest from Beijing is not as worrisome to Washington as the "growing unease over China's military ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region."

Companion post at Interested-Participant.

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I just realized that despite the fact that Dr. Shackleford, eminent professor of stuff and blogperson extraordinaire, invited me to guest blog on his, uh, blog - he has not actually blogrolled my blog, The Ministry of Minor Perfidy. This is insupportable, intolerable and generally generally speaking, ungood.

What blog blatantly stole its name from an obscure comment once made by Lileks? The Ministry of Minor Perfidy.

What blog is in the forefront of warning the world about the dangers of giant fighting space robots? The Ministry of Minor Perfidy.

What blog regularly offers minute analysis of the music industry, space exploration, and tax policy? The Ministry of Minor Perfidy.

I think I hit my quota for over the top blog self-promotion, even though Rusty said I could promote my blog until my eyes bled. (I'm paraphrasing, of course. And he did use the word trust several times in that paragraph. I wonder what he meant by that?)

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This type of post would normally just appear on my site, however since Rusty gave me the keys to the grail, I'll use them to discuss this issue with his readers.

Numerous times on my site I've argued where some in the Left are out of touch with reality. Naturally this has led to many "courteous" emails from those I've offended, however there have now been two stories in prominent magazines (Time and Newsweek) with Lefty blogger Wonkette and "Conservative" blogger Andrew Sullivan that demonstrate how some are out of touch with reality.

Newsweek interviewed blogger Wonkette who seems to be a rising star in the blogoshpere for reasons beyond me. According to her own words from her few television appearences, she sees herself as a satirist and not a blogger. Fair enough, but I have a few words of advice for Wonkette following this brief excerpt from the interview (via Michelle Malkin).

What did you think of the bloggers' role in the Dan Rather affair?
I think they did a disservice to the debate because they made the debate about the documents and not about the president of the United States. There was another half to that story that had to do with verifiable events of what Bush may have been up to.

I need not re-hash Rathergate as it's been glorified for much too long, however the overall impact Rathergate had on news and American's view on the news has been drastic. The issue Wonkette would rather steer the political debate on was an old, tired out issue that has been debunked numerous times in the past; much like finding an intelligent brain cell inside of Wonkette's rather large noggin.

For further commentary on Wonkette, visit The American Mind

The second instance of a "Lefty" blogger being out of touch with reality is Andrew Sullivan. Now Sullivan calls himself a Conservative and does have many Conservative views, however his repeated mentions of Gay Marriage and his consistent attacks on Conservatives on this issue has led him out of the closet of Liberalism.

Sullivan writes a piece in Time Magazine calling 2004 The Year of the Insurgents (via Wizbang). One could argue whether this type of recognition has any merit, however that is not the reason for this post. Why would any American name a year after those that are killing our young men in women who are more brave, more dedicated to our freedoms and more dedicated to the freedoms of all of God's creatures than any one of us?

Perhaps the most interesting part of Sullivan's article is his close:

Did anyone win? Well, the President did. But the insurgency against him — fanatically deadly in Iraq, peacefully feisty at home — merely took a deep breath. And fought on.

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While Rusty's on vacation, he's asked me to help guest blog on his site. I know, we all miss Rusty, but maybe I can try to fill his shoes even partially while he's gone.

Allow me to introduce myself. Some of Rusty's readers know me already as I am an occassional commenter here as well as Rusty posts many of the similar stories that I do on my blog. My name is Chad Evans and I was born, raised and live in Texas. Being Texan naturally leads me to fulfill a few of the thousands of stereotypes about Texans, though I promise you not all of them are true (I don't own cattle).

I am 26 years old, operate my own small advertising agency/media buying company, do not have a family, and very proud of my alumni status as a graduate of the fine Texas Tech University.

I do not pretend to be an expert on anything I write other than my critiques on the media. Now how can I pretend to be an expert on the media? Well, I'm not an expert first off, but I have been published directly over 10 times, indirectly numerous times, performed media relations for two different sports organizations, have a degree in public relations and have a genuine interest in all things media related.

My hope during the next week or two, depending on his internet status during his second destination, is that I can keep you entertained and possibly enlightened on a few topics. There will be no test-blogging or gratuitous porn from me, but Rusty has promised both when he returns. more...

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's interim prime minister warned Monday that insurgents are trying to foment sectarian civil war as well as derail elections, while thousands of mourners turned out for funerals in the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala a day after car bombs killed 67 people.

Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said the mainly Sunni Muslim insurgents, blamed for Sunday's bloody attacks, want to "create ethnic and religious tensions, problems and conflicts ... to destroy the unity of this country."

"These attacks are designed to stop the political process from taking place in Iraq," Allawi told reporters. He added that his administration would not be deterred despite expecting more strikes before key Jan. 30 parliamentary elections — the first free vote in Iraq since the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958.

Shiites in Iraq account to roughly 60-70 percent of Iraqis. Kurds stand around 15-25. Sunnis naturally fill in the bulk of the remaining percentages depending on which estimation you choose to go by. It is reasonable to assume that with Democracy Sunnis will lose the power they once held under Saddam.

What needs to happen in Iraq is the different tribal groups need to recognize nationalism over heritage. To coin a phrase from our president, it's going to be "hard work," but a good public relations campaign could help the nation's citizens pull for Iraq rather than their ethnic heritage. Then again, the public relations aspect of this entire conflict has been less than satisfactory.

There are also outside forces trying to derail Democracy from entering into the Middle East. Of course Democracy exists in Israel and Afghanistan, though having Democracy start in Iraq would be a boon for all freedom-lovers in the entire region. This is why the governments of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan to an extent and Iran are so dead-set against Democracy in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia opened up their first day of voter registration to little fan fair which is fitting because any elections in Saudi Arabia would be a sham. They do not allow women to register to vote and the elections are for minor roles in the Saudi government. Of course you have to start somewhere, but the inclusion of women would be a major step into spreading Democracy into Saudi Arabia. The failure to include women demonstrates the lack of a desire to insert Democracy into Saudia Arabia by the Royal Family.

Syria and Iran have sent money, weapons and even spies as we learned earlier today into Iraq in an effort to both support the insurgency and defeat the idea of Democracy. A Democratic Iraq would give hope to those that live in either regime which naturally threatens the leaders of all nations of their reign.

Later on in the above article, there is an interesting quote from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also accused America and Israel of being behind the bombings in Iraq. "I am sure that the hands of the U.S. and Israeli espionage networks are behind recent events," he told government officials, according to Iranian state television.

The second aspect of the statement is nothing new. We have heard this throughout the years though thankfully there have been more and more statements rebutting this type of assumption. The thought still persists however and the government of Iran furthers the thought with a statement as assinine as this one.

The threat of civil war in Iraq was also one of the concerns of the CIA in a leaked report in the run-up to the U.S. elections. This was also a concern prior to the decision to invade Iraq. The threat still looms because there are a minority of people inside of Iraq who have lost their power and wish to obtain power in another form. Of course the funding and inciting of violence by neighboring countries does not help.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

FALLUJAH, Iraq - Fallujans are to begin trickling back this week, but a month after the battle for the city, devastation is everywhere. Burned out cars block streets, even homes that still stand are missing roofs or walls, dead dogs litter narrow alleys.

Destruction is not total. The only damage at a benzene storage facility on the edge of town is the deterioration from years of neglect. At the end of a long block of leveled homes, a children's clinic stands untouched.

"It really looks like a time warp: Somebody left for the day and was told not to come back because of the operation," said Lt. Cmdr. Larry Merola, a Navy Seabee reservist from Stoughton, Mass., who leads a team that checks buildings important to the city's life — pharmacies, offices, gas distribution points.

Even as the U.S. military pummeled parts of the city into rubble, engineers were laying plans for rebuilding. But much of that work remains, even as the first groups from the 250,000 people who fled are to start returning Thursday.

The consistent bias of the Associated Press continues to amaze me for whatever reason. Yes, I should be used to it, but I cannot get over the way the AP gladly jumps all over the United States yet defends and even embeds their reporters with terrorists killing innocent Iraqis.

Arthur Chrenkoff writes his 17th Good News from Iraq post which details where the Coallition is in rebuilding Iraq. While the AP would rather focus on the negative, Chrenkoff continues to dig through the global media and find positive stories.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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For some reason Rusty gave me the reigns to this ride while he's on vacation. In an effort to republish a story I originally published at In The Bullpen because of it's importance, I present to you the story of Sgt. Rafael Peralta. There are very few stories that move me, perhaps because of the often-boring written word, but this story is simply amazing.

On the morning of November 15, 2004, the men of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines awoke before sunrise and continued what they had been doing for seven days previously - cleansing the city of Fallujah of terrorists house by house.

At the fourth house they encountered that morning the Marines kicked in the door and "cleared" the front rooms, but then noticed a locked door off to the side that required inspection. Sgt. Rafael Peralta threw open the closed door, but behind it were three terrorists with AK-47s. Peralta was hit in the head and chest with multiple shots at close range.

Peralta's fellow Marines had to step over his body to continue the shootout with the terrorists. As the firefight raged on, a "yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped grenade," as Lance Corporal Travis Kaemmerer described it, rolled into the room where they were all standing and came to a stop near Peralta's body.

But Sgt. Rafael Peralta wasn't dead - yet. This young immigrant of 25 years, who enlisted in the Marines when he received his green card, who volunteered for the front line duty in Fallujah, had one last act of heroism in him.

Sgt. Rafael Peralta was the polar opposite of Pablo Paredes, the Petty Officer who turned his back on his shipmates and mocked his commander in chief. Peralta was proud to serve his adopted country. In his parent's home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah, he wrote to his 14-year old brother, "be proud of me, bro...and be proud of being an American."

Not only can Rafael's family be proud of him, but his fellow Marines are alive because of him. As Sgt. Rafael Peralta lay near death on the floor of a Fallujah terrorist hideout, he spotted the yellow grenade that had rolled next to his near-lifeless body. Once detonated, it would take out the rest of Peralta's squad. To save his fellow Marines, Peralta reached out, grabbed the grenade, and tucked it under his abdomen where it exploded.

"Most of the Marines in the house were in the immediate area of the grenade," Cpl. Kaemmerer said. "We will never forget the second chance at life that Sgt. Peralta gave us."

Unfortunately, unlike Pablo Paredes, Sgt. Rafael Peralta will get little media coverage. He is unlikely to have books written about him or movies made about his extraordinarily selfless sacrifice. But he is likely to receive the Medal of Honor. And that Medal of Honor is likely to be displayed next to the only items that hung on his bedroom wall - the Constitution, Bill of Rights and his Boot Camp graduation certificate.

The MSM should be ashamed of itself for not publishing such a story. This is the type of story that inspires greatness and heroism in every single person, not just the soldier fighting a war most of the MSM is against. We should all give thanks for heroes like Sgt. Peralta.

Stop by the The Enduring Freedom KIA Fund and help support the families of our other heroes who have fallen. The Christmas season is a time for generosity. We should show our nation's loved ones how generous we as a nation are and how much we sincerely appreciate the sacrifices made by so few. Read the memorial to CSM James D. Blankenbecler for inspiration.

For another inspiring story in Iraq, you must read this on Little Green Footballs.

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- Associated Press

NAJAF, Iraq - Thousands of mourners attended funerals Monday and Iraqi authorities detained 50 suspects in connection with an explosion in the Shiite holy city of Najaf that killed at least 54 people and wounded 142.

[snip]

Najaf's police chief said that among them were people with links to the two neighboring countries.

"The police arrested some elements who confessed that they have links with the Syrian intelligence ... and a person who confessed he had links with Iranian intelligence since 1995," al-Jazaari said.

Iran has contributed greatly to the instability within Iraq in hopes of stopping the start of Democracy that could eventually cause the people of Iran to rise up against the Mullahs. Syria fears Democracy in Iraq for much of the same reason. In fact, the same could be said about Saudi Arabia, however intelligence agencts from only Syria and Iran have now been found in Iraq and are suspected of either participating in or organizing a bombing that killed and injured 176 innocent Iraqis.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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But I still have a little bubblegum left, so the ass kickings won't start right away. Maybe not 'til after Christmas. Dr. Shackleford was gracious enough to give me a spot as a guest blogger here at the esteemed Jawa report. This despite the fact that I am unemployed, yet still haven't found the time to post a single thing on my own blog in a week; and more to the point have no discernable talent whatsoever.

Rusty is a really nice guy. He won't get his ass kicked. I'll just quietly chew bubblegum in the corner when he's around.

Rusty has a habit of offering cogent analysis and insightful commentary on the events of the day. In keeping with the high standards of blog journalism he has established, I offer you this collection of links to weird things I've found on the web over the last week:

Do you like animals? I mean really like animals? Then go to this attractively designed, but yet ultimately horrifying webpage.

Ever feel the need to send a message to those annoying people like me who speak loudly on their cell phones? Well, look no further than right right here where, through the magic of the interweb, you now have printer-ready cards to hand out to the offending mobile phone user.

Over at my blog, The Ministry of Minor Perfidy, we've long been concerned about the looming threat from giant killer robots. (For example, here and here.) But this is going way, way too far. We do not need our new robot overlords taking over our excretory functions.

Only $5.95!

And, just so you know.

To wrap this little link fest up, a link to one of my own posts, which will lead you to hours of wasted time on a medieval siege weapon simulator. Not quite as fun as the Yeti-smacking-the-penguin game, but good nevertheless.

If you all behave very nicely, I might even comment on world affairs. My dad is a historian, and I can ask him things, and then tell you what he said. Just don't tell my dad I said that. I'd never live it down.

by Buckethead

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by Demosophist

Sorry I haven't been posting much, but have been trying to catch up on some backlogged work. I'm also going to the Caribbean for about three weeks for my family's first "Tropical Christmas," so probably won't be posting from there very much. Check back in January. In the mean time my blog co-conspirators Anticipatory Retaliation and The Jawa Report always have captivating things to say. After the first of the year I'll also be doing a periodic Iraq briefing on Winds of Change, which is typically a wealth of insight, inspiration and understanding.

(Cross-posted by Demosophist to Demosophia and Anticipatory Retaliation)

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Light posting....

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Rusty Shackleford, yours truly, will be heading for Los Angeles this Saturday through whenever I feel like leaving. If any of you want to meet the man behind the legend, a couple of other bloggers and frequent commenters are going to hook up some time after Christmas for some eats. I'm thinking we should eat at one of the restaurants run by the Nation of Islam south of 50th? But if that doesn't work out we'll probably eat somewhere in the downtown area. E-mail me if you want to join us.

Guest bloggers: I'll try to e-mail you guys tomorrow and get things straightened out. Sorry, I put this off and now I'm wicked busy. I will have internet access in Cali, but not on the stupid cruise ship.

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It appears that Salvatore Santoro was only captured very recently. Reports about the Italian man going missing and reports of his death came almost simultaneously. Zaman reports that Mr. Santoro was working for a British non-governmental organization. Xinhua reports that Mr. Santoro was 52 and from the Campania region near Naples. The Islamic Movement of Iraqi Mujahidin is new to me, but could simply be another translation of The Islamic Army in Iraq which operates in Ramadi, where Mr. Santoro was taken captive. Al Jazeera:

An Italian captive identified as Salvatore Santoro has been killed by his captors in Iraq, Aljazeera television reported.

Aljazeera on Thursday broadcast pictures of Santoro's passport and showed him sitting bound and blindfolded in a ditch with a gun to his head. In separate footage, four masked and armed men were shown reading a statement.

Quoting a statement from the "Islamic Movement of Iraqi Mujahidin", Aljazeera said Santoro had been killed after the group had found evidence that he supported the Americans....

A group of people took the photographer to Ramadi, in western Iraq, "where they showed him the body of a man and a passport.

Related: Italian Hostage Enzo Baldoni Murdered

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A new audio tape of Osama bin Laden has been posted at an Islamic bulletin board. The tape is over 70 minutes long, but several news agencies are already in the process of translating it. Here are some of the highlights, gathered from various press sources. Interestingly, the official english language newspaper of Saudi Arabia does not report the tape.

The main theme picked up by Al Jazeera is that regimes in the Middle East are corrupt. Why? Because they cooperate with the United States. Saudi Arabia is used as the example of an apostate regime. Terrorism is a direct result of that apostasy:

The responsibility for the current situation in Saudi Arabia rests with the regime," said the voice on the tape, broadcast on one of the principle Islamist Internet sites and subsequently on Aljazeera.

In Saudi Arabia, it is the king and not Allah who commands sovereignty and complete obedience," the voice on the tape said. "I advised the government two decades ago to remedy the situation ... but it has not changed at all."

"We pray to Allah to welcome the souls of the mujahidin (Islamic fighters) who attacked the American consulate in Jeddah," he said, referring to the 6 December attack in the Saudi city in which four of the attackers, together with five non-American embassy staff members, were killed...

We are not talking about a corrupt, impious leader, but about the apostasy and collaboration of leaders with the infidels. Since there is no difference between [Paul] Bremer, the former governor in Baghdad, and [Iyad] Allawi, the current leader, in applying US policies in Iraq, there is no difference between Bremer and the rest of the region's leaders in applying US policies," bin Ladin said....

Addressing "Muslims in Saudi Arabia in particular and in other countries in general", bin Ladin said: "This is a message about the conflict between the leaders of Riyadh and people of the country and the way to solve it."

"The necessity of security and safety, the sanctity of Muslims' blood, the necessity of harmony and union and the dangers of conflicts and separation (division) have been discussed a great deal in Saudi Arabia," he said.

"They have claimed that the mujahidin are responsible for the continuing incidents in Saudi Arabia. But it is very clear that it is the government's responsibility as it has ignored all conditions required to ensure safety and prevent bloodshed."

Bin Ladin added: "If we want to correctly, practically and scientifically solve the conflict, we should know its reality, roots and directions. Part of this conflict is internal, but in other dimensions it is a conflict between international non-believers supported by the US-led apostates on the one side, and the Muslim nation and the mujahidin brigades on the other side."

The speaker on the tape blasted Saudi rulers as "corrupt Zionists" who were stooges of the United States and whose rule was "an extension of the crusader wars against Muslims"....

"Some people say that yes it (reform) is possible because they started holding national dialogues and they started with municipal elections, but I say that this will not change anything," the speaker said. "The only way to reform is the toppling of the regime through armed struggle."....

While calling for change, the speaker scoffed at overtures such as promised municipal elections and a national dialogue Saudi rulers recently initiated to open public debate on democratization and other issues.

"This hasn't changed anything ... the best they can do is that they will go into the elections game as happened before in Yemen and Jordan or Egypt and move in a vicious circle for dozens of years, this is regardless of the fact that it is prohibited to enter the infidel legislative councils," the speaker said.

Here is some news about the nation wide protests. Al Jazeera:

Hundreds of Saudi security forces kept an iron grip over central Riyadh on Thursday to thwart protest marches planned by an exiled dissident against the kingdom's absolute monarchy.

Riot police with helmets, batons and shields lined a main street in the Saudi capital while a helicopter hovered above the area where London-based opposition figure Saad al-Fagih had called for tens of thousands of people to assemble.

Saudi police arrested two men who fired a pistol in the air near a spot where anti-monarchists had planned an illegal demonstration Thursday, a security official said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said police in the Red Sea port of Jiddah chased down the men and arrested them. The two are likely linked to the exiled dissident who had called for the protests in Jiddah and Riyadh, the Saudi capital, the official said.

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Wow, is the TTLB Ecosystem screwed up or what? more...

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