May 11, 2005
The primary characteristic of the current operations in western Iraq, which the Belmont Club discusses here in great depth and with typically impressive insight, is that the insurgents aren't slipping stealthily away as they have in previous engagements. Their "investment" is anchored at these approaches to the Syrian border, and while they may be able to swing a wide arc through the country allowing them the option of relocation after they've been ejected from Fallujah or Ramadi, that arc must be anchored *somewhere*. They may not have other options. more...
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04:08 PM
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First, an example of the bad gay.
Barney Frank grabbing Mike Evans' ass at last weekend's Equality Forum in Philedelphia = bad gay.
On the other hand, Gerri Halliwell making out with Kylie Minogue = good gay.** more...
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11:23 AM
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11:21 AM
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If no response, I'm sure there are plenty of gay-porn sites that would just love to add that e-mail to their spam list.........
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09:27 AM
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09:15 AM
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The family of an Australian man taken hostage in Iraq has started a blog. The Douglas Wood Family Website makes an appeal to Wood's captors to release him and is written in both English and Arabic. The site appears to use a standard blogger template.
It's an interesting approach to helping free Mr. Wood. Let's hope it works.
The family has announced that it has made a 'large charitable contribution to the people of Iraq' in an effort to free Douglas Wood. I'm not sure whether that is a veiled way of saying they paid ransom or if the family expects Wood's captors to view him more favorably because of it. It seems a bit out of touch with reality, though.
There are two types of hostage takers in Iraq. First are terror groups. They care about using the hostage situation only in so far as it serves their propaganda needs. Second are criminal gangs. They care about using the hostage situation only in so far as it seves their financial needs. In neither case would a charitable donation mean anything.
We hope and pray for Mr. Wood's quick release, his good health, and that his captors meet a swift and violent death.
Posted by: Rusty at
09:06 AM
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While the recent arrest of Abu Faraj al-Libbi, Al Qaeda's number-three man, is a significant victory in the war on terror, another largely overlooked arrest gives even more reason to rejoice. Ijju Sheikh, a fugitive suspect in one of India's worst terrorist attacks, was arrested in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) on April 29. His capture shows that the noose is tightening on a sinister transnational mafia that both supports al Qaeda's existence, and imperils India's.On March 12, 1993, a series of explosions ripped through the streets of Mumbai, killing 257 Indians and injuring 713. The serial attack, presaging Al Qaeda's coordinated-bombing modus operandi, involved nearly simultaneous detonation of car-bombs across the city in crowded bazaars and near major hotels and Mumbai's stock exchange. While India is no stranger to political violence, the attack has been retroactively dubbed "India's 9-11" for its shock and devastation.
Ijju Sheikh stands accused of smuggling the RDX explosives used in the bombing. Once a hotelier and sarpanch (city council chief) with political connections, Sheikh fled to Dubai after the bombing and only recently snuck back into India. He is also accused of smuggling gold and weapons, as well as being a top henchman to international gangster and terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.
Posted by: Rusty at
08:24 AM
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Airplane pieces fell from the sky over Danville Monday night, surprising residents and FedEx and causing damages to at least one house, but injuring no one.So, despite missing some parts, including one that was about 10 feet long, the plane flew all the way to Dallas and landed safely. And, inexplicably, the pilots didn't know that their plane was falling apart. According to FAA spokesman Donn Walker, the parts came from an engine thrust reverser.FedEx spokeswoman Sally Davenport said this morning the flight from Oakland landed safely as scheduled in Dallas-Fort Worth with two pilots and an assortment of packages aboard.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration said three pieces came off the MD11 jet.
A FedEx spokesman called the incident highly unusual and plans to be in contact with homeowners in the area about the debris.
Maybe I'm being overly critical, but the fact that the pilots didn't know they had a problem is somewhat troubling. It begs the question of just how much of the plane has to become dismantled in flight to achieve the threshold for pilot awareness. Is it okay for five percent of the plane to fall from the sky without pilot knowledge? Ten percent? Twenty?
Companion post at Interested-Participant.
Posted by: Mike Pechar at
06:59 AM
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May 10, 2005
Are you straight guys as irritated as I am by the metrosexual craze? Please please please don't remove a single hair from your body. Ignore Queer Eye. We homos aren't all crazed, plucked product queens.The idea of AS being into hairy guys......My eyes!! They burn!!!!!!!!
Then AS links to The Superficial, which is cool since they've linked to me in the past and given me a ton of hits. But to call such a site hetero?? HETERO MOMENT I:
Here's a great blog obsessed with - and very funny about - the lives of very hot, twenty-something famous babes. My friend Jay Jaroch and others on the Bill Maher writing team alerted me to it. It's hilarious and obsessive and very bloggy.Yeah, nothing says heterosexual more than a blog devoted to celebrities...... more...
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) lets close it down. 
aranoid Idiotarian of the Day
Ok, I don't really have time to post, but I read this over at Eschaton's place.....talk about freaking nutty!!! Look, Atrios is just your run of the mill left-wing activist in the Democratic party. I've never considered him part of the tin-foil brigades, just part of the gay-hating pretending to be gay-loving gay-outing partisan left. But whoever this guy Avedon is.....man, this guy takes the cake!Here is the post in question where he (she?) accused the Republican party of rigging elections. Evidence? Well, why else would they be so confident that judicial fillibusters won't be needed in the future if they aren't completely sure they will be in the majority for the foreseeable future. Idiot. more...
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02:46 PM
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We are talking about the worst sort of jihadi site here, the type that trains insurgents to kill American soldiers using Improvised Explosive Devices.
If the link doesn't work that's because I filed a complaint with the company, but Open Source Intelligence took a screenshot.
If the link still works it's either because a) they haven't gotten around to taking down this disgusting site because of manpower issues or b) they are a bunch of idiots who in the name of 'free speech' are willing to see their friends and neighbors killed.
If b, then I suggest somebody go down to 1253 N. Research Way, Suite Q-2500, in Orem Utah and raise bloody hell!
UPDATE: Site down!
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02:32 PM
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Is it just the pinkeye talking or does that photo seem just a little more gay on the second posting? Anyway, thanks to all for cheering me up in an otherwise dismal week.
See-Dub: While North Korea may soon test a nuclear warhead, White House sources reported, their manual delivery systems remain primitive and easily blocked.
Carlos: Starving N. Korean hordes fight desperately for the last remaining food aid donated by the U.S.A.
Graeme: In this rare photo, North Korean military personnel attempt to split Uranium - 235 atoms to initate a fission reaction during an above ground test of the country's first nuclear weapon. The IAEA has since prohibited the exportation of Red Bull to North Korea in an attempt to stop its nuclear weapons programme.
UPDATE: D'oh! I never announced last week's winners from the Blog Sabbath Caption Contest: Worship Me Edition. Sorry.
Amicus Curae: No, honestly, who called for the proctologist?
Lookitup: ...and suddenly George Lucas realizes to his embarrassment that this indeed was NOT Star Wars convention. Quickly he consults the convention map and realizes that this is the Ostrich Impersonators Convention in the next hall over.
Buckley F. Williams gets the most offensive, yet funny award: And remember, whoever finds my Barry Manilow tie clip gets a sturdy goat and a one month supply of chick peas.
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An Australian prison guard held hostage for two days was released after a ransom demand for pizzas was met.Up to 20 inmates at the Risdon Prison in Hobart, Tasmania, seized the guard in a protest over conditions in the maximum security jail.
Initially they made 24 demands to authorities, but eventually gave up their hostage after agreeing to 15 pizzas, Coke and garlic bread instead.
"At midnight, the final sticking point with the inmates was that they were requiring pizzas to be delivered. Our staff member was negotiated out with the delivery of 15 pizzas," Graeme Barber, Tasmania's director of prisons, told The Advocate newspaper.
Posted by: Rusty at
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Also, the deadline for Australian hostage Douglas Wood has passed. Still no word as to his fate.
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09:55 AM
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التوبة الآية 14-15
الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر ... تمكن إخوانكم المجاهدين وبعد وصول معلومات حول خروج عدد من السيارات من قاعدة الأسد الأمريكية العسكرية التي تحمل مقاولين ومخابرات غربيين تساندهم قوات الردة متخفين بملابس مدنية وسيارت صالون طبيعية فكمن لهم المجاهدين كميناً عند وصولهم في منطقة بالقرب من هيت، وعند وصولهم تلك المنطقة خرج عليهم المجاهدين كالأسود حيث كان عدد المرتدين 12 عراقي إضافة إلى خمسة أجانب متسلحين بأحدث أنواع الأسلحة الرشاشة والرمانات اليدوية، ودارت معركة طاحنة استدعى خلالها المرتدين والأجانب إلى إمدادات القوات الأمريكية وبالحال أرسل المجاهدين إمدادات فوصلت مفارز المجاهدين قبل وصول المروحيات الصليبية فهجم عليهم المجاهدين هجوماً كاسحاً أدى إلى إصابة العديد منهم إصابات بالغة مما اضطرهم إلى الاستسلام في هذه الإثناء وصلت المروحيات الأمريكية فقام المجاهدين بأسرهم وقتلهم بالحال باستثناء أحدهم وهو ياباني الجنسية كما مبين في وثائقه إدناه وهو الآن في قبضة المجاهدين إلا أنه مصاب بإصابات بالغة وسنقوم بتصويره ونشره قريباً، وكذلك سنقوم بنشر وثائق وصور الذين تم قتلهم أما المجاهدين فقد من الله عليهم بالنصر وبفضل الله لم يصب أحداً منهم، وعند انسحابهم قامت المروحيات الأمريكية
in English/any reasonably understandable writing?Sex rarely makes the news in Brazil's conservative Northeast — until a small town declared an official Orgasm Day on Monday.You can't make this stuff up. Hat tip: Discarded LiesEspertantina Mayor Felipe Santolia endorsed the May 9 holiday, which he said was intended to improve relationships between married couples.
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Amid all the chitchat, commentary and controversy over this week's celebrations marking the end of World War II, there is a question that has never been far from the surface, though it has rarely broken through: Which was really worse -- communism or Nazism?True, but if you are to use this comparison then one would need to call 'Nazism' a particular manifestation of fascism. Hitler is to fascism what Stalin is to communism.One answer, a sensible one at that, is that both systems were so degraded, disgusting and unpalatable that it is impossible to establish a hierarchy of value in which one could possibly stand higher, or lower, than the other. When you've reached the deepest pit in Hell there's nowhere lower to go.
Unfortunately, though, that conclusion is often lost in a quagmire of ignorance and historical distortion. Not because anyone this side of decency really doubts the horrors of Nazism. But, sadly, because there are still large numbers of people (and judge for yourself which side of decency they stand) who still refuse to face up to the horrors of communism.
Take veteran Guardian columnist Jonathan Steele, writing in that paper just last week. In an irony that would certainly escape him, he makes it clear that one purpose of his polemic is to combat the "denial" in the West about the role of the Soviet Union in defeating Hitler. In attempting to foreclose on the argument that "Nazism and communism were somehow two sides of the same evil coin" he reaches a crescendo with the following, extraordinary statement: "Mass terror and purges," he says, "were not intrinsic to Soviet rule, as was clear after Stalin's death."
Yet, no one says, "Hey, those fascists weren't really all that bad. It was Hitler that perverted fascism." See how this works? As if any paper would stand up and call Mussolini a reformer, Franco an anti-Hitlerite, or Juan Peron an idealist.
Soviet mass terror, by contrast, was a feature of the regime right from the beginning. Lenin's core principle of Red Terror was applied in the slaughter of up to half a million class enemies in the very first years of Soviet rule. And that is before we add in the millions of victims of a civil war which was the direct result of communist despotism.And why do people still engage in this debate?In Lenin's own words, the new Soviet system was "a special system of organized violence against a certain class." The use of terror against class and ideological enemies was thus a central, defining part of the communist system.
Lenin's Commissar for Justice Issac Steinberg well remembers in his memoirs a telling conversation with Lenin in which he (bravely) expressed reservations about the scale of that terror. "Then why do we bother with a commissariat of Justice?" he asked Lenin. "Let's call it frankly the commissariat for Social Extermination and be done with it!" Lenin jumped at the idea. "Well put," he said. "That's exactly what it should be...but we can't say that."
The full death toll, most of it accumulated in peace time, at the hands of Lenin and his political and ideological successor, Stalin, is estimated by the best authorities at somewhere between 25 million and 30 million people. Not bad in a system for which mass terror and purges were not "intrinsic" parts. In what passes for Steele's argument, he suggests the scaling down of the terror after Stalin's death is evidence the system was not inherently terroristic. Does it not occur to him that there was no one left to kill?
But by far the most significant category is made up by people who have a deep ideological need to save the reputation of the one by showing up its "better" qualities in comparison with the other. Neo-Nazis have thus long sought to stress the crimes of Stalin while diminishing or denying entirely the crimes of Hitler. It serves their perverted aims to do so. The old, Western Left has participated in exactly the same kind of enterprise in reverse. The difference is, of course, that they continue to get away with it, avoiding the contempt that both groups, not just one, so richly deserve.Parenthetically I was at a May Day rally in Moscow once. The crowd was maybe 100,000 strong. There were pictures of Stalin everywhere.
One of the main speakers was an American from the CPUSA. Had he been 5 feet closer I would have punched that SOB right in the mouth. The utter drivel coming out of his mouth about how Russians were so much better off under the Soviet Union and how they enjoyed such a higher standard of living than Americans.
Being a Leftist is a lot like being a member of a cult. But at least in a cult they need to make you eat low-protein gruel to lower your resistance to suggestion. Leftist seem willing and able to buy into the ideological nonsense of their own free will.
Hmmm, I take that back. Maybe kashi (mush) and shi (cabbage soup) were Communist inventions to get the masses on board with the Fearless Leader's glorious seven year plan?
Hat tip: Kevin Aylward
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