From the Telegraph:

The Bush administration is planning to use nuclear weapons against Iran, to prevent it acquiring its own atomic warheads, claims an investigative writer with high-level Pentagon and intelligence contacts.

The Iranian nuclear program must be taken out, and if the vicious current regime goes with it, so much the better. The risk, not only of the mad mullahs using nuclear weapons, but of their providing them to one of the terrorist groups they sponsor is too great. If it takes tactical nuclear weapons to accomplish the destruction of the Iranian nuclear threat, so be it.

Via Signal 94 and Stop the ACLU.

Also posted at The Dread Pundit Bluto and Vince Aut Morire.

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It seems that playing the race card is just as popular as always. This week we had Cynthia McKinney and now Mablean.

Mablean Ephriam, television's "Divorce Court" judge, claims her firing by FOX was because of racial and ethnic issues. FOX stated that Ephriam wanted too much money and reportedly turned down a contract for $2 million a year.

Since FOX replaced Ephriam with ex-Ohio Judge Lynn Toler, also an African-American, her racism charge seems baseless. I suggest that she try claiming FOX is sexist.

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We're often told by the media that it's the seriousness of the accusation that matters. If that is the case, how come there is no press coverage of the accusation that Syria routinely totures and kills their own Kurdish citizens?

A Kurdish website run out of Holland is reporting that 19 year old Mohammed Wayso was recently tortured to death by his commanders in the Syrian Army because he couldn't speak Arabic well enough. Syria is run by the Arab nationalist Ba'ath Party.

The Kurdish political party in Syria, Yeketi, claims that at least 5 others Kurds have been tortured to death in Syria in the past two years because of their ethnic identity.

You can see a translation of the Azady story here (warning: graphic images). More images of the murdered Kurd here (graphic)

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Last word on Jill Carroll kidnapping. Jeff Jacoby:

To some people hearing this, it was plain that Carroll could only have been speaking under duress. "Jill Carroll forced to make propaganda video as price of freedom," the Monitor headlined its story the next day. Anyone tempted to accuse Carroll of some other motive, cautioned Ellen Knickmeyer of The Washington Post, "should think about what they would do (after) three months with machine guns held to their heads."

In it Jill Carroll seems more than eager to give the 'correct' answers asked by her captors. It's quite sickening some of the answers she gives, but understandable under the circumstances. But, before you accuse Jill of being a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, keep in mind that she was under duress....

Very scripted, very much what you would expect the terrorists wanted to hear.

What would you say to your captors after months as a prisoner? You'd tell them exactly what they want to hear. Remember, the only video we have of Jill Carroll are two segments taped while she was still a prisoner--under a considerable amount of duress. The second video we have is one taped in the offices of The Islamic Party of Iraq--the political front for the same terrorists who had victimized her!

"During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me I would be released if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. So I agreed," she said in a statement read by her editor in Boston.

"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."... ...In the statement, Carroll also disavowed an interview she gave to the party shortly after her release. She said the party had promised her the interview would not be aired "and broke their word."... ..."At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear, I said I wasn't threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times," she said. "Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: One — that I refused to travel and cooperate with the U.S. military, and two — that I refused to discuss my captivity with U.S. officials. Again, neither statement is true."

Jim Geraghty also chimes in against both the Right and Left, but since we've already discussed the Right's reaction:

There was much ugliness on the right, but there was plenty of the same nastiness to go around on the left. Shortly after her initial remarks, John Podhoretz predicted on National Review Online's group blog The Corner that there would be a lot of talk about Stockholm Syndrome. Shortly thereafter, a contributor to the liberal blog ThinkProgress demanded an apology (presumptuously speaking for Carroll) and other commenters on that site wished for Podhoretz to get kidnapped himself, labeling him a "Reichwingnut" and so on.

No matter how much you may disagree with a network anchor, reporter or columnist, it's unheard of for a professional writer to say in published work, "I hope that guy gets kidnapped." Even on his worst day, it's unimaginable that Rather (or Bob Schieffer, or any new anchor) would label, on-air an opponent a "Reichwingnut." (Okay, maybe Bryant Gumbel. But when he called Robert Knight "a ****ing idiot," he at least thought he was off the air. ) Nor is any columnist likely to speculate in print that abducted prisoners are in cahoots with their captors, at least without evidence....

The Pajamahadeen have gone from fact-checking Dan Rather to speculating that Jill Carroll faked her tears on her hostage tape. This is not progress.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:19 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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One of the stories being widely circulated right now is that the King of Nepal has ordered that protesters would be shot on site. What the headline does not say, is that Nepal is in the midsts of a civil war with Maoist rebels. And that no protesters have, in fact, been shot on site!Guardian:

Protesters demanding a return to democracy postponed a rally that had been expected to draw thousands on Saturday, after the king imposed an all-day curfew and ordered violators shot on sight.

One person was killed and at least two wounded when security forces fired at demonstrators in Pokhara, a resort town 125 miles west of the capital, Katmandu, said Gangadhar Baral, who was among those wounded.

"We were protesting and some of us were throwing stones at the soldiers. Suddenly, the soldiers fired shots at us. One of my friends was killed instantly,'' Baral said. He spoke from the town's main hospital.

And why the imposition of the restrictions?

The rebels bombed government buildings and attacked a jail in the southwestern town of Taulihawa on Friday night, freeing 104 prisoners, officials said. Insurgents also attacked security bases in the nearby town of Butwal.

Officials said the curfew was in response to information that the rebels would try to infiltrate the rallies and wage terror attacks against government targets.

Impending geek alert: Interestingly enough, last night's episode of Dr. Who featured a Prime Minister of England ordering the Doctor shot on site. Which is neither here nor there, but I just figured you ought to know a little about Macktastick Rusty Wicked's geek factor. It's off the scale.

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If NASCAR gets a fatwa before me, I swear I'll sue!

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As I pointed out here after the Hamas election win, it is illegal for the US to give aid to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the European Commission suspended aid to the new Hamas-led Palestinian government on Friday, pushing the Palestinian Authority closer to financial collapse.

The State Department, making its announcement, said it would boost humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through U.N. agencies to avoid widespread distress in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but the United States would not fund an organization committed to the destruction of Israel.

Hamas has appealed to Arab states and Iran to fill the shortfall, but has not even been able to find a bank willing to handle its finances.

Also posted at The Dread Pundit Bluto and Vince Aut Morire.

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In a cheap attempt to break our will the enemy in Iraq has attempted to copycat the Somalia incident that broke Bill ClintonÂ’s will. The US military has called the video despicable. Our thoughts and prayers go to our fine pilot and his family.

CNN : "We are outraged that anyone would create and publish such a despicable video for public exposure," military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington said in a statement. "The terrorists continue to demonstrate their immoral disregard for human dignity and life."
The U.S. military reported Sunday that an Army AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter went down, likely from enemy fire, west of Yousifiah on Saturday evening while conducting a combat air patrol.
The video shows what appears to be a helicopter ablaze -- and later with no flames -- and insurgents dragging what appears to be "part of" a burning body away from the wreckage.

Update : Al emails to question the last part of clip that shows the body. It's not very clear exactly what it is. Possibly a dummy? Right above the belt where the hips meet the waist it does not look quite right to me either.

Update II : Darcey also is hosting the Video here and a Hat Tip too for the frame grabs below the fold.

Update III 04/07/06 Hat Tip Infovlad: I saw this over at MSNBC today .

Military analysts have authenticated the terrorist videotape released this week that militants said showed the burning wreckage of an Apache helicopter and the body of a U.S. Army pilot being dragged, U.S. military officials have told NBC News.

Vlad : Recipe of flammable liquid? Whose logo is this? The video looks bit old though.

Posted by: Howie at 10:27 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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I look forward to Friday, not because it's the start of the weekend (I work most Saturdays) but because it's Victor Davis Hanson day at NRO. And this Friday, like most, fails to disappoint:

So far the Iranian president has posed as someone 90-percent crazy and 10-percent sane, hoping we would fear his overt madness and delicately appeal to his small reservoirs of reason. But he should understand that if his Western enemies appear 90-percent children of the Enlightenment, they are still effused with vestigial traces of the emotional and unpredictable. And military history shows that the irrational 10 percent of the Western mind is a lot scarier than anything Islamic fanaticism has to offer.

10% > 90%

Mark it down, it's the only time it will ever make sense.

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This week's South Park featured a censored Muhammed cartoon. You can watch the relevant part of it below and an image of Muhammed I captured from it is to the right.

It is supposed to be part 1 of a 2 part series in which they promise to show a cartoon of Muhamme drinking tea with Peter Griffin, of Family Guy, which they buy from Mr. T. I pity the fool who dares censor next week's episode. At the very end of the show Trey Parker and Matt Stone literally dared Comedy Central to cenosr them

Best. South. Park. Ever. Period.

If you didn't see it, just don't miss the reruns of it. Send the kids to bed, and then watch it. You won't regret it.

I've been sort of out of the loop for the past week. If any one has any images of Muhammed from this week's South Park, please let me know. Professor Chaos forwards this link. You can actually watch the segment of the video below. more...

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At some point even the term homicide-bomber becomes too PC to describe the evil. Let's call these people what they really are: mass murderers. I wonder if the U.N. will look into these clear violations of the Geneva Conventions?

When American soldiers kill terrorists operating out of a mosque and holding hostages there, they are accused of all sorts of vile things. But when mass-murdering Muslims proudly and purposefully target civilians at mosques, it is simply part of 'sectarian violence'. Our neutral media at work.

L.A. Times:

At least 69 people were killed and 130 injured today when three suicide bombers, at least one of whom was a woman, blew themselves up in and around the Bratha mosque, one of the most important Shiite mosques in the capital.

Rescuers, including Iraqi security forces and volunteers, sorted among the gore of severed body parts to find and treat the living.

Asked how he knew a woman was involved, a mosque worker pointed at a body part that still had pantyhose attached. "There she is," he said.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:47 AM | Comments (29) | Add Comment
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If these guys are guilty of involvement in a massacre that killed over 200--mostly women and children, let me volunteer my services for the firing squad. However, the Indonesian court system is based on Islamic law and, as we have noted here on several occasions, is a complete sham. Not a single Muslim has been brought to justice for the killing of Christians during the same period--even though far more Christians were killed in the sectarian violence than Muslims. Not. A. Single. One.

Dog Pundit has more. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 09:15 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Thanks, once again, to those who offered their condolences at the passing of my friend. The funeral was held yesterday and I had the privilege of speaking at it. My friend was so beloved by all that the 700 seat auditorium that we rented for it was too small to hold all the mourners. It was standing room only.

While I'm thinking about it, let me personally thank the minister of the First Baptist Church for denying our request to use his enormous church because our faith wasn't 'Christian' enough for him. Oh, and thanks for instructing your A/V people who volunteered to help out with the funeral, to edit out those parts of the slideshow homage of my friend which weren't orthodox enough for you. That's really classy.

Anyway, the whole tragedy has given me a renewed perspective on things that matter.

Let me publicly apologize for offenses given or taken on this blog. I'll try to be slower to dish it out in the future, and think things through before writing.

Anyway, it's back to the grind for me.

Posted by: Rusty at 07:11 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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IMAO : What does the Iranian Missile Command look like, anyway?

Hat Tip: Instapundit.

Posted by: Howie at 07:10 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Liberals amazed that Commander-in-Chief has authority to declassify information
The liberal media watchdog (that pooch can't be getting much exercise) group Media Matters for America shrilly complains that CNN and Fox reporters "accepted without question [the] claim that Bush's NIE 'declassification' was legal".

There's a good reason they did. MMA should have waited so they could have included such bastions of conservative propaganda as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times in their complaint. more...

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(Rome) This weekend, the Italians will be voting on a new Prime Minister. Consequently, the current officeholder, Silvio Berlusconi, has been colorfully campaigning for re-election.

From TimesOnline.co.uk:

[Berlusconi] has vowed to give up sex for the election, compared himself to Jesus and Napoleon, and admitted phoning late-night erotic chat lines. Nothing, it seems, is out of bounds for Silvio Berlusconi.

But yesterday the Italian Prime Minister, trailing in opinion polls before Sunday's vote, perhaps went a step too far when he suggested that left-wing voters were "dickheads."

From Interested-Participant.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 10:01 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Robbery? No ma'am, this is an undocumented withdrawal.

Also posted at The Dread Pundit Bluto.

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Just a few things for now.

Osama Bin Laden has a big mouth.

Those fighting to make the US suffer in Iraq, cause Iraqis to suffer more.

Weeeeeell Islam is a bitch itÂ’s a big fat bitch itÂ’s the meanest bitch in the whole wide world. ItÂ’s a mean old bitch if there ever was a bitch itÂ’s a bitch to all the boys and girls.

My eyes they burn!

Foiled Again!

more...

Posted by: Howie at 11:39 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Upon being told what was happening at the WTC Rudy hoped against hope that his men were wrong. They werenÂ’t.

AP Via Yahoo : He said the image of two people jumping together, appearing to hold hands, sticks with him every day. Moussaoui affected a look of boredom when the prosecution played video of victims falling to their deaths.
Giuliani took the stand after prosecutor Rob Spencer braced jurors for the painful testimony they were going to hear over the next few weeks. His presentation opened the final phase of the drawn-out trial that will determine whether Moussaoui is executed or sent to prison for life.
Giuliani said that when he arrived at the scene, his deputy told him how bad the situation was and people were jumping from the high floors of the towers. "I concluded or hoped he was wrong," he said.
But then he saw people falling and "I froze. I realized in that couple of seconds, it switched my thinking and emotions. I said, 'We're in uncharted territory.'"

Spencer argued that the voices of the victims of the attacks and their anguished families should be all the jury needs to hear to decide whether Moussaoui, an acknowledged al-Qaida terrorist, should die for his crimes.
Spencer described one call from a woman on the 83rd floor of the second tower to fall. "The floor is completely engulfed," she said. "We're on the floor and we can't breathe.... I don't see any more air...I'm going to die, aren't I?"
"You cannot understand the magnitude of that day unless you hear it from the victims themselves," Spencer said. Moussaoui smiled several times when the prosecution mentioned his enthusiasm for the attacks.

Related more remains found near WTC.

Posted by: Howie at 11:01 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Abu Ayman was once a part of SaddamÂ’s intelligence service and his believed to have close ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (Zaqueery)

Times Online : In a statement issued by the Multi-National Force in Iraq, Muhammed Hila Hammad Ubaydi, more widely known as Abu Ayman, was described as a terrorist leader with "close ties" to al-Zarqawi and the prime suspect for the kidnap of Guiliana Sgrena, an Italian journalist who was released last year.
Ayman was seized by Iraqi soldiers in the Al Mahmudiyah neighborhood of southern Baghdad on March 7, according to the statement, but his capture was not made public until his identity was confirmed by DNA tests.

Ayman's capture was the climax of a "determined manhunt" launched after his deputy, a Syrian-born insurgent called Abu Qatada, was seized by coalition soldiers on December 27, US commanders said today.
Qatada was found hiding in a canal in Baghdad and his interrogation "provided critical information that has led to the capture of several of his terrorist associates"

He is blamed for a string of bombings in the Iraqi capital, the assassination of government officials and for attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces. An aide to Saddam Hussein's chief of staff for intelligence, Ayman is thought to have led an extremist group known as the Secret Islamic Army in Babil, a province south of Baghdad.

"Apprehension of a guy like Abu Ayman is gonna help us work our way toward al Zarqawi in just a matter of time,"

Posted by: Howie at 10:50 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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