Chad at In the Bullpen offers this reflection on the impact of large-scale immigration of Muslims to Europe.

I would only add that if Europeans don't a) start having more children or b) begin severely restricting immigration an even larger danger looms: Europe will become part of the Islamic Umma. Islam will have succeeded where Hitler failed, to control the European continent and oppress all who oppose it's fascism. All this, plus an advanced industrial economy and nuclear weapons!!!

Posted by: Rusty at 06:00 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
Post contains 93 words, total size 1 kb.

1 But Europeans are the ultimate of evil so says peacenik progressives and therefore only they are hitlerite monsters, everyone else is entitled to good press and foriegn aid. Blah blah blah blah. Kumbyah my gamla, kumbyah my progressive gamla... http://www.gamla.org.il/english/article/1998/sept/win3.htm "The planet would be well rid of the European predator.", Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East analyst & commentator September 16, 1998 Kymbyah my gamla, kymbyah...

Posted by: Andre at December 05, 2004 09:32 AM (hD5mx)

2 We need to let the Western Europeans suffer the consequences of their immigration policies and their international policies related to trade with the terrorist supporting nations . . . Let 'em stew in their own juices! Just be very careful who we let get off the planes coming from there, as we now do with any of the Middle Eastern States. AND we need to start scrutinizing anybody who comes across our northern borders, because Canada is starting to have the same Muslim influx that the Western European countries have had in the past. It's only a matter of time before our northern border suffers the same problems our sourthern on does . . Just a different kind of "Wetback". I think it's time to view the Muslim immigrants as something similar to "Termites". An insidious pest that can become dangerous to a democracy when they become a substantual Minority.

Posted by: large at December 05, 2004 10:54 AM (VRK2g)

3 I second that emotion. Tell it like it and stop farting around. Canada is too fucking liberal,I know she got her hands burned at the D day landings and doesnt like to get her boots muddy but they should be with us on this one. D day was a long time ago,ay!

Posted by: chris at December 06, 2004 12:36 PM (ibaLB)

4 "Canada is too fucking liberal,I know she got her hands burned at the D day landings and doesnt like to get her boots muddy but they should be with us on this one." What about the troops they sent to (and continue to have in) Afghanistan. You might have heard of them, some were killed by an American bomb not too long ago; or the snipers the US military wanted to bestow on them? A little on the ignorant side, are ya? Dipshit.

Posted by: Venom at December 06, 2004 02:27 PM (dbxVM)

5 that should read: "...the snipers the US military wanted to bestow medals on."

Posted by: Venom at December 06, 2004 02:30 PM (dbxVM)

6 Eurabia, Canabia. Same thing. They have rolled over for the rag head invasion. If Canada doesn't wish to address the problem. Fine. Let them go their own way. Nothing up there anyway. To many French and to many ragheads. But let's close the border, keep the needed jobs here and let them choose their future without us. The thousands who cross the border everyday taking jobs needed by Americans will do just fine without us.

Posted by: greyrooster at December 06, 2004 06:36 PM (8Ljrv)

7 Actually, you'd be surprised how much the US needs Canada (and will need it in the future). First, Canada exports a great deal of natural resources that the US either doesn't have or doesn't have enough of. Second, the US needs Canada to prevent terrorists from entering the US. Third...well, I could be here all day doing this. But maybe you get the picture. I am curious to know, though, how Canada has "rolled over for the rag head invasion." Is this another made-up "fact?"

Posted by: Venom at December 07, 2004 08:37 AM (dbxVM)

8 VENOM: Shut the fuck up. My posts are not for the likes of you. You're just a shithead who takes the opposite side of everything. If someone said polio was good you would take the other side. You stand for nothing, you are nothing. Assholes like you should not be allowed on American soil.

Posted by: greyrooster at December 07, 2004 09:58 AM (VQTHJ)

9 Yeah, it fucking sucks when reality is splashed in your face from time to time, doesn't it? Too bad for you. And no, I don't take the opposite side to everything, except when I encounter ignorance. I call 'em like I see 'em, and unlike YOU I don't swallow everything that's shovelled in front of me. Some things are worth examining and questioning. Don't like what I have to say? Fuck you. I didn't ask for your approval.

Posted by: Venom at December 07, 2004 10:14 AM (dbxVM)

10 "If someone said polio was good you would take the other side." In this case, yeah, I would. Because polio is bad. Thanks for playing.

Posted by: Venom at December 07, 2004 12:49 PM (dbxVM)

11 Venom Good retort! Poor Rooster does not know his ass from his elbow. In fact he might even be suffering from some form of senile dementia as evidenced by his inability to make a post without telling someone to fuck off, fuck you etc etc. Personally I think himself and Laura are the same person. Perhaps he/she has Tourettes Syndrome and suffers from multiple personality disorder?

Posted by: James at December 08, 2004 04:04 AM (4PPsx)

12 James and Venom, if I had to make any sort of comments on Senior roosters' performance I couldn't have done better than you guys. I mean, the guy is so narrow minded, it's not funny! I think his name is actually a big paradox. Grey is a color between the black and the white, but the guy just doesn't see it! For him it's either black or white, no variation. You are either with him or completely against him, well I'd like to see how that cunt behaves in real life... He can only find his true happiness amongst his friends from the kkk. Ok enough of that shit head...

Posted by: federico at December 09, 2004 09:28 PM (dNXmc)

13 Amazing how James, Federico and Venom stick together. Same as the Islamic terrorits. Of course they all contribute their part to downgrade America. The KKK? yea, I guess I would prefer them to you anti-American terrorist hugging faggots. At least they're still considered patriots. You three assholes are not.

Posted by: greyrooster at December 11, 2004 07:12 PM (linwh)

14 greyslut, you keep on proving how stupid you are. First who said I was anti-american? Well, for your personal info dude, I am abso-fucking-lutely not. That being said I am against narrow minded stupid cunts who talk about things they don't know shit about! See, you try to dig a bit into a stupid mind and you can get some crap out pretty fucking quick! So you do love the kkk eh Dude, the only person that I see here anti something is you. You are basically anti everything which is not american. I know US is a great country, but if you had an IQ greater than the one of a washing machine you would realise that other countries in the world have great things about them to. But I think you are a lost cause... Try to show a bit more respect to other people and those people might like you a bit more. Anyway, I think you're a lost cause. And please chnage your name, call yourself NMCFKK (Narrow Minded Cunt Friend of the KKK)

Posted by: federico at December 13, 2004 12:42 AM (dNXmc)

15 Or maybe we stick together because we're patriots. Patriots stick together, don't they? Actually, I don't really see how we "stick together." None of us has ever conversed through these forums or otherwise. I mean, you're the one who made the comment implying polio is good. You realize how this confirms our belief that you're an idiot. Oh, and no one considers the KKK as "patriots," except maybe the KKK themselves, and clueless fucks like you. And please tell me where I have ever condoned the actions of terrorists. Maybe that's what you see when people disagree with you. But you're a person who assumes that just because I disagree with the killing off an entire religion, that I somehow must love what a small band of criminals is doing. Give me a break, and fuck you while you're at it.

Posted by: Venom at December 13, 2004 09:17 AM (dbxVM)

16 Now I know where they get the term "Ugly American". It's from Venom and Rooster's freshman picutre. (I would say senior picture but it's obvious to everyone they never made it that far.)

Posted by: VietVet at December 30, 2004 09:45 AM (Em3oE)

17 Now I know where they get the term "Ugly American". It's from Venom and Rooster's freshman picture. (I would say senior picture but it's obvious to everyone they never made it that far.)

Posted by: VietVet at December 30, 2004 09:46 AM (Em3oE)

18 Comment by an idiot who cannot make a post correctly.

Posted by: greyrooster at January 01, 2005 12:13 PM (VsBCt)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

An Iraqi Police officer has been beheaded near the Green Zone in Baghdad. His name was Imad Jabouri. I found this buried in an article on the escalating violence in Iraq. It should be noted that violence seems to be turning away from US military targets, to Iraqi police. A trend we have been seeing for some time:

Police officials disclosed Thursday that Imad Jabouri, a lieutenant colonel in the Iraqi traffic police, was grabbed a day earlier from in front of his home in the Sabaa Bour neighborhood in northern Baghdad by several armed men as he left for work.

The men beheaded Jabouri, who directed traffic at a busy intersection in front of the Green Zone, and fled with his police badge and pistol, according to a police official who declined to be named for security reasons.

"Those men cut off his head, and this is the way they kill the people who they think are spies and agents," said the official, who said Jabouri's absence from work Wednesday prompted inquiries into his whereabouts.

"I'm afraid they will use this badge in their next operations."

Posted by: Rusty at 02:12 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 200 words, total size 1 kb.

Via Strategy Page via OTB

Posted by: Rusty at 01:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 19 words, total size 1 kb.

LA Weekly article, via LGF, about a Southern Cal boy who becomes a Muslim:

"Islam is a way of life. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught us everything up to how to go to the bathroom. Even when you go to the bathroom, how to go in, how to go out, how to sit, how to wash, how to take a shower. [He taught us] how to eat, how to start your food, how to treat your wife, how to treat your children, how to wake up in the morning, how to put your slippers on, how to put clothes on, how to take clothes off, what to eat, what not to eat....

When I pressed him further on how he felt about listening to a Syrian imam implicitly call for the defeat of American troops in the middle of Manhattan, Randall answered, slightly frostily, that "In America we have this thing called the First Amendment."

And no doubt the sheik is well aware of it. Listening to him I had the sense that certain Muslims have studied liberal Western society the way a military general assesses an enemy position — probing for strengths and weaknesses, deciding where and how and at what cost penetration can be achieved.

On the subject of Islam and politics, Vincent seems to be in serious denial. The phrase "Islamic terrorism" is an oxymoron, he once told me, and from my conversation with his Torrance buddy Joshua, I gather Vincent’s Muslim friends had already given him their own version of Fahrenheit 9/11 — with Jews, rather than Saudis, as the principal actors — long before Michael Moore came up with his own. But should one expect anything else, given the world he moves in? Two weeks after 9/11, Sheik Muhammad Gemeaha, then the imam of the mosque on 96th Street [ed note, the Mosque where he attends], abruptly moved back to Cairo, where he promptly told the Arab media that Muslim children were being poisoned by Jewish doctors in American hospitals, and that Zionists had masterminded the attacks on the World Trade Center and on the Pentagon.

In VincentÂ’s eyes, Islam can do no wrong because Islam is wonderful and his own discovery of it a "miracle."...

But if al-Yaqoubi [a visiting imam at his mosque] feels comfortable saying in front of 1,300 people in the heart of mainstream American Islam that American troops will be defeated wherever they go, then what might be said in Arabic in small, obscure mosques in Brooklyn, Queens and elsewhere with a translation murmured into a pale, friendly, naive American ear?

But perhaps there is no need to say anything. When I asked Vincent what he thought about al-YaqoubiÂ’s statement, he answered, with a touch of defiance, that he felt just fine about it. "I do wish the American troops would be defeated," he told me, adding, "IÂ’m a Muslim first, and I just live in this country." (If he could find a bumper sticker that read "AGAINST THE TROOPS," he said, heÂ’d put it on his cab.) And were he ever to find himself in the Middle East, letÂ’s say Iraq, would he fight against American soldiers? "If there was a jihad," he replied evenly, "I donÂ’t see how I could not join in."

Posted by: Rusty at 01:04 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
Post contains 578 words, total size 3 kb.

UPDATE: Added another message from a follower of the Religion of Peace, just keep scrolling

How is my plan to get a death threat issued against me going? I'd give it about a B-. The following reader comment is offered for your amusement. It doesn't threaten me directly, but since I am an infidel and apparently all infidels should be beheaded.

In the meantime I will fight my hardest to get a fatwa issued against me!! Join the campaign, spread the word, and test the tolerance of the followers of the Religion of Peace. I will not sleep as long as I can walk around without a bodyguard. This is my pledge to you.
_________________________________
IP Address: 202.123.9.128
Name: JIHAD
Email Address: JIHAD@xxxxxx
URL: http://ALLAH IS THE BEST

Comments:

BISMILLAH

ALLAH HOUACKBAR. I LOVE YOU BIN LADEN AND SADDAM HUSSEIN.MY ALLAH
PROTECT YOU AND GIVE YOU LONG LIFE TO KILL THE ENNEMIES OF ISLAM. BUSH IS AN ASS. F**K YOU AMERICAN. GO TO HELL. BLOODY ASS F**K YOUR DIRTY ASS BUSH.WE MUST BEHEADED ALL KAFIR. I AM PROUD THAT I AM A MUSLIM AND SUNNIT AL JAMAAT.AMERICANS MUST SUFFER BCOZ THEY SATAN. ISLAM AL ACKBAR. YA ALLAH I LOVE YOU MY GOD.

------------------

IP Address: 24.137.72.9
Name: ()
Email Address: happy@xxxxx
URL:

Comments:

I Think what the terrorist's is doing is right and tells all the american politics to stop invading land that has never done anything to fucking iraq, and for those who disagree with me can get beheaded as well.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:25 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
Post contains 260 words, total size 2 kb.

It's always the J-O-Os. Oh and notice the support from the jihadis for our liberal media friends who want to move to the Great White North. Sermon broadcast on TV from Sudah, via MEMRI TV:

"Brothers, I got the following numbers from American sources: There are currently 1,000 Jewish soldiers in Fallujah. This is according to American sources. Among them are 37 rabbis. The rabbis raise the morale among the Jewish soldiers fighting in Fallujah. So America is fighting for Israel. It is not fighting for Iraq's oil, since it has been drilling it for some time.

"The Jews are fighting now. Even before we read the information about Jewish presence in Fallujah we thought that storming houses with boots from one house and moving from one house to another by explosions are actions we have already seen in Balata, Jenin, and Rafah. The Jews came to conduct urban warfare on behalf of America, and America is supporting them in exchange.

"What is America's interest in this mess? Many Americans, after their president won a second term, opened a small window toward Canada: The electronic escape window [sic] to Canada has become increasingly popular because they want to escape the land of freedom and democracy. If America wants to preserve the country it has established, it must listen to [Benjamin] Franklin's advice, [1] who warned them against the Jews. Now the Jews are leading them into these battles and this mess."

Posted by: Rusty at 09:05 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 251 words, total size 2 kb.

It has been far too long since I received a death threat from a member of the Religion of Peace. So in the spirit of free speech, a concept that is uniquely part of Western secularism, I offer the following. Have I reminded you all lately that the penalty for blasphemy in Islam is very explicit? Death.

There is no God named Allah, and Muhammed is not a Prophet.

Via Robert Spencer this UPI article:

Geert Wilders is a marked man. Ever since the slaying of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh on Nov. 2, the controversial anti-Islam politician has been living in fear for his life. He has had 20 to 30 death threats -- including one offering 72 virgins in paradise to any Muslim who beheads him....Like Pim Fortuyn, the openly gay former columnist who rocked Holland's cozy political establishment with his anti-immigration rhetoric before he was gunned down in May 2002, Wilders believes Islam is a "backward religion" that has not gone through the same reformation as Christianity or Judaism and makes no separation between divine and earthly powers. "The political culture of Islam is retarded, and we should keep it as far away from us as possible. It is not our culture and religion, so it should not become dominant in the Netherlands or Europe."

Islam is retarded.

You offended yet? Just wait, I'm just warming up.

I'm burning a copy of the Koran right now. I put the fire out by pissing on it.

BBC:

In October, a Pakistani man was sentenced to life imprisonment for burning a copy of the Koran under the same laws.

Muhammed was a child molester. He also liked to take it up the ass.

Ibid:

Iqbal Ahmad, a member of the Ahmediya community, was found guilty of being disrespectful to the Prophet Muhammad in a mosque near Faisalabad....

Persian Journal:

...a UK-based Iranian exile TV presenter whose inflammatory broadcasts insulting Islam have provoked religious hardliners in Iran to call openly for his murder...."The firing of a bullet into his damned and blasphemous head is an incontestable necessity, and how cherished is the emissary of that bullet," Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the hardline Kayhan daily, said in an editorial.

A. They only have one camel.

From Hamas' official website:

As a result of the fact that those Muslims who adhere to the ways of the Islamic Resistance Movement spread all over the world, rally support for it and its stands, strive towards enhancing its struggle, for the encouragement of its Jihad, and strive for its victory, the Movement is a universal one.....This is the status [of the land] in Islamic Sharia (law), and the same goes for all lands conquered by Muslims by force, during the times of (Islamic) conquests (eg, Israel, Spain, parts of Southeastern Europe, etc), and made thereby Waqf lands upon their conquest, for all generations of Muslims until the Day of Resurrection.

MEMRI TV:

"I am prepared to sacrifice my life. All I want is martyrdom. I'm willing for all my children to become martyrs. May my husband also become a martyr, and Allah willing, may I die as a martyr."

Q: What did Muhammed's navy and camels have in common?

A: They're both full of Mujahadin seamen

Lawyer R. Moszkowicz has demanded on behalf of a group of Muslims a ban on the release of a continuation of the movie 'Submission' by parliamentary representative of the V.V.D. Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the murdered moviemaker Theo van Gogh....

These Muslims also want the judge to forbid Hirsi Ali from giving her opinion on Islam in a hurtful, aggrieving or blasphemous way in the future.

"Me!"

PolitInfo:

Experts on regional militant groups say there is compelling circumstantial evidence that Bashir knows more about terrorism than he admits. They note that many of the men so far convicted of the (Bali and Marriott) bombings were graduates of the Islamic school he founded and ran.

Yahoo news on ICRC claims of torture (torture defined by the ICRC as prostitutes taunting prisoners) at Gitmo:

on at least seven known instances, they are people who, upon release from Gitmo, have immediately returned to terrorism — including the kidnapping and beheading of a Chinese citizen on the Pakistan-Afghan border.

A-- The Muslim one blows itself up.

NRO:

James Mollen, 48, cheerfully spent 16 months improving IraqÂ’s beleaguered schools and linking some to the Internet. Nonetheless, a Zarqawi-tied assassin fatally shot Mollen in the head as he drove through Baghdad November 24.

A: Ramalam

Ibid:

The Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement (HCMGIM) recently let 300 applicants choose among preparing for suicide attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq, similar assaults in Israel, or assassination attempts on Salman Rushdie, the British author of The Satanic Verses against whom the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa.

*I don't really hate Muslims. I apologize for the Muslim jokes above, they were insensitive, stupid, etc. But I do hate any social system that responds to the above offensive material by resorting to force or coersion. Inasmuch as most of the above would get me either killed or put in prison in the Islamic world----well, I can only say this says something about the underlying philosophy which would breed such intolerance. Tolerance is not about loving or accepting something, it is about allowing that which you disagree with to be done. If even moderate Sharia law would prohibit me saying any of the above, than it is an oppressive legal system.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:28 AM | Comments (55) | Add Comment
Post contains 1070 words, total size 8 kb.

Reuters:

Dental records have proved that the body of a Western woman found in Iraq is not that of hostage Margaret Hassan but London still thinks she is probably dead, the Foreign Office says.

"We still believe she is probably dead," a Foreign Office spokesman said on Wednesday. "We are no further forward in our conclusions."...

U.S. marines found the mutilated body of a Western woman in Fallujah last month during an assault on rebels in the city but the Foreign Office said dental records had proved the body not to be that of Hassan.

Let me just add that this is not a slam-dunk identification. The Islamist terrorists who are behind this murder could just as easily have killed an Iraqi woman for dying her hair blonde.

The Prime Minister of Australia had confided to the press that he had information which verified the body as that of Mrs. Hassan. He later retracted that statement.

Chad at In the Bullpen has some interesting speculation on this. Digger and Interested Participant (both of whom tipped me to the story) as well, although I wouldn't make too much of Hassan's husband believing she is alive. The fact that al Jazeera did not air the video speaks volumes as to it's authenticity. Margaret Hassan is dead.

Others: ISOU, Backcountry Conservative, Sparse Matrix, Slant Point

Posted by: Rusty at 04:43 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 275 words, total size 2 kb.

Check homepage for more information on recent hostage takings in Iraq.

UPDATE 4/13/05: Jeffrey Ake taken hostage 4/10/05 in Baghdad. Al Jazeera airs video on 4/13/05. Ake was a civilian contractor working on a reconstruction project in Iraq. More information here.

Roy Hallum, civillian contractor, taken hostage on Nov. 1st. Nothing in MSM about his capture or whereabouts. A friend of his left a comment today and reports that the correct spelling of his name was not 'Hallun' as had been reporter in the Filipino media, but is "Roy A. Hallums". The last 'Butch' heard from Roy he was in Amman Jordan working for the Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Company (SATCO). In an e-mail sent to Butch last July, Roy mentioned he might be headed to Iraq soon. Any news about Roy would be welcomed by his friends and family. Neither the Pentagon nor SATCO has been forthcoming with information. Roy was kidnapped with several Iraqis, a Nepalese, and a Fillipino man all of whom have been released. The Phillipine government now confirms negotiating with the terrorists for Robert Tarongoy's freedom, something the Pentagon had warned would could be dangerous to the welfare of other hostages being held in Iraq..

Dean Sadek was working at the Baghdad airport as a civillian contractor when he was abducted from his home. It's not clear the exact date he was abducted, but al Jazeera showed a videotape released by the terrorist 1920 Brigades organization showing Sadek on Nov. 11th. More on Dean Sadek's biography can be found in this story. Dean Sadek's ex-sister-in-law left this comment saying Dean:

is a kind, giving individual who loves his two sons dearly. I'm hoping by he being of Lebanese descent that it would be in his favor. ...Why is he there? He is there to help the good people... If he loses his life he would be one more of the heroes to win freedom for others. I am totally devasted everyday not knowing what will happen to him besides his immediate family and children. My prayers are with him and the others daily fighting for freedom of others.

Spc. Matt "Keith" Maupin, missing since April 9th when his convoy was attacked outside of Baghdad. Reportedly executed on video but the original video was never made publicly available and the al Jazeera footage shown was unclear. A recent interview with his family suggests Maupin may be alive--whereabouts unknown.

Tim Bell and Bill Bradley were truck drivers for Halliburton. They disappeared after their convoy was attacked west of Baghdad on April 9th. According to this Houston Chronicle article:

The Army has conducted an investigation into the ambush, but the report is classified. Pentagon officials refused to discuss its contents, directing questions to Halliburton. The company referred questions back to the Pentagon.

"We have done everything in our power to find information and found that we are hitting a brick wall," Bradley's family wrote in an e-mail to the Houston Chronicle.

"We are crushed."

Posted by: Rusty at 10:05 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 572 words, total size 4 kb.

Last week we reported that the IMEF & MNC-I EFFECTS Exploitation Team had created a Power-Point slideshow documenting war crimes committed in Fallujah by the Jihadis there--a slideshow forwarded to me by John Donovan. Because of the size of the file I was unable to post most of the pictures here and viewing each slide at John Donovan's photo site has been slow. Digger, Chad, Baghdad Dweller, Beth, and others also put up some of the images, but not all. I must have sent the complete slideshow to 30 or more people who requested it and the offer still stands, just e-mail me.

Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs has been kind enough to create an online slideshow here. The slideshow is automatic and kicks butt. If you haven't already seen the slides, please check them out. The slides document the attrocities and war crimes committed by our enemies, but they are safe for work. If you have already seen them, please help get the word out by forwarding the link to your friends. If you are a blogger please link to the page created by Charles here. This deserves front page coverage from the MSM. Let's put a little pajama power behind this!

Here is a sample image from the slideshow along with two vidcaps I took from a beheading video documenting the connection between the 'insurgents' and terrorists:

Posted by: Rusty at 08:47 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 236 words, total size 3 kb.

UPDATE 9/07: ROY HALLUMS RESCUED IN IRAQ!!!! Details here. Or try the Main Page.

UPDATE 1/25/05: Roy HALLUMS hostage video emerges, click here for details. Thank God Roy is still alive!
------------------------

American Roy Hallun has been held hostage in Iraq for the past 29 days. I first learned about this today. It was buried in a NY Times piece, almost to the end. I can't find any other information about Mr. Hallun other than incidental reports by the the press in the Phillippines. Roy Hallun was taken captive with a Fillipino named Robert Tarongoy and the Phillippines has now confirmed that they are in negotiations with the terrorists for his release.

Does any one have any further information about Mr. Hallun? Perhaps the more recent press reports have spelled his name incorrectly and this is why I was unable to fact check the story?
---------------------------------
12/01 From this post: Remembering the Forgotten American Hostages in Iraq

A friend of his left a comment today and reports that the correct spelling of his name is "Roy A. Hallums". The last 'Butch' heard from Roy he was in Amman Jordan working for the Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Company (SATCO). In an e-mail sent to Butch last July, Roy mentioned he might be headed to Iraq soon. Any news about Roy would be welcomed by his friends and family. Neither the Pentagon nor SATCO has been forthcoming with information. Roy was kidnapped with several Iraqis, a Nepalese, and a Fillipino man all of whom have been released. The Phillipine government now confirms negotiating with the terrorists for Robert Tarongoy's freedom, something the Pentagon had warned would could be dangerous to the welfare of other hostages being held in Iraq..

------------------------------
1/11/05: Tribute to American Hostage Roy Hallums

As close followers of this site know, a minor controversy was started when we published the name of an American civillian being held hostage in Iraq. His name first appeared as 'Roy Hallun' in a Fillipino newspaper and we republished that account here. In response to that initial post a friend of Roy contacted us and clarified that Roy's last name was actually 'Hallums'.

We published several posts about Roy Hallums, shocked that not a single mainstream media outlet had picked up on the story. Roy had been kidnapped with six other foreigners on November 1st. For weeks the State Department would only confirm that an American had been kidnapped but would not release his name. This seemed odd to us and we felt that the word should get out.

Members of Roy's family soon contacted us with words of encouragement. They too were perplexed that an American citizen could be held hostage in Iraq and yet no media would cover the story.

However, as some of you know, we took down several posts dedicated to Roy Hallums. A person close to Roy Hallums' contacted me with the concern that publicizing his account might jeopardize ongoing negotiations for his release. I was conflicted. On the one hand I felt a great deal of sympathy for this person. If I were in their shoes I would do everything possible, including paying a ransom to terrorists, for the release of my loved one. On the other hand, I wanted the whole world to know the depths of Islamofascist perfidy. As a matter of fact, my entire site is dedicated to that very goal.

In the end, the personal nature of the request won me over and I removed the posts as requested.

In the past few weeks, Roy's immediate family has been trying to get the word out about his plight and it seems the media is catching on. Just prior to my vacation I was contacted by a producer at CBS news who was trying to reach the Hallums family--I assume they ran the story although I've been out of the loop. Carrie and her mother Susan Hallums have also appeared on Good Morning America trying to get the word out about their loved one.

Carrie e-mailed me over my holiday letting me know that she had set up a web page dedicated to her father. If you have a minute I'd encourage you to go over there and look around. You can leave words of encouragement at this guest page. Also, please include Roy Hallums and his family in your prayers.

------------------------------

Hallums Family Reacts to Hostage Video, $12 million dollar ranson demand made

Ghadaffi calls for Roy Hallums Release

State Department Admits 3 American Hostages 'Probably' in Iraq

Jesse Jackson to Intervene on Behalf of US Hostage Roy Hallums

Phillipines Paying Ransom for Hostage (Again): Roy Hallums-Libya Connection

Posted by: Rusty at 04:49 PM | Comments (29) | Add Comment
Post contains 789 words, total size 5 kb.

There are reasons why I worry about Iran having a Nuclear bomb and not Israel, Pakistan and not France (yes, France), or North Korea and not, say, Sweden. Here is an an example from Reporters Without Borders via Michelle Malkin:

Reporters Without Borders has strongly protested against the Iran's relentless efforts to stifle free expression online after the arrest of five webloggers in less than two months, the latest on 28 November 2004.

"The government is now attacking blogs, the last bastion of freedom on a network that is experiencing ever tighter control," said the worldwide press freedom organisation. "At the same time, an Iranian delegate is sitting on a UN-created working group on Internet governance. The international community should condemn this masquerade," it added.

Three webloggers identified only by their first names were arrested on 29 October 2004. They were : Dariush, Omid, and Payvand.

Mojtaba Saminejad was arrested at the beginning of November for speaking out against the arrest of his three colleagues in his blog.

Farid Modaressi, a member of the student organisation the Office to Consolidate Unity, was arrested on 28 November on the order of the prosecutor's office in the city of Qom. He had posted a number of articles on his weblog exposing persistent harassment in the city by members of the conservative movement. Two of his brothers were reportedly arrested two days earlier and are apparently still being held.

It's in this context that Internet, and blogs in particular, are so much important in Iran today: They are providing a relatively safe space for a public discourse that the regime has effectively prevented during the past couple of years by shutting down opposition parties and newspapers, and intimidating journalists, and activists.

While the smarter divisions of the regime have realized the dangers of this remaining open space and desperately trying to close it, the world seems to be ignorant about this great Achilles'' heel of the Iranian regime.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:23 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 361 words, total size 3 kb.

Dean had a link to the Free Muslim Coalition's petition to get the UN to support censuring religious leaders who sanction murders through the issuing of fatwas. I urge all to sign the petition (direction are at the bottom of the page).

I took a few minutes to look over the site, and I must say I like what I see. For instance, their position on terrorism:

The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism believes that there can NEVER be a justification for terrorism.

The Coalition believes that fundamentalist Islamic terror represents one of the most lethal threats to the stability of the civilized world. The existence of Islamic terrorists is the existence of threats to democracy. There is no room for terrorism in the modern world and the United States should take a no-tolerance stance on terrorism in order to avoid another tragedy, along the lines of 9-11. With the added threat of biochemical weapons, the call to defeat terrorism has never been so urgent.

Among Islamic scholars, the concept of jihad ranges in definition from the personal struggle against temptation to holy war. All calls for jihad to create an Islamic state should be rejected as heretic and a threat to modern society. The Coalition feels that the concept of jihad should be reinterpreted for a modern day context in which holy war is obsolete. No holy war needs to be waged; there is no clear and present threat to Islam; the only war that needs to be waged in the modern world is one against terrorists and extremists. As militant Islamic fundamentalism increases, the Coalition will wage a battle of minds as we bring Islam into the 21st century and introduce a doctrine which is compatible with democracy and modern living.

Check this out from their position on democracy, I fully agree:

The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism strongly supports the promotion of democracy in the Middle East. However, the Coalition cautions that imposing democracy on the Middle East without first promoting secularism and destroying terrorism may lead to the creation of Islamic extremist states that will ultimately reject the democracy that brings them to power....

Democracy is rule by the people; a system of free choice where rulers are elected and held accountable by their constituents. The element of free choice of leaders is an explosive topic right now in the Middle East & North Africa. If fair and free elections were held tomorrow, the majority of Arab countries would probably elect totalitarian leaders with an intolerant pro-Islamist agenda. The election of extremists would spell death to democracy. We must first expel Islamic extremists and terrorists from Arab and Muslim societies before democracy sweeps the region.

The Coalition supports the right of all peoples to self government, but recognizes the importance of a solid system of government which guarantees a secular democracy protecting the rights of all people, regardless of gender, race or religion, and strives tirelessly to eliminate threats to democracy including extremism and terrorism. The Coalition fosters this secular environment by opening debates on the prerequisite of secularism in governments in the Middle East & North Africa, rallying against Islamist propaganda in media outlets, in institutions of education and in political campaigns, and by exploring the creation of secular democracy-preserving constitutions for Arab and Muslim countries.

The Coalition believes that Muslims must be reeducated about the benefits of secularism and that the failure of their governments to bring them peace and prosperity was not because they were secular. The Coalition also believes that democracy can not succeed unless terrorism is defeated and Islamic extremism is discredited.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:01 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 613 words, total size 4 kb.

The benefits of the Fallujah offensive just keep pouring in. The Zarqawi tape the article references was reported here a week ago. This NewsMax article explains it:

Terrorist attacks against U.S. troops and security forces in Iraq have plummeted dramatically in the wake of the Marine assault on Fallujah earlier this month, the Pentagon said Monday.

"Military officials report that attacks across all of Iraq have dropped from 130 to 50 per day," Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski told NBC's "Nightly News." ...

But terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi suggested last week that his forces were in no position to mount a counter attack - since the Fallujah offensive had devastated the insurgency.

"Hundreds of thousands of the nation's sons are being slaughtered at the hands of the infidels," Zarqawi said in an audiotape posted on an Islamic Web site known as al-Qala'a, which has been a mailbox for Islamic militant groups.

In an indictment of Muslim clerics whom he blamed for failing to support the insurgency, the Jordanian-born terrorist complained: "Are your hearts not shaken by the scenes of your brothers being surrounded and hurt by your enemy?

"How long will you continue to abandon the nation to the tyrants of the east and of the west, who are inflicting the worst suffering, cutting the throats of the holy warriors . . ."

Posted by: Rusty at 10:50 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
Post contains 237 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Attacks are down? there's 8 dead in the last 2 days. With victories like these, I hope we don't ever see defeat.

Posted by: actus at November 30, 2004 11:48 AM (CqheE)

2 Where did you see this, Rusty? I read in today's paper that it's just reached a record! We lost 7 guys that were stationed out of Ft. Hood in a helicopter crash due to really bad fog. Of course, they weren't killed in "action", yet they probably wouldn't have been in the crash had they not signed up to fight. Sad either way.

Posted by: Laura at November 30, 2004 11:59 AM (ptOpl)

3 That report you posted is not true. we have had the most death this month since two months ago.

Posted by: IraQ at November 30, 2004 12:10 PM (xdHNZ)

4 Attacks on US troops are down. Unfortunately, the terrorists have begun to focus on Iraqi police again.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at November 30, 2004 12:30 PM (JQjhA)

5 Rusty, that's because we killed them all. But it just go's to show that while I believe the Brits are the best at winning hearts and minds etc, you do need overwhelming force to subdue the insurgent fuckers. It has sent a message to any other town or city in that country, that if you harbour these people, that this is what will happen. I am a Brit, but God bless America.

Posted by: david at November 30, 2004 01:26 PM (PM/BC)

6 War is hell. Fewer attacks does not mean fewer deaths. Shows some promise. We lost 75,000 men in the battle of the bulge in one day. Why are we whining about 7 or 8. Not to belittle thier sacrafice but we are far from being beaten here.

Posted by: Howie at November 30, 2004 01:27 PM (YdcZ0)

7 The Battle of the Bulge which lasted from December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945 was the largest land battle of World War II in which the United States participated. More than a million men fought in this battle including some 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 British. The German military force consisted of two Armies with ten corps(equal to 29 divisions). While the American military force consisted of a total of three armies with six corps(equal to 31 divisions). At the conclusion of the battle the casualties were as follows: 81,000 U.S. with 19,000 killed, 1400 British with 200 killed, and 100,000 Germans killed, wounded or captured

Posted by: Howie at November 30, 2004 01:36 PM (YdcZ0)

8 Hard to say if the Fallujah operation will have any lasting impact regarding overall insurgent activity. People seem to recall that Najaf was the scene of intensive fighting this past summer. Quelling that city didn't prevent Fallujah, nor should it be expected that Fallujah signals any significant crippling of the insurgency. Of course, fighting didn't resume in Najaf afterwards, so it's possible some of this peace will last.

Posted by: Venom at November 30, 2004 01:36 PM (dbxVM)

9 OK Maybe I exaggerated a little.

Posted by: Howie at November 30, 2004 01:38 PM (YdcZ0)

10 Oops, that should have read "People seem to FORGET..."

Posted by: Venom at November 30, 2004 02:01 PM (dbxVM)

11 I take your point venom. that's why I hope that the more these battles takes place, the pissed off the ordinary Iraqi's will get, resulting in the Iraqi's themselves eating into the insurgency from within. These insurgents/foreigners are holding all Iraq to ransom, its about time the Iraqi's themselves stood up to be counted and take steps to heel their own country.

Posted by: david at November 30, 2004 02:31 PM (PM/BC)

12 Near the end and after WW II there was attacks on allied personel by neonazis called WEREWOLVES but they usialy ended up facing a firing squad when you face terrorists you dont fool around

Posted by: sandpiper at November 30, 2004 08:24 PM (Fcc6d)

13 We complicate the matter to much. My rule of keep it simple stupid rings that David is correct. Sometimes talking doesn't work. In that case a good ass whipping does. Particularly when dealing with idiots that only understand force.

Posted by: greyrooster at December 01, 2004 04:53 AM (wJPgF)

14 It may be of use to keep in mind that Fallujah was the major base. It contained massive amounts of materiel, the stuff needed for battle. A large number of the dedicated muj were there, and even though a number left early or escaped, the losses are not as easy to retrieve as some may think. The muj are not magic. They are using terrorism on the Iraqi population because more and more the ING and especially the Americans are too dangerous to engage in any but the most hit and run fashion. The insurgency is essentially a Sunni phenomenon. If parts of the Sunni triangle are sliced off from the bulk of it, which remember consists of only 20% of the population,the elections will create a free Iraq with a sore spot needing suppression. Do not doubt the desire of either the Shia or the Kurds to undertake something like this. And remember as well the majority of the civilian deaths being created by the muj are Sunni. This is not the best way for them to solidify their hold on the people when the people have hope of freedom from these gangsters. Would anyone,did anyone, of the talking heads and the University pukes even begin to predict the successes that have attended our actions in Afghanistan? To ask the question is to answer it. This President is being guided in part by the support he receivesd for his own instinctive understanding of the power of freedom by the work of Nathan Sharansky. Freedom and the hope for freedom are more powerful than most realize. I think that many who worry about the cost in blood of this operation simply don't understand how incredibly inexpensive in lives these two battles (Afghanistan and Iraq) have been. If we had been able to end World War II, the Cold war including Vietnam, Korea and other minor clashes at the same proportionate cost millions, even tens of millions of people would not have died. We need more faith in freedom and less concern about the wimps of Europe whose suicidal urges are defined by their lack of replacement of their own numbers.

Posted by: Arctic Fox at December 04, 2004 11:40 PM (VbhuZ)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

So what's al Qaeda up to these days? I've been speculating that Zarqawi, who is the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, is in Mosul. Thanks to the Reliapundit for this Novinite link which claims Zarqawi may be in Basra. Very unusual if true because Basra is a Shia area. However, considering that Novinite picked the story up from a Russian news source which conducted interviews with Basra locals, I'm less than convinced of it's veracity:

Iraqi and UK troops from the coalition forces, are conducting a massive search raid for Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

Al-Zarqawi is believed to have taken refuge in the city after fleeing Fallujah.

Locals say agents from the Iraqi forces are collecting information about Al-Zarqawi location, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Al Qaeda's #2 man has also released a tape. Chad Evans speculates that the message is an indication of fragmentation among the top al Qaeda leadership. Me? I've no idea but it doesn't surprise me to learn that Dr. Zawahri thinks the J-O-Os are behind the recent US elections.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 212 words, total size 2 kb.

Last week we were grateful that 3 UN election workers being held hostage and threatened with beheding by Taliban elements were released in Afghanistan. Today, this story via Captain Ed that ransom may have been paid for their release. The former hostages are Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland, Shqipe Hebibi from Kosovo, and Angelito Nayan from the Phillipines. Reuters:

A former British soldier and journalist detained over his role in the release of three U.N. hostages was himself freed on Friday and said he had passed on a message offering $1.5 million to a group for the trio's freedom.

Veteran war cameraman Peter Jouvenal, who now runs a guesthouse in Kabul, said he passed on the offer of money from Kosovan businessman Behgjet Pacolli to the Taliban splinter faction Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims) via an intermediary. "But as far as I understand that money was not paid," he said. Pacolli, a family friend of one of the hostages, has denied paying any ransom but has said Jouvenal traveled on his behalf to the Pakistani city of Peshawar to contact the militants.

A government official, meanwhile, said he understood the hostages were freed on Tuesday after the payment of a ransom, but he did not know by whom it was paid or to whom. "As far as I understand money has been given," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 239 words, total size 2 kb.

A slew of happenings from Fallujah and Mosul yesterday, all the news positive. Abu Saeed, a top aid to Zarqawi, has been captured. Via Chad at ITB this AP piece:

A lieutenant of Iraq's most feared terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was captured a few days ago in Mosul, the government's national security adviser said Thursday. Qassem Dawoud identified the alleged lieutenant only as Abu Saeed but gave no further details.

A laboratory for the manufacture of chemical weapons has been found in Falluja, an Iraqi minister said on Thursday, but Marines in the city said they were not aware of any such discovery. "Soldiers from the Iraqi National Guard found a chemical laboratory that was used to prepare deadly explosives and poisons," Minister of State Kassim Daoud told a news conference. "They also found in the lab booklets and instructions on how to make bombs and poisons. They even talked about the production of anthrax."

Iraqi forces and U.S. Marines searching a mosque in Fallujah ``discovered the largest weapons cache to date'' in the city, where the coalition has been carrying out an assault on insurgents, the military said.

The stockpile of heavy weaponry was found yesterday in and around the compound of the Sa'ad Abi Bin Waqas Mosque in the Hey Al-Shorta District, the military said today in a statement e-mailed from the capital, Baghdad. The mosque was used by Muslim cleric Abdullah al-Janabi, leader of the city's rebels, to preach ``anti-coalition rhetoric,'' the military said.

The number of weapons recovered in the mosque complex is ``stunning,'' and is ``enough to mount an insurgency across the country,'' the Associated Press cited Lieutenant Colonel Dan Wilson of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force as saying. The military didn't indicate how many weapons were seized.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 414 words, total size 4 kb.

Fifteen bodies were found in Mosul today. This Reuters account puts the count of total bodies found in Mosul at 30. However, by my calculations at least 17 bodies were found in Mosul over the past week or so. That number includes two members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party whose murder by the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah was videotaped and released on the internet. It also includes the bodies of 9 Iraqi National Guard members, seven of whom were beheaded, found in Mosul. The AFP puts the count at 40. All of these bodies are of murder victims killed execution style. Mosul is now the center of terrorist activity in Iraq. Either we treat it like Fallujah or we let the Kurds take it over. The Arab police in that city are spineless and 80% or more have fled their posts. I like the latter option better. The Kurds will have no mercy. Reuters:

U.S. forces have discovered another 15 dead bodies in and around Mosul, a U.S. military spokeswoman says, raising to at least 30 the number of bodies found over the past two weeks in the tense city.

"We don't have any specifics on who they were or how they were killed at this point, it's all under investigation," said Captain Angela Bowman, spokeswoman for U.S. forces in the north of Iraq, on Friday.

Thirteen bodies were found on the western side of the city, which straddles the Tigris river in the north of Iraq, on Thursday, and two more were found in Tal Afar, about 40 km (24 miles) west of Mosul, the spokeswoman said.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:26 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 277 words, total size 2 kb.

I just found this Knight Ridder report in the San Jose Mercury News. It lists the names of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's chief lieutenants and collaboraters in Fallujah. I also found some other stories which gave brief biographical sketches of the leaders of the Islamist insurgency. Very interesting. The leaders mentioned below are: Sheik Abdullah al-Janabi, Omar Hadid, Sheik Zafir al-Ubaidi, Moayed Ahmed Yasseen (aka, Abu Ahmed), and Abu Abdullah Hassan bin Mahmud. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 02:58 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 949 words, total size 7 kb.

My only question: shouldn't the cops have let them detonate those suicide belts? VOA:

Police in Indonesia have confirmed the capture of one of the country's most wanted terrorist suspects. The man, known as Rois is one of four people detained for the September car bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, which killed 11 people.

Iwan Darmawan, more commonly known as Rois, is among four men Indonesian police say they have captured in connection with the September 9, Australia Embassy bombing in Jakarta.

The head of Indonesia's police force, General Da'i Bachtiar, held a news conference Wednesday.

He says that Rois - the mastermind - recruited suicide bomber Heri Golun, who carried out the attack, and hid a man called Azahari Husin - the master bomb maker of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

General Bachtiar says Rois and the others were captured in the town of Bogor in west Java two weeks ago. He says the four suspects were wearing so-called suicide belts at the time, but they failed to detonate the devices.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 189 words, total size 1 kb.