Oooh la la

France usually tops everyones hate list on the noble Right for just about everything. Yes the French get up my nose too, despite having lived there, speaking the language and having expat family living there now. Mostly for the same reasons as everyone else. We love to hate them, they love to hate us. They send us all their jobless yuf, we send them all our retirees (“salt and peppers”). We buy their houses, they annoyingly ship over undesirables on the eurostar. Still I cant help admiring them. They look after their own. They have a ‘healthy’ political spectrum full of posturing parties of every political background. Even as a student there in 93 I could never get my head round my then French boyfriend voting communist. (Moron). Or seeing such a stealy figure as Le Pen ride out every storm, challenged by 1.3 million demonstrators (rather than the CPS), allowed to sit in mainstream politics.

London and the UK has prospered off the back of Thatcher and Blair whilst France has stagnated. The former made Britain great and the latter made Britain cool. But at such a price with Blair. I suppose the French with all their political spectrum still end up with some crusty old buffoon as leader. (Something which never ceases to amaze me is how republics throw off royalty and replace them with… royalty). But whilst Britain has prospered reasonably well (off consumer debt more latterly), its political scene is truly stagnating.

The French have gone all out to protect a way of life that is to be envied. Even school meals are taken so seriously they are decided at cabinet level, they leave the office at 5, take 3 hour lunches that involve everyone, take numerous holidays…all peppered with debilitating strikes of course. The French have staved off cultural decline by fighting tooth and nail for it. You wont catch tv or billboard advertising for American movies or Danish bacon anywhere in France. You can’t BUY Danish bacon anywhere in France, though you can catch an american movie, just! The French ripped the backside out of farm subsidies whilst we bungled and moaned. Think the French take the ECHR seriously? Give me a break.

Despite all this France knows that it must adapt to the 21st century world economy and be prepared to make some big compromises. And this is where I take my hat off to them, again. Because they’ll do it ill wager without buggering up their cultural heritage. Recognising either by luck, gloom mongering or more likely by virtue of that healthy political system that La France is in decline, they have produced a timely hero.

And that’s where their political system came to the fore. Le Pen pushed politics to the right after scarying the crap out of the political elite in the last presidential elections. The people made it crystal clear that they werent happy with a number of things and immigration was top of the pile. The FN were unable to capitalize on their successes but Sarkozy is now. As a result the French now have a great opportunity.

They have spent a long time being down in the mouth about it all though. A new word has emerged ‘declinology’ with political pundits challenging the elite to put a smile back on the French dial and tackle ‘declinology’ head on. But at least the issues were raised. And so cometh the hour cometh the man. The left are a mess with Union leaders losing public support by the second. And after the centre-right suffered disastrous losses in regional elections, Chirac was forced to shake up his Cabinet and give Monsieur Sarkozy -- whose 55% approval rating is well above Chirac's paltry 32% -- a more prominent role. Ever the ego Chirac saddled him with seemingly intractable problems such as illegal immigration, knowing it was a hot potato. Sarkozy produced the goods. His approval ratings soared as he closed a refugee centre seen as a magnet for illegal immigrants. He also cut motorway death rates with tougher enforcement of drink-driving and speeding laws. He even wants to weaken a popular law capping the workweek at 35 hours, while making the French pay more for health care (prescriptions) that's now mostly free.

Oh yes that’s the other thing! Their public private hybrid health care system works. Instead of groaning on about public health care and turning it into a political stalemate, or worshipping at the feet of a fully private health care system (yuck), they tweek it as necessary and make it work. It’s a testament to the plusses of the EU that my family recently greatly benefited from the Fabulous French NHS.

Sarkozy came ‘roaring out of the gates’, with an economic-growth package including targeted tax incentives, sharp cuts in government spending, and relaxing that tricky 35-hour workweek law. To give people confidence in such major changes he engages with the electorate and takes them seriously. When they gave the government the short sharp shock treatment via the Le Front National someone took note. Sarko is unafraid to call last years rioters ‘scum’ or be seen marching against anti Semitism last weekend after an horrific murder took ahold of the public conscience, sending a firm message to French muslims in the process. He has forced police to label attacks on Jewish-owned buildings anti-Semitic, rather than simple vandalism. He called for a reform of the French immigration system, increasing the number of deportations of illegal immigrants to 25,000. And he proper laughed, no ‘BBC style debate’, when French muslim birds requested to wear a full face covering burqa in their ID card photo. Whilst ensuring that headscarves were kept out of a lay school system and not caving in. At what point did the ECHRs come into play here? Cherie Blair, UK anyone?

During the riots he pulled local muslim and youth community leaders into a room, shut the door and got on with finding a solution. I watched it on the news. The tv crews were fuming. “You are not invited this is between me and them” he said (rolling up his sleeves – ok he didn’t roll up his sleeves, im kidding). He didn’t sit down with some no meaning Islamic group who pushed their own agendas. On that note he is keener to see any muslim group fall under the control of the French givernment rather than lose control to foreign imams. He recognised that the riots represent a challenge to xenophobic France and is willing to look at some of those successes he views in the British ‘melting pot’/anglo saxon economic model combo. And by that before eyebrows are raised to heaven - when you consider a black French wannabe tv presenter talking up the fact that she felt ‘recognized’ and less like a ‘half citizen’ when she visited the UK you get the picture. There were also no publicly funded mosques in France. Basic changes with control in this area are what Sarko refers to.

In a centre-right government that was slow to deliver on promises and stalled in ‘declinology’, Sarkozy stood out for action. How refreshing. He recognizes the anglo saxon economic model is the way forward, openly praising both the US and the UK free market policies. "There are many good lessons that we must learn from America," he said - and the public didn’t balk. He admires Blair for his skill at realigning Labour and cunning use of the media. But he is not relying on this alone. He listens to the public. Cameron baby take note!

And as a final flurry his views on Europe are pretty smart. The larger EU nations, such as France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy and Poland should form a "strategic partnership" and play a genuine role as the engine of the EU, he said. In other words ‘take control’. The constitution should be adapted to meet what the public wants and enlargement should be put on hold. Meanwhile back in oldfartsville Mr Chirac has said of him: "There are no differences between the finance minister and me, for one simple reason, I decide and he carries out my wishes." Ha!

Oh and what better way to wipe the smile off some faces with the next French President being of Jewish descent? Maybe that’s why Le Pens miffed and looking to return to older less ‘fashionable’ anti semitic ways? (I don’t buy into that bit by the way.Le Pen sees his voters swayed by Sarkozy, more likely). And Sark is a Roman Catholic anyway.

One things for sure the stifling environment of our middle ground political scene restricts a new hero of similar stature emerging in the UK. Only the electorate can change that.

If the French stick to their guns on this one then before 2007 we should be milking the Olympic feeling for all we can get.

Party's still going strong in Rio!

March for Free Expression

A Rally in Trafalgar Square is now confirmed between 2:00pm and 4:00pm on Saturday March 25th 2006.

For more information visit

March for Free Expression blogspot

“We, a group of individuals of no particular political leaning, are calling on organisations and other individuals to support a march for freedom of expression to be held in London and if possible simultaneously in other cities of the world.

We are doing this for two reasons. Firstly, to celebrate the precious gift of free expression that was entrusted to us by all those who fought so long and hard. Secondly, to remind our politicians of their duty to fearlessly protect free expression against all who wish to undermine it.

We wish to point out that this march and rally is not an attack on Muslims or members of other religious groups. We in fact welcome all members of all religions who believe as we do in the paramount importance of free expression.Let's stand up, be counted and be seen”

The march is receiving support from moderate muslim groups in Europe and the US:-

“Free Muslims was created to eliminate broad base support for Islamic extremism and terrorism and to strengthen secular democratic institutions in the Middle East and the Muslim World by supporting Islamic reformation efforts. Free Muslims promotes a modern secular interpretation of Islam which is peace-loving, democracy-loving and compatible with other faiths and beliefs. The Free Muslims' efforts are unique; it is the only mainstream American-Muslim organization willing to attack extremism and terrorism unambiguously. Unfortunately most other Muslim leaders believe that in terrorist organizations, the end justifies the means".

International Solidarity

Sister marches are now planned in the US Australia and Canada in support of the London event:-.

“We are being contacted by people from all over the world, saying they would like to be able to participate in a march in favour of free expression. If you do not live in the UK, but feel the same, please get in touch (via the email address on their blogspot) and we can try to put compatriots in touch with each other”

They 'dont want fascists'. This MUST be a peaceful event to garner the right attention and get the message across. So it needs decent turn out. I agree with their sentiments that it would be “wonderful if people all across the world were to march in March for Freedom”.


Bravo. Spread the word. We intend to be there. As does Pub Philosopher with details of some suitable drinking establishments on the day to follow...

Hat tip

Drinking from Home

Jack Idema Blogburst

Riots at Pulacharke prison

**Rottweiler Puppy are covering some serious developments in the Jack Idema situation tonight. Riots have broken out at the Pulcharake prison – where Jack and his men are being held. I hope this ends safely for them & will be keeping an eye on RPs updates.
The BBC have reported the riots briefly - but for a better understanding click on the link above.

********The story continues******

(......& in the MSM...)

Tanks Surround Prison

“Mr Hashimzai later told Agence France Presse that a verbal agreement had been reached to end the standoff and that the prisoners denied attacking the female inmates: "They said, ’We treated them like our sisters,'" he said.

That’s … interesting

"Two-thirds of the prisoners here are innocent. The courts were unfair," he said

Indeed.

*************************************

So thats things as they stood last weekend.

Here's the BBC, Tuesday, appearing to believe the riots were winding down nicely:

'Breakthrough' in Kabul jail riot

Rioting inmates in Afghanistan's main prison near Kabul have agreed to hand over their dead and injured, amid signs of a breakthrough in the stand-off.
[...]
One of the chief negotiators said he would be taking the prisoners' demands to the government and that he was hopeful of a peaceful solution.

Gunfire was heard within the prison walls on Saturday night and Sunday, but the BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says the situation was calmer on Monday, with only two gun shots heard, and fewer troops at the scene.

This, of course, came after a terrible night in which female prisoners could be heard screaming such things as:

"Oh Merciful God," one women screamed repeatedly. Others could be heard screaming in Dari and Pashto, "they are raping me, God help me." "Allah take me, let me die...." "Stop, stop, kill me, kill me first."

The only reference you'll find on the BBC to these sickening events is the following, throwaway line:

Senior jail officials say they fear some of the women inmates may have been raped.
Untrue. Jail officials know, for certain, that women are being raped -- As would the BBC, leastways if their reporter had been anywhere near Pulacharke during the last few days. Instead, the typical MSM position seems, as usual, to be one of soft-peddling any information that might impact negatively on the activities of their beloved 'insurgents'.

This also seems to be the attitude of the U.S. State Department and the Karzai government, who've spent the week obstructing any and all efforts to use force against the terrorists in order to seize back control of Pulacharke. Here's just a selection, from the SuperPatriots, of what they've been up to since the riots broke out:

The National Army has been ordered by Karzai not to fire on his "Taliban brothers."
US Embassy refuses air support and troops to stop terrorist takeover.

Apparently, Karzai and the US State Department have interfered with the military response to the revolt.[...]At 1am last night, we said that the MOJ refused to let Jack lead a force in against the terrorists. Although the NA Generals refused to allow Jack and his men to be put a risk, they decided to assault the terrorists with batons followed by a wave of armed troops. THREE AMERICAN advisors sent by the US State Department and Department of Justice were now present, they ORDERED the NA Generals NOT TO ATTACK. The "American Advisors," who probably know as much about Afghanistan as a car salesman in Wisconsin, were placed in control by Hamid Karzai.

General Salem-Bashi, one of Massoud's best generals, along with Northern Alliance Generals Samad and Zorodin are now on site. They planned to again attack BLOCK 2 and put down the revolt. AGAIN, the US State Department and now the Red Cross decided they knew more than the Northern Alliance generals about how to deal with terrorists. The State Department, US Justice Department, and Red Cross "Advisors" called "the palace" and successfully stopped the assault.

A Karzai spokesman gives a television statement that the women are now safe and in government control. According to our intelligence, this is a complete lie. The women are still held hostage and being raped by the terrorists.

Karzai officials again give press statements that the women are safe and not in terrorist hands. The reality is far different, the women are disbursed as hostages and are being repeatedly raped by the terrorists.

Karzai officials are saying that things are fine and they are "considering the demands" of the terrorists. US Department of Justice and State Department "advisors" quickly left the prison earlier today when their plan to negotiate backfired and MOJ lost another two prison blocks to the enemy.
Karzai and the US Embassy ordered the MOJ police not to attack yesterday morning, and to negotiate. Now the result is what could be the largest gang rape in the world's modern history.

Karzai calls the Governor of Kabul and attempts to send in National Police to seize Jack's phones. Apparently, after unknown foreign journalists complained that Jack was releasing information from inside the prison revolt, and had access to phones and intelligence and photos, Karzai demanded Jack's communications be shut down. Were journalists upset that Jack and this website were contradicting their fabricated stories of the revolt?

Karzai's peace envoy showed up at Pulacharke with five cars of bodyguards. "Minister Mujahedi" promptly outlined Karzai's plan: give full amnesty to all terrorists and Taliban murderers, surrender the 80 women hostages, get new beds, new clothes, and new digs. No one will be charged with murder, rape, assault, revolt, or any other crime. As if it wasn't enough, Mujahedi's speech to the terrorists included telling them, "The men that died here, they died as martyrs." Mujahedi also ordered officials in the MOJ to continue release false casualty counts, and say that only four or five people had been killed and only thirty wounded, instead of the real numbers which are far higher.

Clearly, something is going terribly wrong with the Afghan end of the WoT. Here we have a situation in which hundreds of the world's most dangerous and committed terrorists have seized dozens of hostages, including a U.S. citizen. Yet the response from both President Karzai and the U.S. State Department has been to downplay the violence committed by Taliban and al-Queda prisoners, and then to openly negotiate with them. Think about that. Wasn't the U.S. position after 9/11 supposed to be one of never negotiating with the monsters who brought the twin towers down? Yet, here we are, doing just that, and in response to 'men' who are threatening the life of a U.S. citizen in between gang-rapes of female hostages. How on earth did it come to this?

And how, as we learn from al-Reuters, did the following situation arise?:

Mawlavi Mohammad Siddiqi, a cleric who was one of those held by Idema's vigilante group and is now acting as a mediator in the prison standoff, told reporters Idema was not in danger, but Caraballo was "not in a good place".
Siddiqi, we will remember, was arrested by Jack Idema while in possession of the following items:

Photographs of Sidiq with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Bomb plans
Explosive detonators
al-Qaida and Hezb-i-Islami documents and recruiting cards
A letter from Taliban leader Mullah Omar

Ironies don't get any more bitter than this one: that a creature like Siddiqi should be reinvented by the U.S. and Afghan governments as a 'mediator', while the brave and decent soldier who arrested him fights for his life in Pulacharke prison, first dismissed as a 'vigilante', then ignored by the whole, credulous, MSM. Unbelievable.
So what can we do? Well, anyone reading this with their own blog can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details using the links on the right.

Carnaval 2006: Sunset

Carnaval 2006 ~ Sao Paulo Brazil This Afternoon

Brazilian carnival (spelt 'carnaval' in Brazil) is an annual celebration held 40 days before Easter marking the start of Lent - though you'd never believe its origins were religious seeing some of the Brazilian 'dental floss' bikinis on show normally! Today and tonight carnivals will be celebrated all over the country. The best takes place in Rio later tonight. We'll share those with you later ;)

For now Feliz Carnaval a todos - from Sao Paulo!

I wont be posting much as ive got flu :(
and blogger is being SUCH a pain of late its too much like hard work.

I recommend checking out Rottweiller Puppy, GrizzlyMama and DangerouslySubversiveDad for some excellent recent posts. Use the links on the right.

I need to update the blogroll aswell, apologies for the delay!

Enjoy whats here, the photos and the above sites, back soon....

I posted on my road trip to the States in September 2001 but never got round to adding in the photos. The photo above always struck me because it was taken after camping by a lake overlooking Mount St Helens, very early on the morning of Sept 11. From Seattle to San Francisco - Oregon, Mount St Helens, the Californian coastline & Pebble Beach looking out across the Pacific (!). An ocean i rarely get to see and so should remember ;). It was a great trip.

Iraq probing death squads claims

This is what Iraqis will do to other Iraqis they dont like.

The U.S. military has been fighting a tough battle to rebuild a legitimate Iraqi security force that it hopes will eventually replace American-led coalition forces and maintain order throughout the country.

Sunni Arabs, particularly in Baghdad, have complained for months that members of their community have been kidnapped by police uniform-wearing forces, executed and dumped throughout Baghdad.

"Interior Ministry special forces detained my brother and four cousins two weeks ago from (Sunni Arab) al-Aqsa Mosque in northern Baghdad's Shula neighborhood," 24-year-old security guard Ayad Ali Mahdi said.

"After two days, their bodies were found in pickup truck on a highway. It was horrific. Their bodies were tortured and mutilated by drills and an oxyacetylene welder," Mahdi said.

This isnt new. Its been going on for months. Remember when the British smashed through a prison in Basra to release their men? The two SAS soldiers were investigating the same claims and spying on the prison guards accused of such hideous atrocities. It was one of those moments in the war that stops you in your tracks. Old school war heroics. The kind the British are GREAT at. Think storming of the Iranian embassy. Without hesitating the British commander decided sod ringing someone in London for confirmation I can do this', im buggered if were leaving our men in there. (He called the place 'evil') . And in they went. With tanks.

The thanks of course - Iraqi outrage, compensation yada yada yada. Oh and of course the heroics were rewarded with a variety of court cases for the officers involved. I think one of them was actually accused of murder when he tried to shoot his way out trying to save his life. Extensively highlighted by our beloved media of course. Not the heroics - no, just the tactics employed. Id love to get hold of some media coverage of the SAS embassy storming in the 80s to compare.

Perhaps the ongoing horrific outrages above have been eclipsed. By other allegations of abuse.

Who knows.

Watch out for the above story in the MSM btw!!

(blogger has been a real pain these past 24 hours!)

Some promising news for Jack Idema

Every time I write about the plight of illegally-imprisoned U.S. Special Forces soldier Jack Idema, I take pains to stress the fact that he's a highly professional soldier with a talent for rooting out and either capturing or killing the kind of people who would do us harm. Here's Jack, speaking in a radio interview he gave from Pulachake prison earlier this year:

I flew my guys in. We flew into Afghanistan, and we met with the Northern Alliance. And I said, you guys know you’re not going to get our support anymore, but I’m here to tell you you roll with me and we’ll get the guy. And so they did. I met with the top core commanders, which are the top 9 department of defense guys in Afghanistan, and we got carte blanche to do whatever I had to do because I had a history with these guys. 40 some days later I had Gulumsaki in custody. Gulumsaki gave up the rest of the terrorist bomb cell. Within 5 days after getting Gulumsaki, I had about 95% of the cell. I had the explosives, I had the plans to blow up Bagram –they were going to drive fuel trucks into the barracks at Bagram aiforce base and kill a couple thousand American soldiers. I had their bomb plans to kill Qanooni who was the main opponent to Karzai and the leader now since Massoud died to the Northern Alliance. And I had the plans to kill Marshal Fahim the minister of defense, and all the other guys that were the top allies with the United States. All but two in custody.

The real interest this passage holds, however, isn't so much in Jack's successful counter-terrorism operations, but the name of one of the men he saved.
I'm talking about Northern Alliance leader Yunis Qanooni, who became Afghanistan's Prime Minister after last year's elections. Qanooni's ascension to the upper ranks of Afghan politics will, it's to be hoped, have a major impact on the Idema case.

See, Qanooni is a true Afghan patriot and a fighter through and through. Unlike Karzai, whose interim government has worked hard to integrate 'ex'-Taliban crazies into the new Afghanistan (unsurprising, perhaps, since Karzai, himself, once supported the Taliban), PM Qanooni is Northern Alliance, and has spent his whole life fighting against the fanatics threatening to ruin his country. Put simply, Qanooni is the kind of ally that we need on our side in the WoT.

More to the point of this blogburst, though, he's a man who owes his life to Jack Idema. Judging by events in the Afghan Parliament this weekend, it looks as though this is a debt Qanooni intends to repay.

On Saturday, the following three people were hauled in front of ministers in order to answer for their actions:

NDS Chief Amrullah Saleh (FBI lackey and Head of NDS who arrested and tortured Jack and his men)

The Deputy of Ahmad Ali Jalali. Jalali was the Interior Minister/former journalist who ordered the arrest of Jack and his men at the direction of Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad- both were enemies of Yunis Qanooni and Massoud’s United Front (Northern Alliance) and both were trying to keep Qanooni and the United Front (America’s greatest allies in the 2001/2002 war) from controlling Afghanistan. Smart enough to know his imminent demise, Jalali fled back to the United States last October. His spokesman, pro-Taliban journalist Lutfallah Mashal, fled to London.

General Wardaq, a Pashtun American citizen (like Jalali and Karzai) was next to be put on the stand. Wardaq, a former Soviet trained junior officer who fled Afghanistan and never held any type of command rank, lived in America and never fought once in any of the Afghan wars. He succeeded General Fahim as Minister of Defense after Karzai fired Fahim over his support of Jack. He too will answer far reaching allegations that are expected to not only bring about their firing, but probable criminal and treason charges at the hands of the new Mujahadeen controlled Northern Alliance Parliament.

This is good news, but something even better happened the following day:

In a surprise announcement, the new Parliament of Afghanistan announced the formation of 18 commissions which will investigate illegal and corrupts government acts, security failures of the Karzai government over the last 4 years. The FIRST Commission empanelled is the JUSTICE COMMISSION, which will investigate abuses of justice and terrorism. Amrullah Saleh, judges, and Ministers will explain their actions in various selected cases.

It doesn't take a great deal of thought to work out that one of the 'abuses of justice' Qanooni's Commission will be looking at will be that of Jack Idema's illegal imprisonment.

For the first time in months, it really is beginning to seem as though the good guys are close to winning this fight.

So, in the meantime, what can we do? Well, anyone reading this with their own blog can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details. I'd urge everyone to do this, as we're still terribly short on takers. If you want to know more about the story, Cao's Blog has a large section devoted to Jack Idema. There's also a timeline here, and, of course, a huge amount of information is available over at SuperPatriots, without whose work none of us would have learned about Jack's story. See links on the right under blogburst.

Thanks to ROTTWEILER Puppy and Caos blog for the above update

White flag. Bring the troops Home. NOW! Ive had enough.

What a load of TOSH the British media really is. So quick to condemn the troops that they cant even put a story THEY ran about the riots which resulted in a bunch of Iraqi teenagers getting a bit of thrashing, into any kind of proper context.

It took me hours on the web and some anti war website to uncover an article on the protests that sparked this furore. The protests are described thus by the Telegraph today:

“The (teenage) pair claim to have been part of a protest about the lack of jobs in al-Amarah and said they would seek compensation from the British Army.According to Mr Shaker a crowd of more than 200 started throwing stones at British troops, who fired rubber bullets to disperse them...

"Then a group of British soldiers rushed out from their base and arrested nine of us, dragging us for about 30 metres to the governor's office," he said.

Right. Now check out the conveniently forgotten coverage in the same paper of the same riots in 2004 c/o of some weird link.

Same protests reported in same paper

Did the NotW run THESE images of the British soldiers at the same riots on the same day of the arrests alongside their 'BRUTAL!' headline since there are photos available? Or is this not deemed quite so BRUTAL!

These are teenagers after all. Only in uniform.

So if youd like to take a look at what the soldiers were really subjected to that day then take a good long look at these images of the same protest – note some ‘defenceless’ Iraqi teenagers feature prominently, hanging around throwing petrol bombs and grenades.

Soak in the latest load of shite about the Iraqi Basra council shunning the British military. And enjoy how quickly the government and newspapers in this country turn their backs on our men stuck out there in that shithole they call Iraq.

In short: fourteen British soldiers were injured, three of them seriously, in Basra when hundreds of Iraqis threw stones and petrol bombs during protests about job shortages. One soldier was seen with his head and shoulders covered in flames. Another had been injured earlier in the protests. There were reports that the troops, who were in tanks and sheltered behind shields, had fired tear gas in a bid to break up the crowd of about 500.

Thirteen of the soldiers were taken to a British military hospital at Shibah and were reported to be in serious condition. The other soldier suffered only minor injuries and was returned to duty. In response to the attack British personnel fired a number of plastic-type munitions called baton rounds in self-defense. No live rounds or tear gas were used at any time. A bunch of soldiers acting as, more than likely (im guessing here) a snatch squad rounded up some of the charming defenceless teenagers and gave them what amounts to a kicking. And not even within an inch of their lives. After witsnessing their mates ablaze i think this is remarkably restrained. They are at war after all.

OR - they could have handed them over to the local Iraqi police force known for tactics such as using electric screwdrivers on detainees.

OR - they could have simply shot them, after all they are AT WAR.

The fact that our newspapers cant even cast their minds back and look over their own reporting to place this incident in any kind of context shows you exactly what level they will stoop to in their anti war apologizing – at the same time taking an easy swipe at young men whose lives are at risk as the Iraqi population disown them.

So. Can the poor soldiers suffering burns and disfiguration from the same protests sue the established Iraqi government now?

Created by:

The Dissident Frogman

another great blog - which reads in english with the french translation running alongside. Great!

*****Update

Two Frenchmen (well actually half Danish/French and half American/French respectively!) take on the 4,000 strong muslim demonstrators in Paris last Saturday. They are eventually hauled away by plain clothes policemen but refuse to run.

At the centre of the muslim protests in Paris c/o No Pasaran!


watch video here

Whilst the French press and a couple of ‘citoyens’ were busy standing up to bullies, the British press were busying themselves burying the British army. This has nothing to do with the cartoon above. And everything to do with djimmitude.

It now emerges that the cartoons were published in Egypt – last year. And noone in the muslim world took the slightest bit of notice. Just as noone here took the slightest bit of notice that it was additional cartoons created by Danish imams that had stirred up the hornets nest. As has been circulating on the blogs for some time.

The scoop on the Egyptian press comes c/o Pub Philosopher who is doing an excellent job of rounding up the story as it stands now, you should check it out.

With regard to those poor put upon imams, theyve turned out to be a bunch of Bin Laden fans preaching hatred, a la Hooky, from before 9/11 …” read on here

"...The Danish imam who helped instigate a protest against satirical drawings of Muhammad that has escalated into deadly riots worldwide supports al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and told Muslim worshipers not to grieve victims of 9-11, according to news reports. Abu Laban reportedly has given political and financial support to the Egyptian terrorist group Gamaa al-Islamiya, which is part of bin Laden's network.

In a Jan. 3 story, the Danish publication Sappho noted Abu Laban also has spoken highly of bin Laden, praising him for his ascetic lifestyle....

In a Aug. 21, 1994, story by Jyllands-Posten, Abu Laban was asked to respond to a massacre by the Algerian terrorist organization GIA. The slaughter led to the murder of, among others, seven Christian Monks and a number of foreign tourists"

...Another program the same evening showed him speaking in English on Danish television in condemnation of the boycott of Danish goods, then, in an interview with the Middle East news channel al-Jazeera, happily remarking in Arabic about how well the boycott was going"...

The plot thickens and id like to know where the press in the west will stand on ‘hurt feelings’ and responsibility now?

(hat tip The Religion of Peace)

The Free Jack Idema Blogburst

In concentrating on the gross injustice of the illegal imprisonment of U.S. Special Forces soldier Jack Idema, his right-hand man Brent Bennett and journalist Ed Caraballo, it's possible to forget about Idema's contribution to the WoT. This would be a mistake, as understanding what Jack does and how he thinks is an important part of the story. So. In 2001, Jack Idema, then in his mid-forties, was enjoying retirement from the U.S. army. When 9/11 occurred, he contacted the military immediately and had himself placed back on the active service list and shipped out to Afghanistan. He arrived two weeks after the twin towers fell, with orders to organise air-drops supplying the Northern Alliance, who then controlled only the northern 10% of the country. This was at the beginning of the two-month period in which a coalition of U.S. Special Forces, British SAS and Northern Alliance troops swept across the whole of Afghanistan, routing Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Here's Idema's take on what it was like to participate in this action:

So Massoud’s forces, Buldock and some of the other guys like Captain Mark Mitch who was in Dostrum’s area up in the northwest of Afghanistan, they did a remarkable job, they really did. And quite frankly, it shocked the conventional forces and it shocked the Pentagon at how fast. This is the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan: 100,000 of Massoud’s mujahideen picked up weapons and stood next to us and fought. In Iraq not a single Iraqi picked up a weapon to fight the Iraq government. So there’s a huge difference here; this is a country that wanted liberation, I talk about Afghanistan, and they were willing to die for that liberation, and all they needed was our air support and our advice. And we gave it to them. The bombing started October 12th and on November 12th, Kabul fell. And after Kabul fell, we headed to Tora Bora and other places. I took one of the Northern Alliance groups into Tora Bora later on into Shahi Khot and Anaconda, and it was really a (cuts out) as far as an unconventional war.

It's tremendously important we remember that without Special Forces troops like Jack Idema, the push to liberate Afghanistan would have been delayed by the months it would have taken to get conventional forces in place. Instead, the Taliban were removed from power with remarkable efficiency, and, compared to the losses conventional forces would have suffered, at the cost of remarkably few coalition lives. This is why men like Jack Idema matter. See, no one would have blamed him if, after a long and distinguished career in the service of his country, he'd decided to leave the WoT to younger men. Instead, Idema fought hard to get back into the game, then harder still to capture and kill as many Islamist terrorists as he could. Moreover, when the first stage of the war was over, Jack elected to stay on in Afghanistan, working with the Northern Alliance in its efforts to ensure a stable and free society flourished there. As this excerpt from a UPI report on the rescue of Afghan officials from an Islamist mob shows, this was and is important and necessary work:

The mob moved so quickly that the 100-200 policemen deployed near the airport could not move quickly enough to control the situation, according to Shergai. "Jack," as the special advisor to the Afghan military is known, managed to rescue the President of Afghanistanís Ariana Airlines, Robullah Amain, who had escaped from the mob and was surrounded in a terminal office. Along with seven Afghan commandos, Jack rescued Amain, Haji Timor the airport manager and five others and escorted them to safety. An ISAF spokesmen claimed that a small team of British soldiers supposedly helped to save the national airline executive from certain death. Ariana President Robullah Amain confirmed that in reality, it was an American Green Beret and his Afghan soldiers. Karzai has made increasingly urgent calls during the past several days for an expansion of ISAF forces in Afghanistan. But the UN mandated European peace keeping mission is becoming increasingly discredited even in Kabul.
And yet. Idema remains stuck inside Pulacharke prison while the war he should be fighting, and, remarkably, still wants to fight rages on without him.

So what can we do? Well, anyone reading this with their own blog, and who believes the WoT still needs fighting, can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details. You can also write to a number of different people – addresses can be found here.

What an exhausting week. Some new bloglinks to add to this one. Ive spent either some or a lot of time chez eux recently.

The Religion of Peace

Jihad Watch

Both, er, topical

Grizzly Mama

Mikes America

Two US blogs. Great tell it like it is writing from a ‘grizzly mama’ in Philadelphia and one ex Reagan administration staff member called Mike who has a lots to say on the Republicans and Democrats in the US.

Pub Philosopher

Thoughtful smart conversation over a pint in west London somewhere ...

Great Britain Not Little England

Found this only recently and still looking into it. But was inspired by this posted on their blog:

Great Britain was founded in 1707, nearly three hundred years ago. The anniversary approaches. Are we doing anything about it? Let's be proud to be British, and remember that we are also English, Welsh, Scottish or whatever. Let us look to the future and be proud of our heritage, not look to the past and try to bolt the doors. I'm a Devonshire, Westcountry, English, British European. I can be, and am, proud to be all of these things. Maybe it's because I've actually read a few history books?

The following requires you to think of that anglophile Mel Gibson (with blue paint and Socialist Worker hair and 'behead all english!!' starey eyes), deep breath...then click on the link and have a good laugh.

"You can keep our djimmi press but you will never take.....our infidel sense... of humour..aghrrrrrrr!!!!!"....fade

Im quite enjoying all this. On Sky you get two muslims, one moderate and one nut job discussing the image of islam in which he (no job except probably incitement) tells her (lawyer) -on live tv- that she is not qualified to discuss the laws of Islam (fatwas etc) because she is not ACTUALLY properly submitting to Islam. Why? Because to be a muslim you must submit to sharia and, he cites as an example, in rocking up to the interview...unveiled, she aint. Furious at this assertion she sets about demolishing his attempts to sidestep questions from the interviewer , classics such as "What do you feel you bring to this country Mr X?", "Will you be isssuing a fatwa on the, er, 25 or so editors and the cartoonist then...well will you?...can you answer the question Mr X?".

And then the programme is inundated with emails and texts from viewers who generally feel Mr Bakri got what was coming, only possibly not enough. Its always the same. There are so many of us out here sick to the back teeth of radical, blood thirsty Islam. Wed like to move on now. Get over. Frankly. Weve been here for ages but by and large we dont get a voice.

This is the second interview like this that ive seen in as many days. The PM actually said this evening with an annoyed look on his face that political correctness should not stand in the way of the police making arrests of Fridays protesters. He looked quite cross. The cartoons have allowed people to speak out, including moderate muslims angered by what they see. And for whatever ridiculous, violent, out of proportion, media shit stirred (by the same noble tv stations and media outlets who were acting reponsably by not showing the cartoons, you understand...) reaction going on in the middle east and elsewhere....id still like to thank the Danish.

Now. If i switch over to BBC do you suppose my happy little world will fall apart?

Precisely Tony

Clips from the worlds press: The Sun left featured the protester who dressed as a suicide bomber in London on its front cover with the headline NICK HIM. He has since been forced into a public apology

SunTimes (US):-

Sensitivity can have brutal consequences

"One day, years from now, as archaeologists sift through the ruins of an ancient civilization for clues to its downfall, they'll marvel at how easy it all was. You don't need to fly jets into skyscrapers and kill thousands of people. As a matter of fact, that's a bad strategy, because even the wimpiest state will feel obliged to respond. But if you frame the issue in terms of multicultural "sensitivity," the wimp state will bend over backward to give you everything you want -- including, eventually, the keys to those skyscrapers..."

Telegraph (UK):-

Why extremists treat us with contempt

"British subjects march through the streets of the capital calling for their fellow citizens to be "beheaded", "massacred" and "annihilated". A two-year-old girl born in this country is dressed up in an "I Heart Al-Qaida " cap. Demonstrators call for "a real holocaust", with the horrible insinuation of holocaust-deniers everywhere: that the genocide never took place, but that it should have done.

There was a time when all this might have been dismissed as empty rhetoric. But the past five years have swept away any such innocence. British boys have left Tipton and Wanstead and Beeston to fight and kill their fellow citizens - whether in Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan or London..".

And kudos to Graham Norton on BBCs The Bigger Picture tonight looking at current affiars with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Extremely witty deconstruction of the entire overreaction hauling our fancy dress loving pacifist above into the joke aswell. Coming from a gay comedian on the BBC bet that went down well with the jihad brigade (if they were watching).

Everyone is Afraid to Criticize Islam

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is one of the most sharp- tongued critics of political Islam - - and a target of radical fanatics. Her provocative film "Submission" led to the assassination of director Theo van Gogh in Holland in November 2004. The attackers left a death threat against Hirsi Ali stuck to his corpse with a knife. After a brief period in hiding, the 36- year- old member of Dutch parliament from the neo- liberal VVD party has returned to parliament and is continuing her fight against Islamism. She recently published a book, "I Accuse," and is working on a sequel to "Submission."

Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia where she experienced the oppression of Muslim women first hand. When her father attempted to force her into an arranged marriage, she fled to Holland in 1992 . Read the remainder of this interview with Der Spiegel magazine by clicking on the link in the title bar.


SPIEGEL: Was apologizing for the cartoons the wrong thing to do?

Hirsi Ali: Once again, the West pursued the principle of turning first one cheek, then the other. In fact, it's already a tradition. In 1980, privately owned British broadcaster ITV aired a documentary about the stoning of a Saudi Arabian princess who had allegedly committed adultery. The government in Riyadh intervened and the British government issued an apology. We saw the same kowtowing response in 1987 when (Dutch comedian) Rudi Carrell derided (Iranian revolutionary leader) Ayatollah Khomeini in a comedy skit (that was aired on German television). In 2000, a play about the youngest wife of the Prophet Mohammed, titled "Aisha," was cancelled before it ever opened in Rotterdam. Then there was the van Gogh murder and now the cartoons. We are constantly apologizing, and we don't notice how much abuse we're taking. Meanwhile, the other side doesn't give an inch.

SPIEGEL: What should the appropriate European response look like?

Hirsi Ali: There should be solidarity. The cartoons should be displayed everywhere. After all, the Arabs can't boycott goods from every country. They're far too dependent on imports. And Scandinavian companies should be compensated for their losses. Freedom of speech should at least be worth that much to us.

Support free speech. Click here

And so it emerges that the Police later said two men had been arrested near the Danish embassy during the cartoon protests in London on Friday. Of the arrested men the BBC reports that the individuals “were arrested to prevent a breach of the peace, after a search by officers found leaflets including cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed," a Met spokeswoman said. Of course! So we can presume these nasty little upstarts were white then.

On the one hand I can accept that to avoid mass riots breaking out between Hezbollah bigots and those pesky white bigots, the police had to step in. But to have painstakingly avoided arresting those waving banners asking for heads to be severed, threatening bombs are on their way and death to anyone showing the cartoons….nada. Smack of double standards?

The whole cartoon issue raised by the European media has highlighted a lot of burning double standard issues at long long last and uncovered some nasty hidden truths that we as a society simply refuse to deal with. And which the European media were entirely justified in underlining. The Danish editor has continued to honourably justify his decision that muslims must be made aware they will be treated the same as anyone else in Denmark – eg equally. Nothing wrong in that. Christians and Jews are a regular source for amusement. The Life of Brian, Last Temptation of Christ, the Da Vinci Code and so on and so forth did not result in anything like the hardcore mass mentalism we have seen this weekend. And in Syria where they have all totally lost the plot on the issue, the news teams there thought it fair game to show a picture of the Israelis eating Palestinian children not so long ago.

David Davis has spoken out and proves the Conservatives do still have a backbone - by insisting those islamothugs be brought to justice. After all if the BBC can put Nick Griffin in the dock for doing nothing more than predicting the future then surely bleedingly obvious threats in the here and now should be dealt with. Double standards?

Asghar Bukhari, chairman of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, joined ranks with David Davis and some Labour MPs in calling for the protesters in London to face justice for their clear concisely levelled hatred. And he predictably repeats that this was limited to a minority of extremists not representative of the muslim voice in this country. That’s all well and good but you’ll need to shout a lot lot harder. Since at roughly the same time Mr Mustafa of Hizb ut-Tahir was also condemning the London protests and the slogans, in his organisations thankfully peaceful demos Saturday. But then tellingly went on to argue that "the governments of the Muslim world (must) completely sever all contact with European governments" until they had "controlled the media". "If you want to debate and criticise then we are ready and we have been waiting, but we are not going to accept these images," he said. Whats wrong with that message. Anyone?

Hizb ut-Tahir are a voice representing muslims in this country. This is the same organisation that is THE champion of muslim womens ‘freedoms’ in this country. Cherie Blair rushed to defend these pseudorights put forward by this group and ensure that the burqa remained firmly wrapped around one ‘free thinking’ students head. Free thinking according to Hizb ut-Tahir you understand, they who advocate state controlled media.

The Danish editor underlines and justifies his actions when he stated that equality is at stake. But the British media remain firm surrender monkeys. They failed to see what was and is at stake and defend this by saying the cartoons were crap anyway and they need to be responsible. Oh, responsible to whom. Maybe these crap cartoons and the european media finally addressed some messy nasty issues which our leaders have so far chosen to ignore. After all they may have been crap but the islamofacsists went out and underlined the thrust of the cartoons point the very next day. Im sure everyone spotted the protester wearing a fake bomb belt. How ironic. Can I say that? Or is irony as offensive as satire now also.

And as for media’s noble responsibility I find it hard to take that seriously from people who regularly sink their pearly whites into sleaze, death, grief and despair in the pursuit of the journalistic cause.

No Euroweenies today

Demoweenie

vs

Real American


Listen to the number of times Bush refers to the western values of freedom & democracy in his excellent State of the Nation speech in the above link. Then read Clinton’s comparison of those lame cartoons to…wait for it…the historical rise of anti-Semitism! ‘Outrageous cartoons’ he wailed verbally wagging his finger. Warning us of rising anti Islamic feeling and predjudice.

You think anti semitism is a thing of the past already? It must have slipped past you that the religeon you are championing isnt quite over that one yet. Whats outrageous is the rise in anti western feeling Bill, and the random death that goes hand in black glove. It affects everyone.

Er, It affects America. The brave decision to publish the cartoons is precisely related TO fighting intolerance.

Frankly with helpful comments like these it’s a relief that we don’t have to listen to Bill Clinton too much anymore. But think his speeches dont have any impact? Think again. The world loves to watch an ex President undermine the present one. Which is what he was doing. It gives succour to liberals and islamofacsists alike.

The camera flicked over to Hillary C during Bushes speech. She was chewing gum. In a speech that made reference to and introduced a family whose son made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq - for all those freedoms we are seeking to protect. It was pretty clear Hillarys mind was elsewhere for a change.

Well Clinton may be busy appeasing islamofacsists alongside members of the Labour party, but Denmark, Germany, France, Italy and Spain put on an important united front regards freedom today. Die Welt, France Soir (above) and a number of other major newspapers across Europe published the cartoons on their front pages today in a show of solidarity in the name of a free press and the societies they represent. In the UK im proud to say our ancient Parliament did its job in protecting us from the same sort of appeasers as Bill. And in the US Bush sent a crystal clear message to Iran and the rest of the world.

However much Christians find the Life of Brian or the Da Vinci Code insulting or blasphemous, they wont be issuing death threats, removing Ambassadors (if that were technically possible!) or planting bombs. It is unlikely we will have ex Presidents up in arms, undoing the firm message of the current US President.

Bill, the rise in any feeling of misunderstanding comes about as a direct result of their intolerance. Not ours. So just pipe down in the cheap seats and leave it to Bush.

France Soir, incidentally was born out of the French resistance. Part of a network of papers that continued to circulate during the occupation - with many editors and journalists of the resistance press executed by the Nazis as a result.

Its front page (above) says

"Oh calm down Mohammed weve all been cariacatured here"

Favourite Movie Line ever

"I do have a test today, that wasn't bullshit. It's on European Socialism. I mean, really, what's the point? I'm not European. I don't plan on being European. So, who gives a crap if they're Socialists? They could be fascist anarchists, it still wouldn't change the fact that I don't own a car"

Ferris Bueller justifying his Day Off school.

Free Jack Idema Blogburst

With thanks to Rottweiler Pup and Caos Blog again for the following update:-


Free Jack Idema Blogburst

One of the biggest problems faced by U.S. Special Forces soldier Jack Idema and the his two compatriots, Brent Bennett and journalist Ed Caraballo is that mud sticks. We all know how this works: once a criminal accusation has been made, many people will feel there must have been some basis in fact for the charges. This is something, I think, that has worked against Jack Idema from the very start. At the time of his arrest on charges of kidnapping and torture in July 2004, we will remember, the issue of how the U.S. treated captive Islamopaths was coming under intense scrutiny in the wake of Abu Gharib. It's also fair to say that, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, large sections of MSM and the left were pushing the idea that Lynndie England's antics were somehow sanctioned by U.S. authorities. In this context, the stories about Idema running a 'private' jail where prisoners were found hanging from the ceilings affected different people in different ways. But, crucially, no one wanted to hear the truth.

Here's why:

For MSM: The Idema story provided an opportunity to further the American-troops-as-torturers line they'd been peddling since the Abu Gharib story broke . Since many MSM journalists had worked with Idema or (CBS, the BBC) used intelligence material he'd provided, there was a desire to distance themselves from Task Force Sabre 7

For leftists: There was the narrative, sharpened by Abu Gharib, that U.S. soldiers routinely abuse prisoners. The accusations against Idema were something the left wanted to be true

For leftists, the idea that an American soldier could be a victim of 'oppressed' Muslims is anathema -- A U.S. soldier hanging Afghans from the ceiling, however, fits neatly into their accepted worldview, and no hard facts are required

For conservatives: Abu Gharib was a propaganda victory against the war effort, and the Idema story must have looked to many conservatives as yet another embarrassment in the making
The (entirely false) accusations that Idema was a fraud with an invented military record stung many conservative -- No one likes to feel they've been had

This, then, explains why the Jack Idema story is something a great many people either refuse to touch or (in the case of leftists) actually regard as a victory. The problem, of course, is that absolutely none of the mud being thrown at Idema actually sticks to him. The campaign to free Jack has repeatedly proved that everything Idema claimed about his career in the U.S. military was true; we've shown that he was, indeed, working closely with the Northern Alliance; we've shown that his first trail was a travesty of justice. But. Still. Those allegations that Idema tortured prisoners remain.

This is something we need to tackle head-on:
Idema, Bennett, and Caraballo were found innocent of all charges and Appeals Court Acting Chief Judge Saheb Noor along with Appeals Court Judges Abdul Latif (011-93-70287222- speaks English) and Chief Religious Judge Mawlawi Azizullah stated on the record during the closed hearing that there had been absolutely no evidence of torture and that the original two bomb suspects that gave statements against the team were in fact terrorists and had committed perjury in the first court hearing in July 2004.

These statements come from the Afghan appeals court which reviewed Jack, Brent and Ed's cases over a year ago. The court decided that the original trial was deeply flawed (to say the least), and that Idema and his men had no case to answer. (They remain in prison, illegally, at the insistence of the U.S. State Department.) What's clear, though, is that if there hadn't been such a rush to pre-judge Idema in the summer of 2004, most of the false allegations against him would have been disregarded.

Here's why:
None of the terrorists brought in to accuse Idema of torture had any signs of injury
There was no evidence of torture in the safe-house Idema had been using to interrogate captured terrorists . It would not have even been physically possible to hang anyone from the ceiling of the house in question -- Afghan buildings are simply not robust enough to support a man's weight . Witnesses against Idema refused to swear on the Koran that their evidence was true -- They simply yelled accusations at Idema without being sworn-in . Many witnesses claimed Idema had held them in the basement of his safe-house, even though the building in question had no basement

Then, of course, there's what Jack Idema himself has to say about the interrogation methods he employed: I want to answer one thing for your listeners. Did I ever torture anybody? The answer is hell no! I never tortured anybody. You know why? Because if you’re Lynndie England and you’ve put some guy on a leash– a Muslim guy naked on a leash, I can guarantee you neither he nor his friends will ever cooperate. But if you if you take that guy in and you just keep him up for 2 days talking to him, and you give him kabob and you give him miranda soda, and you convince him that he’s got a job with you, believe me he is going to change sides. This is absolute.

The above quote comes from an interview Jack Idema gave last year. You can listen to the whole thing here. What's interesting about this, however, is that Idema simply doesn't come across as someone who engages in acts of petty sadism -- Not because he's a bleeding-heart liberal, but for the very good reason that, if it's actionable intelligence you're after, torture simply does not work.

So what can we do? Well, anyone reading this with their own blog can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details see the blogburst links on the right. I'd urge everyone to do this, as we're still terribly short on takers.

If you want to know more about the story, Cao's Blog has a large section devoted to Jack Idema. There's also a timeline here, and, of course, a huge amount of information is available over at SuperPatriots, without whose work none of us would have learned about Jack's story.

You can also contact the following people and make your feelings known:

Secret US EMBASSY
Fax: – 301-560-5729
(Local US Fax: Goes RIGHT TO Ambassador)
c/o US Ambassador Ronald Neuman
6180 Kabul Place Dulles,
VA 20189-6180

US Consul Russell Brown – 011-93-70201908
(Fired) US Consul Addie Harchik- 011-93-70201908 (denied them water and mail at Thanksgiving)

US Embassy Translator Wahid – new – 011-93-70201902

US Embassy Translator Bashir Momman– 011-93-70201923 US Consul (friend of Jack's Now fired)

Dawn Schrepel– 011-93-70201908 Embassy of Afghanistan (Good guys, Northern Alliance) 2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008 Ph: 202-483-6410, Fax: no. 202-483-6488

Ambassador Massoud Khalili (wounded with Massoud) Islamic State of Afghanistan Embassy of Afghanistan New Delhi, India H.E.

Said Tayeb JAWAD (Afghan Ambassador- powerful in US) Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington 2341 Wyoming Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 Tel: (+1-202) 483 6414 Fax: (+1-202) 483 9523

Mr. Jahed Hamrah, Consul General (pro-Taliban) CONSULATE GENERAL OF AFGHANISTAN IN NEW YORK 360 Lexington Avenue, 11th Floor New York, New, York, NY 10017 Tel.: (+1-212) 972 2276 or 972 2277 Fax: (+1-212) 972 9046

Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon – Room # 3E880 Washington, DC 20301-1000 Ph: (703) 692-7100 Fax: (703) 697-9080

Lt General William Boykin Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence 1800 Defense Pentagon – Room # 3E836 Washington, DC 20301 Ph: (703) 697-0170 Private Fax: (703) 697-9080

Stephen Cambone Principle Deputy Secretary for Intelligence 1800 Defense Pentagon – Room # 3E Washington, DC 20310-0100

General Peter J. Shoomaker Chief of Staff, Department of the Army 200 Army Pentagon – Room # 3E528 Washington, DC 20310-0200 Ph: (703) 695-2077 / Fax: (703) 614-5268

The Honorable John D. Negroponte Director National Intelligence New Executive Office Building 725 17th Street, N.W., Room 4203 Washington, DC 20503 The Committee On Homeland Security U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Chairman Peter Hoekstra Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence H-405, U.S. Capitol Washington, DC 20515-6415; Office: (202) 225-4121 / Fax: (202) 225-1991 Toll Free: (877) 858-9040

M. Cherif BASSIOUNI Independent Expert of the Commission on Human Rights On the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights UNOG-OHCHR CH-1211 Geneva 10 Ph: +41(0)22 917 97 27 Fax: +41(0)22 917 90 18

Email Senator Steven Saland (Jack's Rep and Neighbor) 9 Jonathan Lane Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

Senator Elizabeth Dole (Jack's Rep) United States Senate 310 New Bern Avenue, Suite 122 Raleigh, NC 27601 Ph: 919.856.4630 Fax: 919.856.4053

Senator Elizabeth Dole (Jack's Rep) United States Senate 555 Dirksen Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Ph: 202.224.6342 Fax: 202.224.1100

Senator Richard Burr (of Interest) United States Senate 217 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3154 / Fax: (202) 228-2981

Senator Bill Nelson (in the fight on Jack's Side) United States Senate Hart Senate Office Building Room 716 Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-5274 / Fax: 202-228-2183 FL Fax 407-872-7165

Senator Dianne Feinstein (Bennett's Representative) United States Senate Hart Office Building, Room 331 Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-3841

Representative Mike McIntyre (Jack's Representative) United States Congress 2437 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2731 / Fax (202) 225-5773

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (reference Captain Bennett- CA citizen) State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2841 / Fax: 916-445-4633

A bacon sarnie and a cup of tea

The whole blogosphere knows by now that Denmark's largest newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, published twelve mildy funny cartoons of Mohammed which in turn prompted Denmarks muslim community to go beserk and issue death threats left right and centre. We expect nothing less of course. The cartoons were intended to represent & celebrate free speech, according to the newschief. The newspaper was eventually forced to issue a quasi apology when distortions of the cartoons started popping up everywhere which probably made inoffensive parodies into dodgier shit stirring versions. The editor did however make it quite clear that the original cartoons were ‘sober’ eg implying get OVER it. It also all sounded slightly tongue in cheek to me when he started his quasi apology by calling them ‘honourable citizens’.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen refused to meet with ambassadors from eleven Muslim countries pushing for apologies, saying,

“F**k off - this is a matter of..”

(well almost!…)

“This is a matter of principle. I won’t meet with them because it is so crystal clear what principles Danish democracy is built upon that there is no reason to do so.” He added: “I will never accept that respect for a religious stance leads to the curtailment of criticism, humour and satire in the press.”

OK so you can very well argue that the editor shouldn’t really have apologised - but I do feel encouraged by what I feel is an overall nordic retort of “whatever!” & “Aww, there, there now piss off” to all this fuss.

And on that note the Religious Hatred Bill here in the UK supported by the likes of the Muslim Council of GB & pumped up as in some way aiding the fight against terrorism by curtailing your right to, lets say, publish cartoons parodying Mohammed or criticise Islam, was defeated tonight.

Ministers lose religious bill bid

A revised bill which now cites the need for a clear threat to incite religious hatred and does not simply rely on you taking the piss or criticising a religeon - was passed instead. The islamofacsists are normally pretty clear with their threats - so if undercover journos do the jobs they're supposed to do (and have done) with those p.i.t.a cloak and dagger imams …..

Anyway, buy Danish bacon for your sarnies and as you tuck in read this and smile:

"There has been an England, and a people who have called themselves the English, continuously since at least 937, when King Alfred's grandsons defeated a Northumbrian coalition, including Danes and Scots, in the battle of Brunanburh. The county or shire - a term now made familiar to hundreds of millions of cinema-goers as the bucolic homeland of the hobbits - is one of the oldest continuous units of territorial self-government in the world. What people call "the law of the land', that is, English common law, was there already when the Normans came, and still survives. From Magna Carta in 1215 to the English revolutions of the 17th century, the human and civil rights - including individual property rights - that would come to be seen as characteristic of "western civ" advanced furthest and fastest in England. The English parliament was the mother of parliaments. These things are true. They distinguish Britain, and especially England, from continental countries shaped by the legacy of Napoleonic administration, devastating wars on their own territory, and successive occupations. It is not a mere chimera that generations of continental Europeans, from Montesquieu to Jean Monnet, and generations of Americans have admired. The legacies of these things live on, in what British people say and do every day. --- Timothy Garton Ash"

Then read Mondays Lone Voice from where I pinched the above (and the pic) and try not to choke!


(Hat tip Lone Voice & Rottweiler Puppy)