Free Republic

>Anybody with a brain knew that the Russians were lying
>about the reasons for this brutal series of war crimes
>they’ve committed.

Agreed. The Russian force projection obviously required 3 to 4 months of preparation.

One of the most interesting aspects of those preparations is the ‘Putin Troll’ offensive. Most of the blogs I follow had Putin-Trolls simultaneously pumping the Putin disinformation immediately after the Russian tanks crossed the Georgian border. Heck, I’m sort of honored that Putin was so worried about my reaction that he personally sent a troll to confuse me.

I listened to the speech while driving home. Hugh Hewitt played the whole frightening thing. You have to listen to the guy call for world wide sharia, proclaim his right to an atomic bomb and prayer for the apocalypse and 12th Imam to get a feel for the thing.. I was hoping there would be a transcript here by now, but can't find anything.

The war between Hamas and Fatah will probably end in a few months, with Fatah being absorbed. At that point, it is likely that regime change in Jordan will be the next order of business for Hamas. This project may require several years to succeed, if it succeeds at all. If successful, Hamas will unite the west and east banks of the Jordan, then turn its energies to Egypt. Seeing this eventuality, Egypt will be forced to occupy Gaza. Jordan's king will not be interested in accomodating the Hamas plans, so an invasion of the west bank by Jordan is not impossible.

Either way, the Hamas victory is more problematic for Jordan and Egypt than Israel. From the Israeli perspective, the biggest problem is the Bush administration's goal of a land bridge between Gaza and the west bank. The Hamas victory makes it easy to put that project off indefinitely.

The Dallas Morning News opinion page generally leads with a debate between a strident leftist and a mild-mannered centrist. Today, they put the debate on page 6 and led with this piece on immigration. The original source of the article is at http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_4_mexico.html

I haven't checked to see how the article changed.

I'm glad the BBC and Iran cleared this all up. No need to find the bombers, now.

Earlier this month,a Persian friend made his first visit to Iran in 20 years. When he came back, he expressed shock at the pervasive religious cynicism.

This wasn't an election, it was a media event staged for gullible European and American TV viewers.

Just as a point of reference, the US Constitution was ratified by state legislatures. There were no popular votes. Additionally, the two largest states failed to ratify until after the Constitution had nominally become effective via 2/3 ratification.

December 7, 1787: Delaware is the first state to ratify (unanimously)
December 12, 1787: Pennsylvania is the second state to ratify (42-23)
December 18, 1787: New Jersey is the third state to ratify (unanimously)
January 2, 1788: Georgia is the fourth state to ratify (unanimously)
January 9, 1788: Connecticut is the fifth state (unanimously )
Feb. 6, 1788: Massachusetts is the sixth state to ratify Massachusetts (187-168 with recommended amendments)
March 24, 1788: Rhode Island rejects Constitution.
April 28, 1788: Maryland ratifies (63-11)
May 23, 1788: South Carolina (149-73 with recommended amendments)
June 21, 1788: New Hampshire (57-47 with recommended amendments)

Constitution reaches 2/3 goal, become effective.

June 25 1788: Virginia (89-79 with recommended amendments)
July 26, 1788: New York (30-27 with recommended amendments)
April 1, 1789: First session of the House of Representatives
April 6, 1789: George Washington elected president
November 21, 1789: North Carolina ratifies (194-77 with recommended amendments)
February 2, 1790: First session of the U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court begins operations as indicated by the Judiciary Act of 1789.
May 29, 1790: Rhode Island ratifies ( 34-32 with recommended amendments)

Ratified by parliament (10 countries)
Malta 10/17/2003
Lithuania 11/11/2004
Hungary 12/20/2004
Slovenia 2/1/2005
Italy 4/6/2005
Greece 4/19/2005
Belgium 4/28/2005
Slovak Republic 5/11/2005
Austria 5/25/2005
Germany 5/27/2005

expected approval by parliaments (6 countries)
Spain 2/20/2005
Cyprus 6/30/2005
Latvia 6/30/2005
Sweden 12/1/2005
Finland 12/30/2005
Estonia 2006?

Scheduled referendums (probably approved by voters): (4 countries)
Czech Republic 2006 ?
Denmark 9/27/05
Luxembourg 7/10/05
Portugal 10/9/2005

potential no (4 countries)
Netherlands Jun 05
Poland October 05
Ireland October 05
United Kingdom May 06

defeated referendum (1 country)
France 5/29/2005

summary:
Ratified: 10 countries
Parliamentary ratification expected: 6
Referendum approval expected: 4
Referendum failure expected: 4
Referendum failed: 1

Note that 20 countries can be expected to approve, and 20 is required to establish new constitution.

http://www.euractiv.com/Article?tcmuri=tcm:29-130616-16&type=Overview

Let me play devil's advocate. I realize the general reaction is horror. That isn't my reaction.

Consider the Dim's use of MoveOn during the last campaign. There was lots of talk regarding MoveOn being used to circumvent election spending limits. How is any 'election' rules organization supposed to track the relationship between MoveOn and the DNC? Between the DNC and a host of shell websites related to MoveOn?

The proposed rule can be viewed as simply a method of tracking campaign money.

Don't forget the BBC's role in shaping public opinion. If you think the ABC, NBC and CBS are a problem in America, consider the BBC and it's ability to directly tax every Brit and turn the money into left wing propaganda. The blogsphere is undermining the BBC stranglehold on UK public opinion, but it is a slow process.

>A masked gunman reading a joint statement from
>several militant groups also warned Iraqi government
>workers and soldiers would be targeted unless they
>stopped work immediately.

As if this threat hadn't been repeated a thousand times before.

Where would these guys be without the main stream media to fluff them up? I'm convinced the MSM needs these guys to keep their Nielsen ratings up. 'Terrorism' is a 'reality' show they have created, and it sells advertising slots by keeping people glued to the TV.

Excellent insights into the enemy mind!


>At present, the resistance is [only] up to a
>[certain] level thanks to [Shi'ite leader]
>Ayatollah [Ali al-]Sistani, who has kept Shi'ites
>away from the resistance as Shi'ites are
>interested in participating in the elections.

Translation: We will continue to murder Shi'ites. They are traitors. You can only trust a Sunni Arab.

>The death of Yasser Arafat has also left no leader who
>can convince Muslim youths that politicking is a solution.

Translation: Arafat was a distration to our leader Bin Laden.

>Arab youths can flock through Iraq's largely
>unguarded borders to reinforce the resistance movement.

Translation: If we can get enough Sunni Arabs into Iraq, we can kill all the Shi'ites.

>After [President George W] Bush's re-election,
>there is visible annoyance in countries like
>Russia and China, even in Europe, against US policies,
>and it will be a matter of time before they trust
>the guts [bravery] of the resistance movement and
>extend their support.

Translation: (and this is the heart of their strategy) If we can hold out long enough, Russia, China and Europe will supply us with arms (save us).


>You know, there is a new phenomena emerging in
>which a man is himself a weapon. No military
>can withstand this.

Translation: Don't bother me with talk of 'military technology', I can use my neighbor's children as heat seeking missles.

Great Stuff! Thanks!

Interesting twist on the news. Thanks

Kagan is probably the best known contemporary western war-historian, but he errors here by assuming the leaders of socialist-Europe are relevant.

Americans are more concerned with the economic challenges of our era, and those come from China and India. The military problems that get much of the press are only reports on our efforts to referee the economic playing field. The key is the economic game, not the military. On that playing field, Europe is a laggard and can be expected to cease to be a player of any importance within 50 years.

Kagan says Europeans doubt us and the US must address this. I'd reverse this. The Americans doubt socialist Europe is relevant and the Europeans need to address this.

In matters like Arafat's legacy, it is wise to follow the money. Who inherits Arafat's gold? Who inherits his funding sources? Who inherits his black market businesses? On these subjects, the article is silent.

Bravo!!! God Bless the SwiftVets!

This isn't time to relax, though. The 'Rats are already promoting their version of the 2004 campaign, and the SwiftVets get dismissed as 'discredited Bush tactic'. Guess what story will get air time over the MainStreamMedia?

Don't let the MainStreamMedia get aways with it! Here is an example of the kind of MainStreamMedia spin the SwiftVet can expect. It is a quote from TIME magazine, pulled off Drudge. Note how it makes no specific claim, just implies Kerry had integrity:

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash5.htm
"KERRY: Waiting Too Long To Fight Back Against Swift Boat Veterans for Truth: Kerry’s handlers, led by pollster Mark Mellman and consultant Bob Shrum, had convinced themselves it was unwise to respond to the Swifties’ ads, which were running in only three states, because it would serve to amplify the phony charges. But Kerry was jolted to respond when, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Aug. 18, dozens of vets asked, "What are you waiting for? You gotta fight back!" Kerry was livid. The campaign quickly changed gears, TIME reports."

Bravo!!! God Bless the SwiftVets!

This isn't time to relax, though. The 'Rats are already promoting their version of the 2004 campaign, and the SwiftVets get dismissed as 'discredited Bush tactic'. Guess what story will get air time over the MainStreamMedia?

Don't let the MainStreamMedia get aways with it!

This article was the lead headline on the morning paper.

The Dallas Morning News is beginning to make sedition a way of life.

"The Islamic vanguard in these countries, which will be burnt in the flames of war, will prove that they did not emerge for lands, money, or positions, but to defend the Lord's religion and establish his law."

So much for the Marxist critique...

Alternatively, the more cynical would say mastery of this rhetorical style made Arafat a billionaire.