back and blogging

I am back from a 3 1/2 months training program, during which I have not had opportunity to keep this blog updated. This will now change. I plan to continue to post the best editorials I can find, and issue my feeble comments as I am inspired. Usually the posts I link to say what is in my mind much much better than I could do.

For example, see the latest by Ralph Peters.

"Everything changed in 2003. For all of its later errors in Iraq, the Bush administration altered the course of history for the better.
It may be hard to discern the deeper meaning of our march to Baghdad amid the chaos afflicting Iraq today, but President Bush got a great thing right: He recognized that the age of dictators was ending, that the era of the popular will had arrived. He and his advisers may have underestimated the difficulties involved and misread the nature of that popular will, but they put us back on the moral side of history."

terrorism theater

don't know if anyone is out there, but if you are, please read this! From Caroline Glick of the Jerusalem Post.

Capt.bobdad

Arab Islam and a view of History

Arab Islam and a view of history
Most Arab Muslims think differently than westerners. They have a different view of history, a different interpretation of its meaning. This worldview comes from the historical era of expansion of one of the most imperialistic races in the history of the world- the Arabs.
Islam, for the Arab, is not just a religion or a political structure. It is a vital life force and core identity which gives meaning to an otherwise irrelevant historical entity- Arab tribal feudalism of the 6th C. Out of the fractured and pagan tribes comes a deified book in Arabic, and a glorified human, Mohammed. This deification of the wholly ordinary possed an entire people ( except those already converted to Christianity), and gives a sense of communal honor through history that is the core of Arab Islam today. An unthinkable retreat from this core identify is to stare into the abyss of pre-Islamic meaninglessness.
A central theme to Arab view of history is the sense of a task uncompleted, a goal thwarted by the enemies of God. That goal is world domination. "This religion shall prevail over all others" states the supposedly infallible Koran. The Arab Muslim really believes that he is divinely destined for universal importance.
But this notion will be the ultimate Trojan horse. It is completely impossible, a totally unattainable goal. The reason is simple.
Islam fails as a political system. It cannot deliver justice, freedom or prosperity. It is essentially flawed in its anthropology. It can never gain ascendancy in global affairs, never attain to the place of legitimacy which it demands. Arab Islam is suited only to inspire effort for a cause- never to manage the success of that cause.
So what happens when a people infused with an historic sense of destiny at the core of their worldview collides with the impossibility of global success? One of two things- a fierce resistance to the onslaught of the ideologies arrayed against them, reminiscent of the apocalyptic Jewish Messianic movements opposed to Roman governance. This resistance lead to their destruction, despite repeated attempts at appeasement by the Roman Authorities. The other option: a capitulation to and syncretism with the forces of modernity.
I do not see the latter happening until the former exhausts itself, and that may not happen for many generations.

amir tahari: insight into the background to the current Middle East drama

Amir is always worth reading, but particularly when he discusses the background issues of conflicts in the Muslim world. Here, he shows how Iran is vying with Sunni Islam in an effort to controll the agenda of Radical Islam.

An excerpt:

The present rupture in Lebanon has much to do with who will lead the
fightback against the West. For almost a quarter of a century there has been
intense competition within the Islamist camp over who could claim leadership.
For much of that period Sunni Salafist movements, backed by oil money, were in
the ascendancy. They began to decline after the 9/11 attacks that deprived them
of much of the support they received from Arab governments and charities. In the
past five years Tehran has tried to seize the opportunity to advance its own
leadership claims. The problem, however, is that Iran is a Shia power and thus
regarded by Sunni Salafists as “heretical”. To compensate for that weakness,
Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has made the destruction of Israel a
priority for his regime. The war triggered by Hezbollah is in part designed to
show that President Ahmadinejad is not bluffing when he promises to wipe Israel
off the map as the first step towards defeating the “infidel” West.

The Only Solution

The only solution is a military one.
Capt. Bob Granholm
July 29, 2006

The current conflict in Lebanon was started by Hezbullah with a barrage of rockets on civilian populations, the entry into Israeli territory and the kidnapping of two soldiers, killing three others. Since that event 18 days ago, rockets and missiles have been launched against random targets in the north of Israel, loaded with shrapnel to cause the maximum in casualties. The ultimate and oft stated goal of Hezbullah is the elimination of the nation of Israel.

In response, Israel has targeted Hezbullah infrastructure, warning in as clear a fashion as is possible the civilian population to exit the areas that are being targeted. Hezbullah uses these civilians as human shields, and when they are harmed in the Israeli actions against Hezbullah, they became propaganda tools, part of the strategy of terror employed by Hezbullah.

Hezbullah is backed by Iran, and supplied by Syria and Iran. Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been seen, and killed, by Israeli soldiers, as recently as a few days ago in the actions around Bint Jabil. The Government of Syria and Iran have publicly endorsed the goals of Hezbullah, and threatened serious escalations if their boarders are breached, even as they show complete disregard for the sovereign boarder of Lebanon. Hezbullah refuses any negotiated settlement, as does Iran.

Until the captured soldiers are returned, Hezbullah removed as a military force from southern Lebanon, and both Syria and Iran agree to be a party to negotiations to these ends, there can be no cease-fire. In fact, none of these conditions will be met until each of the three parties, Hezbullah, Syria, and Iran, are forced to compromise. This will not happen by dialogue, nor by diplomacy. It will only happen by military means.

This is a war. It is currently a limited war, being fought between the three parties and the nation of Israel, with the backing of the US and a few other western allies, including Canada. Military forces must be applied in order to break Hezbullah, confront Syria, and humiliate Iran. The Western backers of Israel must continue to support her in this fight, for it is also our fight. If we do not wish this war to become unlimited, then we must allow Israel to end it here.

The Arab Muslim world is watching and weighing. Most Arab nations are seriously worried about the extension of power by Iran, and would welcome any diminishing of Iran’s influence in the region. But if we are seen to be weak in the midst of battle, despite having the resources to achieve victory, then those Arab countries who are now reckoning their policies with a view to engagement with the west will need to shift their policies to reckon with the increasing influence of Iran and its surrogates. The Islamic jihadist can only be emboldened.

The only solution to this is a military one. So let us solve this, and solve it here and now.

blogging from Israel

check out this link for recent coverage in the blogsworld from israel. Scroll down and read some of the comments about Hezbollah from the Christian population who are fleeing from southern Lebanon.

Jennifer has a hard road ahead in Michigan

Yet it would be a huge mistake to count her out. She is a fighter, and she knows how to energize a core. She is smart, savy, and it does not hurt that she looks great!

But a word of advice to Jen: John Kerry does not help. Lets leave the Messianic asperations to Jesus.

Pictures of BintJbeil

Israeli troops just took control of this village, which was a centre for hezbullah action in the south. A HB field comander was killed, and lots of communications equipment from Iran was found. The link above is to a website with some lovely pictures of the village.

Further reason to destroy hezbulah

Activating Hezbollah cells "to make no place safe for Israelis": The Implications for Southeast Asia. By Zachary Abuza

This is a plague which not only threatens the state of Israel.

a snippet:

Yesterday, Hezbollah's representative in Iran, Hossein Safiadeen warned
that that his Islamic militant group plans to widen its attacks on Israel until
"no place" is safe for Israelis. "We are going to make Israel not safe for
Israelis. There will be no place they are safe." While Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
noted that there is still no evidence that Hezbollah has activated sleeper
cells, it is important to take stock of where and how similar cells have been
used in the past.

From the counterterrorismblog.org

VDH on why America is winning the war

Victor David Hanson is one of the most lucid commentators around. In this lastest article, he shows how America is winning the war on terrorism.his historical insight is second to none.

a snippet:

In this regard, it is time to stop the silly slurs that American policy in the Middle East is either in shambles or culpable for the present war. In fact, if we keep our cool, the Bush doctrine is working. Both Afghans and Iraqis each day fight and kill Islamist terrorists; neither was doing so before 9/11. Syria and Iran have never been more isolated; neither was isolated when Bill Clinton praised the “democracy” in Tehran or when an American secretary of State sat on the tarmac in Damascus for hours to pay homage to Syria ’s gangsters. Israel is at last being given an opportunity to unload on jihadists; that was impossible during the Arafat fraud that grew out of the Oslo debacle. Europe is waking up to the dangers of radical Islamism; in the past, it bragged of its aid and arms sales to terrorist governments from the West Bank to Baghdad .

Want to follow events in Israel?

This is the best site I have come across for direct blogging coverage from Israel. Carl in Jerusalem. He updates often with links to the lastest news and grat personal insights.

yesterday I joined lemetropolecafe

Yesterday I joined the Midas crew at Lemetropolecafe.com.

I have owned gold and gold shares (as well as other precious metal companies). Presently, a large portion of my investment portfolio is invested in this arena. I do this because I believe that the US dollar must seriously weaken, because Gold is ‘real money’ and will save my wealth in times of crisis and inflation, both of which I see on the horizon. Gold and Silver are also in a deficit vis-a-vis supply and demand. The new wealth from Asia and elsewhere is looking for Gold and Silver. Central Banks outside of Europe and North America are adding to their Gold reserves even as they are diversifying out of USD holdings. All of this is well documented, and for this reason I invest in this arena.

I do lots of my own research and study. There is a host of great information available free on many websites. I have subscribed to various newsletters which give insights into the companies which have the most potential for growth and value enhancement. I know what I am looking for.

But all of this does not explain something. It has become very obvious to me that the Gold market is manipulated. I have come to this conclusion over time, and reluctantly. I am a vigorous defender of free markets, and I do not wish to believe in market manipulation theories. But facts are facts. This market is manipulated. But how, and who, and why? These are question which I have yet to really get my head around. I need help. Folks like Eric Sprott have explained it in general terms, and Jim Sinclair is an invaluable aid to understanding the ebbs and flows of the Gold markets. Trader Dan offers very clear insights into the craziness which seems to daily occur in Gold and Silver. I value these men. But I need more information. I need to understand what is going on.

I have found that only the Midas crew is able to really explain this market manipulation. Their daily commentary has more insight into the overall Gold and Silver market than any of the other paid or free websites or newsletters. I won’t go into their explanations, but I encourage you to see for yourself. They offer a free trial service to introduce the various commentaries which are available. I recommend that you do this. It took m

The British are telling the truth

The telegraph of the UK published this today. It is one of the most insightfull articles yet on the reason for the current crisis in the middle east. please read it.

a small portion:

"But just as world leaders were steeling themselves to confront the threat that Iran's nuclear programme poses to international security (the subject was also due for discussion at last weekend's G8 summit in St Petersburg), two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hizbollah, Iran's proxy militia in southern Lebanon, thereby lighting the current conflagration."

Israel united

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291950694&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Amen to Ehud Olmert

"We are at a national moment of truth. Will we consent to living under the threat of this axis of evil [from Teheran to Damascus] or will we mobilize our inner strength and show determination and equanimity? Our answer is clear to every Israeli, and it echoes today throughout the entire region.

... All of us - Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druse and Circassians - now stand as one person, as one nation, subject together to the same hatred and malice, and fighting against it in consensus and partnership... But above all, the strength of a nation is measured in times of trial, when the home front becomes the front, when the citizens of the country show admirable fortitude, patience and stamina and allow it to operate against its enemies."

- Ehud Olmert, speech to the Knesset, July 17

An Article worth reading

David Warren is always worth the time to read. He editorializes in the Ottawa Citizen, and here he is encouraging Israel to finish the job of removing terrorism from its environs. Kofi, are you listening?


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/07/onward.html