Response To a General

So here be the rantings of a crazy General whose support for all things Bush are very amusing.  My rebuttal follows his letter, so ahve fun reading.

BY: JIM CASH, Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.

I recently wrote about the war in Iraq and the larger war against radical Islam, eliciting a number of responses. Let me try and put this conflict in proper perspective.

Understand, the current battle we are engaged in is much bigger than just Iraq . What happens in the next year will affect this country and how our kids and grandkids live throughout their lifetime, and beyond. Radical Islam has been attacking the West since the seventh century. They have been defeated in the past and decimated t o the point of taking hundreds of years to recover. But they can never be totally defeated.
Their birth rates are so far beyond civilized world rates that in time they recover and attempt to dominate again.

There are eight terror-sponsoring countries that make up the grand threat to the West. Two, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, just need firm pressure from the West to make major reforms. They need to decide who they are really going to support and commit to that
support. That answer is simple. They both will support who they think will hang in there until the end, and win. We are not sending very good signals in that
direction right now, thanks to the Democrats.

The other six, Afghanistan, I raq, Iran, Syria, North Korea and Libya will require regime change or a major policy shift. Now, let’s look more closely.

Afghanistan and Iraq have both had regime changes, but are being fueled by outsiders from Syria and Iran. We have scared Qaddafi’s pants off, and he has given up his quest for nuclear we apons, so I don’t think Libya is now a threat.

North Korea (the non-Islamic threat) can be handled diplomatically by buying them off. They are starving. That leaves Syria and Iran. Syria is like a frightened puppy. Without the support of Iran they will join the stronger side. So where does that leave us? Sooner or later, we are going to be forced to confront Iran , and it better be before they gain nuclear capability.

In 1989 I served as a Command Director inside the Cheyenne Mountain complex located in Colorado Springs, Colorado for almost three years. My job there was to
observe (through classified means) every missile shot anywhere in the world and assess if it was a threat to the US or Canada . If any shot was threatening to
either nation I had only minutes to advise the President, as he had only minutes to respond.

I watched Iran and Iraq shoot missiles at each other every day, and all day, for months. They killed hundreds of thousands of their people. Know why? They were fighting for control of the Middle East and that enormous oil supply.

At that time, they were preoccupied with their internal problems and could care less about toppling the west. Oil prices were fairly stable and we could not see an immediate threat. Well, the worst part of what we have done as a nation in Iraq is to do away with the military capability of one of those nations. Now, Iran has a clear field to dominate the Middle East, since Iraq is no longer a threat to them. They have turned their attention to the only other threat to their dominance, they are convinced they will win, because the US is so divided, and the Democrats (who now control Congress and may control the Presidency in 2008) have openly said we are pulling out.

Do you have any idea what will happen if the entire Middle East turns their support to Iran , which they will obviously do if we pull out? It is not the price of oil we will have to worry about. Oil WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE to this country at any price. I personally
would vote for any presidential candidate who did what JFK did with the space program; dec lare a goal to bring this country to total energy independence in a decade.

Yes, it is about oil. The economy in this country will totally die if that Middle East supply is cut off right now. It will not be a recession. It will be a depression that will make 1929 look like the “good-old-days”. The bottom line here is simple. If Iran is forced to fall in line, the fighting in Iraq will end over night, and the nightmare will be over.

One way or another, Iran must be forced to join modern times and the global community. It may mean a real war – if so, now is the time, before we face a nuclear Iran with the capacity to destroy Israel and begin a new ice age.

I urge you to read the book “END GAME” by two of our best Middle East experts, true American patriots and retired military generals, Paul Vallely and Tom McInerney. They are our finest, and totally honest in their assessment of why victory in the Middle East is so important, and how it can be won. Proceeds for the book go directly to memorial fund for our fallen soldiers who served the country during the war on terror. You can find that book by going to the internet through Stand-up America at www.ospreyradio.us or www.rightalk.com.

On the other hand, we have several very angry retired generals today, who evidently have not achieved their lofty goals, and insist on ranting and raving about the war. They are wrong, and doing the country great harm by giving a certain political party reason to use them as experts to back their anti-war claims.

You may be one of those who believe nothing could ever be terrible enough to support our going to war. If that is the case I should stop here, as th at level of thinking approaches mental disability in this day and age. It is right up there with alien abductions and high altitude seeding through government aircraft contrails. I helped produced those contrails for almost 30 years, and I can assure you we were not
seeding the atmosphere. The human race is a war-like population, and if a country is not willing to protect itself, it deserves the consequences. Nuff-said!!!

Now, my last comments will get to the nerve. They will be on politics. I am not a Republican. And, George Bush has made enough mistakes as President to insure my feelings about that for the rest of my life. However, the Democratic Party has moved so far left, they have made me support those farther to the right. I am a conservative who totally supports the Constitution of this country. The only difference between the United States and the S outh American, third world, dictator infested and ever-changing South
American governments, is our US Constitution.

This Republic (note I did not say Democracy) is the longest standing the world has ever known, but it is vulnerable. It would take so little to change it through economic upheaval. There was a time when politicians could disagree, but still work together.
We are past that time, and that is the initial step toward the downfall of our form of government. I think that many view Bush-hating as payback time. The Republicans hated the Clinton ‘s and now the Democrats hate Bush. So, both parties are putting their hate toward willingness to do anything for political dominance to include lying and always taking the opposite stand just for the sake of being opposed.

JUST HOW GOOD IS THAT FOR OUR COUNTRY?
In my lifetime, after serving in uniform for Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Ca rter, Reagan, and Bush I have a pretty good feel for which party supported our military, and what military life was like under each of their terms. And, let me assure you that times were best under the Republicans.

Service under Jimmy Carter was devastating for all branches of the military. And, Ronald Regan was truly a salvation. You can choose to listen to enriched newscasters, and foolish people like John Murtha (he is no war hero), Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Michael Moore, Jane Fonda , Harry Reid, Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and on-and-on to include the true fools in Hollywood if you like. If you do, your conclusions will be totall y wrong.

The reason that I write, appear on radio talk shows, and do everything I can to denounce those people is simple. THEY ARE PUTTING THEIR THIRST FOR POLITICAL POWER AND QUEST FOR VICTORY IN 2008 ABOVE WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS COUNTRY. I cannot abide that. Pelosi clearly defied the Logan Act by going to Syria , which should have lead to imprisonment of three years and a heavy fine.

Jane Fonda did more to prolong the Vietnam war longer than any other human being (as acknowledged by Ho Chi Minh in his writing before he died). She truly should
have been indicted for treason, along with her radical husband, Tom Hayden, and forced to pay the consequences.

This country has started to soften by not enforcing its laws, which is another indication of a Republic about to fall. All Democrats, al ong with the Hollywood elite, are sending us headlong into a total defeat in the Middle East, which will finally give Iran total dominance in the region. A lack of oil in the near future will be the final straw that dooms this Republic. However, if we refuse to let this happen and really get serious about an energy self-sufficiency program, this can be avoided. I am afraid, however, that we are going in the opposite direction.

If we elect Hillary Clinton and a Democrat-controlled congress, and they carry through with allowing Iran to take control of the Middle East, continue to refuse development of nuclear energy, refuse to allow drilling for new oil, and continue to do nothing but oppose everything Bush, it will be over in terms of what we view as the good life in the USA.

Now, do I think that all who do not support the war are un-American … of course not. They just do not understand the importance of total victory in that region.

Another failure of George Bush is his inability to explain to the American people why we are there, and why we MUST win. By the way, it is not a war. It is martial law that is under attack by Iranian and Syrian outside influences, and there is a difference.

So, what do I believe? What is the bottom line? I will simply say that the Democratic Party has fielded the foulest, power hungry, anti-country, self absorbed group of individuals that I have observed in my lifetime. Our educational system is partially to blame for allowing the mass of America to be taken in by this group.

To win wars, you must put boots on the ground. When you put boots on the ground, soldiers are going to die. A President must make the war decision wisely, and insure that the cause is right before using his last political option.

However, CONTROLLING IRAN AND DEMOCRATIZING THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE ONLY CHOICE IF WE ARE HELL- BENT ON DEPENDING ON THEM FOR OUR FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS.

-Rebuttal-

The fact that this Gen. now resides in Montana offers a clue to his being out of touch. However his criticism of the Democratic Party is largely misplaced. The dynamic that was existent within the Middle East was that Iraq was the check upon the natural hegemony that Iran is within the region. The area is called the “Persian” Gulf rather than the “Arabic” Gulf for a reason.

While he is correct in the assessment that the war on terror is larger than Iraq it was the neo-cons that decided that settling an old score against an old enemy was more important than the country’s self interest. The build-up to the war was filled with talk of how short the war would have been, and the memories of the immense success in Dessert Storm was very much fresh in the mind of the American people.

It was easier to strike at an enemy that we knew was located, rather than looking for a true threat. This was the political gamble the Bush Administration took, hoping to give Bush the second term his father never received. The proper respect and did not consider unintended consequences. This would include the actions that Iran’s government would take with the United States having a field army in both countries that border Iran.

That would of course be to use their influence within the Shia’ population in Iraq, in order to bog down the US army having to deal with insurgent attacks, which were what the Viet-Con used to great effect in the Vietnam War. This would also consist of the Israeli Military taking preventive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, leading to the current situation where civil war is boiling over once again in Lebanon. Not to mention the “alliance” between North Korea and the Syrian government taking the shape of a Nuclear Facility in Syria.

The war in Iraq has weakened our position because of the damage to both our credibility to the danger that Fundamental Islam does represent to the World. It has also given the Iranian government the benefit of getting rid of a rival that they have faced since the Islamic Republic was founded, and hopes that they may institute such a government in Iraq, and the Middle East.

This was a problem that both parties had a share of, the Republicans for pushing for such an arrogant and misinformed plan, and the Democrats who did nothing to oppose it.

As for “Democrats getting even” so far as hating Bush, it was the Republicans that likened Max Cleland, a man that lost three limbs while serving in Vietnam, to Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, by a man that never served in the military.

The deficiency of the Republican Party, has been their desire to claim Lincoln, but not follow his words, “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it”. Rather the Neo-Con ideology is that because we are the Super Power we are able to do as we wish.

The situation we face is because of the lack of diligence of the Bush Administration to craft a workable policy, and the weakness of the Republican Members of Congress, who cared more of preserving Republican Unity rather than the Balance of Power that was mandated by the Constitution they claim to wish to preserve.

The Democrats, as seen by Clinton having more legislation passed with a Republican Congress, are much less built for party unity as they are representative of the various diversity that is the United States. It was the Bush Administration’s duty to make not only the case for war, but to make sure the American People would be supportive despite casualties.

Fade to Black

It strikes me that people in the Media, and Presidential Campaigns say how “complicated” the situation is in Iraq.  Perhaps this is because they believe the American people are so stupid that they cannot handle plot lines that are more complicated than Heroes, but then the ratings for that craptastic show are better than voter turnout now isn’t it?

The best way to understand Iraq is to understand the motives of the players involved.  Then we can formulate a plan to either fix the problems, or get the hell out of there and let countries deal with their own problems, its not like the oil prices will go down no matter what we do – and the oil profits seem to be rising as well guess they need more subsidies.

What follows are the motivations behind where we are now-

The United States – the Prime motivation for invading Iraq was to get George W. Bush a second term as President of the United States.  American’s are very hesitant to switch horses mid stream in a war no matter how how poorly things are going initially.  Reference Abe Lincoln and FDR, even LBJ perhaps would have received a new term, but decided not to run.

The secondary motivation was for the US to look tough.  The terrorist attacks shocked and were a decidedly large PR hit to the vulnerability to the lone Hegemon -Greek word meaning ultimate badass- on the globe.  Knocking out Afghanistan wasn’t all that impressive cause nobody knew where it was.  Even knowing that the Soviet Union couldn’t do what we did was no longer impressive because as it turns out nobody is impressed with what a dead empire did 30 years ago.

The last motivation was to make all the Arabs play nice and bring peace to an are of the world that has either been at war with itself, or war with the outside world, since God kicked Adam out of the garden of Eden.  Then it turned out that not all Arabs are the same and there are different dialects, ethnicities, religions, and we have a huge pile of mess with burning oil on the side.  The goal then became to stabilize it enough to go after Iran.

Great Britain-  Great Britai’s motivations fall squarely on the shoulders of one Tony Blair.  Prime Minister Blair has at his core the fundamental belief that International Organizations such as NATO, and the UN, can only be effective as organizations if they carry the credibility of force should mandates not be followed.  This point can be directly seen as to the British forces involvement in the military strikes against Serbia during the Clinton Administration.

US forces, namely politicians, were not interested in the least of having another Somalia situation where the death of 29 soldiers by combat related incidents caused huge uproars and demands that our forces be pulled – ironic now that in Iraq that total has topped 4,000- and the Republican Party criticized our forces even being present in Serbia because -meddling in other countries affairs is not the role of the United States- As such US forces were relegated to backup positions and air support.

It was the British forces that took the responsibility to carry out front line  operations and suffer the casualties that were inevitable.  So that the teeth of NATO could be seen in order to strengthen the resolve of the newly formed Countries caused by the fall of the Soviet Union.

Iraq -  The motivations that got Iraq invaded was Saddam Hussein making the right decisions, but at the wrong time.  Invading Kuwait was the correct decision, given the circumstances presented at the time.  The current President of the United States was the Vice President to Ronald Reagan- who had given aid to Iraq in its war with Iran due to the hostage situation that embarrassed the United States.  The same Ronald Reagan who was President when a terrorist organization in Lebanan- Hezbollah – attacked a Marine Barracks killing 241 American Service Men- and responded with complete withdrawal.  Ronald Reagan the Cold Warrior – became a cut and runner.

We must also place into context  that Kuwait was one of the only Arabic states who was pro-Soviet Union rather than pro-America during the Cold War.  Thus, one would assume that the United States would not be terribly beholden to keep said country form being invaded.  Combined with the US Ambassador April Glaspie, who told Saddam in a conversation, “We have no opinion in Arab-Arab conflicts”and “the Kuwait issue is not associated with America” -both of which come from transcripts published by the New York Times September 23rd 1990 issue-

This was an almost clear green light, and the tanks rolled and the world was shocked.  Saddam got his tail whipped, but still clung to power through intimidation of force and WMD.  That was his only card in keeping power in an area where assassinations, and coups are not all uncommon.  But Republicans who wanted to conquer the land of Babylon, Cheney, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz- were determined to finish what they started.

Iran -  Iran’s motivations are actually quite simple.  They are the third Axis of Evil, and they have on either side of their border a country that was invaded and still holds large numbers of US military personnel.  Having the possession of neither Chemical, Biological, or Nuclear weapons that would deter a US invasion, it is in their best interest to keep Iraq an utter disaster to literally keep the US occupied and unable to advance on Iranian soil.

The trick is that it would be devastating to Iran should Iraq fall apart for a variety of reasons.  The first of which is, nobody likes large number of immigrants and a dissolved Iraq would bring thousands to the door step of Tehran.  Second, Iran has a large Kurdish population that borders Iraq’s own Kurd population and would be deeply concerned the two would attempt a merger, and that would be unacceptable.  The third reason is that since the Iranian Revolution, the Mullahs have seen Iraq as the Gateway to export their Islamic Republic system throughout the Middle East, for it to disintegrate would be a fundamental blow for that goal.

Saudi Arabia – As the self seen leader of the Middle East because of the possession of the 2nd and 3rd most holy cities in all of Islam – Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia seeks to be the champion of the Sunni Islam.  They also realize that with the Saudi family’s close relationship with the United States, they would be a prime target for the Export of an Islamic Republic form of government should Iraq fall.  Thus to keep that from happening they too try to keep the flames of unrest burning, while not seeking to break the balance of power so the country dissolves.  This turns Iraq into a proxy war in much the same way Africa and Asia was between the United States and the Soviet Union during the cold war.

Shia-  the European way of doing things was to put the minority population in charge of the majority through the giving of advanced weaponry money and placing certain rules on who can and cannot do something.  Apartheid was an extreme form of this legacy and was why the Sunni population was in control in Iraq.  The problem becomes that when you have no job, responsibility, money- the only thing to do is have babies, and then that majority becomes a lot bigger, and a lot more bitter.

Fast forward through the brutal nature that Saddam held onto power with, and you have a population itching to get some level of payback for all the past humiliation and the like.  It would be like giving Reverend Jeremiah Wright and a bunch of his friends truck loads of guns and saying, “work out your aggression now”.  They now want a piece of the pie and want to make up for the years of being ostracized and give the Sunni a taste of their own medicine.

Sunni -  Having just read that, the Sunni want to keep from being subjected to the same level of degradation they heaped on the Shia counterparts.  They don’t have the numbers to outright win a civil war, but do have the level of sophistication to make it very bloody and drawn out, almost to make the Shia believe they could win.  Power is a wonderful thing, and the Sunni have been at the front of the line gulping it down for a while, so they of course want to hold on to at least enough to make sure they still get a large oil money check.

Kurds – The Kurds want what it seems every ethnic group wants these days, to be an independent country.  The problem they face however is that such a country is not always viable, they were conquered at some point for a reason after all, and will need the assurances of the United States protection to even have a chance.  Having a longstanding terrorist group dedicated to unifying land that currently belongs to Turkey, doesn’t aid their cause.  So they seek to be the good soldiers waiting patiently and helping when they can to show they had intentions of making it work, and thus deserve a legitimate shot of independence.

Turkey – Once known as the Ottoman Empire that controlled all of the Middle East and was a rival to the great Empires of Europe, Turkey has drawn a line in the sand that no more territory will be stripped from their control.  This makes the statement Iraqi Kurds have said they are a part of “Southern Kurdistan” raised the question of where they think northern Kurdistan would be since that territory is Turkish.  Thus they are adamant that the Kurds remain a part of Iraq, as well as attempting to quell their own Kurdish independence problem.

There you go, the motivations and characters involved in Iraq.  I tried to use small words that even our President could use, so I will now…Fade to Black

Islamic Idealism

There is nothing more frustrating, or useless, as those who practice the Islamic faith.  This author typically feels the necessity to shower to get the grime of the endless stream of sleaziness that seems to follow any discussion of the actions of this particular faith.

To be fair, the delusionally devout of any faith are a challenge to deal with, but with those of Islam they feel that the only way to be devout is to endlessly attack those different from them.  This Xenophobic attitude is, if not acceptable, necessary for when one is a new religion among many and is seeking converts for its self preservation.

For those religions that are established exclaiming, “Kill It, Kill it!” to anything that is different or philosophically contrasting with your values is more detrimental to the society that you are attempting to preserve.

For Catholics, of which I am a member, this revelation came with the rise of the Protestant Revolution.   Ideas and practices that had been unquestioned before suddenly became under fire, as well as the emergence of the new religion of science.

The Catholic Church which had been the standard of Christianity in the Western World, now found itself countries, but also as a new minority.  A minority that was looked upon with disdain and even targeted for violence to settle scores, or show one’s legitimacy.

There are one of two decisions that one may take when faced with such humbling circumstances, Republicans should be taking notes, they can either lash out violently and ruining the future for all.  Or redefine what makes one a devout follower of ones particular faith.

One cannot allow scientific research to exist without moral parameters in place so that, while the end result may be noble the methods used do not undercut the achievement.  It is also true that if by destroying those who wish to learn the physical nature of the world, one undercuts the ability of a society to grow.

The West has dealt with these questions in the past, and thus redefined the nature of their religion against that of the written word, and to delve into the spiritual truths those words were to get across.  So it was that the practice of slavery, which was allowed by biblical teachings, was eventually seen as a practice that went against the very nature of how a Christian was to live their life.

What seems to be lacking in the Muslim world is the ability, or the desire, to move past the strict interpretation of the written word and examine the Koran philosophically.  Much of the resentment that the Arab/Persian region has towards the rest of the world is that they were once the cusp of technological advacements.

Philosophically, Technologically, and Culturally, the Middle East was once hailed as the standard from which all other empires would be measured.  It was when the stifling of creativity, due to the crackdown of Islamic rule that we can see the devolution of their society.

Thus arises the ideology that if they only became more devout, then they would be placed at their, suppose, proper place as among the top of the global pecking order.  So they have governments like the Taliban, which despite its adherence to the most violent of Islam’s teachings is still a toilet bowl of the world.

With the Middle East being a place of vast economic in-opportunity segments of the population then emigrate to places that do offer the possibility of a better life.  These places most often exist in the decadent West, but they seem to overlook these facts.

So they travel to the places where the reason for opportunity is directly proportional to the level of interference religious leaders exert in the society.  Much of the West has a separation of the spheres of influence between civil and religious institutions, so the diverse economy can be fueled by diverse people.

What then seems to occur in Islamic Muslims is the culture shock of freedom and opportunity, also comes with a feeling of isolation since they are now a minority the new country they travel to.  This leads them to define themselves as devout Muslims by seeking to do violence to the very place that allows them the freedom to practice their faith, unopposed.  (Try being a Christian in Saudi Arabia)

It is the level of competition that has seen the West attempt to one up each other that has driven our societies forward.  A world where everyone is on a level playing field, because everyone is at square one is not a staple of Western thought.  It is however the foundation of Islamic Idealism.

A Serious War on Terror

It has been termed as the defining moment in our Nation’s history.  A dark and deadly day that showed the dedication of our enemies, and the lengths they would go to in order to kill Americans.  The anger at such an atrocity was palpable, and no words were needed in order to voice them.

It was our Allies that came to the airwaves like England’s Prime Minister Tony Blair giving the moment texture and showed us who our friends truly were, “…our profound solidarity with the American people.  We were with you at the first.  We will stay with you to the last.”  Turkey rose and evoked the NATO bond that, “An attack upon one, is an attack upon all.”  While the French, who has had its ups and downs with the US said, “We are all Americans.”

We were left with the bumblings of George W Bush, who was more interested on how  event could be used for his personal, and political gain, and that of his party.  We righteously attacked Afghanistan and the Taliban Regime that gave Bin Laden and his followers sanctuary and a base of operations which such attacks could be planned and executed.

What then occurred was a man who was so deathly afraid to be compared to his father, that he sought to minimize and distance himself from the man.  Bush II along with his political advisors, who had never seen combat, ignored the one political adviser who had hands on experience in dealing with Iraq, and the plan to finish the job that Desert Storm started was launched.

While the cost of this error in judgment has cost Billions in treasury, thousands of lives, and the political careers of truly decent men such as Senator Max Cleland, the worst causality has been of justice itself.  For those who were ultimately responsible for the attacks upon our country were not to be held accountable for their actions.  This Administration put itself and the Republican Party’s lust for political power above the United States need for Justice.

W then came to say that it the goal of the international community to eradicate terrorists with a global reach, meaning those who are able to strike US targets.  In his Presidential Campaign, Senator John Kerry said it was necessary for the US to make it so that terrorists are limited to only attacking US targets on foreign soil.  We was ridiculed by the conservatives for accepting any terrorist attacks and therefore unfit to lead.  Somehow he did not live up to the very high standard of professionalism that our current President has set.

Bush held his hold on power and thus felt that he was above the Constitution that he swore an oath to “preserve protect and defend” to the very God he pretends to hold so dear.  Instead of holding ourselves to be the very best, as is the American Tradition, Bush authorized “interrogation” techniques that only appeal to the very worst of human nature.  He allowed his subordinates to use any means necessary to subvert those who criticized his policies, leaking the secret identity of a CIA agent, even if it may further weaken our country’s national defense.

Six years we have been in this war, and have only hollow spectacles of “Mission Accomplished”.  Six years and we have the execution of a man, who was evil, but in no way responsible for the tragic events of that day.  Six years and we have no true monument to defy those who see the incomplete skyline and can still feel they are victorious.  Six years that day is still being used as a slogan for political gain, rather than a reason for a political revolution.

Words have more meaning when they are used less often.  It is in that way they hold power that can make people stop their petty bickering and partisan politics.  Instead Bush and his cronies used words to sharpen those arguments and have Americans questioning their neighbors loyalty and patriotism if they did not agree with him.

What is loathsome to think is that it was that very outcome that the terrorists wanted.  For the US to be in omnipresent fear, shred the Constitution a little bit, and to lower the standard of human dignity.  If so then Bush played into their hands beautifully, and gave them two fronts from which our enemies can kill Americans.  The fact that this Administration still plays political gamesmanship with rhetoric meant to divide, show me that Bush and his party was never interested in A Serious War On Terror.

Holy Rug Burn Batman!

While it has been no strange practice for those of any religion to show their piety through outward symbols rather than right actions, some events in Egypt have made me concerned. As the cultural identity of the Arab world continues to circulate around the religion of Islam, there are interesting variants on how to prove your piety.

BLAM!

Most would maybe assume it would be donating to the poor, they of course would be incorrect, since well they are poor since God hates them. Others may say that it is the growth of community service that has made an impact on schools and bettered peoples lives. They are also wrong.

So in what way have Egyptians sought to prove their devotion to God? Rug burns. That is how far this once great culture has fallen. Builders of the pyramids, well along with the “help” of the people of David whose country *does not exist*. Are now defining their piety by the rug burn mark of a on their forehead.

POW!

The technical term they call it is “zebibah” which is Arabic for raisin, since it is more distinguished than calling it rug burn I guess. It is “gained” praying 5 times a day which Muslims face Mecca, and touch their heads to the ground 35 times. This shows their devotion to God and if they rub it they win a prize.

Normally, I would chalk this up to good religious fanaticism rather than the blowing stuff up religious fanaticism, not that Islam is a violent religion with undertones towards reckless violence, merely its practitioners are. What makes this a special case is that it is Egypt.

BANG!

Why? Egypt is the birthplace of the Muslim Brotherhood, probably the first of the Islamo-fascists, or whatever buzzword we are calling cowards who attack innocent women and children in the guise of piety. The slogan of the Brotherhood is as follows, “Allah is our objective, the Prophet is our leader, the Koran our law, Jihad is our way, Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope“. Pretty catchy huh?

With membership in the organization the best way to protest the government, their is an undertone as well as an underground culture of proving ones faith through extreme actions. This could lead someone who is feeling the social pressures, and can either use sandpaper to the face, or be convinced to blow something up.

ZOOM!

Now the liberal, politically correct, pro-cuddling of terrorists, media will probably slander me for jumping to conclusions. Except for this little excerpt from Mona el-Naggar, a reporter for the New York Times that broke the story, describes an exchange between two brothers, where the elder has the mark while the younger doesn’t. While the older brother was teasing him, the younger said, “I pray for God, not this thing on my forehead.”

DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO

I hope I am wrong, but past experience tells me to be cautious, that and watching the Batman and Robin TV show that inspired the format of the post, Holy Rug Burn Batman!

Going On Vacation

Well this is simply fantastic.  Two countries who are well known for either funding terrorist organizations, or having more oil than sense are putting down centuries of religious rivalries and getting together for the holy Islamic Pilgrimage to Mecca.

Of course I am talking about our loyal friends the Saudi’s inviting Iran’s very intelligent, and sane, President Ahmadijinejad to partake in the holy pilgrimage and visit the holy city of Mecca.  This would almost be like Mit Romney inviting Pat Robertson to go to Slat Lake City with him, without offering him everlasting salvation.  (I was going to make a remark of an inappropriate nature, so now you will just have to use your imagination.)

It may not be so bad if their wasn’t a war going on in between these countries, and that it was a goal of the founders of the Islamic Republic of Iran to destroy such Sunni Countries bowing to the will f the United States, if they weren’t involved in their own proxy war in Iraq.

Everybody knows that the Iranians have been supplying the Shia of Iraq the necessary tools and training to operate IED’s and to make sure the suicide bomber is not alone before pulling the trigger to explode.  What is not highly touted is the role that Saudi’s have been taking in arming their Sunni brethren to fight back.

Granted they didn’t need much help as most of the dismissed Iraqi army kept their stuff and ran their own personal vendetta/insurgency but they did need resupplies.  Additionally with the domestic popularity waining of the man who started this whole mess, Saudi needed to make a “Dessert Shield” of its own.  (Wow that was clever, I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but toot toot)

Now that these two have decided to be friends, in the name of Allah probably, we can only hope that this turns out to be better than the Palestinians and Israeli’s getting together, cause they have only hated each other for 60 years, so we have only a few more hundred to go.

Peace…its Going On Vacation

Muslims in Sudan are Stupid

There can be no other reason for something so silly to turn into an international event. If there was ever a moment in time to look at why Islamic countries that have natural resources, are still bassackerds it is this moment.

Mohammad is one of the most popular names in Islam. Why? Because it is the name of the Prophet who crafted Jewish, Christian, and Indigenous religious beliefs together and called it a religion. They then began to take over all of the Middle East, like that is a challenge, and sweeping through Africa and parts of Europe. So it was this cycle of reinforcement that they had “the true” faith.

One could also say that it was because they had people who looked into medical, philosophical, and scientific advancements thus making them a superior fighting force than those they fought, but then you would have to be rational.

Fast forward a couple hundred years with that same religious people that had a hunger for knowledge then found that such quests were against the teachings of the Prophet and kill those who didn’t comply, and have the repressive Christian Church lighten up on its technological breakthroughs and presto, we have the modern age.

How far has the West come do to this line of thinking? Cell phones, laptops, nuclear weapons and walking on the moon. How far has the Middle East come? They get upset at people who let 7 year old name Teddy Bears. Which by the way Republicans should issue their own Jihad, for naming a toy after Theodore Roosevelt, instead of the true prophet of the Lord Ronald Reagan, Peace be Upon Him.

My favorite part of this story is the quote given by the Brit’s employer, “It’s a pretty fair verdict, she could have had six months in prison, and a fine, and she only got 15 days and deportation.” Whaaaaaaaat? That logic makes my head hurt and I lived in the deep south for 10 years.

Though this could be a positive thing. I mean if Muslims were not the hypocritical people. If you don’t want “modern” technology like bikini’s or television or fire, then don’t use modern weapons to attack Western targets. Use the weapons that Allah gave you sticks and stones, that way you get to have the vestal virgins, and we are rid of your stupid ideology.

I mean lets at least be congruent with our own teaching shall we? Christ told us that is would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a man of wealth to enter heaven, so we began to build advanced technology to make smaller camels. You on the other hand call the last 1300 years of advancement heresy, yet use those heretical technologies to kill others. I find that confusing.

I think it is time to bring back a practice that the Romans used, which seems to be the only method of communication you people understand, decimation. In Rome it was when every tenth person was killed to make a point. Now it may take killing every third, or even every other person before you get the point, but in the long run, considering your past behavior, it may well be worth it.

The only groups of people that seem to be able to merge the teaching of Islam with being decent human beings are the Druze, Kurds, and Turks. Everybody else seems to have a psychological disorder that gives them moral authority to kill all who do not agree. And to you hippys that feel I am doing the same thing, you would be wrong.  Because as I write this, reports are flying in that thousands of Sudanese want to have the British Teacher executed.

With the atrocities that the Government of Sudan has done to the Africans in Darfur, for us to hold this “Muhammad-Gate” as a pinnacle of lunacy is sadder still. Perhaps a message does need to be sent to Sudan, and the Islamic world to knock it off. But it may take wiping out the whole populace, since Muslims In Sudan Are Stupid.

Declare A Jihad On Me…

 Due to what some may call soul searching, self examination, inner reflexion, I have discovered that while some of my more recent writings may have had one or two humorous points to them, the overall tone has been very serious, academic even.

Well not today!

While I cannot take credit for the inspiration behind many of the jokes written below, I did reformulate the language of them in order to not be accused of plagiarism. Then again having such low morals and expectations seems to have worked out well for our President.

Signs that you are a Fundamentalist Islamic Terrorist…the cheap joke here would be to say you are either Arab, or Islamic, but this is a sophisticated site. So instead, you deserve to be ridiculed and possibly water-boarded, but not tortured,  if any below describe your Middle East country of choice…

1. You have declared a Jihad against Pokemon, because it promotes Zionist principles – even though everything about the game shows it was created in Japan.

2. You refine and sell heroine to pay for the murder of women and children by using suicide bombers at crowded shopping markets, but have a moral and religious objections to the consumption of alcohol.

3. You consider the ideologies of the West, such as being able to vote, women not dressed as bee keepers, and television to be dangerous, but you routinely carry around a rocket launcher, and an AK.

4. When receiving your first cell phone your first thought was how you could use it to attack US or Israeli convoys, instead of calling friends and family.

5. Burning down embassies and rioting is the way you show that stereotypes of Islam being violent are untrue.

6. You demand that the land you lost while being the aggressor in multiple wars be given back to you, and to punctuate the point that you are ready to be a part of the International Community by chanting “Death to Israel! Death to America!”.

7. You arrested a Teacher for letting her class of 7 year olds name a Teddy Bear Muhammad, yet having 2 million people named Muhammad is fine, even if they be violent and vile people.

8. Having a relative being killed while attacking the Israeli Military is proof of atrocities by a Zionist government, but were that same relative to kill women and children at a crowded market it is proof he was a hero.

9. You cite that “Land for Peace” is what you want, only when you are offered Land for Peace, you turn it down and say you want more.

10. You care more about killing your enemies children, than you do about taking care of your own children’s future.

The only way that these can’t be funny in a depressing way is if they cease to be true, then they can be funny ha ha. Islam is represented by the people who are the loudest and most visible of its followers. Those happen to be vile, despicable, cowards who are not shunned by the majority of the Islamic world, merely quietly, and not so quietly, rooted for.

Many of the Islamic world feel this is unfair, and how dare we call a faith of peace to be so violent. They neglect the fact that much of Middle Eastern hatred of the West is rooted in the Crusades, which may have been violent, but also over 500 years ago.

So it is that we hear of the Palestinian People celebrating the attacks of 9-11, and the Saudi Arabian government get a free pass on an education system that fostered those attacks. If you don’t like it then I dare you, Declare A Jihad On Me.

Saudi Spin

What you are reading is no illusion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has said that Great Britain is not taking the “War on Terrorism” seriously. Well, I am in a word stunned. The pure audacity of that statement just has to make you smile, cause it is ballsy for any country to condemn another in such a way. Even more so when the country taking the pot shot is Saudi freken Arabia.

For those who don’t know because they either haven’t seen “The Kingdom” or went to school in Mississippi here is a brief history of how the Kingdom of Saud came to be. WWI ended and control of the Ottoman Turks over the Middle East was sadly over, thus giving the Europeans something to mess up while they were still obliterating any chance Africa would have being a functional continent. Thus arbitrary lines were drawn, and “spheres of influence” put in place so people knew who was in charge. One of these people who wanted a silly little thing like “self determination” was Abdul Aziz Al-Saud. Whose family had twice before attempted to be the country’s leadership, the first time great-grand pappy Saud got pwned by the Ottoman Turks, and the second time grand pappy Saud got lit up by internal rivals.

In each of these grasps at power the family of Saud had as their ally the practitioners of Wahhabism which is a conservative sect within Sunni Islam. The followers of Wahhab believed in a strict adherence to the precepts of Islam, against a “perceived moral decline and political weakness” within the peninsula of Arabia. It is this background that we have the ideology of Osama Bin Laden begin to percolate, as the ruling government seems to serve the desires of the West.

This idea is seemingly proven by two embarrassing and critical events in the Middle East. The first would be the complete an utter failure of a Coalition of Arabic armies to destroy tiny little Israel. This is significant because the people in the region still, somehow, feel they are superior to the West in general and Jews in particular, because thousands of years ago they made cities. To Middle East, “Thanks for the cool history about empires, and especially Persia since it would lead to the movie 300, but your time as being a superpower is past.” Cause to say they lost to Israel is a little bit of an understatement, they beat them so bad their great grandchildren still walk funny.

The second significant event that I am cherry picking for my thesis, is when the Saudi Government turns to the West, namely the big-bad United States, to protect them against the evil that was Saddam Hussein during the First Persian Gulf war. Especially when one takes into consideration the “offer” of the Mujahideen leader, and to this point I still believe Saudi citizen, Osama Bin Laden. Fresh off their defeat of the Evil Empire that was the Soviet Union, one would think the Mujahideen would at least be capable in a fight. So it was to these fundamentalist radicals that the rulers of the Middle East had become morally and politically weak and that the region could only be made pure by blood and fire.

So with the history lesson over, we can get back to what the English response to Saudi Arabia should be. “Expletive Deleted You” was probably the first thought that came into the Head of Prime Minister Brown. Especially since the Saudi’s say the Brits failed to act on Intel given to them. So to recap if I tell you “my kids may throw eggs at your car” and I have been giving them throwing lessons, and eggs, and you don’t move your car, it is your fault for it being egged. (My lawyers are telling me I have to say that I do not endorse the egging of cars, unless they are KIA’s cause c’mon, they deserve it)

One has to look at the credibility of the one giving information as the first stage of interpreting the data. I will not be the first person to buy stocks from, “the people who brought you ENRON.” Especially when the Saudis shoot up a bunch of criminals, place them in black SUV’s place them in front of an Oil Refinery and say, “We killed terrorists.” You get a nod for trying but the substance is a little weak.

This is almost as neat a trick as telling the world that a terrorist attack that involved 17 out of the 19 perpetrators was the responsibility of a dude that people just happen to know who he is. If there was an attack on Los Angeles and 17 of 19 criminals involved were from Mexico, we would not invade Cuba. No matter how many proud Republican Cubans say we should. We would and should want to place the accountability on those who are responsible, either by taking part in the act, or by inaction allowed the act to occur.

Telling Wahhabits to stop teaching kids to “find the Jew, kill the Jew” would be an excellent place to start. Such action would be critical of our friends, and we don’t like to do that as a country, especially this President who is BFF with Putin. The very same guy undermining US efforts with Iran. The friend that does you harm is better than the enemy that wishes to do harm to you. So we let the Saudi family slide on at least a berating that they must take hold of responsibility of what their people do. Instead we get distracted by FOX news which always lead us into the “Saudi Spin Zone.”

Cuba Libre’

It truly does appear that the Bush Administration is watching the Legacy Shopping Network. While odd statements that seemingly appear out of no-where have been staples of this Administration, see “human-animal hybrid”, events over the last week has made even less sense.

We will begin by Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice’s statement concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conference as the most serious attempt, “in many, many years”. Of course by many, many years Secretary Rice means seven. This administration has been too concerned with changing the world’s oldest cultures, Babylon/Iraq and Persia/Iran, squandering the very real ability to use 9-11 as more than an election slogan.

There was an opportunity to be had, where we could have had the “leaders” of the Muslim world, both Secular and Religious, to determine what is the nature of the being Islam is to serve. A violent, bloodthirsty, hierarchical being that demands followers to kill their enemies by whatever tactics or weaponry be available, even the use of suicide bombers to kill the young and old, men or women, civilian or military. Or does Islam demand its followers to follow a path of peace, that while Allah does not look kindly upon sin, there are certain unquestionable precepts that Justice, Honor, and Virtue, are valued more than the direction one must face when giving homage to him.

It heretical for any man to think he knows the mind of his God. Thus is the spiritual nature of imperfect, fallible beings being unable to even contemplate the enormity of the Being that created them. It is true however to infer the basic nature of one’s Supreme Being through the revelation of the precepts handed down through Scripture, or teaching of the Prophets. For example, Sura 40 of the Koran states in verses 1-2, “The sending down of the Book from God, the Mighty, the Knowing the forgiver of sin and accepting of repentance.” Though it may be obvious I am a layman even in the ways of my own faith, much less a religion as complicated as Islam, but it would appear that the God of Muhammad would, at its core, be a being that favored Justice above all.

While there have been many of the Islamic Faith who have chastised the evil distortion of Al Qaeda and the Taliban’s version of Islam, these can be discredited as regimes wishing to retain their seemingly tentative hold on power by garnering support from the United States. While examples do exist which show decisions made for purely cold National Interests rather than fueled by pure morality, the United States has attempted to blend the two whenever possible. Squandered was an opportunity to not only change the image of the United States as a self-indulgent greedy warmongering power, and to show our true self to a region that is suspicious of our very presence.

Then of course we had the inaction of this administration to the Israeli Lebanese conflict that would certainly damage the United States credibility as being impartial towards the friction between the Israeli’s and their Arab neighbors. Although to be fair this Administration has shown itself to be sluggish and quick to inaction when our own citizens are under duress, so I suppose we should accept nothing else in regards to the suffering of others.

The curious legacy hunt came into further unfocus the other day when President Bush started picking on Fidel Castro and warning Cuba to “democratize” rather than pass power to younger brother, by like 5 yrs, Raul. Even though the mechanism of this power hand-off has been in effect for some time now. Perhaps it is because I am one of the few, apparently, Americans that realize Reagan’s Policy was perfect for the enemy that was the Soviet Union, is not a timeless and necessary to fall back upon strategy.

Circumstances change, it is the nature of the world we live in. Being able to bully someone who is not looking for a fight, is relatively easy affair. Example, Luxembourg, Stop your attempts to become a nuclear power and attempt to dominate Western European Politics, simple. What is more difficult is fighting someone who is looking for a fight, and not playing into their advantages. Case in point, challenging the French to an arrogance competition.

True leaders do not seek out a legacy. They allow their actions, based on the coming together of circumstance, personal morality, and determination. The annals of history will judge some harsher than others, though it may be true that it is better to have been forgotten than remembering for having been able to change the global dynamic, and instead preferred to use fear to maintain power. So barkeep, give me another Cuba Libre’