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Video: Angry Lebanese denounce Iranian puppet
Posted here by accident, . |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on January 26, 2007 at 11:26 AM in , , | | | |
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Thoughts on the need for total war
You cannot be objective about an aerial torpedo. And the horror we feel of these things has led to this conclusion: if someone drops a bomb on your mother, go and drop two bombs on his mother. The only apparent alternatives are to smash dwelling houses to powder, blow out human entrails and burn holes in children with thermite, or to be enslaved by people who are more ready to do these things than you are yourself; as yet no one has suggested a practicable way out. —George Orwell, reviewing Arthur Koestler’s Spanish Testament for the magazine Time and Tide, Feb. 5, 1938. John Derbyshire is not a jolly man, but he is
And this applies to us as well, in Iraq, Iran, and eventually other places yet to be imagined. Rurik's first rule of war, if you're not prepared to do what is necessary to win, then don't even pretend, just resolve to lose from the beginning and get it over with honestly.
-Rurik |
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Contributed by George Mellinger on September 4, 2006 at 09:30 PM in , , , , , , , , , | | | |
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Two Posts on Lebanon from Debka
First the proviso. Debkafiles is a well known but controversial site, It is wide rumored to have ties to Israeli Intelligence, the Mossad, though nobody knows for certain. As in the old Zen paradigm, "He who speaks does not know, he who knows does not speak." Debka has been accused of spreading disinformation and propaganda on occasion. or perhaps that is only how you explain error by a source which usually seems to have prime inside information. Debka is very worth auditing, though you should always do so with skepticism. Of course, you really should do that with everything you find on the web, even the authoritative insights of Rurik. Except of course for the ranting at DU and the Daily Kotz, which you know to be always nonsense. Today there are two items from Debka, which offer cause for concern. the first discusses the naval build-up off the coast of Lebanon.
In this case, I cannot help but wonder if the description of the size of the fleet is either exaggerated or distorted by short memories. But it does suggest that something may be a-building. Even more notable is the unusual mix of national fleets. (Note - where they refer to the warships as including "...5 Italian, 2-3 Green, 3-5 German..." I presume that is a typo for Greek, since I have never heard of the Environmentalist Navy.) The second article, is even more alarming and considers Israel's sudden desire to negotiate with Syria's Bashir Asshat, and raises questions of why the Israeli military conducted such a limited war in Lebanon. Certain Israeli leaders (sic) are singled out, and accusations are also leveled at some American Administration figures. if even some of the accusations are true, it is troubling. but remember, this article may be intended for its political impact, both in Israel and America. A tip of the helmet to TACAN. -Rurik |
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Contributed by George Mellinger on September 4, 2006 at 07:41 PM in , , , , , , , , , | | | |
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Here We Go Again!
Everybody seems to be an armchair quarterback when it comes to the Middle East. The theme is always the same and if you pay attention to our lovely MSM news sources or our Liberal champions on the Left, you probably won’t question that America and Israel are at fault. And in certain ways we are. Jimmy Carter was one of the first to drop the ball and it’s been rolling down hill gathering muck ever since. And yes, I realize it was already mucked up in the first place, but nobody seems to consider that point. Truth be known, the UN has done more damage than anybody else in trying to deal with this mess. Kofi Annan is now making another whirl wind tour to set things straight, but will only cause us bigger problems down the road. At some point we need to tell the UN to get out of the way and deal with the problems emanating from that region. He’s doing more damage than good as usual and only postponing the inevitable. The following is from Jeb Babbin at The American Spectator
I really doubt this is going to do us any favors or contribute to a solution. Read "On the Road Again" |
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Contributed by Jim Bartimus on August 29, 2006 at 08:38 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Bruce Kesler: "Proportionate Results = Just Desserts"
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 27, 2006 at 07:03 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Oops!
[. H/T: ] *** Captain Ed comments . |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 27, 2006 at 01:57 PM in , , , , | | | |
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UNIFIL spied for Hezbollah during war
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 26, 2006 at 08:03 PM in , , , , , | | | |
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The Ambulance Scam
One of the most ominous developments of the current war has been the introduction of fauxtography, the massive faking of photographic "evidence" to support propaganda offensives. Historians, particularly we who work in the Soviet area have long been familiar with the practice of airbrushing out of photos revolutionary leaders fallen out of favor and replacing them with someone more appropriate. Trotsky is erased and replaced by Stalin or Molotov at Lenin's elbow. But the old work was never so skilled as current efforts. In response a number of skilled photoshopists have risen to the challenge debunking many falsified efforts. In one recent case, a news agency withdrew 950 photos because the photographer's bonafides had been discredited. But what about the photo which has not actually been doctored, but instead was staged or presented out of context? There was a particularly nasty example of this which occurred about a month ago. Among the "uncountable Israeli atrocities", there was a report of a clearly marked Red Cross ambulance deliberately targeted and destroyed by an Israeli aircraft. This report ran in most of the major print and television news sources. I shrugged it off, assuming that this incident could very well have been real. After all, at about the same time were were other reports and films establishing that Hezbollah was using ambulances to transport its guerrillas. So it seemed as if this latest incident might well have been a justified attack. But no, it was even less than that. It was not even real. Once i saw the photo, certain problems leaped out at me. it seems the ambulance was photographed with a hole in the roof, completely dead center of the red cross, and nicely round. The hole was obviously made by no plausible warhead, neither high explosive nor shaped charge. Now the story line has begun to unravel. on Wednesday alerted us all that the ambulance incident had been examined at Not only does Zombie give us an excellent lesson on how to examine a photo, and to contrast it with similar photos, he also debunks this latest blood libel and further impeaches the credibility of all those providing us with something pretending to be news. Maybe those Israeli atrocities are uncountable because they're all faked. A tip of the helmet to Eric Bogomolny -Rurik |
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Contributed by George Mellinger on August 25, 2006 at 05:19 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Kofi Annan's UN
Click the pics, bookmark the site. H/T: Kerry Leight. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 25, 2006 at 02:47 PM in , , , , , , | | | |
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Straight Scoop on Hezbollah
Like many another, this writer has drunk deeply of the MSM Kool-Aid regarding Hezbollah's startling victory in the Lebanon conflict. Now comes Mr. to set the record straight. Writing in the Wall Street Journal's of Friday, August 25, 2006, Mr. Taheri states flatly that Hezbollah Didn't Win, and bolsters his case with ample evidence observed on the scene in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon and the Middle East. This posting will merely reproduce his introductory remarks and the conclusion:
Would that we all, and CNN especially, could say the same. Readers owe it to themselves to follow the first link up top and make up their own minds. |
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Contributed by John Werntz on August 25, 2006 at 11:21 AM in , , , | | | |
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Israel Demands UN Troops on Syria-Lebanon Border
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 25, 2006 at 10:31 AM in , , , , , | | | |
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The "Curious Omission" Gets Curiouser and Curiouser
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 22, 2006 at 08:47 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Photographic evidence of Hezbollah counterfeiting?
Allah's on top of it . *** Dan Riehl has an excellent related post . |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 22, 2006 at 12:02 PM in , , , | | | |
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2006.08.21 Presidential Press Conference
Click to read the official White House transcript and watch their video. I'm having a worn out day and haven't studied it closely yet. Clcik for Allah's take. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 21, 2006 at 05:40 PM in , , , , | | | |
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RE:
In a post written at , and excerpted at OWD by Bill Faith, the author summarizes that the blogosphere and news media divided neatly into two groups:
Both the author and my OWD colleague align themselves in Camp 1, with Dafydd asserting,” The fact that we are still, today, championing Israel's right to conduct this commando raid while the ceasefire is in effect, that we refuse to characterize it as a violation, speaks volumes about which camp is correct.” Dafydd ends his analysis with the following summary: The United States still backs Israel in its actual warfare against Hezbollah (contrary to those folks in Camp 2, who cannot let go their charming fantasies about almighty Israel) -- and the mainstream media still supports the other side. This old dog would take exception to the “two camp” argument as being an over simplification of past six week’s events, but first, I will state two areas of agreement with the author: 1. Israel did run a feckless and infantile “pseudo-war”. It has been reported that Olmert had initially wanted to enter into Lebanon with a significant ground force, only to accede to intelligence assessments that proved to be grossly incorrect in their estimation of Hezbollah’s missile stockpile as well as their ability to relocate and avoid detection. This occurred not only before Israel’s initial strike, but continued to be their Achilles’ heel throughout the first several weeks. Day after day, reports from the Israeli government predicted that Hezbollah had been pushed far enough north to eliminate the threat to their cities. No sooner would such statements be released when a new volley of Katyusha’s would reign down on Haifa. Unfortunately for the Olmert government, world opinion had rapidly shifted from its initial condemnation of Hezbollah to one that repudiated Israel’s disproportionate response. In hind sight it becomes obvious that Olmert’s initial instincts were correct. But I wonder if his late change in heart was a result of placing too much trust in Aman (Military Intelligence) or if it was the common weakness found in most western democratic leaders who must attempt to balance internal political realities with external strategic goals. In the end, does it matter? Many might say that the reason is unimportant in light of the fact that the result still remains an unsatisfactory standoff that leaves a ticking bomb set to announce the commencement of round two in the very near future. These are the people set to toss the baby out with the bath water. I personally want to believe that Olmert has learned a valuable lesson and will trust his gut and establish a firmer hand when the next round begins. One way to ensure that is to have America provide more than tepid back channel support. George Bush and Condi have given plenty of lip service in support of Israel, but in practice have engaged in the type of nuanced diplomacy one might have expected from a Kerry administration. The fact that a resolution was agreed upon with France, no matter how fleeting their support was, ensured a solution that lacked soundness or enforceability. It has been only a few short years since America acted in defiance of the UN and began an assault on Iraq. What has changed in three years to make us engage this august body as the ultimate arbiter of dispute? America’s support of Israel in this latest conflict is reminiscent of a playground skirmish between a persecuted kid and the school bully. With nervous anticipation, America gathered around the contestants with the rest of its classmates ready to cheer on and “stand behind” their buddy. And while their friend is taking all the punishment, everyone else criticizes the little guy’s tactics and his inability to dispose of the bully. In the end, America and its classmates dutifully report to the principal’s office to await a proper punishment to be dispensed by the higher authority. Yes, I agree with Dafydd and Bill Faith that there is plenty of room for second guessing Israel’s half-hearted response to Hezbollah, but I still maintain that America and George Bush have offered no support of substance. Instead we have smugly sat back and turned allies into surrogates in the War on Terror. This was a bad tactic used by several presidents during the cold war and certainly not something I would have expected from that same man that said “You’re either with us or you’re against us.” |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on August 21, 2006 at 12:00 PM in , , , , , , , , , | | | |
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If this is New York it must be 1939
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 21, 2006 at 11:30 AM in , , , , , | | | |
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Israeli PM rejects UNIFIL troops
*** Update and bump. Original timestamp 206.08.20.15:58
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 21, 2006 at 09:43 AM in , , , , , , | | | |
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Disproportionate Response II
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 21, 2006 at 01:02 AM in , , , , , | | | |
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British Night Goggles Go From Iran To Hezbollah
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 20, 2006 at 03:27 PM in , , , , , | | | |
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Fuad And Kofi: Big Fans Of Newspeak
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 20, 2006 at 10:11 AM in , , , , , | | | |
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Another Israeli FUBAR?
Here we go again, sad to say. The front page of today's has a sad tale of a failed Israeli raid near Baalbek, in northern Lebanon not far from the Syrian border. "Truce Strained as Israelis Raid Lebanon Site," by Robert F. Worth and John Kifner, tells how two Humvees, loaded with commandos in camos resembling those worn by Lebanese, attempted to talk their way through a roadblock on the way to Baalbek. Instead, the Hezbollah opened fire and the raid turned into an ambush. The Israelis have tried to put a good face on the fiasco.
To believe this you have to believe that the objective was to get ambushed, suffer grave casualties, and have to call for rescue by helicopter. Yeah sure. Not quite the disaster of Jimmy Carter's famous operation , but the Israelis seem to be learning from Jimmy all the time. As icing on the cake, we have this:
You're off to a great start, Top. Lord forgive me for being snarky on Sunday, but I have to ask: Is there a disease called Rumsfelditis, and if so, is it catching? |
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Contributed by John Werntz on August 20, 2006 at 08:10 AM in , , , | | | |
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“This man must die.”
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 11:31 PM in , , , , , | | | |
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Israeli Commando Raid: the Case of the Curious Omission
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 10:58 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Is Israel ready for what comes next?
I'll say it right up front: Color me pro-Israel. Maybe I was exposed to enough Christian fundamentalism in my childhood to affect my thinking, or maybe I got where I am some other way. In any case as far as I'm concerned Israel belongs to the Jews, always has and always will, and the Israelis have the right to do whatever it takes to keep it that way. It would suit me fine to see Israel march into Lebanon in force and install a tame government, then turn east an do the same in Syria. If they have to nuke Iran to keep Iran from nuking them, then so be it. I said I was pro-Israel. That doesn't by any means mean I'm pro-
The message it sends is "Nobody's driving." Regardless of what other tactical or strategic goals the Israeli government had in mind they should have sent as many troops as it took as far north as necessary to put an immediate end to those rocket attacks, and they should not have withdrawn from Lebanon as long as there was any possibility of renewed attacks. The recent Israel/Hezbollah war is widely seen, and properly so, as a proxy war between the U.S. and Iran. By displaying weakness the Olmert government made the U.S. and all of her allies look weak. The odds of President Ahmashiithead getting a case of juevos grandes and doing something stupid sometime soon just went way up. Color me pissed. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 10:29 PM in , , , , , | | | |
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Supporting the Lebanese Army
I believe that the Lebanese Army with their show room condition M-113 mobile coffins er.. APCs should be rearmed with state of the art weapons and be given the task of removing Hezbollah from Southern Lebanon. The Syrians were given the boot, now it's the time for the Iranians to be shown the door, and as for the supporters of Hezbollah in the Lebanese parliament annd the electorates who voted for them, or what's left of them thanks to the Israeli Air Force, who should be forced to choose - a Sh'ite state or the state of Lebanon. The Principles of Applied Marksmanship can be used later. If they do that then a mini-Marshall Plan should be introduced to aid a fledgling democracy. Another buffer zone is created for israel, the Lebanese Army becomes a force of peace, and the US and other supporters of a new Lebanon get huge brownie points. And did I mention Iran and Syria get a punch in the nose to boot. My thoughts anyway. |
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Contributed by Martin Andrew on August 19, 2006 at 09:00 PM in , , , , | | | |
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French To Alter Uniforms For Lebanon Deployment
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 08:05 PM in , , , , , | | | |
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Arab Media Take Aim At Assad
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 12:36 PM in , , , , , | | | |
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Lebanese Army Ordered to 'Stand With' Hizballah
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 12:13 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Big Loss in Third Major War on Terror Campaign
Afghanistan, Iraq and now Lebanon. Thus far, these are the three big campaigns in the overall War on Terror. Democrats and left-wing media pundits insist on separating the three into separate wars, but such thinking only confuses the fact that World War III is already under way. Afghanistan was a success, although Taliban remnants, supported by the usual suspects--Iran, Syria and al Qaeda--continue to operate, though on a much smaller scale. Iraq was an unqualified military success, but Washington's relative timidity in the face of Democrat and UN pressure has emboldened the terrorists and Shiite militias and enabled Iran and Syria to ship in IEDs and other weapons and military/political "advisers" with impunity. Lebanon was a the first big defeat for the forces of Western Civilization, with Israel committing too little, too late, and then backing off as the worldwide apologists for Islamofascism beat the drums for premature withdrawal. Moreover, Washington missed a golden opportunity to join with Israel to ensure that not only Hezbollah, but Iran and Syria go down for the count. The Israeli government will likely be thrown out, and deservedly so. Unlike in our own country, there are plenty of tough minded sheriffs in Israel to get that nation back on the right path. The problem with America is that, hesitant though he may be, President Bush remains the strongest proponent for pursuing the War on Terror, and he cannot run again. As in the First and Second World Wars, there will be occasional setbacks in World War III. Our only viable option is to learn from those setbacks, get tougher and drive on toward victory. Simply put, Islamofascism must be utterly and completely destroyed. The cost of terrorism needs to be so high that no one dare employ the tactic. Such were the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The left argues that killing terrorists only begets more terrorists, but that is simply not true. Killing terrorists in a half-assed, timid, politically correct manner (with no civilian collateral damage) does indeed create more terrorists, for that is what we are witnessing now. But overwhelming force, applied with brutal efficiency to tell the enemy that resistance is futile has always worked in warfare. Germany was bombed into near-oblivion during World War II. Thousands of civilians were killed in massive bombing runs. The entire German economy was wrecked. The Wermacht was pounded into submission. The Russians retaliated for their loss of 20 million people by raping, pillaging and murdering German soldiers and civilians alike. It was not pretty. This is not to say that American soldiers should go around wantonly murdering and raping civilians, but neither should we be second-guessing and restricting them to the point where they hesitate to pull the trigger when deadly force is called for. That should have been the lesson of Vietnam. There should be no more Fallujahs. If an enemy controlled city does not submit to our power, we should give its citizens a time limit to get out of town along predetermined routes, where all would be subject to rigorous searches and suspicious persons (including virtually all men of combat age) detained in prison until they can be further sorted out. Then, when the deadline has passed, the entire city should be leveled. There should be no more Shiite or Sunni militias. Any time masked gunmen gather for demonstrations, they should be taken out with missles or bombs. And we need to go after their leaders as well. The overwhelming power of America's military must be brought to bear sufficiently so that the enemy gets the idea that our power is, in fact, overwhelming. Iran must be made to pay for inciting violence across the globe. We already know that the IEDs that are killing and maiming American soldiers are manufactured in Iran and smuggled across the border into Iraq. A price must be paid for these acts of war, and until we exact that price, the murders and mutilations will only continue. Iranian forces were actively involved in the rocket and missile atacks on Israel. Hezbollah is but an Iranian irregular militia. I am certain that if we could only connect the dots, the Iranians would be shown to have had a hand in planning or funding the aborted terrorist action against civilian airliners flying between Great Britain and the United States. They are at war with us and we refuse to recognize the obvious. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is the worst of all possible outcomes (save a complete military rout of Israel) for the larger War on Terror. The enemy rightly claims to have achieved a strategic victory, and that victory is due solely to Israeli and U.S. timidity. The next time hostilities break out, the enemy will only be stronger. The lessons of this temporary setback ought to be clear:
Ultimately, I have confidence that we will win this thing, but it is going to take a lot more pain and a lot more deaths before we give it the seriousness it deserves. |
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Contributed by Shane Briscoe on August 19, 2006 at 11:59 AM in , , , , , , , | | | |
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Israel Attacks Resupply Convoy
*** OTB: |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 09:38 AM in , , , , , , | | | |