Iraq Study Group: a recipe for suicide

The MSM is pushing the Iraq Study Group's report as the ultimate answer to our situation in Iraq. Below are links, with excerpts, to three articles that explain why the Iraq Study Group's recommendations can't work.


By Victor Davis Hanson:
Talking to Iran a Mistake for Strategic, Moral Reasons

[...] we have a deep misunderstanding of the nature and aims of the Iranian regime. Despite praise from Bill Clinton, Iran's "liberal" plebiscites were never democratic. Candidates were always carefully prescreened, free expression was curtailed, and dissident voices were jailed (and worse). Before 9/11, Hezbollah, with Iran's help, had killed more Americans than any other terrorist organization. No wonder President Ahmadinejad now asks crowds to envision "a world without America."

The Iraqi Study Group says Iran also worries about spillover chaos in Iraq. That is laughable. The opposite is true. The present killing and violence in Iraq divert American attention away from its effort to go nuclear and its interests in Lebanon. As Yahya Rahim Safavi, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, gleefully put it, "The Americans are sunk in the quagmire of Afghanistan and Iraq, and there is no way for them (to move either) forward or backward." So, if Iran finds benefits in an unstable Iraq, why would it wish to play a constructive role?

Instead of worrying about negotiating with Iran, we need to be primarily preparing for the awful day when Iran can arm its missiles with nuclear weapons. [...]

He give four main reasons as to why the Surrender Groups recommendations will fail, and suggests what we should do instead. It's not a long article, and it's packed with facts, well worth reading.



From Jack Kelly:
Failing to Know the Enemy, And Ourselves

[...] Rep. Reyes, D-Tex, has been chosen by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He granted an interview last week to Jeff Stein, national security editor for Congressional Quarterly magazine.

Toward the end of a 40 minute interview, Mr. Stein asked Rep. Reyes whether al Qaeda was comprised chiefly of Sunni Muslims, or Shiites. "Predominantly -- probably Shiite," he responded.

The opposite, of course, is true. Al Qaeda is comprised of Sunni extremists who regard Shiite Muslims as heretics who deserve to be killed. Al Qaeda attacks on Shia civilians is what triggered the civil strife in Iraq. [...]

[...] Sun Tzu was a Chinese general who died in 496 B.C. His "Art of War" is the oldest surviving treatise on military strategy. It is still considered the best by most strategists today.

"If you know the enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles," Sun Tzu wrote. "If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." [...]

Shocking revelations of how ignorant many people in our government are of basic facts of who we are dealing with. And why we need to educate them and ourselves... quickly.



From Ann Coulter:
Surrender by any other name...

[...] Is it the report of the "Iraq Surrender Group" that suddenly caused everyone to say we're losing?

The ISG report was about what you'd expect if the ladies from "The View" were asked to come up with a victory plan for Iraq...

[...] Have things changed on the ground in Iraq? Are our troops being routed? Hardly. The number of U.S. fatalities has gone from a high of 860 deaths in 2004 to 845 in 2005, to 695 through November of this year. If the Islamic fascists double their rate of killing Americans in the next month, there will still be fewer American fatalities in Iraq this year than in the previous two years.

Admittedly, it would be a little easier to track our progress in Iraq if the Pentagon would tell us how many of them we're killing, but apparently our Pentagon is too spooked by the insurgents posing as civilians to mention the deaths of our enemies.

Moreover, it might seem churlish to mention the number of Islamic lunatics we've killed during the holy month of Ramadan. Half the time we do anything to them, it's "the holy month of Ramadan." It's always Ramadan. When on Earth is Ramadan over? [...]

Selective reporting makes our situation in Iraq seem worse than it is. We do need better strategies, but surrender is one we can't afford.
     

New French News Channel Goes Global

France has long desired to recapture it's past glory and become a major world power once again. In an effort to increase it's influence in world affairs, the French government has just launched a new news channel, targeted at a global audience: "France 24". It's also meant to challenge and even oppose news coverage from the English speaking world.

From Luc Van Braekel at the Brussels Journal blog:

France 24: Opposing the Anglo-Saxons With American Technology Some excerpts:

[...] France 24 is the new state-funded news channel that is to bring "the French viewpoint" to the world and intends to challenge CNN and BBC World. The website will be trilingual from the start, in English, French and Arabic. On television there will be two parallel channels, one in English and one in French. Arabic and Spanish broadcasts are planned for the future. The new station is the brainchild of French president Jacques Chirac. Frustrated by the dominance of CNN and other "Anglo-Saxon" media on matters that influence world opinion, Chirac announced his plans during his election campaign of 2002. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) Luc was invited, with 11 other bloggers, to visit France 24's spiffy new offices and studios:


The news channel will harness the power of the internet, interacting with the blogosphere and utilizing video sharing services, as well as more traditional broadcasting venues. Luc maintains that it's technical infrastructure is American; he did a video report on the technical aspects, noting the American equipment and software vendors. He also made some other interesting observations:

[...] the French government is probably hoping to gain the most from the leverage of its new channel in Africa and the Middle East, where France has historic and strategic ties. [...]

This isn't suprising. In a previous post I talked about France's deliberate "Eurabia" policy, using it's ties to those regions to strengthen it's position with the Muslim world. With oil-rich allies, France hopes to lead Europe and become a power to be reckoned with.



But to build strong alliances in the Muslim world, would France choose to actively oppose the English speaking world? Is "France 24" a step in that direction? Consider this:

[...] France 24 wants "to show opinion leaders worldwide what they are not supposed to see, know or understand about all aspects of international news". This animated promo video shows sheds some light on what this may mean. French politics have always sympathized with the antiglobalist movement (or altermondialistes, as they are called in France) which they see as an ally against the dominance of Anglo-Saxon capitalism and as a support for their rather Colbertist views on trade and competition. [...]

France is a Socialist country with strong anti-capitalist sentiments, and opposes the U.S. on many levels. Their world view is strongly influenced by counter-enlightenment ideology, which directly opposes many of our own values.

France can of course do whatever they like in persuit of their own interests. But you have to wonder if their "Eurabia Policy" will unfold for them in the way they think it will.

The photos here are taken by Luc, he has more in his article (And even more via a link to his page on flickr.com). The article isn't long and it's worth reading the whole thing.
     

Desktop of the Future?

A Fantastic Desktop


This nearly 7 minute long video shows a new kind of 3-D desktop interface, for organizing, sorting and handling files.

It's kinda cool, but it's also more complicated than what I'm currently using. A 3-D GUI like that must take up gobs of memory and processing resources. I think I would rather save the computing power for other things, and stick with a simpler interface.

I've noticed with Linux that 3-D desktops are becoming popular, but I stick with the 2-D ones for the same reasons. They get the job done, without wasting system resources.

Of course, in a few years time, all the new computers WILL have mega resources, and this kind of interface might become a standard by then. That's why I thought, "Desktop of the Future".

I find it interesting, but I'm not sure I'd want to use it. What do you think? Is it appealing?

The source page on YouTube is here:

YouTube: A Fantastic Desktop
     

Sunday Funnies 12/10/06

Hat tip to Cox and Forkum for the above cartoon, titled "Peace, Love & Genocide". You can read their related commentary and links about Jimmy Carter's new book HERE. Below is a portion of the excerpt they used from the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Adviser breaks with Carter on Mideast book

A longtime adviser to former President Jimmy Carter has resigned his position as a Carter Center fellow for Middle East Affairs in response to Carter's new book. "Being president doesn't give one the prerogative to bend the facts to reach a prescribed reality," said Kenneth Stein, the first executive director of the Carter Center ...

... "President Carter's book on the Middle East, a title too inflammatory to even print, is not based on unvarnished analysis; it is replete with factual errors, copied materials not cited, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments," Stein wrote. "Aside from the one-sided nature of the book, meant to provoke, there are recollections cited from meetings where I was the third person in the room, and my notes of those meetings show little similarity to points claimed in the book."

(bold emphasis mine) Jimmy Carter is, IMO, the worst president ever. The situation in the Middle East that we face today is in large part due to what happened under his watch. The man is a disgrace.


On with the rest of the Sunday Funnies:

Iraq Study Group = The Carter Doctrine

Hat tip to Cox and Forkum for the cartoon. You can read their related commentary and links HERE. An excerpt:

[...] Bush would like us to believe that we nonetheless have Iran on the defensive and that the West has set the terms. But in reality it is Iran that is setting the terms. The Islamic Republic is an openly hostile enemy who is not only pursuing nuclear weapons in violation of numerous agreements but is also actively involved in killing our troops in Iraq -- and yet they have suffered no negative consequences. It is an act of appeasement to even consider talks with Iran because it rewards their past behavior. Iran has set the terms by pursuing whatever policies are in their interest while the West merely reacts with words. Why would Iran suddenly begin to punish themselves for our sake, just because we asked, when their current strategy is working just fine?

Until the Iranian regime is defeated militarily, there can be no meaningful talks. Bush may admit that the situation in Iraq is "bad," but until he admits that Iran is the real source of the problem, the situation will only get worse. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) There is only one way to appease the Iranian government. They keep saying "Death to America" for a reason.


From Iran's president, Dec 6th:
Follow God or vanish, Ahmadinejad tells West

[...] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned Western leaders to follow the path of God or "vanish from the face of the earth".

"These oppressive countries are angry with us ... a nation that on the other side of the globe has risen up and proved the shallowness of their power," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northern town of Ramsar, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported Wednesday.

"They are angry with our nation. But we tell them 'so be it and die from this anger'. Rest assured that if you do not respond to the divine call, you will die soon and vanish from the face of the earth," he said.

The outspoken president also maintained Iran's defiance over its controversial nuclear programme, saying it was on course to fully master nuclear technology.

"Thank to God's help, we have gone all the way and are only one step away from the zenith. [...]

(hat tip: TammyBruce.com) Ahmadinejad says they hope to have "the big nuclear celebration" by March 2007.


The Chatterbox Chronicles has a very good post on the Iraq Study Group:

The Iraq Surrender Group
LMC has some great commentary and links, and a funny cover pic of the NY Post.


On another subject, I'd like to note the passing of a scholar I have always admired:


Jeane Kirkpatrick, R.I.P.

The former U.N. Ambassador passed away in her sleep recently. Her famous speech that she made at the RNC in Dallas in 1984 is getting mentioned a lot, I wasn't going to print excerpts because so many people already are, but it is SO good, and so amazingly relevent today, I have to print just a bit:

[...] When the San Francisco Democrats treat foreign affairs as an afterthought, as they did, they behaved less like a dove or a hawk than like an ostrich - convinced it would shut out the world by hiding its head in the sand.

Today, foreign policy is central to the security, to the freedom, to the prosperity, even to the survival of the United States. And our strength, for which we make many sacrifices, is essential to the independence and freedom of our allies and our friends ...

The United States cannot remain an open, democratic society if we are left alone -- a garrison state in a hostile world. We need independent nations with whom to trade, to consult and cooperate. We need friends and allies with whom to share the pleasures and the protection of our civilization.

We cannot, therefore, be indifferent to the subversion of others' independence or to the development of new weapons by our adversaries or of new vulnerabilities by our friends.

The last Democratic administration did not seem to notice much, or care much or do much about these matters ...

Jimmy Carter looked for an explanation for all these problems and thought he found it in the American people. But the people knew better. It wasn't malaise we suffered from; it was Jimmy Carter [...]

(bold emphasis mine) She goes on to show up the "Blame America First" crowd for what it really is. You can read the whole speech here: 1984 Jeane Kirkpatrick.




A short Biography at the AEI: Jeane J. Kirkpatrick

They have a tribute to her on their homepage here: AEI.org

I always admired the way she could talk about and explain her views so carefully, calmly and intelligently. She will be greatly missed.
     

Dancing with Uranium Hexaflouride;What the Baker group refuses to see

Dancers perform as they hold capsules of uranium hexaflouride, or UF6 gas during a ceremony in Mashhad, Iran's holiest city. 04/11/06 (AP)

More fun from Iranian TV, via memri.org. You can view the clips by going here, and typing in the clip number in the search box labled "clip#".

#1126 - Iranian Leaders Watch Dance Celebrating Iran's Uranium Enrichment Capabilities
IRINN (Iran) - 4/11/2006 - 00:04:31

So what's the dancing all about? Here is a partial transcript of the event:

Iranian Leaders Watch Dance Celebrating Iran's Uranium Enrichment Capabilities

Following are excerpts from a dance celebrating Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities, aired on the Iranian news channel on April 11, 2006.

Young men: Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.

Speaker: God is great. It has been proven that God is the great supporter of the Iranian people.

Young men: Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.
Allah Akbar.

Speaker: Dear viewers, guests, and listeners, this is the cry of Allah Akbar by the zealous young men of the Iranian people. These young people here represent various ethnic groups of the Iranian people.

Young men: Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.
Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.

Speaker: On the cold nights, when we were feverishly striving for the triumph of the Islamic revolution, we used to say Allah Akbar. In all moments of collective steadfastness we shouted Allah Akbar. Now we repeat the same eternal slogan: Allah Akbar. Is this not your slogan?
Don't you say Allah Akbar?

Young men and crowd: Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.
Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.

Speaker:I'd like to invite the deputy supervisor of the Imam Reza Shrine, my honorable brother, Mr. Alavi, who proudly wears the uniform of the Imam Reza Shrine. I would like to call him to the stage. He will be presented with a container with the first nuclear product of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mr. Alavi, if you please. Please honor this occasion by reciting prayers to the Prophet and his family.

With the permission of the supervisor of the Imam Reza Shrine... Deputy Supervisor of the Imam Reza Shrine, Mr. Alavi, will now come to the stage and receive a container with UF6, produced in the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Oh honorable people, and all who witness this occasion, remember that we have no mystery besides Allah Akbar, and we have no secret besides the greatness of God and this conviction. Mr. Alavi, if you please. Honor this occasion by saying Allah Akbar.

Crowd: Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar.

It would seem there is a good deal of religion involved in Iran's quest for nuclear weapons capability. They do keep saying it's for peaceful purposes. But then why are they concentrating on breeder reactors, which can be used to make atomic bombs? They also talk extensively about sharing this technology with other Muslim countries.

According to Jim Baker's Iraq Study Group, these are the folks we need to reach out to, to help us get out of Iraq. But is that really such a good idea? Consider this:

#1288 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: As Soon as Iran Achieves Advanced Technologies, It Has the Capacity to Become an Invincible Global Power.
9/28/2006 - 00:07:34


#1314 - Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Commander Yahya Safavi: We Have Thousands of Martyrdom-Seekers; We Can Give Missiles to Friendly and Neighboring Countries.
Al-'Alam TV (Iran) - 11/5/2006 - 00:03:31


#1241 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: The U.S and England Are Not Worthy of Security Council Membership. Those Who Want Good Relations with the Iranian People Should Bow and Surrender to its Right and Might.
IRINN (Iran) - 8/13/2006 - 00:03:21


#1168 - Former Iranian Diplomat Mohammad Javad Larijani, Brother of Top Iranian Nuclear Negotiator: We Are Interested in Nuclear Cooperation with Arab and Muslim Countries; the Americans Will Need Our Assistance to Withdraw from Iraq.
Iran Ch.2 - 5/30/2006 - 00:03:03


#1140 - Leader of Muslim Brotherhood Mahdi 'Akef: Arab and Islamic Countries Should Obtain Nuclear Technology "For Military Purposes".
Al-'Alam TV (Iran) - 5/14/2006 - 00:01:18


#1081 - Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei: The Slogan "Death to America" Is No Longer Chanted Only by the Iranians.
Iran Ch.2 - 3/21/2006 - 00:03:04


#716 - Ayatollah Jannati at a Tehran Friday Sermon: By Voting You Will Be Shouting a Gigantic "Death to America".
Iran Ch.1 - 6/10/2005 - 00:01:15


#252 - Iranian Revolutionary Guard Official in Tehran University Lecture (Part II): We Plan To Target US Nuclear Warheads on US Soil; Should Take Over England.
The Internet - 5/23/04 - 00:06:33 [NOT a TV source]


We have offered to supply Iran with what they need for peaceful uses of nuclear power. They are not interested. So what do you suppose they ARE intrested in? Here is a hint for you:


#919 - "Death to America" Chants in Iranian "Jerusalem Day" Demonstrations.
Iran ch.3 - 10/28/2005 - 00:01:55

The transcript:

"Death to America" Chants in
Iranian "Jerusalem Day" Demonstrations

Following are excerpts from the broadcasts of channel 3 of the Iranian TV on “Jerusalem Day,” which was celebrated on October 28, 2005

Man: Death to Israel

Crowd: Death to Israel.

Man: Death to America

Crowd: Death to America.

Man: These dear people have practiced especially for this. People here in the square, and you, dear viewers throughout Iran, are all watching this. Are you ready? Show that you’re ready with a loud “death to Israel”

Crowd: Death to Israel.

Man: Raise your flag.

Another man: Death to America

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Death to America

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Say it out loud

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Say it out loud

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Don’t be afraid, man.

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Say it out loud

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: (America) is worthless.

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Say it out loud

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Death to America

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The leader says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The leader says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The parliament says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The parliament says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The Basij members say:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The Basij members say:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The clerks say:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: The laborers say:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Everybody says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Everybody says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: America itself says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: America says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: America says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Israel says:

Crowd: Death to America

Another man: Israel says:

Crowd: Death to America…

Man: Everybody, join the chant:

Another man: Death to Israel.

Crowd: Death to Israel.

Another man: Death to Israel.

Man: All together now: Death to Israel.

Crowd: Death to Israel.

What part of "Death to America" don't we understand? The policies advocated by the Baker group are the failed policies that brought us to 9-11; placating tyrants for short term peace, leaving them to strike at us later. Haven't we had enough of that? Or do we need events worse than 9-11 before we understand what "Death to America" means?

TV in Iran: a selection of offerings

At memri.org (Middle East Media Research Institute TV Monitor Project) I found these clips from Iranian TV. You can view the clips by going here, and typing in the clip number in the search box labled "clip#". There are a huge amount of clips, the following is just a sampling:

#1330 - In a Lecture to Revolutionary Guards Officers, Iranian Film Critic Majid Shah-Hosseini Traces Western Islamophobia Back to Films "Godzilla," "Alien," "Star Wars," Claims the Concept of Brotherhood in "Band of Brothers" Was Stolen from Iran, and Warns: The Film "Alexander" Prepares American Public Opinion for the Conquest of Iran.
Iran, Channel 4 - 9/3/2006 - 00:07:14

Silly and patronising, both at the same time. The monsters are anti-Islamic, because their blood is green, the same color used to represent Islam. Talk about paranoid... or hopelessly narcissistic. Everything we do is about them... and anything good that we do, we STOLE from them. Unbelievable.


#1325 - Puppets of Bush, Blair, Rice, Rumsfeld, and Schwarzenegger Star in a Spitting Image/DC Follies-Style Satire on Iranian TV.
Iran Ch.2 - 10/27/2006 - 00:12:08

The transcript is vile. It ends with an Arnold Schwarzenegger Puppet singing about how Israel is doomed.


#1321 - Iranian Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai: America Destroyed All Our Enemies in the Region.
Iran Ch.1 - 11/11/2006 - 00:04:08

Good news for Iran. Unfortunately.


#1320 - Anti-American Animated Film on Iranian TV.
Al-Kawthar TV (Iran) - 11/15/2006 - 00:01:44

This is just one of many. Lots of anti-American music videos too.


#1319 - Hasan Rahimpur Azghadi of the Iranian Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution: We Are Stronger Than America and the West.
Iran Ch.1 - 6/5/2006 - 00:03:30

Lots and lots of these. Unlike our media, theirs supports their government completely.


#1311 - "Guantanamo" - American Officer Tortures Prisoners and Murders Investigator in an Iranian TV Drama.
Al-Kawthar TV (Iran) - 11/4/2006 - 00:39:16

"Drama" is the key word. And it's not the only one of it's kind.


#1306 - Member of Iranian Assembly of Experts Ahmad Khatami in Tehran Friday Sermon: The Republicans in the U.S. Are in a Crisis; Sanctions on Iran Will Harm the West More than Iran.
Iran Ch.1 - 10/27/2006 - 00:08:06

This is a SERMON? Sounds like a political speech to me.


#1329 - Iranian Sci-Fi TV Series Stars Mega-Evil Jewish/Zionist Queen in "Black House".
Iran Ch.1 - 10/20/2006 - 00:12:27

Not exactly "Star Trek", is it? Even Sci-Fi has to support the agenda. Imagine if Star Trek featured an Islamic villian. Wouldn't Muslims be outraged that their religion was being disrespected? But what do you call this? Respect is a two way street.


#1149 - Arkansas University Lecturer Alice Stephens Apologizes to the Iranian People for President Bush's Remarks.
IRIB/Jaam-E-Jam3 (Iran) - 5/15/2006 - 00:00:31

Tokyo Rose at least had the excuse of being forced...


#1009 - Iraqi Shiite Leader Muqtada Al-Sadr: The Al-Mahdi Army Will Defend Iran, Syria, or Saudi Arabia If Attacked.
Al-'Alam TV (Iran) - 1/24/2006 - 00:01:04

Remember Al-Sadr? We had a chance to kill this lap dog of Iran, but instead we spared him and tried to include him in the Iraqi government. He is currently sending death squads to Baghdad Universities and seminaries to murder students and faculty.


These are just a few samples. There are many more. I haven't even included any of the many "Death to America" rallies or events. There are many speeches by Mullahs on numerous topics. I've blogged about children's programs, many of which were from Iran, in an earlier post.

There were a few suprises, things which varied from what you might expect, which I may blog about in another post. But there is just too much there to cover in one or two posts. The data base is huge.

Part of my interest in this subject comes from a term paper I did in college. The paper was called "Nazi Cinema", which I researched for my "Propaganda and Public Opinion" class.

The anti-Jewish propaganda we are seeing from the Middle East now so closely parallels what I read about Nazi propaganda years ago, that it's frightening. History really can repeat itself, and with updated technology, too.

Do these clips explain what the Iranian people are all about? I would say no. I think rather that it's a good indication of what the Iranian Theocracy is all about, and what they want the Iranian people to believe or go along with. What the people actually think is a mystery.

I read that when 9-11 happened, that up to 50 percent of the Iranian people held candlelight vigils in sympathy with Americans, even though the Iranian government forbid it. That's a LOT of people.

This last election that brought Ahmadinejad to power was very controversial, because there was a lot of internal arguments as to it's validity. Now there is a bill being prepared by the Iranian parliament to call for new early elections. Who can say where this is going?

There has been a growing crack down on Western influences in Iran. Recently there have been stronger restrictions placed on the internet there:

Iran bans YouTube & Amazon.com
& even the NYTimes website

[...] Via The Guardian (hat tip: Greg Tinti):

Iran yesterday shut down access to some of the world's most popular websites. Users were unable to open popular sites including Amazon.com and YouTube following instructions to service providers to filter them.

Similar edicts have been issued against Wikipedia, the internet encyclopaedia, IMDB.com, an online film database, and the New York Times site. Attempts to open the sites are met with a page reading: "The requested page is forbidden."

The clampdown was ordered by senior judiciary officials in the latest phase of a campaign that has seen high-speed broadband facilities banned in an attempt to impede "corrupting" foreign films and music. It is in line with a campaign by Iran's Islamist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to purge the country of western cultural influences.

Anti-jewish sentiment is also being pushed to new levels, as we see Iran hosting a conference about wether or not the Holocaust ever happened. Maynard at Tammy Bruce's blog made a good observation about that. An excerpt:

This weekend: Iran's Holocaust Denial Conference

[...] the main point is that denying the Holocaust isn't an opinion; it's a lie. This doesn't mean we need to silence the liars, but the distinction clarifies our task. It's why our universities don't participate in Holocaust denial inquiries, just as a math department wouldn't hire a professor who alleges that two plus two equals three. The principle of freedom of speech might be applied to a conference that debated whether the Holocaust was a bad thing or a good thing, because that would constitute an opinion. A conference that denies a Holocaust occurred is merely a monstrous freak show.

These are the people for whom the Jimmy Carters of the world excoriated George W. Bush for daring to refer to them as evil. The moral inversion boggles the mind.

(bold emphasis mine) I'm not sure which is more disturbing; what the jihadist propaganda machines turn out, or the willingness of western leftists to turn a blind eye to it.

At the very least, I think it's useful to know something about what Middle Eastern media is broadcasting to their listening public. MemriTV.org provides a great service in that.

Their data base is quite extensive. You can search by country, and or subject. A list of the available subjects to search under:

Subjects
Antisemitism
Arab-Israeli Conflict
Conspiracy Theories
Jihad and Terrorism
Reform in the Middle East
Islamic Leaders
Suicide (Martyrdom) Operations
U.S. and the Middle East
Christianity and the West
Women
Europe and the Middle East
Education and Cultural Issues
Minorities in the Middle East
Iran's Nuclear Program
Hizbullah
Al-Qaeda
Holocaust Denial
Hamas
9/11
Israel-Hizbullah War 2006

You can pick a subject, and narrow it down to a single country if you wish, or apply it all the countries in the data base. Likewise, you can pick just a country, and it will show you clips from ALL the catagories.

I have hardly even begun to go through them all. This is a great on-line resource. They also have a blog now, too:

The Memri Blog

The blog features the latest clips, and news headlines. There is also MemriFilms.org, which focuses on Arab and Iranian reaction to 9-11, as presented in their TV and Media.

More information about Memri can be found here: About MEMRI TV

Scared of Santa Claus

Here's a few pics from a website featuring photos of children who are afraid of Santa Claus.


This one above is my favorite. The little girl in the green jacket is being held in place by her two siblings, who have a firm grip at the back of her jacket. The boy looks like I think I would in his position. Big sis looks determined to make the most of it. Santa looks... less than thrilled!



This kid was probably heard miles away...



... and this one looks like she just met an axe murderer.


You can see more pics here:

Scared of Santa

(hat tip: Nealz Nuze)
     

Ahmadinejad's Letter, and Iranian TV

Hat tip to Cox and Forkum for the cartoon. You can read their related commentary and links HERE.

Parts of Ahmadinejad's letter to America sound like our Democrats talking points. He also uses a lot of flowery language about peace, etc. He says we share the same values. But how true is that?

It's interesting to look at what President Ahmadinejad says on Iran's state-controled national TV. The website MEMRI.ORG has thousands of on line video clips from Middle Eastern TV, from various countries, on multiple subjects. The clips come with transcripts in English. I'll start with the most recent ones from Iran.

Here is a sample of what Ahmadinejad says about America to the Iranian people:



#1328 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: America's Straw-Like Strength and Satanic Rule over the World Is about to Be Annihilated
Iran Ch.1 - 11/27/2006 - 00:03:30

No suprise there. He has said this before, and makes no secret of it.


#1301 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: The Western Countries Should Pick Up the Zionist Regime by the Arms and Legs and Remove It from the Region; U.N. Resolutions Are Illegitimate; America and England Are the Enemies of the Iranian Nation
IRIB/Jaam-E-Jam1 (Iran) - 10/20/'2006 - 00:10:41

That doesn't sound too warm and fuzzy.


#1241 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: The U.S and England Are Not Worthy of Security Council Membership. Those Who Want Good Relations with the Iranian People Should Bow and Surrender to its Right and Might
IRINN (Iran) - 8/13/2006 - 00:03:21

"Bow and Surrender to it's Right and Might"? I guess when he talks about "peace", it means that we surrender. And don't forget, Islam means "peace".


#1216 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: The Iranian People Is the Owner of Nuclear Technology. Talking to Iran in Language of Threats Is a Bitter Mistake.
IRINN (Iran) - 8/1/2006 - 00:15:14

Of course, they only want nuclear technology for PEACEFUL purposes. Sounds like it, doesn't it?


#1187 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: When the Muslim Peoples' Rage Explodes, the Waves Will Reach the Corrupt Forces in the World
RINN (Iran) - 7/11/2006 - 00:01:24

You mean it hasn't exploded yet? I guess the best is yet to come...


This is just a sample, there's more. If you go to www.memritv.org, you can click on "search" and enter the # for any of these clips to view them. There are links with each clip for transcripts of the content in English.

There has been some interesting news, that Iran's parliament wants Ahmadinejad out. That may not be as good as it sounds. I fear that they don't want him out because they disagree with him; they want him out because they fear he is being too candid to the international community about Iran's intentions.



Related Links:

From Diana West:
Saudi-Iranian rift?

[...] Here's an "or else" scenario from Nawaf Obaid, an adviser to the Saudi government, that actually sounds promising -- not a term that usually springs to my mind to describe Saudi scenarios. Contemplating what he would call an unwelcome American withdrawal from Iraq, Mr. Obaid writes that the Saudi government just might fill the breach out of "religious responsibility" to Iraq's Sunni minority. Saudi Arabia, "the de facto leader of the world's Sunni community," Mr. Obaid writes, just might decide to support Iraq's Sunni fighters, just as Iran has been supporting Iraq's Shi'ite fighters, to avert a possible "full-blown ethnic cleansing."

Imagine: Sunni Saudi Arabia vs. Shi'ite Iran -- and nary an American soldier ordered to pull his PC punches in the crossfire. But there's more. Mr. Obaid continues: King Abdullah might also "decide to strangle Iranian funding of the [Shi'ite] militias through oil policy. If Saudi Arabia boosted production and cut the price of oil in half, the kingdom could still finance its current spending. But it would be devastating to Iran, which is facing economic difficulties ...The result would be to limit Tehran's ability to continue funneling hundreds of millions each year to Shi'ite militias is Iraq and elsewhere."

I like. If Saudi Arabia "strangled" Iran's economy, that would also strangle Iran's capacity to fund its nuclear blackmail program, not to mention Hezbollah and other murderous proxies. And what was that the Saudi adviser said about cutting the price of crude oil in half? [...]

(bold emphasis mine) It's an interesting Idea. But not everyone agrees that it's that simple:

Paul at the Powerline blog:
A grand bargain with Iran or a mini-bargain with the Saudis?

[...] I'd be quite surprised if, in the absence of a U.S. presence in Iraq, the Saudis would be able to counter-balance Iran there. It strikes me as more likely that al Qaeda, if anyone, would serve that function (not that the Saudis and al Qaeda necessarily represent an "either-or"). I'd also be surprised if, without substantial assistance from the U.S., the Saudis or anyone else would be able to check Iranian power in the region as a whole. [...]

I know that militarily, the Saudi's have depended on the U.S. to look after their interests. Without that support, how much could they help the Iraq Sunnis? If the Saudis cut oil prices, would it really affect Iran that badly? I can only wonder if they would put it to the test.