A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention updated throughout the day…so check back often.
On the Web:
A Newt One: BREAKING; Letter From Move America Forward to US Attorney's Office Regarding Crimes in Berkeley CA - We first told you of MAF's announcement that they would be sending a request letter for investigation to the US attorneys office, two days ago, when they issued their press release. Thanks to Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward, Wake up America has a copy of the letter that has been sent from Move America Forward's attorney to the US Attorney's office regarding the criminal actions in Berkeley California, demanding an investigation. More at Melanie Morgan.com. (READ MORE)
Lawhawk: Liveleak Pulls Fitna - It's a self-fulfilling proposition. Geert Wilders produced a controversial film that showed just how barbaric the jihadis are, and the threats proceeded against not only Wilders, but against those who were hosting the film online. Liveleak had no choice but to take the safety of their employees into consideration: Liveleak, as the first poster, was on the receiving end of such threats, and they must have been of such a specific nature that they had no choice but to pull the film from their servers. This is what happens when you cede free speech to jihadis and their ilk. They don't like something, they threaten violence. They get their way. (READ MORE)
Donald Douglas: Responsible Plan? Antiwar Groups Endorse Unconditional Iraq Surrender - This post is a follow-up to my previous entry, "Iraq is Top Issue for Democratic Congressional Hopefuls." That essay discussed the pledge of 42 congressional candidates to push for an immediate Iraq pullout if elected. One of the leaders of this unelected cohort is Darcy Burner, pictured here, who this week put out a comprehensive antiwar document, "A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq." The plan calls for a complete pullout of all U.S. military forces from Iraq, with the exception of a minor stay-behind contingent to guard the American embassy in Baghdad. A look at Burner's campaign homepage indicates a decidedly left-wing Democratic policy agenda; and a click over at Burner's entry at Wikipedia shows that Burner identifies herself as a "practical progressive" ideologically. (READ MORE)
America's North Shore Journal: Media Mavens Mistake Military Moves - Several memes are developing in the old media about the Sadr Revolt in Iraq. They seem to be relying on anonymous sources and lack of familiarity with operation in Iraq. Let’s take a look at some of them. CBS reports: “The Iraqis didn’t ask permission, they just went, which seems to have caught President Bush by surprise.” Basra Province is under the control of the Iraqi national government, as are the Iraqi Army and other security forces. The Iraqis do not need anyone’s permission to conduct operations. The Iraqi government has been moving troops south since late summer, which did not go unnoticed by our leadership. There are American advisors at all levels of the military, from the Ministry of Defense on down. To suggest that the United States was not aware that this operation was going forward is nonsense. Dozens of Americans had to have had been aware. (READ MORE)
Ace of Spades: It's A Winning Streak - If Friday's box office numbers are any measure, the latest anti-war movie will flop just as badly as the others. Stop-loss came in 7th yesterday, and Hollywood execs keep kidding themselves about the reason: “‘It's not looking good,’ a studio source told me before the weekend. ‘No one wants to see Iraq war movies. No matter what we put out there in terms of great cast or trailers, people were completely turned off. It's a function of the marketplace not being ready to address this conflict in a dramatic way because the war itself is something that's unresolved yet. It's a shame because it's a good movie that's just ahead of its time.’” (READ MORE)
Atlas: Banning FITNA Like Dhimmi Dogs - These developments give us a clear indication of who is with us and who is against the fighters for freedom. “COMCAST BANS GEERT WILDERS ‘FITNA THE MOVIE’ FROM ITS BANDWIDTH hat tip wolf . Yesterday afternoon I posted a link to the LiveLeak website which streams Geert Wilders new film ‘Fitna’ within the Comcast Community ‘News and Current Events’ Forum. My post read as follows: ‘Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders film "Fitna the Movie" was released globally on the web this afternoon. This film is a MUST SEE.’ Fitna the Movie (which was an active html link to the LiveLeak website). Within minutes of that posting, which was made under an anonymous username, so-called ‘moderate Muslims’ made posts denying that the texts quoted in the film were from the Qur’an, and had apparently notified Comcast of the offensive post existence on the forum.’” (READ MORE)
Dafydd: Newsflash: NYT Misunderstands Modern Warfare! - This may be quite a shocking story with the potential to shake the worldview of readers of this blog; if there are children reading over your shoulder, they should be sent to bed without their suppers immediately, before you read another line. (Of course, if your kids read faster than you, perhaps they should send you to bed without din-dins.) Forwarned is four-horned. I don't want to judge before all the facts are in, but it appears from available evidence that the New York Times has only a dim idea of how we conduct modern warfare. And by "modern," I mean all warfare since the introduction of the airplane. First, the factual content: “American warplanes struck targets in the southern port city of Basra late Thursday, joining for the first time an onslaught by Iraqi security forces intended to oust Shiite militias there, according to British and American military officials.” (READ MORE)
The Belmont Club: The "Heckler's Veto" - Josef Joffe at the Harvard Institute for Middle Eastern Studies argues that Europeans are dealing with the Fitna incident in a traditional, but effective way. Joffe says that in Europe, pre-emptive censorship is far more normal than in the US due to an historical fear of communal violence. “European constitutional practice does not share the American tradition of the ‘heckler’s veto.’ ... Yet in Europe, the mere expectation of communal violence against hateful speech routinely leads to bans and prohibitions. Significantly, the Dutch government has imposed no such sanctions on Geert Wilder’s Fitna. The Hague as well as the EU have merely condemned the 15-minute film. On the other hand, no television station would air it, so Wilders had to ‘premiere’ it on the Internet.” (READ MORE)
Deebow @ Blackfive: One Reason I Will Vote For McCain.... - Look, politics aside, I know John McCain is not the best Republican candidate. Hell, I could use some of my funky poli sci mojo to unfunkify and clarify why that is, but we all have our different issues and our different reasons for why we do or do not vote for candidates for public office. Phillip Butler postulates the reasons for his vote against McCain. I will give props to the doctor for his service and captivity. From his bio; “Doctor Phillip Butler is a 1961 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a former light-attack carrier pilot. In 1965 he was shot down over North Vietnam where he spent eight years as a prisoner of war. He is a highly decorated combat veteran who was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merits, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Heart medals.” Although, according to his bio, he seems to have made a left turn sometime after that. (READ MORE)
Uncle Jimbo @ Blackfive: Washington Post embeds with the enemy - A report from the enemy press office. “As a heavy barrage erupted outside his parents' house, Abu Mustafa al-Thahabi, a political and military adviser to the Mahdi Army of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, rushed through the purple gate and took shelter behind the thick walls. He had just spoken with a fighter by cellphone. ‘I told him not to use that weapon. It's not effective,’ he said, referring to a rocket-propelled grenade. ‘I told him to use the IED, the Iranian one,’ he added, using the shorthand for an improvised explosive device. ‘This is more effective.’” Well color me shocked, but the Washington Post has a reporter embedded with the Mahdi Army. They are receiving first hand reports on how the Iranian-backed militias there are trying to kill our troops. I am just curious about how it would have gone over if they had embedded a reporter with the SS in France as we invaded Normandy, or in the caves on Okinawa to report on how well the Japanese were doing slaughtering Marines. (READ MORE)
Blonde Sagacity: American Flags are a "Visual Blight"? - "...State Road 7 in Hollywood is one patriotic corridor. From small tire shops to major car dealerships, it seems nearly every business on the busy roadway has its own sizable supply of Stars and Stripes flapping away. City commissioners are considering regulating the mass displays of American pride, calling it a visual blight. During a recent city meeting, Mayor Peter Bober called for a citywide limit on the number of flags allowed at a business, especially along State Road 7, also known as U.S. 441. Bober and others say they want to reduce the numbers of flags in proportion to the geographical size of the business, although no parameters have been set. (READ MORE)
Blue Star Chronicles: Muslim Extremists are Trying to Shut Down Dutch Film on Islamic Fascism - There’s just a big brouhaha going on because of the Geert Wilders film, Fitna. Obviously, a lot of people saw that coming and many people and groups tried to stop it from being released from the get-go. I watched the film and saw acts of terrorism committed by islamic jihadists against the West and Western interest. The film didn’t exaggerate the atrocities and in fact barely scratched the surface of the outrageous behavior of the jihadists. So what’s the problem? The problem apparently is that we are not supposed to acknowledge that jihadists are jihadists. I guess we are supposed to pretend the are a loving group of people who are just badly misunderstood. Or …. as a few commenters on my previous post have pointed out … we should all just admit that America is the big bad bully in the world and its all our fault for everything the Jihadists do around the world to anyone who does not submit to their will. (READ MORE)
Blue Crab Boulevard: The Pending Prospect Of A Positively Putrid P.C. Presidency - To my mind, there is much to dislike about the idea of an Obama presidency. On the one hand there is the purely political objection to a lightly vetted candidate whose political track record suggests a strident left-wing agenda, which most Americans would reject outright if they had any idea what Obama stood for in the first place. The objections on the other end of the spectrum concern social matters and the disturbing trend towards hypersensitivity and censorship among people who ought to know better, but who don't. Case in point: Skit featured student playing Obama in blackface (READ MORE)
Chickenhawk Express: HADITHA CHARGES DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE! - OK - I know I'm late posting this but my job interfered with my blogging... GREAT NEWS, huh? LCpl Stephen Tatum is now free and clear of charges in the Haditha incident. The incredible Nat Helms has the News over at NewsMax! Charges against the veteran Oklahoma infantryman were dismissed Friday morning “with prejudice” by Lt. Gen Samuel Helland, the convening authority and final arbiter in the notorious case. His decision means Tatum is free and clear of further prosecution in the case. Note the phrase "with prejudice" - that basically means that the damned charges should have never been brought forward! Take that and stuff it up your fat craw Murtha. (READ MORE)
Andrew Cochran: Iraqi Shiites Copying From Their Hezbollah Cousins in Lebanon? - In reviewing the action this week between Iraqi forces and Shiite militia, it's instructive to compare press accounts of this conflict to reports from the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel conflict in Lebanon, as posted or discussed on this website. Some examples: "Hizballah has proven to be a far more effective fighting machine than Israel anticipated, and the Israelis find themselves in a difficult situation: Continued military operations in Lebanon risk escalation and further destabilization, while a quick withdrawal would hand Hizballah a significant victory." Daveed Gartenstein-Ross ("DGR"), July 18, 2006. "Nasrallah admitted that it took five months of preparation to plan this operation." Olivier Guitta, July 19. 2006. "A senior Iraqi military adviser has said the crackdown is taking longer than expected, partly because militia fighters have superior weapons." Washington Post, posted March 28. 2008. (READ MORE)
Thaiphoon @ The Daily Ramble: Why Does the Looney Left Focus On Just The Total Of The National Debt?? - EuroYank challenged Nazh to respond to one of his posts concerning the national debt under Bush. Since Nazh has been busy with other posts, I happily accept the challenge. Some of what EuroYank says has merit. Others, do not. We'll go through some of them one by one. Here's one quote which I love to hear from the Left: “When Mr Bush took office he inherited a $236 billion budget surplus. Bill Clinton, his predecessor, had used budget surpluses to pay down some of the national debt in his last two years in office.” I beg to differ Yank, but you're wrong if you think that Clinton had much to do with the decline of the deficits from 1995-2000. (READ MORE)
The Dicerning Texan: It's Time to Boycott NBC - We have boycotted Hollywood actors and movies and several TV shows before, but now it's time to boycott a whole network. NBC has carried their liberal tolerance into full-blown anti-American propaganda, and...frankly...these two sisters have had enough. In 2003 they defended war correspondent Peter Arnett's traitorous remarks on Iraqi TV before finally firing him after a barrage of public criticism. Two years ago, NBC's Dateline sent some "Muslim-looking" men and a camera crew to NASCAR in order to film fans' reactions for a story they were doing about anti-Muslim sentiment in the U. S. In December of last year, NBC refused to run the ads from Freedom's Watch thanking the troops for their service. Although they finally caved in under public condemnation, their message was clear. They don't support the troops and they don't support America. (READ MORE)
Don Surber: Band of Brothers, 2008 - They really are brothers. Fighting in Iraq. Pretty sad that the burden of fighting for this nation has fallen upon so few who are willing to serve. But they are stepping up to the plate. Meet the Hill Brothers. All are in Iraq now with various units. Robert was the last to arrive. Bryan and Josh went to greet him. “I didn’t care how long I waited; I was excited to be able to see him,” said Bryan. “The reunion meant more because of the place we are in.” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces: Fitna Goes Viral - Ah, the UN. The ever useless organization decided to stick its nose into that which doesn’t concern them when the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, spoke out against a short film that shows fanatical Islam for what it is….disgusting, hateful, and full of bigotry. What did he call it? Hate speech. “Secretary-General today led a chorus of United Nations condemnation of the Internet broadcast of a video made by the Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, describing it as ‘offensively anti-Islamic,’ while he also called on those upset by the film to remain calm. In a statement issued by his spokesperson after last night’s airing of the film, entitled Fitna, Mr. Ban said ‘there is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence. The right of free expression is not at stake here.’” No opinion from the SG about the hate speech depicted in the film, guess that will come at a later date….. (READ MORE)
Fjordman: “Fitna” Review - I liked it. It is impressive how much they managed to squeeze into just 15 minutes. I notice several of the comments at Jihad Watch say Geert Wilders could have made it worse. Yes, he could. He left out quite a few things, but what he kept was authentic and bad enough. We should remember that the people reading websites such as Jihad Watch or Atlas Shrugs or Gates of Vienna are perfectly aware of how bad Islam is. This movie was not made for them. It was made for all those tens of millions or hundreds of millions of people out there who don’t trust the official propaganda about Islam, but still don’t fully understand how bad it is. Being too harsh (even if what is described is true) could put some of them off. I believe this movie struck a good balance between showing Islam for what it is and still making it possible for the average person to digest the message. It is highly effective. (READ MORE)
Baron Bodissey: A Rosetta Stone for “Fitna”: Part Three - The translations of Fitna have been coming in all day. I’ve formatted four more languages — Spanish, Italian, Slovenian, and Czech — and here they are, below the jump. I have a few more waiting in the queue for tomorrow. The following languages have been posted so far: Czech Danish English Finnish French German Italian Portuguese Serbian Slovenian Spanish Swedish The urgency of this and related projects is highlighted by the all but universal official condemnation of the movie that has emerged since Thursday. Virtually the entire MSM and all political leaders severely disapprove of Geert Wilders. The most recent example to arrive in our inbox (thanks insubria) is from the EuroMed parliament. (READ MORE)
Richard Saunders: Why - Just as my predecessor found his leave in the papers of his Almanak, so shall I. When forces take leave of their senses and allow the strong to drive the thought processes of the weak. When personal safety takes precedence to free speech and liberty then those that bend to the strong have neither. And thus we come to our turn, in this great struggle. Our turn to be the Author of freedom and society and the forces that rail against it. On Friday March 28, 2007 a seminal event took place that foreshadows the failure of my predecessors dream. A dream founded upon the basic truths that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable right the chief among them being, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That dream is dead as of yesterday. (READ MORE)
GayPatriotWest: What Explains Left’s Obsession with Bush? - Just over two weeks ago, I observed that for the Left & MSM, McCain is the new Bush. So eager are many on the left (and their allies in the MSM) eager to elect a Democrat to the White House that they’ll savage whatever Republican wins his party’s nod in the presidential contest. Even if he has departed from conservative “orthodoxy” on any number of occasions. Even if the MSM has heralded his “maverick” stance over the years. Now that he is the Republican nominee for President of the United States, Senator McCain is learning that the kid-glove treatment he had come to expect from the MSM is no longer forthcoming. Not only that. Whenever I check left-of-center blogs, I see advertised a slew of books attacking that courageous veteran. (READ MORE)
Gribbit: Trust Team Clinton? Dick Morris Says NO! - Billy Bob Bubba Clinton in his last days as President issued a flurry of pardons and clemencies. Some of these, I’d wager most, were politically motivated. Apparently so does former Clinton aid Dick Morris. In the New York Post Wednesday of this week, Morris wrote an article addressing a pardon for Puerto Rican Terrorists in 1999 “based on the stuff I was given by the staff.”. He says: “Ron Kolb, the citizen whose questioning prompted the ex-president’s comment, rightly pointed out that the FBI and Justice Department had opposed the pardons. The clear conclusion is that it was Clinton’s political staff who pushed for clemency - with the obvious goal of helping Hillary Clinton’s bid to become a New York senator.” (READ MORE)
Ilya Somin: Property, Popular Mobilization, and Protection for Constitutional Rights - In a series of interesting posts (e.g. here) on popular mobilization and constitutional law, Jack Balkin argues that the Supreme Court often responds to changing public opinion and political mobilization in formulating its decisions. For example, he suggests that if the Court holds that the Second Amendment protects an individual right, that may in part be the result of strong public opinion supporting such an outcome. I don't doubt that the Court sometimes responds to public opinion in that way. However, property rights is a noteworthy counterexample. As I discuss in this paper on the massive political backlash to Kelo v. City of New London (now under submission to law reviews), most of the public (including even most self-described "liberals" and "Democrats") favor much stronger protection for property rights than the Court has so far been willing to provide. (READ MORE)
Eugene Volokh: More on Elton John Fundraising for Hillary Clinton - Extreme Mortman quotes my earlier post, and follows up with a response from Richard Andrews: “If the FEC is determined to sit on its hands about this, don’t see much that can be done. <…> The FEC seems rather determinedly of two minds about this -- it is bizarre for Opinion 1987-25 to have expressly stated that it was NOT over-ruling Opinion 1981-51, when they flatly contradict one another. Guess they just want to make it up as they go along.” I had thought of this distinction between high-value and low-value volunteer services, but I don't think it's right. Recall that contributions by Americans to campaigns are also limited -- they're just capped at $2300 ($1000 until not long ago), rather than entirely forbidden as to foreigners. Clearly the value of a Chuck Norris or Barbra Streisand performing at a campaign event is over $2300. Yet that's allowed; why? (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden: How Do You Like Your Trainwreck? - With plenty of Gore, of course! UK Telegraph: “Plans for Al Gore to take the Democratic presidential nomination as the saviour of a bitterly divided party are being actively discussed by senior figures and aides to the former vice-president. The bloody civil war between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has left many Democrats convinced that neither can deliver a knockout blow to the other and that both have been so damaged that they risk losing November’s election to the Republican nominee, John McCain.” I think my favorite part … aside from the whole thing, that is … is the idea that replacing the Hero of Tuzla and the change-hoping bigot buddy with an exaggerating doomsayer somehow gets this train back on the rails. (READ MORE)
Lorie Byrd: Why Americans aren't buying the recent Iraq War movies - First I would like to say that I am still alive and Kevin and Jay have not taken away my posting privileges. I have just found it extremely hard to blog lately between doing some work for a candidate here in NC and tending to my kids. My youngest just had her eleventh (or twelfth, I've lost count) surgery and we are still recovering from that. Anytime I decide to take ten minutes to write a blog post I typically end up spending several hours online reading other blogs, reading comments, etc., so lately I have just had to say "no" to blogging. Every now and then I have to jump in and say a few words though. My few words this week are about a post by Sarah at Trying to Grok. If you are not familiar with Sarah's blog, please stop by and read her. She is funny and interesting and very candid. The post that caught my attention this week is about the recent rash of anti-war (and some anti-troop) movies that are not doing so well at the box office. (READ MORE)
This Ain'T Hell: Hanging on like grim death - So all of the Democrats want Hillary to drop out. Everyday brings a new plea from some well-known partisan who is only thinking about the party (Fox News link); “ Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a former candidate himself, said Clinton has virtually no chance of winning, and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said Friday the New York senator should just end her campaign. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants the party’s uncommitted superdelegates to support the candidate who has the most votes, which to this point is Obama. And Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Friday urged all those superdelegates to announce whom they will support by July 1.” (READ MORE)
Phylis Chesler: "Fitna" Is Still Live - Kudos to MyPetJawa and to Gates of Vienna. A reader just told me that LiveLeak has taken the Wilders' film down due to serious threats. There are two other sites that are still showing the film: MyPetJawa and Gates of Vienna. I suspect that many people have already downloaded the film and have converted it into a video which they can keep running, perhaps from anonymous and safe locations. These images are not private or secret. All are public images that many of us have seen before. Putting it all together and making sense of it is what Wilders has done for us. I hope that as many people as possible see this film and draw the necessary and inevitable conclusions. (READ MORE)
Wolf Pangloss: Fitna Weekend Open Trackbacks - Geert Wilders was able to get Liveleak to release Fitna today, on a Friday. But about 12 hours after it was released, due to the British media irresponsibly publishing details about the owners of and workers at Liveleak the company was scared into taking Fitna down. The video is mild stuff, by the standards of the Jihadist snuff films that are available on Liveleak every day that Liveleak will not take down no matter how many people complain about their hosting propaganda for murderers in a death cult. Yet let the complaints turn into death threats and Liveleak folds like a cheap suit. The prospect of imminent death does tend to focus the mind. (READ MORE)
Westhawk: Basra is a test of America's exit strategy - President Bush has called the current battle between Iraqi security forces and Sadr militiamen in Basra “a defining moment.” In his mind, President Bush probably likens the Basra battle to America’s Whiskey Rebellion, when President Washington had to defend the new constitution against a militia uprising. Of course, many other observers interpret the violence in Basra as Shi’ite factions, some in government uniforms, battling for economic spoils in Basra and the surrounding oil patch. For the U.S. military in Iraq, the battle for Basra is a defining moment for its exit strategy from the country. Namely, will, Indigenous soldiers + U.S. advisors + U.S. ISR, logistics, and air support = battlefield dominance? (READ MORE)
The Tygrrrr Express: I doth protest too much - The Chicago Cannonball is spending a few days in Los Angeles, and I have decided to give her a soft sell presentation on this city that is as gentle as a time share presentation. She will love this city, d@ngit. Yet no matter where one goes in life, some things are unavoidable. I used to think it was death and taxes, but a good CPA can help with the latter. Yet next to death, there is still one completely unavoidable societal threat that is storming across America, leaving destruction in its wake. That threat is protesters. I have never come as close to advocating the end of democracy as I have lately. I have come to the realization that I want freedom for me and nobody else. Actually, if I like you, which is slim but theoretically possible, I can let you be free as well. I have never come as close to advocating the end of democracy as I have lately. I have come to the realization that I want freedom for me and nobody else. Actually, if I like you, which is slim but theoretically possible, I can let you be free as well. (READ MORE)
Mark Steyn: THE POST- "POST-RACIAL" CANDIDATE - "I'm sure," said Barack Obama in that sonorous baritone that makes his drive-thru order for a Big Mac, fries and strawberry shake sound profound, "many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed." Well, yes. But not many of us have heard remarks from our pastors, priests or rabbis that are stark, staring, out-of-his-tree flown-the-coop nuts. Unlike Bill Clinton, whose legions of "spiritual advisors" at the height of his Monica troubles outnumbered the US diplomatic corps, Senator Obama has had just one spiritual advisor his entire adult life: the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, two-decade pastor to the president presumptive. The Reverend Wright believes that Aids was created by the government of the United States - and not as a cure for the common cold that went tragically awry and had to be covered up by Karl Rove, but for the explicit purpose of killing millions of its own citizens. The government has never come clean about this, but the Reverend Wright knows the truth. (READ MORE)
The Spirit of Man: Gutless Brits - What's happening in southern Iraq these days is the direct result of the terrible appeasement offered by the British government to the Iranian mullahs and their Islamic militants in Iraq's 2nd biggest city, Basrah, where British forced appeased and appeased and comforted the Iranian mullahs' forces there over the past few years and then withdrew like cowards leaving the spot to be filled with JAM forces. I am in no way disrespecting the brave UK military which is just following orders issued by bunch of "gutless politicians" far from the battlefields in London and who probably have no clue about what soldiering is all about. These politicians have no honor and dignity and therefore they deserve to be called for what they are: gutless and cowards. (READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped: The Psychotic Core - Most of the commentary concerning the release of Geert Wilder's film about Islam, Fitna, has focused on the potential of the film to educate an increasingly interested and sometimes alarmed public about the dangers of radical Islam, the potential backlash from enraged Islamists, and the continuing erosion of any ability to maintain a nuanced and textured differentiation between Islam and radical Islam. Islam in Europe has an excellent summary of early reaction to Fitna and it is worth perusing. Thus far, the explosion has been limited in scope; whether the reaction builds will determine how significant this latest salvo in the war between Islamism and the modern world proves to be. (READ MORE)
McQ: More thoughts on Basra and Iraq - Let me recommend some reading for those of you interested in some good sources of opinion that provide a context and insight about what is going on in Basra. But before I do, let me make a few comments. What is happening in Basra is what all of us, from the anti-war side to the side of the war supporters, have said we want to see happen - Iraq standing up and taking charge of it’s own security and defense. So, I’m a bit amused a the sniping and the foretelling of doom and gloom I see going on among many on both sides of the issue. Let’s consider the ground reality there, ok? The shia militias in Basra are indigenous to the area and are on defense. The ISF is conducting offensive operations. Any idea which is harder to coordinate and execute? (READ MORE)
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