Via (of all places) the New York Times:

These should be heady days for Iran’s leaders. Hezbollah, widely regarded as its proxy force in Lebanon, continues to rain down rockets on Israel despite 17 days of punishing airstrikes. Hezbollah’s leader is a hero of the Arab world, and Iran is basking in the reflected glory.

Yet this capital is unusually tense. Officials, former officials and analysts say that it is too dangerous even to discuss the crisis. In newspapers, the slightest questioning of support for Hezbollah has been attacked as unpatriotic, pro-Zionist and anti-Islamic.

As the war in Lebanon grinds on, Iranian officials cannot seem to decide whether Iran will emerge stronger — or unexpectedly weakened.

They are increasingly confident of an ideological triumph. But they also believe the war itself has already harmed Hezbollah’s strength as a military deterrent for Iran on the Israeli border...

...Iran’s relationship to Hezbollah is both strategic and ideological. The Islamic Revolution in 1979 was viewed by its clerical leaders as a part of a pan-Muslim movement. Linking up with the Shiite Muslims of southern Lebanon was part of Iran’s efforts to spread its ideological influence. But in building up Hezbollah, the ideological motivation fused with a practical desire to put a force on Israel’s northern border.

No matter how this conflict is resolved, Iranian officials already see their strategic military strength diminished, said the policy experts, former officials and one official with close ties to the highest levels of government. Even if a cease-fire takes hold, and Hezbollah retains some military ability, a Lebanese public eager for peace may act as a serious check...

...Iran is the only nation in the Muslim world controlled by members of the Shiite sect of Islam, and its push to be a regional leader had raised concerns among the area’s Sunni leadership.

Iran has used the war in Lebanon to try to prove that talk of a Shiite threat is a fiction created by Arab leaders and Americans seeking to maintain power in the hands of American friends in Cairo, Amman and Riyadh.

It has pointed to Israel’s destruction of Lebanon’s infrastructure to promote the idea that this war is not against Hezbollah but against all Muslims. And Iran’s leaders have sought to burnish their own image, at the expense of their Sunni rivals...

So how can we ensure that both of our enemies lose?

Michael Totten has said that "Hezbollah is the most effective Arab fighting force in the world", a statement that Iran's leaders seem to agree with. Hezbollah is probably the most effective non-Israeli fighting force in the Middle East. This doesn't mean that Hezbollah is unbeatable. It means that Hezbollah is weak, and most of the non-Israeli forces in the Middle East are weaker. In the land of military mice, the Hezbollah rat is king.

Apparently, Israel has seriously injured the best and the brightest of their opposition, leaving the opposition somewhat defenseless.

...He said that Iran does not have the military ability at home to fight an aggressive offensive war against Israel from so far away. He said its only offensive tool would be a missile, which he said would be of limited effect and accuracy.

"If Israel attacked us tomorrow, what are we going to do?" he said.

In this case, Hezbollah and Iran's cheerleaders in the UN and the press would actually be working in our favor. Finally, a way to make them useful.

We visited the local scuba park, Dutch springs, for a day of diving.

Submerged helicopter; photo by George Bouloukas

Above water, Dutch Springs looks like another quiet little Pennsylvania quarry, but underwater, it's a diver's amusement park. There's a wide selection of purposely submerged boats, a sunken cessna, a schoolbus and a helicopter. A series of ropes and underwater platforms guide people to the attractions. It's a great place to practice dive skills.

It's also a good place to get used to temperate-climate freshwater diving. The quarry is deep and, when you get near the thermocline, wicked, wicked cold.

I've been spoiled, diving mostly in warm places. Since I still tend to be a little claustrophobic, I decided not to wear a hood. That was a bad idea. When we descended to about 45 ft, the water on my face felt like a Chicago wind in January. I thought I could tolerate it, but my ears thought otherwise, which cut my dive short.

At least I had time to tour the schoolbus, which mostly transports zebra mussels now.

Fortunately, my daughter was able to dive a few more times with buddies from the dive shop. They toured the boats, the cessna and the firetruck.

We also took a quick swim at the water park. They've got lots of fun inflatable slides, icebergs to climb on, water trampolines. The only disadvantage was - we had to wear PFDs in the water. Since the depths in the water park exceed 50 ft., I guess they worry that park patrons will get lost.

Park hours are from 8 to 6, with night diving on Saturdays. If you want to get a full day of diving in, get there early.

Michael Totten, one of the few writers who has ever asked Hezbollah the hard questions, describes his "armchair" view of the situation in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Premature Liberalism

Lebanese are temporarily more united than ever. No one is running off to join Hezbollah, but tensions are being smoothed over for now while everyone feels they are under attack by the same enemy. Most Lebanese who had warm feelings for Israel -- and there were more of these than you can possibly imagine -- no longer do.

This will not last.

My sources and friends in Beirut tell me most Lebanese are going easy on Hezbollah as much as they can while the bombs are still falling. But a terrible reckoning awaits them once this is over.

Some Lebanese can’t wait even that long.

Here a Christian mob smashes a car in Beirut for displaying a Hezbollah logo. My friend Carine says the atomosphere reeks of impending sectarian conflict like never before. Another Lebanese blogger quotes a radical Christian war criminal from the bad old days who says the civil war will resume a month after Israel cools its guns: "Christians, Sunnis and Druze will fight the 'fucker Shia', with arms from the US and France."

Israeli partisans may think this is terrific. The Lebanese may take care of Hezbollah at last! But democratic Lebanon cannot win a war against Hezbollah, not even after Hezbollah is weakened by IAF raids. Hezbollah is the most effective Arab fighting force in the world, and the Lebanese army is the weakest and most divided.

Which makes one wonder about the Saudi doubletalk here..

In any case, read the whole thing. There's a ton of info here you'll never get from Hezbollah's media herd.

And this won't be an armchair view for long. He wants to go back to Lebanon as soon as the airport is back in service. Your donations can help.

Posted at Vital Perspectives: Total Destruction of Beirut Nothing Short of a Hezbollah Illusion.

When covering the damage in Beruit "reporters" like Anderson Cooper are being minded and herded by Hezbollah. From Cooper's report:

Civilian casualties are clearly what Hezbollah wants foreign reporters to focus on. It keeps the attention off them. And questions about why Hezbollah should still be allowed to have weapons when all the other militias in Lebanon have already disarmed. After letting us take pictures of a few damaged buildings, they take us to another location, where there are ambulances waiting.

On camera: This is a heavily orchestrated Hezbollah media event. When we got here, all the ambulances were lined up. We were allowed a few minutes to talk to the ambulance drivers. Then one by one, they've been told to turn on their sirens and zoom off so that all the photographers here can get shots of ambulances rushing off to treat civilians. That's the story — that's the story that Hezbollah wants people to know about.

In related news, the Wall Street Journal reports that military bloggers are confronting and contradicting the media:

Mr. Borda, a specialist, read other soldiers' blogs and found he wasn't alone. Hundreds of other troops and veterans were blogging world-wide, and many focused on a common enemy: journalists...

..Now, Mr. Borda finds himself at the center of a growing blogging movement. Military bloggers, or "milbloggers" as they call themselves, contend that they are uniquely qualified to comment on events in armed conflicts. Many milbloggers also argue that the mainstream media tends to overplay negative stories and play down positive military developments. For many of these blogs, says Mr. Borda, "the sole purpose is to counteract the media."

[UPDATE: I removed the map that was previously included in this post: the info & source couldn't be verified]

of the Big Lebowski

...so not work-safe

Graham at Harry's Place theorizes that politicians like George Galloway evolved from toads.

What does he have against toads?

Toads are helpful creatures who usually eat up to 50 to 100 slugs, flies, cutworms, and grasshoppers per night. They eat up to 15,000 insects each season. Can Galloway do that?

Toads are a wonderful addition to any home or backyard. Galloway, not so much.

One humble toad will contribute more to the well-being of the world than George Galloway and his ilk ever will.

The company that created this mean, green Tesla machine needs to be convinced that the blogosphere is the bleeding-edge marketing tool of the '00's.

Their whole campaign must be based on a concentrated effort to gather bloggers*, large and small, from around the nation to stay at fine area hotels, test drive their new product and give them the publicity that the static, fast-fading mass media can never give them.

These guys need to hear the same message.

[* I'd also like to mention that I've survived many trips on the Autobahn and have a near-spotless driving record]

Radical Islamist preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed, former leader of the group Al Muhajiroun is begging the British government to get him out of Beirut:

Bakri, who previously referred to the September 11 terrorists as 'the magnificent 19', was banned from Britain last year because he 'was not conducive to the public good'.

He left the UK last August and was barred from returning. He has been living in Lebanon but is desperately trying to flee the country because of the conflict.

It was reported that he begged members of the Royal Navy co-ordinating the evacuation from Beirut to rescue him.

I guess we shouldn't believe their press releases anymore.

Sandmonkey on peace in the Middle East:

I kept thinking that if arabs really wanted Peace, than those are the people that we really should be talking to, building bridges with. I had the same thought when those people were the majority in Israel, right after Rabin's assisnation, and how the whole country at the time was evenly divided between peace with the arabs and just going to war with them, and then Netenyaho won and you know how that story ended.

But then I rememebrd that we- the majority of us anyway- don't want peace with Israel, and are not interested in any real dialogue with them. We weren't then and we are not now. The Entire peace process has always been about getting the land back, not establishing better relations. Even when we do get the land back, it's not enough. People in Egypt lament daily the Camp David treaty that prevents us from fighting. In Gaza they never stopped trying to attack Israel. In Lebanon Hezbollah continued attacking even after the Israeli withdrawel. And the people- the majority of the arab population- support it. Very few of us are really interested in having any lasting Peace or co-existance. I mean, if our left is asking for war, what do you think the rest of the population is thinking?

I think that the Israeli want peace with us because they don't want their lives disrupted. They don't want to have the IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza, rockets coming into their towns from Hamas or having to go to wars against Hezbollah to get their soldiers back. I think they want peace because they want their peace of mind. They view us as if we were a headache. We view them as if they are a cancer.

And this is why there will never really be any peace in the middle-east.

Fab SoCal beaches are making people sick:

LOS ANGELES - As many as 1.5 million people are sickened by bacterial pollution on Southern California beaches each year, resulting in millions of dollars in public health care costs, a new study has found.

The study prepared by researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles and Stanford University is believed to be the first to examine illnesses at a large swath of the nation's most popular beaches. Previous studies have linked health problems to contamination at individual beaches.

"This helps us understand (the) risks and identify beaches where cleanup can yield the most benefit," said Linwood Pendleton, an environmental economist at UCLA and an author of the study.

The study, posted Monday on the Web site of the journal Environmental Science and Technology, covers 100 miles of shoreline in Los Angeles and Orange counties, which is visited by an estimated 80 million people annually.

The study found that between 627,800 and 1,479,200 "excess" cases of gastrointestinal illness occur at the beaches each year. That is beyond the number that would normally be expected.

Time Magazine declares The End of Cowboy Diplomacy.

Wrong again. It's the end of Bush's High Noon. With Vlad "hunt down and destroy" Putin, Ehud "act of war" Olmert and Junichiro "pre-emptive hit" Koizumi around, there's enough Cowboy Diplomacy around for a posse.

It's about time.

Liberal Hawk David C. was at the Stand With Israel Rally in NYC yesterday (thanks for the photos - ed.)

Curtis Sliwa cheers

The crowd really was, as Atlas says, "overwhelming". Thousands of all ages rallied in the sweltering heat of a NYC summer.

A few dissenters showed up too.

Neo-neocon describes the games Hezbollah plays:

Civilians are not only expendable on the part of the terrorists, they are important and vital tools--stage props. And it's ironic that civilians are used by terrorists in this way to try to make the point that it's the others--the US and Israel--who are purposely targeting civilians.

The propaganda value is immense, and may be the most important part of the exercise in rocketry, as far as Hezbollah is concerned: free publicity against Israel, courtesy of the West itself.

Ron Coleman at Dean's World links to a site that unhinges that myth.

Everyone's favorite flibbertigibbet, Richard Cohen, takes this Sheryl Crow quote:

"The best way to solve problems is to not have enemies. "

Judith at Kesher Talk disagrees with Cohen, and promptly kicks his ass around the block.

Nidra Poller and Liberal Hawk Ben join in.

Speaking of moral equivalence, one commenter at Neo-neocon's site asks:

The point is, while combating terrorism, do we want to become just as immoral as the terrorists?

The Israelis are more 'moral' than the terrorists and the Islamist state they hope to form. The French, the Thais, the Hindus, the Russians and even the Chinese are more 'moral' than these terrorists. Simple ameoba are more moral than these terrorists. Becoming the equivalent of this nadir of life as we know it is the least of our worries.

Taking a break from blogging - I've been working on refinishing the deck and landscaping the garden. For some reason, standing in the hot sun breathing weird chemicals makes my brain kind of wonky.

So, don't expect any insight on the Israel/Lebanon crisis. Or Newt Gingrich.

I do know that Behr's Redtone No. 402 waterproofing wood finish makes a dumpy grey-wood deck look like new. And red cedar mulch isn't too expensive when you buy it in bulk. The new rubber mulches are cool. I think I may use them to make a little path through the garden, or I may use little pebbles (if my son is willing to carry the heavy pebble bags for me).

I also made my biannual visit to Whole Foods yesterday. When I was packing the groceries into my car, a guy pulled up in his SUV, pointed to the dent in the back of the Prius and said "Hey, lady, I can fix that dent for you real cheap." I figured this was a variation on the gypsy 'fix your driveway cheap' with a coating of motor oil con, so I said 'Thanks but no thanks'.

He kept insisting on giving me a price for a repair I didn't want, so I got ruder and he went away. I have to wonder, did he cruise the Whole Foods parking lot regularly for marks? Why would someone think that customers who pay $12 per pound for pearlized Middle Eastern couscous are gullible?

Here are some 'before' photos of the lawn and garden. 'After' photos coming soon..

world's worst album covers..

..more horror..

Answering reader requests, Michael Totten takes what little free time he has to give us his take on the events in Lebanon:

Israel and Lebanon are the two freest countries in the Middle East. They are the only countries, aside from tortured Iraq, that hold unrigged elections for parliaments and heads of state. The tyrants to their east have pulled quite a coup, haven't they? The two countries friendliest to America and to liberal Western values are now shooting each other. (The Lebanese army, which has cooperated with Israel in the past behind the scenes, is now firing anti-aircraft guns at Israeli planes.)

It's a catastrophe for Lebanon, which is now under siege because Iran took it hostage...

Me, personally? I am not sure who to root for, because even though I hate Hezbollah I think Israel is full of shit for not attacking Syria instead. They know that this is where the orders and the supplies come from. It's why they hit the lebanese-syrian Highway: to prevent the supplies from coming in. The way I see it, I want some side to win. Any side. Whatever the ouctome is, I want someone soundly defeated, to the degree that what's happening now can not happen again. I want the rules of the game changed. Either Israel wins and Hezbollah is destoryed, or Israel loses and Hezbollah wins. I don't want some peace negotiations and pussy footing and bullshit where nothing gets resolved and the mentalities stay the same. Basically, either the arabs win this or they should just shut the fuck up forever.

Panic. Now!

Israel just dropped fliers on the American University of Beirut campus and in the surrounding neighborhood.

The fliers are in English and say something to the extent of:

"The Lebanese people protect Hezbollah and will face consequences. Please, get out of Beirut."

I don't know much about military strategy, but I can see that Israel, like the U.S., is still following the British model for dealing with asymetric warfare. I know enough about history to see that the British know jack about fighting asymetric warfare.

We're fighting this war like Redcoats.

As far as I understand things, Israel is bombing some targets outside of Hizbollah's stronghold in the South with the hope that this will somehow result in the ejection of Hizbullah from Lebanon.

But, as far as I know, if the the government of Lebanon and majority of the people were able to eject Syria and Iran's Hizbullah, they would have done so a long time ago. That's part of what the Cedar Revolution was about.

I'm not a military strategist, but I'd understand this more if Israel were just hitting Hizbullahland and/or Hizbullah's supporters in Syria.

More from Lebanon Profile and Israelli Cool.

The news from Lebanon and Gaza via Pajamas Media, Harry's Place, IsraellyCool and Protein Wisdom.

The EU/US attitude is muted towards Israel, frustrated with Iran.

Terrorists and their supporters hope their attacks will provoke one of two outcomes:

1) To force governments to negotiate with their supporters

2) Or to provoke an ineffective backlash that drains the victim's economy and brings more recruits to the extremists.

When we consider how to respond to terrorism, we should, of course, avoid giving them what they want. Our only consideration should be what we want. What outcome would be best for us?

Comment is free at the Guardian offers some constructive and informed advice on how to deal with the recent mass-murder in Mumbai.

..most Muslims detest being told that they are being less Muslim or bad Muslims, and most Muslims, even those who like Sharia law, would curl up in horror at any thought of violent imposition and compulsion of Sharia...."

one of the prime recruitment tools for Jihadis is the snuff video. They have just released one of the mutilation of two American soldiers...

They do it because it works...

But I agree with you about Sharia. A guy from PAS said that their biggest problem was the Taliban. All the Malaysian government had to do was send cameras to Afghanistan and show people what it was like. Not lie, not exaggerate. Just let them speak their minds. Support for PAS fell through the floor.

A huge cesspool of terror exists in Pakistan. It gives rise to elements like Al Qaida. The state which actually helped such terrorists actively was pakistan. And for ages, the West did not care. The West still does not care. They feel just leaning on Musharraf is enough. Even if we assume Musharraf has suddenly been transplanted with the heart of a dove, how can the West ignore the fact that the Pakistan state for several years, was supporting and in fact nurturing Islamic terrorists? That due to this, policemen, armymen, and officials at various levels would still be sympathetic to the cause. That a more thorough operation is needed to completely exterminate the terror network right inside Pakistan. Not inside "evil" afghanistan or "evil" Iran or "evil" Iraq. But inside "buddy" Pakistan.

Terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim, Masood Azhar, syed Salahuddin are living in pakistan. Not hiding in. Living in. And yet the Americans do not feel even the slightest bit inclined to arm-twist the Pakistanis into handing them over to India. And of course, if India raises tempo to force Pakistan's hand, the bogey of nuclear war is raised, and attention is diverted...

...A message needs to be sent loud and clear that if you murder innocents, you will pay. If you destroy property belonging to innocents, you will pay. If you force people to shut their shops because you are upset, you will pay.

A just and fair state.... just to both hindus and muslims, and other faiths, is what will minimise the spread of the terror network.

We could also try to respect and follow our own laws; condemn mob violence (hindu, muslim, christian, whatever) and condemn (by killing or arresting) terrorism's supporters. That's not what terrorists want us to do, because it doesn't help them reach their goals. If terrorism always fails as a tactic, terrorist attacks decrease. I think that's what we want..

Or we could follow the advice of Juan "magic mushroom" Cole, who tells us that we should negotiate with terrorism's supporters because "Al-Qaeda and its like thrive on cowboy diplomacy and reprisals"

Yeah, right, terrorists absolutely hate it when we let them get away with murder while showering their supporters with money and power. Makes sense under certain states of mind...

*- Sheryl Crow

I checked to see what Juan Cole had to say about the Mumbai train bombings. How did he think India should respond to politically-motivated mass murder?

He believes that the bombers should be appeased, of course, because "Al-Qaeda and its like thrive on cowboy diplomacy and reprisals"

Yeah, right, they absolutely hate it when we let them get away with murder while showering their supporters with money and power. They hate that sooo much.

Anyway, I scrolled down to see his usual vituperative attacks against Israel, Bush, etc. Then I noticed a new post, which explains Juan Cole in a way that his political diatribes rarely do.

According to the professor's Informed Comment, the magic mushrooms really do work.

The mushroom-produced drug induces feelings of oneness with the universe and afterwards, a sense of well-being...The human mind has the capacity to feel the oneness of things, to put aside selfish ego and the violence, psychic and physical, that it promotes. The drug just demonstrates that the capacity is there...The longer I live, the more I become convinced that most of the nasty things people do to one another come out of various psychopathologies, including their own depression. Less depression in the world would be all to the good...

I think I know where the informed professor is coming from now.

Via CNN:

At least 70 people have been killed by seven bombs in what police described as a well-coordinated attack on rush-hour commuter trains in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai.

For updated information, please visit Mumbai Help Blog or City of Brass.

..hilarity would fuckin' ensue

Solar Home Project: Can't Stop Conserving

We’re finally into a spell of fine weather. If there’s any place better than Vermont on a 75-degree, sunny summer day in July, after the black flies have retreated and before the haze of August sets in, well, I haven’t been there. Of course, this summer we’ve had about, oh, four days like that. But I’ll take what I can get.

Our Evergreen Solar/Wattsun/Outback/Southwest Windpower is keeping us lousy with power. On days like this, we’re producing 8 – 10 kilowatt hours a day; that’s about four times what we use. Honestly, I thought there would be a real temptation to use more, but that hasn’t happened, mostly because our lifestyle was pretty comfy to begin with. And it has become so engrained in our psyche to conserve that we’re having a hard time burning more kilowatt hours. The other day I caught myself going through the house before bed, shutting down anything that might draw a phantom load during the night. In times of lean sun with our old system, this was an absolute necessity; these days, it’s blind habit. But a good one, I think.

Congrats to my son for passing his commercial pilot checkride..

and..

..congrats to my daughter for getting a position as a docent at her favorite aquarium -

The Star Ledger describes how New Jersey's budget dispute became a brawl. Politicians and their egos were to blame, as usual:

It was a fitting backdrop to the events in the Statehouse, for on that wet Wednesday, June 28, New Jersey's government was sinking into a deep and unprecedented crisis. The state constitution required the approval of a balanced budget by midnight on June 30. Without one, New Jersey no longer could spend money.

But Corzine and his splintered Democratic Party were nowhere near a budget agreement. The stalemate would lead, three days after the flood's onset, to the first government shutdown in state history. No lottery. No new driver's licenses. No courts. No state parks or beaches. No work for 45,000 state employees. For a time, no horse racing and no casinos.

Corzine lifted the shutdown order yesterday morning, one costly and tumultuous week after it went into effect. In a compromise with the Assembly Democrats who opposed him, Corzine won his penny-per-dollar increase in the sales tax. The Assembly members ensured that half of the new revenue would be earmarked for property tax relief.

But if the settlement sounds simple enough, the path to it was not. Interviews with those involved in the fight paint a disturbing portrait of how a disagreement on policy became a perfect storm, fed by misunderstandings, mistrust, behind-the-scenes maneuvering and hardheaded stands on principle.

To that volatile mixture add two strong-willed men, both rookies at their jobs: Corzine and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden). Neither wanted to be pushed around by the other.

Are we supposed to be entertained by this latest example of politics as a sporting event? I'm not. Even the blue state Star Ledger is disgusted by it.

There's nothing we can do to stop politicians from behaving like idiots, so the only solution to this is to put them in the ring, a la World Wide Wrestling. Dontate the ticket and popcorn money to the schools. Everybody wins.

I'd pay good money to see Corzine, with his sweaty hair plastered to his pale, blotchy scalp, break a chair over Roberts' head. Or vice versa. No matter whose ear gets bitten off, it's all for the good of the children. And the taxpayers.

Can't wait for the Hillary vs. Gore match.

Despite the use of cooked peppers and cream, this was very popular with the kids. Use approx. 1/2 tray (1 ziploc bagfull) veggie tray leftovers.

[serves 8]

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbs. olive oil

Fry garlic in olive oil till lightly browned

Peppers, scallions chopped

Cook over high heat, stirring, till these are blackened but not thoroughly cooked. Grind fresh peppercorns and sprinkle over this as it cooks.

2 tsp. beau monde seasoning or 2 tsp. italian seasoning powder or 1 tsp. basil and 1 tsp. oregano

Sprinkle dry spices over veggies and cook, stirring, till fragrant.

1/4 cup wine or 2 tsp. lemon juice

Use to deglaze pan.

Tomatoes, broccoli or any other softer, quick cooking vegetables Chop and add to the mixture. Cook till softened

1 tbs. butter

Add to cooked vegetables and stir till melted.

2 tbs parmesean cheese *

* note - I usually use the less expensive, canned parmesean to thicken the sauce and to keep the sauce from curdling when cream is added. This time I used some expensive, fresh parmesaean and it didn't thicken the sauce. I'd have to guess that the cheaper parm uses some sort of cornstarch-like filler. In any case, for this use, cheaper is better

Add parmesean to sauce and stir till blended.

1/4 cup heavy cream

Add to the sauce and stir till blended. Add more spices to taste. If you have any leftover spinach or dill dip, blend it in. Sprinkle more ground pepper over it and serve with a bowlful of pasta.

We're back up at the cabin for our big family July 4th gathering, with water balloons, tubing and a picnic table loaded down with food. A great time was had by all!

On the drive up, we stopped at our favorite Indian place, Tandoor Palace. Tandoor is located in the middle of the Poconos, where most restuarants consider salsa to be an 'exotic' touch. It was a pleasant surprise to find Vindaloo that puts most NYC restaurants to shame.

There's usually not a huge crowd there, but apparently the place has been 'discovered.' It was packed, with people who had probably travelled many miles to get there.

Standing among the paintings of Hindu gods and handmade terracotta figurines (for sale, from $10 to $700), I thought that this was a great place to spend the eve of the 4th. Immigration, equal opportunity - that's what America is all about.

And they don't even sell hamburgers..

No, Six Flags Adventure Park park in New Jersey is not for Muslims only. Not even for a day. However, the group that reserved the park for one day, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), got into the habit of promoting it as a "Muslims Only" event:

Insha Allah, on September 17, 2004, the New Jersey theme park, Six Flags Great Adventure, is set to be transformed as 'The Great Muslim Adventure Day', an event organized by ICNA. This event is designed to provide entertainment for the entire family! Alhamdulillah, the entire park is reserved for Muslims only!

So, why was the ICNA publicising this as a Muslims only event?

I became aware of ICNA activities when I recieved this anti-Semitic spam from the group, written by chairperson Br. Shamim Siddiqi of Flushing, Queens, New York. Of the worldwide Jewish Conspiracy, Siddiqi says:

In the Western societies of Europe they were hated like anything and forced to live in Ghettoes. They worked more intelligently. Here in the predominant Christian societies, Jewish people adopted a different strategy and ultimately succeeded at all fronts. They introduced secret associations, societies and clubs like "Free Masons" and "Lion Clubs", spread their branches throughout the Muslim and the non-Muslim world in Asia, Europe and America, enticed the Christians and Muslims both to be their card-holder members , carrying a lot of prestige, favor, benefits and facilities, especially while traveling abroad. The top notch of each society was made its member. [The writer too was offered its membership in EP but I thankfully declined]. Its strength lies in its secrecy, method of enrolment, the oath of allegiance and who is its "Master"?

These associations and Clubs played instrumental in "enslaving" the Christian world and Jews gradually master-minded all the nerves centers of Europe and America...

The ICNA has ties to the Islamic Thinkers Society, which shares philosophies and members with Britain's Al-Muhajiroun, a group that the BBC has called 'extremist'.

The ICNA and the Islamic Thinkers Society were both at the rally against the Danish Cartoons in Manhattan. Both groups support the establishment of Islamic law in America.

When I first read about the Islamic Thinkers Society, I saw their website and assumed that they were dweebs posting from their mom's basement. The site just reads that way.

When I found out that the group was founded by Flushing's own Syed "Fahad" Hashmi, who was arrested in London on charges he moved funds and military gear to terror camps in Pakistan, I paid more attention to them. After all, if you read al Qaeda's literature, middle class dweebs formerly living in mom's basement appear to be the backbone of violent jihad.

Anyway, if the ICNA wants to sell Great Adventure Tickets to their market, they'd have to advertise it as an all-Muslim event.

But it really is open to everyone. Even Freemasons.

[cross-posted on Dean's World]

ISRAEL last night threatened to assassinate Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh if Hamas militants did not release a captured Israeli soldier unharmed.

The unprecedented warning was delivered to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a letter as Israel debated a deal offered by Hamas to free Corporal Gilad Shalit.

It came as Israeli military officials readied a second invasion force for a huge offensive into Gaza.

Hamas's Gaza-based political leaders, including Mr Haniyeh, had already gone into hiding.

Threatening hostages to free a hostage... It worked for me.

UPDATE: Richard Landes asks Hamas Leaders Shamed: Did anyone notice?