Sandmonkey attends a lecture by Seymour Hersh:

What was slightly surprising was how pro-Shia the man was (the man apparently could see no harm coming from Iran, syria or hezbollah), which was later on explained to me in the context that this man is a member of the new Left, and the new left believes that any enemy of the USA is a good person and needs to be supported, because the USA is a very bad and naughty country. But the dude was stretching thing a little bit. I mean when he decribed the March 14th movement as "The US backed Sunni dominated Seniora government" I started heaving, but when he described Hezbollah as "a member of an opposition coalition with Christian catholics" I knew I was in the presence of greatness. This is a man who could distort shit so well that he could disprove gravity. And just so you know, the US is backing a "Fitnah" amongst muslims that is trying to get sunnis to fight the Shias, who apparently before the US moved into Iraq never fought before. Oh yeah, and it's all the saudis fault. If you removed the Saudis and the americans, the region would be peacefull with rainbows, butterflies and choclate springs sprouting all over. It's not like the Iranians are equiping shia militias in Iraq, financing Hezbollah in Lebanon, trying to detsabalize the government of Bahrain and occupies part of the UAE. Not gonna mention that, no way. The Iranians are cool after all, because they hate the US.

You know, I am willing to listen and accept his version of how the americans are to blame for everything in the middle-east if he would just mention the other asshole players and assign them blame as well....

I've often said that we can't win this war unless we win the hearts and the minds of the Left. On Real Time with Bill Maher, Ayaan Hirsi Ali does exactly that.

..all that and Goobers too.

Judith has videos and transcripts from the Herzliyya Conference December 17-18, 2006 up at Kesher talk. She says:

...Orwellian revisions of Jewish history, demonizing Israel, fauxtography and related media manipulation, and confusion about Islamist terrorism have not abated, so unfortunately this material continues to be relevant.

Suze Orman just came out. My gaydar is terrible, but this wasn't a big surprise.

The bigger news is that she's right about women and money..

- trying on different templates today...please excuse the mess.

Virginia Postrel on the Transparent Society

Sandmonkey reports at Pajamas Media:

Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Soliman was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday in a Cairo court. He will sit in jail for three years for the crime of “contempt for religion” and one year for “insulting the president”.

For those of you who haven’t been following the case, welcome to the Middle East. They do indeed have crimes like that around here.

Almost as disturbing as the sentence was the public reaction. As the court hearing ended, the media moved to the street in front of the courthouse and started interviewing people about what they thought of the trial. With the exception of human rights activists and bloggers, the Egyptian public seemed satisfied with the verdict, if not disappointed it wasn’t longer.

Many people expressed the view that Abdel Kareem should be killed for what he wrote, and each of them shared their preferred way to kill him: stabbing, hanging, and of course, the classic beheading. One actually asked a lawyer if it was legal to now kill him, since this verdict clearly brands him as an apostate, and the Sharia punishment for an apostasy is death. People were talking about killing him in the most casual manner, as if he was no longer a human being to them...

Everyone loves peace, they just define it in different ways.

Pacifists define 'peace' as the absence of war, and for that reason they're willing to look the other way as genocide occurs. Democratic governments define 'peace' as unencumbered trade between nations that don't slaughter their people or their neighbors en masse.

Osama bin Laden defines peace as a worldwide Caliphate under Islamic law, as do his sponsors.

Hitler thought that getting rid of the Jews and oppressing/killing all non-Aryans would lead to a perfect peace.

The Left dreams that peace that will come from state-enforced equality and UN control of US actions.

Of peace in the Middle East, Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey said:

..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.

One reason why a 'peace process' means little and accomplishes less.

In an interview with Howard Owens, Garrett Soden, author of Falling, described the political results that emerged from our fascination with gravity.

During the 18th century, there was an explosion of gravity activity. It started with street acrobats beginning to gather at fairs, which began to occupy permanent venues. Competition caused the acrobats (mostly spring-board leapers and rope-dancers) to attempt to outdo each other. Eventually, they developed international reputations. During the same century, the circus was invented; so was the roller coaster; so was the parachute. Mountaineering was also invented around the middle of the 18th century. Before then, no one climbed mountains for recreation. After the 18th century, there was no let-up: professional high-divers appeared in the early 19th century; wirewalkers began to risk higher falls to thrill crowds; the flying trapeze was invented in mid-19th century."

"As I explain at some length in the book, I think a fascination with challenging gravity reflects the sense of individualism that grew with the birth of Modernism at about this time. Gravity is one of the most fundamental natural forces we know — defying it is consistent with the modern individual's freedom to defy other seemingly "natural" forces, such as the social forces that keep peasants down."

Israel in red, surrounded by her neighbors in green

The Israel Project, an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel, which generously offers journalists these 'bird's eye tours' describes their intellicopter"

Through its Jerusalem office, TIP operates "Intellicopter" tours—two-and a-half-hour guided helicopter tours with expert guides that give reporters a bird's-eye view of the situation on the ground. The TIP "Intellicopter" educates journalists about security threats and opportunities for peace. Hundreds of journalists from more than 140 media outlets have taken the "Intellicopter" tour, including top journalists from the United States, England, France,Germany, Russia, Italy, Latin, America, Australia and Asia. Millions of people around the world have seen footage shot from these strategic aerial views—views which show Israel's tiny size and enormous security challenges.

Richard Landes

The tour of Israel, a nation that is slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey, with a population of 6 million (less than the population of New York City) takes about 1 1/2 hours.

Israel borders Egypt (population 78,887,007), Jordan (population 5,906,760), Syria (pop. 18,881,361), West Bank and Lebanon (pop. 3,874,050).

Despite its small population and its size, Israel is blamed by many for most Arab/Islamist petrodollar-funded violence around the world. A French ambassador once claimed that an international security crisis had been triggered by "that shitty little country Israel" - not by the actual perpetrators of the terrorism that cause the security crisis, or by large terror-supporting nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia - no, it's all Israel's fault.

When it's not Lebanon's fault, that is. Not coincidentally, if they're not blaming Israel for all of the world's problems, they're blaming the other little democracy in the Middle East. In this Asia Times article, author Kaveh L Afrasiabi puts the onus for the resolution of the Saudi/Iranian conflict on Lebanon's shoulders, claiming that if the Lebanese give in to Hezbollah, there could be peace in the Middle East.

...proving that schoolyard politics dominate the International community. Whenever there's a problem, blame the little guy.

The tour included a stop at the Gaza border, where we viewed the effects of the Iranian funded war against a small immigrant town in Israel.

Despite the efforts of nations like France, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Israel continues to defy expectations. Here's an Israeli-eye view of their world.

Rising over Herzliya

the road from Tel Aviv to Herzliyya, a Silicon-Valley esque landscape that reminded me of 101 in California.

Tel Aviv

Marina

Cows in a field

Israel's lush forests are the result of their desert afforestation project, sponsored by groups like the B'nai B'rith. Leah mentioned that Israel was sharing these afforestation techniques with Jordan.

the Temple Mount

Over Jerusalem

For the first half of the tour, Totten called shotgun, but generously let me take front seat for the second half. I got a chance to talk with the pilot, whose son (like mine) is a flight instructor. After many years of flying for a living, he still loves the job, and can't imagine doing anything else.

A view of the infamous 'apartheid wall', which is mostly a small security fence. A few taller cement structures were built in areas where Palestinians would take potshots at drivers on Israeli highways

Village built for former Gaza settlers

Many Israeli apartment houses and homes have solar panels on the roof, mostly to power water heaters

back at the Herzliyya airport

I was hoping to get to one of the "End Israel Apartheid" talks in NYC this week, to ask some questions and to see if the usual suspects had added any new conspiracy theories to their repertoire. Unfortunately, work and family stuff kept me from getting into the city.

However, even at my most ambitious, I was only planning to go to one of these events. The intrepid Pamela Hall went to every single "End Israel Apartheid" event this week.

Seven nights of conspiracy mongering and bone-crushing boredom. That's endurance.

Judith at Kesher Talk has Pamela's reports here, including this from Thursday night:

Thursday evening we were back in Judson Church, but we were downstairs in a meeting room that had a small screen set up for a power-point presentation.. When I walked in at about 10 minutes before the scheduled start-time I was one of FIVE people and there were only about 20 folding chairs put out. This ‘happening” is getting smaller and less ‘impressive’ each night and now…I’m starting to re-think my evening. . .

Slowly people start arriving (not many) And the presenters get way too excited. They rush to put out 7 more chairs…very odd… but, okay.... Then it's start time. (We actually go on-time.) But, we're getting a re-cap of the who-o-le week.…retreads…fillers, I think... they're hoping for more people to show-up. So WE have to sit through the apartheid treadmill. I drift until we get our first speaker.

Again, these accents are a challenge. He’s Lebanese, I think. Tonight we’re listening to him recount all the killings; the MURDERS that Israel is responsible for in Lebanon. This young-man’s life has been destroyed by the nefarious goings-on that Israel has perpetrated against Lebanon. (I desperately wanted to end this charade as I have Lebanese Christian friends who support Israel 100%. They are desperate to see an end to the Hezbollah terror that is destroying their country). But, it’s too early in the speech to lose it, so…I sit. Then, in comes 7 (at least) of OUR crowd: The David Project and Stand With Us. They slowly walk in and fill the REST of the chairs. Who knew the remaining chairs would be filled by our counter-pamphleteers.

Okay, Mr. Lebanon finishes and now we get a woman speaker. She is a co-speaker with the moderator. A "Charlotte (Very Marxist) Kates-type"- an Arab with a slight accent. [ 'Where is Charlotte?", BTW... We haven't seen her since Monday evening's event.] Anyway, this speaker I can understand and it's party-line all-the-way. All the same stuff we’ve heard night after night: Israel bad; Israel apartheid-state; Palestinians good…

..if any Hobokenites are reading, this is a great local site..

Some good news about pilots and French-speakers

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands - A fast-thinking pilot with passengers in cahoots fooled a hijacker by braking hard upon landing, then accelerating to knock the man down. When he fell, flight attendants threw boiling water in his face, and about 10 people pounced on him, Spanish officials said Friday.

The Air Mauritania Boeing 737 carrying 71 passengers and a crew of eight was hijacked by a lone gunman brandishing two pistols Thursday evening shortly after it took off from Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, for Gran Canaria, one of Spain's Canary Islands, with a planned stopover in Nouadhibou in northern Mauritania.

The hijacking alarmed Spanish officials because a trial of 29 people accused in the Madrid terrorist bombings of 2004 had begun the same day in Madrid. But the man's motives were not terrorism; he wanted the plane to fly to France so he could request political asylum, said Mohamed Ould Mohamed Cheikh, Mauritania's top police official.

"We were afraid. We thought it was people from al-Qaida or the Algerian GSPC who were going to cut our throats," said Aicha Mint Sidi, a 45-year-old woman who was on the plane. The GSPC is a Muslim extremist group....

...the hijacker ordered the pilot to fly to France, but the crew told him there was not enough fuel. And Morocco denied a request to land in the city of Djala in the Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, so the pilot headed for Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, the original destination.

Along the way, speaking to the hijacker, the pilot realized the man did not speak French. So he used the plane's public address system to warn the passengers in French of the ploy he was going to try: brake hard upon landing, then speed up abruptly. The idea was to catch the hijacker off balance, and have crew members and men sitting in the front rows of the plane jump him, the Spanish official said.

The pilot also warned women and children to move to the back of the plane in preparation for the subterfuge, the official said.

It worked. The man was standing in the middle aisle when the pilot carried out his maneuver, and he fell to the floor, dropping one of his two 7 mm pistols. Flight attendants then threw boiling water from a coffee machine in his face and at his chest, and some 10 people jumped on the man and beat him, the Spanish official said.

Around 20 people were slightly injured when the plane braked suddenly, the official said.

The hijacker was arrested by Spanish police who boarded the plane after it landed at Gando airport, outside Las Palmas.

Air Mauritania identified the heroic pilot as Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine, a 20-year-veteran of the company.

Michael Totten writes about the recent rally in Beirut..

Valentine’s Day isn’t a romantic occasion in Lebanon. It’s the anniversary of the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated February 14, 2005, with a 600 pound bomb in downtown Beirut. A large crater still exists in the middle of the street, which is blocked to traffic. Pedestrians are kept away by strips of yellow police tape. The St. George Hotel, which was refurbished after the civil war, stands ruined once more by the explosion.

Yesterday hundreds of thousands of Lebanese gathered in Martyr’s Square to memorialize Hariri and to demonstrate against his Syrian assassins and their Lebanese Hezbollah proxies – who have also been demonstrating downtown without letup since December 1 of last year. Sectarian and political tensions haven’t been higher in Lebanon since the civil war ended. Violent street clashes have already broken out. Yet activists from both the pro- and anti-Syrian camps co-existed in downtown Beirut peacefully and, apparently, without incident.

Very nearly no one in Lebanon wants civil war. Beirut is a tinderbox ready to blow. Lebanese might get war anyway. But it’s telling that the most militantly opposed factions in the country can still co-exist in the same physical space – albeit separated from each other by fencing, rows of razor wire, and the army – without fighting.

A small group of violent fanatics from either side easily could have sparked a major conflagration if that’s what they wanted, even if the overwhelming majority of even the militant activists didn’t want conflict. It really wouldn’t take much. One guy with a machine gun could possibly do it. Weapons sales have tripled in Lebanon over the past couple of weeks. It looks, though, like everyone in the now-thriving gun market is thinking of defense rather than offsense...

...The Lebanese civil war is one of the most ridiculous wars I have ever studied. It was World War I writ small. Everyone lost. As a result, everyone is more restrained and mature since the end of the war, even Hezbollah.

Hezbollah no longer kidnaps anyone inside Lebanon (not Lebanese, and not foreigners either), and they have apparently given up – at least on paper – their dream of conquering all of Lebanon and imposing a Shia Islamist theocracy. They may yet topple the government, but they cannot replace that government with themselves. And they know it. Besides, Hezbollah is adored in much of the Arab world outside Lebanon where no one has to suffer the consequences of living with them. All that would be lost if Hezbollah were to become the Shia butcher of Sunnis.

What if they declared a war and nobody came? It’s a silly old hippie slogan from the 1960s. That’s how it’s playing out now, though, in the Middle East of all places. Bashar Assad has called a civil war, and no one is coming.

Also: more independent reporting from Lebanon, interviews with liberals and neo-cons there. Just keep scrolling..

Many beeping horns, the hysterical squeal of spinning tires and someone shouting "I'm not gonna do this anymore!"

Winter in the city

Via Instapundit - Popular Mechanics' Best of Green Design

I love the idea of pre-fab, energy efficient homes, but why do they have to be so obsessed with modernism? Most people don't want to live in glass & wood boxes.

Maybe some architects never got over the LEGO phase?

Brian Whitaker says of the terrorist attacks in Northern Lebanon:

Events in Lebanon have taken a dangerous new turn with the carnage this morning when two buses exploded on a mountain road north-east of Beirut.

Lebanon is no stranger to terrorism, but this attack is different from the other bombings that have hit the country over the last few years. It was clearly intended to cause large numbers of casualties among ordinary people as they travelled to work.

...It seems, too, that there is a message in the location chosen for today's attack: the predominantly Christian district of Bikfaya, home town of former president Amin Gemayel, whose son - a government minister - was assassinated by gunmen last November.

All of these attacks are terrorism, but the method, locations and the goals behind these coordinated attacks are different, and, as Whitaker says, a dangerous sign.

UPDATE: Thousands attended the rally to mark the second anniversary of Hariri's assassination in Beirut - and it was peaceful:

By late morning, the square was teeming with people waving the national flag and political party flags. Many people held pictures of Hariri or balloons in the blue colour of the Hariri faction in parliament, now led by his son, Saad.

Tuesday's explosions on commuter buses on a busy mountain highway northeast of Beirut stoked fears of turmoil as the country prepared to mark the 2005 assassination of Hariri, the country's most prominent politician and the leader credited with rebuilding the country from the destruction of the 1975-90 civil war.

Lebanon has suffered a series of bombings during the past two years, mostly targeting anti-Syrian figures, but Tuesday's attacks were the first that seemed intended to cause maximum casualties among civilians of no political affiliation.

"We will hunt down the criminals and confront them," Saniora vowed in a televised speech Tuesday evening.

International ANSWER's slogan is "Act Now to Stop War and End Racism." Like most activist mission statements, their claim has been proven false many times. That doesn't stop them from repeating it.

Their claim to be 'anti-war' was most notably when their connection to the World Worker's Party and to the supporters of Kim Jong Il was exposed.

ANSWER/WWP's supporters, and their history, including their "love affair with Slobodan Milosevic" and their description of reports of Serb atrocities against Muslims as "imperialist lies." caused a split within the anti-war movement. On December 12th United For Peace and Justice, announced their decision "not to coordinate work with ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) again on a national level."

According to Lennie Brenner's Jan. 2006 article, published in NYC indemedia and Counterpunch, titled: The War Within the Antiwar Movement: Not Dealing with Zionism is Like a King Kong Movie Without the Ape:

[United for Peace and Justice's] national committee complained that ANSWER reneged on the organizations' plan for structuring the demo. But beyond proclaiming that "the souring of the political atmosphere is largely due to ANSWER, which, in our experience, consistently substitutes labels ('racist,' 'anti-unity') and mischaracterization of others' views for substantive political debate or problem solving," UFPJ gave us nothing substantial re the coalitions' political differences.

"Leslie is dedicated to peace. But if she is to retain her reputation, she must be able to justify UFPJ's position, now, when she knows that the Israeli ambassador is happy because it refuses to work with ANSWER."

I've asked Leslie if UFPJ has a position on US money & weapons to Saudi Arabia: "Perhaps we need to develop one?" ANSWER also doesn't say much about Saudia. Now high oil prices, awareness that it was Al-Qaeda's breeding ground, & total subjugation of women, make it the most unpopular US ally. Muslims bow 5 times a day in the direction of Mecca. But Wall Street bows once a second towards Saudi Arabia. The antiwar movement should get those wonderful April photos of Bush & Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah holding hands at the Texas ranch & put them up everywhere. The 3 classic goals for progressives are get the people mobilized, organized & educated. Wars, exploitation, oppression make folks begin to think & we can mobilize some in the streets. But the antiwar split proves that we haven't gotten our act together organizationally. The reason? Precisely because neither UFPJ or ANSWER is into serious education.

Saudi donations to the Stalinist Left follow an old path, through terrorism's financial center, the group the Christian Science monitor calls "a popular social and political group that wants rule by Islamic law" - the Muslim Brotherhood.

According to International Assessment and Strategy Center's report: The Little Explored Offshore Empire of the International Muslim Brotherhood

Almost from the inception of the modern Islamic banking structure (early 1980s), the international Muslim Brotherhood set up a parallel and far-flung offshore structure that has become an integral part of its ability to hide and move money around the world. This network is little understood and has, so far, garnered little attention from the intelligence and law enforcement communities tracking terrorist financial structures.

The fundamental premise of the Brotherhood in setting up this structure was that it is necessary to build a clandestine structure that was hidden from non-Muslims and even Muslims who do not share the Brotherhood’s fundamental objective of recreating the Islamic caliphate and spreading Islam, by force and persuasion, across the globe...

...In 2003 Richard Clarke said “the issue of terrorist financing in the United States is a fundamental example of the shared infrastructure levered by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al Qaeda, all of which enjoy a significant degree of cooperation and coordination within our borders. The common link here is the extremist Muslim Brotherhood—all these organizations are descendants of the membership and ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood.”[5] However, this understanding has not taken root in the intelligence, law enforcement and policy communities, nor has the financial network of the Brotherhood come under intense scrutiny.

Public records show the Brotherhood’s financial network of holding companies, subsidiaries, shell banks and real financial institutions stretches to Panama, Liberia, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Switzerland, Cyprus, Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and beyond. Many of the entities are in the names of individuals who, like Nada, Nasreddin, al-Qaradawi and Himmat, have publicly identified themselves as Brotherhood leaders.

A senior U.S. government official estimates the total assets of the international Brotherhood to be between $5 billion and $10 billion.

According to this Department of Treasury Report:

Bank Al Taqwa, for which Nasreddin is a director, was established in 1988 with significant backing from the Muslim Brotherhood. They have been involved in financing radical groups such as the Palestinian Hamas, Algeria's Islamic Salvation Front and Armed Islamic Group, Tunisia's An-Nahda, and Usama bin Laden and his Al Qaida organization. Bank Al Taqwa was established in the Bahamas and is a close affiliate of the Al Taqwa Management Organization, which changed its name in the spring of 2000 to the Nada Management Organization. In 1997, it was reported that the $60 million collected annually for Hamas was moved to Bank Al Taqwa accounts. As of October 2000, Bank Al Taqwa appeared to be providing a clandestine line of credit to a close associate of Usama bin Laden and as of late September 2001, Usama bin Laden and his Al Qaida organization received financial assistance from Youssef M. Nada

The Muslim Brotherhood-led and Saudi-financed activities:

...effect a wide range of affairs, from daily minutia to public policy. Consider these examples:

• On June 6, 2006, a Minnesota Muslim American Society (MAS) fatwa ordered Muslim drivers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport not to transport passengers carrying alcohol, to avoid "cooperating in sin.” Most Muslim drivers there originate from Somalia, where carrying alcohol in a bag was never a problem. But by August 2006, some 77 passengers per month, carrying duty-free bags containing sealed alcoholic drinks were refused by Muslim cab drivers complying with the MAS fatwa. At first, Minnesota’s Metropolitan Airports Commission considered their demands and offered two-tier taxi system; one for alcohol carriers and a second for the others. Only public outrage forced the Commission to kill their proposal...

Given their mission statement, and given their supposed support of Muslim groups, including the Muslims in Bosnia, their reaction to United for Peace and Justice's rift with ANSWER is odd:

(Washington, DC) - Over one hundred prominent Muslim leaders and National organizations have indicated that there is only one rally and march in Washington, DC, on September 24. And it will not be the "Segregation" March proposed by United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ). Responding to what has been categorized as a patronizing elitist and separation agenda that has long been a divisive issue in the anti-war and peace movement, prominent leaders in the Muslim and Arab community made it clear that they will not allow groups like the United for Peace and Justice set the agenda for American Muslim involvement in the peace movement. Thus the idea that UFPJ will attempt to hold a separate March and Rally on September 24 in Washington, DC, and not join in principle the September 24 National Coalition for the March on Washington is viewed by many as a "segregationist counter-rally". Why? The answer is simple. It is all about having a principle position on Palestine. When it is all said and done UFPJ has paid mere lip service to the Palestine issue and struggle as being part and parcel of the American Peace Movement. They have ignored the insistence of authentic voices in the Muslim and Arab community that ending the occupation of Palestine and other regions of the world should not be decoupled from ending the occupation in Iraq.

Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, MAS Freedom Foundation stated, "The days when a few elitists with a few surrogate persons of color can stymie the hope and aspirations of millions of American Muslims concerning a principle agenda and response to what takes place in the Muslim world is over. Let’s get real here, UFPJ called for a segregated March in DC after the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition made the initial call. They listed all kinds of excuses why they can't join a unity effort.

The National Emergency March on Washington is co-sponsored by the A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition and the National Council of Arab Americans (NCA).

Your support is vital! Send your generous donations today addressed to:

MAS FREEDOM FOUNDATION
1050 17th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "For every day the sun rises, (God grants a reward to) the one who establishes justice among people." Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 870.

They'll also reconfirm the fact that for many 'anti-war' organizations Orwell's 1984 was a how-to guide. Lies are truth, the Arab war against Israel is peace...

..oh, and no blood for oil!

I agree with Fausta - the loss of her son must have been devastating, and as a parent, I know I couldn't survive the loss of a child. Rest in peace..

A man who was seriously injured by Palestinian terrorists sued and won his case.

The losing side was represented by our local devil's advocate, Ramsey Clark.

According to court documents, Saperstein was attacked by gunmen who sprayed his car with AK47 rounds, wounding him in the hand.

An Israeli citizen traveling in a separate car, lawyer Ahuva Amergi, died in the attack, as did two Israeli soldiers who responded to the gunfire.

"Justice is served," said Saperstein's wife, Rachel Saperstein. "Now, the fight begins."

The Sapersteins' attorney, Robert Josefsberg, said he will work to identify potential Palestinian assets in the United States, Israel and elsewhere to satisfy the judgment.

"We're going to just look at every possibility," Josefsberg said.

Lawyers for the Palestinian organizations did contest the lawsuit on procedural grounds - including a claim that the Palestinian Authority and PLO were immune as a sovereign state - but withdrew after losing those rounds, leading to the default judgment.

One of those lawyers was former Attorney General Ramsey Clark. Attempts to reach Clark and his partner, Lawrence W. Schilling, by telephone Wednesday were not successful.

A PLO spokesman in Washington, Nabil Abuznaid, said there are about 10 other similar lawsuits pending in the United States. Abuznaid said the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a war that should not be fought in American courtrooms.

"It's unfair and unfortunate. These are political situations and they should not come with judgments like that. These are situations outside this country in a war," said Abuznaid, deputy chief of the PLO mission in Washington.

Michael Totten interviews Toni Nissi, one of Lebanon’s pro-American interventionists -

"Hezbollah is now attacking you personally, by name," I said to Toni.

"Yeah," he said. "This started a long time ago. Now he’s attacking me personally even on TV."

"So he feels threatened by you," I said.

"Of course," he said. "Well, not by me as a person. If they felt threatened by me as a person they could kill me. It's easy. It’s very easy, you know. They are afraid of who I represent in Lebanon – the international lobby, the guys in the States, people everywhere in Lebanon – they are afraid of what we are doing. But they think by pushing me to leave or maybe killing me, I don’t know the plans but, by eliminating a person having the power of the Diaspora Lebanese who is also very well connected with the international community and who can go on TV…I’ve been fives times on TV here and no one is able to put me on the screen anymore.” He laughed darkly. “Because of the influence of Hezbollah.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “You mean Hezbollah is pressuring TV channels here to not talk to you?”

“Yes, of course,” he said. “Of course.”

“And they are complying?” I said.

“They call any reporter and tell him if you make an interview with Toni we’re going to kill you,” he said...

Toni also observes how the US government operates....

“What has [Palestinian Fatah leader Mahmoud] Abbas delivered for that?” Toni said.

“Nothing,” I said.

“Yeah, so,” Toni said and laughed. “Whenever you pay money you have to get something in return.

(and when I say 'our government', I mean the federal government. Locally, you couldn't get elected garbage collector if you didn't know this stuff)

“They don’t trust the Americans, yes,” Toni said. “But they don’t believe that the American soldiers are coming here. Most Lebanese believe and know that in 1990 the United States handed the Syrians Lebanon on a plate of silver.”

Toni is referring here to Secretary of State James Baker who traded a green-light for Syrian domination of Lebanon in exchange for Syrian “help” in ousting Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. Most Americans have no idea this even happened, but Lebanese have never forgotten it. Hezbollah’s Christian allies in Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement in particular bang on this point again and again. The fact that we've been incompetently bribing enemies like Abbas for years (and the fact that we continue to throw good money after bad) is proof that our foreign policy is a mess.

These malign gargoyles still exert undue influence over our government. Until we can put them and their ideas out to pasture, we can't really expect Republicans or Democrats to make any intelligent changes in our policies towards Iran, Syria or Saudi Arabia.

However, pressuring Syria and Iran would produce better results than having the US be directly involved in the delicate situation in Lebanon. In yet another excellent interview, MJT speaks to the more mainstream Eli Khoury about a civil response to Hezbollah's threat.

When it comes to the crazy astronaut(s?) story, Instapundit said it best:

OKAY, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO COME UP with something to say about the astronaut story besides "WHAT THE %$*#?"

Well, I hiked around the city looking for a bargain-priced Wide Angle Lens, and all I got for my efforts was a chapped face.

(Yes, I know I can get better prices on the web, but when I'm making a huge purchase, I like to deal with a human being)

The cold out there was wicked - I now understand why people are wearing these hats.

I wish I had some 'cold city' pictures, but when I stepped outside the camera batteries were instantly drained...

Saudi scholar discovers that Wahhabism is inpsired by politics...

Dakhil's findings offer a new reading of the Wahhabi movement that contradicts the official narrative and could lead to a reduction of the clergy's power. Wahhab was inspired by politics as much as religion, Dakhil said,

In a chapter he has written for the book "Understanding Wahhabism," to be published this year by the University of Michigan Press, Dakhil argues that Wahhab's goal was to create a strong state to make up for the disintegrating tribal system and that the preacher found his first willing sponsor in Muhammad bin Saud, first head of the House of Saud.

The mosque was a place to exert authority; the call to prayer and enforcing communal prayers were symbols of authority, Dakhil said. Wahhab labeled as apostates all the villages that broke away from the first Saudi state or refused to join it, he said.

"Religion is a much more powerful enforcer. Wahhabis made being a good Muslim contingent on obeying the ruler. That's a naked political statement," Dakhil said.

However, I'm sure that this 'discovery' is significant to Saudis.

One interesting thing about this story - it was linked to by a new-to-me blog called Terror Finance. They have a whole section about Tariq Ramadan - and of course lots about our Wahhabi allies.

Karol has some good ideas, but Ken Rockwell knows..(well, he knows what this one wants, anyway) I'm off to see if I can get it at a reasonable, severely discounted price...

Oh, and here's what we don't want...

He's in!

Will the Silent Majority support him?

One hopeful sign - my husband a registered independent who stuck a "Kerry haters for Kerry" on his Prius during the last presidential election - suggested that we register as Republicans in New Jersey to vote for Rudy in the Primaries.

(Our families will have a conniption :-)

If you want to sign up to help Rudy's campaign, go here..

UPDATE: Some of the commenters at Dean's World were noting that if Rudy doesn't win the Republican nomination, he could run as an independent - a situation that wouldn't work out too well for the republicans. As jaymaster said:

Well DBrooks, your opinion that an independent run by Rudy would be disastrous is exactly what makes it so interesting.

That’s one hell of an ax he can hold above the heads of Republicans who think he isn’t the "right kind of Republican".