Morning Report: October 18, 2006

Mark your calendar. Armageddon is tentatively scheduled for this weekend.

Europe vs. Israel. Debka:

Italy to sell Lebanon sophisticated ground-to-air Aster 15 missiles to stop Israel’s aerial surveillance of hostile movements. Israeli aircraft monitor illegal Hizballah movements and arms smuggling - in the absence of any Lebanese army and UNIFIL preventive action to implement UN Resolution 1701. According to DEBKAfile’s Rome sources, prime minister Romano Prodi has instructed his defense ministry to negotiate with the Fouad Siniora government the quick sale of an Aster 15 battery, the only Western surface-to-air missile with an active guidance system capable of last-minute corrections of targeting at the moment of interception. As a joint Franco-Italian product, the sale also needed - and obtained - approval from French president Jacques Chirac. Our sources report the Aster 15 will be accompanied by Italian instructors to guide Lebanese troops in their use. Since 50% of those officers are Shiites loyal to Hizballah or Amal, the Shiite terrorists are looking forward to gaining access for the first time to top-of-the-line Western anti-air missile technology. On Oct. 13, Lebanese chief of staff General Michel Suleiman informed his officers posted on the Lebanese-Israeli border of the Beirut government’s “indefatigable efforts” to obtain anti-air missiles to hit patrolling Israeli aircraft. He added that very soon, Lebanon would also acquire long-range anti-tank rockets to prevent Israeli tanks again crossing the border. Commanders of the French UNIFIL contingent have threatened to fire on Israeli warplanes in Lebanese skies, according to Israel defense minister Amir Peretz in a briefing to a Knesset panel Monday, Oct. 16. Israel has so far refrained from protesting to Rome against the Aster 15 sale - any more than it has to Washington, the UN Security Council or UNIFIL over illegal Hizballah movements and arms-smuggling. The Aster 15 is manufactured by France’s Aerospatiale and Thompson-CSF; its guidance system by the Alenia/Finmeccanica of Italy. Launched from seaborne or land bases, it is designed to hit “maneuverable targets” - aircraft, helicopters, drones or missiles. With a warhead of 3.20 kilos of explosives, the missile has a range of up to 30 km and a maximum speed of 3,600 kph. Aster 15’s two stages are a solid propellant booster and a “dart” equipped with a seeker, a sustainer motor, a proximity fuse and a blast fragmentation warhead. DEBKAfile’s political sources once again note the Olmert government’s virtual concealment of the impending threat, its blind eye to UNIFIL’s impotence and its failure to raise an outcry against the missile’s impending delivery to Beirut. Israel’s leaders are strongly motivated by their need to stick to the empty boast of military gains in the Lebanon War and the portrayal of the international force’s deployment in the South as a diplomatic triumph. In contrast, the teams investigating the IDF’s performance in the war are coming up daily with findings of gross mismanagement. The Israeli missile ship hit by an Iranian anti-ship C-208 cruise missile July 14 - for the loss of four men - was found in the latest report to have omitted to activate the ship’s four missile defense systems, including the Barak anti-missile missile. The ship sailed dangerously close to the Beirut coast with none of the 80 officers and crew manning lookout or attack positions. The panel concluded that there was nothng to stop Hizballah sinking the frigate by ramming it with an explosives-laden boat.

Meanwhile, France says UNIFIL will fire on Israeli planes: 'Commanders of the French contingent of the United Nations force in Lebanon have warned that they might have to open fire if Israel Air Force warplanes continue their overflights in Lebanon, Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday. Peretz said that nevertheless, Israel would continue to patrol the skies over Lebanon as long as United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 remained unfulfilled, adding that such operations were critical for the country's security, especially as the abducted IDF soldiers remain in Hezbollah custody and the transfer of arms continue.' (Debka, Ha'Aretz)

Russian foreign minister: Iran no threat. Ha'Aretz: 'Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said international action over Tehran's nuclear program must be in proportion to the real situation in Iran, which he added does not appear to include a threat to peace and security. "It is necessary to act on Iran but that action should be in direct proportion to what is really happening," the RIA news agency quoted Lavrov as saying. "And what is really happening is what the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] reports to us. And the IAEA is not reporting to us about the presence there of a threat to peace and security," said Lavrov.' (Ha'Aretz)

China won't search North Korean ships. Jerusalem Post: 'China is balking at stopping and searching North Korean ships for banned weapons and materials, creating tension with Washington over UN Security Council sanctions for the North's nuclear test. Beijing fears that such searches might trigger military clashes, and that the US may use them to police wider shipping, analysts said Tuesday. "If intelligence can prove the ships are loaded with dangerous material, I don't think Beijing would be opposed to stopping them," said Zhu Feng, a professor at Peking University's School of International Relations. "But we just worry that the United States will abuse its naval power."' (JPost)

Wretchard on Louise Arbour and the problem of evil. The Belmont Club: 'If the United Nations is benevolent then it cannot tolerate the existence of a Rwanda, Congo, North Korea or a Darfur. But if it attempts to stop these atrocities then inevitably it must inflict some collateral damage which will cause some people to die and that, according to [Arbour], is a War Crime. There is no way out of the paradox and the system is in logical self-contradiction.' (Belmont Club)

"Our cycle of warnings has been completed." Via Atlas Shrugs: '"I am saying that Muslims must leave America, but we can attack America anytime," he said. "Our cycle of warnings has been completed, now we have fresh edicts from some prominent Muslim scholars to destroy our enemy, this is our defending of Jihad; the enemy has entered in our homes and we have the right to enter in their homes, they are killing us, we will kill them." The article cites yet another threat 'warning all Muslims to leave the U.S. in anticipation of a major terrorist attack before the end of Ramadan.' The Jawa Report has the latest on nuclear terrorist Adnan Shukrijumah: 'The Taliban have issued another warning that Muslims should leave the U.S. immediately before a major attack is launched. The warning implies that the threat will be from a dirty bomb and that it will come before next Monday.' Read the rest at the link. See also previous Dreams Into Lightning roundup on Adnan Shukrijumah. (Atlas Shrugs, The Jawa Report)

Zoe: Wilful blindness. Zoe at A.E.Brain: 'veryone with two neurons to fire consecutively could predict what would happen - what has happened. If Mary Robinson, former head of the Human Rights Council's predecessor "hoped that the Human Rights Council would act in a human rights way" with the current batch of dictatorships and tyrannies that compose the majority of the commission, it can't be lack of intellect. It requires wilful blindness ...' Read the rest at the link. (A.E.Brain)

Commentary. Now, you might be reading this post and wondering: "Why did I get out of bed this morning?" Well, that makes two of us. But let's keep a couple of things in mind. The "Hiroshima" rhetoric around the "dirty bomb" threat is hyperbole - a dirty bomb, by definition, is a conventional explosive that's rigged to spew radioactive stuff. Very nasty, but no mushroom cloud.

I would not be surprised if terrorists attempt another mass-casualty attack on American soil in the near future. Maybe within the week. How successful it is, is another story. The other question is whether this is going to coincide with a hot war in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. No crystal ball here, but again, I wouldn't be surprised if there's coordination with Syria and Iran.

Need something to lift your spirits? Well, it seems there's been some self-reflection among the Hamas inteligentsia:

A senior figure in Hamas, the Islamist group that heads the Palestinian government, published an article on Tuesday condemning internal violence and questioning whether it had become a "Palestinian disease."

Where this epiphany will lead, it's hard to say. But Morning Report is reminded of these gentlemen.

Pro-Israel Muslim Editor Beaten, Denied Justice

Via IRIS:

A Muslim journalist facing charges of sedition for advocating ties with Israel was recently attacked and beaten by a crowd in Bangladesh that allegedly included leading officials of the country’s ruling party, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor of the Weekly Blitz newspaper, an English-language publication based in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, was working in his office on October 5 when nearly 40 people stormed the premises. The mob beat Choudhury, leaving him with a fractured ankle, and looted cash that was kept in the company safe. Choudhury was briefly hospitalized.

...

No arrests were made, and police refused to allow Choudhury to file charges against his attackers.

Reuters Cameraman Faces Trial

Arutz Sheva:

On Tuesday, a Reuters cameraman was remanded to prison until trial for his part in rock-throwing attacks on security forces in Bil'in, where the separation fence is a constant target of protesters.


The cameraman, Imad Muhammad Intisar Boghnat, was arrested and charged as a result of violent riots in the Arab village of Bil'in, in the Modi'in region, on October 6, 2006. A videotape that the prosecution presented to the judge shows Boghnat encouraging and directing rioters in Bil'in to throw large chunks of rock at Israeli vehicles in such a way as to cause maximum damage. The accused is heard shouting, "Throw, throw!" and later, "Throw towards the little window!" ...

Read the rest at the link.

Australia: Jew Beaten by Anti-Semitic Football Thugs

Arutz Sheva:

An Australian Jew was viciously beaten in front of his young children this week by a group of drunken Australian football players, according to a report by Australian news agencies. The attackers grabbed 33 year old Menachem Vorchheimer’s yarmulka and hat when he approached their minibus to find out the name of the team after the men hurled anti-Semitic remarks at him and his children.

Vorchheimer said the group of 20 men yelled epithets and “Go to the Nazis” before motioning as if they were shooting a machine gun at him and his terrified, crying 3 and 6 year old children before punching him in the face. Witnesses surrounded the bus and prevented it from making a getaway until the police arrived and apprehended the attackers.

Although Ocean Grove Football Club president Michael Vines apologized to the victim, the team’s coach, Matthew Sproule called the incident an “accident”.

Words fail me.

We're doomed.

Wretchard on the prevalence of ignorance.

Columbia and the Future of Education

Does the Columbia University fiasco portend a crisis in the future of American education? And if the traditional universities lose their credibility in teaching critical thinking - as the establishment media are losing their credibility in news reporting - how will that void be filled?

For readers who have been spending the last two weeks in a cave, let me recap the Columbia University debacle (with help from the indispensable Kesher Talk). Earlier this month, Columbia announced that two ex-terrorists and an ex-Nazi would be speaking on October 11; the ex-terrorist was none other than Walid Shoebat. But on the night of October 4, Jim Gilchrist, founder of the anti-illegal-immigration posse Minutemen, was mobbed by thugs while attempting to speak at Columbia (video at Little Green Footballs). Following that incident, the craven officials at Columbia un-invited many guests who had signed up to attend the Shoebat event. Needless to say, a lot of people were not pleased. Follow the links, or go to the KT homepage, for updates on that sorry tale.

How is it that our universities, which are supposed to encourage creative thinking and free debate, have turned into madrassas where students are to be indoctrinated rather than having their views intelligently challenged?

Here's the funny thing. I think the real center for meaningful discussion has shifted to the internet and the blogosphere. I know I've sharpened my critical thinking skills by reading the blogs and following the comment sections; it wouldn't surprise me if this is true of many other people as well. Just as internet journals have taken over much of the function of the MSM in news reporting and analysis, so too, perhaps, have they stepped in to fill the role that the universities have abdicated. If the universities want to remain relevant, they must pay attention to what is happening in the wired world.

Update

Posting has been light due to work pressures and a busy personal life, not to mention the Jewish holidays. I expect to get one or two opinion pieces up tomorrow, and hopefully resume Morning Report on a semi-regular basis.

A new episode of "The Queen's Courtesan" is up. The story to date is here: The Queen's Courtesan. The new episode is The Investigation.

I'm planning a trip to the East Coast around Thanksgiving time.

On Women Leaders

In a recent Morning Report, I cited a post by Tammy Bruce on the Foley scandal (and on men in power generally). Tammy wrote:

Here's one comment which will remind you of my Authentic Feminist foundation--while we all complain that politicians are politicians, here's one thing we can be sure of--with all the page scandals, the intern scandals, and girls who worked for politicians turning up dead (think Kennedy/Kopechne and Condit/Levy), none of the politicians involved have been women. A woman lawmaker has never been accused of sexually harassing an intern, or of making passes at a page, nor has a woman in office been linked to an office worker's death.

So perhaps it's not Washington, DC, power or politics that is the common thread here--maybe it's the sort of man [TB's emphasis] attracted to that environment. There are women serving on both sides of the aisle, and no matter what you think of Hillary Clinton, as an example, we can be pretty darn sure she's not chasing an intern of either sex around her office. The same can be said about Elizabeth Dole, and Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, or Barbara Mikulski. Because it's not about homosexuals, but about men, gay and straight, young and old, and what they do with power.

Is it possible to have the same peace of mind with men in Congress as we do with the women in Congress, at least when it comes to their personal deportment? Is that too much to ask? I certainly don't think so.

Let's admit it--women handle power differently. And as pundits on the left and the right point fingers and complain about who is more corrupt--perhaps it's time to see this as an opportunity to decide to really do things differently, and vote for women, for a real change.

In my Comments, Jeremayakovka expressed reservations about Tammy's post, and I agreed:

I think Tammy makes some great points but I think the issues need to be addressed more clearly. She weakens her argument by conflating two or three points which I believe are distinct from one another: (1) the assertion that women tend to have a different style of leadership from men, quite possibly true in itself; (2) the fact that men tend to display *certain forms* of sexual aggression that are less prevalent (though not necessarily absent) among women; and (3) the lack of (and continuing discrimination against) women in leadership roles.

Also it's important to remember that just as men and women tend to have different styles of leadership, so too do women and men have different ways of engaging in conflict and aggression. Phyllis Chesler wrote an excellent book on female/female conflict.

So, let me elaborate a little here. Individually, I believe Tammy's points are all valid, but I think it would be misleading to suggest that one should vote for women with the expectation that women will be better leaders. Of course, that's not what Tammy is saying; she says, "women handle power differently" (my emphasis), not necessarily "better". But it's not too much of a stretch to read her post and think, "I should vote for women because they will be less likely to harass their pages and will therefore be better leaders". Which of course is wrong thinking.

One of the assumptions of old-school feminism has been that if women leaders were given a fair chance, they would prove less aggressive, less violent, less susceptible to "testosterone poisoning", and generally better leaders than men. Now for all I know, this may very well be true! Given the continuing paucity of women leaders on the international scene, it is far too early to make any kind of empirical assessment.

But we should not predicate our support for women leaders on these assumptions, because they may prove to be false. To put it another way, it would be unfair to put women on any kind of a pedestal based on pre-conceived expectations. And even if a putative future generation of women world leaders did prove to be less predatory and warlike in the patriarchal fashion, might they not make up for it with other vices? Again, as Phyllis Chesler has so ably demonstrated, women are quite capable of their own forms of cruelty.

Do vote for women because women leaders bring many things - character traits, abilities, and experiences - to the political world that men lack. Do vote for women because women have had the deck stacked against them by a sexist, patriarchal society for generations.

Don't ever vote for a woman just because she's a woman, or because you think women can do no wrong.

Do vote for women because of what women can do.

Twin Cities: Muslim Taxi Drivers Refuse Transgender Riders

Fox 9 (via LGF):

By Tom Lyden
Web Produced by Michael Durkin

MINNEAPOLIS – In her bright pink hat, Paula Hare has found herself waiting on her stoop a lot lately, for taxi cabs that never come.

Not to avoid confusion, Paula even tells the taxi dispatcher she’s transgendred. But on three occasions when the taxi actually showed up, she says Muslim drivers have refused to give her a lift.

“This is more than just religion, it’s flat out discrimination,” hare said. “And we’ve got laws against that in this state.”

The city of Minneapolis says she’s right.

Of the nearly 2,000 taxis in the Twin Cities metro, estimates are as many as half the drivers are recent immigrants – many Muslim. ...

Read the rest at the link.

It's deep!

Iran: Deep disappointment!

The United States and five other world powers failed to agree Friday on decisive action against Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, issuing a statement that merely expressed "deep disappointment" for Iran's failure to comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was late to the meeting because of problems with her plane. She had to be helicoptered from the airport in London to the meeting and managed to attend only the end of the session. Afterward, British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett read a statement expressing "deep disappointment" by the council members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. ...

Norks: Deep testing.

The president of South Korea reportedly ordered his government to send a "grave warning" to North Korea about the consequences of a nuclear test, and Russia said it was trying to dissuade Pyongyang from conducting it.

Amid the rising tensions, Ja pan's Kyodo News agency said a U.S. military plane capable of de tecting radiation took off from southern Japan, believed to be part of U.S. efforts to monitor for signs of a North Korean test.

North Korea threatened Tues day to conduct a nuclear test to prove it is a nuclear power. Pyong yang claims it has nuclear weapons and needs them to deter a U.S. at tack, but hasn't performed any known test to verify that. ...

Hastert: Deep doo-doo.

Republican leaders, closing ranks around House Speaker Dennis Hastert, have settled on a strategy of trying to move quickly beyond the congressional page scandal and turn the political conversation to such issues as terrorism, tax cuts and a growing economy in the final four weeks before Election Day.

They face a tough challenge, as polls show a growing number of Americans inclined to vote Democratic on Nov. 7 and most people surveyed this week suspecting a "cover-up" in the House's handling of the controversy involving lewd electronic messages sent by former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., to underage pages.

But with an explosive story erupting a month before an election in which control of Congress is at stake, Republicans have few options. ...

Afternoon Roundup

CTB: Tamil Tigers smuggling ring butsted.

Last week the U.S. Attorney for Baltimore announced that two complaints and an indictment were unsealed charging six people with conspiring to purchase weapons for the LTTE. The lead agency in the operation was Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is the second major bust of a Tiger arms purchasing network in the U.S. in two months. Like the previous operation these arrests were the culmination of an impressive operation. The arms purchasers were allowed to sample the merchandise at an arms range in Havre de Grace (a small town not far from Baltimore - or, interestingly, Aberdeen Proving Grounds.) Some of the arrests were actually made in Guam.

On the U.S. side, clearly more resources have been devoted to breaking up LTTE arms buying networks. This is an important development if the terrible civil war that has tormented Sri Lanka for over a quarter century is ever to end. The LTTE is an effective terrorist organization that has carried out over 200 suicide bombings and has also held its own in direct fighting with both the Sri Lankan and Indian militaries.

When interviewed about the previous bust, I stated that the LTTE is capable of hitting the U.S. However, they have historically avoided hitting U.S. targets or even American advisors to Sri Lankan forces to avoid American animus.

One of the key items sought by both LTTE arms-purchasing rings were anti-air missiles (SAMs), indicating that Sri Lankan airpower is a major concern for the Tigers. ...

Gay Patriot on Mary Cheney and "The List".

Despite the failure of this tactic two years ago, leftists are trying to make it work this year, only instead of bringing up the sexuality of a candidate’s child, they’re threatening to “out” gay staffers to prominent Republicans. As Bruce reported earlier today, various gay leftists have been sending copies of the “List” (of gay staffers to leading Republicans) to a variety of social conservative organizations, political allies of the GOP who have a less-than-favorable opinion of homosexuality.

It seems clear they’re doing this to weaken the support of those organizations for the GOP as the mid-term elections approach. If these groups show less enthusiam, Republicans won’t generate the turnout they need in order to hold onto Congress.

Without any concern for the lives of these gay men and women — or even any knowledge of whether these staffers have attempted to lobby their bosses to change their stands on gay issues — gay activists are doing something they believe will hurt the party they love to hate — and so help the real object of their efforts, electing more Democrats. ...

ThreatsWatch: Russia and China in Lebanon.

Russia has airlifted an entire Engineer Battalion into southern Lebanon to function in conjunction with UNIFIL’s mission there under Security Council Resolution 1701. China has 182 PLA soldiers under UNIFIL inside southern Lebanon and has pledged that over 1,000 troops will arrive soon. The two members of the Iranian protectorate in the ongoing Iranian nuclear crisis are uniquely involved in the international efforts in southern Lebanon following the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-sponsored terrorist group Hizballah.

Both China and Russia are actively seeking more active roles in Middle Eastern affairs and are tangibly invested in the Iranian regime; cash-starved Russia principally through the building of the Iranian nuclear facilities and military equipment sales, and energy-hungry China increasingly as an oil-trading partner. ...

Prague Synagogue Massacre Plot

Terrorists reportedly planned to kill large numbers of Jews at a synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic. Details are still sketchy. Here is what I've found so far:
Arutz Sheva:

11:11 Oct 06, '06 / 14 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) According to a report appearing in the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes on Friday, Islamic terrorists in Prague planned to abduct tens of Jews and then execute them.

According to the newspaper, the leading paper in Czech Republic, the terrorists planned to kidnap the victims, hold them hostage in a synagogue and make outrageous demands that would not be met. The hostages would then be killed.

Quoting unnamed intelligence community sources, the report indicated the terror plot was foiled.

Czech Chief Rabbi Ephraim Sidon stated the terrorists planned to strike Central Prague’s Jerusalem Synagogue, not the Jewish Quarter, a popular spot for tourists.

Debka:

Arab terrorists planned mass murder of Jews in a Prague synagogue after taking them hostage, according to Czech intelligence. This plot, according to the Prague Daily Monitor, triggered the special security measures announced in the Czech capital for the first time two weeks ago. According to the sketchy information released, unidentified “Arab extremists” planned to penetrate a synagogue during a Jewish holiday, pose unspecified conditions that would not be fulfilled and then blow up the synagogue with explosives they would have had ready for use. They intended killing scores of Jewish worshippers inside. On Sept 23, the Czech government deployed armed guards around dozens of buildings and on the streets of the capital after security services announced an unspecified attack was imminent. They have not divulged any further information. The country’s once flourishing Jewish community was decimated by the Nazis during World War II.

More on this as it develops.