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.

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.

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. ...

Morning Report: October 6, 2006

New battle fronts. Reports of a planned synagogue massacre in Europe, while a South Asian president feels the heat. Our friend in Baghdad wonders where America's will has gone.

Debka: Pogrom plot uncovered in Prague. Debka reports: '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.' (Debka)

ITM: America's sin. Mohammed at Iraq the Model critiques American foreign policy:

Perhaps America's biggest mistake was the hesitation in keeping up the strategy of preemptive war.

Yes, America used that strategy in Iraq but failed to go on, and instead of chasing terrorists, America stopped at Iraq and sat waiting for terrorists to come in.

Keeping a large number of troops in Iraq and hoping they could root out terrorists can only be described as a bad plan. It really wouldn't matter much if we had 50 thousand in stead of 150 thousand troops in Iraq and in fact what really matters is the distribution of these troops. If we look back at the record of the war since April 2003 we'll see that adding more troops on the ground resulted only in making the enemy call for more reinforcements and the war kept getting more violent. In other words, how much troops we have is not the question, where we put the troops is.

The huge mass of military power looks dull here and there's no meaningful objective for its presence but to protect the political structure of post-Saddam Iraq and this can be done with much less troops than there is now in Iraq. It is unfair to leave this highly-trained, heavily-equipped mighty forces to fight a guerilla war against gangs and faceless insurgents and militias armed with old rifles and rusty mortars. All the sophisticated warplanes, tanks and big organized units will have not have a chance to make the desired impact on the ground or meet the goals such units are built to achieve, which means smaller, more agile units backed by strong intelligence-gathering capabilities can replace the bigger units when the latter can move on to engage bigger targets elsewhere.

The insurgents, terrorists and militias operating in Iraq depend on foreign support for money, training, technology and in some cases men. Moreover the influence of foreign interference is clear even in the political arena in Iraq through the numerous political crises the country had faced.
Thus, this war will not see an end unless America revives the preemptive war strategy and start chasing the enemies and striking their bases in the region, especially in Syria and Iran.

Read the whole thing at the link. (ITM)

Rice to meet Iraqi Kurdish leaders. Reuters: 'U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will urge Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Friday to work with Sunnis and Shi'ites, particularly on the controversial issue of managing Iraq's vast oil wealth. Rice, on a visit to Iraq, pressed Iraqi leaders on Thursday to end their "political inaction" and put aside their differences to rein in sectarian violence that threatens to tear the country apart. Witnesses said Rice, who arrived in the autonomous region of Kurdistan on Friday, was meeting Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish region.' AFP: 'US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has met the leaders of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, urging them to cooperate with Iraqi Arabs in building a peaceful and unified country. Grateful for US support in throwing off the yoke of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Kurds have put their long-cherished dreams of independence on hold while the Baghdad government struggles to rebuild the war torn country. But separatist tensions are never far from the surface, and fierce rows have recently erupted over the banning of Iraq's national flag in the north and the Kurdish government's determination to develop its own oil industry.' (Reuters, AFP)

Pakistan: Nothing to see here, move along. ThreatsWatch: 'With today’s discovery of two rockets outside the Pakistani parliament aimed at both the Parliament building and Musharraf’s residence, it is much more difficult to believe Pakistan’s quick claims yesterday that an explosion yesterday in a park near Musharraf’s home had nothing to do with the Pakistani president. Yesterday’s blast seemed unusual in that there appeared no clear target, initially interpreted here as likely an accidental detonation with more sinister intent, especially when unexploded ordnance was found nearby as well. But with today’s find of rockets un-launched but aimed at the parliament and Musharraf’s home, the explosion surely was not accidental. Together they should be seen as a message to Musharraf by al-Qaeda and like-minded Pakistani terrorists: “We can reach you. You are not safe.” Considering that the Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance is currently trying to wrest the whole of the North West Frontier Province from Musharraf and the Pakistani government just as it did in both North and South Waziristan, the message is likely intended to twist Pakistani arms to hand over more territory to the terrorists. ...' Map at the link. (ThreatsWatch)

Saudi link in US embassy plot? Arutz Sheva: 'It has been learned that last month’s terror attack against the US embassy in Damascus was planned in Saudi Arabia, carried out by four Syrian nationals. While it was first reported they were linked to al-Qaeda, investigators now state this is not true, stating a local Saudi religious figure influenced the terrorists to carry out the attack.' (A7)

Muslim-French civil war? Sandmonkey thinks so. 'It seems that France is paying for its colonial sins by the truckload. Or the dozen. Dozen of police Officers a day that is. ...' Read the whold story at the link. (Sandmonkey)

Merideth Howard remembered. Mister Ghost at Little Green Colloquium has a tribute to 52-year-old SFC Merideth Howard, United States Army. Meredith Howard was the oldest US servicewoman to give her life in combat. Go to the link for lots of information about the life of this amazing woman, including an exclusive interview with her friend Rebekah Bridges-Tervydis, and a selection of "Merideth Howard in her own words". (LGC)

Iran: Time for sanctions? ThreatsWatch: 'US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Iran is simply employing another “stalling technique” with its latest offer for a French consortium overseeing Iranian uranium enrichment and that Iran is clearly not going to halt enrichment in any case. Dr. Rice said that it is therefore time for the Security Council to take up Chapter Seven sanctions against Iran. Addressing the issue during her Middle East tour, Rice said, “I think we have come to a time when the Iranians have to make their choice, and the international system has to act accordingly.” It has been over one month since the Security Council’s August 31 enrichment cessation deadline has passed.' (ThreatsWatch)

Transatlantic passenger data accord reached. Stratfor (subscription service): 'The European Union and the United States have agreed on a preliminary accord over new rules to transfer personal data on trans-Atlantic air passengers to U.S authorities, an EU official said Oct. 6. The accord will allow U.S. law enforcement agencies easier access to credit card information, addresses and other personal data as part of the fight against terrorism. EU justice ministers, who must formally approve the accord, were scheduled to meet later Oct. 6.' (Stratfor)

Morning Report applauds. Gay Patriot declares a Foley-free zone. (Gay Patriot)

Commentary. The price of America's indecision has been high, allowing our terrorist enemies to gain ground in places like Waziristan. But our side is gaining ground, I think, on the mental battlefield. The recent incident at Columbia University and the tiresome antics of the leftists are not likely to gain much sympathy for the anti-America, anti-Bush cause.

The breaking report of a plan to massacre Jews in Prague ought to set off more alarm signals in the West. Will it? How many more innocent lives have to be lost before we wake up and do what must be done?

ITM: America's Sin

Mohammed at Iraq the Model has posted his critique of American policy:
America's sin - hesitation.

Perhaps America's biggest mistake was the hesitation in keeping up the strategy of preemptive war.

Yes, America used that strategy in Iraq but failed to go on, and instead of chasing terrorists, America stopped at Iraq and sat waiting for terrorists to come in.

Keeping a large number of troops in Iraq and hoping they could root out terrorists can only be described as a bad plan. It really wouldn't matter much if we had 50 thousand in stead of 150 thousand troops in Iraq and in fact what really matters is the distribution of these troops. If we look back at the record of the war since April 2003 we'll see that adding more troops on the ground resulted only in making the enemy call for more reinforcements and the war kept getting more violent. In other words, how much troops we have is not the question, where we put the troops is.

The huge mass of military power looks dull here and there's no meaningful objective for its presence but to protect the political structure of post-Saddam Iraq and this can be done with much less troops than there is now in Iraq.
It is unfair to leave this highly-trained, heavily-equipped mighty forces to fight a guerilla war against gangs and faceless insurgents and militias armed with old rifles and rusty mortars. All the sophisticated warplanes, tanks and big organized units will have not have a chance to make the desired impact on the ground or meet the goals such units are built to achieve, which means smaller, more agile units backed by strong intelligence-gathering capabilities can replace the bigger units when the latter can move on to engage bigger targets elsewhere.

The insurgents, terrorists and militias operating in Iraq depend on foreign support for money, training, technology and in some cases men. Moreover the influence of foreign interference is clear even in the political arena in Iraq through the numerous political crises the country had faced. Thus, this war will not see an end unless America revives the preemptive war strategy and start chasing the enemies and striking their bases in the region, especially in Syria and Iran.

Read the whole thing at the link.

And while we're on the subject, pay a visit to the new Regime Change Iran.

Tags:
Iraq
Iran
Syria

Foley

I've been watching the Foley scandal but haven't posted on it yet. And right now I think the best thing I can do is send you to Gateway Pundit's comprehensive roundup on the Representative Mark Foley affair.

Feminist Nancy Kobrin's Book Blocked by Islamic Fascists

The Jawa Report:

Rioting and threats of violence from Muslim extremists have apparently triumphed once again over the First Amendment.

According to psychoanalyst Dr. Nancy Kobrin and noted feminist Phyllis Chesler, who wrote the introduction, Kobrin's new book, "The Sheikh's New Cloth: The Naked Truth about Islamic Suicide Terrorism", was to be published in November by Looseleaf Law Publications, Inc., but Dr. Kobrin's contract was suddenly cancelled over concerns for their staff's safety.

Ms. Chesler writes:

...in the wake of the Pope's mistreatment, they would not be able to provide security for their staff people were her book to inflame the "Muslim street." Dr. Kobrin's book discusses, in depth, the normalization of cruelty and child abuse, including pederasty and daughter-abuse that is pandemic in the Arab Muslim world and how such shame and honor childrearing practices renders adults vulnerable to death-cult temptations and brainwashing. She focuses on the degradation of women in the Islamic world and how that is a crucial factor in suicide terrorism.

Bluto adds that 'Looseleaflaw is a small publisher and can hardly be blamed for getting cold feet' and I quite agree. Full post at the link. This is appalling, sad, and tragically ironic in light of some of my liberal friends' ravings about the supposedly imminent "brown shirts and book burnings" resulting from the new anti-terrorism bill.

Media Ignores Pro-Israel Rally at the UN

Thousands of people showed up at the United Nations colony in New York to protest uber-fascist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and to support Israel.

Good Lieutenant:

The small 2000-person anti-war anti-Bush morons got the news coverage, but as usual, they're not the story.

Atlas has lots more, with pictures.

Tens of thousands of freedom loving people showed up from all over the country.

It was gorgeous. They came in droves to protest holocaust denier, nuked up Ahmadinejad's outrageous appearance at the UN.

They're saying 35,000 to 40,000 people were there.

JTA:

Jewish groups and others came out en masse Wednesday to protest against Ahmadinejad in a rally organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and other groups.

Some 35,000 people rallied across from the United Nations to protest Ahmadinejad’s presence at the world body. The crowd also wanted to show solidarity for Israel and implore the United Nations to enforce Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended Israel’s war this summer with Hezbollah and calls for the release of three Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas and Hezbollah.

Go read Cobb.

Just do it. I'm too tired and preoccupied with petty worries to write anything tonight, so I'll just direct your attention to this fiercely intelligent and underappreciated blogger. Here's a post on the Pope's speech, explaining that to act against reason is to act against the nature of G-d. (I dealt with a similar theme recently, but Cobb's summary of Pope Benedict and Father John Neuhaus puts it in the perspective both of Christianity and of current events.) And there's his post on the history of marching, and of the black church in America - its achievements and its limitations. And as much as he admires the Pope, he's not keen on the idea that it's America's job to defend everything the Pope says.

Don't forget to bookmark Cobb on your browser.

Milestones

Dreams Into Lightning began publishing on Blogger in April 2004 and on TypePad in April 2006.

On September 11, 2006, a reader in Los Angeles, running Firefox on a Linux system and apparently looking for an e-book download of "Redemption Ark" by Alastair Reynolds, became the 50,000th visitor to DiL on Blogger according to SiteMeter.

Also on September 11, a reader in Tucson, running Internet Explorer on Windows XP and looking for information on Ghazal Omid, became visitor number 6,000 to DiL on TypePad and spent almost 12 minutes perusing the site.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to visit.