Wednesday Crap

America,... Terrorism won't scare us. [Balkinization]

I guess if you're running for office in the the US you now need an Israeli flag in your office. [Brooklyn Politics Blog]

Americans are a hard group to please. below from [Residents grade their states]

tnb

Norwegian Terrorist

Blame the Muslims [The Washington Post Owes The World an Apology for this]
Other links: [WP] and [Weekly Standard]

[One of the arguments?]

"Moreover, there is a specific jihadist connection here: "Just nine days ago, Norwegian authorities filed charges against Mullah Krekar, an infamous al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist who, with help from Osama bin Laden, founded Ansar al Islam - a branch of al Qaeda in northern Iraq - in late 2001."

By that logic we could also blame Israel or the US because just three days earlier Norway backed the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN which both the US and Israel are against. [Norway backs Palestinian bid]

And just a day or two earlier the camp where the kids were killed had this picture taken. [Article with picture here.]

More stuff on the attack from around the web.

[Glenn Greenwald on the media reaction to Norway's Terrorist] shorter version. In US media eyes, "It ain't terrorism if it wasn't done by a Muslim".

How the "It was Islamic terrorism" story was started and spread. [How a clueless "terrorism expert" set media suspicion on Muslims after Oslo horror by Benjamin Doherty]

from Haaretz,.. terrorism is in the eye of the beholder. [Iranian Nuclear Scientist shot dead in front of his home. Iran calls it "Israeli-US Terrorism"]

and,.. the Norwegian guy was a religious nut. Pharyngula - Deranged Mind

tnb

The Norwegian Terrorist

Although various right-wingers want to believe a Muslim group was behind the events in Norway, [The Sun] [Michelle Malkin], the attacker appears to be very Pro-Israel and Anti-Muslim.

There's a good discussion here. [Mondoweiss - Norway]

Apparently, a very Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian group of Labor party youth were at the camp and had been in the news just a few days before. Check out the picture taken at the camp a few days before the attack. Norway had also made comments recently suggesting it supported a Palestinian state. [The Right perspective] [Norway backs Palestinian bid][Article with picture here.]

I'm sure the US media will be sure to report all of this to the American public.

tnb

Muslim Brotherhood

This will make the Propaganda Network's talking-heads explode.

Obama administration to open direct contacts with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

More about the them here. [Muslim Brotherhood]

tnb

Terrorism

Planting one bomb in a public place is terrorism but sewing the land with millions of them isn't? How can this be?

[Million Bombs] [Cluster Bombs] [Lebanon] [BBC on Cluster Bombs] [Al Jazeera on Cluster Bombs]

tnb

Terrorism

The Rude Pundit on Terrorism.

The Rude Pundit

"The thing about terrorists is that there's ones you support and there's ones you don't."

Also, see: [Terrorists] and [Terrorists ?]

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. I guess those in power get to pick which definition to use.

tnb

Palling around with Terrorists

Apparently some of our leader/elites have been seen palling around with known terrorist groups.

Here's the current news item.

Ex-Officials Say They Were Paid To Attend Pro-MEK Events | TPMMuckraker

Here are a few others other links about this.

[Link1] [Link2] [Link3]

It's a good thing they're rich and powerful, otherwise they might be prosecuted for providing support to this group (see link below)

A federal judge in Brooklyn has upheld a terrorism prosecution against a U.S. citizen working for a group violently opposed to the Iranian government.

tnb

US Pols supporting Terrorist group?

Big Time Dems Join GOPers In Support Of Iranian Terror Group | TPMMuckraker

More US politicians supporting the MEK.

First noted at TNB here: us-citizens-support-terrorist-group

The MEK are an Iranian terrorist group that were supplied and financed by Saddam Hussein to fight Iran. This US list of terrorist organizations decribes the group.

According to evidence which became available after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the MEK received millions of dollars in Oil-for-Food program subsidies from Saddam Hussein from 1999 through 2003, which supported planning and executing future terrorist attacks. In addition to discovering 13 lists of recipients of such vouchers on which the MEK appeared, evidence linking the MEK to the former Iraqi regime includes lists, as well as video footage of Saddam Hussein handing over suitcases of money to known MEK leaders, and video of MEK operatives receiving training from the Iraqi military.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

tnb

US Citizens support Terrorist Group?

Thanks to Glenn Greenwald for putting this together [Link - GG].

The key points follow.

According to this article, [Washington Post - Link], four US elites met with the MEK a terrorist organization last month.

The Americans - former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former secretary of homeland security Tom Ridge, former White House homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend and former attorney general Michael Mukasey - demanded that Obama instead take the controversial Mujaheddin-e Khalq (MEK) opposition group off the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations and incorporate it into efforts to overturn the mullah-led government in Tehran.

The MEK are an Iranian terrorist group that were supplied and financed by Saddam Hussein to fight Iran. This US list of terrorist organizations decribes the group.[US State Dept -Link]

According to evidence which became available after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the MEK received millions of dollars in Oil-for-Food program subsidies from Saddam Hussein from 1999 through 2003, which supported planning and executing future terrorist attacks. In addition to discovering 13 lists of recipients of such vouchers on which the MEK appeared, evidence linking the MEK to the former Iraqi regime includes lists, as well as video footage of Saddam Hussein handing over suitcases of money to known MEK leaders, and video of MEK operatives receiving training from the Iraqi military.

Fran Townsend, one of the four US elites meeting with the group, once argued that even voicing support for a terrorist organization was the equivalent of providing material support for a foreign terrorist organization and thus a crime under the Patroit act. [link - CNN Wolf Blitzer]

This is great....

An American citizen, Fran Townsend, who believes that voicing support for terrorists is a crime, meets with and voices support for terrorists.

The Bush administration, which had used "supporting terrorism" as one of the excuses to take out Saddam, now has its administration members supporting a terrorist group that Saddam supported.

While,... another American citizen was convicted of supporting terrorism for very similar actions with the same group.

This shows one of the problems with the "war on Terrorism". Much like in Orwell's 1984, the enemy can be changed at will. When Saddam was our number one enemy, MEK was a terrorist group. Now that Iran is our enemy, the MEK are goods guys.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

tnb

Middle East Reality

From Juan Cole

Abbas: Israel has Abrogated the Peace Process | Informed Comment

Fanatics like Lieberman have taken over Israel and they have no future in a Muslim Middle East that is now growing faster than Israel economically and which is likely to become more and more militarily and scientifically sophisticated. As Obama’s initiative for a two-state solution is thwarted by the Liebermans and Netanyahus, their actions guarantee that Israel’s future in coming decades is bleak. Unfortunately, the attendant trouble generated by that bleakness is likely to fall on the heads of all our children.

Israeli Cabinet approves loyalty oath for new citizens

This CNN article misleads on leaves out an important part of the law. Israeli Cabinet approves loyalty oath for new citizens - CNN.com

Seen here in the Haartz article: cabinet-approves-loyalty-oath

...which would require every non-Jew wishing to become a citizen of Israel would have to vow loyalty to "the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."

So it applies to only the "non-Jewish". My guess is most in the US would think this is not really fair to the 1.5 million Arabs living there,.. so CNN chooses not to bring the suject up. Nice job CNN.

UPDATE: More on this from Jaun Cole: israel-declares-for-ethnic-nationalism

UPDATE II: From No MOre Mister Nice Blog: loyalty-oaf

On Global Terror

All you "We Stand with Israel" yard sign owners,..... please ignore the evidence and repeat.. "They hate us for our freedoms" like George Bush and your preacher tell you.

Bill spills the beans– linkage of global terror and Palestinian issue

Also, check out this map: West Bank Map.

The green line outlines the West Bank which is Palestinian land. The blue shapes are Israeli settlements. Please note that they are on Palestinian land.

I would guess that if the Canadian Government sent their army to take your Indiana farm, that your grandparents settled, so the Canadians could build a settlement, you might do something that could get yourself qualified as a terrorist.

War on Terror logic

As we escalate the war on Pakistan, a reminder from Glenn Greenwald on creating terrorists. This, in the update, seems fitting.

Here's a reminder of what a 2004 Task Force convened by Donald Rumsfeld said about the actual causes of Terrorism and, specifically, the effects on Terrorism from our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The whole Report is worth reviewing, but among the highlights: (a) the "underlying sources of threats to America's national security" are grounded in "negative attitudes" towards the U.S. in the Muslim world and "the conditions that create them"; (b) what what most exacerbates anti-American sentiment, and therefore the threat of Terrorism, is "American direct intervention in the Muslim world" -- through our "one sided support in favor of Israel"; support for Islamic tyrannies in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and, most of all, "the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan"; and (c) "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies."

War on Terror logic - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

Your Tax Dollars at Work

How fucked up is this...

The US is "selling" Israel F35 fighter jets at a cost of 2.5 billion to the US taxpayer. Israel is bitching about the deal due the costs, because we won't sell them as many as they want, and we won't let them modify the planes. BUT,... they're not even really paying for them as the entire cost will be funded by the US military.

Israel-decides-to-buy-f-35-fighter-jets-despite-row-over-cost-of-deal

...despite opposition from a number of senior defense officials over the high cost of the deal.

The Israel Air Force, however, will have to make do with considerably fewer planes than the 75 originally sought.

Negotiations dragged on for more than two years amid several disagreements; many revolved around the IAF's demands that Israeli-made systems be installed for specialties such as electronic warfare and communications. Israel also wanted to expand the plane's capacity to allow it to carry Israeli-made missiles.

The Israel Air Force, however, will have to make do with considerably fewer planes than the 75 originally sought. The entire deal will be funded by American military."

I wonder how the Muslim world will feel when these American made planes kill their people?

In any case, the F-35 will give the IAF outstanding radar-dodging capabilities that allow preemptive strikes against enemy states with advanced air defense technologies

"They hate us for our freedoms"

yeah, right..

Terrorism

------------
ter·ror·ism>   [ter-uh-riz-uhm] – noun

1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.
2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.
3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.

Terrorism - Definition
------------

• Burning a Mosque because you're mad at Muslims is terrorism.
• Shooting up an Army base because you're pissed at US government actions against Muslims is terrorism.
• Killing an abortion doctor because you're against abortion is terrorism.
• Burning down new construction because you don't like its effects on the environment is terrorism.

Let's call this shit what it is.

Christian Terrorist?

I wouldn't be surprised that by the end of 2010 there will have been more acts of terrorism against Muslims than by Muslims.

Fire at Tenn. Mosque Building Site Ruled Arson - CBS News

America, we used to be the good guys.

Planting the Seeds

Growing future terrorists aljazeera.net

On both sides really. We're pissing off Muslims around the world but also teaching a whole generation US kids that its OK to hate Muslims.

What will happen first? A Muslim attack on the US or an attack on Muslim property here in the US by a Christian militant?

Religion sure causes a lot of problems.

Terrorist or Not ?

Who said this? From the Terrorism quiz found here at Informed Comment

“To watch the courageous Afghan freedom fighters battle modern arsenals with simple hand-held weapons is an inspiration to those who love freedom.”

It was the great Ronald Reagan: President of the United States, 1981-1989.

"One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist."

I said that...

Why they hate us

George Bush said they hate us for our freedoms. I think this sort of thing has a lot more to do with it.

The Bombings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

And then there's our constant support of this type of behavior.

Bedouin village

If you treat people like shit, take their land, destroy their way of life, invade their countries, drop bombs on them, support evil, oppressive regimes, etc.. The people are not going to like you all that much.

The False Religion of Mideast Peace

Here's a pretty pretty good read on middle east peace.

The False Religion of Mideast Peace: And Why I'm No Longer a Believer - By Aaron David Miller | Foreign Policy

Personally, I think the best peace plan is for the US to just get out of the process, tell'em all "we're done, you guys work it out", bring the troops home, stop all aid to the region, apologize for destroying their countries and mucking things up, then focus on our own problems.