The Australian: Secrets of a terror turncoat [July 17, 2004]

Speaking of Which:

As for the chances of turning terrorists, The Australian has an interview for you to read.

UK forms special unit to fight Al Qaeda

Intel Reform:

The British are ahead of us, as usual.

A new special forces regiment is being formed in Britain to effectively tackle terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, a report said today.

The Reconnaissance and Surveillance Regiment will work closely with the Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Boat Service. Its mission will be to penetrate groups, either directly or by "turning" terrorists into double agents....

It will be given the authority to operate around the world, working closely with friendly intelligence agencies such as the US intelligence agency CIA and Israel's Mossad, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

lgf: lost and found

Daily KOS:

Charles at LGF wants to remind us just who Zuniga of the Daily KOS is, and what he's done. Charles is interested, because the DNC has given Zuniga credentials at its convention.

I haven't forgotten. Nor shall I soon.

Instapundit.com

InstaPundit & the 9/11 Commission:

The Sage reports that the 9/11 commission has been repeating the words of bloggers.

We are facing, the report notes, a loose confederation of people who believe in a perverted stream of Islam that stretches from Ibn Taimaya to Sayyid Qutb.... We also need to mount our own ideological counteroffensive.

He's right.

Well, as to that: Here's mine, current as of 25 March 2003. It speaks to Qutb, but also to Socrates, Alcuin, Ingeld and Christ. I'll stand by it, a year and more on. Who else has something?

The "Kosher Nostra Scam" on the American Consumer

"The Kosher Nostra"

I must admit that, in my humble opinion, this is the best Zionist Conspiracy Theory yet. Did you know that major food companies pay "protection" money to a Rabbinical council? Well, they don't -- but the Voice of Aztlan makes a convincing case that they are idiots who don't understand a thing about consumer marketing.

:: Digital Marine ::

Campaign Slogans:

Devil Dog Digital Marine has a suggestion for the Kerry/Edwards campaign. A warning to my lady readers: the language is just what you'd expect from an opinionated Marine.

Google Search: "suicide bomb" -israel

The Death of the Suicide Bomber?

While reading up on the explosion in the hostage taking industry (The Belmont Club is the leader in thinking about this topic), a thought struck me. When was the last major suicide bombing, excepting Israel? A GoogleNews Search on the topic produces a lot of commentary, but few recent news stories.

The suicide bomber was always primarily a psychological weapon. Even in Israel, where they have been fielded most heavily and for a protracted period, the damage they have been able to do to the economy has been minimal. They have been more successful at attacking society -- people become less ready to go to pizzarias or cafes, or to ride buses. But even in that regard, the tactic has failed to either destroy the Israeli ability to function socially or to undermine Israel as a political entity. Indeed, it hasn't even been a success at making them unhappy:

A recent survey of 7000 Israelis showed that Israelis are among the happiest people in the world, despite terror, constant stress, the current impasse, the economic crisis, and the many frustrations of Israeli life. That's right, 83% of Israelis say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their lives. Moreover, 53% expect things to get better in the coming years, and only 14% of them expect things to worsen. According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, this makes Israelis among the happiest people in the world. For instance, Canada, with a much higher standard of living, and no sign of terror and the other stresses of Israeli life, only scores marginally better, with 85% of people satisfied or very satisfied.

Veteran Israeli writer Hillel Halkin speculates that it all comes down to human relations, and especially the strong families that are a hallmark of Jewish culture, combined with the smallness of Israel, where everyone is a bit like a family. He reports that 99% of Israelis have families, 98.5 % of them are in regular contact with them, and 94% say their relations with their families are good.

The kidnappings we've seen lately, attended by filmed beheadings or other mutilation, have a similar psychological effect to the suicide bomb. But they are also more efficient: you don't need to sacrifice a mufsidoon to carry it out. You also don't leave as much evidence behind that can lead to reprisal raids -- just a body that you can dispose of, rather than an obvious crime scene loaded with bomb parts and other trackable items.

It may be too much to hope that the suicide bomber has outlived his usefulness. It could be that the remaining suicide-squads are biding their time for something big, round about November. Or, it could be that we simply have hit a lull in the recruiting cycle. It takes time to train someone to go blow themselves to pieces, and stores of suckers may be low just now. Only time will tell if the tactic is really on its way out. Still, there is reason to wonder if the mufsidoon have had to switch their signature tactic from "matyrdom" to kidnapping -- and if so, to wonder what it means.

Instapundit.com

Airbrushed:

I see that the Kerry campaign is taking steps to pretend that they have no idea who Joe Wilson might be. Odd given the top billing that Wilson used to get, and the fact that his website used to be not only linked to, but funded by, Kerry's campaign. No longer.

But I hear Wilso is still "respected." It's just that no one with anything to lose wants to be associated with him, or his story.

Hat tip to The Sage.

The Hudson Review | Bruce Bawer

"Hating America"

There is a long piece in The Hudson Review by Bruce Bawer. He's an American who moved to Europe, where he decided that Europe was the real font of civilization:

Living in turn in the Netherlands, where kids come out of high school able to speak four languages, where gay marriage is a non-issue, and where book-buying levels are the world’s highest, and in Norway, where a staggering percentage of people read three newspapers a day and where respect for learning is reflected even in Oslo place names ("Professor Aschehoug Square"; "Professor Birkeland Road"), I was tempted at one point to write a book lamenting Americans' anti-intellectualism -- their indifference to foreign languages, ignorance of history, indifference to academic achievement, susceptibility to vulgar religion and trash TV, and so forth. On point after point, I would argue, Europe had us beat.

The next several pages are devoted to explaining how he recovered his love of his native country, and what he's come to believe about Europe. Following that, he talks about the post-9/11 world.

Over time, then, these things came into focus for me. Then came September 11. Briefly, Western European hostility toward the U.S. yielded to sincere, if shallow, solidarity ("We are all Americans"). But the enmity soon re-established itself (a fact confirmed for me daily on the websites of the many Western European newspapers I had begun reading online). With the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, it intensified. Yet the endlessly reiterated claim that George W. Bush "squandered" Western Europe's post-9/11 sympathy is nonsense. The sympathy was a blip; the anti-Americanism is chronic.

The piece goes on to look at a number of recent books written on the topic of US-European relations, and to give some thoughtful opinions on the subject. It is quite long, but I recommend it to anyone who wishes to spend a little while reading a reasoned and interesting article.

Backcountry Conservative: Sailors on the Ground in Iraq

Squids in the Sandbox:

Thanks to Backcountry Conservative for this link on our sailor brothers in country.

Sgt Hook - This We'll Defend � Castaway Conner

Castaway Conner:

Sgt Hook, the Hall waits on your word. All the best.

UPDATE: Hook reports. Good luck to wee Castaway, who we hope will be just fine.

Welcome to Castle Argghhh! The Home Of One Of Jonah's Military Guys.

Ghouls:

Sadly, this story is not surprising. My father, once a captain in the Volunteer Fire Department, used to go and sit houses during the funerals of fallen brethren, both police and firefighter. It was to avoid stories like this:

The apartment of a Marine reservist killed in Iraq was robbed this week while family members were preparing for his funeral, police said.

Cpl. John Todd, 25, was killed last month when a roadside bomb exploded. Two other Marines were also killed in the attack.

Todd's family was getting ready for his funeral on Wednesday when a thief, who apparently was aware of the funeral, broke into Todd's apartment, ransacked it and stole his computer, police said.

There's a certain kind of ghoul who looks out for the funerals of heroes, in order to feed. May justice find him.

UPDATE: It appears the police caught someone.

BLACKFIVE

B5-2:

Speaking of BlackFive, he's got a good point today:

But, I ask you, isn't Sandy Berger a former advisor to Bill Clinton? And, isn't Sandy Berger Senator Kerry's foreign policy advisor now?

I know it's just a verb-tense issue, but the media is really showing it's hand here. Those headlines should have read:

Kerry Advisor Probed

It is curious that Berger's job as of five years ago is mentioned, but not his current occupation.

Spirit of America

Spirit of America:

I got a package today from Spirit of America. You may remember the fundraiser from the spring in which Grim's Hall participated. Today the good folks sent me a T-shirt and baseball cap (the latter of which I gave to my wife, who likes baseball caps) to thank me for my efforts on their behalf. I appreciate the swag and will wear it proudly, but the folks who deserve thanks for their efforts are the full-timers at SoA. Drop by and see what they've been up to.

Yahoo! Mail - grimbeornr@yahoo.com

BlackFive Sends:

I really doubt too many of you who are deployed military read my site and not BlackFive's. Still, in case any of you Devil Dogs out there don't skim his place (and you should), I thought I'd pass along this offer he mentions:

I could use your help in getting the word out to our
deployed military.

Donovan Janus is the Principal of a company called
Exposure Manager - http://www.exposuremanager.com/ -
which is a top flight photography company that
specializes in storage and display of photos on-line.
I have no involvement or relationship with Exposure
Manager.

Donovan's team contacted me and would like to extend
an offer to any service member in Iraq or Afghanistan
(or Africa) to provide free storage for their digital
photos. So,instead of emailing large photo files, our
service members could upload them to Exposure Manager
for free. They could then have their friends and
family see their work on-line.

Donovan's email address is donovan@exposuremanager.com
. Any deployed service member can contact him and
he'll set them up with a free account at Exposure
Manager. You can reference this email if needed.

Cheers,

Matt
Blackfive

That's downright decent of Donovan. The rest of you might want to consider throwing some business his way, if you happen to have any such needs.

Forsyth County News - Main News

Ah, Georgia:

Back in the county -- that is, Forsyth County, the county where I grew up -- there's an election for sheriff. Now, everyone's heard stories about Georgia sheriffs. I just want you all to know, the stories are all true:

Forsyth County Sheriff candidate Gary Beebe was released on a $15,000 bond Wednesday after being arrested on extortion charges by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In a statement released by his attorney, Beebe said he believes he still has enough support in Forsyth to stay in the race for sheriff.

"Extortion" doesn't begin to cover it.

According to an audio recording, Beebe planned to solve the county's drug problem if elected by endorsing robbery of drug dealers. Beebe told the general manager he would allow a "strike force" to operate in the county and rob drug dealers -- with the general manager keeping the loot.

"You and me have talked about some things that are definitely gray -- like the strike force," said the informant, who suggested that he would have control over methamphetamine trade in Forsyth County.

Beebe said he would give the informant a heads up to remove the illegal drugs in advance of a raid by sheriff's deputies.

At one point in the conversation, the informant told Beebe, "We need to talk about what we're really gonna do."

Beebe replied, "We'll do whatever you want to do, boss."

In the most disturbing accusation by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Beebe is accused of saying he would look the other way if the general manager committed murder in the county.

The informant suggested that he would like to "bust a cap in his a**," referring to the unnamed person who would testify against him in court.

"If it happens in Forsyth County, it will go unsolved," Beebe said. The man asked Beebe to repeat his response, which he did.

Over the nearly twenty years that I lived there, I've known dozens of Deputies and, especially, firemen down in the county. They're good, hardworking, generally honest and certainly brave. I don't want you to get the idea that it's a den of thieves. Moreover, down North Georgia way the folk are pretty much independent of the law anyway -- there aren't many lawmen about, and people mostly take care of their own. Forsyth County has always been a safe and pleasant place to live.

But yeah, the stories are true.

Scots

Scottish Hunters:

Here is an interesting story, as you can tell from the lead paragraph:

You may recall the nifty exclusive we brought you earlier this year about the widow who had her husband's ashes packed with No 6 shot into cartridges and fired off on a shoot at Brucklay Estate in Aberdeenshire. The particular excitement, apart from a very good day out for friends and, indeed, his widow, was that the deceased bagged a fox, which is never a bad thing.

One begins to wonder if the stress of being a hunter in the UK, where the populace widely hates hunters, is starting to get to these poor lads. It could be that they're starting to crack.

Well, gents, we sympathize. It's not easy for anyone these days. Keep the faith.

The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 53

Here's an Oddity:

A foreign press article -- from Bangladesh, no less -- that begins with the phrase "Donald Rumsfeld was justifiably..."

Analyzing The 2nd Amendment

Second Amendment, First Freedom:

An analysis of the 2nd quoting scholars is running over at OutdoorsBest. It makes for interesting reading.

DefenseNews.com - China To Demonstrate Air Superiority in Taiwan War Games - 12 July, 2004 13:38

Provocative Weakness:

This AFP headline states, "China to Demonstrate Air Superiority in Taiwan War Games." The story says:

"The emphasis on air supremacy is central to any PLA offensive operations in the Taiwan Strait, but the Taiwan Air Force has traditionally held the upper hand in this area," said one analyst.

"But as the PLA Air Force has made rapid improvements in this area with significant acquisitions of Russian fighters and attendant weapons packages ... the air balance is now beginning to gradually swing in China's favor.

"This article clearly suggests that the Chinese will use the Dongshan exercise as a forum to show that it can now succeed in gaining air dominance against the Taiwanese, which is a major step in making its threats of the use of military force, including an invasion, more credible."

I know what you're thinking: "Yeah, those great Russian fighters. Why, if I were a Taiwanese pilot flying my F-16, I'd be quaking in my boots."

Well, the odds on that proposition changed just recently.

The success of the Indian air force against American fighter planes in a recent exercise suggests other countries may soon be able to threaten U.S. military dominance of the skies, a top Air Force general said Wednesday.

"We may not be as far ahead of the rest of the world as we thought we were," said Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, the chief of Air Combat Command, which oversees U.S. fighter and bomber wings.

The U.S.-India joint exercise, "Cope India," took place in February near Gwalior in central, India. It pitted some F-15C Eagle fighters from the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, in mock combat against Indian MiG, Sukhoi and Mirage fighters.

The F-15Cs are the Air Force's primary air superiority aircraft. The Indian fighters, of Russian and French design, are the type of planes U.S. fighters would most likely face in any overseas conflict.

Hornburg, speaking to reporters, called the results of the exercise "a wake-up call" in some respects, but he declined to provide details, other than to suggest the Indian air force scored several unexpected successes against the American planes.

For the last 15 years, the U.S. military has enjoyed almost total command of the air during conflicts.... Still, new tactics, better Russian fighters like the Su-30, and a new generation of surface-to-air missiles mean that U.S. dominance could be ending, said Loren Thompson, who follows military issues for the Lexington Institute, a Washington think tank.

"The United States has grown accustomed to having global air superiority, yet we haven't put much very much money in the last generation into maintaining that advantage," he said, noting the F-15 first flew in the 1970s.

"So of course the rest of the world is finally starting to catch up," he said.

This is one reason that Jiang Zemin confidently predicted this week, "Taiwan by 2020." I see no reason that he should have to wait so long.