I wonder if the ACLU will sue for mixing church and state? Hezbollah Marshals The Young Via Scout Troops

On a Bekaa Valley playing field gilded by late-afternoon sun, hundreds of young men wearing Boy Scout-style uniforms and kerchiefs stand rigidly at attention as a military band plays, its marchers bearing aloft the distinctive yellow banner of Hezbollah, the militant Shiite movement.

They are adolescents — 17 or 18 years old — but they have the stern faces of adult men, lightly bearded, some of them with dark spots in the center of their foreheads from bowing down in prayer. Each of them wears a tiny picture of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Shiite cleric who led the Iranian revolution, on his chest.

“You are our leader!” the boys chant in unison, as a Hezbollah official walks to a podium and addresses them with a Koranic invocation. “We are your men!”

This is the vanguard of Hezbollah’s youth movement, the Mahdi Scouts. Some of the graduates gathered at this ceremony will go on to join Hezbollah’s guerrilla army, fighting Israel in the hills of southern Lebanon. Others will work in the party’s bureaucracy. The rest will probably join the fast-growing and passionately loyal base of support that has made Hezbollah the most powerful political, military and social force in Lebanon.

Does this remind you of someone elses idea and followers?

So, I go and read the whole NY Times story a few times, which fawns on these tea drinking AK-47 carrying Mahdi Scouts, who are just oh-so-faithful, and ya know, I seem to be missing several issues. The writers fail to mention the inherent violence, the anti-semitism, the anti-Israel and pro-radical Islam fervor, and the fact that this is the next generation of Islamic terrorists.

This is what you get when government is involved

Visitors to the World Trade Center site will soon get a visual update on the work in progress.

The agency began wrapping the fence that surrounds the 16-acre site with vinyl mesh Sunday.

The fence wrapping will have renderings of some of the buildings being constructed at the site, like the Freedom Tower and the World Trade Center Transit Hub and it will provide information about construction progress.

Oh, good, visuals of the buidlings. It’s seven years later: how about having the actual buildings?

“A lot of tourists come down here, they don’t understand what will happen here,” said Community Board 1 member Catherine McVay Hughes. “They know there have been a lot of controversies, a lot of stories, but they want to see what is actually happening. And those photographs will let people know what is happening at the site.”

A lot of us would like to know that there is actually progress, seven years later. Which there is. Some. A bit. Including a plan to make it green.

This is still my favorite design for the new WTC.

Go figure

There is a “dearth” of high-ranking Muslim police officers (Note: this is in England) and they are “largely absent” from specialist units like counter-terrorism, a report said today.

Progress in diversity in forces is also too slow and urgent changes are needed to rectify the situation, the survey says.

Imagine. Few Muslims dealing with the problem that is mostly the problem caused by their fellow Muslims. Maybe Muslims do not want to be in counter-terrorism. Maybe Muslims haven’t been on the police forces long enough to be high ranking officers. But, I wonder who took the survey

The study carried out by the National Association of Muslim Police (Namp) and Demos found that only 27 Muslim officers worked in counter-terrorism out of a UK total of 2,374.

In other news, I understand that the National Fox Association is complaining that there are not enough foxes guarding henhouses.

Down the road a couple hours from me, political correctness run amok

A veteran whose son was killed in the 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole has sued officers at the Marine base where he works, saying they violated his free-speech rights to display bumper stickers that link Islam with terrorism on his vehicle.

Jesse Nieto has worked as a civilian at an electrical distribution shop on Camp Lejeune since 1994. He previously served 25 years in the Marine Corps, including two combat tours as an infantryman in Vietnam, according to his federal lawsuit filed Monday in the eastern district of North Carolina.

The lawsuit — which does not seek monetary damages — asks the court to declare that Nieto’s constitutional rights were violated by the Marines and to allow him to express his political viewpoints on federal installations.

I wonder if the NC ACLU or the parent organization will get involved and stand up for Nieto’s Rights? He has been told he would be fired from his job if he didn’t remove the stickers, he has been ticketed, and

In August, Lt. Col. James Hessen, the base’s traffic court officer, ordered Nieto to peel off the anti-Islam decals, the lawsuit said. Nieto did so while a Marine observed. Two weeks later, Hessen ordered Nieto to remove the rest of his decals, including one that said “REMEMBER THE COLE, 12 Oct. 2000,” the lawsuit said. Nieto refused.

Hessen also issued an order barring Nieto from driving his vehicle onto any military installation, which includes his workplace and Arlington National Cemetery, where Nieto’s son is buried, the lawsuit said.

ACLU? Hello?

How do we win the War on Terrorism when the military leadership won’t acknowledge which religion is behind the majority of terrorist acts?

Photo via Winds Of Babylon thru WorldNetDaily, where you can see the other sticker (and this one, if it gets banned at Photobucket, like many others critical of the Religion of Peace)

They might have a slight point, but, whoever makes the soccer balls, along FIFA execs, might want to hire body guards

Souvenir soccer balls for the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be hosted in South Africa next year have angered South African Muslims because they have an Arabic inscription that is considered sacred and are going to be kicked around. But FIFA has denied any knowledge of such balls, with local organisers believing that the balls on sale now are probably pirate versions of the officially sanctioned version of the ball.

The Jamiatul Ulama (Council of Muslim Theologians) of South Africa said that the balls being circulated featured the national flags of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq, which all have the Arabic inscription with which Muslims proclaim their faith by declaring that there is only one Allah and that Mohammed is his messenger and prophet.

“These flags carry Islamic proclamations considered sacred by Muslims. Usage in this manner has the potential of offending adherents of the Islamic faith,” the Council said in a statement.

OK, so the flags of Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia now upset….Muslims. LOL!

“Muslims handle and dispose of such sacred texts with utmost respect. We would therefore like to bring to the attention of publishers, advertisers, printers, publicists and all concerned the sensitivities the Muslim community has about the use of any type of media with sacred Islamic text,” the Council said, offering assistance to advertising agencies in determining the appropriateness of Arabic texts, arabesque art and calligraphy “which may have subtly embedded sacred text”.

I’ll remember that next time Muslims start burning Bibles and Christian churches. Not to mention Christians.

It’s those uber-fashionable Islamic insurgents!

Islamic insurgents seized a strategic port city in Somalia on Wednesday, raising fears that they were gearing up for an assault on the capital, about 50 miles away.

The fighters, wearing red head scarves and chanting “God is great,” marched into Marka without firing a shot. Government troops had fled the night before upon hearing that an attack was imminent, residents said.

I hear that they also had very chic green smocks and some of those cool shoes that Don Johnson always wore in Miami Vice.

The seizure of Marka comes amid peace talks between the government and one opposition faction. But the most dangerous insurgent group, Shabab, which has acknowledged ties with Al Qaeda, has rejected the negotiations and vowed to overthrow the government.

The same group took responsibility for Wednesday’s seizure. Several local government officials have been assassinated in the city in the last month, including the acting governor and a deputy police commissioner.

“Our martyrs are in full control of the town,” Mohammed Awil, a Shabab commander, said by telephone from Marka. “We will govern all of Somalia through Islamic law, reaching our goal step by step.”

So, they weren’t just Islamic insurgents (props to the LA Times for even going that far in the title and the story), but Al Qaeda. Good to know. And a great fashion sense.

As Rusty Shackleford writes

These would be the same people who publicly stoned a 13 year old girl to death last month. Since the “real enemy” is in Afghanistan, I wonder if the new Obama administration will turn a blind eye to what is happening in the Horn of Africa?

WWBD?

Even though the article points out that Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah doesn’t think much of Obama’s changeiness, he sure loves the word racist!

Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday lashed out at Israel, calling Israelis “racist war criminals” and warning that Hizbullah was “stronger than ever.” He also expressed skepticism regarding US President-elect Barack Obama’s promises of change.

Nasrallah referred to this week’s United Nations interfaith conference in New York, which will be attended by Saudi King Abdullah and President Shimon Peres. He called on Arab and Muslim nations to prevent the participation of Peres or any other Israeli dignitaries, who, he said, are “racist war criminals.”

So now we know that the favorite word of the Obama campaign, his supporters, and the Compliant Media has gained favor in the terrorist community. They are very brave people

Hizbullah members march during a rally marking Hizbullah Martyr’s Day in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Tuesday.

Great picture caption from ye olde AP, eh? Considering these brave souls are apparently marching inside.

Anyhow, is Arab a race? How about Jewish? I wish these people would get it straight, find a dictionary. Of course, when Lefties call me bad names for going after The One’s policies, I’m just going to call them racists.

Remember who so many on the left poo poo’d it, claiming it was just Israeli warmongering? And that the US was complicit? How’d that work out? Uranium found in Syria by UN nuclear inspectors

Syria has vehemently rejected Israeli and American claims that it was constructing a secret nuclear plant at the destroyed facility. However Damascus failed to bring its protests over the violation of its sovereignty during the attack to the United Nations Security Council.

Instead it razed the site, which was located near the Euphrates River near the border with Iraq, before granting access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Diplomats in Vienna reported that inspectors had found uranium particles, despite the Syrian clean-up.

The composition of the material indicated that the facility was designed to process nuclear materials. “It was a man-made component, not natural (ore),” said one official accredited to the UN agency.

Well, I’m shocked, how about you? And, for those on the Left who don’t believe The Telegraph, maybe they will believe Al Jazeera.

Simple wonderful. The Times has a story ripe with anonymous sources who discussed a secret operation allowing strikes against Al Qaeda in countries around the world without permission by those countries, and includes all sorts of “no comments” by people who are named. Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries

The United States military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks against Al Qaeda and other militants in Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere, according to senior American officials.

These military raids, typically carried out by Special Operations forces, were authorized by a classified order that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed in the spring of 2004 with the approval of President Bush, the officials said. The secret order gave the military new authority to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere in the world, and a more sweeping mandate to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States.

More than a half-dozen officials, including current and former military and intelligence officials as well as senior Bush administration policy makers, described details of the 2004 military order on the condition of anonymity because of its politically delicate nature. Spokesmen for the White House, the Defense Department and the military declined to comment.

Now, like the operation to shut down the flow of terrorist money that the New York Times exposed, this is one of those ops where you say “well, sure, that makes sense, I figured they had to be doing something like this, and I’m sure Al Qaeda was sure, too.” It’s common sense. But, was it really necessary for the Times to do this just for a story? Hell, FDR would have censored the Times, and, probably have tried the reporters for treason if they had done this under his watch. And, as the saying goes, the devil is in the details

Apart from the 2006 raid into Pakistan, the American officials refused to describe in detail what they said had been nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks, except to say they had been carried out in Syria, Pakistan and other countries. They made clear that there had been no raids into Iran using that authority, but they suggested that American forces had carried out reconnaissance missions in Iran using other classified directives.

Super! Now Iran has an idea that American forces have operated in Iran. Before, they certainly knew that agents, spies if you will, worked in Iran. Now they can keep a better eye on their borders and specifically look for American soldiers.

The 2004 order identifies 15 to 20 countries, including Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and several other Persian Gulf states, where Qaeda militants were believed to be operating or to have sought sanctuary, a senior administration official said.

And now these countries have just been given specific intelligence of the operation, and can keep a stronger eye on potential incursions. The countries can file formal and informal protests with and against the United States. And real people, real Americans, can die from this article. Thanks, Grey Lady! The blood will be on your hands.

One thing to note in the story, and that is that the operations were not just “go get ‘em!” The Times does show that folks were careful at all levels, making serious considerations before the go code was given. And, the story shows that the program worked.

Now that the election is over, and it is a few months for Senator Neophyte starts really screwing things up as president (”say, ah, um, er, folks, I initiated this 3am conference call to see what I should do about the Iranians announcing they just exploded a nuclear weapon. Any ideas?”), we can take some time to discuss other fun issues

My dad’s not a monster and I’m not a pole-dancer, says firebrand preacher Omar Bakri’s daughter

When the daughter of firebrand Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed was revealed to be a topless pole dancer, the conflict between their two lifestyles could hardly have been more stark.

Bakri, exiled from Britain in 2005 for inciting hatred, is infamous for his radical interpretation of Islam, which includes denouncing Western ‘depravity’ and claiming the British people brought the 7/7 outrages on themselves.

In allegedly choosing to lead a secret double life stripping for money in seedy London bars and nightclubs, Yasmin Fostok appeared to have rejected her father’s views in the most extreme way possible.

Yet while ‘friends’ described her passion for flaunting her cosmetically enhanced figure in front of men, and her colourful love life, to the Press in September, Yasmin was overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of publicity and terrified by a slew of messages on the internet from extremists angered by her lifestyle and threatening to harm her.

The story goes on to say that Yasmon claims she was never a stripping pole dancer.

Yet although Yasmin’s upbringing was undoubtedly strict, and characterised by many of the tensions common to children growing up torn between two cultures, when she speaks of her father, it is not of the fanatical ‘Tottenham Ayatollah’ vilified for ranting about the destruction of Western values and praising the ‘magnificent’ September 11 bombers.

Instead, she describes him as a warm, kind and funny man who simply tried to protect his children from negative influences, like any other caring parent.

‘As a child I was aware that my dad was important to the Muslim community, but I didn’t know what he did,’ says Yasmin.

‘He was very keen not to bring work home with him and he would never discuss it with us. The phone rang constantly for him but he would take the calls in private.

Why does that remind me of the way Mafia figures are always portrayed as acting in movies and non-fiction books?

Anyhow, she went on to learn about the London clubs, loved dancing, and eventually, she was employed dancing, and the agency she worked for also employed escorts. And did I mention this mother of 2 started wearing tighter, more revealing clothes, and then got breast surgery to go to a DD?