Call to overhaul Security Council heard

The AP treats me to an article on UN Security Council reform and the reasons for such.  While any reform to the UN is something, let's consider the reasons.

Many speakers in the General Assembly suggested a new anger toward the council had fueled their call. The Security Council took more than a month to respond to the war between Israel and Hezbollah, a delay that was largely blamed on the United States.

Just don't focus on how the war started or why it was important to beat the crap out of Hezbollah.  Focus on the US giving the Jews more time to destroy Iran's Proxy.

But an increased feeling among poor nations that their wealthy neighbors dominate the Security Council has galvanized them.

Umm, yes.  Its the security council not the council on tagging and tracking turtles.  But wait...

Their anger has gotten so bad that many speakers warned the council could [be -ed] losing its authority. The body already has enough trouble getting nations to listen to its demands, and it risks slipping toward irrelevancy without change.

The council has no credibility?  Oh stop.  Perhaps if Vietnam had veto power we could finally get things done.  These countries contribute a fraction of the operating budget, have no military, and have no influence.  The only change in the permanent members should be the removal of France.  Cut the poop.  Everyone knows what this is about.  These little socialist pukes want more money and more bending over from the USA.

Well, figure out capitalism, tell your populations to control themselves, and make satellite tv available to everyone - then call me.

But I can't leave out the AP rub:

Iran was also dragged before the council under European and American urging, though many poor nations don't share their concern about its suspect nuclear program.

That's because Iran isn't going to blow up Peru (maybe).  But thank you AP.  Dragged - I love it.

I was in Boston for a few days and happened by the Holocaust Memorial.  I thought I would share a few photos I took.



The memorial is primarily made up of six glass towers each about three stories high.  Upon the glass is etched numbers representing each person who was murdered by the Nazis.  Each tower represents 1 million people.  As you walk through each tower, there are quotes from survivors and leaders, family and friends.  Under several towers there was a grate floor covering a mock oven with smoke emanating up and into the glass towers.  The walk though the towers and quotes ended with simply, "Remember."

There are better pictures and narrative here at the official site.

Claudia Rosett over at Pajamas has written a nice small piece on how the UN is funded and its implications.  While most know that the US carries the load at the UN, I haven't checked on the contributions and comparisons of other nations recently. She notes:

Iran, with 67 million people, pays .157%, or $3 million. Venezuela, with 26 million people, pays .171%, or $3.2 million.

Just to pick a handy standard of comparison, Israel, with only 7 million people, pays .467%, or $9 million. In other words, the oil-rich states of Iran and Venezuela, put together , pay only slightly more than two-thirds of what Israel contributes all by itself.

Now that's interesting stuff based on those two idiots' speeches last week.  Not to mention the Chavez proposed support of our poor in the form of heating oil.  Thanks a'bunch. 

Helen has more (and a real blog) over at EU Referendum.

Preventing belly slaps is more important than the lives of your children.

Any Questions?  Remember to vote for me and Lindsey!!

 Adnan G. El Shukrijumah



Adnan is a terrorist who is supposed to be trying to get into the US to plan and carry-out an attack.  An Ace of Spades reader thinks they have seen him.  Read more here:

Ace of Spades Reader Spotted Wanted Terrorist?

The reader is from Texas.  And while this isn't confirmed yet, notice in this artice where terror suspects are thought to be crossing:

is thought to have established a major smuggling center in Matamoros, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas, from where it has arranged to bring illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico into the United States.

More background over at Malkin.  FBI page here.

Richard Cohen treats us today to the talking points of the Democrats.  While controlling my vomit nozzle and cursing the color blue: I can't help but comment on this, what some may call, opinion.  I'll just call it a white flag.

Let's dig right in shall we:

    I hear bin Laden laughing. I heard him all day on Sunday and Monday as the mass murder of Sept. 11, 2001, was memorialized at the Pentagon and in that field in Pennsylvania and, especially, here where the most people died and where countless cameras recorded it all for posterity and an abiding, everlasting, anger. He laughs, the madman does, whenever George Bush says, as he has over and over, that America is "winning this war on terror.'' Osama bin Laden knows better. He has already won.

Ok.  So maybe just a difference of opinion.  Bin Laden is free so perhaps he thinks he is winning.  I don't agree, but go ahead make that argument.  I think you would have to overlook a bit but ok.

It is not merely that bin Laden has not been captured or killed and that videotapes keep coming out of his hideout like taunts, it is rather that his initial strategy has borne fruit. It was always his intention to draw America into Afghanistan where, as had been done to the Soviets, they could be mauled by the fierce mujaheddin. He tried and failed when he blew up the USS Cole off Aden at 11:15 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2000, killing 17 sailors and crippling the ship. But he succeeded beyond his wildest expectations when the U.S. responded to the Sept. 11 attacks by invading Afghanistan and, in a beat, then going to war in Iraq. It remains mired in both countries to this day.

Here we go.  The victory is that the USA responded and is still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.  No mention that we are kicking the [deleted] out of them in both of these countries.  Regardless of what Chris Mathews may want you to believe.  These cowards can't beat us militarily.  They need a political victory.  This is like Vietnam in one respect, the left is trying to force another US defeat.  Notice also the Clinton praise in this paragraph.  Clinton was right in tucking tail and running when the Cole got hit.  That way Bin Laden didn't win.  Oy.

On "Meet the Press" Sunday, Cheney [first name removed] said if he had to do it all over again, he would still go to war in Iraq -- "we'd do exactly the same thing,'' he said. Why? Is the man incapable of learning from experience? We now know from umpteen reports that there was no link between bin Laden and Saddam.

This is the latest talking point.  No Linky to Saddam.  Also insert here that health care costs too much and you support the troops and you too have a platform to run for Congress.  Just don't tell anyone who voted for what and all those mass graves.  Anyway, just like any African nation, the Dems would be happy to sit back and allow mass murder in Iraq.  This "we care and you don't" myth is played.  So played.

I was here on Sept. 11, 2001 -- downtown when the Twin Towers collapsed. My instantaneous reaction -- the thought that came to my mind as I heard the sound of the buildings coming down -- was for revenge. I would, to this day, kill Osama bin Laden with my own hands. But as much as I hate the man, I have to recognize that from his vantage point, from his mountain fastness somewhere on the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, he has won. What he had set out to do, he has done. That is more than we can say.

And the obligatory you can't judge me because I hate him too and would kill him if I could get out from behind my big brain and he would be really sorry if I got ahold of him rant.  Yeah, heard that before.  So Bush was incompetent to rush to Iraq before catching the mountain man, but Clinton was wise not to attack anyone after the Cole.  Bin has won because Bush decided to fight back, while Bin was losing when he could just get away with attacks.  Couple different streams of thought all pointing to Bush being stupid and probably a war junky.  Right, but seriously:

Can the libs just come out and surrender.  Why all of this posturing and beating around the [I'm not going to say it].  Show us who you are and the truth behind the talking points.  Make it the top line item on your platform.  Be honest for once. 

[We, The Democrat Party of the United States, do herby surrender to the dirty bearded men with AK's.] 

Was that so hard?  Rich?

Update: Graves has more...

I was sitting in my office at home preparing and coordinating an order for one of my largest customers.  I was on the phone to the manufacturer in Chicago checking on shipping.  My home phone rang but I didn't answer it.  I got everything taken care of with the order and the phone rang again.

I went down the hall and picked up the phone.  My sister was on the other end and simply said in a tear filled voice, "did you see what they are doing to NY?"  I can't remember exactly what I said or anything further from the conversation.  I turned on the TV and witnessed the rerunning of the plane strike.  My office phone rang and I ran down the hall.  My supplier was double checking on the order.  I asked if he was near a TV.  He said they had it on as his wife had just called to let him know.

The morning went really fast.  No sooner had I learned of the event, the Trade Center was gone.  My wife was at work.  I called and wanted her to come home, but she was a social worker dealing with children who needed her more that day than I did.  I spoke with friends across the country.  One in CT was in meetings at work and I gave him a play by play when the towers went down.  He didn't believe me at first.  He said probably just a piece fell off.  His wife is a teacher, and on that day they did not tell the kids what was happening.  They slipped the teachers a note, continued their lessons, and let them out at the end of the day.

I remember calling my grandparents and telling them to stay home.  They said they were going to the bank to get their money out.  My wife called, she had talked to her sister, and said her dad was going to San Francisco out of Boston.  He takes this flight every three weeks.  For about 30 minutes or so, we were scared.  But luckily, he was scheduled on the 9:30 or 9:45 am flight and called us on the way back to his home.

I continued talking to friends and family.  Updating them about the Pentagon and a report flashed that there was another plane headed to DC.  After the crash, I had no idea of the heroism of those passengers.

My dad was in Chicago on business.  After being evacuated from a building they thought was going to be hit, he found a hotel room and confirmed he was alright.  My mom was keeping me updated.  He ended up renting a car along with three other people and drove the 1000 miles or so home.  Colleagues were stuck in Las Vegas at a trade show and also had to drive home.

My wife came home from work.  We sat in front of the TV .  There were no other TV channels other than news.  Most of them defaulted to CNN.  We flipped between all the major news channels.  God Bless America on the capitol steps, Bush gets back to DC, donations and blood, news that a pilot was from the next town over, calm and quiet outside, searching the rubble.  The shock was beginning to wear off.  I remember pacing and cursing.  We went to sleep late. 

Palestinians on that day

Bush's National Address that night

Giuliani's Press Conference that day

Updated Vlog from Real Verse



Slowly building my traffic to get a mention and a wink...

The UN is sending in the Human Rights people to accuse determine if Israel committed any violations.  I was wondering when they were going to get around to an official investigation.

So who are they sending:

The four - Walter Kaelin, Philip Alston, Paul Hunt and Miloon Kothari - will then report their findings at a session of the UN Human Rights Council later this month. [bold added by me]

Where do I know that name from.  O' right.  Paul was the lovely guy who said we were mistreating all of those people down in Guantanamo.  Great.  And how about this:

Paul Hunt, a fellow rapporteur on the UN’s Guantanamo commission, has been particularly exercised by U.S. military operations in Iraq. In his unique role as “Special Rapporteur on the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health,” Hunt demanded an “independent inquiry” into the American offensive against al-Qaeda-backed insurgents in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in May 2004 to investigate “credible allegations that the Coalition Forces have been guilty of serious breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law.” [look at that title]

Fit that on a business card.  Unbelievable.  I think we can throw this back to the funny haha category because he has no power.  I'll leave the Ut O' for the EU, Russia, and China.

I enjoyed the speech today.  The description of people and links and leads was excellent.  While I know he can't always share like this, I wish he would make us and everyone aware of the things that we are doing well in this war. 

Once in a while just drop us a note that Mohomad Jihad gave up his brother after not sleeping for four days.  That type of stuff would be interesting and remind us to stay vigilant.  Not that I endorse keeping anyone up for that long.

The ongoing issue is how to "bring them to justice."  I don't see how the congress can allow these people to be put into criminal court.  Most would walk because we couldn't reveal the evidence to the public.  But I also don't think they will get it done in two weeks.  Should be interesting (yawn).

The previous two speeches were nice, this one was better, and I'm actually looking forward to the next in the series.  In one of these upcoming, Bush should say something like the sky is blue and see how long it takes for Schumer to get on TV and shout it down.

Its too little, too late for the sky to be blue.  You pushed the limits of the spectrum and the red shift will no longer allow for a blue sky.

or something...

Update:  Should I be surprised that the AP covers the speech with this headline:

                Bush admits the CIA runs secret prisons

At Least the UN and its member states are predictable.  But consistency doesn't lower the threat level.  I love this line:

Hitting Iran now with sanctions over its nuclear work could drive it "away from the civilised world", a Kremlin official said on Tuesday

That's awesome.  Maybe it will drive them back to say the 12th century.  Oh wait...

But surely our other allies will, er, well:

Washington's EU allies, also hesitant about sanctions, were looking to talks this week to explore hints by Iran that it could negotiate over the extent of its nuclear fuel programme, which the West fears is a disguised bid to build atom bombs.

Let's just wait.  No sanctions.  The Iranians have given hints, and we should explore those hints rather than the absolute statements of defiance.  The world is nuanced and made up of shades of gray, and other colors as well.  {Notice Palestine is listed at the end, hmmm}

From an article out of Egypt, translated to English here(Memri), we find the proud warriors of Iran Lebanon getting the kids together for a rumble.  Most notable is this quote from the Nas:

A nation with child-martyrs will be victorious, no matter what difficulties lie in its path. Israel cannot conquer us or violate our territories, because we have martyr sons who will purge the land of the Zionist filth... This will be done through the blood of the martyrs, until we eventually achieve our goals[.]

He was also overheard saying "Let's do it for Johnny."  Although the translation was skewed because of the weak signal strength from Al manar.  They site zionist difficulties.



If there was ever any doubt what kind of puke we are dealing with in the world....this is just a reminder.  Its a shame its nothing new.  But there is an obvious silence when we see this out of Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere.  I would assume the US and the UN would be livid and writing crazy strongly worded letters. 

Nope.  We just complain about children using guns in movies like The Patriot, and violent images in video games.  Not to mention lyrics in songs.  Lovely, nice, pleasant, cookies and pie only please for the children.  Unless you are fighting the Jews.  Right Mel.

Well if Ahmadinejad wants attention he definitely has it with this crap.  He is one soundbite after another.  Granted I think he can only continue to say this crap until Bibi gets back in the drivers seat.

(IsraelNN.com) Iran has announced final plans to hold a conference this fall on the Holocaust, which Iranian President Ahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated never existed. His Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi stated that participants will include those who will prove the Holocaust existed as well as those who claim the contrary.

"I have visited the Nazi camps in Eastern Europe. I think it is exaggerated," he told reporters.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has told Iranian officials, "We should avoid anything that incites hatred." He made the statement following an Iranian exhibit of cartoons ridiculing the existence of the Holocaust.

Now you may think it is purely for attention, but this is the same guy who is dropping post-it notes down a well hoping for advice.  So maybe he believes it.   But how will he (the 12th iman) get out of that well?  Hmmm.  Maybe it will look like Samara climbing feet over head.

I nice article out of the post gazette today about flight 93.  The coming together of Americans is what I remember best about that day.  Don't you remember?  Everyone was a little nicer on the road and polite in public places.  I was in Philadelphia on that day and those that followed.  The kindness in that city was amazing.  Much like this from the article:

But what stands out as much in his mind as the chaos of the first few days is the kindness of local residents. They brought food and water to investigators and opened their homes for them to wash and nap after sometimes 12-hour shifts.

"They treated us like family members," Maj. Monaco says. "If they were going away for the day, they'd say, 'Here's the key to the house.' How do you thank someone for something like that?

Tragedy always brings people, a neighborhood, or a country closer.  Shame we couldn't stay that way.  And one more quote from the article for the conspiracy idiots:

"We only recovered about 8 percent of potential remains," he says. "Most of the material was vaporized."

But he was bought off and part of the controlled demolition as well, so, you know.

 No. 2 al-Qaida leader in Iraq arrested

I really don't understand this.  Iraq isn't part of the war on terror is it.  I thought we were fighting oppressed Muslims fighting back under the tyrant occupation of the imperial United States.  Why would al-Qaida be in Iraq.  They don't think its a central front in the war.  Well, Zawahiri thinks so, but who is he really.  
            <Sounds like a report on Chris Mathews.> 

This is what Zawahiri wants:

Zawahiri outlined a four-part incremental strategy.

The first stage is to expel the Americans from Iraq.

The second stage is to establish a caliphate -- a Taliban-style dictatorship -- within Iraq.

The third stage is to expand the caliphate to Iraq's neighbors.

The fourth stage is to destroy Israel, and to expand the Islamist dictatorship to Egypt and Lebanon.

Can we just put down the stoopid politics of "Iraq is not the war on terror."  It's insane already.  Where is the war if not in Iraq.  How long will they get away with this myth?

Even bloggers carry this myth as fact.  We are apparently the imperialists.  I don't get it.  Never will.  Maybe because I haven't smoked alot of pot or inhaled ty dye fumes for a decade or so.  Perhaps its just simply that group think will always trump facts.  No matter where in the face they hit you.