The Giant Otter

Lebanese children want war

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:19:00 +0000

No kidding. Here is a transcript from a conversation between journalist Michael J. Totten and a group of Lebanese kids:

“That’s Hassan Nasrallah. Do you know Hassan Nasrallah? He is a big hero.”

“Why is he a hero?” I said.

“He resists the Israelis!”

“Are all of you guys with Hezbollah?” I said.

“Yes!” one of them said. “We are all with Hassan Nasrallah!” They said this in such a way that they expected me to share their views even though they knew I am American. At least they expected I wouldn’t mind that they support Hassan Nasrallah. I doubt they felt any hostility to me personally whatsoever.

“So, what is it you hope to accomplish downtown?” I said.

“We want Seniora to leave,” one of them said.

“We want to fuck Seniora,” said another.

“I know,” I said. “Why do you want to get rid of him, though? What do you want from the government that you can’t get with Seniora?”

“War!” said one of the kids.

“We want war!” said another.

A third kid slapped the second up the side of his head. The slapped kid laughed and pushed his hand in his friend’s face.
I couldn’t tell if this playful spat was because they didn’t agree about wanting more war, or because they weren’t supposed to admit it in front of a foreign reporter.

How the entire Muslim world is inferior

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:57:00 +0000

The following is an article by a Pakistani Muslim named Farrukh Saleem, published in the Pakistani paper "The News." His title was "Arabs vs. Israel," but a more accurate title might be "How the entire Muslim world is inferior."

Arabs vs Israel
By Farrukh Saleem

Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb: "If God were to humiliate a human being He would deny him knowledge"

The League of Arab States has 22 members. Of the 22, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman are 'traditional monarchies'. Of the 22, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria and Somalia are 'Authoritarian Regimes' (Source: www.freedomhouse.org). Of the 22, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Morocco and Somalia are among the 'world's most repressive regimes' (Source: A special report to the 59th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights). Of the 330 million Muslim men, women and children living under Arab rulers a mere 486,530 live in a democracy (0.15 per cent of the total).

A mere two hundred and fifty miles from the 'League of Dictators' HQ in Cairo is the only 'parliamentary democracy' in the region; universal suffrage, multi-party, multi-candidate, competitive elections. Israel's 6,352,117 residents are 76 per cent Jewish and 23 per cent non-Jewish (mostly Arab).

Israel spends $110 on scientific research per year per person while the same figure for the Arab world is $2. Knowledge makes Israel grow by 5.2 per cent a year while "rates of productivity (the average production of one worker) in Arab countries were negative to a large and increasing extent in oil-producing countries during the 1980s and 90s (World Bank; Arab Development Report)."

Facts cannot be denied: The state of Israel now has six universities ranked as among the best on the face of the planet. Hebrew University Jerusalem is in the top-100. Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University and Weizmann Institute of Science are in the top-200. Bar Ilan University and Ben Gurion University are in the top-300. The Arab League does not have a single university in the top-400 (http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm). One in two Arab women can neither read nor write (remember, "If God were to humiliate a human being He would deny him/her knowledge").

Israel's universities are producing knowledge. Israeli society is applying that knowledge plus diffusing knowledge produced by others. On the other hand, within the Arab League, repressive regimes have erected religious, social and cultural barriers to the production as well as diffusion of knowledge.

Look at how knowledge is abandoning the Arab world: Between 1998 and 2000 more than 15,000 Arab physicians migrated. According to the World Bank, "roughly 25 per cent of 300,000 first degree graduates from Arab universities emigrated. Roughly 23 per cent of Arab engineers, 50 per cent of Arab doctors and 15 per cent of Arab BSc holders had emigrated."

Israel, on the other hand, has more engineers and scientists per capita than any other country (for every 10,000 Israelis there are 145 engineers or scientists). Israel ranks among the top-7 countries worldwide for patents per capita.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Israel's pharmaceutical giant, is the world's largest producer of antibiotics (Teva developed Copaxone, a unique immunomodulator therapy for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, the only non-interferon agent available).

Facts are hard to deny: Most members of the Arab League grant Muslim women fewer rights -- with regards to marriage, divorce, dress code, civil rights, legal status and education. Israel does not. Spain translates more books in a year than has the Arab world in the past thousand years (since the reign of Caliph Mamoun; Abbasid, caliph 813-833).

Six million Israelis buy 12 million books every year making them one of the highest consumers of books in the world. Israel has the highest number of university degrees per capita in the world; the Arab world has the lowest. Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other country (109 per 10,000 Israelis); the Arab world -- next to nothing.

Results are for everyone to see: The average per capita income in Israel is $25,000 while the average income within the League of Arab States is $5,000.

The writer is an Islamabad-based freelance columnist. Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com

And yes, the entire Muslim world really is inferior.

Palestinians mourn Saddam

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 16:41:00 +0000

Jerusalem Post, Palestinians continue to mourn Saddam:

Palestinians demonstrated in the West Bank once again Monday to mourn the death of Saddam Hussein.
Some 500 people attended a rally mourning Saddam in Halhoul, near the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank, waving flags of all the Palestinian factions. They burned the Israeli and American flags, and chanted slogans against Iran and against Iraqi Shiites such as Muqtada al-Sadr who opposed Saddam.
In the northern West Bank town of Yabed, near Jenin, 500 people participated in a march for Saddam, firing in the air, and chanting slogans in support of Saddam. The also opened a mourning tent in his honor.

Gaddafi won't release Palestinian doctor who 'spread HIV'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 16:30:00 +0000

BBC, Gaddafi rejects release of medics:

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has rejected calls for the release of six foreign medics sentenced to death for infecting children with HIV/Aids.

Those who committed crimes must accept the consequences, he said.

Libya has been under increasing pressure because of international doubts over the fairness of the trial.

Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor have been tried and found guilty twice of deliberately infecting more than 400 children with HIV.

Colonel Gaddafi stressed the "the independence of the Libyan judicial system", and he rejected what he called "Western intervention and pressure in this affair".

The medics have been in detention since 1999, during which time 52 of the 426 infected children have died of Aids.

While Gaddafi's verdict is questionable due to the fact that he's an oppressive military dictator and terrorist, it's not hard to believe that a Palestinian doctor and the nurses under him could do such a thing. Especially considering Arab hatred for black Africans; Muslims, such as those in Sudan, have been known to infect black Africans deliberately with HIV via in gang rapes.

I'm still waiting for them all to hold hands and blame "The Jews."

Ethiopia crushes Muslim Somalia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 16:11:00 +0000

The last city controlled by Islamic warlords in Somalia fell to Ethiopian troops backing the legitimate Somali government. What a way to ring in the new year. BBC, Somali Islamic stronghold falls:

Somalia's Ethiopian-backed government says it controls the southern port city of Kismayo - which was the last stronghold of Islamist militiamen.

The Islamists retreated as the army, supported by Ethiopian aircraft, tanks and artillery advanced on the city.

The Somali prime minister urged the African Union to send peacekeepers and offered an amnesty to Islamic fighters.

The Islamists had swept through Somalia last year, and their retreat from Kismayo is seen as a major reversal.

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi told AFP news agency: "Kismayo is already in the hands of the government. The Islamists have run away."

Happy New Year – this is yet another victory to add to Ethiopia's long history. Italian colonists couldn't take it, and neither could Islamic fascists.

Reuters: Al Qaeda 'militants', not terrorists

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:19:00 +0000

With its policy of pseudo-neutrality, Reuters refused to refer to Al Qaeda members as terrorists. Instead, they're 'militants'. Reuters: Al Qaeda militant urges militants to keep up jihad:

DUBAI (Reuters) - A man believed to be a top al Qaeda militant who escaped from a U.S. airbase in Afghanistan last year said in a statement that the tide had turned against the West but urged Muslims to keep up their holy war.

Note the title. Not only are low-level members of al-Qaeda 'militants' according to Reuters, but high-ranking terrorist leaders are also 'militants'.

If you behead non-Muslim civilians Reuters won’t call you a terrorist. Somehow, by Reuters’ reasoning, beheading civilians is an act of ‘militancy’. Not terrorism, no way. Routine executions of homosexuals, something engaged in by all Islamic terrorist groups, are also acts of ‘militancy’. The liberal media must think that homosexuals are military targets (the left-wing is only for gay rights when they don’t conflict with liberal pro-Islamism). Likewise, keeping women in a virtual state of slavery, something practiced throughout the Muslim world, is also ‘militancy’. Just like those insidious gays, females are a clear military threat (the left-wing only supports female rights when they don’t conflict with Islam, too). Flying two airplanes into the center of a highly-populated city, with the sole intent of killing as many infidels as possible, is also an act of ‘militancy’ according to the liberal media. Remember, it’s not terrorism. Don’t you dare call it terrorism, or you’ll offend Muslims - Muslims who sympathize with the ‘militants’.

Every time a news agency engages in an absurd level of political correctness by referring to terrorists as ‘militants’ they implicitly give terrorism a legitimate military status. By doing this they equate groups like al-Qaeda and Hamas with legitimate militants. They equate terrorist attacks to military strikes. Attacks on civilian cities become morally equivalent to attacks on terrorist camps.

New Jimmy Carter Book

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 22:14:00 +0000

(Image by David A. Lunde)

Fat holocaust denier set free in Austria

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:18:00 +0000

David Irving (Reuters, right), notorious Holocaust denying pseudo-historian and all around fat pig, was released from jail in Austria following an appeal on his 3 year sentence. In Austria, denying the Holocaust is a crime that can land you up to 10 years in jail. BBC, Holocaust denier to be released:

An Austrian appeals court has ruled that UK historian David Irving - jailed for denying the Holocaust - should be released on probation.

Irving is now being held in police detention and will be deported to the UK on Thursday, officials said.

Irving was convicted in February in a case that sparked international debate about the limits of freedom of speech.

In 1989 he spoke in Austria denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz, though he later said he was "mistaken".

The appeals court in Vienna had heard calls for both a reduction and increase in his sentence.

Irving on Wednesday welcomed his release and said he was "fit and well".

Although the Biased Broadcasting Clique hails Irving as a "UK historian," the academic world has rejected his status as such. He is no more a historian than bigfoot researchers are scientists.

And for those who believe that Irving shouldn't have been "persecuted for free speech," note this: free speech does not include libel, slander, hate speech, or incitement to genocide.

Oslo: Most rapes committed by non-Western immigrants.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:01:00 +0000

Aftenposten, Oslo rape statistics shock:

Two out of three charged with rape in Norway's capital are immigrants with a non-western background according to a police study. The number of rape cases is also rising steadily.The study is the first where the crime statistics have been analyzed according to ethnic origin. Of the 111 charged with rape in Oslo last year, 72 were of non-western ethnic origin, 25 are classified as Norwegian or western and 14 are listed as unknown.

Rape charges in the capital are spiraling upwards, 40 percent higher from 1999 to 2000 and up 13 percent so far this year.

Nine out of ten cases do not make it to prosecution, most of them because police do not believe the evidence is sufficient to reach a conviction.

Police Inspector Gunnar Larsen of Oslo's Vice, Robbery and Violent crime division says the statistics are surprising - the rising number of rape cases and the link to ethnic background are both clear trends. But Larsen does not want to speculate on the reasons behind the worrying developments.

While 65 percent of those charged with rape are classed as coming from a non-western background, this segment makes up only 14.3 percent of Oslo's population. Norwegian women were the victims in 80 percent of the cases, with 20 percent being women of foreign background.

Libya sentences Palestinian doctor for spreading HIV

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 17:25:00 +0000

On one hand we have Libya, a known state sponsor of terrorism. On the other hand we have a Palestinian, the vast majority of who support suicide attacks. It's difficult to tell what the real story is in this case. However, Libya came to a conclusion - a Palestinian doctor and four other medical staff is guilty of deliberately spreading the HIV virus to children. Reuters, Foreign medics sentenced to die in Libya case:

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation.

It's ironic that a Palestinian has been found guilty of infecting people with the HIV virus considering the AIDS blood libel that exists in the Arab world. If you don't know, "The Jews" are blamed for inventing and spreading the HIV virus by Palestinians.

(Photo from Ouch! Snapped Shot: Palestinian doctor Ashraf Alhajouj speaks to the media as Bulgarian nurses Nasya Nenova (L) and Snezhana Dimitrova (R) wait for the verdict in a court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. (Rafael Marchante/Reuters))

Haniyeh's son shot in the face

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 07:39:00 +0000

BBC, Gaza border shots 'targeted PM':

Ismail Haniya's convoy came under fire when it was allowed to cross, after being held there for several hours.

A bodyguard was killed and Mr Haniya's son was shot in the face as the fire fight erupted at the Rafah checkpoint.

Too strange for fiction

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:48:00 +0000

MSNBC, World's tallest man saves dolphins:

BEIJING - The long arms of the world’s tallest man reached in and saved two dolphins by pulling plastic material out of their stomachs, state media and an aquarium official said Thursday.
The dolphins got sick after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool at an aquarium in Liaoning province. Attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic failed because the dolphins’ stomachs contracted in response to the instruments, the China Daily newspaper reported.
Veterinarians then decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, a 7-foot-9 herdsman from Inner Mongolia with 41.7-inch arms, state media said.
Bao, 54, was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest living man.

Circumcision to cut AIDS rate in half

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:39:00 +0000

NY Times, H.I.V. Risk Halved by Circumcision, U.S. Agency Finds:

Circumcision appears to reduce a man’s risk of contracting AIDS from heterosexual sex by half, United States government health officials said yesterday, and the directors of the two largest funds for fighting the disease said they would consider paying for circumcisions in high-risk countries.

The announcement was made by officials of the National Institutes of Health as they halted two clinical trials, in Kenya and Uganda, on the ground that not offering circumcision to all the men taking part would be unethical. The success of the trials confirmed a study done last year in South Africa.

AIDS experts immediately hailed the finding. “This is very exciting news,” said Daniel Halperin, an H.I.V. specialist at the Harvard Center for Population and Development, who has argued that circumcision slows the spread of AIDS in the parts of Africa where it is common.

In an interview from Zimbabwe, he added, “I have no doubt that as word of this gets around, millions of African men will want to get circumcised, and that will save many lives.”

Uncircumcised men are thought to be more susceptible because the underside of the foreskin is rich in Langerhans cells, sentinel cells of the immune system, which attach easily to the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. The foreskin also often suffers small tears during intercourse.

Yet another shred of evidence that highlights the medical benefits of a practice given to Western society by Judaism. Circumcision nay-sayers don't have a leg to stand on. It's a practice that has been repeatedly proven to have numerous health benefits.

Related: WHO: Circumcision to reduce AIDS rates

Palestinians stone Jewish baby

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:17:00 +0000

Jerusalem Post, Israeli baby lightly wounded by rock throwers:

An Israeli baby was lightly wounded on Wednesday afternoon when Palestinians threw rocks at the car he was traveling in, south of Bethlehem.

[Follow-up: Muslims blame Zionist baby for oppressing Palestinians; forcing Palestinians to throw rocks at baby.]

More Americans killed by illegal aliens than by terrorists

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:40:00 +0000

WorldNetDaily, Illegal aliens murder 12 Americans daily:

Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That's 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001.

Total U.S. troop deaths in Iraq as of last week were reported at 2,863. Total U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan during the five years of the Afghan campaign are currently at 289, according to the Department of Defense.

UN Troops Rape Children

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 06:21:00 +0000

More horrors from the world's favorite multicultural group (Photo right: UN peacekeepers torture a Somali child over a fire) - BBC, UN troops face child abuse claims:

Children have been subjected to rape and prostitution by United Nations peacekeepers in Haiti and Liberia, a BBC investigation has found.

Girls have told of regular encounters with soldiers where sex is demanded in return for food or money.

A senior official with the organisation has accepted the claims are credible.

The UN has faced several scandals involving its troops in recent years, including a DR Congo paedophile ring and prostitute trafficking in Kosovo.

The assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations acknowledges that sexual abuse is widespread.

"We've had a problem probably since the inception of peacekeeping - problems of this kind of exploitation of vulnerable populations," Jane Holl Lute told the BBC.

As the article stated, sexual abuse is widespread in the UN. This isn't the first rape scandal UN troops have been involved in. In fact, atrocities such as this are committed at the hands of UN troops more frequently than they are at the hands of US or Israeli troops.

This is what happens when your soldiers consist of recruits from Islamic nations in Africa where rape is widespread and culturally accepted.

Velazquez crucifixion

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 06:08:00 +0000

Diego Velázquez painted the crucifixion (Right, Cristo Crucificado), but modern-day Thomas Velázquez took it further by crucifying himself. BBC, Paraguay man crucified in public:

Protesters in Paraguay have staged a public crucifixion calling for a jailed former army general to be set free.

Tomas Velazquez, a supporter of General Lino Oviedo, popular among Paraguay's indigenous people, was tied and nailed to a cross outside the Supreme Court.

Mr Velazquez called on the court to review Gen Oviedo's 10-year jail sentence for plotting a 1996 coup.

Gay marriage recognized in Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:37:00 +0000

The Israeli High Court stated that homosexual marriages will be recognized in the State of Israel. The only catch - you must get married outside of Israel first. YNet, Gays married abroad to be registered as married:

High Court judges rule that homosexual couples married abroad will be registered as married couples in population registry. Six judges vote in favor of decision, only one opposes

Precedent: For the first time in Israel , homosexual couples will be registered as married in the population registry, High Court judges ruled Tuesday morning after accepting a petition filed by gay couples married abroad.

The petition was approved by six judges. Only Justice Elyakim Rubinstein opposed.

As a heterosexual, gay marriage is not an issue of high priority for me. I stress homosexual issues because they highlight Israel's commitment to basic human rights in contrast to Israel's Islamic neighbors. Ironically, liberals who claim they support gay rights consistently take the side of Islamic oppressors of homosexuals over the tolerant Jewish State.

This proves gay rights are a gimmick issue for the left; the left is not really serious about homosexual marriage or equality. The left is serious, however, about its one-sided hatred of Israel and support for Islamic fascism. Remember, the Nazi party was a left-wing, liberal movement too - the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

Hezbollah training Iraqi terrorists

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:30:00 +0000

If you thought Hezbollah was only an Israeli problem, think again. NY Times, Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 — A senior American intelligence official said Monday that the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah had been training members of the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia led by Moktada al-Sadr.

The official said that 1,000 to 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias had been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon. A small number of Hezbollah operatives have also visited Iraq to help with training, the official said.

Iran has facilitated the link between Hezbollah and the Shiite militias in Iraq, the official said. Syrian officials have also cooperated, though there is debate about whether it has the blessing of the senior leaders in Syria.

The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity under rules set by his agency, and discussed Iran’s role in response to questions from a reporter.

WHO: Circumcision to reduce AIDS rate

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:27:00 +0000

YNet, Israel teaches WHO about circumcision:

Research reveals circumcision reduces chances of being infected with HIV. World Health Organization seeks to hold mass circumcision in Africa, where virus is spreading; meanwhile, representatives arrive in Israel to learn about process

Circumcision against AIDS: A new program being developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) is attempting to suggest ways and principles for holding a mass circumcision in HIV-infected countries, particularly African countries.

Research has found that the removal of the foreskin, an act which is carried out during the circumcision ceremony, reduces the chances of being infected or infecting people with the HIV virus.

The issue was discussed in Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, in a meeting between WHO representatives, 20 Israeli physicians and Jewish and Muslim circumcisers.

Olmert, the Palestinian PM of Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 15:41:00 +0000

Just hours before the Palestinians broke a ceasefire by launching rockets into Israeli civilian areas, Olmert pledged to release large amounts of Palestinian prisoners - even those serving serious sentences - in exchange for kidnapped Israeli Gilad Shalit. In addition, Olmert offered to give up tracts of Israeli land for what he called "real peace." Reuters, Olmert says ready to free Palestinian prisoners:

SDE BOKER, Israel (Reuters) - Israel is prepared to release many jailed Palestinians, including long-serving prisoners, in return for a soldier militants seized in June, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday.
In a major policy speech, Olmert said he was reaching out to the Palestinians for peace -- offering a series of humanitarian and economic incentives if violence against Israel ceased.
Within hours of Olmert's address, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired rockets into the Israeli border town of Sderot, despite a ceasefire declared on Sunday. There were no reports of casualties...
In his speech, Olmert repeated that he was willing to dismantle many of the settlements Israel has built in the West Bank, which it captured in the 1967 Middle East war, to get "real peace".

If you're thinking that Olmert isn't working for the interests of the Jewish State, but rather for the interests of Palestinian terrorists, you're right on target. Israeli MKs noticed this as well.

Yuval Steinitz said that Olmert ended, "Israel's tradition of fighting terror decisively." Zehava Gal-On asserted, "Olmert's statements are great, but his actions have failed." Zvi Hendel stated Olmert was "not ashamed to promise the enemy the expulsion of all settlers and creation of a terror state." Read more at YNet here.

Meanwhile, MK Uriel Ariel said Olmert "is once against handing out gifts to terror organizations that are growing stronger." Right-winger Baruch Marzel simply called Olmert "a traitor and an idiot," then accused him of leading Israel into an "abyss."

Olmert continues to make serious mistakes in regards to the Palestinian problem. It isn't simply the right or the left accusing him of such. It's a unified cry from all points on the political spectrum. At this point the only ones who favor Olmert are his enemies, because they are able to exploit his weakness and incompetence.

'Revolutionary' Iranian Aircraft

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:27:00 +0000

Like Germany under the National Socialists (Nazis) and fascist Italy under Mussolini, Iran loves to throw around the term revolutionary when describing its political groups (see Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps). However, Iranian aircraft are anything but revolutionary. BBC, Military plane crashes in Tehran:

An Iranian military plane has crashed while taking off from an airport in Tehran, killing elite troops.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that 36 people on board the Russian-built Antonov-74 had been killed - 30 soldiers and six crew.

Two soldiers survived and were being treated in hospital, it added.

The commander of the Revolutionary Guards suggested to a local news agency that there may have been foul play, but he gave no further details.

Good riddens! Apparently this type of thing isn't uncommon in Iran. In January, Revolutionary Guard commander Ahmed Kazemi was killed in a similar plane wreck. RTE News stated:

Air safety experts say Iran has a poor record, with a string of crashes in the past few decades - many involving Russian-made aircraft.

The last civilian plane disaster was in September and in January a military plane crashed, killing 11 people.

A United Arab Emirates publication called the Khaleej Times gave a chronology of similar crashes in Iran.

According to the BBC, the Revolutionary Guard commander said foul play was involved the latest crash. How much do you want to bet he blames the crash on "the Jews?" You got it, when those dastardly Jews aren't busy inventing HIV or harvesting Palestinian organs, they're tampering with Iranian airplanes.

The crash had nothing to do with the fact that it was an inferior Russian airplane. It must be the Jews!

Palestinians break ceasefire

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 08:39:00 +0000

The ceasefire Palestinians practically begged for was broken within hours by Palestinian rocket fire. Reuters, Gaza truce violated after rocket attacks:

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian militants fired several rockets at Israel from Gaza on Sunday just hours after a ceasefire aimed at ending five months of bloodshed in the impoverished coastal strip took effect.
The truce, which has raised the possibility of moribund Middle East peacemaking being revived, is designed to end rocket attacks and halt a crushing Israeli army offensive in Gaza.

Islamic Jihad took responsibility for three of the rockets and Hamas took responsibility for the remaining two, proving that you can never trust a terrorist hudna.

UPDATE: Reuters changed the name of its story to Gaza truce violated by Palestinian rocket attacks.

UPDATE: Despite Hamas breaking the hudna that it requested and despite the fact that Israel was winning (like usual) in its Gaza operations, Israeli PM Olmert decided to forge ahead with the ceasefire anyway.

A small step for Pakistan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 23:27:00 +0000

BBC, Pakistan senate backs rape bill:

The upper house of Pakistan's parliament has backed a bill amending an Islamic law on rape and adultery.

Until now rape cases have been dealt with in Sharia courts. Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime - or else face prosecution for adultery.

The new law, which must be approved by Pakistani leader Gen Pervez Musharraf, allows civil courts to try rape cases.

The senate rejected objections to the bill put forward by Islamist MPs who boycotted last week's lower house vote.

Khurshid Ahmed, a leader of an opposition coalition of religious parties, described the bill as "an attempt to promote an alien culture and secularism in Pakistan", according to the Associated Press news agency.

The new law allows for DNA and other scientific evidence to be used in prosecuting rape cases.

It also drops the death penalty for people having sex outside marriage.

A woman is raped every two hours and gang-raped every eight hours in Pakistan, according to the country's independent Human Rights Commission.

RAWA: Afghanistan worse for women after US invasion

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 06:46:00 +0000

RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, is a female rights group. Their site describes RAWA as, "The oldest political/social organization of Afghan women struggling for peace, freedom, democracy and women's rights in fundamentalism-blighted Afghanistan."

According to RAWA, the reality of life for Afghan women under Islam is not as positive as the Western media portrays it. In fact, they assert that conditions for women have worsened after the US removed the Taliban. YNet, Afghanistan Behind the burqas:

Activist with Afghani organization for women’s rights RAWA tells Ynet women’s situation in Afghanistan even worse than before American invasion: Rape, kidnapping, murder go unpunished. ‘Without western interference, 9/11 could happen again,’ warns Sahar Saab

“I know what they tell you in the West about the situation here,” Sahar Saab sighs despairingly. Saab, an activist with the women’s movement RAWA which operates almost underground in Afghanistan, adds, “They tell you women’s circumstances have improved greatly, but in reality there is no improvement. In the capital, Kabul, and in a few more cities, women even work in government offices, but their numbers are very few, and many dangers still ambush women in the cities. And in the suburbs? For their own safety, women continue to wear burqas. Almost daily, we hear of kidnappings, rape, murder, suicide and disappearance in areas still ruled by the Taliban or the Northern Alliance, and we know there are many more incidents not reported.”

Now the knee-jerk liberal response might be, "See, we made it worse! We must get out of the Middle East right now!" However, this isn't what RAWA advocates. RAWA supports Western action in Afghanistan, knowing that the presence of Western troops is the only hope the country has. Take that, moonbats.