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Pirates take Saudi supertanker off Mombasa
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Page 6: Politix
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11 00:00 Rupert Clique5059 []
-Short Attention Span Theater-
Victory in Iraq Day (November 22, 2008)


EFL, much, much more at link

We won. The Iraq War is over.

I declare November 22, 2008 to be "Victory in Iraq Day." (Hereafter known as "VI Day.")

By every measure, The United States and coalition forces have conclusively defeated all enemies in Iraq, pacified the country, deposed the previous regime, successfully helped to establish a new functioning democratic goverment, and suppressed any lingering insurgencies. The war has come to an end. And we won.

What more indication do you need? An announcement from the outgoing Bush administration? It's not gonna happen. An annoucement from the incoming Obama administration? That's really not gonna happen. A declaration of victory by the media? Please. Don't make me laugh. A concession of surrender by what few remaining insurgents remain in hiding? Forget about it.

The moment has come to acknowledge the obvious. To overtly declare a fact that has already been true for quite some time now. Let me repeat:

WE WON THE WAR IN IRAQ

And since there will never be a ticker-tape parade down Fifth Avenue in New York for our troops, it's up to us, the people, to arrange a virtual ticker-tape parade. An online victory celebration.

Saturday, November 22, 2008 is the day of that celebration: Victory in Iraq Day.

What do you need to do to participate? Simple. Just make a post on your blog on Saturday, November 22, announcing that the war is over, and declaring that day to be Victory in Iraq Day. That's it.

If you want to write a short post (or a long essay) analyzing the nature of our victory or cheering the troops for a job well done, great; but if you just want to make a simple announcement of the victory, that's fine as well. Anything will do. Just come and join the celebration to mark the day.

Keep reading below to find: evidence that the war is over (for the doubters); an historical discussion of previous postwar occupations and guerrilla violence; a list of blogs which have already joined the VI Day movement; free banners and graphics for you to download and put on your blog, if you so choose; and an invitation to submit your own "victory graphics" for posting here.

If you would like to comment on VI Day, you can do so here.

Observations and statistics agree: The fighting has ceased, the war is over

I have felt for many months that we had already won the war, but I was spurred to action by this report from Michael Yon:

"THE WAR IS OVER AND WE WON:" Michael Yon just phoned from Baghdad, and reports that things are much better than he had expected, and he had expected things to be good. "There's nothing going on. I'm with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I'm with haven't fired their weapons on this tour and they've been here eight months. And the place we're at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there's nothing going on. I've been walking my feet off and haven't seen anything."


This post at the Mudville Gazette confirmed my conclusions.

If you don't want to go by anecdotal evidence, carefully study the official casualty statistics for U.S. troops in Iraq and you will see that they have reached extremely low levels, so low that they no longer even come close to rising to the level of "war"; it is now more dangerous to walk the streets of most major American cities than it is to be stationed in Iraq. For example, Chicago, just a single city in the United States, all by itself experienced twice as many shootings and killings of Americans as did the entire nation of Iraq over recent months:

125 Shot Dead In Chicago Over Summer
Total Is About Double The U.S. Troop Death Toll In Iraq

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An estimated 125 people were shot and killed over the summer. That's nearly double the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq over the same time period.


What more need be said? Whatever lingering violence still exists is Iraq is now nothing more than a series of minor disconnected terrorist attacks, which have become completely ineffectual in changing the hearts and minds of the populace, or re-igniting another civil war.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy || 11/17/2008 04:13 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I heard on some radio blab show that more US troops were killed in Iraq last month in traffic accidents than enemy "action".

I think the Iraqis, who are basically Babylonians and Assyrians, thought of AQ's tactics as cowardly and shameful. AQ over played their hand, the US military was smart enough to recognize it and play to that audience.

As a VN vet, I cogitate on what would have happened in VN had the US military been more intellectually agile. The VC were every bit as brutal in their tactics as AQ and many of the populace were weary of the carnage and the wanton violence.

I rejoice in the fact that we as a free society were able to recognize the truth of what was happening in Iraq and not fall prey to the crap journalism of the MSM who were playing the VN playbook. We knew we were doing the right thing and we knew we would win given time. The press finally gave up trying to tar us as thugs and criminals and just let the Iraq campaign fall of the front page, their story wasn't playing in Peoria or anywhere. Once it fell from the front page, the Donks quit pandering to the falsity and the military could be creative and use all the tools of counterinsurgency, including psyops, community action and small unit tactics/special action teams.
Posted by: James Carville || 11/17/2008 11:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Bing West also said the war is over. His book "the strongest tribe" is a very good read as are all his books.
Posted by: bman || 11/17/2008 12:01 Comments || Top||

#3  As the saying goes [X-FILES], I WANT TO BELIEVE!

Unfortunately, knowing my fellow Afghan War cohort Osama Bin Laden, etal. as I do [+ other] leads me to believe otherwise. CHECK ME AGAIN AFTER 2010 NLT 2012, ESPEC IFF IRAN FAILS TO CONDUCT A SUCCESSFUL INDIGENOUS NUKULAR BOMB TEST(S).
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/17/2008 21:06 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Presidents Of U.S. Universities Visiting Iran Criticize U.S. Gov't
The Iranian news agency Mehr reports that American university presidents visiting Iran criticized the U.S. government's restrictions on Iranian students.

The criticism came during a meeting between the American academicians and Iran's science minister.

Following is a list of the university presidents, as it appeared on the Mehr website:

1-Prof. Robert M. Berdahl - president of the Association of American Universities
2-Prof. David J. Skorton - president of Cornell University
3- Prof. David. W. Leeborn - president of Rice University
4-Prof. J. Bernard.Machen - president of Florida University
5-Prof. C. D. Mote - president of Maryland University
6-Prof. Larry Vanderhoef - president of California University Davis
7-Prof. Jared L. Cohon - president of Carnegie Mellon University.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/17/2008 20:10 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  No surprises here. Simply a case of poor memory or denial. I sincerely hope they stay on in Tehran for at least 444 days.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/17/2008 20:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Posting the latest job openings at six Universities and the Assoc of American Universities is a great way to help the country out of this financial slump... these positions are open aren't they? Shouldn't they be?
Posted by: Rupert Clique5059 || 11/17/2008 21:17 Comments || Top||

#3  it's all about the coin - they can charge a bunch for an Iranian student, and don't give a f*ck about that country's policies, who the students might be, or what they might be doing here in their spare time. Hint: any student allowed by the Iranian gov't to travel and study here is an agent of the regime

F*cking traitorous bastards
Posted by: Frank G || 11/17/2008 21:43 Comments || Top||


How the Party of Defeat Lost Fallujah
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 11/17/2008 15:26 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  With a fifth column like this operating in the U.S., it is inevitable that at some point it's going to come to guns. If you're not ready, you would be awfully wise to start preparing.
Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 || 11/17/2008 19:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Nurse, just go ahead and cut off the drip. He'd want it that way I'm sure.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/17/2008 20:03 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Muslim anger vs Hindu anger
By B. Raman

1. The manner of the current investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police into an explosion at Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 30,2008, which mainly targeted and killed some local Muslims should be a matter of concern to all right-thinking Indians.

2. Large sections of the Muslims,the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political class and the so-called secular elements in the Hindu community, which lose no opportunity to demonise the Hindu nationalists and the BJP in order to win the applause of the minorities and project themselves as liberals, have used the investigation to divert attention away from the hundreds of innocent civilians killed by the jihadi terrorists, many of them trained and assisted by the intelligence agencies of Pakistan and Bangladesh and inspired by the pan-Islamic ideology of Al Qaeda and its International Islamic Front (IIF).
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum || 11/17/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  explosion at Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 30,2008, which mainly targeted and killed some local Muslims

India is becoming one of the World's leaders.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/17/2008 2:56 Comments || Top||

#2  Funny how the pattern is so similar to what is experienced in western Europe (and in the USA, too) : don't pay attention to the threat posed by restive, growing minorities in terms of crime, unrest, social pressure, identity crisis and even terror,... but pay undue attention to those denouncing those threats, as they are "racists", "radicals", "xenophobical", "anti-republican",...
I'd say that western gvts are so much more preoccupied by the native population having a backlash than by any troubles from migrants.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 11/17/2008 7:41 Comments || Top||

#3  Of course, note I'm not an apologizer for the hindu terrorism, this is something that should not be condoned, especially more since it targets Christians just as easily in pogroms, but India DO have a serious problem on its hands, regarding its muslim minority, and they way this said problem is NOT handled, or worse, mishandled by demagogists and crooked bossist pols. Terror is definitvely not the answer, as it actually provides ammo for the peopel responsible for this problem, though, and worst of all, it accomplishes nothing.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 11/17/2008 7:46 Comments || Top||

#4  Unlike Western Europe and the US the Hindu don't have a recent history of Nazi atrocities. Instead they have centuries of Mogul occupiers to think about. I imagine the line is a fine one before something really bad happens to the Muslims in India. I also think Al Queda may attempt to push that line because Muslims coexisting is not in their long term interests.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 11/17/2008 11:16 Comments || Top||

#5  Me, I believe that all real ethics derive from reciprocity.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/17/2008 13:04 Comments || Top||

#6  WAR OUTSIDE IRAQ> One reason Radical Islam and aligned are jihadin' all thru Central, East, and South Asia is that the locals are more familiar + geographically closer than lands far away. Similar rationales for many of the anti-Muslim/Islamist Hindu Militants - DESPITE RECOGNIZING THE REAL ISLAMIST OVERT THREAT TO "NORMAL" OR TRADITIONAL ASIAN ORDER, THE HINDUS, ETC. FEAR MORE A POTENT RETURN OF ANGLO-WESTERN INFLUENCE AND DOMINATION IN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS [read, HINDU-specific domin of Indian Governance + National Culture, etc.].
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/17/2008 17:37 Comments || Top||

#7  WORLD MIL FORUM > INDIA'S FEAR: CHINA'S ATTEMPT TO DAM THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER SYSTEM WILL LEAD TO WAR [Sino-Indian Water War]; + US EVALUATION OF HISTORICAL AND FUTURE SINO-INDIAN CONFLICT [Region-wide Islamist Pressures; Confrontation and War for Resources-Water/National Development].
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/17/2008 22:38 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Some Israelis want tough love from Obama
Posted by: tipper || 11/17/2008 02:28 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Some people are natural born traitors---we Jews have a more than a fair proportion of such.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/17/2008 2:54 Comments || Top||

#2  If only being Jewish really were a mark of innate high intelligence.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/17/2008 5:28 Comments || Top||

#3  I would call them masochists. Tough love involving whips, chains, bondage gear, and wrapping Saran Wrap around their face until they suffocate.

"Whatever turns you on..."
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/17/2008 6:44 Comments || Top||

#4  Tough love they want is it? Well if Obama brings Canadian activist journalist Naomi Klein into his administration, they'll be getting some.

"I think I'm lucky because I got to witness a significant shift, something that changed, and I wanted to document that shift. And it seemed very, very clear to me that if there was going to be a future for the left it would have to be an anti-corporate movement."
Klein.


Posted by: Besoeker || 11/17/2008 7:09 Comments || Top||

#5  Some people are natural born traitors---we Jews have a more than a fair proportion of such.

Again, what seems an interesting take on that :
The Oslo Syndrome

Posted by: anonymous5089 || 11/17/2008 7:33 Comments || Top||

#6  I'm somewhat surprised that during the last war with Hezbollah that Israel didn't really clean house knowing that it was only a matter of time before the pro-israel foreign policy of America was challenged.

Israel should have gone into Syria and taken out the regime and handed over power to the Kurds and pulled out. I suspect the Kurds would learn to be brutal very fast and Kurds from neighboring nations might migrate into Syria to be part of a ruling power for a change. The entire dynamic to the North of Israel would have changed.

Now they'll have to listen to pontification and funding threats.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 11/17/2008 11:14 Comments || Top||

#7  Obama apparently received 70% of the jewish vote. He probably considers that a mandate.
Posted by: DoDo || 11/17/2008 11:57 Comments || Top||

#8  Thanks anonymous5089 (I've read this article a long time ago, and have forgotten).
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/17/2008 13:18 Comments || Top||

#9  The local Jewish rag claims it was 78%, based on exit polls, DoDo. In September the American Jewish Committee poll set it at 57% for Obama with 13% undecided. Truly, I do not understand people.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/17/2008 14:29 Comments || Top||

#10  Blacks 94%. Kosher 78%. Could it be a deep seated, abiding hatred of the real America Joe the Plumber?
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/17/2008 14:59 Comments || Top||

#11  ION BAMELOT, WORLD MIL FORUM [paraph = GOOGLE Chinglish translation] > INDIA FAVORS LIMITED/SHORT-TERM US INFLUENCE AND MIL PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN [Indian NW Corridor]; + AFTER OBAMA'S WIN, WHITE BACKLASH FESTERS IN THE US. Presence of increasingly PRO-VIOLENCE/ANARCHIST elements = sub-groups-factions inside a mostly benign US WHITE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT. SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER claims over 200-plus HATE INCIDENTS linked to Dem Barack Obama's electoral victory over GOP'er John Mccain - Obama's victory also believed or anticipated by Perts to be used as tool for nationwide recruiting of new members for same.; + US SCHOOLCHILDREN IN VARIOUS SOUTHERN AND MIDWEST US STATES ARE SINGING OBAMA ASSASSINATION, DEATH SONGS ON SCHOOL BUSES AND SCHOOLS.

Also, OBAMA INTERVIEW ON "60 MINUTES" > SAVING THE US ECONOMY IS MOE IMPORTANT THAN CONTROLLING THE DEFICIT/HEAVY US GOVERNMENT-LED INVESTMENT AND FISCAL SPENDING TO CONTINUE.

Uh, uh, the only thing better than a OWG-NWO Amerika wid a US$13.0Trilyuhn GDP and up to US$50.0Trilyuhn in International Debts, IS A OWG-NWO AMERIKA US$13.0TRILYUHN GDP WID A US$80-100.0TRILYUHN IN INTERNAT DEBTS???

Gut Nuthin.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/17/2008 21:30 Comments || Top||

#12  OOOPSIES, forgot > WHITE AMERICA BELIEVES OBAMA ELECTION VICTORY IS CULMINATION/ZENITH OF DECADES OF SLOW BUT INTENTIONAL DESTRUCTION OF THE USA.

* REDDIT > USING US DEMOCRACY TO DESTROY THE US AND DEMOCRACY.

Uh, Uh, D *** NGED FASCISTS = MERE "LIMITED COMMUNISTS" - YOU KNOW, COMMUNISTS = THEY-WHOM ARE-NOT-FASCISTS-NOR-LIMITED-FASCISTS!?

Youse all can just feel the EQUALISM = NOT EGALITARIANISM, THE DIVERSITY PLURALISM TOLERANCE AND LIBERTARIANISM, ETC, A'COMIN' CAINT YE?
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/17/2008 21:39 Comments || Top||


Home Front Economy
No UAW Bailout
Posted by: tipper || 11/17/2008 13:04 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  You know, I used to own an Olds Delta 1972---a grand car. The guy who sold it to me said that I'm getting "one of the last American cars".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/17/2008 13:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Restructure under bankruptsy rules or die. A bailout is nothing short of deckchair rearrangement. The ship is still going down.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/17/2008 14:12 Comments || Top||

#3  We required the steel industry and the airlines industry to restructure. The auto industry shouldn't be any different.
Posted by: Steve White || 11/17/2008 14:24 Comments || Top||

#4  Problem is the Dems won't let the companies restructure the "real problem" and ditch the UAW contracts. Foreign manufacturers build wonderful cars profitably in their US NON_UNION plants. No amount of money or corporate restructuring can erase the competitive disadvantage posed by the UAW.
Posted by: RWV || 11/17/2008 16:44 Comments || Top||

#5  "We got to protect our Phoney-Bloney Jobs!"

-- Democratic congress.

Heard talk in Fox this morning that they may not get this at this time - but they will in February when the donks control everything. Of course by then the MSM would have fanned it into a national crisis unless they _are_ bailed out.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/17/2008 18:29 Comments || Top||

#6  It is the UAW's demands that have not kept them competitive & at the crux of their debt. They say they need the bailout $$$ from the average taxpayers who earn $15 an hour to pay health benefits to retirees who have been making $75 an hour plus the hefty benefit packages. Accountability and transparency will not be forthcoming, either, I suspect.
Posted by: Thealing Borgia 122 || 11/17/2008 20:00 Comments || Top||

#7  It is the UAW's demands that have not kept them competitive & at the crux of their debt. They say they need the bailout $$$ from the average taxpayers who earn $15 an hour to pay health benefits to retirees who have been making $75 an hour plus the hefty benefit packages. Accountability and transparency will not be forthcoming, either, I suspect.
Posted by: Thealing Borgia 122 || 11/17/2008 20:02 Comments || Top||

#8  Post-bailout....The "next look" for Detroit. Sure to please the savy consumer. Pictured is the "Party Red" two door coupe Obamobile.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/17/2008 20:11 Comments || Top||

#9  Hard to beat REDDIT > 86% OF AIG BAILOUT WENT TO EXPENSIVE PARTIES, DRINKS.

Clearly AIG CEO's missed the SUBWAY "5-5-5" DEAL this month, didn't we!?

* CNN + FOX > CITIGROUP TO LAY OFF ANOTHER 53,000 WORKERS.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/17/2008 20:55 Comments || Top||



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Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
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Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
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Besoeker
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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2008-11-17
  Pirates take Saudi supertanker off Mombasa
Sun 2008-11-16
  Lankan Army seizes entire west coast from LTTE
Sat 2008-11-15
  Al-Shabaab closes in on Mog
Fri 2008-11-14
  U.S. missiles hit Pak Talibs, 12 dead
Thu 2008-11-13
  Somali pirates open fire on Brit marines. Hilarity ensues.
Wed 2008-11-12
  Philippines ship, 23 crew seized near Somalia
Tue 2008-11-11
  EU launches anti-piracy mission off Somalia
Mon 2008-11-10
  Somali gunnies kidnap two Italian nuns
Sun 2008-11-09
  Boomerette hits emergency room west of Baghdad
Sat 2008-11-08
  Mukhlas, Amrozi and Samudra executed
Fri 2008-11-07
  Pak: 13 dead in dronezap
Thu 2008-11-06
  Iran: We can block off Persian Gulf in blink of an eye
Wed 2008-11-05
  America Votes. B.O. wins.
Tue 2008-11-04
  IAF strike zaps four Gazooks
Mon 2008-11-03
  Sheikh Sharif returns to Somalia

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