This is the latest issue of The Compass, formerly known as the Herndon Compass, a monthly local paper which we are most honored to host this month. Apparently, the lead story on ethnic crime data in Herndon is a significant one for town residents who have been pressing for more of a direct law enforcement focus on the illegal alien population.

Posted by John Climacus at 03:46 | Permalink

I case you haven't had the bejeesus frightened out of you recently, this should get you up top speed:

Terrorist operations are active in the U.S. and are being operated/financed in Michigan. U.S. citizens need to understand there are people trained and prepared to carry our suicide missions in the U.S. and nothing is off limits. Churches, malls, and even the schools our children attend are not off limits to suicide bombers. It is only a relatively short time before the U.S. will begin seeing suicide terrorist missions.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:48 | Permalink

Study: China's Army Harvesting Body Parts From Live Prisoners, Particularly Falun Gong Members

Sort of causes a twinge during that next visit to Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, or any other retail store in America. But when our diplomats meet with their diplomats, everyone bows to each other. Can't just shoot them all in the head. Pity.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:48 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Read about what Stephen Green, not an old man by any stretch, is going through.

I should have seen a doctor sooner, but couldn't. At first I was afraid I had the same thing that killed my father so young, and I couldn't face that. Couldn't even admit it. By the time I'd figured out I probably had some kind of hyperthyroid disease (thanks WebMD!), we were in the middle of changing our family health insurance. In the meantime, I dropped down to 116 lbs. I'm 5'10", people. At that height, doctors will tell you that 116 lbs is "not good."

As soon as the new insurance kicked in, I went to see my GP. When the blood work came back, hyperthyroidism was as obvious as a kick to the crotch. Let's look at the numbers.

If you have a thyroid count anywhere above 180, then you are sick. To rephrase, if your thyroid level is at 181, then you have a problem. On November 17, my blood thyroid was 1,480. Yeah, that's over eight times the maximum healthy level. Then it got worse.

When the fragility of existence sneaks up on those who are older, we who feel we have not gone far beyond the halfway point can take solace in the fact there is plenty of time left. When our peers are so afflicted the solace falls away.

It is a thin thread that keeps each of us above water.

Posted by John Climacus at 05:41 | Permalink

Rep. "Crazy" Jack Murtha crept into the limelight about a year ago and you have to wonder why. His cause was the war, but his reasoning for his cause was not entirely sensible.

Here is some background.

In 2001, Murtha announced the creation of Scialabba's nonprofit agency for the disabled in Johnstown, Pa. The next year, with Scialabba still on his staff, Murtha secured a half-million dollars for the group, the Pennsylvania Association for Individuals With Disabilities (PAID), and put another $150,000 in the pipeline for 2003, according to appropriations committee records and former committee aides. Since then, the group has helped hundreds of disabled people find work.

But the group serves another function as well. PAID has become a gathering point for defense contractors and lobbyists with business before Murtha's defense appropriations subcommittee, and for Pennsylvania businesses and universities that have thrived on federal money obtained by Murtha.

This should be interesting.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:45 | Permalink

A preliminary study of the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms has found it is effective in relieving the symptoms of people suffering from severe obsessive compulsive disorder, a University of Arizona psychiatrist reports.

Dr. Francisco A. Moreno led the first FDA-approved clinical study of psilocybin since it was outlawed in 1970. The results of the small-scale study are published in the latest edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Moreno said the study's intent was only to test the safety of administering psilocybin to patients, and its effectiveness is still in doubt until a larger controlled study can be conducted.

But in each of the nine patients in the study, psilocybin completely removed symptoms of the disorder for a period of about four to 24 hours, with some remaining symptom-free for days, Moreno said.

"What we saw acutely was a drastic decrease in symptoms," Moreno said. "The obsessions would really dissolve or reduce drastically for a period of time."

Best known among the drug culture as magic mushrooms, the hallucinogenic fungus remains a popular illicit drug. Although banned by Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, research into medical uses is allowed.

The new research does not reflect any change in government policy, said Rogene Waite, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

All that being said: heh.

Posted by John Climacus at 02:14 | Permalink

There is a huge spam attack going on right now, comments and trackbacks. It's about 30 per hour, but sometimes more, so cleaning them out just takes a ridiculous amount of time. Therefore, I have to turn off comments until I get authentication working or the attacks stop. Maybe I'll also start blogging again. That would be nice.

Posted by John Climacus at 02:54 | Permalink

The bloom is off the Bloom.

Here in the DC area we have been graced with the well-publicized arrival of a new grocery chain called Bloom. I don't remember the exact details of how they differentiate themselves from the many existing stores, but it has something to do with technology. Like, you get to program your grocery list in at a kiosk and then find all your stuff easier.

The initial reaction would be, why in god's name do we need another grocery store? We have the major-domo Safeway, the scrubby little brother Giant, the awesome Trader Joe's, the conspicuous-consumption Harris Teeter, and the unbelieveable Wegmans (you want white truffles? Wegmans can get you white truffles), along with a host of other boutique offerings.

All in all, we have WAY too many supermarkets in DC.

So here comes Bloom, heralded in the local press as a different kind of grocery store.

My first reaction was, good luck. We already have so many choices here you would have to be FANTASTIC to get a foot in the door. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, these jokers have homed in on an overcrowded market and said "Me Too!"

But, surely, the genius would be in the marketing.

The marketing arrived as a 4" x 9" card stock flyer with some vague information and a Web address. I recognized the name so I flipped the card over a couple times looking for locations where we could actually undergo the Bloom experience. Alas, no such locations were listed. But there was a Web address.

The wife, that evening, typed in the Bloom Web address and was met with an interesting slap on the hand. It said she had to have the latest version of Flash to view the site.

Because our home Internet connection is "Verizon High Speed DSL" which actually means "runs slower than most dial up", we NEVER download any programs or updates at home. There was no alternate way into the site to find out if there is a Bloom store near us. So Bloom was SOL.

Can you imagine how many times our experience was repeated throughout Loudoun and Fairfax Counties in Virginia, among potential customers who either did not have the proper configuration on their computers to find a Bloom store, or among those who had no computer and simply threw the promotional flyer in the trash?

Anyway, we won't be shopping at Bloom anytime soon, and I bet most northern VA folks won't either. If Bloom's marketing geniuses had simply sent us the address of a local store, we likely would have gone over to check it out out of curiosity.

So on the basis of that anecdotal evidence, I offer this maxim: When you have something to sell, be sure to tell potential customers how to find you. Throw them a bone.

UPDATE: Visitor E.L. Baudelaire notes:

Dear John,

For the discerning cable internet user, the appeal of Bloom is quite obvious, as indicated by their FAQ #9:

Q: Why do Bloom associates gather in the store during operational hours for cheers and chants?

A:As different as it may seem, Bloom prides itself on encouraging associates and having fun while making sure our guests feel like they are getting the most incredible shopping experience they can get! From time to time, you may hear our associates gather for some cheering and fun. They are excited to be at work and to be the best and most different kind of grocery store that there is to better serve their guests!

http://www.shopbloom.com/HowCanYouBloom/FAQs.aspx

(note: obviously the customer they're catering to is the same customer that would enjoy the *fun* family eateries which force upon their employees ostensibly loud decorations or "flair" to signify how much *fun* they have working in a crappy restaurant)

Posted by John Climacus at 12:01 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Following the extensive advocacy efforts of absolutely zero prominent "feminist" organizations in the United States, rape victims may no longer be criminalized in the nuclear-armed nation of Pakistan if the new Protection of Women Bill is passed:

The amended law would drop the death penalty for people found to have had sex outside of marriage, though they still would be subject to a five-year prison term or a $165 fine.

Judges also will be able to choose whether to try a rape case in a criminal court or Islamic court, which should make it easier to convict rapists.

Under the current Hudood Ordinance, rape victims could only raise a case in the Islamic court. It requires testimony from four witnesses, making a trial of a purported rapist almost impossible.

You can view the sum total of U.S. "feminist" protests against clitorodectomy as a measure of the moral validity of the entire U.S. "feminist" movement. You might reasonably surmise, also, that the sum total of "feminist" outrage about Islam in general tells you all you need to know about "feminism" in America.

Bottom line: The "feminist" movement in the U.S., as such, is a scam. In reality, it is simply a "pro-abortion" effort. So-called "feminists" are willing to tolerate unbelievable cruelty against women, and they are absent in the battle to protect women in Islamic countries.

Posted by John Climacus at 04:01 | Permalink

The Democrats won and, if you have been following this blog, you know that means it's more likely a military draft is on the horizon. John Kerry promised as much.

Such it is. So it should be no surprise Charles Rangal wants this to go into effect as soon as possible:

Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if he was still serious about the proposal for a universal draft he raised a couple of years ago, he said, "You bet your life. Underscore serious."

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," he said.

Rangel, who opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, also said he did not think the United States would have invaded Iraq if the children of members of Congress were sent to fight. He has said the U.S. fighting force is comprised disproportionately of people from low-income families and minorities.

"I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft. I think to do so is hypocritical," he said.

The New York Democrat had introduced legislation to reinstate the draft in January 2003 before the Iraq invasion. The Pentagon has said the all-volunteer army is working well and there is no need for a draft, and the idea had no traction in the Republican-led Congress.

From the standpoint of the Republican leadership, the basic line has been that a volunteer military is more efficient in many ways. You don't need as much of the disciplinary aspect, for instance. From the Democrats' standpoint, the goal seems to be to force a broader cross section of American society to get personally involved in military actions (under the assumption that American society is not currently fully represented).

In any case, with the Democrats in control of Congress, the miilitary draft is back on the table, and it will be interesting to see if the Democrats have the votes to force President Bush to reinstitute the draft. With Rep. Charles Rangal leading the fight, I'm guessing the Dems will not go down without a serious battle.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:41 | Permalink | Comments (4)

There will be a series of increasingly creative "non blogging" posts here. Enjoy.

Posted by John Climacus at 12:26 | Permalink | Comments (1)

New from the Fishing With Gandhi guys!

SkyMaul: Happy Crap You Can Buy From A Plane

Kasper Hauser:
James R ("Roy")
John R ("Gil")
Dan K ("Danno")
Rob B (no one...)

Posted by John Climacus at 11:01 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Senate

Connecticut: Ned Lamont
Maryland: Ben Cardin
Maryland: Ben Cardin
Missouri: Claire McCaskill
Missouri: Claire McCaskill
Michigan: Debbie Stabenow
Montana: Jon Tester
Ohio: Sherrod Brown
Pennsylvania: Bob Casey
Tennessee: Harold Ford
Tennessee: Harold Ford
New Jersey: Bob Menendez
Virginia: James Webb

House

(AZ-5): Harry Mitchell
(AZ-08): Gabrielle Giffords
(CO-07): Ed Perlmutter
(CT-04): Diane Farrell
(CT-05): Chris Murphy
(FL-16): Tim Mahoney
(GA-03): Jim Marshall
(GA-12): John Barrow
(IA-01): Bruce Braley
(IL-06): Tammy Duckworth
(IL-17): Phil Hare
(IN-08): Brad Ellsworth
(IN-09): Baron Hill
(NC-13): Brad Miller
(NH-02): Paul Hodes
(NM-01): Patricia Madrid
(NY-20): Kirsten Gillibrand
(NY-24): Michael Arcuri
(NY-29): Eric Massa
(OH-15): Mary Jo Kilroy
(OH-18): Zack Space
(PA-07): Joe Sestak
(PA-10): Chris Carney
(PA-08): Patrick Murphy
(PA-12): John Murtha
(VA-02): Phil Kellam
(WA-8): Darcy Burner
(WI-08): Steve Kagen

Hat tip: RWN's Operation YouTube.

Posted by John Climacus at 09:42 | Permalink

This blog has been a mischievous, naughty little blog and therefore has been sent off to its room for a nap. (Later in life, the blog will experience chronic insomnia as a result of this misguided attempt at parental discipline).

In the meantime, go read Ace of Spades. Ace has been a good boy so he's allowed to go out and play.

Posted by John Climacus at 04:16 | Permalink

WTR found it. Get 'em while you can!

Posted by John Climacus at 01:21 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Fantastic discovery of the heritage of our native American forefathers! The noble Aztec culture in the late 15th century:

The works were uncovered last weekend at the Aztec empire's main Templo Mayor temple, near the central Zocalo square, which was used for worship and human sacrifice.

The world has discovered the Mexica were already 1000 years behind the times 500 years ago.

Posted by John Climacus at 12:35 | Permalink | Comments (9)

It's definitely going to be this guy:

Bobblehead Muhammed?

A ceramic bobblehead doll of the Prophet Muhammed - created to resemble the infamous caricature published by a Danish newspaper - is being hawked online for $22.99 a pop by an ex-Marine.

The unapologetic creator, Timothy Ames, 28, said the bobblehead is similar to "dashboard Jesus" figurines that can be stuck with adhesive to flat surfaces. "I thought, 'If they flipped out over some cartoons what will they do with a dashboard Muhammed?'" Ames said from his home in Hawaii...

Ames said several hundred people have purchased the dolls online, and he has paid a Chinese manufacturer to create 1,000 more. "I just think it's funny," he said.

Wish I could find a link to his site because I could get my Christmas shopping just about finished.

Posted by John Climacus at 03:27 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

What to my surprise should appear but this guy! Perched on our fence! How cool!

The wife was not overly thrilled with the photo, but I have to say, possums are not so bad. They're not puppy-cute, but they are kind of cute, in a ratty sort of way.

Needless to say, all the household animals will be getting caught up on their shots, tout suite.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:57 | Permalink | Comments (5)

This is from a contributor at Free Republic:

Who said? "How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries!"

WINSTON CHURCHILL IN A SPEECH IN 1899! -- 107 years ago:

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries!

Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.

The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.

No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."

Sir Winston Churchill (The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899).

Posted by John Climacus at 11:30 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Deja vu, I know, but if we can follow American Idol we should be able to make room in our brains for the following:

Dubai, 12 Sept. (AKI) - Osama bin Laden is planning to carry out new, more destructive attacks inside the United States, and there is someone working on this terror plot currently in the US, according to Hamid Mir, the famed Pakistani journalist who obtained the only post-9/11 interviews with Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri...

Mir also said that bin Laden has assigned a man named Adnan Al-Shukri Juma to carry out a new attack within the US which is intended to be larger than the 11 September, 2001 attacks. According to Mir, Adnan Jumaa has smuggled explosives and nuclear materials into the US through the Mexican border over the last two years and is hiding somewhere in America where the FBI has not been able to locate him.

The Pakistani journalist also gave a brief background on Adnan Jumaa. Born in Saudi Arabia, he moved to the US where he met a group of a Al-Qaeda members in the Al-Farouq mosque in New York in 2000. He then traveled to an Arab state and from there to Pakistan then Afghanistan. He left there two years ago and since then has smuggled nuclear material from Mexico to the US. Jumaa has earned the nickname "Al-Qaeda nuclear whizz" and is tagged to play the same role in a future attack as Mohammed Atta did in the 9/11 attacks.

In a way the succession of new dire threats since 9-11 may be lulling some of us into complacency since nothing ever happens, but by the same token it should have inspired many to have their various cupboards filled to the brim.

Posted by John Climacus at 02:23 | Permalink

As you have likely figured out this blog is on semi-hiatus for a while. When it comes back it will be with a vengeance, rest assured of that. There are just a lot of things happening in the personal life and I have managed to appropriate a commitment too far... a few "memberships" too many. I'm in the process of trying to shed them now. Those of you who know me, know where else I can be found if you wish to stay current on my bad, bad self.

Posted by John Climacus at 02:37 | Permalink | Comments (2)

One by one, we're nailing them.

Posted by John Climacus at 03:29 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Crikey, that is a shame.

They don't cause a lot of deaths, from what I learned during my time in Florida:

The creatures are not aggressive and injury usually occurs when a swimmer or diver accidentally steps on one.

All the time I'm thinking: "AND WHERE ARE YOUR FEET, MAN!!! WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU STANDING IN?"

Hundred of episodes of watching this guy established him in my mind as the exemplar of "Man against nature: man always wins...as long as MAN HAS THE BALLS TO WILL IT."

And just think that most of his shows were taped in Australia, where there are someting like 150 species of DUST fatal to man. Not to mention the centipedes. So many times when I've been out in the yard and walked into a spiderweb or some such and felt the soul-shuddering sense of disgust "Uugggghh" - I've caught myself and picked myself up by the bootstraps via a quick reminiscence of the Croc Hunter.

"Spiderwebs?" he'd probably say, "Crikey mate, I floss with 'em!"

Whether the Croc Hunter's death shows us the limits of machismo or that we may as well keep plunging into every black swamp because it might be the friggin' BEACH that kills us anyway, Steve Irwin brought the man vs nature conflict into sharp detail, with the brave coming out on top, no less, for a generation of Animal Planet-watching kids. And also for at least one white bread Harry Homeowner who is no longer reticent about venturing into the forbidding dark places under the deck.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:47 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Here is the message the U.S. State Department should convey immediately prior to the expiration of the 72-hour deadline set by the kidnappers:

TO: The captors of Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig

If either of these men are harmed, a thermonuclear device will detonate at ground level in the center of the city of Medina, Saudi Arabia. At the same moment, four thermonuclear devices will detonate at ground level in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 10 miles apart in the corners of a square at the center of which is the stone known as the Ka'bah. Neither city will be inhabitable for many generations and, in fact, neither city will be permitted to exist ever again.

More frankly, it is unfortunate the above action was not carried out on September 12, 2001.

Posted by John Climacus at 02:24 | Permalink | Comments (2)

The world didn't end yesterday, which is all fine and good, but a bigger issue is that I've had zero time to blog. Unless you call this blogging. In any case, more puppy pictures are coming soon so please check back.

Posted by John Climacus at 04:38 | Permalink

We've seen lots of this type of thing before, I realize:

Washington is keeping a sharp weather eye out for Tuesday, August 22, which this year corresponds in the Islamic calendar to the date on which many Sunni Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on his winged horse Buraq to “the farthest mosque”, which is traditionally identified with Jerusalem.

According to the Muslim legend, on that day, a divine white light spread over Jerusalem and the whole world.

DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report that information rated “highly credible” has reached US undercover agencies of a secret report presented to Iran’s supreme ruler Ali Khamenei by Abdollah Shabhazi, one of the heads of the Supreme National Security Council. He claims to expose a mega-terror plot against Jerusalem scheduled for August 22, which aims at killing large numbers of Jews, Arabs and Christians.

This atrocity will reportedly arm the United States and Israel with the pretext for hitting Iran’s nuclear installations, as well its capital, Tehran, and other big cities.

Shabhazi says the US and Israel need to launch a military campaign to restore the deterrent strength they lost in the Lebanon war.

UPDATE: This is a good overview of all the crazy shit that makes you want to be a little more alert than usual the next day or so. I would add to it the various people here in the U.S. who got caught buying large numbers of cell phones in the last couple weeks and the fact Iran is in the midst a major military maneuvers.

Posted by John Climacus at 10:32 | Permalink

If you wonder why it seems somehow inappropriate to view mosques in America as equivalent with other religious properties, and Islam as of a kind with other religions, read this interview with a former imam:

Soloman speaks with knowledge, credibility and conviction. He has memorized large sections of the Koran and tells me, "There's not a single verse in the Koran talking about peace with a non-Muslim, with the Jews and the Christians. Islam means submission. Islam means surrender. It means you surrender and accept Islamic hegemony over yourselves..."

I ask him about the best strategy for fighting it: "It cannot be combated simply by force. It needs to be combated ideologically, spiritually (as well as) through arms."

Soloman says the outlets for Islamic ideology are religious - seminaries, the madrassas (Koranic schools) and especially the mosques. "From the beginning, Mohammed used the mosque to propagate this ideology. It was in the mosque that jihad was declared (and) that troops were sent to conquer the rest of the world. The mosque was the seat of government and Americans are right to be concerned about (their growth)."

He asks Americans to inform themselves about the real teachings of Islam and not to fall for what various Islamic groups say it teaches. Soloman says, "The simplest Islamic book you open" teaches that all unbelievers (in Islam) are profane people. "Because of the (Koranic) text and what it says, it incites violence."

Heaven knows I am no evangelist, so I don't have much standing to complain about the lack of conversions or the secularism of American culture. So I don't know about the liklihood of winning that battle.

Ideologically, there are some concrete steps I know we can take. Number one is to educate Americans about Islam doctrine and practice. Read the Koran, learn about how it is taught and learn about the function of your local mosque.

Read MEMRI daily. Also read:

• Islam Undressed
  
• Dhimmi Watch
  
• FaithFreedom International
  
• Gates of Vienna
  
• Anti-CAIR
  
• Dhimmitude
  
• Daniel Pipes
  
• Clarity and Resolve
  
• Right Truth
  
• Melanie Phillips' Diary
  
• The Religion of Peace
  
• and the entire site and blogroll at Jihad Watch.
  

Posted by John Climacus at 03:34 | Permalink | Comments (1)

If this is true, we need to clean house:

The Department of Homeland Security took a Muslim group with known past ties to terror organizations on a VIP tour of security operations at the nation's busiest airport at the same time British authorities were working to break up a plot to blow up U.S. airlines.

On June 21, a senior DHS official from Washington personally guided Muslim officials from the Council on American-Islamic Relations on a behind-the-scenes tour of Customs screening operations at O'Hare International Airport in response to CAIR complaints that Muslim travelers were being unfairly delayed as they entered the U.S. from abroad.

Everyone in this country should be required to read The Age of Tolerance (and everything on the TROP Web site, for that matter. Thanks to Debbie for that referral).

If the Bush administration is truly this clueless then let's see what the Cheney administration can do for a couple years. It can't be any worse.

Posted by John Climacus at 11:43 | Permalink

This is a new logo we're going to unfurl whenever another person on the planet realizes this basic truth:

Islam needs to be changed and Muslims need to enact the change - or else they need to get the hell out of our country.

Click to see who's today's smart guy of the day:

Posted by John Climacus at 05:58 | Permalink

I can't make it to this event on August 12, unfortunately:

A radical anti-war coalition is joining forces with a U.S. Islamic lobby organization to stage a demonstration in front of the White House to protest "the current predicament of Muslims abroad and at home."

A.N.S.W.E.R., a coalition led by socialist and communist activists, and Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation are co-sponsoring the "National Emergency March" Aug. 12 at Lafayette Park at 12 noon.

A third co-sponsor is the National Council of Arab Americans.

A number of leaders for A.N.S.W.E.R. – Act Now to Stop War and End Racism – were members of the Workers World Party and now belong to the Party for Socialism and Liberation , a Marxist-Leninist organization founded in 2004

Along with the "plight of the Palestinian people and the recent atrocities in Gaza and Lebanon," the Muslim group says it will focus on the war in Iraq and "the continuous violation of civil rights and civil liberties within the American Muslim community."

If you are interested in participating in the counter-protest, just show up at Lafayette Park around 11:00 am and look for the people who are NOT treasonous weasels or harbingers of the new dark age. The good guys should stand out.

If you have an appropriate, pointed "message" t-shirt, go ahead and wear it. Good choices include:

"Real men don't stone rape victims."

"Sharia Sucks."

"Go back to the 7th century where you belong."

"My Holy Book doesn't tell me to cut people's heads off."

"Freedom of religion for all, not including death cults."

..and, maybe, a special one just for this occasion:

"Islam is not the A.N.S.W.E.R. for America. Go create Hell-on-Earth somewhere else, please."

If you are involved with Protest Warrior or Free Republic you're probably way ahead of me on this.

I don't have details about the counter-demonstration except there will be one. I will post whatever I find out.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:05 | Permalink

There was a cartoon on the Web last week depicting the central irony of the West's war on Islamic extremism. It showed an Israeli soldier positioned in front of a baby carriage - protecting it from the enemy - facing an Arab fighter firing from behind a baby carriage.

Amidst the gathering PR storm about civilian casualties in Lebanon, we need to keep one thing in mind: The Muslims don't give a rat's ass about women and children. In the Islamic caste system women are valued lower than goats and children are raised to be cannon fodder. (And UN peacekeeping forces? Hah!)

Women and children are not merely collateral damage: They are legitimate targets. Putting Lebanon in its proper perspective, then, we must recall the IDF gave ample warning for civilians to evacuate, but Hezbollah has stationed itself within the civilian population.

Our enemies are not religious warriors. They are a death cult, willing to cause and accept unlimited civilian casualties on their own side. We've seen a great deal of this in Iraq, but the evidence in Lebanon the past couple weeks could not be clearer. This amounts to using the West's value system as a weapon against the West. Our enemies can accept the carnage and willingly cause more because they believe we cannot accept it and will eventually be forced to retreat.

In World War II, the allies faced an enemy with a similarly inverted value system. Japan's willingness to accept massive casualties and commit civilians to suicide attacks likely played a large role in President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb to attempt to force a Japanese surrender.

Parallels to the present-day suggest a massive, inhumane application of force may be necessary to defeat this enemy. By extension, failure by the West to use overwhelming force - to attempt to prosecute the war with minimal civilian casualties on the opposing side - may well result in the West's defeat: not in a day, not in a year, but in the end. The Muslim pattern of attack, followed by an opponent's counterattack that inflicts massive civilian casualties, followed by an outpouring of horror on the Western side and, eventually, cease-fire allowing the Muslims to regroup, has been repeated often in the past several decades. It may be about to happen again as the world demands Israel end its counterattack.

This is a huge mistake. We should never forget that, in Islam, war is deceit. The cease-fire and truce are occasions for al-Taqiyya:

The word "al-Taqiyya" literally means: "Concealing or disguising one's beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and/or strategies at a time of eminent danger, whether now or later in time, to save oneself from physical and/or mental injury." A one-word translation would be "Dissimulation."

When those who value life - and especially the lives of the weak and vulnerable - go to war against those to whom life is cheap, there are no grounds for consensus between the parties. Treaties and cease-fires are meaningless because the death cultists will never honor them. Our enemies must be eradicated and their holy cities vaporized so the entire world will see that the supposed divine aegis protecting them was a myth. The Muslim fighters must suffer total defeat, or we will.

UPDATE: Read all of this:

...how many Lebanese would be dead or injured now if Hezbollah had not attacked Israel.

Posted by John Climacus at 11:27 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Posted by John Climacus at 02:16 | Permalink

The countdown begins.

Another resident of a colorful, multicultural, sharia-law community has been hanged from a crane:

IT WAS exactly 6am and the start of another blisteringly hot summer day when 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi was dragged from her prison cell and taken to be executed.

Every step of the way the troubled teenager plagued by mental problems shouted "repentance, repentance" as the militiamen marched her to the town's Railway Square.

The Iranian judge who had sentenced Atefeh to death was left unmoved as he personally put the noose around her neck and signalled to the crane driver.

Kicking and screaming, Atefeh was left dangling for 45 minutes from the arm of the crane as the crowd sobbed and - under their breath - damned the mullahs.

Atefeh's crime? Offending public morality. She was found guilty of "acts incompatible with chastity" by having sex with an unmarried man, even though friends say Atefeh was in such a fragile mental state that she wasn't in a position to say no.

So, if you are keeping score:

Thus far, no condemnation by CAIR. (Um, except for condemning America for supporting the fight against sharia).

No support from the National Organization for Women for their 16-year old sister.

Not a peep from the ACLU. (Um, except to castigate America for its horrific human rights record against the sharia-meisters).

Nothing so far from the netroots. (Um...well, you know the rest).

No sympathy at Moonbat Central.

Well, I'm sure the outrage is simmering. We'll report as soon as it boils over.

Posted by John Climacus at 09:25 | Permalink | Comments (2)

This was one of the most inspiring events I've ever seen. From a massive, 10-minute collapse on Wednesday to the improbable and almost inhuman 8-minute counterattack on Thursday, Floyd Landis has established himself as one of the seven wonders of sports history. And he did it in pain, with a dead hip that will need to be replaced shortly and which likely will end his professional bike racing career.

I didn't blog the Tour this year because I just wanted to watch it. I'm glad, because I am not erudite enough to do justice to Landis' effort. All us mere mortals can do is try to hold it in mind whenever we feel the adversity of life may be too strong for us to overcome.

Posted by John Climacus at 11:43 | Permalink

Enough of the war and bombs and bad guys. Enough I say. That is not why I blog.

I blog...because I love.

Without further ado, then, I shall don my smiley face shirt and sparkly-rimmed pink sunglasses, and take you on a brief tour of my real life shorn of all false bravado.

This is our cherry tree.

One day we were watering our hanging plant and guess what we found inside?

You can probably guess what we found in there a few weeks later.

Moving on now from the cute to the ridiculously cute, we check in on the puppy project.

Would you like to see another one? Sure you would.

This thematic oscillation reveals the inner truth of this blog: Deport the Muslims...puppies; loose the dogs of war...puppies; nuke our enemies...PUPPIES! Embracing both extremes is the yin and yang, the happy middle ground, of existence.

I'm pretty sure this makes me a moderate.

We'll end on a high note. Any of you bad mo-fo's may want to cover your eyes because this next one is hyper-cuteness of a degree it might screw with your head, make you giggle like a girl and leave you weeping on your Mac-5. Your homeys don't need to see that.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:40 | Permalink | Comments (6)

I propose the reason President Bush's approval ratings with regard to the battle in Iraq are so low is because the U.S. military got sent in (good thing) but then was prevented from using overwhelming force to destroy the insurgency (very bad thing).

His father's experience should have provided a lesson: Once Saddam Hussein's military forces had been overwhelmed in the Gulf War, George H.W. Bush appeared to be a shoo-in for re-election. But when Bush decided to declare victory and retreat leaving Hussein in power, the American public's opinion of his presidency turned negative.

The American people support going to war, as long as the point is to kick holy ass.

You hear the warnings about collateral damage. The danger there is not a bunch of civilians getting blown up because there were enemy combatants hiding among them. "Collateral damage" is U.S. troops dying for a principle, forced to uphold a higher standard of battlefield conduct than the enemy's. And as it has gone for the past several years, Americans and our Iraqi supporters getting blown up and chopped up little by little by the insurgents.

"We will outlast them" is not compelling. "We blast the crap out of them right now" would be.

From the active duty troops, veterans and family of troops I have spoken with over the past five years, the number one hint of complaint I have heard has had to do with the U.S. not doing everything necessary to win. Whether in the spirit of "not enough boots on the ground" or "there's no way we are going to change these people," the central message seems to be we are going to have to do MORE if we are going to win.

I'm going to take a flying guess here that the next polls, conducted following Israel's unabashedly offensive offensive, with the Bush administration giving wholehearted assent to Israel's actions, will show a higher approval rating for Bush's prosecution of the war. A hundred or few sorties over Iran and eastern Syria would guarantee the Republicans holding both houses of Congress next year.

Posted by John Climacus at 10:28 | Permalink

As Melanie Phillips has noted, Israel is our collective front line. It's our front line against Iran.

Inexplicably, the past three years of Iran's direct antagonism against the U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq have not been sufficient to get Iran classified under George W. Bush's 'doctrine' that those nations that support our enemies will be counted as our enemies. The notion that Iran should be considered the west's chief enemy is such a commonplace idea that it is apparently ripe for deconstruction or delegitimization, owing, presumably, to the fact that the war in Iraq is now fair game for potshots within popular culture. Our enemies cannot be identified as such because the political arguments against George W. Bush preclude any enemies named by him being acknowledged as real enemies of the west.

The current Mideast crisis should snap us out of that silly mindset. The facts are so plain in this case. Israel was attacked, and the attackers are proxies for Iran. Israel has the right to address the source of the problem.

But the U.S. has the same right. Iran has been at war with America for nearly 30 years. Regardless of the ideological underpinnings (Saudi Arabia is a chief offender), Iran has emerged as the primary military threat to Israel and America.

What are we waiting for?

Israel now has license, apparently, from several of the G-8 nations to defend itself. America should have the same license.

But America should have more. We should view the current conflict as a fight to the death, because that's what it is. Our foe is implacable. If we really mean to win, we should not limit ouselves to doing so within the constraints of civilized behavior, because our enemy is not civilized.

We should turn loose the dogs of war on Iran. Recognising we are in a war would be a valuable first step. If the goal is to win, no weapon should be ruled out. We should nuke the bastards. They are as dangerous as were the Germans and Japanese in the 1940s.

Having a strategic arsenal is pointless if it will not be used against a strategic threat.