Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.
After blogger Judith Klinghoffer and an army of Davids declared a "Buy Danish" campaign to combat the Muslim boycott. The Guardian says "fervent rightwing Americans" participated in the buying spree and implies that the cartoonists were responsible for the deaths of 139 people.(like it was the cartoonists who killed those people instead of the ones who shed their blood, how like the Progressive TransNazi viewpoint)
Words by: Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger Music by: Hans Ernst Krøyer Adopted: 1844
"Derer et yndigt land" was first performed for a large gathering of Danes in 1844, and became popular quickly with the Danish people. It was adopted later that year by the Danish government as a national anthem, but not the sole national anthem. This anthem is on equal status with "Kong Christian",which is both the national and royal anthem.
When the Danish anthem is usually performed or sung, the first verse is played in its entirety, then it is followed by the last four lines of the last verse. (This is true whether the lyrics are sung or not
Recently I have been posting music to Illustrate the Diversity of America, this week I have a different motive to express Solidarity with DENMARK
I think I shall title my Post, "There is no "But" in "Freedom of Speech".
When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a Statement of Purpose Now upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.
And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.
For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.
And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.
As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.
The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the
OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCE
This week I also have shortened my usual introduction for a more important message.
MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism Created by Mark Jefferson on March 1st, 2006 at 5:42 pm AST
After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism. We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all. "
Bill Roggio is an excellent writer who decided he was not going to write about those things which he did not have first hand experience, so he suited up and became an embed both in Iraq and Afghanistan. (He's had experience from before, but he just f...
***UPDATE: The Committees of Correspondence has the “REAL” Sheehan scoop that the media did not tell you nor report. Please go there to read it now. It is unbelievable! Ding dong the witch is back and this time she is decrying ab...
According to an editorial written by Australian professorial fellow and emeritus professor at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, Riaz Hassan, (“Interrupting a history of tolerance?”):
Born in 1951, Gordon Brown is the second of three sons. He grew up in the town of Kirkcaldy, an industrial centre famed for its linoleum and mining industries
Hat tip, CAIR Watch.It used to be that the only people I knew who were concerned about the behavior of fellow mass-transit passengers were Israelis. But that was before Sept. 11, the airline shoe bomber, the Madrid railway attacks and
Rep Murtha and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are at it again, engineering another strategy for defeat. With Congress’s August recess less than one week away, it should hardly come as a surprise that Rep. John Murtha, the chairman of the House Appropri
from Right Truth Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , Adam’s Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, Phastidio.net, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s
Clinton’s economic plan to that of socialist Karl Marx. Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts,
Blogs] [IMG Linkfest Haven, the Blogger's Oasis] Trackposted to Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , Big Dog's Weblog, DragonLady's World, Cao's Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Thoughts, third world county, Right Celebrity,
A few others covering this are: And Rightly So!, Captain Ed Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, DragonLady’s World, Nuke’s news and views, Blue Star
Please give this Post/Blog a Vote - [IMG Top Blogs] Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DragonLady's World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, The Crazy
from Right Truth Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , Adam’s Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, Phastidio.net, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s
[IMG goodvibes.gif] Gotcha! [IMG ] Sharing secrets with my friends over at Is It Just Me?, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , 123beta, DeMediacratic Nation, Maggie’s Notebook, Adam’s Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, Phastidio.net, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog,
as they try and stop reform in Congress. Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog’s Weblog, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat,
with their childhood, the real shame in this. Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog's Weblog, Jeanette's Celebrity Corner, DragonLady's World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy
Enforcement WORKS! from GA CrimeWatch Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog’s Weblog, Jeanette’s Celebrity Corner, Adam’s Blog, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle
Enforcement WORKS! from GA CrimeWatch Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog’s Weblog, Jeanette’s Celebrity Corner, Adam’s Blog, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle
Bionic Generation ==================================================... Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Jeanette’s Celebrity Corner, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Big Dog’s Weblog,
off tackling poverty and crime rather than slack dressing. Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, DragonLady’s World, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, The Crazy Rants
- I wouldn't hold my breath. [IMG ] Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog's Weblog, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Conservative
roots to 1,500 years ago [IMG Linkfest Haven, the Blogger's Oasis]Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog at MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog,
Thank you very much. Mayor Barletta of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. END TRANSCRIPT Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , Right Truth, DragonLady's World, The Pink Flamingo, The Bullwinkle Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Jo's Cafe, and Pursuing
to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 247 - 152 (Roll no. 29). Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Thoughts, third world county,
Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Wyvern Dreams, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Church and State, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, 123beta, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, Jo’s Cafe, The World According to Carl, Blue Star
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , Big Dog’s Weblog, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, The Amboy Times, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Leaning Straight
[IMG Top Blogs] [IMG Linkfest Haven, the Blogger's Oasis] Trackposted to Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , Big Dog's Weblog, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Cao's Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Jo's Cafe, Pursuing
give this Post/Blog a Vote - [IMG Top Blogs] Trackposted to Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, Pursuing Holiness, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove,
helpful in understanding linkfests/open trackbacks. Trackposted to Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog’s Weblog, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle
difference. As they say……..Read it all ===============================================... Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, DragonLady’s
roots to 1,500 years ago [IMG Linkfest Haven, the Blogger's Oasis]Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog at MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog,
Nation Blogrolls Please give this Post/Blog a Vote - [IMG Top Blogs] Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, Republican National
Mesa, California Checks Citizenship of Arrestees from The Virtuous Republic Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Pirate’s Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The
what he wants to hear. [IMG Digg!] -----------------------------------------------... Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up,
roots to 1,500 years ago [IMG Linkfest Haven, the Blogger's Oasis]Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog at MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog,
better hope the prosecuter wants to go easy on her. Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Thoughts, third world county,
better hope the prosecuter wants to go easy on her. Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Thoughts, third world county,
Nation Blogrolls Please give this Post/Blog a Vote - [IMG Top Blogs] Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , third world county, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, Republican National
county, Wake Up America, Stageleft, Pirate's Cove, Wyvern Dreams, CommonSenseAmerica, Right Voices, Church and State, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, 123beta, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao's Blog, Jo's Cafe, Conservative Thoughts, The World
not the last time I checked) [IMG ] Offering up fumes to my friends at Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , 123beta, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, Right Truth, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, The
here to add this podcast to your Itunes. [IMG] [IMG] Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Thoughts,
defeatocrats, harry reid, iraq war is lost, liberal cowards, surge Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative
rather then deal with the ugly little voyeur inside. Trackposted to ST, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Thoughts, third world
around. Something to think about. Trackposted to ST, Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson's Website, Committees of Correspondence , Rosemary's Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Shadowscope, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The
protecting a vacation home?------------------------------------------... Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog's Weblog, DragonLady's World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy
- as long as you're on the road to recovery. Or something. Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Committees of Correspondence , DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Thoughts,
around. Something to think about. Trackposted to ST, Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson's Website, Committees of Correspondence , Rosemary's Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Shadowscope, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, The
Note: I have noticed that Haloscan is not picking up all the websites that trackback to my Monday OTA posts so I will also be checking Technorati Blog Reactions in order to ensure full credit to the websites linking here
If you have linked to this post and do not see your trackback listed above leave me a note in comments
After standing with the D.C. Chapter at Arlington National Cemetery Monday morning to protest Cindy Sheehan's campaign rally there, two women whose husbands were killed serving in Iraq confronted Sheehan and her supporters outside Rep. John Conyers' office on Capitol Hill several hours later.
The two Gold Star wives stood in the hallway right outside the door to Conyers' office to rebuke Sheehan for betraying the sacrifices made by their husbands. Sheehan blew them off, raising and extending her right hand to ward them off as she approached the office and the assembled media horde. Sheehan's posse quickly surrounded the wives, led by turncoat Ann Wright, a retired Army Reserve colonel and former State Dept. official. While Wright tried to distract the wives by "dialoguing" with them, Code Pink's Medea Benjamin tried to drown them out and divert the media's attention by leading the Cindynistas in sing-song chanting. One of Sheehan's supporters told the wives to "shut up!"
The wives would not be deterred and stood their ground. They barely let Wright get a word in edgewise as they said their piece. Of course these women did not make the news, despite all the cameras that were filming. With the exceptions of scant mentions in the Washington Post and ABC News radio, the pro-victory Gold Star wives were deemed not newsorthy.
Even Fox News, the so-called 'fair and balanced' network, which had producer Griff Jenkins covering the story, blew off any mention of the Gold Star wives in their report on Brit Hume's Special Report broadcast last night.
The fourteen minute long video, filmed by Blue Star mother Mrs. Trooprally, who has a son serving in Iraq, captures the scene in the hallway as the Gold Star wives were repeatedly denied permission to go into Conyers' office while Sheehan was in there, even as the media and Sheehan supporters were routinely allowed in.
The video ends before Conyers' arrival and Sheehan's arrest at his office later that afternoon.
After leaving Capitol Hill, the Gold Star wives returned to Arlington National Cemetery to visit the grave where the husband of one of the wives is buried.
These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it NOW deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. -- Thomas Paine, 1776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Adriel Domenech 501-412-1224
Vets for Freedom expresses disappointment that veterans were not able to meet with Congressional leadership from both sides of the aisle in Congress today. While many Republican Senators, including leadership, made themselves available for questions and input, interaction from Democratic leadership was noticeably absent. In spite of that, Vets for Freedom members remain committed to speaking with elected leaders on both sides of the aisle.
Republican leadership (and some Democrats, although not leadership) made room in their busy schedules—on very short notice—to speak with veterans. These veterans flew in on their own dime to ask Congress to give General David Petraeus the time he needs to fully implement the surge of American forces in Iraq. Veterans are very grateful and thankful for the time that these Senators took to spend with them.
Five days in advance of today's events, Vets for Freedom meeting requests—for 5 minutes—were submitted to the Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House. Repeated attempts were made to contact and meet with the Democratic leadership. "In the end, they made a disappointing decision to decline meeting with veterans who have first-hand knowledge of the situation on the ground" said Pete Hegseth, an Iraq War veteran and executive director of Vets for Freedom. "It is especially disappointing because Democratic leadership's misguided policy—a declaration of defeat—will lead to a national security disaster for the United States."
Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American strategy and tactics—namely "the surge" in Iraq. Vets for Freedom is the leading voice representing troops and veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information, please visit http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/.
###
For more information or to schedule interviews with Pete Hegseth or our other veterans please contact Adriel Domenech at 501-412-1224 or adriel@vetsforfreedom.org.
State Sponsors of Jihadism: Learning the Hard Way By Kamran Bokhari
In the short period of time since some Muslim states began to employ jihadists to further their domestic and foreign policy objectives -- in the late 1970s and early 1980s -- none of these states has been able to quit the relationship and remain unscathed. For various reasons, the once-symbiotic relationships between the governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and their jihadist proxies have turned adversarial, while in Syria's case the storm is brewing. In essence, the jihadists have come back to bite the hand that fed them.
An examination of the development of these relationships reveals a similar path. The security and intelligence apparatuses in each of these countries played the lead role in supporting these militant Islamist entities -- in some cases even helping to create them. Over time, these intelligence agencies developed a considerable degree of influence among such groups, though the groups enjoyed significant influence within the security establishment as well.
For domestic reasons, most of these governments aligned themselves with religious extremist forces to consolidate their power and counter challenges from mainstream opposition forces. But more important, the alignment served to further the geopolitical objectives of the state in its region. In the beginning, such relationships tended to go well -- until the state ceased to have a major use for the jihadist group or the group became too powerful to manage.
Normally, despite the ups and downs in the relationship between a country and its allied terrorist entity, the state maintains the upper hand. This is because, although their ideology and interests differ from those of the state, the jihadist groups depend on the state for their survival and prosperity.
The Afghanistan Legacy
Such equilibrium, however, exists as long as the affair remains limited to a one-on-one relationship between the state and its proxy, or only one or two neighboring states get involved. Over time, however, the explosive cocktail of religion and geopolitics has allowed Islamist militant nonstate actors to seek help from other like-minded groups outside their areas of operation, which has helped them consolidate their positions at home.
It all began with the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan in 1979, when the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia supported Islamist rebels fighting the Moscow-backed Marxist stratocracy in Kabul.
For its part, Washington provided weapons and training to the insurgents it called "freedom fighters," while Riyadh funneled money to them and Islamabad provided logistical assistance. Moreover, these countries made a concerted effort to unite a broad range of Islamist groups. In the process, these groups -- which until then had limited horizons -- got their first real taste of transnationalism. Not only did the decade-long Afghan experience connect the groups, it also laid the foundation for a transnational network -- one that later emerged as a global jihadist network, with al Qaeda as its vanguard.
Although by empowering the jihadists the Afghan venture altered the nature of the relationship between Muslim states and their nonstate proxies, many states continued to do business with their proxies. Even U.S.-led international pressure on countries -- mostly Muslim ones -- to abandon their sponsorship of terrorist entities was not serious enough to force the states to shut down these operations.
The Saudis continued to bankroll Arab legions fighting in Central Asia, South Asia, the Far East, the Caucasus and the Balkans. Pakistan continued to back the Afghan and Pakistani militant Islamist groups, with an eye on securing the now-infamous objective of "strategic depth" in Afghanistan. Islamabad also aimed to counter Indian military superiority by backing Kashmiri separatist groups. Yemen sought the help of jihadist forces to defeat Marxists in the 1994 civil war.
Meanwhile, the 1991 Persian Gulf War played a key role in creating friction between many of these states and their jihadist proxies. The falling out between Osama bin Laden and the Saudi royal family is a classic case. Jihadist groups by then had gained sufficient strength to begin asserting their autonomy, especially in areas where their ideologies and objectives clashed with those of their state patrons.
The evolving relationship between Islamist groups and Muslim states also had a direct impact on the domestic sociopolitical conditions in the concerned countries, which led to the rise of religious conservatives, radical Islamists and other extremist forces. A situation developed in which the very religious ideology the ruling elites had used to consolidate their hold on power was beginning to undercut the state. Because the Islamist militants did not completely turn against the state, however, the situation remained tenable.
The Watershed
Then came 9/11.
The attacks against the United States completely altered the global geopolitical landscape and forced governments in Islamabad, Riyadh, Sanaa and elsewhere to act against their jihadist allies. In the beginning, these Muslim governments tried to make do by simply convincing the Islamist groups to lie low. Some complied, though many others did not -- because by then they had established autonomous operating environments and, more important, they had been emboldened by al Qaeda's 9/11 attacks.
The state patrons, then, were finding that many of their former proxies were going rogue, and that a realignment of the jihadist universe was taking place. Whereas many jihadist groups and factions in the past had "special" relationships with the state, they now found an ally in al Qaeda and its band of transnational jihadists. This pursuit of transnational objectives brought the jihadists in direct confrontation with states whose past relationships with the jihadists were motivated by national interest. The jihadists, in other words, represented no more than instruments through which governments could pursue their goals. Over time, especially during the period following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, these Muslim governments increased the pressure on the jihadists.
That said, the break between the jihadists and their patron governments was neither quick nor absolute, which explains why it took some time before the jihadists redirected their actions against the states that were responsible for their initial rise. Despite their growing distaste for their former patrons, the jihadists still needed to maintain operational links with their contacts inside the states' security and intelligence networks.
In many cases, intelligence operatives and security officers who had managed the jihadist groups sympathized with the newly shunned nonstate actors, giving the jihadists significant access to resources that helped them continue to operate -- even under the global counterjihadist regime being imposed by the United States. Although some of these officials were purged and others were transferred, still others managed to balance their official duties with their sympathies to the jihadists. The Pakistani intelligence directorates, particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), continues to be plagued by this problem, which would explain the jihadists ease in staging attacks against Pakistani security forces since the Musharraf government began operations against Islamist militant interests in the country's northwest.
Even though the official policy in these states now is based on the conviction that Islamist extremists and terrorists represent a grave national security threat -- and the governments are mobilizing resources to counter the threat -- to varying degrees, the jihadists have sufficiently penetrated the state systems to the point that they still can conduct business.
The fatal mistake governments make is that they try to distinguish between "good" and "bad" jihadists. For the Pakistanis, the Taliban in Afghanistan constitute a resistance movement, though they want the Taliban operating in Pakistan wiped out. Similarly, the Yemenis hunt down some al Qaeda-linked jihadists, but not those who form a crucial support base for the government of President Ali Abdallah Saleh or those who make up an integral part of Yemen's intelligence services. In the same way, the Saudis have undertaken a massive counterjihadist effort in the kingdom, though they still support jihadists in Iraq as a means of containing the rise of the Shia there -- and, by extension, Iran.
However, maintaining an ambivalent policy toward jihadism, while tempting, can be deadly. From a policy point of view, it is easy to box jihadists into the neat categories of good and bad. In reality, however, the jihadist goal is to overthrow secular governments and establish Islamist states, which is why these states cannot hope to do business with jihadists and expect to maintain internal security and stability. Of course, different governments faced with varying domestic and foreign policy circumstances will have different levels of success.
The Unique Situations
Despite having the social, political and economic environment that is most conducive to jihadist activity, Saudi Arabia has been the most successful in combating jihadism. In an effort to undercut the Islamist militants, the kingdom's General Intelligence Directorate has skillfully made use of the same religious, tribal and financial channels that the jihadists use to stage attacks. It is not surprising, then, that the Saudis have been ahead of the curve since June 2004 and have managed to thwart attacks and launch successful pre-emptive strikes against jihadist personnel and infrastructure. Since the beginning of the jihadist insurgency in the country, Riyadh's security forces have eliminated some half-dozen successive commanders of the kingdom's al Qaeda node. Much of the Saudi success can be attributed to the government's handle on the various cross sections of society. Moreover, the Saudis have had sufficient experience in dealing with rogue Islamist militants.
The kingdom's founder, King Abdel-Aziz bin Abdel-Rehman, successfully quashed the Ikhwan movement (not to be confused with the Muslim Brotherhood) when it began to threaten the interests of the state. The militant Wahhabi movement played a major role in King Abdel-Aziz's attempts to conquer most of modern-day Saudi Arabia in the early 1900s. But when the group wanted to expand its operations into Iraq (then under British control) -- a move that threatened the interest of the king's British allies -- and when it wanted to impose its own brand of Islamic law in the kingdom, King Abdel-Aziz had its members annihilated. Many decades later, in 1979, when the Kaba in Mecca was taken over by a militant Wahhabi group led by Juhayman al-Utaibi, the Saudis were again able to act against the group, even storming the Kaba to flush out the militants.
The situation in Yemen is not that bad either. Like Saudi Arabia, attacks still continue -- most recently against energy-related targets -- but what has helped the Yemenis is that a significant population in the country is Zaydi, an offshoot of the Shiite sect of Islam. Additionally, the Yemeni government is not supporting jihadists for foreign policy purposes, but to ensure domestic political stability. Thus, the jihadists do not engage in active combat. Nevertheless, the country sits on the crossroad of four major jihadist theaters -- Iraq, Afghanistan/Pakistan, Somalia and Saudi Arabia -- and the transnational elements from each arena could link up with the locals to create problems for Sanaa in the future.
By far, the most serious threat is that faced by Pakistan. There, the historic mullah-military alliance has fallen apart in recent months. In fact, in the wake of the operation against Islamabad's Red Mosque, the jihadists have taken off the gloves and declared war against the Pakistani state. While successive governments dating back to the country's creation in 1947 have used religious groups and the ulema class to standardize Pakistan's nationalism as one rooted in Islam, the 11-year rule (1977-88) of former military dictator President Gen. Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq played a crucial role in creating the Islamist Frankenstein. Though many governments before and after Zia flirted with Islamist actors to pursue foreign policy objectives, it was the Zia regime that empowered Islamists and mullahs at home.
In many ways, the current polarization of Pakistani society is the logical culmination of two competing views of the Pakistani state. Throughout their country's nearly 60-year history as a nation-state, Pakistanis have struggled over whether Pakistan was created to be an "Islamic" polity in which its majority Muslim population could live in accordance with its cultural norms as codified by state law, or whether its founders envisioned Pakistan as a secular state in which the Muslims of British India could safeguard their economic interests.
This situation continues to force the state's hand, and the government is attempting to gain control over the jihadists who are striking at the very security forces that nurtured them in the past. Therefore, given the magnitude of the problem, it is not surprising to see that many Pakistanis are beginning to wonder about the future survivability of their country. Pakistan is unlikely to become a failed state as a result of the social chaos and the weakening of the military-dominated establishment, but the country is headed for serious trouble. However, it is too soon to say whether Pakistan will face a situation like Algeria did in the 1990s, when some 200,000 people died before the government could contain the Islamist insurgency there, or whether it will encounter a more benign insurgency, like that in Egypt in the 1980s and 1990s.
Another state that has recently begun using jihadist elements to pursue its foreign policy objectives is Syria. The government not only has allowed jihadists to use Syrian territory as a conduit to Iraq, but also has in recent months redirected some of that traffic toward Lebanon in a bid to regain control of its smaller neighbor -- control it lost in the storm that erupted after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Syria in the 1970s became the first Arab state to face a serious challenge from homegrown jihadists, which is why former President Hafez al Assad decided to strike hard at Islamist forces in 1982 -- an act that led to the killing of tens of thousands of people. The senior al Assad was motivated by the fact that his Alawite-Baathist regime was a minority government in a country where 85 percent of the population was Sunni. His son, President Bashar al Assad, however, is ignoring that statistic and is participating in a dangerous game of backing jihadists in Iraq and Lebanon. It will not be long before these same forces begin to threaten domestic security and stability in Syria, especially with Iraq exploding.
States that have exploited jihadists to further their own interests have derived some short-term benefits, but in the long run, these groups have come back to haunt their former sponsors -- in some cases even threatening the security and stability of the state. In either creating or supporting these groups, the states tend to forget that their proxies will have their own agendas. Given their ideology and transnational links, jihadists groups have proven to be the most deadly proxies.
This report may be distributed or republished with attribution to Strategic Forecasting, Inc. at http://www.stratfor.com/. For media requests, partnership opportunities, or commercial distribution or republication, please contact pr@stratfor.com.
The war in Iraq "is lost" and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Congress, Harry Reid, said Thursday.
"I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week," Reid told journalists.
It makes one wonder if the man even knows what losing is. So I decided to put together some visual aids.
A sort of Losing for Dummies. I may not be able to educate Runaway Reid, but maybe someone will read this and get a perspective
Harry THIS is what LOSING looks like
We LOST the Philippines. The image above is what DEFEAT looks like.
Here is another image that shows what losing looks like.
That my friends is what it looks like when Americans act like Americans and refuse to accept defeat.
How many times in our Past have Americans refused to accept defeat and snatched victory as a result?
. On September 23, 1779, Jones fought one of the bloodiest engagements in naval history. Jones struggled with the 44-gun Royal Navy frigate Serapis, and although his own vessel was burning and sinking, Jones would not accept the British demand for surrender, replying, “I have not yet begun to fight.” More than three hours later, Serapis surrendered and Jones took command.
Too bad we cannot bring the Shade of the Captain of the Serapis to the present so he could explain to Harry Reid what losing looks like.
Out manned, out gunned, in a ship that was sinking, John Paul Jones refused to accept Defeat and Won the Day.
Harry Reid's definition of Defeat seems to be, "They are still shooting at us"!
I could give other examples, but it might be best to keep this simple so maybe it will make an impression on the simple minds that think the War in Iraq is lost.
After blogger Judith Klinghoffer and an army of Davids declared a "Buy Danish" campaign to combat the Muslim boycott. The Guardian says "fervent rightwing Americans" participated in the buying spree and implies that the cartoonists were responsible for the deaths of 139 people.(like it was the cartoonists who killed those people instead of the ones who shed their blood, how like the Progressive TransNazi viewpoint)
Words by: Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger Music by: Hans Ernst Krøyer Adopted: 1844
"Derer et yndigt land" was first performed for a large gathering of Danes in 1844, and became popular quickly with the Danish people. It was adopted later that year by the Danish government as a national anthem, but not the sole national anthem. This anthem is on equal status with "Kong Christian",which is both the national and royal anthem.
When the Danish anthem is usually performed or sung, the first verse is played in its entirety, then it is followed by the last four lines of the last verse. (This is true whether the lyrics are sung or not
Recently I have been posting music to Illustrate the Diversity of America, this week I have a different motive to express Solidarity with DENMARK
I think I shall title my Post, "There is no "But" in "Freedom of Speech".
When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a Statement of Purpose Now upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.
And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.
For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.
And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.
As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.
The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the
OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCE
This week I also have shortened my usual introduction for a more important message.
MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism Created by Mark Jefferson on March 1st, 2006 at 5:42 pm AST
After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism. We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all. "
Note: I have noticed that Haloscan is not picking up all the websites that trackback to my Monday OTA posts so I will also be checking Technorati Blog Reactions in order to ensure full credit to the websites linking here
If you have linked to this post and do not see your trackback listed above leave me a note in comments
Carbon offsets are becoming Big Business these days. It does not matter how much energy you use, how much fossil fuel you burn, how much Carbon Dioxide you return to the atmosphere.
All you have to do is purchase a Carbon offset and you have compensated.
That is what Al Gore tells us so naturally it must be the truth.
Al is veritable fountain of information on the pervasiveness of the Global threat. Why he has even warned us of
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore warned hundreds of U.N. diplomats and staff on Thursday evening about the perils of climate change, claiming: Cigarette smoking is a “significant contributor to global warming!”
Wow not only a nasty habit but, a significant part of
“a full-scale climate emergency that threatens the future of civilization on earth.”
Another source of Global Warming appears to be herbivores. I know it's impolite to point this out but they pass gas, Gas which according to Al Gore threatens the future of Civilization,
So I got to thinking. Shouldn't hunters get Carbon offset credits? I mean whenever they put a bullet in Bambi they reduce the amount of methane and carbon dioxide being put into the atmosphere.,
Also the animal will no longer be eating plants which CLEANSE the atmosphere of the carbon dioxide pollutant.
We need to not only give carbon offset credits to hunters, but maybe we should even encourage their practices?
Yes how about Global Climate Control through Species Extinction?
*New Project: Troops volunteering and "winning hearts" in Baghdad *Scouting Project Update *Brief updates on SnakeEaters, Afghan Farmers
There's a great deal of "hand wringing" that goes on here at Spirit of America as we try and decide what project to feature in our biweekly emails. They all deserve to be "heard" and funded. The requests keep coming, so here we are again.
MILITARY CHAPLAINS HELP WITH HEARTS FOR BAGHDAD PROJECT An outreach program whose mission is to reach out to children and families of Iraq through caring, giving and loving others.
Yes, it's true, somehow our US service members make the time to volunteer to provide medical and dental care to the local Iraqi's. A Civil Military Affairs Operation Center (CMOC) operates a medical/dental clinic at Radwaniya which treats over 1200 Iraqi's every month. This request for supplies and equipment needed to maintain and improve the care at the clinic comes from Lieutenant Commander Dan Stallard, a military chaplain stationed at Camp Victory, referred to Spirit of America by General Petreaus. Not only does the clinic need basic supplies such as surgical sutures and blood pressure cuffs, they also need an Electrocardiogram Machine, ultra-sound machine and glucometer.
Military Chaplain Lieutenant Commander Stallard outfitting a baby with shoes
We really want to help Lieutenant Commander Stallard "win some hearts"! If we can raise $20,000, this project will be well on its way to fulfillment. Here's the link to give directly to Hearts for Bagdhad.
IRAQI BOY AND GIRL SCOUTS UPDATE The new Chairperson for the Green Zone Council, Steven Mehringer reports on the receipt of the latest supplies sent by Spirit of America. Tents, screen houses, coolers, water jugs, personal mess kits, grills, sleeping bags and first aid kits for 200 scouts along with plans to use the equipment at a brand new scout camp: "We have received your shipment of Scouting equipment. WOW! The items arrived over a period of days and were put into storage at our BRAND NEW SCOUT CAMP by multiple volunteers."
"First let me say thank you so much for your support of Iraqi Scouting and The GZC. I can't express to you enough how important your participation is in making this program a success. Once the weather cools down we plan to arrange a 1 or 2 day Scout campout, we will put the equipment to good use as soon as possible."
These Iraqi Scouts are participating in a "Clean-Up Day"
Did you know that there are more than 150,000 Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in all 18 Provinces?! The photo above serves as a great reminder that children really are the same everywhere. This effort was funded by your generous contributions to our Marines Fund, read the whole story here at our "Support Iraqi Scouts Project". Thank you!
PROJECT UPDATES IN BRIEF: SnakeEater - We're still waiting for information from Iraq and hope to have that update in time for the next email. Afghan Farmers - The Sergeant Major recently returned from leave to find boxes and boxes of supplies including initial shipments of the school kits, soccer balls, beanies and Frisbees waiting for him with lots more to come! Since this project has raised over $50k, we'll be able to fulfill all of his requests! SoA is in the process of purchasing the farm tools, saffron bulbs and clothing for these farmers and their families. A more detailed update coming soon.
Next email: We all hear the news, and it's not always good. We're waiting for permission to talk more about some of the very sad news coming to us from our brave and committed project champions about the losses in their units. We hope to dedicate our upcoming project in their memory. We'll fill you in as much as possible in the coming month.
As always, our deepest appreciation and gratitude for your support.
The President would have been run out of office in disgrace as a failure and maybe even impeached.
The War would have been declared over, the troops brought home and we would have gone our own way and let those with whom we were fighting go their way.
A Civil War would have been avoided.
Oh I am sorry. Did you think I was writing about the War in Iraq?
No I am writing about the American Civil War.
Lincoln would have been impeached the disasterous War, which resulted in more American Deaths than any othe conflict would have been drawn to a quick close.
For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.
2
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
3
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
4
This much we pledge—and more.
Some people seem to have forgotten or discarded these values. If it were left to them, the Torch of Liberty, would be allowed to fall to the ground flicker and go out.
What is it the gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God
If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.
After blogger Judith Klinghoffer and an army of Davids declared a "Buy Danish" campaign to combat the Muslim boycott. The Guardian says "fervent rightwing Americans" participated in the buying spree and implies that the cartoonists were responsible for the deaths of 139 people.(like it was the cartoonists who killed those people instead of the ones who shed their blood, how like the Progressive TransNazi viewpoint)
Words by: Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger Music by: Hans Ernst Krøyer Adopted: 1844
"Derer et yndigt land" was first performed for a large gathering of Danes in 1844, and became popular quickly with the Danish people. It was adopted later that year by the Danish government as a national anthem, but not the sole national anthem. This anthem is on equal status with "Kong Christian",which is both the national and royal anthem.
When the Danish anthem is usually performed or sung, the first verse is played in its entirety, then it is followed by the last four lines of the last verse. (This is true whether the lyrics are sung or not
Recently I have been posting music to Illustrate the Diversity of America, this week I have a different motive to express Solidarity with DENMARK
I think I shall title my Post, "There is no "But" in "Freedom of Speech".
When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a Statement of Purpose Now upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.
And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.
For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.
And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.
As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.
The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the
OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCE
This week I also have shortened my usual introduction for a more important message.
MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism Created by Mark Jefferson on March 1st, 2006 at 5:42 pm AST
After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism. We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all. "
Note: I have noticed that Haloscan is not picking up all the websites that trackback to my Monday OTA posts so I will also be checking Technorati Blog Reactions in order to ensure full credit to the websites linking here
If you have linked to this post and do not see your trackback listed above leave me a note in comments