Middle East in Sea of Change

Fire of Liberty

Victor Davis Hanson has a moving piece over @ National Review Online on the monumental changes that have occurred throughout the Middle East since the dark days of September 11th. It's always a relief on to read VDH's positive pieces every Friday just to have a little relief from all the sanity that's being dished out everyday in the MSM. I wished VDH worked in our State Department to bring some sense to the white striped pant fellows over @ Foggy Bottom. Luckily, the good professor has a modicum of sanity himself and wouldn't touch that madhouse with a forty-foot pole, let alone would he have a chance of being invited to the entity with strong views like his. Just see for yourself:

The Middle East is in flux, as the autocracies in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia reel from the earthquakes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Like it or not, this is not the time for half-measures, but rather the hour for a uniform American policy that promotes democratic reform and thus predicates our aid, weapons, friendship — almost everything — on the degree to which Middle Eastern societies are free.

How odd that conservatives, usually derided for their multicultural insensitivity and blinkered approach to the world abroad, had far more confidence in the Arab street than did liberals at home and Euro elites who patronized Arabs as nice "others" who were "different" rather than oppressed by murderous thugs in the manner of former Russians, Hungarians, Bosnians, and Afghans.

Every time the United States the last quarter century had acted boldly — its removal of Noriega and aid for the Contras, instantaneous support for a reunified Germany, extension of NATO, preference for Yeltsin instead of Gorbachev, Gulf War I, bombing of Milosevic, support for Sharon's fence, withdrawal from Gaza and decapitation of the Hamas killer elite, taking out the Taliban and Saddam-good things have ensued. In contrast, on every occasion that we have temporized — abject withdrawal from Lebanon, appeasement of Arafat at Oslo, a decade of inaction in the Balkans, paralysis in Rwanda, sloth in the face of terrorist attacks, not going to Baghdad in 1991 — corpses pile up and the United States became either less secure or less respected or both.

Good ole VDH, he always has the best way of putting things. Keep up the good work.

Hezbollah

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The wonderful Kathryn Jean Lopez over @ National Review Online has a great interview with Barbara Newman, who is a co-author with Tom Diaz on a very insightful book Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil. If you want to learn more about this powerful terrorist group that plagues the Southern half of Lebanon and is attempting to disrupt the Cedar Revolution on behalf of Syria, this book is a must. Anyway, the Q&A is also something of a must as well. Here's a sample:

NRO: Now, in Lebanon: If Syria gets out, does Hezbollah take over? How can Hezbollah’s power be squashed by the Cedar Revolution — does people power have that kind of power?

Newman: I believe that if Syria pulls out of Lebanon now, which — by the way I don't think will happen — because the Bashar Assad regime would collapse — Hezbollah would be the most powerful entity in Lebanon. It could easily smash the Lebanese army. The tragedy of all this is that the Cedar Revolution, the confluence of such previously vicious enemies, the Christians, the Sunnis, and the Druze, is occurring in a power vacuum. The Taif agreement, which ended the Lebanese civil war, forced all militias to disarm with the exception of Hezbollah. In the last ten years it has grown into a behemoth and we have done nothing about it.

How can we forget the fact that in 1983 a Hezbollah suicide driver crashed a one-thousand-pound bomb into the Marine Barracks in Beirut and killed 241 of our best and brightest? What about the hostages they took and tortured? What about the CIA Beirut station chief William Buckley who they kidnapped and slowly drowned to death by forcing a pipe down his throat and flooding him with water. They made tapes of his agony and sent it to the CIA. I'm told that former CIA Director William Casey almost went crazy when he heard them, and this propelled him to Iran-Contra, to try to free the hostages.

Jeane Kirkpatrick Q&A

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Here's a wonderful Bill Steigerwald Q&A interview in The Pittsburgh Tribune Review of Former US Ambassador to the UN Jeane Kirkpatrick. I think you'll garner a greater bit of insight of the UN and its problems when you read it. There are only a few rare birds in this nation who can tell the stuffed shirts and dictators of the World how things are and one of them is Ambassador Kirkpatrick. I'm expecting John Bolton to also be one of these rare birds. For more on Mrs. Kirkpatrick, check here.

Church Report

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Here's a good piece by Jed Babbin in The New York Post on the 11th investigation on possible abuses of War on Terror detainees. The investigation, known as The Church Report, revealed that the various charges of officially sanction torture and abuse being bandied by the likes of Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy are completely overblown. Yes, there have been documented acts of abuse but they are very rare and generally occur outside of the realm of interrogations.

While Babbin has written a fact-filled and powerful piece that shoots down the canards of the left and conspiracy mongers he also lays a good argument on how the fear of prosecution has prevented our interrogators from applying legally approved tuff measure. Just see for yourself:

As the Church report shows, the terrorists are trained in our interrogation methods and how to resist them. When we use more aggressive techniques — as we did in the case of two "high-value" detainees at Guantanamo who resisted standard interrogation for months — the new techniques "successfully neutralized the two detainees' resistance training and yielded valuable intelligence."

Church said in a conference call Wednesday that our interrogators are now "clamped up" — declining to push interrogations as hard as they legally and morally can and should for fear of the next investigation that will come along.

We are punishing innovative interrogators, such as the two women at Guantanamo Bay, "who, on their own initiative, touched and spoke to detainees in a sexually-suggestive manner in order to incur stress based on the detainees' religious beliefs." Why should we punish those women? Why should we respect terrorists' religious beliefs when we — and a growing number of their co-religionists — say they are perverting their religion by their terrorism?

The most important finding Church makes is a negative one: that there is no universal definition of torture or abuse. American and allied interrogators shouldn't have to work in fear of prosecution under vague laws and treaties. So long as they do, they will remain "clamped up" — less effective than they must be if we are to get the actionable intelligence we need to save lives.

Thank God that we have individuals like Jed Babbin, who is willing to get his arms dirty in presenting the guts of these expensive but informative investigations. It sure beats a biased news article by The New York Times.

Victor Yushchenko

Here's an interesting story by Glenn Kessler and Rob Stein from The Washington Post on Victor Yushchenko's bout with dioxin poisoining. For anyone not up on the story, Victor Yushchenko is the current President of Ukraine who was posioned via dioxin during his run against Victor Yanakovech. Though there are some individuals in Ukraine still argue that Yushchenko contracted this posion naturally, It's very hard not to agree that the Ukrainian President was targeted for death by someone. According to the Post article, Yushchenko's attempted assassination was enough to garner the attention of his family, who secretly requested the aid of US doctors via the Pentagon and the State Department.

Luckily, Yushchenko's family had the forethought to call in this team of doctors. Since the unique symptoms of Yushchenko's illness were beyond the expertise of his doctors in Vienna, the future president was lucky that the Americans arrived. To fully understand the situation, just read part of the fascinating article below:

"They didn't want it to be known it was being done in the United States because a major part of the campaign against him was anti-Americanism," McConnell said. The CIAG, located within U-Va.'s School of Medicine, is a think tank that focuses on helping the public and government respond to emergencies. Saathoff said he organized a team of about six U.S. doctors in various specialties, including dermatology, neurology, toxicology and neuroradiology. He would not name the other doctors, except for the toxicologist -- Christopher Holstege of U-Va.

After reviewing Yushchenko's records with the help of interpreters from U-Va.'s language department, Holstege said he sent an e-mail to Saathoff on Oct. 31, in which he said dioxin was at the top of his list of culprits. "It's not every day that you're asked to evaluate someone of this stature. It's probably the poisoning of the century," he said.

In December, Saathoff, Holstege and another doctor traveled to Vienna to meet Yushchenko and consult with his doctors. During the trip, Holstege's diagnosis was confirmed by a lab in the Netherlands.

Dioxins are organic compounds that contain chlorine and are a byproduct in the manufacture of many industrial chemicals. Zimpfer said the Dutch lab determined that the level of dioxin in Yushchenko's blood was greater than 100,000 picograms per gram of fat; he said the maximum tolerable level is believed to be about 30 picograms. A picogram is one-trillionth of a gram.

Even throughout this great ordeal, Victor Yushchenko has suffered a severe bout of pain as well as disfigurement. Just see the following picture.


While this might sound cruel, I think Yushchenko's face is a badge of honor providing a great testament of his bravery. As you know, while Yushchenko was battling for his health, the people in the streets of Kiev were battling the corrupt government and its forces via the Orange Revolution. One thing I can say is that no matter how much the forces of evil put up against the forces of good, the forces of good prevailed.

The Netherlands: Euroskepticism on Rise

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"It’s just too bureaucratic, too big. The EU and the people are too far apart,” a grey-haired woman said as she scuttled along the cobbled pedestrian streets, lined with traditional Dutch gabled houses. “It gets bigger, bigger, bigger.”"

I figure that this sums the sentiment of the Dutch towards the EU pretty well. The one thing that is true about The Netherlands is that they have a really strong libertarian streak, just look at the extensive legalization of drugs, prostitution and Lord knows what else. This libertarian streak also applies to their view on the size of government. Like the grey-haired lady, there is a large section of the Dutch people who don't like the creeping leviathan of the EU. The mere thought of a supernational entity like the EU controlling all facets of Dutch society is something that the people can't fathom thus explaining why a majority of its people are willing to vote "no" against the EU constitution on June 1, 2005. So this summer, it looks like the battle over the EU constitution will be something to watch. I hope the people of Holland demonstrate their true feelings of this hunking super-state.

I just want you to mull over the thoughts of one Dutch politician on the possible "no" vote. The politician noted this great line:
“

"If Britain rejects the constitution, Britain has a problem. But, if the Netherlands rejects the constitution, then the constitution has a problem.”"

I'm starting to love the plain-spoken nature of the Dutch. The national gov't might have an "Old Europe" mentality but there's a large silent majority of "New European" ideas rising to the challenge. Come June 1st, we'll see.

St. Brendan's Day

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While a lot of people will don the green and celebrate St. Patrick's day with great merriment and a few pints of Guinness, few will pay any attention to St. Brendan. Well, John J. Miller has a very insightful piece over @ Opinion Journal's Taste section on this interesting figure of Christianity. Miller notes that while it's true that St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and holds a special bond with Irish people, he really doesn't embody the true nature of the Irish-American spirit. He notes that Brendan is a better because he wasn't scared to venture into distant and alien land to start a new life. St. Brendan's lack of fear from venturing to a strange and distant world is also an quality that is shared by the various Irish immigrants who staked out on a quest of coming to the New World. Miller's argument for making St. Brendan a point of interest next week is best told by the writer himself, so check it out below.

In the year 486, about a generation after Patrick's death, Brendan was born near Tralee, on the southwest coast of Ireland. Few hard facts are known about his life except that he founded a monastery at Clonfert and established several other enclaves around the British Isles--making him one of the fellows who laid the groundwork for Irish monks to "save civilization," as Thomas Cahill's best-selling account has it, when the rest of Europe was losing its heritage.

But that's not what makes Brendan special for Irish-Americans. His connection to them comes from the legends surrounding his other feats, which became popular tales in the Middle Ages. "The Voyage of St. Brendan" describes our hero leading a group of monks on a seven-year quest in search of a promised land that supposedly lay across the vast western sea.

The story features plenty of fantastic elements, such as fire-breathing sea monsters, an encounter with Judas Iscariot and a friendly whale who lets the pilgrims hold a Mass on his back at Easter. Several literary types have labeled the "Voyage" a Christian version of the "Odyssey," and it certainly includes adventures rivaling those in Homer's classic.

It is plainly a work of imaginative fiction. But does it also contain any kernels of truth? There is no doubt that Brendan was an extraordinary traveler. For Catholics, he is a patron saint of sailors. What is more, Irish monks are perhaps history's greatest unheralded seafarers. Many of them craved geographic isolation, where they could lead simple lives of prayer. This drove them to seek places so far off the beaten path that nobody else had been there before. (Or at least no other Europeans.)

For more on St. Brendan see here, and here.

One year later

For anyone who's in the know are probably aware that today is the one year anniversary of the deadly March 11th Al Qaeda bombing of a Spanish commuter train, which killed some 191 people. For some time, I've had an special affinity for the people of Spain and their culture. I guess it has to with my admiration of their determination in the face of a challenge, whether it was Spain's emergence as a shining democracy out of the Franco dictatorship or their battle with the horrors of terrorists like ETA and Al Qaeda. Yes, it's true that the Socialist opposition blamed the bombing on Spain's participation in Iraq thus forcing the withdrawal of Spain's troops from Iraq but I'd blame that on the Socialist party and the adamant opposition to the war rather than cowardice or anti-American sentiment. Remember, there's a large majority of Spaniards who approved of the Popular Party and the participation of Spain in Iraq and felt it a disservice to the Spanish soldiers for the immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Anyway, enough of Spanish politics. Let's just signify this tragedy with this stirring display. Rest in Peace you brave souls.

Syria's minions in Lebanon

Here's a good piece by Claudia Rosett in The New York Sun on Hezbollah's demonstration for Syria in the streets of Beirut. As I noted in a previous post, the pro-Syrian parties have opened up their flood-gates and are trying their best to derail The Cedar Revolution. Unlike the message of freedom and democracy that the student's in Freedom's Square are presenting, we have the evil minions of Syria spouting their putrid words of hate. Just look at what Rosett has to say about the Hezbollah demonstrations:

The demonstration took place in front of the offices of the United Nations downtown. Along with America and Israel, the chief object of opprobrium was U.N. Resolution 1559. Passed last year, the resolution calls for the withdrawal from Lebanon of all non-Lebanese forces, and the disarmament and disbanding of all militias. Translated from U.N. jargon, Resolution 1559 requires Syria to withdraw its 14,000 or so troops still in Lebanon and requires Hezbollah to give up its weapons. Mr. Assad has said he will comply but has given no timetable. Hezbollah shows no interest in disarming.

From Washington, President Bush has been boosting Lebanon's democratic movement, and Resolution 1559, al most daily, demanding that Syria withdraw both its troops and its intelligence agents. Yesterday, in a speech at the National Defense University, Mr. Bush said, "I have a message for the people of Lebanon: All the world is witnessing your great movement of conscience. ... Freedom will prevail in Lebanon."

Hezbollah replied with strange definitions of freedom. Surrounded by fellow demonstrators clutching Lebanese flags, a young woman said: "We all want a free Lebanon, as equal democratic citizens" - then expressed at length her support for the Syrian strongman. "We can't be against Syria when Americans are interfering," she said. Asked if she thought Syria was democratic, this woman deferred to a burly male companion who stepped forward to declare: "The issue of Syria being a democratic country or not is really an issue for the Syrians." While he spoke, another protester filed past, carrying a placard that said, in English, "All our problems are from America."

The highlight of the demonstration was a speech by the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who appeared on a stage high above the crowd to declaim such sentiments as "Death to Israel" and "We are united here above all to thank Syria, the Syrian people, and the Syrian army, which has stayed by our side for so many long years, and is still with us."

Also, check out Rosett's other pieces on The Cedar Revolution here and here.

I hope Claudia Rosett wins a Pulitzer prize for here monumental work on the Oil for Food scandal or better yet for her constant pursuit to spread people's struggle for freedom and liberty throughout the World.

N. Korea cracks-down on People.

According to this UPI wire story, the "Earthly Hell," known as North Korea has launched a extensive crackdown on it's people. Like everybody else around the World, the people yearn to enjoy liberty and the right to persue the freedoms that people in the Free World enjoy. When a government uses the power of the state to deny its people of these "God-given" rights, they truly represent a great tyranny that deserves to be dissolved once and for all. Just see for yourself what the thugs in North Korea are capable of.

So far this year, North Korea has executed more than 60 citizens to warn its people against committing any "anti-republic" behaviors, such as illegal border crossing and information leakage, according to a Seoul-based relief group.

"North Korea executed in public 60 people sent back from China in January," said the Headquarters for Protection of North Korean Defectors. The victims were repatriated to the North after failed attempts to find political asylum by forcing their way into a diplomatic compound in Beijing.

Kyoto Treaty

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Paul Jackson of The Calgary Sun has a good piece on the debunking of Kyoto by Astrophysicist Sallie Baliunas. Here's a sample:

Discover magazine has profiled Baliunas as one of America's most outstanding women scientists, and she presented evidence going back through tens of thousands of years to show climate change is a naturally occurring phenomena.
Glaciers advance and recede and lake levels rise and fall.

"The climate and the weather patterns change and always will, for we do not live in a Garden of Eden," she said.

Baliunas said if there actually was anything extraordinary about the 20th century, it was that there was so little climate change.

Widespread studies showed there was a slight warming trend from the start of the 20th century until around 1940, then a period of stagnation, with a slight warming trend reappearing at the end of the century.

Vietnam

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This is Nguyen Dan Que, who's a dissident doctor within Vietnam, who is standing up for the rights of liberty that have been deprived from the people by its vile Communist masters since 1975 when the last US helicopter left the embassy in Siagon. In the same manner that countless other individuals have been tormented by their oppressors, Dr. Que has spent decades within Vietnam's prisons enduring countless inhumane conditions and acts at the hand of his tormentors. The only demand that Mr. Que asks is that the regime set a clear-cut timetable for free and fair elections for the people of Vietnam. Such a small wish has brought years of countless hells for Dr. Que.

While I provide just a brief commentary on Dr. Que, I'd like to give you a small peek into a wonderful piece on the good doctor by Claudia Rosett @ The Wall Street Journal Europe. This particular piece was written shortly after Rosett talked to Dr. Que via phone, which he could answer but not freely call from. I'd have to say Mrs. Rosett has a great way of putting things. See for yourself:

It is important for the world to understand that in saying such things, Dr., Que knows all too well the risk he is taking. Back in 1975, as Saigon fell, he had a chance to leave--and turned it down. Even today, he says, "For me, exile is not freedom." Instead, for more than 30 years he has seized every chance to speak out and demand liberty for his country. For that, under Vietnam's communist regime, he has paid dearly--spending more than 20 years in labor camps and prisons. Released on two previous occasions, due to international pressure, Dr. Que seized the chance each time to again demand freedom for Vietnam's people. Twice, the regime jailed him again, most recently in March 2003--an outrage that was swamped at the time by the flood of news from Iraq, as the U.S.-led coalition went in to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

And though it is cause for immediate rejoicing that Dr. Que has been released, it is not yet a sign that Vietnam's brutal regime is easing up. "It's likely that I was just transferred from a smaller prison to a bigger one," he says. His release looks more like a matter of hostage politics, as Hanoi's regime haggles with Washington over Vietnam's recent designation by the U.S. as a "country of particular concern" for being what Human Rights Watch calls "one of the worst violators of religious rights in the word." Vietnam also makes Freedom House's short list of the world's most repressive regimes. The prisons of Vietnam are infamous for torture, beatings and filthy conditions. Dr. Que notes that after his latest bout in which he was imprisoned incommunicado for two years, he is "tired out."

While Rosett might have a mightier pen than me, we both can keep Dr. Que's in the forefront of the web thus thumbing our nose to the Communist masters in Hanoi. Hopefully this post on this great soul will provide one more voice in the many that seek liberty and freedom for the people who toll daily under the oppressive jackboot of tyranny.

EU Economy on par to US in 1970's

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According to this article in The Financial Times, a recent study finds that the EU economy is currently at the position the US economy was in the late 1970's. The report also presented some startling economic numbers that place the EU in a very deep hole that might be hard dig out of. First, it would take the EU until 2056 to reach the current US worker productivity rate. Secondly, at the current rate of spending it would take the EU until 2123 to match the current US expenditure rate on R&D.

While some in Europe's decrepit welfare states might see this study as good news, they need to rethink. Just look at Germany's 12.5% un-employment rate to see what awaits the rest of Europe. The welfare states in Europe are about in the same as the US because they've followed the same economic models that Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale champion. Whether it was extensive taxes on individuals & corporations, high interest rates, extensive regulation, soft money policy as well as a highly restrictive trade policy. If everybody old enough to remember, the US economy was in dire straits during this time. What, with an 2.5% economic growth rate, median income below $37,868, 7.6% un-employment, 0.6% productivity rate, as well as an inflation rate near 14%, the Carter White House clearly demonstrates what awaits the EU. I just hope they have another Ronald Reagan or Margaret Thatcher waiting in the wings to take control over the ship or their headed for rocky shores. If the can find someone who can liberalize the EU economy by introducing free-trade, low tax rates (Three cheers to Eastern Europe), tighter monetary policies, deregulation policies like these two paragon's of power, they will enjoy a great future. The proof is in the pudding when you look at President Reagan's numbers. Compare this to Carter, when President Reagan left office the growth rate was 3.2%(This occurred during a recession at that), Median Income reached some $42,049, 5.5% un-employment rate, 1.5% productivity rate, as well as an inflation rate of 4.1%. (Discover more in The Cato Institute's Policy Analysis: Supply Tax Cuts and the Truth About the Reagan Economic Record)

Unless the EU adopts such policies to enact an economic rebirth like the one that occurred under Reagan, the EU will continue to fall into a deeper morass. Even the researchers of the study, Eurochambres, have raised such concern. Just look at what Christoph Leitl, president of Eurochambres, said about the situation:

“We urge European leaders at the summit [later this month] to focus on the economy because without the economy, Europe does not have a future. It's a question of survival.”

Maybe the Eurocrats should listen to these people.

South Ameica

Here's a piece in The Times by Bronwen Maddox on the pink-tide of socialism sweeping South America. While it's a good way from the scourge of Communism that plagued the continent in the 60's-80's, this pink-tide remains a looming threat. Take a look.

National Sovereignty

As most of you already know, I'm a very Euro-skeptic person due to the fact that the whole EU construct robs the countries of Europe and its people of their national sovereignty. We'll, here's a good book to further my argument.


It's The Case for Sovereignty by Cornell professor Jeremy Rabkin. While I've seen Mr. Rabkin present his arguments in a clear and concise manner in several appearances on C-SPAN's Washington Journal and Fox & Friends, I haven't seen much by Mr. Rabkin in print. Well, here's a good Q&A with Rabkin over @ NRO on his book. See here. During this Q&A, Rabkin provided perhaps the best argument against the EU that I've seen in a long time. Just see for yourself:

All members of the EU have now bound themselves to a scheme in which the European Court of Justice treats mere treaties as superior to national constitutions — and national courts give priority to the rulings of this European Court, even against their own parliaments and their own national constitutions. This is way, way, way, beyond anything we could accept in America. To find an analogy, you must imagine that NAFTA officials in Montreal claim the authority to override the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court — and federal judges in America agree that the NAFTA policy must take priority.

What makes the European scheme particularly bizarre — at least from our point of view — is that Europeans aren't really prepared to pursue their "Union" to its logical conclusion. They don't trust the EU to have an army or police or even criminal courts of its own. So Europeans are entrusting supremacy to a government they don't really trust — at least not enough to entrust with traditional attributes of sovereignty.

In the long run, the American scheme is bound to be more respectful of individual rights and personal liberty, because we start from the recognition that people can disagree whereas the EU is always presuming some consensus that will — supposedly — be discovered by bureaucrats and judges. In the long run, the American scheme is bound to be more alert to security threats, because we start from the recognition that outsiders may well mean us harm, so we have agreed to work together — in this country, under our own scheme of government — for our "common defense." The EU scheme always suggests that people can be protected by negotiations, since Europeans have ceded supreme power to a "construction" that doesn't have an army. Doing what bureaucrats do — which is all that the EU can do — is supposed to be enough. If it isn't, Europeans are in a lot of trouble. So the structure of the EU encourages Europeans to continually disregard actual threats to their security.

Anyway, Rabkin also notes that the US needs to pay more attention to the slow but sure decline of our sovereignty within our Courts and various institutions throughout the nation. Just look at the recent events where various Supreme Court Justices have cited international law and European Court of Justice cases in their rulings on the death penalty and countless other cases dealing with the US Constitution. When we have US judges and countless other lawmakers basing their decisions on other courts, they probably need to review the US Constitution and read Mr. Rabkin's wonderful book.

Pro-Syria Demonstration

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While watching Fox & Friends this morning, I discovered the true nature of the pro-Syrian demonstrators in Damascus. In her report this morning, Jennifer Griffin focused on a small grouping of some 100 human rights activists who we're denouncing the Assad regime. During this time Griffin, her Cameraman as well as the human rights group were swarmed by a violent mass of pro-Syrian supporters who started hurling fists, rocks and kicks. They were eventually pushed down an alley up against a doorway were they escaped from the angry mob. Based on the report, the mob attacked the human right activists and accused them of being traitors to President Assad and the nation of Syria.

It's really amazing how much violence and hatred that emanates from the supporters of Assad. While this small group of human rights activist were presenting their disapproval of Assad via a peaceful but vocal rally in a side-street, the pro-Syria crowd decided to physically assault them in front of a Fox News cameraman and correspondent. I guess when the rally is coordinated and run by the Syrian government and its security service the Mukabarat, you'll get the ruffians who will hurt someone just to please an evil dictator. I'd prefer the grass-roots gathering of the 100 human rights activists or The Cedar Revolution to the thugs of Hezbollah or the ones marching for Assad.

If you can, try to catch the video on Fox News it's a good demonstration of the hate and violence that supporters of Assad are capable of. One thing that's true about these demonstrations is the fear amongst the Assads and the Ba'athist of freedom and democracy emerging in Syria. As with all dictatorships, Assad's regime has to generate a "Potemkin village" of support to the outside World to say, "Look they really love me, see how many people fill the streets for me." Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Saddam and countless others have played this same broken record over and over again and have been able to pull the wool over the eyes of the World. Just remember that as long as the mass marches continue to occur in the streets of Damascus and Beirut for Assad, they're not real but a ruse for the fearful Assad. My advice for the people of Lebanon is to keep up The Cedar Revolution.

EU

“We haven’t had a referendum in Holland for 200 years. Our people have never been asked what they thought of Europe. Now we’re finally giving them the chance to tell us, and we might not like what they say.”

This about wraps it up about the EU and the Constitutional Referendum. See here.

Religion & Europe

With the recent election in the US, America was inundated with countless stories on the "moral values voters" and religion's impact on the American electorate. Though the MSM tried to promote this as a new event or even an anomaly, a large subsection of "God-fearing" Americans see it as an everyday occurrence. As one of those "God fearing" people, I realize that this nation is highly religious with such roots dating back to Plymouth Rock but I am also aware of the cross-current of secular humanism that is slowly but surely seeping into our culture. Whether in our books, magazines, TV shows, movies, music and especially amongst the elites in this nation, you have this desire to sweep religion from the scene. Just look at the recent Supreme Court hearings on the Pledge of Allegiance or the hearings on the display of the Ten Commandments. Though the tide of "God-fearing" believers is much greater than the secular humanists in this nation, one cannot say the same for the European continent. This emerging devotion to secular humanism is at an all-time high amongst the elite that it has penetrated even the EU Constitution. For those unaware, the EU caused a fuss throughout The Vatican and millions of Christians who inhabit the European continent, by leaving out all references to God or a higher being. I guess they don't believe in the US passage "endowed by their creator" should be in their constitution or founding documents. I think Pope John Paul II put it best when he said that "One does not cut off the roots from which one is born." To read more, read here, here, here, and here.

In today's edition of National Review Online, John O'Sullivan has written a wonderful piece on the decline of religion in Europe. According to Mr. O'Sullivan, the most likely individual to restore the religious culture to the European continent is Pope John Paul II. Though he may be infirmed due to his recent bouts with Parkinson's and his most recent respiratory problems, the Pope also is the one true individual who has the ability to touch so many hearts. In the same manner that his Eminence touched the hearts of countless individuals locked behind the Iron Curtain toiling under Soviet Tyranny and countless others who traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to grace his appearance. If he could achieve the inevitable during the Cold War, O'Sullivan believes that the Pope can achieve the same in Europe. Here's a sample of the piece:

Pope John Paul II, who has strongly supported European unity throughout his papacy as the modern expression of Christendom, now finds that it has become instead the expression of secular fundamentalism.

It surely grieves him. But is there perhaps in the pope's pilgrimages to the third world and in the "reverse missionaries" from there to Europe the hand of providence a second time?

Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world came to St Peter's Square last Sunday to see the silent pope and hear his appeal for their prayers read by another.

Will the millions of new Christians they represent in Asia and Africa be the vehicles of the saving grace that will rejuvenate the tired churches of Europe? And will the pope himself live to lead this renaissance as he led the last? Or will he merely glimpse from afar, like Moses, the promised land he is not permitted to enter?

Not to be in the least flippant but: God only knows.

The challenge for The Vatican and millions upon millions of "God-fearing" inhabitants of Europe is very great especially with the power of the secular humanist elites that run the EU and the culture centers. While its daunting, the battle for Christianity's Soul in Europe is winnable, only if people are willing to follow The Church. To get a better perspective on the daunting quest that awaits the Pope and his acolytes take a look at this three part series in The Christian Science Monitor on religion in Europe here, here, and here.

Slovakia & Flat Tax

Here's a good article on the Flat Tax phenomenon spreading throughout Eastern Europe. I don't know about having a Flat Tax mixed with a VAT tax, Slovakia would see more tax receipts if they dropped the VAT and stayed with a straight 19% rate. When you have lower taxes, people make more money to thus providing the government more money. As Art Laffer always says, Lower Taxes=More Revenue. If the Germans would adopt a Flat Tax instead of their 40-49% rate and its costly regulation, they wouldn't have an unemployment rate of some 12 to 12.5%. When will the Western Europeans ever learn anything from the East and people like Steve Forbes. I guess when all of the companies and people stop coming to Germany because they've found a better deal in Eastern Europe.

Yesterday' demonstration inflated/staged!!!

"This was not a Lebanese showing, and many of those who actually were Lebanese were not there because they support Syria. We know that at least three Palestinian camps were present. And there are 700,000 Syrian workers inside Lebanon, many of whom are not even supposed to be there. They were urged by Syria to attend so it looks like many Lebanese are protesting. Plus Syria bused in their own citizens from Syria through the border into Lebanon to join the rally."

This was part of an interview conducted between WorldNetDaily and former Lebanese PM Michel Aron. Check here for more.

Thanks Little Green Footballs.

Ramirez Cartoon

Here's a good cartoon by LA Times' Mike Ramirez.

Kofi Annan: Hezbollah force to reckon with!!!

Fire of Liberty
Here's Kofi on Hezbollah:

"But even the Hezbollah—if I read the message on the placards they are using—they are talking about non-interference by outsiders... which is not entirely at odds with the Security Council resolution, that there should be withdrawal of Syrian troops," Annan told reporters.

"But that having been said, we need to recognise that they are a force in society that one will have to factor in as we implement the resolution," he said.

And the UN wonders why we don't trust them. The whole point about 1559 is for the Syrian military to get out of Lebanon and not to the Eastern half. So, while the US, France and other nations call for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution, Kofi Annan, the boss over at the UN wants to deal with terrorists. Remember this is the man who declared in 1998 that Saddam was a "man he could work with." Lebanon is being infected by the Syrian military and intelligence services not to mention the blood-cult terrorists Hezbollah, and Kofi is saying the UN might have to include the vile thugs of Hezbollah in their implementation of 1559. I guess when your organization can't define terrorism, then they definately would never be able to identify a terrorist group.

As for the thing about the banners yesterday, I figured he missed the irony of Hezbollah's supporters called for the end of foreign intervention but praised the main source of foreign intervention, Syria. I figured Kofi saw the banners proclaiming the "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and decided these were freedom fighters promoting national independence.

Its time to clean house in Turtle Bay and push Annan out and end this canard of supporting terrorist groups.

The Cedar Revolution might look like its running on empty in the MSM but people of the blogosphere know the truth. I urge the people who love freedom and democracy to stand up to Hezbollah. You've come too far to stop now.

China

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China, the big bully of Asia, seems to be rattling its saber at the tiny island nation of Taiwan. Even though the people of Taiwan elect their own parliament, PM, and President, the Chinese mainland insist on the two systems one China policy and are willing to use force to unite them. Well the Chinese have decided to up the ante by pushing through an anti-seccessionist bill. Though it has been presented to the National People's Congress (NPC) for a vote next week, this new legislation has prompted a considerable amount worry amongst security experts in Taiwan and the US. When the law comes into effect, the Chinese mainland would actually make it legal to invade Taiwan if it declared its independence. Though the Chinese have said this law is to ensure a peaceful re-unification of these two systems, you wouldn't know that by reading what Wang Zhaoguo, a senior delegate of the NPC , had to say about it the law. According to The Financial Times:

Mr Wang said that under the law, the state “shall employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures” if Taiwanese independence forces “under any name or by any means” caused Taiwan's secession; if “major incidents entailing Taiwan's secession” should occur, or in case “possibilities for a peaceful reunification should be completely exhausted”.

With such ambiguous language, the Chinese could say anything constitutes Taiwan's move for independence and thus initiate a war between Taiwan and China. Such a conflagaration would also drag us into the fray because we're obligated under an 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to respond to any threat on Taiwan by Chinese mainland. While the fear of China invading Taiwan has always been on the radar screen of conservatives and supporters of Taiwan, this act could rise this to a Worldly plane. What, with the Chinese boosting their missile sites across the Taiwan Strait to some 1,000 plus missiles, the buildup of a deep blue navy as well as their military budget being increased by some 13%, one should be a tad bit concerned. With such an increased military capacity and the creation of this new anti-secessionist law, the United States and Taiwan expressed their concern for the passage of such a bill. Take a look at what White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and Taiwan had to say:

“The draft law that was presented allows for punitive measures directed at Taiwan,” added Mr McClellan. “We oppose any attempts to determine the future of Taiwan by anything other than peaceful means.”

Taiwan condemned the law as a “vicious and brutal” attempt to deny its people freedom of choice and to destroy regional peace, saying it would give the Chinese military “a blank cheque to invade Taiwan”.

Also, check out this article on the ant-session law in The Times as well as this piece over @ Tech Central Station.

Bolton: The Reformer

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Here's The New York Sun's take on Secretary Bolton.

John Bolton

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Though a few Democrats like John Kerry, Joe Biden and Susan Rice might have their reservations about President Bush's nomination of Secretary Bolton's to become our next UN Ambassador, there are a considerable amount of supporters out there in the press today. First, here's a bit of an editorial in today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review supporting Bolton's tough as nails approach to the tyrannies throughout the World:

"Revolutionary pamphleteer Thomas Paine once said that "a diplomatist is a sort of unconnected atom, continually repelling and repelled." John Bolton is just that kind of independent and no-nonsense voice. His services are sorely needed at the United Nations."

Secodly, here's a piece by Nile Gardner, a fellow in Anglo-American security policy @ The Heritage Foundation, in The Boston Globe. Here's a sampling:

"The nomination of Bolton as the next US ambassador to the United Nations should be welcomed by all who are serious about transforming the UN from a poorly managed bureaucracy into a streamlined multilateral institution for the 21st century. Bolton will do what needs to be done at the UN: challenge the conventional wisdom, forcefully advance the US national interest, and lay down markers for UN reform.

Above all, Bolton will be a powerful force for change in an institution that has largely lost the confidence of the American people."

Finally, here's a piece by Anne Applebaum in The Washington Post. Here's a sample:

"The trouble with many U.N. defenders is that they refuse to see this fundamental problem, and demand a constantly expanding role for the United Nations without explaining how its lack of democratic accountability is to be addressed. The trouble with many U.N. detractors, in Congress and elsewhere, is that they see the corruption and nothing else. But there is a role for U.N. institutions -- in Afghanistan, or in international health -- as long as that role is limited in time and cost. And there is a desperate need for U.N. reform. In defense of John Bolton: He may, if he can get confirmed, be one of the few U.N. ambassadors who has thought a good deal about how to set such limits and make such reforms. And if he isn't invited to a few cocktail parties along the way, at least he won't mind."

Lebanon

Fire of Liberty

While watching Fox & Friends these past two days, I've became a little irked with their coverage on the events in Lebanon and Syria. During the gathering of Hezbollah in Beirut-with their anti-American, anti-Israel, blame America-Fox News' Middle East Correspondent Jennifer Griffin was reporting from Damascus. So when she's reporting on the demonstration, she's probably being watched by a government censor. Even worse, she was probably watching Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabia to get her info on the process. You'd think they'd put her in the crowd in Lebanon. This is almost like a reporter sitting in Nazi Germany and giving a report on the actions in Poland. When you report from a tyrant's home, you tend to have a different perception of reality. She probably has no choice where she's sent but you'd think a live perspective would be more informative. Overall, the cable and national networks coverage of Syria's favorite terrorists-Hezbollah and its demonstration of fear in the streets of Beirut-was very startling compared to the limited coverage devoted to the anti-Syrian demonstrations the past three weeks.

Enough of yesterday, how about today's coverage on the events in the Levant. Well, it seems Jennifer Griffin is in Damascus reporting on a pro-Syrian campaign in the streets. Today, she reported during the 8:00 A.M. hour on Fox & Friends about a pro-Assad rally in the streets of Damascus. Unlike yesterday, Ms. Griffin provides a better insight into the situation. She noted first that this gathering could not have occurred without the permission of the government.(Syria is currently under marshall law). She also noted that a great percentage of the people who are participating in this gathering had received text messages that stated "I you are a great patriot of Syria and want to show your devotion, attend the rally." I guess the authorities in Syria are desperate to get their message out. Don't expect much coverage or pictures of an anti-Assad rally in Damascus tommorrow.

While Ms. Griffin provided some good info, Fox & Friends interviewed Richard Murphy, a former Ambassador to Syria, who presented the demonstration in Lebanon as an peaceful demonstration. He noted that the demostrators were for Syria getting out of Lebanon but felt resolution of 1559 was something imposed by the US & Israel and could create a new civil war. (Typical excuse used by Syria and former Ambassadors). Even worse, Ambassador Murphy dished out the bile that Hezbollah represented 40% of Lebanon and were expressing their desire to keep their nation safe. He seems to have the same problem that Europeans have in noting that Hezbollah has a political and terrorist arm and one doesn't represent the other. I just don't understand why people like Ambassador Murphy can't get in his head that Hezbollah (political/terrorist) is a vile group who have a blood-cult mentality and won't hesitate using terror to achieve their goals. Fox News needs a better analyst than a State Department employee, especially when these Ambassadors are enamored by the nations they once served in. Except for an occasional few, you'll be hard-pressed to find a former diplomat who'll talk against the nation they serve.

I just hope the continued news coverage of the Syrian/Hezbollah sponsored demonstrations will not discourage the anti-Syria/pro-freedom movement that emerged shortly after the assassination of Rafik Hariri. While Syria and Hezbollah can force people to show up in mass rallies, I think their staying power will diminish over time compared to the grass-root rallies of the antiSyrian crowd. So let them show up but remember that freedom will overcome tyranny everything. The Cedar Revolution is not dead but has a little insect problem they have to deal with. Maybe they need some bug-spray. The best solution is for President Bush to keep up the pressure like he did yesterday at the National Defense University.

John Bolton

Fire of Liberty

Well, it seems the newspapers throughout America have had their say about the appointment of Under Secretary of State Bolton as US Ambassador to the UN. Take a look at these headlines:
"Signal behind Bolton's nomination to UN Post," (Christian Science Monitor), "U.N. envoy nominee known for tough talk," (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), "Bush nominates controversial Bolton for UN ambassador job," (Detroit Free Press), "UN Critic is Bush pick for ambassador," (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). From this small sampling, you can get a common view that Secretary Bolton is a harsh critic of the UN. If you've seen anything on the UN you should know they need some toughness in the darkened halls of the UN. What, with the various crooks and tyrants sitting on the Human Rights Commission and its various scandals like Oil For Food, Sexual Harassment, and UN officials raping girls in Congo, maybe they do need a readjustment by Bolton. While Bolton might seem gruff before the general viewer, he still is interested in restoring some order to the manic house on Turtle Bay. Just look at what he said yesterday in his acceptance speech:

"I have consistently stressed in my writings that American leadership is critical to the success of the U.N., an effective U.N., one that is true to the original intent of its charter's framers."

Yeah, the MSM and various Democrats have already demurred the choice of Mr. Bolton a slap to diplomacy and to the World community. Just check out this article in The New York Sun on the mixed emotions that the Secretary Bolton's nomination elicited. I especially love Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick's advice to Secretary Bolton. Like Mr. Bolton, Mrs. Kirkpatrick was a great critic of the UN before she served as a great champion for the US under President Reagan. Anyway her advice is pretty good, have a look:

"My advice to him is to stand for what he believes in," Ms. Kirkpatrick said in an interview. "It is harder in the U.N. than other places. There are many people that are sort of not so serious in the United Nations. But I told John I had learned more about the world there than any other place."

Along with Mrs. Kirkpatrick's advice Mr. Bolton also has the backing of Frank J. Gaffney Jr., who has written a wonderful piece on Mr. Bolton in today's edition of NRO. In fact, Gaffney has presented a good amount ammo for Secretary Bolton's supporters in his confirmation hearings. The best supporter seems to be Tim Wirth, an former Democratic Senator and UN offical who is currently the president of the UN Foundation, a Ted Turner sponsored group. According to Wirth:
“

"In the past, Mr. Bolton has been tough on the UN; we hope that if he is confirmed by the Senate, he will be an advocate for improving the vital U.S.-UN relationship, and for helping the UN to achieve its many complex missions, ranging from global health to advancing democracy, strengthening human rights and forging stronger global environmental standards, caring for refugees and feeding millions of disaster-stricken people. The UN needs the support of the U.S. both to sustain its mission, and to reform itself for the demands of the 21st century.”"

From the looks of it, the nomination will be fun. I wish Secretary Bolton, Good Luck!!!

Lebanon Cont'd

Fire of Liberty

Here's an Op/Ed in The New York Post by Amir Taheri noting the US should push for freedom in Lebanon & Syria. Take a peek at Taheri's thoughts:

'LET'S do the Salsa!" is one of the refrains chanted by Lebanese demonstrators who have vowed to occupy the streets of Beirut until Syria ends its occupation of their country. But the Salsa they are referring to is not the Brazilian style of sexy dancing. It refers to the Syria Accountability and Lebanon Sovereignty (Restoration) Act (SALSA) — passed by Congress over a year ago, and seen as a signal that the Bush administration was determined to extend its quest for status quo change in the Middle East beyond Iraq into the Levant.

And Lebanon's Cedar Revolution — while far from complete — could, and must, become a prelude to the liberation of Syria from half a century of despotic rule.

There is as much pent-up energy for change in Syria as there is in Lebanon.

"We, too, want to do the SALSA," says a senior Syrian economist with years of experience at the World Bank. "The Assad regime is at an impasse, and, as the Lebanese revolution shows, our 'emperor' has no clothes."

I don't know about the part of sending an envoy to Syria though. I'd keep up the isolation on Syria much longer, don't make it look like we're dealing with the devil. Assad would play it up and make us look like we're back-tracking.

Also look at the two articles on the situation in the Levant(Lebano n and Syria) here and here.

Lebanon Cont'd

Fire of Liberty

Here's a story on today's protests in Beirut. Also, check out the blog Across the Bay and Caveman in Beirut for some good qualiity info on the happenings in Lebanon. Also it seems some intimidation by the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence forces on people to join the protest today have been occurring in Lebanon. See here.

Europe

Fire of Liberty

Peter Brookes has a wonderful Op/Ed on Europe's slow but sure turn from a complete devotion to "Soft Power" to America's view of combining "Soft Power" with the use of "Hard Power." While a considerable amount of European governments and their respected leadership have teetered from opposition to support of this application of power, one individual who has stuck behind the US is Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. See here, here, and here for more on a true friend of America.


As Brookes notes in his piece, Aznar sees that Europe needs America more than America needs Europe. With their declining military budgets and dependence of "soft power," Aznar foresees enormous problems for Europe down the road. As a former PM, Aznar was well aware of the European Union's plan to develop a Foreign/Security policy separate from NATO and knows that without heavy lifting, state of the air weapons and the over zealous devotion to soft power, the Europeans will fail to defend themselves let alone be able to provide a fighting force to deal with places like Afghanistan, Iraq or Africa if they were needed. As a true Atlanticist, Jose Maria Aznar is well aware that the Europeans decoupling themselves from the US would create a situation that would forever change the dynamic of Europe forever.

Mr Brookes does point out that the US seems to be garnering results with its approach to the World with Europe. As always, your critics will sit on the fence blasting you but once successes like Afghanistan, Iraq and their subsequent elections occur they start to get behind you. Take a look at Brookes' take on the situation:

It's reasonable to conclude that American (and Coalition) "hard power" in Afghanistan and Iraq is—at least partly—responsible for sparking the mind-boggling, positive changes that parts of the Arab and Muslim world are experiencing today.

Make no mistake: The ability to back up "soft power" with the credible threat of "hard power" makes a big difference in international affairs, especially when dealing with prickly states like Iran, Syria or North Korea. Europe seems to have forgotten this important canon of international affairs.

Perhaps, equally important is that the success of American efforts in the Arab and Muslim world is changing European minds about President Bush and the wisdom of his brand of forward-leaning American foreign policy.

Aside from Brookes and Aznar's assessment, you also have pieces in notoriously anti-US/anti-War newspapers like The Independent in the UK, which runs a headline and story like this:
Check here for story. We'll see more and more of this as the situation in Iraq improves and freedom emerges more and more throughout the Middle East.

Syria in Lebanon, What Foreign Interference?

Fire of Liberty

Kind of Ironic.

Lebanon Cont'd

Fire of Liberty

Well, the great demonstration by Hezbollah in the streets of Beirut will be a bandied about on Hardball and countless other shows a refutation of President Bush's mission to spread freedom and democracy to the greater Middle East. Luckily, I have this little blog to bypass the MSM banshees and the blame America-athon. Watching these protest, I want to just remind you that the pro-Syrian rally is being conducted by the terrorsts of Hezbullah at the behest of Syria. As long as they have the backing of Syria, Hezbollah and its minions will continue to make trouble. I think this article sums the nature of these protests up best. Check it out.

Lebanon

Fire of Liberty

Bashir Assad has pulled out his rolodex and called Hezbollah to organize a pro-Syrian demonstration in Beirut. Unlike the anti-Lebanon protests that are really grassroots and peaceful, the organized rally today is sponsored by a terrorist group who used fear and intimidation to get its people to show up. I guess when you're the only armed militia in Lebanon you can push your weight around when the boss tells you to jump. It doesn't look good when the report on these protesters describe them as "militants clad in black" who were "inspected for bombs." While the images of these protestors are being splashed on CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News you have various anchors saying that the anti-Syrian protests can't match the power of the pro-Syria Hezbollah. At the 9:00 A.M. "top of the hour" report on MSNBC, I heard the reporter in the crowd of protestors talk about how the anti-Syrian protests of yesterday coupled with the pro-Syrian protests of today have not resulted in violence thus its a true demonstration how much closer the people of Lebanon are to achieving democracy. Though I'd say the same thing if I were in a crowd of militants, the reporter is still mistaken in his analysis. To begin with, the rally today was organized by a terrrorist group. (Remember, Hezbollah is the terrorist group who killed some 241 Marines and some 63 State Department people in Lebanon in 1983 through its usage of suicide bombs.) Secondly, these people aren't expressing their right to be free from the boot of Syria. Hezbollah has a special relationship with Syria, who provides them with ample weapons, money and seats in the Lebanese parliament for their services. Another thing that distinguishes the anti-Syria campaign from the pro-Syria is the makeup and displays that the two camps presents to the World. On the anti side, you have happy kids with Lebanese flags painted on their faces, signs asking Assad and Syria to get out, and shouting slogans like "Freedom! Sovereignty! Independence!," or "Syria out!". Or better yet look at this display of freedom from yesterday.


This is indeed a true demonstration of Lebanon's democratic movement when you contrast it with the pro-Syrian Hezbollah protests. In today's demonstration, you have the typical rabble rouser pro-tyranny gathering which the regime put together and dispatched in the streets to give the reporters eye candy to report. Secondly, a large portion of the people marching in the streets of Beirut are adorned in black pajamas with their faces covered, much like the other militants that march through the streets of Iran and countless other Islamic tyrannies. Finally, these people don't exactly present a face of democracy when they carry placards and shout slogans that call for "Death to Israel, Death to America, Death to Europe and Death to Resolution 1559." According to a report in USA Today, the protestors also carry banners proclaiming virilant things like: "America is the source of terrorism"; "All our disasters are from America"; "No to American-Zionist intervention; Yes to Lebanese-Syrian brotherhood." When you refer to powers like America and Europe as occupiers while you laud a real occupier like Assad as a hero to the Lebanese people, you have some serious problems calling yourself a true democratic movement. Just look at this picture. Do this present an image of freedom and democracy.



If anyone believes that this demonstration is a true show of the Lebanese people, they are sadly mistaken. The sad part about this is how the MSM are gushing on and on about this gaggle of terrorists. These people wouldn't hesitate for one moment to kill the people of Lebanon who have stood up to the string pulling of Syria. Its about time the news starts talking about the anti-Syrian movement and stop focusing on the terrorists of Hezbollah.

Let the Cedar Revolution continue. Don't be intimidated by the terrorist thugs who roam the streets of Beirut doing Assad's bidding.

North Korea

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Even after escaping the "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il's hell-hole, North Korean who make it to China still have to hide from Chinese officials who will send them back to face years in the Gulag or certain death in the Hermit Kingdom. See here for details.

Zimbabwe

Fire of Liberty

Here's a wonderful piece by Roger Bate on Zimbabwe.

Our Man Bolton

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President Bush has put some muscle behind the US in the decrepit UN. In a noon announcement, The White House presented John Bolton as the US Ambassador to the UN. Currently John Bolton is Under Secretary of State for Arms Control & International Security and has established himself as a tough as nails arms control chief when dealing with dangerous states like North Korea, Iran and Syria. In the same manner that Daniel Patrick Moniyhan & Jeane J. Kirkpatrick served as UN Ambassador at the UN, Secretary Bolton will be a champion for the United States and its mission of spreading freedom & democracy Worldwide. Expect a lot of attention to be paid to Secretary Bolton in his Senate confirmation hearings as well as his tenure at the United Nations.

With all of the scandals wreaking havoc within the vaunted halls of Turtle Bay, Secretary Bolton will provide a voice of sanity and a sense of moral clarity in the gaggle of internationalism. We can expect Secretary Bolton to provide a guiding hand to reform and don't expect him to back down from a challenge. Through his past writings and actions, you should expect to see Bolton to play hardball with the feckless dictators and autocrats that partake in the UN. Though he can be a "hardliner" at times, Secretary Bolton has also developed a flair for implementing multilateral initiatives like the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is a 60 nation coalition that was established to interdict the trade and proliferation of WMD's and the delivery systems. See here for more details on the PSI. Instead of reading my platitudes about the incoming Ambassador, check out the following articles here, and here . Also, check out Bolton's thoughts on the International Criminal Court in a speech he presented to The Federalist Society, here. Secretary Bolton will be a good friend for the US in the UN and expect him to stand up to any challenges that might arise in the following four years. I'd say the Bush White House has made a great choice as his Ambassador to the UN. I know he's a good choice when The Financial Times has several articles, here and here, calling him a "hard-liner" and hinting he's a neo-conservative.(How they know this I don't know. He's was never been a liberal and I don't think he's old enough to have rapped with Irving Kristol, Midge Decter of Norman Podhoretz on Trotsky or Lenin at CUNY in the Alcove in the 30's.). Anyway, Good luck Secretary Bolton or should I say Good Luck to the UN. All I can say is Let's Roll!!!

Syria

Fire of Liberty

Bashir Assad has started the parlor game that all dictators in the Middle East seem to play when the heat is on. Take for instance today's agreement between Lebanon and Syrian on the relocation of Assad's forces to the Beka'a valley on Lebanon's Eastern border with Syria. For one thing, Assad is saying this move is the fufillment of the Taif Accord which was drawn up by the Arab League at the end of Lebanon's horrific Civil War. According to the accord, the Syrian military would remain in Lebanon to continue peacekeeping but had to move their soldiers within two years to the border of Lebanon. The only problem is that the Taif Accord was struck in 1989 and Syria has remained in Lebanon some 14 years beyond the designated withdrawal date. Even if Assad thinks the fulfillment of Taif will assuage the West's as well as the people of Lebanon call for a full withdrawal, he is sadly mistaken. This implementation of Taif will not achieve the demands of these people and UN Security Counsel Resolution 1559. All that Assad has done is move Syria's troops from point A to point B but they still remain in Lebanon exerting their power on the tiny nation. You can't have independence from another state if they occupying country can dispatch their troops within a matter of hours back into Lebanon.

Assad's movements might be deemed a "good thing" by the people at the US State Department, Europe and the MSM types because he's doing something positive but he's continuing to play games. You can see the move to paint Assad as a less than dangerous Arab leader than other dictators in the Middle East in the current issue of Time. In a sympathetic article by Joe Klein, Assad is presented as a likeable Opthamalogist who doesn't control the strings of Syria. Just take a look at what Mr Klein wrote:

Labwani wanted me to ask Assad why he had been imprisoned. "I didn't throw him in jail," Assad told me. "I don't do everything in this country." It was an admission his father never would have made. The President's body language was more ophthalmologist than dictator. He sat hunched deep in a black leather couch. There was no physical sense of power or menace to the man, no sociopathic cool, just consternation. When I asked him who killed Rafiq Hariri, he seemed stricken: "The most important question is, Who had the benefit of it?

As President, I can't tell you this country or that. But who suffered most from it? Syria. Syria was the biggest loser. The Lebanese, definitely, they lost ... But Syria lost more." And later, as he was escorting me to the door, he said, "Please send this message: I am not Saddam Hussein. I want to cooperate." The plea was at least partly believable. Obviously, he is not Saddam Hussein. It was also plausible that he wants to cooperate. It just didn't seem very likely that he could.

No matter how many times Bashir Assad changes his stripes, he still remains a dangerous beast. Yeah, he might look like a moderate/pragmatic leader who is willing to listen to reason but he would in the same minute launch an attack on his political enemies within Syria or even Lebanon, if the international spotlight wasn't on him. In the olden days, Assad could have agreed to the Taif Accord and the US and France would simply have said this was a move in the right direction and leave it alone. As I noted Saturday, President Bush has whole-heartedly stated that Syria must remove all of its troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon and no half measures by May. The President might dither on some aspects of his policies but when it comes to the spread of freedom and democracy in the Middle East he means what he says and he'll never back down from it. Assad can continue playing his poker hand but he'll eventually have to reveal his cards, hopefully he will fold to the West and the people at Freedom's Square. The only way to achieve this is for the US and the people of Freedom's Square to continue to push for Syria's complete withdrawal.

While I've presented a positive outlook on The Cedar Revolution, I'd also like to present a word of caution for the people of Freedom's Square. Watch out for Hezbollah! They still do Syria and Iran's bidding and could create a bad situation for your peaceful gather in Beirut. So be aware when they stage their pro-Syrian demonstrations on Tuesday. For more info on Hezbollah see here.
From this report, the people in Freedom's Square are not scared of Hezbollah or satisfied with Syria's parlor games.

Long live The Cedar Revolution!!!

China

Fire of Liberty

It seems the Chinese are interested in the EU ending its arms embargo, which was established in 1989 after the PRC's brutal crack-down on the demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. What's funny is the fact that the Chinese want the arms embargo to end but their foreign minister continues to insist: "We are a developing country and we don't have the money to buy weapons which are expensive and useless to us." I don't know why the Chinese push such a canard when they've increased their defense budget some 12.5 percent and have beefed up their missile launch sites facing Taiwan. Only a fool would refuse the most modern NATO grade weaponry and technology. Chinese made SKS rifles, Russian Mig's are alright but still are well behind anything made in Europe. Even worse is the fact that the weapon platforms and systems that the Europeans will eventually sell to the PRC will more than likely be used against US troops if China made in aggressive moves on Taiwan. The Chinese have already been rattling its sword against the government of Taiwan at any suggestion of independence not to mention the fact the Japanese recently tracked and chased away a Chinese submarine off the coat of Japan. While the Chinese might achieve their goals of dominance in Asia through the use of their own weaponry it would be even more horrible to allow them to achieve this dominance through the sales of NATO grade weapons.

The Chinese have a very spotty record when it comes to human rights as well as its dependence of over-zealous aggression to achieve their goals-Ex. Crack-down on Tibet, Tiananmen, Chinese Muslims, Falun Gong, Taiwan and aggressive posture towards Japan) and shouldn't receive any help in achieving their goals. Awarding tyrants and aggressors brings about more tyranny than less. By working with them, you sublimely endorse the nation's bad behavior. Instead of the EU member states padding their treasuries by pushing through arm and aircraft deals, they should be more principled and stand up to the defense of human liberty. Well, most of the EU nations sold their souls when they began the talks of ending the embargo.

Along with my assessment on the ending of these sanctions, check out The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He's got an interesting take. See here.

Freedom's Square

Fire of Liberty


The Financial Times has a good article on the students and democracy advocates in Beirut's Freedom Square. Amongst the many groups in the crowd is Michael Nakfour, who has helped organize the crowd through his organization Independence 05 - Civil Society. Through the aide of Nakfour and some fifty others, the inhabitants in the tent city are well fed, informed through the distribution of info sheets. Nakfour has also distributed a massive quantity of Lebanese flags to the participants of the daily demonstrations. In the same manner that the Ukrainian people focused on the color orange in their support of Victor Yushchenko, the people in Lebanon have presented an united stand under a sea of red, white and the wonderful green cedar trees of Lebanon ala The Cedar Revolution. As with all winning campaigns, the people need organization and individuals who believe in what they're doing as well. Rest assured, the people in Freedom's Square are truly blessed with Nakfour and the people of Independence 05 - Civil Society, who seem to present the gathering and their actions as a well organized pageant. You can truly see this in his comments to The Financial Times:

"We are aware the toppling of the government was the easiest target," he says. "But people now see that protests have achieved something and this will sustain the movement." The symbol of Martyrs' Square, he adds, will be contagious in the Middle East. "Sooner or later, it will happen in Syria itself," he says.

With the support of Nakfour and the various others in Freedom Square, Lebanon's freedom from Syria's mighty fist is achievable. As long as the US and the rest of the World continue to press their demands for freedom and democracy, the efforts in Freedom's Square will be achievable. Just keep it up. Freedom is on the march.

Middle East

Fire of Liberty

"The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes slightly longer."

Ralph Peters has a thought provoking article on the march of freedom in the Middle East. While he notes the momentous events that have conspired in the past months in the Middle East he also notes that the road to democracy and harmony is a road filled with potholes . I guess you could say we have experienced "the end of the beginning," though we're a long way from achieving the end of our struggle with terrorism and tyranny. Peters notes that we have a long way to go with Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia before we see the emergence of freedom and democracy but we're on the right track by pushing our ideas of liberty and freedom more forcefully on these regimes. It's no time to equivocate or back down from our principles when we've achieved so much. Peters has applied his extensive knowledge as an former officer in the US Army and a academic into a great strategic viewpoint. I just hope a lot of people realize what we have achieved and how much work we have to do before this struggle is over.

If you want a broader scope of analysis on the situation in the Middle East check out the following pieces here, here, here, and here.

EU

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This is funny, It seems the EU isn't connecting with the people in Europe. According to this article, officials in Brussels think they have a solution, which is a new EU museum. So, I guess they believe in the theory, "If you build it they will come." Sounds pretty cheesy to me. I'm guessing they'll steal other people's history and say it has always been EU history. Once again, the EU still finds a way of destroying a nation's sovereignty and ripping these rights out of the hands of the people in these individual nations. The EU should be concerned about commerce and free trade rather than crazy schemes like building a museum.

Do the people of Europe really want these zany bureaucrats running the show? I'm guessing there's a growing silent majority throughout Europe who are becoming more and more angry about the machinations coming out of the bureaucratic Mecca in Brussels. For God sakes, someone in France, the UK or Denmark please turn down the EU constitution .

Assad on Lebanon

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Assad told the Syrian parliament today that he will pull his troops back to the Beka'a valley and then await the Lebanese parliament's consensus to enact a complete withdrawal from Lebanon. So, I guess the wily dictator wants to play hardball by placating the West. Assad knows very well that he can remain in Lebanon forever if he bases his withdrawal on the pro-Syrian Lebanese parliament coming to a complete consensus. Even thou the Lebanese gov't has quit their still remains a caretaker government made up of Assad's buddies-which also includes the political branch of Hezbollah-who know that Syria butters their bread. He can pull his troops to Eastern Lebanon if he wants to but the people of Lebanon as well as the West will not stand for these games. If he stands behind this charade and thinks he's achieving a viable solution to his dreadful occupation, he's crazy.

I guess it's time to put our fist down and take Assad and his gaggle down a peg our two with sanctions via the UN and continue the pressure on him by vocally supporting The Cedar Revolution. If we continue to keep the pressure on Syria, we will eventually reap the freedom of the Lebanese people. Luckily, when President Bush says something he means it. You know Assad has problems within Lebanon and Syria when he has to show a strong face to his public. Too many governments have called on him to pull out of Lebanon for him to offer this crazy solution. I hope he remembers what happened next door to Syria in March 2003. Does the word "spider-hole" spark any memories?

Japan's Declining Population

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A few posts ago, I indicated that I was a watcher of population statistics. Well here's a interesting article on Japan's slowly declining population that I found in The Washington Post. Based on the article, several of Japan's rural communities have begun closing down their elementary and middle schools due to the fact that there isn't enough children to fill them because of declining birthrates in a aging population. Along with closing down schools, a considerable amount of these towns are merging with nearby towns because they don't have the people to keep them afloat. This slow decline will eventually have a significant impact on the nation as a whole. Just look here:

"A nation requires a certain scale in the population to continue its momentum, but in Japan, we are confronting a serious combination of a low birthrate and an aging nation," said Kota Murase, a deputy director at Japan's Education Ministry. "Our pension system is already being tested to its limits. And with fewer young people in society, the question is: How are we going to sustain the elderly and the nation's future? We don't have a clear answer yet."

The best solution I can offer is that the people in Japan need to start creating some families with lots of children. The young people of Japan are the solution not some government dictate or program which creates greater problems than good. Japan is experiencing the same graying population that the Europeans are dealing with today. To preserve their "nanny-state" policies and programs, these nations have had to import new people from Northern Africa and various other regions to support these aging populations thus creating bigger problems down the road with their conflict of cultures. Even the US will face such a problem with our Social Security system in 2018 when more money is going out than coming in because there's less workers to replace the retirees. Instead of a population boom we're facing a future dearth than can only be prevented by having more children, preferably in wedlock. We got to keep poverty and crime down too, a two parent family gets good results. Get to cracking you whippersnappers.

UK Bird Law

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It's a shame that you have a law that requires you to frighten a pest like a pigeon, crow, rook or any crop eating bird before you shoot it or face a fine of some $10,000 or a max of 6 months in jail. While I've never eaten these animals, I've heard they're pretty popular amongst the folks in the countryside of England. Aside from hunting them for food, this rule also applies to anyone who wants to keep these birds from eating their crops or gamebirds. I guess you're not the king of your castle in the UK. While the city folks in London might think these new laws are great for nature and the people of the countryside but they would be mistaken. Just read for yourself:

The Country Land and Business Association, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, the Moorland Association and the Countryside Alliance have lodged objections with the Government.

Clarissa Dickson Wright, a countrywoman and cook who enjoys cooking pigeon, said she despaired at the “fluffy bunny brigade” in the Government. She said: “Scare them off. Where to? To the next field or vegetable plot.

“What’s more, though possibly inadvertently, they have removed the countryman’s right to one for the pot.”

Thank God for the NRA and the 2nd Admendment. People of the English countryside should shout stop to the intrusive nature of the government before everything is taken away. Just imagine what life under the EU will be like.

Here's an Leader on the law in The Times.

Syria Cont'd

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The Cedar Revolution is very fluid and seems to be garnering more attention throughout the halls of Congress, the State Department, the Pentagon as well as various nations throughout the World. One individual who is currently covering every aspect of the Cedar Revolution and the residual effects throughout the region is Eli Lake of The New York Sun. Mr. Lake has once again demonstrated his talent as a great reporter who gets down to the meat of the bone in his current article in The New York Sun.

Syria

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Well, it seems that Bashir Assad still can't understand what the West as well as the people of Lebanon have been saying. Even when President Bush point-blankly states in The New York Post that he wants Syria, "Totally out of Lebanon — and that's very important for [Syrian] President Assad to hear. And it's more than just troops. I keep emphasizing this, but it's important for the world to understand that a Lebanon that is able to express itself freely at the ballot box needs to have no Syrian secret service," Assad continues to hem and haw about how many troops and where he will withdrawal his troops. As I noted in previous posts, the olden days of working with dictators to pick off our opponents ended on September 11th, 2001. At one time we would have dropped this thing if Assad had given up a bevy of terrorists or removed a small portion of their troops from Lebanon but the times are different and there's a new sheriff in town.

Unlike past administrations, the Bush White House has decided that the old smoke-filled room realist foreign policy was a no-go and had created more problems than solutions. As a believer in the "shining city on a hill," President Bush sees that people in distant lands should be able to enjoy the same fruits of freedom and democracy that this nation has become accustomed to. Yes, there are a considerable amount of skeptics and deniers who say the president is never going to be able to deliver his stated goals and just says things for show but few of these people realize that the man sitting behind the desk is a plain-spoken individual who means what he says. If he backed down now from what he's been saying for close to four years, he would never be able to say a word about enforcing his statements without the enemies of freedom and democracy laughing in his face. As with Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories, Iraq and the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the president has stated his desired goals and delivered on them.

They say history repeats itself and President Bush is well aware of the various bargains that past president's - including his father - have made with past leaders in the Middle East. When these past administrations made such faustian bargains with these dictators they we're thinking about security and stability and forgot that such deals would come back and bite them. As long as these tyrants had America looking the other way (Generally the Soviets or other strategic concerns) they were able to enact a considerable amount of havoc on its people as well as the nation's riches. By robbing their people of their treasure, freedom and liberty, these dictators created situations that led to the breeding grounds of terrorism. Along with depriving these people of such things, these tyrannical regimes also promoted and facilitated the groups that have contributed to some of the worst acts of terrorism in history.

As the people of Lebanon demonstrated this past Monday, they can only take enough until the have to react. Assad seems to think he can delay the inevitable by running out the clock by promising to move some of the troops from Lebanon within several months. The only problem is that the US, UK, France, Germany, Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia and most importantly the people of Lebanon have demanded Assad get out of Lebanon. With so many big hitters going to bat for the Lebanese people, Assad would be a fool to continue this game of wits. Junior Assad doesn't have the support or cunning wherewithal that his father Hafez Assad seemed to show throughout his long tenure. If Assad has any inkling like his father, he will know he's been beaten and get the hell of Dodge before the 800 lb. Gorilla comes knocking at Assad's door with sanctions or worse yet F-16's and its full accompaniment of weapons. It's all up to the former ophthalmologist -Mr. Assad- being able to see whole situation in front of him.

Venezuela

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Ol' Hugo Chavez has further cemented his record as an tyrant in the last few months. As noted in an earlier post, the Lt. Colonel has already provided some insight into his Marxist leanings through his policy of land confiscation and redistribution. To understand the extensive damage that this policy has wreaked on the Venezuelan nation and its people, check out Carlos A. Ball's article over @ Tech Central Station. Ball clearly lays out the detrimental affect that an agrarian revolution has on the nation as a whole. Just see for yourself .

Within the past two days, Chavez has begun his role as a second coming of Fidel Castro, when he ordered the arrest and imprisonment(Thanks American Thinker) of his political opponents, Venezuelan democrats, journalists and others who speak for freedom and liberty. In the same fashion of Hitler, Stalin, Franco, Peron, Castro and Saddam, these brave souls received the typical midnight knock at their door -more like a loud thud followed by a bum-rush of goons- and are carried away to dank prisons for an indefinite amount of time awaiting a predisposed verdict handed down by a Chavez packed court. One can only imagine the likely sentences-which more than certain will be excessive-not to mention the possibility of torture. I have to assume that Chavez is just starting his power grab and will morph himself and Venezuela into a tyranny that makes Castro's Cuban "paradise" look like child's-play. Lord help us if he does.

It's getting to the point that South America's is experiencing a backward slide into left-wing tyrannies that were destroyed in the latter 1980's and 90's. Therefore, I suggest that the State Department and the White House set at least some sight into our own hemisphere and the emergence of Chavez. Hopefully, President Bush and Secretary Rice are aware of this emerging tyranny especially after Ms. Rice implicated Chavez's regime as an "Outpost of Tyranny." I just hope well get a grasp on the situation before it gets to far out of hand. The people of Venezuela also urn for the Fire of Liberty and the flames of freedom.

Breath of Freedom

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Gerard Baker presents the modern day Life of Brian in his weekly column in The Times. Baker has a good wit and he writes a mean column.

Citizen Soldiers

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Robert Kaplan has a tremendous Op/Ed in The New York Times on the dual role that our Marines/Sailors partake in when they are dispatched into war zones or providing humanitarian relief throughout the World. Kaplan notes that our citizen soldiers take the roles as war-fighter and humanitarian with pride which pays off in our dealings with individuals in Iraq, Indonesia and Africa. Kaplan really shows how great our fighting men are. I don't recommend pieces from the NY Times but this is an exception.

Natan Sharansky

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Check out Michael Gove's commentary on Natan Sharansky in today's issue of The Times. It's a good read.