New Nuclear Weapons Free Zone

Here is an interesting article about a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in central asia. How this came about I don't know.....

230 Million to Lebanon through a Charity

President Bush has started a public/private partnership to provide 230 million dollars to help rebuild Lebanon. This started as four CEOs sent to Lebanon to see where they needed help. Today, Bush put a dollar amount to it and set out that a charity will administer the cash. This will certainly help the US credibility overseas...however it is not getting any press play. You sure don't see France coughing up 230 million to help out....they cannot even get 2000 soldiers.

http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/73048.htm

US Support to Re-Build Lebanon

After seeing Hizoballah passing out US currency to folks whose homes were destroyed by the Israeli attacks, I have to admit that I felt like we (the west) were loosing the hearts and minds of people in the region.

Today, I came across this State Department report that had me do a complete 180. President Bush has assembled 4 CEOs of prominent companies to tour Lebanon and make a recommendation to him personally about how the US can best help out.

In other words, how can the US help re-build Lebanon. It was surprising to see that two of the CEOs are connected to IT technology (Intel and Cisco), a third is connected to oil (Occidental Petroleum) and the fourth is from Ghafari Inc. The mainstream media does not seem to be too interested in this story of good-will. No one does.

US-Lebanon Support

More from Future Jihad

One of the things I found interesting in the book Future Jihad was the view of the Muslim world on World War II. This line of thought was that the Kafirs are killing each other with their immense industrial strength. It was also viewed that this war was designed so that both sides would weaken each other enough so that the new Caliph could emerge. Additionally, the most of the Islamic nations tended to side with the Nazi movement. This happened for a couple of reasons....one was their distaste for Jewish people. Secondly, the Nazis would force the ejection of French and British imperialists from their lands. It goes to explain a lot of the mindset.

Terrorism Definition Within the Military

After reading my Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) articles over the weekend, I found one that was particularly interesting. The article discusses terrorism and the definition of terrorism. Well, while reading this article, I am also reading a book called Future Jihad. The author of both articles take a different stance on why terrorism is used as a tactic.

ACSC: Terrorism is used to instill fear
Future Jihad: Terrorism is used to cause cause and collapse of an entity from within.

Now I don't know about you, but I believe the Future Jihad definition to be more accurate. The ACSC definition appears to be very superficial. The second definition makes more sense to me in how a terrorist would use terrorism to gain his ends. Now there are times when terrorism is used to instill fear and shape political outcomes, but I believe the attacks on Sept 11 were meant to divide the US, cause us to turn against our own government, and cause a collapse of the US. I also believe this is what Bin Laden and others do in their videos......attempt to polarize the people of the US against the government. Just my thoughts.

Counter to our spy satellites

So from this story it appears that China has been using lasers to blind spy satellites orbiting overhead. China Blinds Satellites

I never knew there was a way to blind a satellite, now I know.

Is Bin Dead?

I must admit that this article completely lines up with my personal assumptions on where Bin has been and what he has been up to. Seeing as how most of the big terrorists we have caught were found in Pakistan, also realizing the fact that Pakistan does not control the borders with Afghanistan very well, it is not a hard reach to think that Bin is in Pakistan running his show. I think this article on Bin's death has all the hallmarks for credibility.

The Death of Bin Laden
These men are down:
Saddam
Binny Laden
Zarqari (sic)

......more to come.

Boxer at the UN.....Hugo's dream come true

Am I the only one that did not know Barbara Boxer was going to be our representative to the UN?

Here is the appointment letter

The Pope's Real Words...(thanks NY Times...idiots)

Here is a great article from Radio Free Europe that puts the Pope's words in perspective. I just want to say that I agree with the Pope and support him. I also want to say thanks to the NY Times for not researching and publishing the same information so that we can be a well informed public. Thanks for aiding and abetting......and for stirring the pot of insanity about all of this!
Link
Pope Says 'Sorry' But Muslim Anger Rises
Muslims around the world take to the streets to protest against the pope's perceived linkage of Islam to violence.
PRAGUE, September 16, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Muslims around the world have intensified their protests over controversial remarks on Islam this week by Pope Benedict.
From France and Iraq to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Indonesia, Muslims have heeded calls by Muslim leaders and taken to the streets to condemn remarks made on September 12 by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Two churches in the West Bank were firebombed on Saturday in an apparent reaction to the pope's remarks and the radical Taliban movement in Afghanistan also condemned the pope's comments.
Even the U.S. newspaper "The New York Times," in an editorial piece, urged the pope to apologize for what he said.
And what did he say?
Speaking at Regensburg University, where he taught in the 1970s, the Bavarian-born pope chose to quote a written criticism of Islam by Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who ruled the Orthodox Christian Empire from what is now Istanbul in the 1300s.
"Show me just what Mohammad brought that was new," Emperor Manuel said, "and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
Benedict repeatedly quoted the emperor's argument that spreading the faith through violence is unreasonable, adding that "violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul."
The quotations appeared as an illustration of the rapprochement of Christianity and the ancient Greek traditions of rational inquiry, a rapprochement that Benedict called decisive for Christian thought.
Muslims, however, say the comments were highly offensive.
The International Fallout
Speaking at a demonstration in Paris, a protester named Muhammed said he thought "it would be better for the pope to speak of dialogue between religions and of peace. He stokes the fire and accuses Islam of being irrational. He is a person who is preparing a crusade, it seems, and it goes in the same tendency of Bush. And that is causing hurt around the world – for Christians, Muslims, and Jews."
Dalil Boubakeur, the head of the French Council of Muslim Culture, said that the pope should be able to distinguish between Islam as a religion and radical Islamism. "Islam is a religion, Islamism is an ideology," Boubakeur said. "We think maybe there is a misinterpretation that deserves an explanation. I don't ask for an excuse or an apology, no, but a clarification of the attitude of the Church."
The Vatican has been trying to offer just that -- a clarification -- but so far to little avail.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said today that the pope "is very sorry that some passages of his speech may have sounded offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim believers."
Bertone said the pope is "extremely upset" that Muslims were offended by his words. He said the pope's words have been interpreted in a way that does not at all correspond to his intentions.
Among the few international leaders to rally to the pope's side was his compatriot Angela Merkel. The German chancellor, in an interview in the "Bild" daily on September 16, said the protesters misunderstood the pope's aim, which Merkel said was "an invitation to dialogue between religions."
She said the pope had emphasized "a decisive and uncompromising renunciation of all forms of violence in the name of religion."
Amid minor street protests in Baghdad, the Vatican's envoy to Iraq, Thomas Halim Habib, also reiterated what the Church says was the pope's main point: that faith and religion can never be used "to incite violence."
"The pope did not want to give a lecture interpreting Islam and jihad or offend the feelings of faithful Muslims," Habib said.
Yet that is just what he has done, according to Pakistan's parliament, which has passed a resolution condemning the pope's comments and urging him to retract them.
Pope Benedict And Islam
Benedict already had a reputation for taking a tougher line on Islam than his predecessor, the Polish-born Pope John Paul II.
For example, a year before becoming pope, Benedict argued that Turkey should not be allowed into the European Union on the grounds that its Muslim heritage is fundamentally different from Europe's Christian roots.
Turkey is the first Muslim country that Benedict is scheduled to visit, in November.
Turkey's top cleric and head of the Religious Affairs directorate, Ali Bardakoglu, says the pope has a great deal of explaining to do ahead of his trip.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for the pope to issue an apology


Personally, I think it is time for a reformation of the Islamic faith. If it was good for Christianity (Martin Luther) it should be good for Islam about now!

Iraq Environmental Improvements

I don't expect we will seen Green Peace or any other environmental groups saying thanks to the US and the military for helping revive the marshlands of Iraq. But at least the folks at RFERL pointed it out, and in a positive light!

Here is the story about how Iraq's marshes, drained by Saddam in 1992-3, are coming back to life.....water buffalo are coming back as are the nomadic marsh people.

CNN on Bacteria......misses the mark

I don't know if CNN is doing this on purpose or if they are honestly not well informed. This article on a breakout of E. Coli, a form of bacteria leaves a few things to be desired.

First, no mention is made of the fact that humans also have E. Coli in their own bodies. The problem with E. Coli is only a certain strain or species of the bacteria that causes internal hemorages.
Here is the article on CNN
Here is some information on E. Coli

It almost looks like some sensational reporting. I guess I am a little picky sometimes!

Convert to Christianity

I just want to ask all Muslims to convert to Christianity. There is only one light in this world and that is the light of Jesus Christ. He who does not believe will not have a nice life in eternity. Convert now before another Muslim has to die for an unholy cause.....a cause that God does not deem worthy, but deems sinful. Now I won't hold a gun on anyone and tell them to convert, because as we all know that is not a change of heart....which is what Christ wants. We are all sinners, it is just nice to know that Jesus died for my sins, and for those of Muslims too.

Cheers

Those who think this article is on the up and up have another thing coming........
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200609031123.htm