Time to Cut the Arabs Lose?

Since the attack on the Golden Dome Mosque several days ago, the Sunni and Shia Arabs have been having at it. Some believe this to be the begging of a civil war that could spread across the entire region. Personally I am of the opinion that it is to soon to cut and run from Iraq, the Coalition needs to stay the course (ideally Canada would commit troops to Iraq but given the current political situation here that isn't likely to happen). However if the Arab portion of Iraq becomes emershed in a civil war I would suggest that Coalition Forces undertake a strategic withdrawel to Northern Iraq with the intention of establishing an indepeandent Kurdish nation. The Kurds would have to reject all territorial claims in Turkey, but then with American support pursue the Kurdish territories in Syria and Iran to be absorbed into this new nation of Kurdistan. Additionally support should be given for pro-Democracy movement in these countries, well the Iraqi Shia and Sunni are left to duke it out amongst themselves. This withdrawel would only be temporary, as once Kurdistan was up and running Coalition forces would again move on Central and Southern Iraq whith the aim to complete what was began back in 2003. Namely the creation of a stable Democratic Iraq (minus Kurdistan).

Some other views on the current situation
From Israpundit
http://www.israpundit.com/2006/?p=275#more-275

From Daniel Pipes
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3423

Yezidis

Well Iraq is predominatly a Muslim country it is by no means homogonous. Various different ethnic and religious groups make up the region. One of these groups is the Yezidis, most likely descendents of the pre-Islamic Kurds, and accused by the Muslims and some Christians as well, of Devil-Worship. Michael Totten's site is turning out to be a real treasure. Bookmark it!

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001064.html

Here's the Wikipedia entry for the Yezidis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yezidis

And From Sacred Texts
http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/sby/

The Smell of Blood

Christians in Nigeria condemed the printing of the Mohammed cartoons. Did the Muslims in that country thank them? No. They took it as a sign of weakness and began massacring Christians an event ignored by the media, until the Christians decided to fight back. It should be clear to even the thickest person, we are at war. The enemy seeks to destroy our civilization and there are only to many people in Canada, the U.S. and Europe who would like to see that happen. It is time that we in the West stood our ground. Somethings are worth fighting for, Freedom of Speech is one. It is time we realized that all our multi-cultralism, our aid and humanitarian work, our tolerance, is seen as weakness. Who is the enemy? Islam and Muslims. Enough is enough. We can no longer wait for the moderates in the Muslim world/community to stand up. Our way of life must be preserved. The Islamic world must reform, victory in Iraq and Afghanistan is more important then ever. Aid, if given, must come with a price, change your ways or starve. Israel, should be supported 100%. The Irainians isolated and support given to the pro democracy, anti-mullah movement in that country. Investments must be made in alternate energy sources. Here at home the Muslim community must be given an ultimatium, adapt to the West's values and culture, we will no longer tolerate your hate mongering, and your passive support for terrorists. If you do not wish to adapt then go, leave, we'll even pay for your plane ticket. That's just for starters. Seems harsh, but we must remember, we are at war. Militarily, culturaly, politically, economically. We have given up too much ground already, it's time to take the fight to the enemy. ISLAM MUST REFORM OR BE DESTROYED!

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/22010.html


Deroy Murdock of NRO has this to say

http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200602211310.asp

And Here's the petition in support of Jyllends-Posten

http://www.petitiononline.com/danmark/petition.html

Interesting Facts About Iraq

An e-mail sent to me, found it intriguing, not that I'm trying to push anything on anyone.

Keep your eye upon the eastern sky!! Lift up your heads;your REDEEMER draweth nigh!! This is freaky, interesting and scary all in one! Read down to the very bottom, you don't want to miss this! VERY INTERESTING -

1! The garden of Eden was in Iraq.
2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq
4 The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq!
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.
9 Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.
10. Amos cried out in Iraq!
11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!
13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the fiery furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq.
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.
17. The wise men were from Iraq+.
18. Peter preached in Iraq.
19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq.

And also... This is something to think about! Since America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages.. The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran (9:11) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace. (Note the verse number!) Hmmmm?!? God Bless you all Amen !

I BETTER NOT HEA R OF ANYONE BREAKING THIS ONE OR SEE DELETED This is a ribbon for soldiers fighting in Iraq. Pass it on to everyone and pray. Something good will happen to you tonight at 11:11 PM This is not a joke. Someone will either call you or will talk to you online and say that they love you. Do not break this chain. Send this to 13 people in the next 15 minutes. Go..............

Time For A Kurdish Nation?

As a supporter of the Iraq War, I'm pulling for Coalition Forces to stay the course until Iraq can stand on it's own, but I must ask myself, Would it be better for all involved if the northern part of the country was to become an indepeandent nation, Kurdistan? Iraq after all is not a "natural" country ( by natural I mean it did not evolve they way the nations of Europe or most of Southeast Asia did, rather it was created by colonial powers who often pit one ethnic group against another to maintain control). Perhaps the time has come to consider the creation of Kurdistan? The Kurdish north is after all much better off then the rest of the country. As Michael J. Totten reports Kurdistans foundations are already being laid.

"ERBIL, IRAQ – Iraq may not survive in one piece. The overwhelming majority of Iraqi Kurds are packing their bags. Most have already said goodbye. Erbil (Hawler in Kurdish) is the capital of the de-facto sovereign Kurdistan Regional Government. Baghdad is thought of as the capital of a deranged foreign country.

In January 2005 the Iraqi Kurds held an informal referendum. More than 80 percent turned out to vote. 98.7 percent of those voted to secede from Iraq. Not only have the Kurds long dreamed of independence, when they look south they see only Islamism, Baathism, blood, fire, and mayhem.

If Middle Easterners had drawn the borders themselves, Iraq wouldn’t even exist. Blame the British for shackling Kurds and Arabs together when they created the new post-imperial and post-Ottoman map. The Kurds do. They call the W.C. (the “water closet,” i.e. the toilet) “Winston Churchill.” Several times when my translator needed a bathroom break he said “I need to use the Winston Churchill.” "

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001060.html

Course the Turk's will go nuts if the Kurds ever declare indepeandance.

The Battle For Freedom of Speech in Canada

The Western Standard has decided to publish the cartoons that have been the focal point of recent unrest.

"The Western Standard, a political magazine based in Calgary, will today reprint eight of the 12 Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed that have caused riots and controversy around the world, and one Canadian Muslim leader warns that hate-crime charges may follow. "

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060213.CANCARTOON13/TPStory/National

However they're catching some flak for it.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/national/story.html?id=44ae4f65-ec22-477b-b966-dbd77dc4d051

"The latest edition of the Western Standard will not reach magazine stands at any McNally Robinson Booksellers stores, owner Paul McNally confirmed Monday.

"We obviously are fervently in favour of freedom of expression but looking at this one, we don't see anything as being expressed except a kind of hurtfulness toward Muslims," he said in an interview from Winnipeg."I don't know if there is anything to be learned or communicated by publishing the cartoons. "

Moving Piece

I found this letter from the Mayor of Tall"Afar in Iraq to be particularly moving.

"In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months."

http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/004167.html

EU mulls media code after cartoon protests

"LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union may try to draw up a media code of conduct to avoid a repeat of the furor caused by the publication across Europe of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, an EU commissioner said on Thursday."

The EU just doesn't get it. Censorship of the press will erode a vital cornerstone of the democracy the West has struggled so hard to create. With it's past experiance with Fascism and Communism you would think Europe would know better. Any attack on our vital
Freedoms must be oppossed tooth and nail.

Bird Flu Found in Nigeria

From the Moscow Times

"ABUJA, Nigeria -- Health authorities imposed a quarantine on poultry farms across northern Nigeria on Thursday after three states in the vast region reported Africa's first documented cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, officials said.

The strain was confirmed Thursday at two farms in Kano state and one in adjoining Plateau state, said Tope Ajakaiye, a ministry spokesman. Africa's first documented case was reported Wednesday in Nigeria's Kaduna state, bringing the total to three states.

"The federal government is doing everything to contain the disease within the three centers that have been located," said Ajakaiye in a statement"

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/02/10/251.html

Hanson On the Iraqi War

Victor Davis Hanson has written yet another excellent piece on Iraq

"Start with the fact that intelligence failures are part of every war. This should not excuse the miserable recent record of our CIA and other agencies. But history tells us clearly that accurate intelligence gathering on enemy intentions has always been a difficult practice.

The ancient Athenians invaded Sicily in 415 B.C. believing the false report that plenty of silver to pay for the expedition and ready allies to help with the fighting awaited their arrival. Josef Stalin was utterly convinced by his intelligence agencies that Hitler would never invade the Soviet Union. The surprise at Pearl Harbor was no aberration in American history. Just a few years later, General MacArthur assured President Truman that the Chinese would never cross the Yalu River. They invaded in the hundreds of thousands. Nor did Sovietologists in the CIA or elsewhere have any notion that our 50-year Cold War would end abruptly with the precipitous fall of the Berlin Wall.

And wars rarely follow the script laid out before hostilities commence. Sparta said it was battling Athens to free the Greek city-states from imperialism. Yet during the Peloponnesian War the Spartans gradually built themselves a larger fleet of war ships than Athens, then used them to try to create their own hegemony at home and overseas.

On the eve of the Civil War, Lincoln convinced a divided public that the North would fight merely to “preserve the Union.” Only later when news from the battlefield swelled his public support did he offer the Emancipation Proclamation and redefine the moral purpose of the entire conflict.

The truth is, wars that adhere strictly to limited preset objectives — ejecting the Kaiser’s armies from France and Belgium in World War I without invading Germany, staying south of the DMZ after defeating Chinese and North Korean aggressors in 1951, not removing Saddam after the liberation of Kuwait — usually prove incomplete, and only lead to a bloodier Round Two for some future generation."

Read it all

http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson020806.html

3 Canadian soldiers slightly injured in Afghanistan

Fortunatly our boys weren't seriously injured

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/02/09/soldiers-afghan060209.html

NASA's Spitzer Uncovers Hints of Mega Solar Systems

Well I'm tipping my hat to people I might well as give one to the good folks at NASA, furthering our knowledge of the Universe. They've recently discovered 2 new "Mega-Solar Systems". Keep up the good work boys and girls.

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/spitzer-20060208.html

Operation Nunalivut

The Canadian Forces are launching the largest soverignty mission yet in Canada's Northern Regions. The intent is to show the world that the territory belongs to Canada (in particular Denmark and the US who we have territorial disputes with). Our boys are going to be traveling through some harsh terrian, here's hoping Nunalivut goes off without a hitch. Prime Minister Harper has said that the Arctic is Canada's turf, here's hoping he backs it up and invest in a continued presence in the north. Hat's off to the members of the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. You guys don't get the recognition you deserve.

Read the story at the National Post
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=d75acb3e-7643-4f47-8a62-d21c9e001002&k=14112

Nod to Prof. Peter March, St. Mary's University, Halifax

Although he's been forced to remove the cartoon's from his office door, I just want to congratulate Prof. Peter March of St. Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, for his support for Freedom of Speech.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=5b0127a8-bc0c-423e-afd2-131a77f5c337&k=49034

Interview: Hajim Alhasani, President of the Iraqi National Assembly

Over at NRO they're running a good interview with the President of the Iraqi National Assembly. Here are some interesting bits.

"Are you worried that the U.S. will withdraw prematurely?

Premature withdrawal would be harmful for everyone. I think nobody should be thinking right now about withdrawing from Iraq. I think that what happened in the Iraqi elections should encourage the people in the United States to stay the course — because the process is becoming more inclusive, which means that we’re going to find ways to deal with the terrorists, more successfully. And that means decreasing casualty numbers in Iraq. The goals in Iraq are too large to think about withdrawing now.

Withdrawal should be a function of building good Iraqi security forces. That’s how I relate withdrawal to Iraq — the building of good security forces."

"What is the role of Syria in Iraq’s problems now?

Syria played a very damaging role. Right now, I think they are a little bit hesitant to play the same role, after all these things have happened to them. But definitely Syria did some great damage to Iraq, after the fall of Saddam.

What is the role of Iran?

You have to understand, a lot of Iraqi politicians — they lived in Iran. They have a relationship with the Iranians. Iran is a major player right now, in Iraqi affairs. Whether that it positive or negative, we have to determine. Our policy should be not to allow any interference from anyone.

What is the role of the U.N.?

The U.N. is very supportive right now. There’s a much different U.N. in Iraq now than we used to have. They played a very positive role in the last election."

Read the whole thing

http://www.nationalreview.com/impromptus/impromptus200602090818.asp

Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Dispute

In the past Ethiopia and Eritrea have gone to war over a boundry dispuit which has led to a UN Peacekeeping Force being deployed in the border region. However the UN Missions mandate is up in March, and both sides have yet to agree on where the border lies. The US is trying to work a settlement but things seem to be pretty tense right now. Strategypage.com has the scope

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/ethiopi/articles/20060209.aspx

Danish Imams Lies

Danish Imams have appearintly been trying to stir up trouble for Denmark and the rest of us...


"Radical Danish imams have deliberately incited hatred against Denmark, the country that had hospitably welcomed them in. To this end, while on a visit to Arab countries last month, they added three false, extremely offensive Muhammad “cartoons” to the twelve relatively mild ones published by Jyllands-Posten last September."

"Denmark is being punished at the instigation of radical imams because twelve cartoonists have depicted Muhammad. However, these imams created their own three Muhammad images. They have even presented a French clown as being Muhammad. Because the twelve JP cartoonists are not Muslims, the Muslim blasphemy laws do not apply to them. But these laws do apply to the imams. Consequently, these imams deserve death. They – and no-one else – depicted the prophet as a pig – the highest imaginable insult in Islam."

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/775

As a wise man once said "Nothing is more dangerous then the enemy within".

The Canadian Civil War

KILLING GROUND: THE CANADIAN CIVIL WAR
BY BRUCE POWE
PUBLISHED 1968

Alberta born Canadian Armed Forces Lt. Col. Alex Hylnka returns to Canada from peacekeeping duty overseas to find all is not well. Seperatists have gained power in Quebec and begin to take steps to forment revolution. As Hylnka arrives in Montreal a terrorist bomb kills the major federalist figures and a top CAF General is assasinated by a member of the seperatist White Shirts. Hylnka is ordered to London, Ontario to begin training reservists for battle, after the Quebec government declares indepeandince. Reservists in Quebec as well as the Provincal Police side with the seperatists, well the White Shirts (think a Quebec version of the Viet Cong or SS) eleminate any oppassition within Quebec. CAF HQ is overrun and the White Shirts begin to ethnicly cleanse Montreal's English population. War begins as Hylnka's battalion is sent to liberate Montreal's airport. From there the violence escalates, with atrocities commited by both sides, and a fedearal governments lack of decisivness and action leads to American intervention and a future filled with conflict. Well written, interesting, Killing Ground preasents a horrifing vision of what could happen should the Seperatist's in Quebec ever get there way. Be warned this book isn't for the faint of heart as no one least of all Hylnka keeps there hand's clean (ie Seperatist resort to terrorism, ethnic cleansing, executing prisoners, and a couple White Shirts are caught trying to rape several woman. Hylnka is ruthless in his fight against the Seperatist frequently violating Canadian and International Law, as he resorts to executing prisoners, and torture himself). All in all Killing Ground is highly recommeded for anyone concerned about the future of Canada.

Muslim Rioters

Well, the Danes seem to have stirred the pot so to speak, but hey that's there right. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression are essential to the democracy that many have bled and died for. So Muslims where offended by the cartoons? Tough. They have the right to disagree, to protest peacefully (Right to Peaceful Assembly is another democratic value hats off to the Muslims in Canada). They do not have the right to fire bomb buildings, to threaten people with death. Sadly this is a trademark of Islam. Muslims feel free to critize and ridicule other cultures but feel there own is sacrosanct. In other words they like to dish it out, but they don't like to take it. Salman Rushdie published "The Satanic Verses" in 1989, I believe, and after the book was declared a slight on Islam by Khomeini a religious edict demanding his death, along with a bounty, was issued. Dutch Filmmaker Theo Van Gough was murdered because he made a documentry that was considered "offensive" to Islam. How long are we in the West going to stand by and allow ourselves to be bullied by those who would silence any critizim with threats and violence. In my humble view we in Canada, the United States, and Europe must issue an ultimatium to all immigrants of any origin. Yes we respect your culture, but that does not mean your culture or your beliefs are free from critizim, or satire. Yes keep your traditions, but know that when those traditions conflict with our laws and values and traditions it will be you who has to adapet, not us.

In case you haven't seen the cartoons run by the Danish Newspaper check this out
http://www.strategypage.com/gallery/articles/military_photos_20062716.asp