W.O.W. Council

Council Winners

• First place with 2 1/3 votes! – Bookworm Room - Why Tom Friedman is an idiot
• Second place with 2 votes - Mere Rhetoric - Turkey Leveraging Obama’s Failed Russia “Reset” To Isolate Israel, Boost Iran 
• Third place with 1 2/3 votes - Joshuapundit - Stolen Valor: Dems Try To Steal Close Elections By Disenfranchising Overseas Military
• Fourth place *t* with 1 1/3 votes - GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Iraq Casualty Myth
• Fourth place *t* with 1 1/3 votes - Right Truth - Elections Have Consequences
• Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote - VA Right – Blue Dog Democrats – Unkindest Betrayal of All
• Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Rhymes With Right -Democrat Election Law Violations In Harris County — And A Reflection On The Authority Of The Presiding Election Judge At The Polling Place
• Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote - The Glittering Eye – The Next Generation of Political Communication

Non-Council Winners

• First place with 2 votes! – Simply Jews - Angela Merkel, multikulti and “progressives” mental paralysis submitted by The Watcher
• Second place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – YID With LID – Illinois League of Women Voters Big Shot Who Bashed Pledge of Allegiance, is Former ACORN Worker submitted by Bookworm Room
• Second place *t* with 1 1/3 votes - Perfunction – Historic Illiteracy: Idiot Sarah Palin “Party Like It’s 1773″ After The Election! submitted by JoshuaPundit
• Third place with 1 vote - Patterico’s Pontifications – The Right to Abort Gay Adults!!! Or Overwrought Silliness and Mendacity in Perry v. Schwarzenegger submitted by VA Right
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - Big Journalism – John Sexton -NPR Highlights Anti-Semite in Its Explanation of Juan Williams Firing submitted by The Razor
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - Cranach: Blog of Veith -Dead Sea Scrolls will go online submitted by Snapped Shot
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - CAMERA Snapshots – Hamas Militant Admits Most Palestinian Policemen in Gaza Double as Militants submitted by Mere Rhetoric
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - KeithHennessey.com -The other side of the White House white board submitted by The Glittering Eye
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote -Theo Spark -Flight Of Old ’666″ submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote – American Thinker -A Mass Nervous Breakdown of the Left submitted by VA Right
• Fifth place with 1/3 vote - Open Democracy - The intolerance of the tolerant submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey

Trick Or Treat!

Boo!

It's time!

If caught out of time and ill prepped for a T or T costume, here are a few last minute, fast minute ideas:

Mookie al Sadr - Iran's boy Elroy in Iraq til he split the scene pre Surge (lucky for him!) All you really need is a white sheet for a robe, several pillows belted (or bungee corded to make you really girthy) fake beard, fake teeth  unibrow and a black Turbin thingy. Of course with spectacles - you may get mistaken for Hiz'B'Allah's freak in chief - the body part collector general - Nasrallah (just play it off).

Iranian nuclear diplomat - fake beard (drawn on with crayon is best), suit jacket with NO tie (wouldn't want anyone to make the Crusader connection to X) and that creepy beastly little spot betwixt the eyes (alledgedly from headbanging during prayers). With specs on - you could get mistaken for HAMAS death cult fanboy Khalid Meshal - again, go with it!

Fidel Castro is prett easy too - old fake Santa beard, od fatigue shirt and a fake (or real) blunt.

Gotta beret? Then it could be Che!

And perhaps the ultimate fright sight for Great Satan's enemies - if you have the gear - deck out as a Marine, or American GI.

Either way - travel in packs and deploy a royal taster.

Pic - "Theories of International Politics and Zombies"

Fly Like A G9

SoKo's Girls Generation with "Genie." Think of it as a soundtrack for old Captain Alfred T Mahan's "Influence of Sea Power upon History"

Persian Primer

Thank you sir! May I have another?

Quick quiz - what's better than Bud Lime Junior, Jäger, Amber Bock or Cloister Brau?

Oh - that's easy bay bee!

In the realm of the diplopolititary, hot gossip, verified intell and hot stick tongue sticky whispers are a close second - thus, hop on in the cool pool and make your brain way more bigger.

Great Satan's Peace Institute (war is just a hobby - nicht wahr?) has combined a massive combo with a killer combination on the wild wack world of Gay Free Persia's Preacher Command, impending imperial dominion and murderous terroristic chicanery penchants.


Nom d'guerr'd the Iran Primer - it's sure to yield several buzz catches.

Politics Supreme Leader: Sadjadpour Six Presidents: Bakhash Parliament: Farhi Judiciary: Ghaemi Clergy: Khalaji Iran's Islam: Cole Iran's Democracy: Brumberg Opposition Green Movement: Milani Women: Esfandiari Youth: Memarian/Nesvaderani New Political Tools: Abdo Military Revolutionary Guards: Nader Basij Force: Alfoneh Conventional Military:  Cordesman Military Doctrine: Connell Economy Economy: Maloney Oil Sector: Mohamedi Oil & Gas Charts: Mohamedi Subsidies: Nikou The Bazaar: Harris Sanctions U.S. Sanctions: Clawson U.N. Resolutions: Starr Financial Sanctions: Levitt Sanctions-Details U.S. Sanctions: Starr Rights Sanctions: Wright U.N. Resolutions: Starr

The Challenge of Iran: Robin Wright Headlines & Highlights Nuclear Controversy Nuclear Program: Albright/Stricker Nuclear Politics: Chubin Ballistic Missiles: Elleman The IAEA: Adler Policy Options Reading Iran: Laipson Engaging Iran: Dobbins Diplomacy: DiMaggio Containment: Pollack Military Option: Zakheim

Iran & the Region Iraq: Eisenstadt Afghanistan: Milani The Gulf: Molavi Turkey: Barkey Israel: Simon Palestinians: Brandenburg Syria: Goodarzi Lebanon: Hokayem China: Park Russia: Katz European Union: Posch Other Allies: Heydemann U.S. - Iran Carter Presidency: Sick Reagan Presidency: Kemp Bush I Presidency: Haass Clinton Presidency: Riedel Bush II Presidency: Hadley Obama Presidency: Limbert People, Places and Events Power Structure: Boroujerdi/ Rahimkhani Political Elite: Boroujerdi/ Rahimkhani Political Timeline: Nikou Diplomatic Timeline: Nikou Military Timeline: Nikou Nuclear Timeline: Nikou Nuclear sites: Nikou Information sources: Nikou About the Authors

Pic - “Supreme Leader"

Great Satan's Contested Primacy

Hyper Puissance!

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments  unleashes a sweet killer reportage about blindly accepting Fall and Decline defeatism - mainly because any end to Great Satan's primacy is far from certain. (pdf)

"Ideas about American decline can cut two ways. They can predispose policymakers to pursue
policies that actually accelerate decline or they can spark leaders to pursue courses of action that renew American economic vitality in order to reverse decline."

Tripping through the BRIC list (Brazil, Russia, India and China) via the Global Trends 2025 piece, Great Satan is actually a constant fixture in any future world plots and plans - totally unchangeable 


The Cliffnotes devastate declinists


1. Great Satan is the only advanced country in the world with viable demographics. By 2030, all our major rivals, save India, will be declining, with ever-larger numbers of retirees and a shrinking labor force. By 2050 Germany, Japan and South Korea could approach having twice as many people over 65 per capita as the U.S. By then, the U.S. will have 400 million people, which may be more than the entire EU and three times the population of our former archrival Russia.

2. In terms of energy resources, the U.S., combined with Canada, is the second richest region in the world after the Middle East. The country possesses vast resources of natural gas, about 90 years' worth. Given America's past profligacy, the country could derive considerable savings with even modest conservation efforts.

3. America remains the world's agricultural superpower, with the most arable land on the planet. With another 3 billion people expected on the planet by 2050, the U.S. should enjoy a continuing boom in food exports.

4. Military power matters now and in the future. We are not living in a Star Trek future of earthly harmony. The U.S. leads in military technology and, yes, our martial spirit remains a positive factor. 

For all missteps, America's military has achieved her strictly war-fighting missions--in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a host of smaller conflicts--over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, Europe and Japan have taken themselves out of the military game, and it will be decades before China will be ready for a head-to-head challenge and even with a dozen Georgias under her belt, Russia is still scarlet lettered by her Grozny battles.

Concluding

"...It seems likely that US predominance could continue in a unipolar system, albeit one where US hegemony is less clear than it was in the 1990s. In this iteration, however, American primacy will be more constrained by US domestic and international economic limitations and more contested by
regional powers. 

"...China will pose the biggest challenge in Asia, but potential new nuclear powers like Iran and North Korea will also create difficult questions about US extended deterrence in Northeast Asia and Southwest Asia. Other troublesome challengers may arise, including Venezuela in the Western Hemisphere (particularly if it aligns with a nuclear-armed Iran).

Pic - "Revolutionary Hyper Puissance" (pdf)

Casus Belli

Ironic irony!

"The archive will change public opinion and it will change the opinion of people in positions of political and diplomatic influence."
 
Dang sure did!


Casus belli via Iran has been bulked up on an intimate level. Forget Preacher Command's new clear deigns and designs, trash talking little Satan or low down despotry in the Twilight of Westphalia -

"...Reasonable people can of course differ on how to deal with the Iranian regime. But what is now beyond dispute is that it clearly sees itself as engaged in a war against the United States and those attempting to forge an independent and democratic Iraq.

 "...Iran has served as a veritable training camp for terrorists who use Iranian territory as a base from which to conduct deadly operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The regime's Quds Force, the external branch of the Revolutionary Guards that equips terrorists throughout the Middle East and allegedly even in Latin America, has trained Shi'ite militants from Iraq in the use of explosives and sniper rifles. 

"...Crucially, as the "Times" points out, this training continued after 44 publicly reached out to Iranian officials and reiterated his intention to withdraw American troops by the end of next year: "The attacks continued during Mr. Obama's first year in office, with no indication in the reports that the new administration’s policies led the Quds Force to end its support for Iraqi militants," says the "Times." "The pending American troop withdrawals, the reports asserted, may even have encouraged some militant attacks."

"... This latest document dump, as with the last, have been to reveal the true nature of Al-Qaeda and the Iranian regime, and to open a window into what the region will look like should their efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq prove successful.

Thank you Catherine Obvious! 


A hot! new study reveals Americans are increasingly resigned to removing the military option from the table and beating Iran with it!


"...Most Americans don't believe Iranian claims regarding the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. Most consider Iran unfriendly or an enemy of the US and think that a nuclear Iran would be a serious threat to the US.

 "...Americans increasingly understand that the regime in Iran must be confronted. Few believe that President Obama's strategy of engagement and negotiation with Iran will be successful. Indeed, over the past two years, a substantial majority of Americans have come to support the use of military force against Iran..."

Pic "Casus Belli"

Iraq Casualty Myth

An important article of faith among faithless Great Satan haters (that for decency's sake shall remain linkless) is that Operation Iraqi Freedom unleashed horrific new millennium warmaking on a hapless, helpless populace of a wonderfully despotic illegit Ba'Athist regime and gleefully slaughtered nigh unto a million innocent Iraqis.

Or is it 2 million? Or 500K? Or 250K?



Wikileaks latest chairborn drop of classified intell may actually help shed some truth. As best understood, Great Satan's fully crunk military generally inflicts 10 times the number of deaths she rec'v's - thus arguably capping off Iraqi deaths inflicted in open righteous combat at around 40K dead enemies -  courtesy of Great Satan.

If total casualties are at or around 109K - and the stats are as follows: 66,081 “civilians,” 23,984 “enemy” insurgents, 15,196 host Iraqi truppen, and 3,771 “friendly” (coalition) forces.  60% of the total are dead innocents

"...Who was responsible for the majority of the casualties in Iraq? America or her enemies?

How many of these deaths are attributable to Iran, which trained, armed and otherwise sponsored many of the bad actors who tried to tear Iraqi society apart?

"...WikiLeaks documents show that Iran was, and remains, a principal sponsor of Shia extremist groups in Iraq. These same groups helped bring Iraq to the brink of chaos -- along with al Qaeda, which was also happy to fuel the sectarian violence. We’ve known this for years and it should not be surprising. But for some it never sunk in..."

Before getting all hot and all Mookie or al Qods happy - consider that the original supervillans - Hiz'B'Allah - the most proficient killers and serial tormentors of Americans since Cold War time hooked up with certain elements in Iraq - killing Iraqi innocents in a pre Surge effort to xform Iraq into a Persian province, and targeting Great Satan's own dear sons and dots during Surge.


While the traitorous risible nom d'guerr'd Assange hat guy claimed he wanted to use Wikileaks to "crush" el bastardos aka free choice voltiguerres and their duly elected and selected civie oversighters, Wikileaks is actually endangering Americans - the only - the ultimate - humanitarians in dark scary war torn turf.

The truth is, such sad shameful efforty with American and innocent blood on cyber hands - has proved it's Great Satan's enemies in Taliban and Preacher Command in Tehran that revel in shedding innocent blood as a literally murderous operational methodology - actually desirous of dead innocents en masse.

And the awesome fore knowledge that Americans will not be too particularly concerned or interested in the fate of a foreign enemy emboldening agent of malevolent influence falling into Great Satan's righteous clutches.

Pic - "Nightcap at Dawn"  

Arming Despotries

"...And now, we come to one of the dark places of the earth..."

As best understood, the au courant de rigueur ala Saudiland was created via a non Western way of war - a close run thing - way back in the last millennium.

The Original He Man Women Hater Kingdom ditched slave trading around 'Please Please Me' time - yet still maintains an obsolete DDR semi high tech type feel to it - fully crunk with fielding Fashion Posses, creepy Religious Police and assorted assortments of mutaweenie minions of intolerance to crush any sign of fun or free choice. 

Designer despotry bling, Saudiland is the mirror opposite of Great Satan in like a billion diff ways - not to put too fine a point on it - in any conceivable way.

Even letters "K," "T" and "X" are verboten like a crucifix in 7th Century M'hammedlander memes for fear an unfortunate may snatch a 1st person hook up with X Himself 


At a leisurely mentally lustful undressing sexercise, Saudi Arabia has precious little to offer aside from oiled up delicacies, future target sets and huddled masses of young ppl sweetly yearning to be free (average age of 24 and a lit rate of an underwhelming 78%).

Such a bastion of intolerance, hatred and a risible 'tardist illegit regime has enemies by the metric tonne - natch!

aQ's anti monarchy jank, peripheral probs in Yemen, Bahrain, the haunting spectre of a new clear Mullahopolis doing a Hiz'B'Allah manuever in Shia rich oil bearing turf and rowdy expats - all sweetly conspire to potentially ensure that House of Saud gets kaput sooner rather than later.

In the twisted nation/state view of the homegrown 'cunning' rulers and incompetent doofuses - the recent Saudi Bling Bling for Great Satan's designer hyper puissant weaponry is not about using F - 16's (ala Land of the Pure) to wage war on anti monarchists or foreign fed and led terrorists - it's all about maintaining control bay bee! 

As Dr GIII puts it -

“The real problems in the Middle East are about domestic politics, not about international relations. These weapons are not going to protect Saudi Arabia from the real threats it faces in the region - if there is one strategic reason to be in favor of this arms sale, it’s our leverage in a proliferation situation"

Whether new clear leverage is mythical or not - it is a shameful return to the ancient amoral, corrupt Cult of Stability avec Realpolitik and sucking up to despots horrid or benign. Congress has yet to approve the largest arms deal in history and ideally should laugh off any ideas of Saudi Bling Bling without a heavy dose democracy promo of Great Satan's chief export - political and egalitarian reforms - essentially reinforcing the regime killer democrazy idosity of reform or die.


Hey - it's your kingdom guys - keep it if you can!

Pic - "Who will win the battle for the hearts and minds of Muslim East Asia — the extremist Saudis or the materialistic Chinese?" with Miley

Council Gossip

Council Winners

• First place with 2 2/3 votes! – The Razor - The Cold Comfort of Truth
• Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – The Colossus of Rhodey – “Qualified”
• Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Right Truth – Pro-Iran Government in Iraq
• Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Bookworm Room – The smug racism of the neo-colonialists
• Third place with 1 1/3 votes – Mere Rhetoric – Newest Defense Of J Street’s Daniel Levy – His Anti-Israel Quotes Are “Ripped Out Of Context” Because He Means Well Or Something 
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - Joshuapundit - New Theory: ‘Suicide Terrorism Caused By Occupation’
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - The Glittering Eye - Why Is the Foreclosure Mess a Significant Story?
• Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote - GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Victory Parade
• Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Rhymes With Right – Where Is Obama’s Defense Of First Amendment Rights

Non-Council Winners

• First place with 3 1/3 votes! – Commentary/Rupert Murdoch -‘The Aim Is to Make Israel a Pariah’ submitted by Joshuapundit
• Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes - Daniel Pipes – Israel and Congressional Democrats submitted by Right Truth
• Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – The Anchoress – Muslim Moonwalks on High Altar submitted by Rhymes With Right
• Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – Big Peace – Debunking the Ridiculousness of the ‘Poverty Draft’ Legend…. submitted by Bookworm Room
• Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – The Daily Caller – One nation, under fraud submitted by The Glittering Eye
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote - The American Scholar.org – What Columbus Day Really Means submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote -Pajamas Media – Andrew Bostom – Geert Wilders, Western Sages, and Totalitarian Islam submitted by The Razor
• Fifth place with 1/3 vote – Six Meat Buffet – I Fear Aragula submitted by Snapped Shot

"Violence Is The Supreme Authority - From Which All Authority Is Derived"

Learn it. Live it. Love it.

Internat'l Pariah

Unclean!


Prob the best book out yonder about the past, present and future of Iran is the essential "Persian Puzzle" by psychic and ex CIA military spy guy Ken Pollack. It's timeless - as fresh n hot! today as when it was unleashed eons ago.


A massive hit piece by Dr P in Nat'l Interest points out the flaws and most likely unsuccessful plans 44 has for deterring - or - rolling back - gay free Persia's hot sticky desires for new clear hegemony.



And it comes back to launching an enrichment interruptus naughty hottie panty air raid and bombing certain, especial locales belonging to Preacher Command - because nonprofit jawflapping is - well - totally non profit.



"...Iran’s hard-liners have shown absolute consensus in consistently maintaining that Iran needs, and is entitled to, its nuclear program. Some have gone so far as to question the utility of Iran remaining part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); some have openly supported the acquisition of nuclear weapons. Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, a member of the Assembly of Experts and an important adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wrote that Tehran “must” produce nuclear weapons even if Iran’s “enemies” don’t like it.


"...The hard-liners overwhelmingly neither want nor care about having a better relationship with the United States. President Ahmadinejad is the exception that proves the rule: alone among the hard-liners, he has called for negotiations with the Americans, but only to demonstrate that Iran is so powerful and important that it must be seen as an equal by the United States. Ahmadinejad has been fiercely opposed by the rest of the Islamic Republic’s hard-line establishment, including (as best we can tell) by Khamenei himself."

"...It is worth starting any discussion of the military option by recognizing that, unless Tehran does something stupidly belligerent, the United States will not have any standing in terms of international law (or international opinion) to mount such an attack. All of the UNSC resolutions against the Iranian nuclear program have very clearly stipulated that they do NOT authorize the use of force. This reflects the Russian, Chinese and scores of other countries’ deep and widespread animosity toward a military solution. Any unprovoked American attack on Iran is likely to be harshly condemned across the globe.

Oh, really?  


So what?


Harsh condemnation hasn't really seemed to hurt or unable Sudan - the world's only nation/state with a sitting leader indicted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.


Or Syria - literally bombing a sister states political cadre out of existence - not to mention fiddling about with WMD, hanging with terrorists or training and giving WMD delivery systems to official enemy terrorist groups.


Collectivist China comes to mind - harsh condemnation about Tiannamen Square hasn't seemed to bother anyone since.


Or Iran's not so long ago electile dysfunction - though, 44's Bystander in Chief mode actually lessened harsh condemnation of Preacher Command killing their own people in the streets.


In fact - if bombing Iran's sensitive, tender portions like new clear chicanery in sweetly proportioned hits specifically designed in a fun, friendly way towards Iran's general population would maybe sorta totally backfire:


"...It is also worth keeping in mind that Iran probably will retaliate against the United States. Again, this isn’t certain, but the evidence indicates that Iran does retaliate whenever it is (or believes it is) attacked. The Islamic Republic has a formidable capacity to employ terrorism and a lot of allies, like Hiz'B'Allah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who could also cause a great deal of damage on Tehran’s behalf. If there is anyone out there who might be able to replicate a terrorist attack as terrible as 9/11, it is Iran. 

"...Tehran can also ramp up its support of Taliban fighters battling U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and it could turn up the heat on American allies in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq. Now, all of this might be a worthwhile price to pay if the United States could eliminate the threat of an Iranian nuclear program altogether, but given the fairly modest delays that air strikes seem likely to impose—and the damage to U.S. policy in the aftermath—these risks further suggest that the costs of an attack outweigh the benefits. 

Aha!


This makes a rather left handed compliment that attacking the regime itself - Preacher Command, The Revo Guard, al Qods etc in a regime killing strike - is the way to go.

 Trashing Iran's sensitive sites or regime may involve other strikes on multiple enemies. Hiz'B'Allah could get a dose to keep their heads down or taken head on and Syria could wake up on that wonderful day to find her entire Air Force annihilated on the ground.

American Stealth bombers could target Iran’s air defense and anti-ship missile sites scattered around the Gulf, followed by what military analystical cats call an "Effects Based Operation," as a naval blockade of the Straits of Hormuz backed by anti-missile Aegis class cruisers and destroyers, together with a guarantee of free passage for all non-Iranian oil shipping (thus reassuring the world that energy supplies will continue to flow) may be easily and simultaneously launched.

Special Ops and airborne forces would seize Iran’s main oil pumping station at Kargh Island and capture or neutralize its offshore oil facilities.

Air Force and Navy war jets could take out Iran’s extremely vulnerable military and economic infrastructure, including its electrical grid, transportation links, gasoline refineries, port facilities, as well as air strikes against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The air strike would target the headquarters of the IRGC's elite Qods force. With an estimated strength of up to 90,000 fighters, the Qods' stated mission is to spread Iran's revolution of 1979 throughout the region. Few tears would be shed by anyone if al Qods magically disappeared.

Truth is that the Iranian regime is uniquely vulnerable to this kind of campaign. 90% of Iran’s oil production and facilities are sweetly lying in or near the Gulf, and are shamelessly exposed to naval or air attacks.

With the exception of three Russian built Kilo-class subs (which would have to be killed in the opening days of the campaign - natch), the Iranian navy is tiny and actually quite pitiful.



Annihilating the entire regime or wounding it unto death would also have the wonderful effect of nulling and voiding any inherent rally 'round the flag emotions.

Since Iran imports nearly 40% of its gasoline, an air campaign that destroys its refineries and gas supplies would leave the mullahs and its trucks, tanks, and planes starved for fuel in two weeks.

Or less.

And Great Satan should revel in any internat'l condemnation - laughing it off. After all, when it comes to autocrazies, control freak and free choice haters - Great Satan has always been an Internat'l Pariah



Pic - "Your promises that you promised are about as real an air guitar"

Bling Bling Britain

Bloody 'L!

Gossip 'bout Great Britain raiding her defense budget to offset f'nancial woes reveals She 's prepping to do less with less on the world stage.

In a shameful breach of faith with Drake, Fisher and Jellicoe, cutting designer bling bling for being the all puissant ala machpolitik  status symbolic aircraft carrier  severely restricts power projection in a crunk and disorderly world

"...These ships with their aircraft will transform the UK's defence capabilities when they enter service, delivering air power in support of the full range of future operations at sea, in the air and on land."

Abandon ship meme aside, this is bleedin' significant mate

"...If Royal Navy is really prepared to slim the surface fleet down to just 12 ships, it would essentially be surrendering control of the high seas. It would no longer have the capacity to mount anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, were Somali-based pirates continue to harass international shipping, or mount counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean. 

And no ability to deploy boots on the ground as "...a projectile fired by the Royal Navy..." an amazingly  unFisher like mentis non compos re: forsaking amphibbing Royal Marines on nearly any coastline  

Ditching The QE class of 'Super Carriers" is just asking for trouble.


Not so long ago - the genocidal illegit regime in Sudan was fixing to literally skin a British national humanitarian lady alive because of some risible 7th century prohibiton about mixing Teddy bears and m'hammedism.


Diplomacy begat nothing - until HMS Ark Royal disappeared off the grid near Malta - perhaps sweetly steaming for sunny climes east of Suez - who could say? Suddenly Sudan couldn't wait for a quickie show trial to release their captive on a nonstop 1st class trip home.

"...While no one knows for sure what the nature of future conflict is likely to be, there is little doubt that, for the foreseeable future at least, we are going to be involved in the type of low-intensity, guerrilla campaigns that we are currently fighting in Afghanistan.

"... Whether the next combat theatre moves to Yemen or Somalia, the basic requirement for our Armed Forces is that we have light, flexible units that can deploy in strength at a moment’s notice. Consequently the Royal Marines, together with the Paras and other front-line assault units, have a vital role to play


Great Britain's three super carriers would ensure that and more:


"In dealing with rogue states, diplomacy can never be a substitute for, or even the alternative to, force. It can only be effective as the extension of force - force that is a credible threat because it will be decisive if unleashed, and because it plainly will be unleashed should diplomacy fail.



Pic - "Moderation in war is imbecility. Moderation in preparing for conflict is suicide"

Enemy Centric

Oh, it's on now bay bee!

For the casual observer - FOing events in and around AFPAK - it's a killer crunk kaleidoscope of discombobulated mayhem - and a cool reminder that in war time - Great Satan is crazy and unpredictable.


News that P4 chats up Iran in NATO's Roman 'Contact Group' brief about AFPAK and floating Texas Hold'em ideas like Taliban talking are a thin veneer for P4's shift from the protective population centric  - the sales pitch for Counter Insurgency Ops - to a kill insurgents repeatedly without restraint or modesty at every opportunity - enemy centric gig.

Using every tool in the shed - sortee'ing over 21K air missions - and as Great Satan unleashes her her most proficient all weather humanitarian killers of killers in world history for an all out Surge of "more killing and capturing "

"...The intended effect is the same: to apply pressure on the Taliban insurgents, disrupt their command-control networks, create fissures between the insurgents fighting in the field and their leaders across the border in Pakistan—to the point where many of them surrender or negotiate a reconciliation with the Afghan government."

P4's Master Plan is hot!  - with a heavy dosed up mix of being all fun and friendly to slitting enemy bunk mates throats in the middle of the night and unleashing the ferocious American Way of War 

"...Petraeus and his advisers have come up with an ingenious finesse for the July 2011 time problem. He is urging NATO to focus at its summit meeting in Lisbon next month on Karzai's proposed 2014 timetable for transfer to Afghan control. That has the welcome effect for Petraeus of adding three years to the clock -- and more credibility to his argument that the Taliban should get on board Karzai's reconciliation train.

Sweet!

And psychic.

As Great Satan's field grade Surge Expert and Combat Rock Star - highly decorated Major Few, editor of Small Wars Journal (he's also kinda hot) recently shared - hunching up on the enemy centric ain't 'xactley new news 


Pic - "Courtney, sometimes you got to give them the love, and sometimes you got to give them the hate."

Palestine Online

Of all the world's Arab League nation/states since Nakbah time - the most literate Arabs ever on the face of the earth (your choice - the rocket rich Strip or PLO school Fatah Bank) are magically located in Palestine.

Foreign Peace mongers often opine the two Palestines want peace with Little Satan - once and for all and the amazingly risible meme that Palestine is a cool partner to buddy up in pursuit of the forever quest. 

Prett safe to say Great Satan has - uh - misinterpreted - the double Palestines' in heat for peace phantasy.


Til now:


The daemoneoconically delish Foundation for Defense of Democracies "...culled thousands of Arabic language posts from search engines, unstructured social media sites, YouTube, Twitter, social networks, wikis, and RSS feeds.

"...Most Palestinians write under pseudonyms, enabling them to discuss controversial issues without fear of retribution. Admittedly, social media captures only the sentiments of literate Palestinians with access to computers and with passionate views. But it offers important insights nonetheless.


"...Here’s what we found: Although the Palestinian web landscape is not devoid of users with moderate to liberal views, it is dominated by radicalism. There is also little crossover between radical and liberal sites, indicating a lack of important debate.

"...Among radicalized users, a small but distinct group of Salafists (prevalent on sites like muslm.net and aljazeeratalk.net) view conflict with Little Satan as a religious duty, viewing jihad as the only answer. One alarming trend was the extent to which Hamas supporters engaged Salafists in dialogue to iron out their theological differences. If Hamas and these Taliban-like groups find common cause in Gaza, it would bode very poorly for peace.


"...To be sure, Hamas’s supporters were not monolithic about politics or Islam. But, drawing from Hamas’ most popular discussion sites, our research found that a majority of them continue to support violence against Israel. On this score, Hamas showed little disagreement with Salafists.

"...The data also confirmed what analysts already know about Fatah in the West Bank. Though it represents Palestinians in U.S.-led peace talks, Fatah is a faction in disarray. Politically, it lacks leadership. Ideologically, it lacks direction. Web users indicated this repeatedly on Fatah’s largest online forums: Voice of Palestine (palvoice.com) and Fatah Forum (fatehforums.com).

"....Our findings revealed that Fatah’s three-year conflict with Hamas (stemming from the violent Hamas coup in the Gaza Strip in 2007) is particularly harsh online. The two sides regularly traded barbs, and FDD found little evidence of rapprochement. Hamas supporters were more interested in reconciling with Salafists. Fatah supporters were more interested in decrying Hamas’ failures in Gaza.

Aside from the delightful tingly feeling sensation of being totally correct, the study concludingly concludes

"...Finally, our data showed that a majority of Palestinians do not support regional peace efforts. Palestinian internet users often derided diplomatic initiatives; discussion of peace talks was overwhelmingly negative. Thus, despite Washington’s efforts to win Palestinian hearts and minds, the social media environment suggests that they have little support for a new peace initiative."

Pic - "Nonprofit jawflapping, victimistic mentality hooked up with the shame and honor thing are no match for battlefield victories"

Joint Targeting Cycle

Target destroyed! 

In the new millennium, as Great Satan continues to xform asymmetrical warfare into an art form - tons of off the hook tech help make the old school AD3 soooo au courant!

Assess, Decide, Detect and Deliver

"...What constitutes a target? Is it a motorized rifle company repositioning as part of a combined arms reserve, whose potential effect on the battlefield places it squarely on the brigade combat team (BCT) commander’s high-payoff target list? Could it be a dug-in infantry strongpoint, positioned in such a way that it can delay a much larger unit’s movement indefinitely along an axis of advance? 

"...Perhaps it is an improvised explosive device production cell operating among an otherwise passive local populace with a notable insurgent leader at its head, coordinating an effective, widespread campaign bent on fostering unrest and instability. Is it a single 60-mm mortar, mounted in the trunk of a sedan, occasionally firing a couple of rounds into an adjacent forward operating base and then quickly melting back into an indigenous population?

Lucky enough to score a heck yeah on any or all of the above?

 Congrats - that's a target bay bee!

Thanks to the aberrant, destructively self destructive attorney attitiudes and boring asseted handwringing of l'raison d'retarde' afflicted ala mode, doing target locks for "Drones Gone Wild!" essentially means AD3 gets all gussied up with 2 additional lawyer proofing layers

  “Joint Targeting Cycle and Collateral Damage Estimation Methodology”

* Identify the target.

* Determine if the target is a fully developed threat.

* Evaluate whether the intelligence supports the targeting.

*Consider whether eliminating the target would further US interests.

* Weigh domestic and international laws to determine what rules apply.

And saving the best for last

* Strike the target and analyze the results.

This is significant.

Totally gives the lie to faithless funk obssesed Great Satan hating.

Inter arma enim silent leges and cedant arma togæ!

The need to kill a treasonous traitor like Awalaki jumps to mind: 

"...The White House responds that the judicial branch cannot, should not, and must not interfere with the commander-in-chief’s ability to fight a war Congress has authorized..."

The old 'Dresden" hubba hubba is laughingly out of place at an incredibly exponential rate as Collateral Damage Control is coop'd and collated

 "...For example, the Predator and Reaper unmanned drones, which are most frequently used in these attacks, use Hellfire missiles, which have a much smaller range of collateral damage than the 500 lbs. “dumb” bombs used in earlier wars.  

"...These drones also use laser-guided explosives that can be guided with far greater precision than even those to great fanfare in the first Gulf war almost 20 years ago.


The left handed B slap/compliment is also quite delish - mainly because concerns for illicit or legit drone strikes magically sprouts up several killer quizes for diplopolititary memes Great Satan could and should have her way with.

"...The ACLU may consider targeted killings immoral, but is it more immoral than the widespread use of human shields by the Taliban? Than the targeting by al Qaeda of commercial airliners? Awlaki would deny everyone else the rights the ACLU claims he has. Meanwhile, 17 international troops were killed in the last month trying to protect the freedom of Afghanis.


"...If the ACLU is filing lawsuits on behalf of protecting US-born terrorists from targeted assassinations, why isn’t the ACLU filing lawsuits on behalf of American soldiers who have become corollary assassination targets while being handcuffed in fighting those who killed 3,000 Americans?

Pic - "Military commanders and analysts also have an extensive list of “no-strike” targets, including religious centers, medical facilities, schools and public utilities. Striking such targets requires the approval of either the President or the Secretary of Defense."

Council Time!

Council Submissions

• First place with 3 1/3 votes! – Joshuapundit - US DOJ Inserts Itself Into Tennessee Mosque Controversy
• Second place with 1 2/3 votes – Right Truth - Mosques and Islamic Centers Across the U.S. and Those Who Object 
• Third place with 1 1/3 votes – Mere Rhetoric – Unbelievable – J Street Crops Daniel Levy’s Anti-Israel Quote, Then Blasts “Far Right-Wing Blogs” For “Misreporting” It
• Fourth place *t* with 1 vote – Bookworm Room – A short, but very sweet, visit to the USS Pinckney
• Fourth place *t* with 1 vote – GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Hail Columbia!
• Fourth place *t* with 1 vote - The Glittering Eye -Maintaining the Flow
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – Snapped Shot – He Who Pulls The Strings
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – VA Right – The Five Factions of the Tea Party Movement: Part 1
• Sixth place with 1/3 vote – The Colossus of Rhodey – Black-white relations poorer now than year ago

Non-Council Submissions

• First place with 2 votes! – The Jawa Report - North Carolina Muslim Admits To Working With Al Qaeda submitted by Snapped Shot
•  Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes - Pajamas Media/Zombie -The Electric Tea Party Acid Test submitted by Bookworm Room
• Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes - The Economic Collapse -Is America In Decline? 24 Statistics About The United States Economy That Are Almost Too Embarrassing To Admit submitted by VA Right
• Third place with 1 1/3 votes - Pajamas media — J. Christian Adams - New York Fails To Mail Ballots to Active Military, DOJ Yet To Act submitted by Rhymes With Right
• Fourth place *t* with 1 vote – Ironic Surrealism v3.0 -Flashback 2007: Obama Targeted Unions as “Special Interests” submitted by The Razor
• Fourth place *t* with 1 vote - AlinskyRules – Obama, Can You Spare A Dime? submitted by Joshuapundit
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The New Republic – Cut Off Aid to Pakistan submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote - City Journal – Benjamin Franklin on American Happiness submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote - Doctor Zero -  Shadows On The Water submitted by Right Truth
• Sixth place with 1/3 vote – Clayton Cramer’s Blog - If You Want To Understand What Makes This Recession Continue submitted by The Glittering Eye

Tell Me How You Feel In 5 Words Or Less

Revenge may actually be a lot like pizza - totally delish hot or cold.

This is a great soundtrack for relishing no game players getting all snared up in a trick bag of their own designs!

Victory Parade

Forward - March!

Gay Free Persia's hand picked Revo Guard rocketeer Pres gets all up in Little Satan's grill with a victory parade through Iran's deadliest, most proficient killers and serial tormentors of Americans since Cold War Time in their proxilicious Hiz'B'Allah turf.

Iran's daytripper "...underscored the eroding position of pro-Western factions in Lebanon. More broadly, it has suggested that the competition over influence in Lebanon may be tipping toward Iran and its ally Syria, away from the United States and it Arab allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Amid chants of "Death to America!" and the obligitory oblique "Death to Little Satan" it was kinda funny to note that Persia President's BFF - Hiz'B'Allah's overtly robust girthy Body Part Collector General - was no where to be found - sweetly hiding away in an especial super secret lair somewhere else.

Much to be made by the 2nd meeting of crucial bits of the Axis of Evil's War Council - UN's Hariri Investigation most likely will blame Hiz'B'Allah as the delivery system for Syrian hegemony in bombing Lebanon's political cadre nigh out of existence and HbA's restocked rowdy rocket rich rejectionist status (new! Now with SCUD D bona fides!) is being flaunted as a forward division of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

True!

Yet the big pic - is - well, more bigger.

 "... Mr. Ahmadinejad's victory lap in Lebanon is therefore a sign that terrorism and radicalism are winning over freedom, democracy and humanity.

"...The radicals in Iran are continuing their human rights violations. They are killing Iranian men and women fighting for their freedom. They are arming Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists who are killing our soldiers in Afghanistan. They are training Shiite militias and arming them in Iraq. They are providing arms and training to Hamas. They are inciting uprisings in Bahrain and Yemen. They are forming alliances and expanding their terror network through Venezuela. They are doing the same in Eritrea, where soldiers, ballistic missiles, submarines and naval vessels have been deployed to Assab to threaten the shipping lines and facilitate the move of terror cells into other parts of that region.

"...Meanwhile, the West continues to provide legitimacy to terrorism and the terrorists' criminal activity by maintaining its policy of appeasement and negotiation.

"...The lesson is that as long as the West continues to move its lines in the sand and as long as we turn our back on our principles in an effort to negotiate a solution with the Islamic regime in Iran, the terrorists will become more emboldened in their mission of raising the flag of Islam in all corners of the world. 

"...If Mr. Ahmadinejad's photo op in Lebanon is not a wake-up call for Western leaders, then once Iran has its nuclear weapons ready, it will be too late to stop the ambitions of a government that truly believes in a new world order, one in which Israel will no longer exist and America will no longer be the superpower it once was.

  

Pic - "Got it going on right here"

Cutting The Fuse

Oh - it's discombobulated bay bee!


Totally suspect, the recent Afghan UnAssing Consortium gets additional spiritual s'pport from the somewhat suspect "Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It"

Totally anti COIN -  the authors attempt to present a curious meme that counter insurgency operations (deceitfully termed out as 'occupations') actually crank out an avalanche of suicide bombers.  

Reinforced with data from "...every suicide terrorist attack worldwide from 1980 to 2009... analysis of suicide campaigns by Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel, Chechnya, and Sri Lanka...only a tiny minority of these attacks are motivated solely by religion. Instead, the root cause is foreign military occupation, which triggers secular and religious people alike to carry out suicide attacks"

Sorry! Uh, zoned out there for a sec. Say what, now?

In order for this to truly be true - where is the data on exponentially increasing suicide attackers from Deutschland, Osterreiches, Italy, Soko, Nippon, Philippines, Cyprus, Cuba or any of the ancient Warsaw Pact?

Why no rowdy Deutschers detonating themselves for Right of Return to Danzig and Konigsburg? Or Greek kamikazes for Smyrna?


Cutting the Fuse is really code for cut and run - pleading a case for "...new, effective solutions that America and its allies can sustain for decades, relying less on ground troops in Muslim countries and more on off-shore, over-the-horizon military forces along with political and economic strategies to empower local communities to stop terrorists in their midst..."

That kind of "Offshore Balancing" approach means Great Satan/NATO "...will not be engaged with military forces on the ground, and yet what we have learned in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan is that we achieve our objectives most fully when indigenous forces are partnered with us and made able to take over the work of U.S. forces in the fight. They have greater legitimacy, local knowledge, and make the outcome most durable..."

"...An offshore balancing approach is also inherently retaliatory and has been shown to increase the resistance of affected populations to supporting our objectives. We threaten to use force from the safe confines of distance; that use of force may have pinpoint accuracy but will often be less precise and cause more civilian casualties than forces on the ground, which will again feed into public attitudes about whether to support U.S. goals. 

"...Instead of working with the people most affected and helping build their capacity to protect themselves, offshore balancing does little to change the problem in positive ways.

Pic - "Moreover, al Qaeda and the Taliban have done everything to stop the drone attacks by killing hundreds of innocent civilians on the pretext of their being American spies.