A web journal committed to defend liberty, justice, and peace, by declaring the truth in love.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

30-31 January 2007

I have been reading a number of different news stories. Some have gratified me, such as the announcement that the U.S. will complete the first stage of deployment of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) by the end of the year, trained on both North Korea and the Middle East (translation: just in time to make Iran think twice before launching a strike against Israel or American forces in Iraq). Others have not, such as the persistence of the U.S. Senate's new Democrat majority to have a "binding non-binding resolution" condemning President Bush's increase in the number of troops in Baghdad. Yet others have concerned me greatly, namely, the revelation that Pakistani leader Gen. Pervez Musharraf is unable to get his own military to engage in attacks on the hideouts of Taliban in his own capital. (see The CounterTerrorism Blog).

What I am of a resolve to do is begin to comment on articles on two areas, from now on. One, on international terrorism, especially Islamist terror. The other is on the propaganda war, namely, what is being an American mean in the world? Has the move to democracy by so much of the world been without the components in place necessary for the kind of success that has happened in the USA? How can we train the people of the world to think as free people? And does Christianity have anything to say about the development of human liberty in areas outside our own country. In other words, we have to learn how to multiculturalize conservatism, to make Americanism global, so that those who believe in Judeo-Christian-based republican ideas have a sense of ownership in those ideas.

I am saddened at the attack on Israel yesterday by a suicide bomber that killed three people in Eilat, but I understand from Stratfor that the bomber failed to succeed in attacking the main market plaza at Eilat at rush hour, which would have killed dozens or worse. Quick intelligence of the man's presence in Eilat caused him to explode himself prematurely. Thanks to the police, sadness for those who lost their lives, and I rejoice at the bomber's failure. He is now no doubt in a place of permanent regret, not at all what he expects. Allah akbar.

---Belisarius II---

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

29-30 January 2007

Well, well, well. Just like it always goes, we're in the tragic race for war. Iran works with North Korea to build missiles and test them, missiles capable of carrying long-range nuclear warheads. We're not talking about Israel now, we're talking about Europe, at least. Unbelievable. At the same time Iran and Venezuela (last week) agreed to ally themselves in a military alliance against the USA. And the number of Iranian agents and equipment to support the insurgents in Iraq, especially Moqtada al Sadr, are rapidly growing.

Meanwhile, the USA, particularly the Bush administration and the Defense Department, have some actions of their own. Not only is Bush pursuing the "surge" of an additional 21,500 troops in Baghdad and 4,000 more in violent Al-Anbar province, the Pentagon (reported in Reuters) announced that they should be completed with the ground and sea-borne portion of the development and deployment of the Strategic Defense Initiative. According to the article, the US will be able to strike at long-range missiles from "North Korea and the Middle East." Now who in the Mideast could possibly be the subject of this fast ratcheting up of America's defense? Yeah, and who could need to guess about that, unless that person doing the guessing has been living under a rock for the last 18 months. Don't look now, but his initials are Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

I take comfort in my faith, that God has everything under control. But it is clear that the principle of warfare is being exhibited once again, that the strike will happen just before one's opponent has completed their preparations to wage defensive or offensive warfare.

Tick, tock. Meanwhile, fellow Americans and Christians like those of my now-former church are content to hide their pacifist heads in the sand and consider their President a warmonger, hoping against reason that the US will simply begin negotiating in earnest with the terrorist regime in Tehran. Face it, boys and girls. You're going to have a war. Do you want to get loyal? Or are you going to be in denial until the day that Al Qaeda comes to call to your city?

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Adios.


---Belisarius II---

Monday, January 29, 2007

28-29 January 2007

Greetings, fellow men. Well, it is very late in the wee hours of the morning. Once again, I start too late to make a difference in my writing. But a few things are developing. Most of all, the storm clouds of war seem to gather ever darker. I direct you to a story, repeated in Powerline, about the London Daily Telegraph's report about Iran's progress toward plunging us all into World War III. Well, will say more later. Adios.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

27 January 2007

I will be doing myself a favor, beginning this week. I will be cheating a little bit, keeping the articles that I will be referring to, all window-tabbed on the subject bar, giving myself a bit of an advantage in getting the information out that I want to share with whoever will care about what I say. Hopefully that will save time, but also make myself a little more useful on the 'Net.

I am impressed by what Hugh Hewitt is doing. I always have been, since I was first aware of him, back in 2002. He doesn't just like to hear himself talk, he does a great job of having a huge variety of highly gifted and expert people interview with him. I hope to be able to model some of his ideas as time goes by. But these days, I really like the way he has been willing to put blind party loyalty aside, and hang some unprincipled U.S. Senators to dry who are willing themselves to stab our soldiers in the field in Iraq with this "nonbinding resolution" opposing the President's effort to break the power of the insurgents in Baghdad and Al Anbar province, once and for all. I think that we who love our country, and the West, should be ready to make sure that those Senators who are running for reelection next year, who are so willing to destroy the morale of our servicemen and women get the toughest primary opponent possible to field in the Republican primary next year. As we used to say in Texas about a renegade, "Get a rope!"

Hasta luego.


---Belisarius II---

Thursday, January 25, 2007

25 January 2007--A.M.

Well, here I am, back again. Am not interested in trying to justify my absence, I owe no one anything.

Yes, I am angry. I am angry that anywhere from 60-65 percent of my fellow Americans are against our country's effort in Iraq. For that matter, too many seem willing to just quit the whole show, to leave the Middle East to complete chaos, allowing the creation of a terrorist narco-terrorism state like Somalia, and a wider Sunni-Shiite regional bloodbath. But then, the worldwide left in general, and American liberalism in particular, do not care AT ALL!! They would rather see my country and Western civilization in general reduced to less than the Stone Age, rather than give George Bush the satisfaction of being successful, even if that means disaster for the country and world.

But, that is typical of the Left. They glory in the horror they created in Vietnam, and they now satisfied with the killing fields of Cambodia or the boat people of Vietnam. Well, I will beat my little tommy-tom for freedom and truth. More to come later. I need some sleep.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Friday, 12 January 2007

Well, I have read enough to curl the hair about the increase in the forces of Jihad worldwide. Here, and especially in and among those going over the recent Revolutionary Guards. Tick, tock.

More later.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

10 January 2007--Hi, I'm back.

Hi. I have been pretty far removed from this blog, but I am back pretty well for good. I heard President Bush's speech tonight---of course noone believes that his new strategy of 21,500 additional U.S. troops in Baghdad, and 4,000 more in the violent but much more coalition-controlled Anbar province--will actually work. But I do. And here's why.

First of all, I subscribe to Stratfor, the best private intelligence in the world. What's really cool is that they are based in Austin, Texas (yes, we are TEXAS!). And I have been noticing a few little developments that they have reported. Like first, the chief Shiite Imam of Iraq, the Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has just given the go-ahead for the government to completely disarm all militias so that the government will be stabilized. Without saying so, that gives the blessing of the Iraqi and American forces to dismantle and destroy the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr. What makes that even more clearly al-Sistani's intent is the fact that, according to Interior Minister Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, a close disciple of al-Sistani, he also urges the clear-out of all rogue militias in the Sadr City area of Baghdad. Sadr City if the main Shiite district of the city, and the main stronghold of the Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades, the most fanatical of the al-Sadr followers.

There is also general agreement among the members of the Sunni leadership in the Iraqi parliament that the rooting out of the Sunni insurgent militias are now acceptable. Furthermore, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki announced today that no insurgency or militia in Baghdad is off limits to the incursion of either Iraqi or coalition forces--meaning American troops. If there is a free hand to the Americans in and coming to Baghdad and the al-Anbar, along with the well-trained and increasing numbers of Iraqi forces, the job will actually be much easier and the casualties significantly lighter---for Americans, that is. The insurgents and the Mahdi Army will be decimated.

Considering the joint campaign with the Ethiopians in Somalia, and the rumblings by Israel of a massive attack on the Iranian oil fields, especially in light of the fact that President Bush is dispatching an additional supercarrier naval task force to the Persian Gulf, I think that something of a grand strategy is being implemented, without saying so. I also noted that the British forces in Afghanistan just made a major attack on a large Taliban base and inflicted huge casualties (see The CounterTerrorism Blog). Joined with the fact that a long-time reluctant Pervez Musharraf has been laying mines and raising fences along the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and I am beginning to think that President Bush may be doing more effective work than one may surmise, if one believes nearly all of the traditional global media and even a lot of conservative New Media. We'll see.

--Belisarius II--