Michael Yon: News flash for Osama bin Laden

Here’s a news flash for Osama bin Laden, who earlier today released a call “ to guerrilla forces in Mesopotamia. ”
I have directly observed how more and more Iraqis have grown to hate al Qaeda as much as Americans do. Al Qaeda has lost all credibility there, both from a religious standpoint as well as strategically. Even Western media seems to be gradually awakening to the realization that al Qaeda press releases on the topic of Iraq are about as well-informed as the post-invasion rantings of Baghdad Bob.

Fred Just Needs $20k More For Iowa Ad

UPDATE: only $5k to go!!

UPDATE: only $12k to go!!

UPDATE: only $14k to go!!

UPDATE: only $16k to go!!

Pakistan implicates Baitullah Mehsud in Bhutto assassination

By Bill Roggio

December 28, 2007 3:54 PM
The Pakistani government has directly implicated the commander of newly created Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema claimed the government intercepted a phone conversation between none other than Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and Maulvi Sahib, one of Mehsud's underlings.
The Telegraph has the transcript of the alleged recording. Baitullah congratulates Sahib, who explains the attack was carried out by three of their own operatives.

Baghdad calm one year after Saddam's death

The latest breakthrough is the revival of Baghdad’s most prominent computer arcade.
Prominent refugees have returned from exile.
Restaurant owner Hamid Ilsan took his celebrated al-Rabiyah restaurant to Damascus three years ago but is now putting the finishing touches to a re-launch back in Baghdad.
“You can feel it,” he said. “It’s better than it has been for a long time. There’s 12 checkpoints on this street and lots of traffic jams. Customers are piling up out front.”

Read the whole thing

It Ain't Gonna Happen -SP

It Ain't Gonna Happen
December 28, 2007: Al Qaeda and the Sunni Arab terrorist organizations are in very bad shape. The momentum, gained by the start of the surge offensive earlier this year, has continued, and now the senior leadership of al Qaeda is getting killed or captured faster than the terrorist organization can find and appoint replacements. This is reflected in the greatly reduced number of attacks. U.S. casualties for December are the lowest American forces have ever suffered since the 2003 invasion. Iraqi police and army losses are down as well, but not as much. Iraqi security forces are doing more of the fighting. But there's another fight brewing between the new anti-terrorist Sunni Arab militias the Americans have established. The Shia dominated government sees these guys as Saddam's henchmen and previously terrorists themselves. That's accurate in many cases, but by getting these thugs to switch sides, the death rate in Iraq has plummeted. In fact, al Qaeda has called on its remaining followers to concentrate on the Sunni Arabs now working for the government. However, the Shia Arabs know that, long term, the Sunni Arab minority expects to regain power. To counter that, some Shia Arab militias are again attacking Sunni civilians and gunmen. The government is reluctant to deal with this, but U.S. troops are not, and now there's a lot of American raids on Shia militias, including some being trained by Iranian agents.

It's going to take generations before the Kurds and Shia forget the atrocities inflicted on them by the Sunni Arabs. Don't expect a resolution on that score any time soon. It ain't gonna happen.

Meanwhile, up north, Turkish warplanes have flown hundreds of sorties against PKK targets on the Iraqi side of the bomber. Hundreds of Turkish troops have then crossed into Iraq to search the area where the bombs fell. The Turks are looking for PKK terrorists, dead or alive, as well as documents and other evidence of PKK activity. The U.S. and Iraq are asking the Turks to use restraint, and the end result appears to be letting the Turks do what they want, as long as their targets (PKK camps and villages that have tolerated the Kurdish separatists) are indeed PKK related. The Turks consider this operation long overdue, and since it's Winter, it probably won't go on for long.

Pelosi Promises - Hot Air

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been in that role for nearly a year now, as the Democrat Congress itself nears the end of its first full year since taking over from the Republicans. On election night 2006 Pelosi made a few promises to the country during her victory speech. Hot Air TV takes a look at those promises and whether the Speaker fulfilled them.

Report: Islamic State of Iraq defense minister captured

By Bill RoggioDecember 27, 2007 6:09 PM

Banner of the Islamic State of Iraq. Click to view.
The Iraqi Army claimed to have captured the minister of defense of the Islamic State of Iraq, al Qaeda’s political front organization. Ahmed Turki Abbas was captured after being wounded in a skirmish near Mahmudiyah and “claimed the rank of defense minister,” Qassim al Moussawi, Iraq's military spokesman told Reuters.

Marco Martinez

In the spring of 2003, the 1st Marine Division drove north toward Baghdad – the tip of the spear that would lead the American assault against Saddam Hussein’s elite Fedayeen and Republican Guard throughout central Iraq. It was no easy road. Then-Cpl. Martinez’s actions during the battle of Tarmiya dealt the regime’s forces a serious blow – so much so that he was awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest decoration in the United States armed forces.
On April 12, 2003, Martinez, serving with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, responded to a call to reinforce a platoon that had been ambushed. Under fire, Martinez moved his team into supporting positions to assault the enemy force. He eliminated two hostile fighters on the initial attack after his squad leader was wounded by a grenade blast. Martinez took control and led the assault into the area where the ambush had originated. Martinez and his outnumbered men moved through and cleared a nearby building occupied by enemy fighters. As they entered another compound they took stronger small-arms fire from the hostile forces inside. Martinez and his men fought their way through the building and into a courtyard, where the Fedayeen continued to engage the Marines from a garden shed.
Martinez saw that the enemy left a rocket propelled grenade launcher and two rounds on the ground on their way to the bunker. As his team provided cover fire, Martinez ventured into the open and grabbed the RPG launcher and sprinted behind a palm tree. After enemy fire wounded a member of his team, Martinez fired an RPG, 15 yards from the shed. The hostile forces continued targeting Martinez – but his assault had allowed his men to safely evacuate the wounded Marine. While the rest of the team took care of the injured man, Martinez single-handedly attacked the bunker. Dodging bullets, he ran up to the shed and lobbed a grenade into the building, killing four enemy forces and ending the firefight.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England presented Martinez with the Navy Cross in May 2004. The first Hispanic-American to receive the Navy Cross since the Vietnam War, Martinez repeatedly credits the Marine Corps for turning his life around. Having been a member of a gang for several years as a teenager, Martinez became drawn to the Marines after an encounter with a recruiter as a high-school senior. Today, Martinez emphatically states that “All I ever am, or will become, I owe to my beloved Corps.”

John Adams

"Fear is the foundation of most governments; but it is so
sordid and brutal a passion, and renders men in whose breasts it
predominates so stupid and miserable, that Americans will not be
likely to approve of any political institution which is founded
on it."
-- John Adams (Thoughts on Government, 1776)

Genesis 1:1-10

In the beginning You created the heavens and the earth. When the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, Your Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. And You said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Then You said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." So You made the expanse and separated the waters under the expanse from the waters above it, and it was so. Then You said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place, and let dry ground appear"; and it was so. And You saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:1-10)

US military beefs up Pakistan force

By Bruce Loudon

US Special Forces are to increase their presence in Pakistan amid assessments that the country is to become the central battlefield for al-Qaida as it is driven from Iraq.
"Pakistan should be carefully watched because it could prove to be a significant flashpoint in the coming year," US think tank Strategic Forecasting said in an evaluation of al-Qaida's tactics as the Islamist group comes under mounting pressure in Iraq.
With the "rapid spread of Talibanisation" in Pakistan's insurgent northwest, the country would become "especially important if the trend in Iraq continues to go against the jihadis and they are driven from Iraq", the assessment said.

Another TB/homeland Security Debacle - Michele Malkin

Sweet

Product Features
1080/24P scanning with 2:3 pull-down recording
3 ClearVid CMOS sensor system; 4:2:2 color used by Sony Enhanced Image Processor
20x Carl Zeiss Vario-Zonnar T lens with extra-low dispersion glass; 1.5x digital extender
3.5-inch widescreen Clear Photo plus LCD display
Dual XLR audio inputs with variable control; supplied shotgun microphone
Technical Details
Lens: Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T zoom lens; 20x optical zoom
Focal length: 3.9 to 78 millimeters; f = 37.4 to 748 millimeters (16:9 mode); f = 45.7 to 914 millimeters (4:3 mode); F = 1.6 to 2.8, filter diameter: 62 millimeters
Built-in filter: 1/4 ND, 1/16 ND
Imaging system: 1/4-inch, 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor system
Picture elements: Approximately 1,037K pixels (effective), approximately 1,120K pixels (total)
White balance: Auto, one-push auto (2 positions), indoor (3200 K), outdoor (5800 K +15 steps, approximately 500K per step)
Manual shutter speed: 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/90, 1/100, 1/125, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/725, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/6000, 1/10000 seconds
Manual shutter speed (24p scan): 1/3, 1/6, 1/12, 1/24, 1/40, 1/48, 1/50, 1/60, 1/96, 1/100, 1/120, 1/144, 1/192, 1/200, 1/288, 1/400, 1/576, 1/1200, 1/2400, 1/4800, 1/10000 seconds
Exposure: Auto, manual (Type1/Type2)
Gain: 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 dB
Minimum illumination: 4 lx with F1.6 at 18 dB
Recording format: 1080/60i, 480/60i (NTSC)
Play out/Down-conversion format: 1080/60i, 480/60i (NTSC)
Tape speed (HDV/DV SP): Max. 18.812 mm/s with PHDVM-63DM cassette
Tape speed (DVCAM): Max. 28.218 mm/s with PHDVM-63DM cassette
Playback/Recording time (HDV/DV SP): Max. 63 min with PHDVM-63DM cassette
Playback/Recording time (DVCAM): Max. 41 min with PHDVM-63DM cassette
Fast forward/Rewind time: Approximately 1 min 45 sec with PHDVM-63DM cassette (at DC operation); Approximately 2 min 40 sec with PHDVM-63DM cassette (at battery operation)
Audio/Video output: A/V out jack, 10-pin connector; Composite video: 1 Vp-p, 75O unbalanced, sync negative; Y: 1 Vp-p, 75O unbalanced; C: 0.286 Vp-p (burst signal), 75O unbalanced; Audio: 461 mV input impedance more than 47 kO, output impedance less than 2.2 kO
Component video output: Component out jack; Y: 1 Vp-p (0.3 V, sync negative), 75O unbalanced; Pr/Pb (Cr/Cb): 700 mVp-p (75% color bar)
HDV/DV input/output: i.LINK interface (IEEE 1394, 4-pin connector S100)
XLR audio input: XLR 3-pin female x 2, 461 mV, -60 dBu: 3 kO, +4 dBu: 10 kO, power supply: approx. 48 V
Headphones: Stereo mini jack (3.5 mm diameter)
LANC: Stereo mini-mini jack (2.5 mm diameter)
USB: Mini-B connector
HDMI output: HDMI connector
LCD viewfinder: 0.44-inch type, approx. 252K dots, 16:9 aspect ratio
LCD monitor: 3.5-inch Clear Photo LCD plus; approximately 211K dots, hybrid type, 16:9 aspect ratio
Speaker: 16mm dia.
Weight: Approx. 3 lb 6 oz (1.5 kg) (camcorder only)
Supplied accessories: AC-L15 AC adaptor, power cord. NP-F570 infoLITHIUM rechargeable battery pack, A/V connecting cable, Component connecting video cable, USB cable, lens hood with lens cover, large eyecup, RMT-831 wireless Remote Commander, ECM-NV1 monaural electolet condenser microphone, Operating instructions(CD-ROM), Printed operating instructions

Ron Paul: Dr. No (R-Texas) By: John Stossel

U.S. congressional representative and Republican presidential contender Ron Paul has been called "Dr. No" because he repeatedly votes against legislation he believes gives government too much power. If it's not in the Constitution, he says, the federal government has no business doing it. He even votes against appropriations to his constituents.

A Thorn in Putin's Side Named Oleg Kozlovsky

Meet Russian opposition leader Oleg Kozlovsky, who has “effectively held the Kremlin’s feet to the fire of democracy.” So much so that he has been “terrorized and silenced,” writes Kim Zigfeld.

Flower Power for Ron Paul

By Texas on the Potomac

Who would have imagined that Ron Paul, whose message is bare-bones government and who hails from a very red state, would be playing so well on the true blue west coast? But campaign finance reports show that the Lake Jackson Republican congressman is scooping up piles of cash from California, as well as Washington state, in his 2008 presidential campaign.
The Lone Star State just barely edged out California as the top venue for Paul's campaign contributions through September, the latest financial disclosure reports available.
Californians shelled out $724,174 for Paul compared to $725,215 from Texas, according to an analysis by CQ MoneyLine. Washington state, where Paul contributors gave $172,266, ranked as the candidate's fourth-highest source of money, behind Florida, where he received $302,791.
Paul raised almost as much money, $62,376, in that bastion of liberalism, San Francisco, as he did back home in more conservative Houston, where he received $66,632. Paul also received $34,619 from contributors in Los Angeles and $22,491 from supporters in Seattle.
While much of Paul's less government platform may not be in sync with west coast liberalism, his anti-war message does resonate there. And some of his libertarian stands, such as his support for decriminalizing illegal drugs, is also a hit with some in those parts.
Texans, meanwhile, aren't completely ignoring their home state candidate. Paul's top city for fund-raising was Dallas where he collected $108,933, followed by Austin, where contributors gave him $100,632. Hometown friends in Lake Jackson gave him $23,750.

Mark Steyn On Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan had a mad recklessness about it which give today's events a horrible inevitability. As I always say when I'm asked about her, she was my next-door neighbor for a while - which affects a kind of intimacy, though in fact I knew her only for sidewalk pleasantries. She was beautiful and charming and sophisticated and smart and modern, and everything we in the west would like a Muslim leader to be - though in practice, as Pakistan's Prime Minister, she was just another grubby wardheeler from one of the world's most corrupt political classes.

Senior al Qaeda leader killed in November raid - Bill Roggio

Multinational Forces Iraq has confirmed it killed a senior al Qaeda in Iraq commander during a raid near Samarra on November 8. The remains of Abu Abdullah, also known as Muhammad Sulayman Shunaythir al Zuba’i, have been positively identified by Multinational Forces Iraq.

Hindus, Christians Clash Again in India

NEW DELHI (AP) - Hindu extremists attacked village churches and burned down the home of a prominent Christian politician Thursday, officials said.

Pakistan's Bhutto killed in attack

Oldest WWI Vet Dies at 109

TOLEDO, Ohio - J. Russell Coffey, the oldest known surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, has died. The retired teacher, one of only three U.S. veterans from the "war to end all wars," was 109.
Coffey died Thursday at the Briar Hill Health Campus in North Baltimore, where he had lived for the past four or five years, said Gaye Boggs, nursing director at the nursing home. No cause of death has been determined, she said Friday. His health began failing in October.
"We're sure going to miss him," Boggs said. "He was our most famous resident, that's for sure."
More than 4.7 million Americans joined the military from 1917-1918. Coffey never saw combat because he was still in basic training when the war ended.
The two remaining U.S. veterans are Frank Buckles, 106, of Charles Town, W.Va.; and Harry Richard Landis, 108, of Sun City Center, Fla., according to the Veterans Affairs Department. In addition, John Babcock, 107, of Spokane, Wash., served in the Canadian army and is the last known Canadian veteran of the war.
Interest in World War I survivors grew over the past year as their numbers dwindled. The last living links to the war, the U.S. veterans received honors and did a flurry of interviews. In May, Buckles was a grand marshal of the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., riding in the back of a car.
But Coffey once confided to his daughter, Betty Jo Larsen, that he wished people would remember his contributions rather than his old age. "He told me 'even a prune can get old,'" she said last spring. She died in September.
Coffey had enlisted in the Army while he was a student at Ohio State University in October 1918, a month before the Allied powers and Germany signed a cease-fire agreement. He was discharged a month after the war ended.
His two older brothers fought overseas, and he was disappointed at the time that the war ended before he shipped out. But he told The Associated Press in April 2007: "I think I was good to get out of it."
Born Sept. 1, 1898, Coffey played semipro baseball in Akron, earned a doctorate in education from New York University, taught in high school and college and raised a family.
He delivered newspapers as a youngster and would read the paper to immigrants, his daughter said. "That was the beginning of him being a teacher," she said.
Coffey returned to Ohio State University after he left the Army and received two degrees there.
He said he loved teaching. "I could see results," he said. "I could see improvement."
He taught junior high and high school in Phelps, Ky., and Findlay. He then taught physical education at Bowling Green State University from 1948 until 1969.
He had a remarkable memory and was independent, his daughter said. He drove his car until he was 104, and lived in his own home until a year later. He was a swimmer and credited healthy eating and exercise for his longevity.
His wife, Bernice, whom he married in 1921, died in 1993. Larsen was their only child.
Among the other World War I veterans who died this year were Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, who ranked as world's oldest person for the last weeks of his life, and Charlotte Winters, 109, the last known American female veteran of the war.

Todays Hero Justin Lewis Clough

The unconventional nature of the war in Iraq has demanded much from the Marine Corps NCOs on the ground. During his two tours in Iraq, Marine Corps Sgt. Justin L. Clough exhibited leadership on numerous occasions, in combat, communications, air support, and rescue missions. Clough served a Squad Leader with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, and his squad undertook more than 100 combat patrols. In between missions, Clough trained his squad to enhance its communication skills with aircrews that provide support during combat operations. He also taught his team how to conduct evacuations for the wounded, and implemented cutting-edge infantry tactics. Clough’s dedication to training his men eventually helped save his life. Clough and his team repeatedly came under fire during direct and indirect attacks. They also had to constantly dodge improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Clough usually took the lead during assignments, constantly placing himself in the line of fire. On one occasion in Anbar province, an insurgent sniper wounded Clough. After quickly regaining consciousness, Clough’s first concern was to look out for the Marines next to him. Sgt. Nathaniel Clough, Justin’s twin brother, tended to his wounds.
Having been trained to deal with the situation at hand, Clough’s squad quickly and ably radioed in his injury, requested immediate assistance, and prepared an evacuation by air.
For his actions in combat, Sergeant Clough was honored with the USO (United Service Organizations) Marine of the Year award, as well as the Purple Heart. He has also been recommended for the Bronze Star with Combat “V” for valor. Clough’s service, which includes a tour of duty in Afghanistan, has been recognized by numerous institutions, including Stonington, CT, where the town celebrated “Justin Lewis Clough Day.” Clough threw out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game this past year.
Clough is quick to praise those around him – especially his brother, whom Clough credits with saving his life. Sgt. Nathaniel Clough later earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a Combat “V.”

2 Corinthians 9:10

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will
also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the
harvest of your righteousness.
-- 2 Corinthians 9:10

Alexander Hamilton

"The circumstances that endanger the safety of nations are
infinite, and for this reason no constitutional shackles can wisely
be imposed on the power to which the care of it is committed. "
-- Alexander Hamilton (Federalist No. 23, 17 December 1787)