You know what they say, third time is a charm.

From the AP:

The U.N. Security Council approved a third round of sanctions against Iran on Monday with near unanimous support, sending a strong signal to Tehran that its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment is unacceptable and becoming increasingly costly.

For the first time, the resolution bans trade with Iran in goods which have both civilian and military uses.

The vote was 14-0 with one abstention from Indonesia.

Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazee told the council just before the vote that the government would not comply with the “unlawful action” against its “peaceful nuclear program.”

Come on, not even France and Germany are buying the “peaceful nuclear program” routine anymore. Even Libya, one of the non-permanent members of the council, voted for the resolution. The resolution was even co-sponsored by France and supported by Russia.

[sarcasm] We know that the UN has been very successful with its sanctions in the past. Just ask North Korea, Sadam Hussain, Syria, and Lebanon; to name a few.[/sarcasm]

When is last time you heard of an effective UN resolution? It makes you wonder what the US gets for its $1.26 Billion (2007) doesn’t it?

Also Reporting:
Michelle Malkin
Hot Air
Wake up America

You have probably heard about Pakistan Telecom and what they did to YouTube last week. Computerworld calls it, rightly, Sabotage.

Sabotage. That’s the right word for what Pakistan Telecom did to YouTube on the last Sunday in February. It was intended to be censorship — blocking Pakistanis from seeing a video that their government found offensive. But it resulted in all of YouTube vanishing from the Internet for up to two hours.

If you think that’s merely another silly noncrisis that doesn’t mean anything to your IT shop or business, think again.

What happened? Pakistan Telecom (PT) got instructions from a government agency to block a specific YouTube video, which reportedly included the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have sparked periodic riots since they were first published in Denmark in September 2005.

So it looks like the target was not really YouTube, but YouTube customers in Pakistan. If Pakistan wants to censor its citizens then that is between the Pakistani government and its citizens.

It does, however, bring even a bigger question as to why YouTube caved in on this issue. This from Investor’s Business Daily:

YouTube has agreed to scrub material critical of radical Islam after Pakistan’s religious police crashed the popular site in protest. Score another one for the Islamofascists.

[…]

Meantime, YouTube is giving in to its blackmailers in Pakistan by removing “highly profane and sacrilegious footage” that was offensive to Islam, including cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Pakistan’s religious police, in turn, issued instructions to all local ISPs to unblock YouTube, “as the specific content has been removed by the Web site.”

Islamabad pontificated that the offending material “absolutely stands against the values of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.” This from a state that crucifies Muslim apostates and Christian “blasphemers” and refuses to peacefully coexist with Hindus in Kashmir.

We recall how Islamabad reacted with equal fulmination after the pope, in a 2006 speech, linked Islam to violence. “Anyone who describes Islam as intolerant encourages violence,” Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tasnim Aslam said.

So Islam is so tolerant it will attack anyone who says it is not? Something is wrong with this picture. YouTube has bowed to the demands of terrorists and emboldened those who attack the west.

I have looked to find a copy of the video which was blocked - if I find it on another service I will be sure to post it here.

**Update** The video which caused all this grief is a trailer to the upcoming moving Fitna. The 1389 Blog puts all the pieces together.

Also reporting:
Stop The ACLU

I stumbled upon this during my morning tour of the net. The following Video is a guy form the UK who hits the nail on the head with an uncommon frankness. It is worth the time to watch it.

And before you say, “That is Europe, it’s not like that here” - think again. It is not so far off as you may think.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“And any concession made will be seen as a sign of weakness to be exploited further, because there is no dialog with radical Islam. It doesn’t want to be agreed with. It wants to be obeyed.”

“And before somebody accuses me again of insulting Islam, please grow up. I don’t need to insult Islam when there are already so many Muslims willing to do it for me every time they strap on a suicide belt or stone somebody to death for the crime of having a private life.”

I should probably point out that the author, Pat Condell, is not just anti-Islam. He seems to be Anti most things - any religion, the US, Israel, etc. That is his right, and I welcome him to his opinion.

Looking back over the days posts, I have been spending a fair amount of time on Obama. So lets switch to one of my other favorite subjects:

It seems that supporting our troops, our country, and our freedom has become so blah in hollywood. It would be much better to just support the Terrorists.

This from the Washington Post:

On Sunday night, the goody with el primo placement — right near the collars of Best Actress nominee Julie Christie and two-time winner Paul Haggis — was an orange ribbon. A cheap, ugly, dear God we thought the age of lapel-activism (AIDS, peace, veterans, breasts) was over ribbon. Or an orange bracelet, a cheap, ugly, when will this rubber fetish quit livingstrong — bracelet. Inscribed with Torture + Silence = Complicity.

These represent the orange jumpsuits worn by Guantanamo prisoners, and call for the closing of the prison, and the cessation of a range of controversial U.S. behaviors.

Along with the truism of “Power Corrupts” it seems we need to add “Fame Dements”. Hollywood is so far out of touch with reality, it is amazing the even live in the same world we do. They hide beneath the very freedom American servicemen die to protect. In what alternate reality is that sane? It could only be that their lives are so hallow and meaningless that they are looking for something, anything to latch onto. The more bizarre and extreme the better.

Get out Hollywood - take your money and your delusions to Iran or Syria. I am sure you will find them more tolerant of your insanity.

Also Reporting:
Wizbang

This is rich, but not unexpected. Form the Associated Press:

President Omar al-Bashir said Wednesday that he would bar Danes from Sudan and told tens of thousands of people at a government-backed rally that the Muslim world should boycott Denmark because of a reprinted cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

“We urge all Muslims around the world to boycott Danish commodities, goods, companies, institutions, organizations and personalities,” al-Bashir told the crowd outside the Republic Palace in downtown Khartoum.

“Down, down, Denmark!” shouted the crowd. Al-Bashir vowed that “not a single Danish foot will from now on desecrate the land of Sudan.”

Who wants to go to Sudan anyway? I can’t imagine that Sudan is a hot Danish tourist spot, nor that they are a market for Danish goods.

To refresh your memory, this is all a result of the Danish newspapers reprinting Muhammad cartoons. You can read my post on it here.

There is a bit of Irony here, as there always is in these cases:

First, most of the Danes that are in Sudan are there with humanitarian aid organizations, or with the UN peacekeeping forces.

It was not clear whether al-Bashir planned to act on his rhetoric and force out the hundreds of Danes who work in Sudan, most in aid organizations, with a dozen in the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Sudan.

Secondly, Sudan is one of the largest recipients of Danish aid.

But Sudan is one of the largest recipients of Danish aid and Danish aid groups that operate there include the Danish Refugee Council and the Danish Red Cross, which runs large projects to alleviate suffering in the western Darfur region.

Sudan received $26 million in Danish aid in 2006 and a $100 million humanitarian and reconstruction package is planned through 2009.

So I will be looking out for any Danish goods I can buy. Not that I have the least idea on what they export. In any event I guess a reprint of my favorite cartoon is in order.

Also Reporting:
Michelle Malkin

Earlier this week Canada issued an ultimatum that it would pull its 2,500 tropps from Afghanistan effective January 2009 if NATO is unable to pony up additional troops.

From the AP:

In American military parlance, it’s gut-check time for NATO in Afghanistan, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy appears ready to answer allies’ calls for more forces to fight the Taliban and al-Qaida.

As early as Thursday, Sarkozy’s top brass is to present him with a variety of options, from sending special forces to more trainers for Afghan troops, a French military official told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity, because the decisions will ultimately rest with Sarkozy.

Sarkozy isn’t expected to announce a final decision until the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, in early April, which is shaping up as a litmus test of his commitment to the Atlantic alliance which has often had a rocky relationship with France.

The more I see about Sarkozy, the more I like him. Not just because he is pro-American. His previous stint as the French Minister of Interior have given him a keen understanding of the the significance of the War on Terror. He also has a very strong stance on Law and Order issues as seem from his stance on the Islamic Hoodlums that have been plaguing France for years.

The Global Mail in Canada has an interesting spin on this as well:

France’s decision will involve two larger strategic concerns: The ambition among French military leaders to establish a stronger European leadership role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the desire to win U.S. support for a European military force that could some day rival the U.S. military.

Under Chirac, France’s only military ambitions seemed to involve white flags. Now, with Nicolas Sarkozy at the helm in France, it seems a much different picture is forming. I am not so confident on the European military “someday rivaling the US military”, but having ambitions that provide extra support for the war on Terror is good for me.

I may have to take back some of the things I have said about France.

Also Reporting:
Captains Quarters

A couple of interesting articles came out in the media this morning. It makes me wonder how serious America is about winning the War on Terror. Yes, we are still at war; and yes, there are still people out there trying to kills us. If you need recent examples, just check out Religion of Peace.com

The first bit of news has to do with a recent Senate approved ban on Waterboarding as port of the new intelligence bill.

The Senate voted yesterday to ban waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics used by the CIA, matching a previous House vote and putting Congress on a collision course with the White House over a pivotal national security issue.

In a 51 to 45 vote, the Senate approved an intelligence bill that limits the CIA to using 19 less-aggressive interrogation tactics outlined in a U.S. Army Field Manual. The measure would effectively ban the use of simulated drowning, temperature extremes and other harsh tactics that the CIA used on al-Qaeda prisoners after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

President Bush has vowed to veto the legislation, which the House approved in December, and Congress does not appear to have enough votes to override a veto.

The second bit of news has to do with with harsh and cruel conditions at Gitmo:

The admissions made by the men — who were given food whenever they were hungry as well as Starbucks coffee at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — played a key role in the government’s decision to proceed with the prosecutions, military and law enforcement officials said.

What do the people we have entrusted to run our country think they are playing at? This is very serious stuff, and yet they proceed as if this was a schoolyard disagreement, and seem determined to assume we have an honorable enemy. News flash — We Don’t!

Wish-washy politically inspired stances like this cost American lives. It handicaps the ability of our military and intelligence agencies to protect us. The impact and cost to America could easily be measured in the thousands and thousands of deaths when another 911 hits. This is not a game of chess, plaid with pieces who fell no pain. When the game is over we do not pick up our pieces and go home.

For the record, the following 51 Senators voted for the handcuffing Inteligence Bill. If you see yours on there, I urge you to send them a reminder of the stakes in this game they are playing:

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Also Reporting:
Grid Skipper
American Pundit
Captain’s Quarters
Hot Air
Stop The ACLU
Michelle Malkin
Jammie Wearing Fool

The Captain and Michell Malkin have kicked off call for bloggers to deminstrate solidarity with the Danish Newspapers who have demonstrated solidarity with Kurth Westergaad and Jyllands-Posten today.

First, lets get up to date on the story as I have not been blogging on this much. From CNN:

Newspapers across Europe Wednesday reprinted the controversial cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed that sparked worldwide protests two years ago.

The move came one day after Danish authorities arrested three people allegedly plotting a “terror-related assassination” of Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist behind the drawing.

Berlingske Tidende, was one of the newspapers involved in the republication by newspapers in Denmark. It said: “We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend,” in comments reported by The Associated Press.

Newspapers in Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands also republished the drawing Wednesday as part of their coverage of Tuesday’s arrests.

Excellent - it is about time Europe stood up to the Islamic sheeple that clogs there streets and is just waiting for an excuse to start killing, burning, and pillaging.

Sadly, American newpapers are not yet picking this up. So, if they are not, the US Bloggosphere will

In solidarity with the European newspapers, here is the cartoon that has caused so much damage, distruction, and killing. All because of intolerance on the part of “The Religion of Peace”.

This is a list (soon to be very partial) of the many many plogs participating in this solidarity movement:
The Blog from the Core

Michelle Malkin
Face of Muhammad
Little Green Footballs
Barcepundit here and here
Slapstick Politics here and here
Wade’s Inn

JamulBlog
Sobekpundit’s photoshop
Southchild
Bastiat Says No
Scrappy O’Leary
Queer Conservative
FreeBornJohn

Willamette PI
Six Conservative Guys
Adventures of Prissy
Liberty Bell
Bbmoo’s relations
Joe Gringo
Little Red Soapbox
Combat medic in Iraq

Holstein Grove
Frog Blog
Noonz Wire
Samir K
Extreme Centre
Out of the Valley
DANEgerus
RJ Lippincott
Steve Janke II

Flagrant Harbour
My Side of the Couch
Don Singleton
Ed Morrissey
The Politburo Diktat
Transformed View
Thoughts of a regular guy
Kathy Shaidle
TJIC.com

Emily Zanotti
Andy MacDonald
Lifelike Pundits
Tales of a Wandering Mind
Church of Entropy
Two Babes and a Brain
Magnificat
The Citizen Journal
Wikipedia

Riehl World View
Savage Republican
Born Again Redneck
Don Miguel de la Piedra
Jihad Watch
Neal Boortz
WAmbulance
Michael Graham
Texas Rainmaker

Right Wing Nation
A Conservative Force
Wide Awake Cafe
Black Sheep Cafe
Robot Guy
commentary.co.za
Y-2-Dray 4-Ever
tjic.com
Western Critic

Air Force Pundit
Small Wars Journal
You Talk About
Mr Minority
Michigan Blog
Industrial Blog
Inside Larry’s Head
Been there, done that

Right Number One
Drinking From Home
Civil Commotion
Marvin’s Word
American Lights
Klein’s Quips
Peenie Wallie
Limburg Letter

Scipio the Metalcon
JamulBlog
Bear to the Right
Dangerous Dan
WunderKraut.com
Posse Incitatus
Harleys, Cars, Girls, & Guitars
Left wing = Hate

Holstein Grove
The Noonz Wire
GOP and the City
Flagrant Harbour
The Political Pit Bull
Atlas Blogged
Random Thoughts Of Yet Another Military Member
FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog
Don Singleton

Rocket’s Brain Trust
Jessica’s Well
TacJammer
Angry in the Great White North
UrbanRepublican
Dr. Sanity
Darleen’s Place

Bill’s House O Insomnia
House of the Dog
Freedom Folks
Small Town Veteran
A Blog For All
Church and State
Inside Larry’s Head
Free Constitution

This isn’t writing, it’s typing
Rattrap’s Rants
Hard Talk
Citizen Journal
Iowa Voice
Sugar Ray Dodge
NoisyRoom.net
Black Sheep Press

Red hot cuppa politics
CDR Salamander
A geezer’s corner
Deep Keel
And THAT is MY Opinion…
Palmetto Pundit
Void Where Prohibited
Super Fun Power Hour

Striderweb
Oscar Poppa
Peaceful Display of Tolerance and Love
Stuck on Stupid
RightWinged.com
Mike’s Noise
The Johnsville News
Truth Is Stranger

Irons in the Fire
Occasus Pars Clamo
The Citizen Journal
Freedom Eden
Fifth Virginia
Celestial Junk
The Trading Post
Doc Weasel
Bookworm Room
Snapped Shot

In a fit of good sense, the Democratic lead senate passed (in a 68 to 29 vote) a bill to grant amnesty to companies, like AT&T, who provided wiretapping and other services to the US Government without a warrant. In effect the bill legalizes the wiretapping programs which President Bush has been pushing all along, the same programs that the ACLU has been having a fit over.

From Wired:

The 68 to 29 vote is a major step in radically re-configuring 30 year-old limits on how the nation’s spying services operate inside America’s borders. The vote also deals a severe blow to civil liberties groups that are suing companies such as AT&T and Verizon for turning over millions of American’s phone records to the government, and for helping the government wiretap American’s phone and internet communications without a court order.

The bill, which expires in six years, allows the government to install permanent wiretapping outposts in telephone and internet facilities inside the United States without a warrant. However, if those wiretaps are used to target Americans inside or outside of the country, the government would have to get a court order. However, if the target is a foreigner or a foreign corporation, and they call an American or an American calls them, no warrant is required.

The next step is to reconcile the Senate and House bill - given the differences, that may not be a quick process.

Naturally the ACLU has already posted is condemnation:

The American Civil Liberties Union today slammed the U.S. Senate for not only authorizing the president’s warrantless wiretapping program but for granting immunity to his accomplices, the telecommunications companies.

[…]

“The Senate had multiple opportunities to improve this atrocious bill and failed at every turn,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “Several amendments were offered to increase privacy protections, with many of them allowing for warrantless surveillance during emergency situations. It’s stunning that senators wouldn’t put their support behind amendments so fundamentally balanced. Protecting Americans’ communications from pervasive and ill-defined surveillance goes to the very heart of the Fourth Amendment. Unfortunately, the Senate seemed determined to pass the least constitutional FISA bill possible.”

It must be frustrating when the bought politicians don’t stay bought. By my quick math, at least 19 democrats must have voted for this bill. That is even if Lieberman and Sanders (Independents) voted against it.

While domestic spying is something we need to keep a very tight leash on, this bill is good. It requires that the parties being spyed upon, without a warrant, are not US citizens. The ACLU’s belief that American rights extend to non-Americans is ludicrous.

The House version of the bill is much more restrictive, so it remains to see how the two will be reconciled.

Also Reporting:
Stop The ACLU

The Washington Post is reporting that Imad Mughniyeh, considered to be rived in his killing of American’s only by Osama bi Laden, was killed this morning in Damascus Syria.

Imad Mughniyeh, a senior but shadowy Hezbollah commander accused by the United States and Israel of masterminding suicide bombings, hijackings and hostage-taking that spanned 25 years, was killed by a car bomb in the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Shiite Muslim group and other officials said Wednesday.
Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out the attack on Mughniyeh. A spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Mark Regev, said Olmert’s office had no comment.

The elusiveness of Mughniyeh, the target of several assassination attempts and kidnappings by the United States and Israel, rivaled only that of Osama bin Laden and stretched over many more years. Until Sept. 11, 2001, the attacks for which the United States blamed him represented some of the deadliest strikes against Americans. Along with bin Laden, he was included on the list of 22 “most wanted terrorists” released by President Bush a month after the Sept. 11 attacks.

He is probably wondering, right now, where his 17 virgins are. There was a $25M FBI bounty on his head - I hope someone gets to claim it.

In case the name Imad Mughniyeh dosn’t ring any bells, here is a list of some of the murder that is attached to his name:

1983: First Bombing of the US Embassy in Beiruit Lebanon (60 killed)
1983: Hommicide bombing of the Beriut Lebanon US Marine barracks (241 killed)
1984: Second Bombing of US Embassy in Beruit Lebanon (24 killed)
1985: Mastermind of the brutal hijacking of a TWA flight to Rome (1 killed)
1992: Bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (28 killed)
1994: Bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Argentina (87 killed)
1996: Bombing of the Khobar Towers US Air Force Barracks in Saudi Arabia (19 killed)

Mughniyeh has been on the run all of his life, probably living in caves and hiding for his very life, like this buddy Osama.

Naturally Hezbollah, calls the terrorist and martyr. From Hezbollah’s own website:

With pride and honor, we announce the martyrdom of a great resistance leader who joined the procession of Islamic Resistance martyrs. After a life full of Jihad, sacrifices and accomplishments lived with a longing to martyrdom, Islamic Resistance leader Hajj Imad Moghniyeh (Hajj Radwan) was assassinated by “Israeli” criminal hands. The martyr, may his soul rest in peace, had been a target for the Zionists for more than 20 years. Almighty Allah has chosen him to be a martyr on the hands of His Prophet’s killers who know that we have a long battle with them and the blood of martyrs especially our leaders has always taken our resistance to a higher and stronger level, just like when our two great leaders, Sheikh Ragheb Harb and Sayyed Abbas Moussawi were martyred.
We pledge to continue the martyr’s path until achieving complete victory, God willing.

What a bunch of complete, homicidal, nut-jobs. I hope the Israeli and US Military is able to speed the reunion of these pigs with “Allah”. Any religion that turns its followers into expendable pawns is contemptuous, corrupt, and evil.

Fortunately, I know how the story ends - and there will be justice.

Also Reporting:
American Pundit
Captains Quarters
Hot Air
A Blog for All
The Jawa Report
The Pirates Cove
OTB