To Seawitch: This Carlos Mencia YouTube sketch reminds religious fanatics how it REALLY is ....

<CAUTION: colorful language and references>

Note to Fanatics: Never NEVER underestimate the resolve and mindset of middle America -- we DO know how to play the game, babyyyyyyy.

Claudia Rosett suggests sanctions against the United Nations.   If you are as dismayed as I was on first-read, you will want to re-read this article also .... Now, more than ever before -- there must be a new international consortium, free of graft and corruption.

Despite today's United Nations deadline for Iran to give up its nuclear bomb program, Iran has done no such thing. The next diplomatic move is supposed to be for the U.N. to impose sanctions on Iran. That won't work, either.

Certainly Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not seem deeply worried about the prospect of U.N. sanctions. Apart from some throwaway lines about his government's peace-loving ways, he has rejected U.N. demands, blocked U.N. inspectors, brandished samples of enriched uranium, and last week inaugurated an Iranian heavy water plant that could be used to produce plutonium. Nor did a series of extant U.N. resolutions prevent Tehran's A-team terrorist affiliate in Lebanon, Hezbollah, from launching a war this summer while Mr. Ahmadinejad pondered his options.

Some of Mr. Ahmadinejad's behavior can be discounted on grounds that he is a messianic crackpot. But there is plenty of evidence that he is making a highly rational calculation about the ease with which the U.N. can be corrupted, divided, delayed and defied -- without serious penalty.

U.N. sanctions programs depend on the agreement and cooperation of member states under a set of rules dictated not by the interests of the modern free world, but by the decayed, despot-infested collective that is the contemporary U.N. And, as prefigured under U.N. sanctions on Saddam Hussein's Iraq, major players, like Russia and China, will almost certainly cheat. Iran, with 10% of the world's known oil reserves, and the world's second largest proven reserves of natural gas, has enough resources to grease the way.

Indeed, the general greasing of Iran's important U.N. connections is already well advanced. Much as Saddam fought sanctions by dangling fat oil development deals and doling out lucrative Oil for Food contracts to win friends and influence politicians, Tehran has already cultivated a global web of current and prospective business partners. Were Iran a more benign energy-rich state, such activity might pass for nothing more than normal enterprise. But under U.N. sanctions, this setup would translate into a constant fount of pro-Iranian lobbying pressure, and incentives to cheat, within a slew of U.N. member states.

A new country survey of Iran from the U.S. Department of Energy helps illustrate the problem. Along with Iran's $100 billion, 25-year bargain with China to develop natural gas, there are deals either signed or in the offing with the following list of countries: France, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Greece, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Armenia, Norway, Kuwait, Turkmenistan and Iraq. Projects on the table range from huge oil and gas field investments, to pipelines, oil swaps and Indian service contracts. And for the blame-America-first crowd, the survey even mentions that "a foreign subsidiary of Halliburton Co. reportedly reached agreement," along with an Iranian partner, to help develop some of Iran's natural gas fields.

Tallied against the findings of congressional inquiries, and of the U.N.'s own probe into Oil for Food, Iran's current and would-be business partners include some of the most seasoned smugglers and veteran cheats of the Iraq sanctions experience. To be sure, democracies such as India, Australia, the U.S. and France have investigated at least some of the officially documented allegations of Iraq sanctions-busting among their own citizens. Many of the chart-topping violators, notably Russia and China, have done no such thing. Damascus -- Tehran's chief terror partner -- served as a thruway for billions of dollars worth of Saddam's U.N.-prohibited traffic in oil, military imports and cash. Significantly, Iran itself enjoyed a bustling trade in forbidden Iraqi oil during the era of U.N. sanctions on Saddam -- with Iranian smuggling boats plying the coastlines of the Gulf. There is no reason to expect Iran's smugglers would do any less on behalf of their own country.

Who at the U.N., exactly, would stop violations of its sanctions, should these be imposed? On the Security Council, veto-wielding Russia -- now counseling "patience" -- has already stressed its opposition to sanctions on Iran, with China slipstreaming along. Let's just pass by France without further comment. And among those now angling for one of the 10 rotating seats on the Security Council is Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. In his recent tours of the world's thugocracies Mr. Chavez has reportedly garnered a boost from China for his U.N. bid, as well as a medal and the promise of a $4 billion investment in Venezuela's oil fields -- from Iran.

As for the U.N. Secretariat, which would be involved in administering any U.N. sanctions, if staffers have learned anything from the multibillion dollar Oil for Food scandal, it is that inside the U.N.'s opaque and diplomatically immune bubble, there are no real penalties for dereliction, duplicity or even graft. Not a single U.N. staffer has been fired, let alone charged with a crime. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is due to step down at the end of this year; but his would be the presiding presence during the shaping of any U.N. sanctions on Iran, and his successor will inherit both the same bureaucracy and a General Assembly which -- if you believe Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown -- shot down an administrative reform package earlier this year mainly for the perverse pleasure of sticking a thumb in the eye of the U.S.

It is quite possible that -- after years of delay and dithering by the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Union and the U.S. itself -- there is no initiative that will by now stop Iran short of direct military force. But whatever the solution, it is clearly the U.S. that will have to do the bulk of the cajoling, prodding and backroom bargaining to put together any coalition both able and willing, in whatever way necessary, to get the job done. That is a challenge urgent and daunting enough, without trying to drag along the entire baggage of the U.N.

Ms. Rosett is a journalist in residence with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

 

"There was a time when religion ruled the world. It is known as The Dark Ages."    - Ruth Hurmence Green

I don't have much time to consider the seemingly futile challenge in  integrating religious-based cultures into a national or global culture. 

Nor do too many others.   They're busy fighting.  Or threatening to totally destroy all non-believers.

But I digress.

After all -- A religious-based culture by its nature isn't amenable to integration, assimilation or cooperation.  It's strength lies in suppressing knowledge, education and annihilating those it labels infidels. 

Religious-based cultures and technology don't complement each other either:  technology is a tool of power.  To hold power, religion must suppress knowledge and education.  And annihilate infidels.

American culture seems to have had the most success.  Our neighbors in Canada have sorta-kinda fronted, then retreated from the issue.  Great Britain is making progress ....  After Muslim youth scorched their highways and byways this year, France totally wimped out.  

Meanwhile, Hizbullah and other Islamic fanatics continue to recruit thousands of pubescents to train as jihadists.

Prime Minister John Howard laid the ground-rules in Australia last week. 

It's interesting that his remarks were directed toward "a small group of Muslim migrants" and not the Australian-Muslim culture as a whole. It remains to be seen if the Muslim leadership in Australia (probably looking for any excuse to call for jihad, anyway) will again wake its seething core of Islamic youth. 

The head of Australia's Muslim advisory committee, Ameer Ali, said on Friday that Howard's comments could fuel race riots like those at Sydney's Cronulla beach last December.

"We have already witnessed one incident in Sydney recently in Cronulla, I don't want these scenes to be repeated because when you antagonize the younger generation ... they are bound to react," Ali told local Sydney radio.

Uh huh.  God forbid that someone antagonize youth.  No telling what those unemployed, uneducated, disrespectful youth might do.  Especially youth armed with guns, knives and the prospect of willing virgins should they die while antagonized. 

Prime Minister John Howard says he has no need to apologise for telling Muslims they need to embrace Australian values.

Mr Howard sparked controversy [last week] by saying on talk-back radio a small group of Muslim migrants had refused to accept their adopted country's values and had not learned English.

He told Macquarie Radio Australia had benefited greatly from immigration, but “there is a section, a small section, of the Islamic population ... which is very resistant to integration”.

"What I want to do is to reinforce the need for everybody who comes to this country to fully integrate," Mr Howard said yesterday. "Fully integrating means accepting Australian values, it means learning as rapidly as you can the English language if you don't already speak it.

"And it means understanding that in certain areas, such as the equality of men and women, the societies that some people have left were not as contemporary and as progressive as ours.

"People who come from societies where women are treated in an inferior fashion have got to learn very quickly that that is not the case in Australia."

I'm not sure I'd want be standing between a small group of Muslim youth and a not-so-small group of Australian youth.  I'd much prefer that a larger group of Muslim adults stand between them and tell their youth what is expected of them.

But don't count on it.

More later.  Maybe.

And this is NOT a pretense for endorsing Newt Gingrich for President.

  San Francisco authorities have described the Muslim driver who ran-down multiple pedestrians near a Jewish Community Center in a Jewish neighborhood as mentally ill -- not a terrorist.

No matter that two witnesses heard the man call himself a terrorist.

-- Like if this "mentally ill" Muslim had run down gay men in front of an AIDS clinic, he would have been charged with a hate crime.   

Maybe.

Unless the ACLU volunteered to defend him as being victimized by religious rage (road rage with a spiritual twist) -- a confused latent homo striking out at society because he was forced into marriage by religious/cultural credo.

-- Like McVeigh was a frustrated fertilizer collector.

-- Like disgruntled wanna-be pilots who hijack planes suffer from projectile envy.

-- Like fanatics who enter crowded restaurants with bombs strapped to their bodies only want(ed) to complain about the onion rings.

-- Like anyone who wears a bag over his head and carries an assault rifle suffers from severe dermatitis-related inferiority complex.

-- Like combatants who use women and children as human shields actually suffer from an inability to "cut the apron strings." 

-- Like male militants who dress as women and mingle with crowds are nothing more than cruising transvestites. 

Code name for Muslim transvestite in drag: Burka Butch.

OK.  I'll stop.  For now.

FACT:

MoveOn.org Political Action attacks three Republican House members in TV ads saying they were "caught red-handed" supporting money spent on Halliburton contracts and wasteful Iraq projects. But a majority of Democrats voted the same way on most of the same measures, usually overwhelmingly. MoveOn endorses one Democratic House member who voted the same way 10 out of 14 times, and two senators who voted for the same measures every time they reached a recorded vote in the Senate.

Another ad says the same three Republicans were "caught red-handed" taking donations from military contractors while failing to support penalties for contractors who overcharge. In fact the donations were relatively small and MoveOn offers no evidence the votes were influenced by money. Furthermore severe penalties already exist for fraud against the Pentagon. What the targeted Republicans opposed were Democratic proposals to increase penalties.    -- from factcheck.org

I absolutely love it when one extremist group gets caught "red-handed" doing what they accuse others of doing .....

You likely won't see these images or read about this in the MSM .....

If you have doubts about the reliability and loyalties of the first UNIFIL "peacekeepers" in Lebanon, doubt no more.

Israel Love has a digital animation of an expansive, two kilometer bunker system located a few hundred feet from the Israeli-Lebanon border.  

How was this bunker system created over a six-year period without detection?  Obviously UNIFIL forces were turning a blind eye to the construction .... Was Israel not watching. either?

A video link of the IDF destroying this bunker system is at Ynet and includes a description in English.  The second link is to a Hebrew blog.  Scroll down to view the video. 

In the background of the video, you will see the UNIFIL outpost. 

There is NO way "peacekeeping" forces were not aware of the construction of this expansive Hezbollah bunker system.

For those concerned for the future of Israel, this is a distressing discovery.  We expect nothing less from Hezbollah -- and now have concrete (no pun intended) evidence to expect nothing more from UNIFIL peacekeepers. 

Will the scenario change under French leadership?  Even with an expanded peacekeeping force? 

I'm not optimistic right now.

Unable to access my blog today, I've resorted to taking notes, in anticipation of BlogDrive's return to cyberspace.   Here's what I jotted down while helping Tiger win, ala, nail-biting tension until the final putt!

Sincerest regards go to the Gulf Coast and Florida as the storm approaches .....

And may the weather-gods deflate and weaken  Ernesto.  Of course, if he doesn't make landfall soon, MSM will surely blame Bush.  Again.

2.  If the upcoming Survivor special (I've never seen a regular show) featuring competitions amongst White, Black, Asian and Hispanic teams doesn't get top ratings, producers will probably blame Bush as well. 

Why didn't producers consider featuring Jews, Christians, Atheists and Muslims?  Toss in paint ball fights and bomb-making competitions and WOW -- reality TV would bury the MSM market!

3.  Speaking of reality TV and the MSM ..... How about a dance competition featuring the French 2-Step? 

Steps are simple:  forceful step forward, slide back.  Wave hands in frustration and turn your back on your partner.  Repeat twice.  Call time out and change partners.

4.  Go ahead.  Blame Bush for the demotion of Pluto to non-planet status.  Bush did this to commemorate his favorite TV show:  Eight is Enough.  Since lefties are soooo sure Bush stole his first election, the Supreme Court is mulling whether he should be eligible for a third term.  One of his strongest campaign platforms will be restoring Pluto to full planet status. 

5.  Chirac is also blaming Bush for the recent rise in Asian/Islamic immigration to France. 

I could CAIR-less. 

6.  Tom Cruise is looking for a job now.  I don't know what his political affiliation is, but the antics that cost him his job were reminiscent of Howard Dean.  Could there be a full-length movie in the works starring you-know-who as you-know-who?

Forget about box office receipts.  And don't delay our disappoint.

"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni later told Fox. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."

The conditions surrounding the release of kidnapped journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig makes me think of how the world is also being held hostage to Islam.  

Islam by gunpoint.

And blogdrive is still not permeating through the Internet .... I hate when that happens.  I pay good money for premium service and what do I get???? Two daze of blogserverdown blogserverdown blogserverdown, etc. 

Oh well. The blog service has been up 'n down all day.  Frustrating, to say the least.  Saturday's only roll around once a week.  It's not like Sunday through Friday.  Saturday morning in front of computer .... news on TV .... cup of coffee ... notepad .... sharpened pencil .... fresh ciggies ... bowl of cereal .... lax'in in shorts and t-shirt .... surfing and reading ....

***  I'm not opposed to stem cell research -- embryonic or adult.  I'm concerned about the circumstances under which the cells are harvested and am not particularly supportive of cloning, BUT I like the potential for finding cures to fatal diseases and disabilities.  Had Edwards and Kerry not over-hyped the issue, I'm fairly confident the administration might have been more receptive to on-going research .... Can't speak for anyone but myself, of course -- but I'm interested in learning more about the current break-through announced this week.  If the extremists (left and right) don't over-politicize it, maybe the administration will give these new developments an ear.  And funding.

*** Having lost two friends in the New Orleans flood-waters between the VA hospital and the Super Dome, I hold Nagin responsible.  I don't think I've ever used the term "a-hole" online, but he is one.  He's a lying irresponsible low-life -- fully responsible for allowing his citizens to sit helplessly in harm's way.  I'm confident that if anyone does -- he will rot in hell for his malfeasance.

His comment in reference to New York's 9-11 ruins were the lowest of lows.  Even for him. 

If the feds give him access to the billions of dollars in aid money, I'll hold them responsible for the ensuing graft and corruption -- a pattern of fiscal use and abuse for which Louisiana and greater New Orleans projects have experienced in the past.

I'm sure if he had access to the money, he'd finance the party he wanted to throw in "celebration" of one year since Katrina.  The jerk.

**** My feelings on immigration haven't changed much since I expressed them a few months ago.  Allow current illegal immigrants the opportunity to register and achieve citizenship.  Put the onus on employers.  Collect and distribute taxes to the local economy until immigrants earn citizenship.

Expand border security and stop the influx of future illegals.  If some states want a fence, let them build it.  Use drones and other electronic devices to monitor the borders.  Beef up the INS program.  Don't incarcerate illegals -- put them on a bus and deposit them back in Mexico.   

****  I'm pro-Israel.  I don't expect much from Kofi Annan.  He's corrupt (see Saddam's food-for-oil-scandal) and anti-US (we called his hand on it); therefore, he's anti-Israel.  Our best hope is to give Israel the chance to bolster their defenses and let the diplomats exhaust their options ..... The worst Israel can do is return the Golan Heights to either Syria or Lebanon.  That region is the fountain-head for 30% of Israel's water ..... Pull out of Gaza and let the splinter groups self-destruct.  Build a bigger wall and blow the hell out of anyone or anything that crosses it.  Let the PLO have their fair share of the West Bank.  Build another wall.  Let the U.N. forces patrol southern Lebanon. 

If anyone attacks from any direction -- respond disproportionately. 

****  Resolution 1701:  Annan will sell Israel short -- regardless of protests from the Security Council.  Rubber bullets .... no peacekeeping forces on the Syrian border ... Not a good sign.  Only Germany appears to be standing up for the wording of the resolution.  When the rubber hits the runway --- China and Russia will either vote NO or abstain for further resolutions concerning Israel-Lebanon .....

They have too much at stake in Iran's nuke program.  Plus those oil contracts .... Forget about their support of sanctions against Iran.

Condi will have to work a miracle to protect Israel's short and long-term interests.

Oil-stained UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appears to have softened his anti-Israel stance -- referring today to International peace-keepers "robust" role (reference used initially by Condi Rice) in securing Lebanese borders. 

What happened?

Critical European nations were not willing to plunk troops in harm's way without the right to defend themselves.  It remains to be seen, however, just how much authority international troops will have in defending themselves.

Recently released rules of engagement indicated that peacekeeping forces would be able to use "deadly force" to defend themselves and "to impose the August 11 cease-fire resolution, according to these rules. They would also be mandated to protect civilians and - most critically for the Israelis - provide backup for the Lebanese Army in its effort to stop Hizbullah-bound arms from leaking over the Syrian border. "

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Annan gave guarantees for the safety of European troops and on rules of engagement, and that France wanted an arms-free "exclusion zone" in south Lebanon.

"We think the best solution for disarming Hizbullah is to make an exclusion zone with the retreat of the Israeli army on one side and the deployment of the Lebanese Army on the other, reinforced by the UN troops," he said.

Annan said that the UN force would be able to deploy along the Lebanese-Syrian border to help prevent weapons shipments to Hizbullah, but only if the Lebanese government asked for such help. Lebanon, to date, as neither asked for this nor ruled it out – but Syrian President Bashar Assad has strongly objected.

Is there a contradiction in what Annan says and what the rules imply?  Yes. 

Will the International force be able to establish and maintain peace? 

The first question should be whether Israel will accept the composition and location of peacekeeping forces.  Israel should have the right to approve participating nations .... Why have another sworn enemy sitting on the Israeli border?   The purpose of a peacekeeping force on the Lebanon-Israel AND Lebanon-Syria border is to prevent the rearmament of Hezbollah!

For those keeping diplomatic scores:  Chalk one up for Condi Rice in getting "robust" inserted into the peacekeeping role.   Give Rice and the US diplomatic team credit in calling France on its stand-down.   Kudos to the Italians who quickly came forth and volunteered to head peacekeeping forces .....

When the dust settles, we'll probably learn about the role of Chirac and Annan in intentionally delaying the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.  

Chirac and Annan are dipped in the same U.N. oil scandal, after all .....