October 29, 2004
Usama chimes in on Election
Well we knew something was coming, and it broke today. Usama bin Ladin, public enemy number one, stuck his head up out of his personal spider hole and released his first confirmed videotape message since September 11th.
WHY? WHY NOW?
Well the answer is obvious, UBL wants to infect the election process it the US with his sick and twisted world view. UBL must hope that his visage will encourage Americans to recoil in horror from their TV sets and hide in dark corners of our homes fearing this Evil man.
Well, for months now, I'd assumed that UBL was dead. Vaporized in the caves along the Afganistan/Pakistan border. It now appears that we weren't so lucky and that UBL, the great terror leader, has been hiding like a coward somewhere, waiting to spring his latest trap.
It must be hard for UBL to sit in his hole watching as more and more of his lieutenants are captured or killed by US forces, he must be extremely wary of the Bush Administrations efforts to scour the globe for this criminal mastermind. Otherwise we would have heard from him sooner, but he recognizes that this is probably the one and only chance he has to relieve the pressure on him, by trying to swing the election for John Kerry.
But the reality of the situation is simple, and common sense reass it's ugly head again when viewing this tape. UBL says that it's our fault that the towers came down, that it was our denial of freedom to the Arab world, that it was our oppression of the Arab people that caused the hate and rage of the al-Queda network to strike the United States. This is all manner of B.S. no matter how you look at it.
UBL and the al-Queda network hate America with a passion unseen before in human history. Their hatred is not with the United States as a nation, or even an government, it's with the very people of the United States who don't follow the tennants of Islam, the very people of the United States who don't bow to Mecca and pray under the watchful eye of Muslim clerics. UBL and al-Queda have stated that they will not rest until there is a grand Mulim revolution, where Allah is worshipped by all and Islamic Law is the law of all lands.
To HELL with you Osama. Your attempts to spread fear and undermine our way of life will be laughed at by most Americans of substance. We look at your videotape message to us and see a corrupt, insane ideologue who wants nothing more than to oppress women, deny children an education, deny science, crush free will and force people to live in daily fear for their lives.
We look at things a little differently here Osama. We look at the world through glasses that only see liberty and freedom spreading, we look at the world as a place where free will, independence, choice and religious freedom are the tennants, not the where corruptions of a once peaceful Muslim religion can take over and deny all peoples of the world the freedoms inherent in human nature.
Make no mistake Osama, you probably thought that we'd appreciate your message, that we'd listen to you and your suggestions that we're on the wrong path to wipe you and your bretheren from the face of the planet. Showing your face and trying to tamper with our elections only reminds each and every one of us of the hatred and contempt that we hold in our hearts for you and only you.
Your message has most probably been the greatest benefit to the Bush campaign yet, we see you're alive and we won't stop until we find you and crush you like the insect you are. American forces will now begin anew to search the Afganistan/Pakistan border, we will look for you in Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, even France, whereever you may be hiding, we are coming for you. It may take a week, a month, a year, or 10 years, but we will find you and kill you and dismantle your network of cowards and assassins. You have probably guaranteed Bush his second term and this will be your fatal mistake. A second term president is now unbound by the politics and timidness of one who must secure another nomination and election. You've untied Bush's hands to unleash the full might of the military and intelligence community of the United States, hell bent to find you now, no matter what the cost. If you hide in a mosque, we will destroy it, if you hide in a country, we will invade it. We will come and keep coming for you until you don't have any friends left to hide behind, until you have no place to go, and until you are brought to justice, dead or alive.
Seeing this video in it's entirety simply infuriates me. I hope that each and every one of you look at it as well and realize that this psychotic wants to kill you, enslave your wife or sister or daughter, deny you basic and unalienable rights, force you to give up your god and worship a sick and demented version of a religion hijacked in the name of hate.
Thank you Osama, for making the decision so much clearer for Americans. If this is some silly coded message for your agents here to attack us again, you'd better think twice. For each snip you make at our heels, we will cut the head off the offending animal. Your 'video terrorism' failed Osama, you just pissed us off and made us want your head all the more.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 6:13 PM | Comments (0)
Wafflehead
Posted by JasonColeman at 1:22 AM | Comments (0)
Stolen Honor - The Movie
If you've ready any of my blog so far, you'll have probably figured out that I'm quite a Bush supporter. More than that though, I'm a person that feels strongly that the right choice should be made in this Presidential election. I believe that we need to select for the Presidency the man who's loyalty to the United States and her safety is unquestionable. George W. Bush has stood the test of adversity in his Presidency. Horrible acts were committed upon this nation on September 11, 2001. Acts of violence that changed how the US looks at the world and how the world looks at us. Our position as world economic driver, the last remaining Super-power, has made us the target of all those that oppose freedom, tolerance, diversity and the rule of law. The United States are not perfect in their conception or practice, nor are they the epitome of the virtures mentioned above. However, we are the guarantors of freedom, tolerance, diversity and the rule of law. No matter what befalls some small corner of the world, whether it be famine, disease, war, terrorism, natural disaster or some other significant event. The United States is involved, we feed the hungry of Africa (not all, but more than anyone else), we protect the innocent in war torn lands (not all of them, but more than anyone else), we provide economic and humanitarian and military aid more than any other world power. In some sectors and regions, more than all the others combined.
Our responsibility to the world is not deniable. We must continue to be the voice and upholder of reason, but we must also recognize when reasonable discourse will not resolve the problem. We must be prepared to force a resolution to a crisis through force of arms. Such was the case with Afganistan, who's Taliban rulers gave safe conduct and support to al-Queda even after they attacked the US. Afganistan could not be allowed to harbor and assist our enemies, and the force of will of America on behalf of the world was exercised.
We entered Iraq for exactly the same reasons. Saddam had for years made no secret of his desire to attack the United States and the Western World in his never ending quest for control of the region and the exportation of terrorists and support for their activities could no longer be tolerated by the United States. She was forced to strike and end the menace of Saddam Hussein and his threat to the world. The subsequent liberation and rehabilitation of Iraq is a moral imperative we now have. Yes, we will have to remain for some time and yes we will have to lose more brave American soldiers to complete the transition in Iraq.
These factors alone should be enough for any rational thinking American to vote for a candidate that will remain resolute and steadfast in the face of terrorist threats to the United States. These factors demand a leader who has made the difficult decisions and accepted the consequences for such decisions. These factors demand a leader whose loyalty and respect for America, her citizens and most importantly, her soldiers, is undeniable.
John Kerry does not, in my opinion, respect America, her citizens and most importantly, her soldiers. His statements in recent days have begun to criticize America's soldiers, their capabilities and their sacrifice to America's causes. Though some will say it does not matter, I hope that some of you will follow this link to the film STOLEN HONOR to see how once before, John Kerry attacked America's soldier's. His attacks then were far more vicious and affected more immediate harm to soldiers in the field in Vietnam, in Vietnamese Prison Camps and when our brave soliders returned.
How can a man who once destroyed the morale and jeopardized the well-being of our soldiers even be considered for Commander-in-Chief. How can we expect this man, who once disparaged them and who begins to disparage them again today, to be concerened for their safety. How can we expect John Kerry to respect the sacrifice our soldiers and sailors give for this nation on a daily basis. How can we trust him with our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends, and protectors.
I urge anyone that reads this message to cast their vote for George W. Bush or any other candidate opposing John Kerry.
Watch Stolen Honor. (43 minutes)
Stolen Honor Website
Thank you,
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 12:02 AM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2004
The Plot thickens. . .
Ha ha, so now, the IAEA, those guys that say we lost all the explosives at al-QaQaa, have been challenged as to the reporting that there were 380 tons of explosives at the site. When pressed, the IAEA now says that not all of the explosives were being stored at the site, but rather that only part of the explosives were stored there and more were stored elsewhere. Um. . . What are we supposed to say now? Its funny to me. So we have the UN under fire for the oil for food scandal, the UN against President Bush and the coalition moving into Iraq. The UN wants us to turn over Iraq to their control but leave our troops there for security. We laugh in their face at all this.
So then they drop this "missing explosives" story out of left field. Declaring that these are somehow akin to WMD's that we let get away. However, when we challenge that they were moved beforehand (with some photos to back it up) or when we pull out their own earlier reports, they then change their story.
It's completely obvious that this was a deliberate attempt to attack the US administration by the UN in coordination with the Kerry campaign and complicity of the NYT. It's sickening to me.
HERE is a copy of the monitoring report we showed to the UN to challenge their claim of how much explosives were actually at the site back when the UN was "monitoring" it.
Oh yeah, keep in mind folks, that we're not even really talking about explosives here, but rather we're talking mostly about chemical components used to make explosives. Significantly different in that to convert these compounds into plastique, it requires some significant technology and infrastructure. This also supports the claims that Saddam (possibly with Russian assistance), moved the material beforehand. As the much of the raw materials themselves are useless without major factories to produce the finished product in.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 5:13 PM | Comments (0)
First it's this, then it's that...
Today on the 24 Hr cable news outlets, democrat strategists seem to have new talking points.
"George Bush tried to do this(Iraq War) on the cheap. . . "
Weren't just a few days ago the Kerry party line was that the Iraqi War was costing too much? That we'd already spent billions that were unnecessary???
So which is it, was George Bush trying to do it on the cheap or was he spending too much.
I would start chanting "Flip, Flop, Flip, Flop. . ." if it wasn't so cliche.
Irregardless, I'm anxiously awaiting the satellite photos to come out showing the infamous explosive cache moved before the war. Expect them to come out on Friday morning as a weekend talking point to refute the Kerry claims.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2004
From Russia with whatever...
In a developing story filed by the Drudge Report, Russia may have had a hand in removing explosives from the al-QaQaa military compound south of Baghdad before the US invasion. John Shaw, Undersecretary of Defense is apparently stating that Russian Special Forces assisted Iraqi intelligence with the materials relocation to Syria. I'll be watching this with interest as it leads to questions regarding what Russia's real role in Oil For Food, the War on Terror and even it's stated alliances with the United States.
Were the Russians trying to keep the material out of terrorist hands? Were they trying to affect the balance of power in the region? Or were they just trying to cover their own asses?
I don't know yet but I'm all over this one for the next few hours.
Story in the Washington times.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 9:39 PM | Comments (0)
Political mis-fires and the Israel question
The man that's been widely considered to be tapped for the Secretary of State position, should candidate John Kerry win the presidency, may have given himself a minor flesh wound and tossed a little support Bush's way.
''I'm not here to criticize President Bush," Holbrooke, a former United Nations ambassador, told hundreds of members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, a major pro-Israel lobbying group, gathered for their annual summit. ''His support for Israel is, in my mind, unquestionable."The crowd -- to Holbrooke's chagrin -- offered rousing applause. ''That was not," he said wryly, ''supposed to be an applause line." --Full Report, Boston Globe
Although Holbrooke's remarks were probably meant in the best spirit of bipartisanship, they bring to mind some interesting questions about the geopolitical ramifications of this election with regard to the status of Israel.
Israel in particular is in dire straits depending on the outcome of this election. On one hand we have George Bush, who has been a strong supporter of the Jewish state and who will take some of the heat off Israel by keeping US forces in the region and be the focus of Extremist Islamist aggression. On the other we have John Kerry, who has stated that he would begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within six months of becoming president.
Six months! Even in the best case scenario, no reasonable person can expect a nation (Iraq) to develop an effective and secure democracy in a land which has never had personal freedoms exercised and which sits between multiple Islamic states just waiting for the opportunity to pounce. Any person who would submit that Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran would leave the new Iraqi government alone in the absence of US forces needs to see their psychiatrist immediately.
Even Germany and Japan couldn't be left to their own devices after World War 2 within a few short years of their defeat. US Forces still remain in Germany and Japan and while their roles aren't for direct supervisory control of those nations, the presence of US Forces in these regions serve to stabilize relations and the economies of these former enemy's turned allies of the United States.
Has the American populace become so desirous of instant gratification that we now look at war and liberation as a quick and tidy operation that we can undertake on the cheap and on the fly. Subsequently abandoning our handiwork to the forces arrayed against it with the hopes that it's enemies will leave it be under some sort of gentleman's agreement.
But back to Israel, should John Kerry be elected on November 2nd, I'm quite sure the that the government of Irsrael will have no choice but to immediately strike at the heart of Iran's nuclear energy and weapons programs. The Israeli government's first and primary responsibility is to protect their population. Iran has stated repeatedly that should they acquire a nuclear weapon, that they WILL use it against Israel. They haven't said they will use it if Israel attacks them, they haven't said they will consider it's use on Israel, they have said UNEQUIVOCALLY, that they will USE said weapon on Israel.
Iran is developing a nuclear weapon. Everyone knows this, no sane person armed with any knowledge of even half the facts can rationally deny that Iran does not wish to develop nuclear arms and is moving in that direction as you read these words. Iran has developed missile technology in coordination with North Korea to deliver it's nuclear weapon, and they intend to use it on Israel.
What is to be done about this? Well first and foremost, it's Israel's decision on what "they" must do, but make no mistake that they are intently watching the US election before they play their hand.
Israel knows that George Bush and his administration will do everything it can to protect our ally Israel. This policy is a function of international treaties, bilateral treaties, pledges to the United Nations and our European allies, and the policies of the Bush administration.
John Kerry has not offered any such promises to Israel, in fact he's offered many different opinions on what sort of policy his administration whill have toward the Jewish state. He's said publically that he's for the Israeli security wall and in the same day that he's against it. He's told one group that he will stand for Israeli independence and security, then told another group that he he will work to create a neutral ground within Israel for Islamic and Palestinian groups to adminsiter along with the UN and Israel.
If I were the Israelis, I'd be very very worried about this election. Should the tide swing over to John Kerry, it's probably advisable that Israel immediately set itself once again on a war footing and pre-emptively strike out hard at Iran before US Forces leave. It's hard for me to say that, because I don't like the prospects for US Forces to be drawn into defending Israel from invasion by Arab states, securing Iraq and Afganistan and also being somewhat forced to enter Iran to continue what Israel starts. But I'm afraid that such is the only course of action open to the Israeli's government should they be faced with a US withdrawl basically announced on November 3rd.
A Bush victory would have a calming effect on the Israeli's. They would be assured that the US would be remaining in the region to continue to bring pressure on terrorist elements in the region. The presence of US forces in Iraq also serves to keep Iran somewhat occupied with their own potential threats to their national security.
Iran is a terrorist state, of that there is no doubt. There is no doubt that a second Bush presidency would be focused somewhat on the Iranian question, and there very possibly would be an invasion of Iran during the course of a second Bush term. Such an invasion is NOT inevitable. Iran can return to the bargaining table with the US, but it must be noted that the US has not declared war on Iran, while the Iranians HAVE declared war on the US. Iranian officially for years has "declared a jihad" on the US. Iranian officials have publically stated that as long as the US exists, that a state of war will exist between the Iranian and US people. They have NEVER relented on this position, they have never softened it. Even in the wake of having the bulk of the mobile US military in Iraq, they still call for attacks on the US and her interests abroad. It's almost an amazing propostion to think that Iran would continue to call for it's agents and friends to attack us given recent history with Afganistan and Iraq, but that's still their position, as insane as it may sound.
There is a bight spot of hope in the question of Iran, Israel and the United States. Yasser Arafat has fallen ill and will most probably not be able to continue as leader of the Palestinian Authority. While I do not wish anyone harm, Arafat's long tenure as the de-facto leader of the Palestinian people has produced no positive lasting affect on peace in the region. Perhaps, the new leadership of the Palestinians will be more moderate in their outlook and accept the concessions of the Israelis for the establishment of a Palestinian state and not continue to argue that the Israelis owe them more and more with each concession. Perhaps a new Palestinian leadership can encourage the militants in the region to stop firing homemade rockets in to Israel on a daily basis. Perhaps a new Palestinian leader can show the Arab world that the Israelis and the Palestinians can agree to disagree on religion and politics but still live together as peaceful neighbors. I hope for these possibilities with every fiber of my being whilst my common sense tells me to be realistic and accept the probably inevitability that Palestinian controlled areas of the region will descend into further chaos when Arafat is no longer in the picture.
Palestinian civil war is almost certain, it will be an ugly and difficult situation for everyone in the region, it will involve Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran and possibly even Egypt as different factions emerge and vie for power. We can only hope that whoever emerges on top has some sense of reality and common sense and brings a moderate outlook to Palestinian policy.
Each of these issues are intricately bound in the War on Terror, the Battle of Iraq and the Presidential election in the US. Each day brings the region further and further to the brink as long as Palestinians continue to make unrealistic demands and continue to attack civilians. No progress can be made when Iran declares that their development of a nuclear weapon will result in the annihilation of Israel. No progress can be made while US political candidates criticize the development of democratic states in the region and undermine all efforts to bring stability.
These questions and issues will dominate our lives for the rest of this decade and probably longer. The region has been ignored for too long by the world community and now must be addressed, much like Hitler was ignored by the US and much of the world as Europe polarized. We must continue to bring peace and democracy to the Middle East. This is a position which only president Bush supports and is actively committed to. It's yet another reason to support his re-election even in the certainty that it will cost American lives, American money and certainly lead to some measure of dissent and discontent here while we bring freedom and security to the greater Middle East.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 7:22 PM | Comments (1)
Current Marine Corps Videos
America's Marine Corps remain the "tip of the sword" for US Military Forces. Conducting all manner of operations in Iraq from humanitarian to high-altitude combat drops, our boys and girls on the front line are proving to the anti-Iraqi forces (IAF) and the world why they are the best of the best.
Videos
Quick React - 2nd Batallion 4th Marines engage in Ar Ramadi, Iraq after encountering an IED.
Swift Silent Deadly - Marines from 1st Recon, 1st Marine Division soar into Iraq in historic first HAHO jump.
Click HERE for hi-res and more videos from the US Marines.
Posted by JasonColeman at 1:53 AM | Comments (0)
October 26, 2004
Hilary's Hypocrisy
Hilary amazes me in her Hypocrisy. It's no secret that she wants to run for the Presidency in 2008, and I wonder about the Clinton's real adgenda in this campaign.
But what's particularly vexing today is this comment she made while addressing a group in West Palm Beach, FL:
"If we were living in another country and we had the president of the country and his brother controlling one of the biggest provinces or states, we would . . .have some doubts about whether, given their track record, they really believe in democracy," - Article
Can we take this to mean that since when she ran for and won the Senate seat, in a state she which she had never lived, that her own belief in democracy is suspect?
This goes right to the hypocrisy of the democrats in general. In the past two days we have seen the NYT publish two stories on the front page about a supposed "failure" of the adminstration to secure explosives that the IAEA was monitoring in al-QaQaa. The NYT fails to mention that the 3rd Infantry Division had visited the site to secure it, found it to be basically devoid of WMD's and moved on. A week later, it was visited again by US forces and again found to be not of much consequence to the war effort or securing the nation. The Kerry campaign is running full-tilt with this regardless of the emerging and common sense facts.
This partisan attack of the NYT, the Kerry Campaign and the left in general seems to assert that now we entered this "Wrong War, Wrong Time, Wrong Place" war too early?? Just anothe example of the insanity that the Democrats have succumbed to in their attempts to gain power for power's sake.
Al-QaQaa was bombed repeatedly in the opening days of the Bombing Campaign against the Saddam regime. Saddam had long used the extensive bunker complex at al-QaQaa for the staging and logistical support of his army, the bunker complex there was heavily bombarded by us forces destroying many bunkers completely. To this day, the site remains a "non-issue" with regard to the security of Iraq due to this bombing.
Keep in mind that IF the 380 tons of explosives did in fact fall into enemy hands, they represent less than one-tenth of one percent (that's less than .1%) of the material already captured by US forces since the invasion. Not to mention the material destroyed in the bombing campaign.
I don't know about you, but if I see a Franklin lying on the street next to the dime, I'll definately pick up the Franklin, but I may very well leave the dime lying there and never give it a second thought.
Yes I know that these explosives are dangerous, and I know they can be fashioned into various devices to kill with. However, given the speed at which we were covering ground in this battle, I can understand the reluctance of commanders to focus on each and every weapons cache when they can concentrate on getting forward with the plans to capture Baghdad and get at the people that are actively shooting at our troops.
Do I wish US forces had gotten these explosives, of course. Even if they had captured them (my contention is still that they were mostly destroyed in the bombing campaign), there were plenty of other sources of weaponry lying around.
Terrorists have never had a problem getting their hands on weaponry and explosives. I also doubt they got their hands on these.
Word is coming out today that CBS News/60Minutes had planned to sit on this story until election eve and that the NYT scooped them. Some scoop, just another example of "false but accurate" reporting.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 4:41 PM | Comments (2)
October 25, 2004
The Children weigh in. . .
The "Children of Vietnam Veterans" have release THIS video. Please take a look. I'm posting it out of respect for my dad, John.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 12:38 PM | Comments (0)
Iraqi election process moving forward. . .
I find it interesting that when you try to find out information about the Iraqi elections in January, you have to dig pretty deep to find good info about them. It's easy to find information relating to the violence in the region, how that violence will probably impact the elections and the effect the violence has on our election here in the US.
But what I wanted to know was how is the progess going in the establishment of political parties, where are they with the preparations for the actual Iraqi election. Will they go forward?
Well the answer appears to be YES. It seems that while our media is remiss to let us know about progress being made in the move toward the January Iraqi elections, the groundwork is being laid and registrations are about to begin.
In fact, Iraq the Model reports that 80.5 percent of Iraqis are ready for elections to go forward at any time. That's right, a super-majority of Iraqis are ready to get the ball rolling on their democratic process.
Here's some info on the rules of the game. It's funny that I had to go to a Chinese site to find this info.
I'm glad to see that progress is being made on this front in Iraq, while things may be bad in the foreign-insurgent areas of Fallujah, it's good to see that democracy is moving forward in the rest of the country.
---Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 1:26 AM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2004
This guy was our President???
Jimmy Carter has lost his GD mind.
Posted by JasonColeman at 6:57 PM | Comments (0)
Where is John Kerry?
Well, we all know that he's on the campaign trail, swinging into Texas without even knowing it. He's playing catch with his daughter on airport tarmacs. He's also speaking from pulpits this Sunday morning.
What I'm asking is where is John Kerry in the face of the increasing numbers of attacks on opposition campaign headquarters.
We've already seen two shooting attacks, robberies, broken windows and doors, offices ransacked, campaign workers assaulted and even political thugs literally barricading early polling places in Florida.
We have widespread reports of voter registration fraud, thousand of names lifted from phonebooks, directories and any source of Name and address information people can find.
The Kerry campaign hasn't exactly been silent, they respond by saying that "republicans will do whatever they can to stop people from voting."
Wha. . Wha . . What??? Where are the reports of Democrat campaign offices getting vandalized? Where are the reports of shots fired at Kerry campaign functions? Where are the vandalized Kerry campaign signs ? Show me the video of Al Franken getting "pied" at his last speaking engagement?
What we're witnessing is the last gasps of the Democrat party. The party is poised to self destruct following a defeat in the November election.
Democrats are leaving the party in record numbers, it started before Zell Miller's (D-Ga) speech at the Republican Convention, and it's been continuing through this election cycle. More and more Democrats are becoming offended by the violence, lies, deceptions and downright disregard for one or this nations most sacred institutions, the Election process itself.
Already the Democrats have dispached thousands of lawyers around the county to challenge the election. Some have been so bold as to challenge elections before they actually take place. Jesse Jackson is already throwing the race card at the Party that gave African-American's the power of the vote.
The party that couldn't accept Al Gore's loss in the 2000 election is so afraid that they'll lose this one that they've decided to openly and without any embarrassment actively work to steal the 2004 election, and do it in plain sight.
At every opportunity, Democrat operatives are attempting to crush political speech that opposes them, giving out the home telephone numbers of theatre managers that schedule films unflattering to their candidate, blasting Sinclair broadcasting for threatening to show portions of the film Stolen Honor [Transcript] and destroying opposition campaign materials at every opportunity.
And this is the party that uses "Democracy" (See #5) as the root of their very name.
John Kerry refuses to comment on any of the activities carried out by Democrat radicals in support of his candidacy. To me this just shows his contempt for the election process, and even his contempt for America itself.
---Jason
Granted, I'll admit, there have been a number of recent reactionary activities by the pro-Bush supporters, defacing of Kerry signs and even some spray painting on Kerry campaign headquarters, but I've looked hard and can't find any Bush lawyers trying to block the showing of Michael Moore's film, I haven't seen reports of shootings at Kerry headquarters or any roving groups of pro-Bush thugs and celebrities blocking access to polling places or burglarizing Kerry or DNC offices. Send me stories and I'll post them if you have them.
---JC
Posted by JasonColeman at 1:29 PM | Comments (0)
A plea from Iraq
Firas Georges was born in 1967, he's a Christian Iraqi, he's married and has a 5 year old daughter. These are his words:
I have been trying to post something for days, I even wrote two articles and was about to post them, then stopped because of new incident happened made what I wrote doesn’t fit daily happenings . Last time I was writing about how things are getting steadier and the terrorism actions are targeting the weaker rings in the chain, now churches and cafes and less actions against INGs volunteers centers and police stations and electric power stations and oil pipe lines, those things can be felt by someone who is really living our daily nightmare, but cant be said on TV station or written reports.
We do live a nightmare here because when you wake up every morning prepared to go to your work and you take the chance to be an easy target for a freak woman who wears a TNT bomb and drives her car toward a police station, like what happened last time in Dora police station and kill all innocent people who are there by a coincidence, then you do live inside a nightmare.This morning my wife told me that she suspects that our daughter who is only five years old is sick and she’s not sending her to school today, I felt happy and relief because I wont feel worry about her till she comes back home safe. But when a month ago my wife asked me “are we sending our daughter to school this year ?” , I answered directly, “yes”, I couldn’t stand that I will do what terrorism want us to do and be, and keep her home without education, but I still worried all my day long. This point of view is spreading widely among the Iraqi people they are really feeling that they should do something to stop those who are willing to paint our future with black color, and they are doing their best to stop terrorism and Arab fighters and old regime supporters and any other fanatics religious groups who want to live inside a wide kayos to benefit from and fill their sick hearts and minds with their desires and demands to rule by dark ages mentality. And the best they may ask for is a UN forces instead of the occupation.
Replacing the multi national forces by UN forces! What for?, well……. an answer to a single question will clear the matter “where in the world through all UN history a UN forces made a difference on land? “, answer “none”. We do need someone to support our government and not to rush things to go home fast; democracy will come, but step by step. And let me be honest and talk about something I have been avoiding to talk about for months, because I kept thinking that it’s not my business. Well it’s a free country now and I can say what ever I want to say and its FOR AMERICANS ONLY.
Americans……….what’s the matter with you, why are you talking a lot about dumping us to UN? Why are you thinking that you made a wrong act by removing Saddam?, Have any one thought for a moment about living under Saddams nightmare?. Was his dictatorship a right thing?, what about the mass graves?, he supported many terrorists in the world, and if you ask me, yes he would be happy to help Bin Ladin if Bin Ladin asked him for, and he would do whatever it would take to have WMD to use it not, if not now then later, and he would live all his live trying to kill more and more of all those who don’t carry on his ideas, Iraqis, Americans, or even Jordanians.
And with the entire bad nightmare we live in today, which we are cretin it will end soon, we are happy that we are a part of the rest of the world again and acting positively to continue being an active peaceful part.
After all that, don’t you ever think that removing Saddam was wrong, not only for Iraqis, but be sure that when many enough dictators will rule in the world even those who live under democracies will not be safe anymore.
And if and only if we will assume that you did something wrong towards Iraqis and made our lives more difficult by removing Saddam, then is it the right thing to leave us half way with all our problems and dump us to an irresponsible corrupt universal organization like UN who took long years working in Iraq before March 2003 hiring and employing only Saddams intelligence and Bathiyests ?, ..........of course not.
For all that, either you thought this or that, you should think you are obligated to continue helping us. I say that to those American who are willing to vote for the person who are planning to give up the war against terrorism and stay home waiting for them to come after him and act at then.
But for the man who took the right decision at the right moment and decided to fight terrorism and remove all its supporters all over the world and at the same moment he knew he would face many problems and criticism from that by his competitors, at his next presidency campaign I say Thank you President Bush you made the right decision from my point of view.
I know I can’t vote or make any difference but truth will make that difference, so it must be said, and telling facts will help showing the truth.
From a free country I want to say by the name of all those who share my opinions, and I don’t think we are a minority, that we do feel our freedom and we intended to keep it whatever it cost and we do feel that the future will be better and the light of the sunrise which begun on the 9th of April 2003 will continue to shine all over Iraq and Iraqis and January is not far to prove what I am saying.
You can read more about Firas HERE. I sincerely urge you to read more from and about this brave man trying to make a life for himself and his family.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 4:51 AM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2004
New Flag Flying in the Middle East (and it's not the New Iraqi one, or is it?)
Well, boys and girls, it seems that in recent weeks, there’s been some stirring in that Middle East land known as Jordan. While our attention has been focused primarily on Iraq and Afganistan, and casting a wary eye at Syria and Iran, and looking back over our shoulder at the developments in North Korea, Jordan has been making some symbolic maneuvers that aren’t fully understood yet, but could wind up having some major implications for the region.
So what’s all the fuss about? And is it really serious? The answer to the second question is “I’m not sure yet, but it certainly could be an omen of the future.”
The answer to the first, is that there’s now a MASSIVE flag of the Hashemite dynasty flying over Jordan. More specifically, over the Jordanian King’s compound on the Gulf of Aqaba. What was originally thought to be a new watchtower erected to keep an eye on goings on in the gulf, turns out to be a VERY large flag (some 262 x 44 ft.) flying from what is now known to be a 446 ft. tall flagpole.
Big deal you might say? Well, there’s some significance to this flag when viewed in the historical context of the greater Middle East. The Hashemites enter prominence in the region by way of Mohammad. Mohammad’s great-grandfather was a Hashemite, and therefore passed that heritage to the Prophet. The most revered Hashemite line was carried on by Hassan, who was the grandson of the Prophet and son of the fourth Caliph named Ali. Hassan was the last Hashemite to make a claim to the Califate but his descendents became the Emirs of Mecca. The last ruler of this line was Hussein bin Ali, who was also the King of Hijaz.
Hussein bin Ali was conquered by Ibn Saudi (who in 1924 took control of the Holy sites of Islam and founded Saudi Arabia), overt Hashemite rule went into hibernation at this point.
Now the colonial powers stepped in sometime later and put Hashemite rulers back in power, the sons of Hussein, were placed on the thrones of the newly created Jordan (Abdullah) and Iraq (Faisal). Faisal was assassinated in the 1958 coup that led to the rise of the Baathists and Saddam Hussein.
The Hashemite line was gone (somewhat) in Iraq, but continued in Jordan through Abdullah (murdered in 1951), his son Hussein (installed as a boy king and who died in 1999) and finally Abdullah’s grandson, Abullah II who reigns today.
So there’s the history, but what does it all mean.
Well, the flag in itself is a symbolic statement. Such statements are very important in the Arab world. The flag represents an appeal to the people of Iraq who share a common ancestry with Jordan. The Hashemites view themselves as the legitimate Guardians of Islamic Shrines and the true defenders of the Islamic faith. The Hashemites view Saudi Arabia and it’s Wahhabist sect as usurpers, and their spawn, al-Queda, as an offront to Islam. With this flag, the Jordanians seem to be saying to the world that there’s a new historic-religious-political force awakening in the Middle East and it represents the true faith of Islam.
It’s considered improper in the Islamic world for one Muslim to criticize another in the view of non-Muslims, that’s the primary reason you don’t see Muslims the world over rising up to condemn the actions of al-Queda, so you have to look for subtle statements of solidarity, condemnation and support when you look at this world. While not “exactly subtle” this flag is perhaps a very pointed message to the Arab world, Iraq and al-Queda specifically.
The Jordanians seem to be saying to the Iraqis that they support the Iraqi people and their Hashemite heritage. I would suggest that it’s also a message to al-Queda that their version of Islam is not the true faith and teaching of Mohammad and that Jordan is ready to embrace a return to the pre-Ibn Saud era of Islam, it’s also one of the first overt signs in the region that the Arab world is turning against al-Queda.
Al-Queda’s roots are in Saudi Arabia, in 1979, Otheiba tribesmen in Saudi Arabia made a challenge to the throne, these Wahhabists seized control of many areas of Saudi Arabia including the Grand Mosque in Mecca, sensing that they were losing control, the Saudis first appealed to Jordan for help. Jordan agreed to send in commandos to help dislodge the radicals, but insisted that concessions to Jordan be made, namely returning some areas of the Hijaz to Hashemite control. The Saudis recoiled at this suggestion and turned to the French for help, the rebellion wasn’t so much put down, as it was “absorbed” by the Saudis. The Saudis tilted toward the Wahhabi faith and the fundamentalists within the new Wahhabist Saudi Arabia eventually created al-Queda and continue to support them.
Today, Saudis and the Jordanians are allies in the Arab world but each has one hand behind their back and keep their distance. The Jordanians are upset that Islam is being corrupted and it’s world view has turned toward hatred and radical extremism. With the balance of power in the Middle East in flux, it seems that the question may be developing “Which version of Islam is to be supported in the Middle East, Wahhabism or Hashemite. Both claim to be the “Defenders of the Faith” of Islam, and although Saudi Arabia may hold geographic control of the shrines and holy places, it now seems that a Hashemite wind is rising in the Middle East, and it’s now blowing a big flag pointed straight at Baghdad.
Posted by JasonColeman at 11:17 AM | Comments (2)
So far so good
Well, the blog made it though the night. The database seems to be stable and most of the functionality seems to be intact. I had some friends attack it to try and break it up, and waking up to over 100 comments on my first article surprised me until I realized they were all from the same IP and part of a systematic attack to try and break my server (thanks Raz, but that's not what I meant). I have to give credit to Webstrikesolutions.com (my host) for having a great robust system
that has so far proven to be everything they claim it to be.
Now those of you who know me know that I'm a news junkie. I awake every morning to FoxNews on my office television and I throw one of the other 24 hour cable stations or Bloomberg on the TV in the living room so I don't lose "background input" while I walk around the house. I then usually sit down and hit the big news websites, read a few key blogs and try to get an overall picture of what's going on in the world.
I do read newspapers, but I typically don’t start the day with one, I usually hit the major newspaper websites and check to see what their big stories of the day are, I’ll then make a decision which one to pick up that day or sometimes, I just stick with the local. I’m hoping that one day soon, the print news media can make the big leap and come up with an effective format to deliver their product in some sort of ePaper form that makes sense and is easy to navigate. Of course they are dragging their feet in this and I can’t really fathom why, unless its some concession to their advertisers or a fear that their product will then be viewed as just another blog. Who knows.
So what is it today that perked my interest----
Posted by JasonColeman at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)
Welcome to my Blog
Well, I finally decided to start one of these up, I've been pestered by friends and family to start putting my stuff out there publically for more people to read and I've procrastinated long enough. So here it is, my first blog, I feel like a proud daddy already.
I figure with this first post I should let people know a bit about what I'll be putting here. Basically I plan on being pretty eclectic with the site, but you can expect that I'll write alot about Politics, Current Events, Science that interests me and things that make me just sit up and take notice of the world around me.
As for the site itself, it'll probably go through a few revamps before I'm satisfied with the layout and the appearance, I hope that if you start reading in the beginning, that you bear with me through the changes and revamps. I promise I'll do my best to keep it interesting and topical.
I'll leave comments open on the site, and I hope that if there's something that you find interesting, particularly agree with, or particularly disagree with that you'll please comment on it or drop me an email. Likewise, please let me know if you ever find part of the site broken or a dead link so I can keep the site as clean as possible.
I'll make up a consent policy if you want to repost or publish any articles or posts that I make and while I'll be pretty free with what I post, I'd appreciate it if you wind up using something of mine that you give credit where it's due and send me a link to it.
Thanks, and welcome to JasonColeman.com
Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at 1:57 AM | Comments (0)
