Red On Red

Terrorism 10 Comments

“So before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; and the tribeagainst the world. And all of us against the infidel.”– Leon Uris, _The Haj_ (1984)

The brutal acts of violence directed at civilians and Iraqi police is losing favor among some of the members of the Iraqi insurgency. During Operation Matador, we saw examples of the local tribes, some of whom are sympathetic or even participating in the insurgency, rise up to fight the foreign jihadis after their attempts to impose a Taliban-like rule of law in Western Anbar. Today’s New York Times reports further cases of “red- on-red”, AKA the enemy fighting amongst themselves. The Marines gladly watched as insurgents duked it out along the Syrian border.

That and much more at Winds of Change, including this from the NYT;

Marines patrolling this desert region near the Syrian border have for months been seeing a strange new trend in the already complex Iraqi insurgency. Insurgents, they say, have been fighting each other in towns along the Euphrates from Husayba, on the border, to Qaim, farther west. The observations offer a new clue in the hidden world of the insurgency and suggest that there may have been, as American commanders suggest, a split between Islamic militants and local rebels.
A United Nations official who served in Iraq last year and who consulted widely with militant groups said in a telephone interview that there has been a split for some time.

Via Instapundit

Sgroing Out The Vote

The Libranos 14 Comments

Angry extracts some numbers from the Sgro Report;

Buried on page 19 of the Sgro Report is a description of how Temporary Residency Permits were used to buy votes during the election campaign.
The bottom line:

  • 128 permits issued during the 5 weeks of the 2004 federal campaign
  • 43, or 33%, were issued in the final week of the campaign
  • 76, or 59%, of the TRPs were supported by an MP
  • of these 76 TRPs , 24, or 31%, were supported by Judy Sgro herself
  • 19, or 80%, of Judy Sgro’s TRPs were issued in the last 24 hours of the campaign
  • another 50, or 66%, of the MP-supported TRPs issued during the election went to Liberal MPs
  • only 2, or 3%, of the MP-supported TRPs issued during the election went to Conservative MPs

    • This post has a bonus quiz!

    Question: When a CBC reporter takes shovel in hand, what are they about to do?

    (If your answer was “dig”, you were wrong)

    Kofi’s Change Of Heart

    Insufferable Twits 10 Comments

    From whence has this change of heart come?

    Today I am traveling to Brussels to join representatives of more than 80 governments and institutions in sending a loud and clear message of support for the political transition in Iraq.
    A year ago, in Resolution 1546, the U.N. Security Council set out the timetable that Iraq, with the assistance of the United Nations and the international community, was expected to fulfill. The Brussels conference is a chance to reassure the Iraqi people that the international community stands with them in their brave efforts to rebuild their country, and that we recognize how much progress has been made in the face of daunting challenges.
    Elections were held in January, on schedule. Three months later the Transitional National Assembly endorsed the transitional government. The dominant parties have begun inclusive negotiations, in which outreach to Sunni Arabs is a major theme. A large number of Sunni groups and parties are now working to make sure that their voices are fully heard in the process of drafting a new constitution, and that they participate fully in the referendum to approve it and the elections slated for December.
    Indeed, just last week an agreement was achieved to expand the committee drafting the constitution to ensure full participation by the Sunni Arab community. This agreement, which the United Nations helped to facilitate, should encourage all Iraqis to press ahead with the drafting of the constitution by the Aug. 15 deadline.
    As the process moves forward, there will no doubt be frustrating delays and difficult setbacks. But let us not lose sight of the fact that all over Iraq today, Iraqis are debating nearly every aspect of their political future.
    […]
    In a media-hungry age, visibility is often regarded as proof of success. But this does not necessarily hold true in Iraq. Even when, as with last week’s agreement, the results of our efforts are easily seen by all, the efforts themselves must be undertaken quietly and away from the cameras.
    […]
    The Iraqi people continue to endure a painful and difficult transition, and they still have a long and tough road ahead. The United Nations is privileged and determined to walk it with them. In doing so, we serve not only the people of Iraq, but the peoples of all nations.

    From “illegal war” to official declaration of “progress”, albeit progress claimed on behalf of the UN… I wonder if this had something to do with it.

    I Am Who I Am

    Political Animal 22 Comments

    Thank God;

    “I don’t intend to change myself,” Harper told Vancouver radio station CKNW during a nationally syndicated call-in show Monday. “I’m not a believer in these so-called image makeovers. I’ve watched politicians who tried to be something they’re not and tried to have all these different incarnations. I think it just comes across as phoney.
    “I am who I am.”

    Which reminds me of this bit of cultural derision;

    Ironically, no federal conservative leader has had more style surgery than Preston Manning, the man who founded the Reform Party specifically to bring substance to Canadian politics.
    From the look and sound of a screechy preacher in cowboy boots, Manning gradually morphed into the kind of made-for- TV capital conformist he used to deride as the “Otta- washed.”
    First it was the eyeglasses that went from aviator to designer and finally into the trash after laser eye treatment. Then came the wardrobe, a slow transition from barnyard chic to Hugo Boss.

    “Barnyard chic”. Nice.
    Not often we get a slam at both Christianity and Western rural culture in a single sentence.
    No wonder Westerners don’t trust the bigoted Eastern Media. Though Weston’s points are valid, it’s disappointing to see them wrapped in petty ad hominem. Perhaps a “style” makeover is in order for this cynical and negative Ottawa columnist.

    Reader Tips And Tips For Readers

    Reader Tips 21 Comments

    Well, as you may have guessed, I am still experiencing IP problems. So, as the subject indicates, it’s a reader tips day.
    Also – for the fairly large number of you who regularly send me tips privately, a bit of a checklist may help clear up my inbox, and save you the effort of sending me something 3 others have already shared:
    1) I already read Nealenews, Drudge and Bourque daily. If the “tip” you’re sending me is up on one of those sites, I’ll either find it myself, or I’ve decided to skip it.
    2) If you’ve spotted an item on 20 other conservative Canadian blogs, I’ve probably seen it and decided that using it is redundant.
    3) Don’t feel badly if your tip isn’t used. I use about 1 in 10 – 15 sent my way.
    4) Try to remember to include some hint as to the content of the tip in the subject line. I get a lot of spam, and subect lines like “Hey!” or “Kate, Look At This” stand a better than even chance of being deleted without being read.
    5) Avoid sending attachments. Large image files are never downloaded here, much less opened.
    6) Don’t send dated news reports/opinion articles, unless it relates to something of topical importance. I can’t count how many times I’ve spent time creating a post on an item, only to discover it was originally published 4 years ago.
    7) You don’t need permission to link to or quote on of my posts. Just use the trackback function.
    8) Let me know if you want your name used. Otherwise, I play it safe and default to anonymity.
    And, please don’t take offense at these guidelines – I’m not complaining – just trying to improve effficency. On an average work day I sometimes have over 400 emails a day to scan!

    Problems Continue

    Uncategorized 29 Comments

    Still experiencing connection issues (ie the phone rings but won’t answer) at my IP, so you’re on your own again today. Hopefully things will be back to normal tomorrow.
    (I should add – I also have a garage to sweep out, a vintage motorcycle to get running well enough to limp down to Doctor Jim’s 2 Stroke Clinic, and 5 sheets of 3/4″ crezone to prime (both sides), so maybe it’s a good thing the connection is down for few hours. I can’t believe how much work I got accomplished yesterday….)

    Reader Tips and IP problems

    Reader Tips 29 Comments

    I’m posting this from my Libretto laptop Juno account – having connection problems today, so if there’s nothing new after this post, that’s why! (The libretto doesn’t cut it – the keys are the size of aspirin tapblets)
    You’ll have to entertain yourselves… enter your cool finds and profound declarations in the comments.

    Seismic Jolt In New York

    Radioactive 22 Comments

    Turtle Bay rocked by earthquake

    Culminating years of frustration with the performance and behavior of the United Nations, the House voted Friday to slash U.S. contributions to the world body if it does not substantially change the way it operates.
    The 221-184 vote, which came despite a Bush administration warning that such a move could actually sabotage reform efforts, was a strong signal from Congress that a policy of persuasion wasn’t enough to straighten out the U.N.
    “We have had enough waivers, enough resolutions, enough statements,” said House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., the author of the legislation. “It’s time we had some teeth in reform.”
    The legislation would withhold half of U.S. dues to the U.N.’s general budget if the organization did not meet a list of demands for change. Failure to comply would also result in U.S. refusal to support expanded and new peacekeeping missions. The bill’s prospects in the Senate are uncertain.
    […]
    During the two days of debate, legislators discussed the seating of such human rights abusers as Cuba and Sudan on the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and the oil-for-food program that became a source of up to $10 billion in illicit revenue for former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
    Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., won backing for an amendment under which the United States would use its influence to ensure that any member engaged in acts of genocide or crimes against humanity would lose its U.N. membership and face arms and trade embargoes.
    Hyde was joined by lawmakers with a litany of complaints against what they said was the U.N.’s lavish spending, its coddling of rogue regimes, its anti-America, anti-Israel bias and recent scandals such as the mismanagement of the oil-for-food program in Iraq and the sexual misconduct of peacekeepers.

    I wonder if this will finally force the end of the Canadian MSM embargo on the oil-for-food investigation – it’s going to be a delicate tap dance to bash the US for “failing to live up to it’s responsibility to the UN” while continuing to ignore the massive corruption and excess that has become part of the United Nations beaurocratic culture.

    Chinese Censorship

    Roadkill 8 Comments

    Thanks to a tip from a commentor; check out these screenshots of an attempt to use the words “human rights,” “democracy,” and “freedom of speech” on a Chinese language MSN Spaces blog.
    (Actually, there are generally a lot of good tips in many of my comments sections – more than I can follow up on.)

    Hanson On China

    What He Said 23 Comments

    But the real question is how both China and India, nuclear and arming, will translate their newfound economic clout and cash into a geopolitical role. If internal politics and protocols are any barometer of foreign policy, it should be an interesting show. We mostly welcome the new India – nuclear, law-abiding, and English-speaking – onto the world stage. It deserves a permanent seat on the Security Council and a close alliance with the United States.
    China, however, is a very different story – a soon-to-be grasping Soviet Union-like superpower without any pretense of Marxist egalitarianism. Despite massive cash reserves and ongoing trade surpluses, it violates almost every international commercial protocol from copyright law to patents. It won’t discuss Tibet, and it uses staged domestic unrest to send warnings to Taiwan and Japan that their regional options will increasingly be limited by Beijing.
    China could rein in Kim Jong Il tomorrow. But it derives psychological satisfaction from watching Pyongyang’s nuclear roguery stymie Japan and the United States. China’s foreign policy in the Middle East, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia is governed by realpolitik of the 19th-century American stripe, without much concern for the type of government or the very means necessary to supply its insatiable hunger for resources. The government that killed 50 million of its own has not really been repudiated and its present successor follows the same old practice of jailing dissidents and stamping out freedom. When and how its hyper-capitalist economy will mandate the end of a Communist directorate is not known.
    The world has been recently flooded with media accounts that U.S. soldiers may have dropped or at least gotten wet a few Korans. Guantanamo, we are told, is like the Soviet gulag – the death camp of millions. Americans are routinely pilloried abroad because they liberated Iraq, poured billions into the reconstruction, and jumpstarted democracy there – but were unable to do so without force and the loss of civilian life.
    This hysteria that the world’s hyper-power must be perfect or it is no good is in dire contrast to the treatment given to China. Yet Pavlovian anti-Americanism may soon begin to die down as the Chinese increasingly flex their muscles on the global stage and the world learns better their methods of operation.
    So far they have been given a pass on three grounds: the old Third World romance accorded to Mao’s Marxist legacy; the Chinese role as a counterweight to the envied power of the United States; and the silent admission that the Chinese, unlike the Americans, are a little crazy and thus unpredictable in their response to moral lecturing. Americans apologize and scurry about when an EU or U.N. official remonstrates; in contrast, a Chinese functionary is apt to talk about sending off a missile or two if they don’t shut up.

    RTWT

    Grewal/Air Canada Update

    Little Known Facts 32 Comments

    CTV

    Grewal was accused of having broken airport security rules on June 4 when he asked strangers to transport a package for him on a flight to Ottawa. The package allegedly contained tapes of secretly recorded conversations of talks between Grewal and senior Liberals
    But the RCMP say there was nothing criminal about the MP’s actions.
    RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen says since Grewal had already passed through security, there was no criminal offence.
    Transport Canada has also cleared Grewal of any wrongdoing. In a letter to the MP, the agency’s manager of security operations says Grewal did not contravene the Aeronautics Act.

    Of course, we all knew that already, because it’s been the non-stop morning talk of the same media pundits who two weeks ago honed in on the incident with the white hot scrutiny normally reserved for travellers caught with fissionable materials….
    Kevin Libin at the Shotgun;

    But, as the Liberals that fed the talking points to the MSM on this story well know, there’s no such thing as unassassinating someone’s character.

    Stephanie Rubec Is In Pain

    Media 25 Comments

    Yesterday on John Gormley Live Sun Media reporter Stephanie Rubec shared her perception on Paul Martin’s ability to “connect” with people vs a sense that Harper is uncomfortable with one-on-one interactions. (She also spoke on behalf of “urban women” who fear the “secret agenda” of Conservatives who “might hold referendums” on capital punishment and abortion. Oh! The horrors of direct democracy!)
    Admittedly, much of the discussion was directed by Gormley (who still seems somewhat unaware of how both the provincial NDP and Liberals seed these phrases into the political discussion through push polling – we really could use more Politics 101 from our pundits), but quite apart from the actual content of the discussion, it’s worth noting how simple turns of phrase provide clues to a reporter’s political leanings (and I’m not talking about her statement that the former Reform party had “extreme” right wing policies).
    What caught my attention was her repeated use, without so much as a particle of sarcasm, of variations of the phrase “feels your pain” to draw a distinction between the two leaders – as in, Stephen Harper doesn’t send off vibes that he “feels your pain”, while Paul Martin does.
    In evoking a phrase that evolved from the Clinton presidency and citing it as a political asset for Paul Martin, Stephanie Rubek broadcast a little about her own political sympathies – I don’t know many conservatives who look to their politicians to emulate Clinton at his most maudlin.
    I’m not suggesting there’s anything untoward with the balance or fairness of her reporting – I’m not familiar enough with her writing to say either way. It was just one of those small moments when a reporter reveals more about themselves than they realize.

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