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12:02 am
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new no2id poster
i tend to agree with abelard that ID cards are empirically unworkable and simply a form of make-work corruption. However, it is not the sort of make-work corruption i like to see. No2ID is doing good work causing Bliar and co. problems implementing this particular pork-barrel project. Here is one of their latest advert posters:
It is a fairly similar idea to this t-shirt, of which i have one. I don't think I'll be getting a t-shirt with the Bliar picture - the other one was acceptable because it had lots of pretty colours, even if i would have preferred it with a black background.
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11:16 am
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one enabling act is not enough; who need's elections?
britain already has an enabling act， but apparently that's one too few for mister he's-no-blain-of-blitain：
I am tossing and turning about a government Bill that was given its second reading in the House of Commons last week and is heading into committee.
Now I know what I am about to tell you is difficult to believe (Why isn’t this on the front pages? Where’s the big political row?) but I promise you that it is true. The extraordinary Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill, currently before the House, gives ministers power to amend, repeal or replace any legislation simply by making an order and without having to bring a Bill before Parliament. The House of Lords Constitution Committee says the Bill is “of first-class constitutional significance” and fears that it could “markedly alter the respective and long standing roles of minister and Parliament in the legislative process”.
There are a few restrictions — orders can’t be used to introduce new taxes, for instance — but most of the limitations on their use are fuzzy and subjective. One of the “safeguards” in the Bill is that an order can impose a burden only “proportionate to the benefit expected to be gained”. And who gets to judge whether it is proportionate? Why, the minister of course. The early signs are not good. Having undertaken initially not to use orders for controversial laws, the Government has already started talking about abstaining from their use when the matter at hand is “highly” controversial. i'm sure that last assurance will come as a great comfort。
meanwhile it appears that no-blain-of-britain is discussing cancelling elections because "we'd only have to have more later"：
The UK government has denied claims that it is set to postpone the 2007 local elections on account of forthcoming changes to the two-tier system of local government in England. The claim arose following leaked minutes from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which are said to show that ministers are actively considering abandoning the polls on account of some councils only existing for one more year in their current form before requiring new elections. of course we believe those denials because he's-no-blain-of-blitain's socialist government has been honest so far， including bringing in a bill of rights and freedom of information act as promised in his first manifesto。 however， opposition spokesmen are not being so charitable：
The opposition Conservatives argued that the decision was motivated by the need to avoid a humiliating defeat in the elections, set to be the last faced by the Labour Party under Tony Blair before his scheduled departure. Local government spokesman Eric Pickles argued: "This is Blair's Government treating the Constitution like Labour's personal Lego set." The Liberal Democrats mirrored the charge, with spokeswoman Sarah Teather saying: "Labour must not deprive people of their democratic right just because they're doing badly in local government and want to avoid an awkward mid-term election." i don't know how they could be so mean as to suggest such a thing：
GORDON BROWN was dealt a major blow to his credibility as the next Prime Minister when the Liberal Democrats sensationally captured the constituency where the Chancellor has his home in a shock by-election result early this morning.
Willie Rennie pulled off a huge political coup for his party when he overturned a 11,562 Labour majority and delivered a swing of more than 16 per cent to defeat Catherine Stihler, the Labour candidate, in the Chancellor’s political backyard by 1,800 votes. brown is supposedly going to lead oldnewoldlabour after no-blain-of-britain supposedly steps down。
for a refresher on the continuing attack on british rule of law， see magnacartaplus：
amongst the rights removed or substantially curtailed：
right to silence
rights to peaceful protest
rights to peaceful assembly
freedom of movement
rights to privacy
security of property
presumption of innocence
freedom of association
freedom of expression
presumption of innocence
confidentiality of medical and financial records
suspect's rights in custody
right to a jury trial
right to a fair trial
freedom from arbitrary arrest
double jeopardy rule
rights to privacy of communications
suspects' rights of course those are rather trumped by the first enabling act and the house arrest act：
potentially almost all rights, the government can acquire absolute power. This is an enabling act. [...]
the right to know the evidence and charges/accusations against you
the right to a fair trial or, indeed, any trial
potentially, almost any right, except the right against torture and the right to life but don't worry， it could never happen here。
Current Mood:  tired
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11:11 pm
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bravery begets bravery, cowardice begets cowardice
another cartoonist sees fit to do his duty for freedom：
Miller proudly announced the title of his next Batman book, which he will write, draw and ink. Holy Terror, Batman! is no joke. And Miller doesn't hold back on the true purpose of the book, calling it "a piece of propaganda," where 'Batman kicks al Qaeda's ass."
The reason for this work, Miller said, was "an explosion from my gut reaction of what's happening now." He can't stand entertainers who lack the moxy of their '40s counterparts who stood up to Hitler. Holy Terror is "a reminder to people who seem to have forgotten who we're up against."
It's been a long time since heroes were used in comics as pure propaganda. As Miller reminded, "Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That's one of the things they're there for." where are the chaplins mocking the imams， ayatollahs and walking time-bombs？ [there is a fair stab at it in "team america"，but the mockery is nowhere near as directed as in "the great dictator"]。
back in demark， the courage of the twelve cartoonists is giving inspiration to others：
Dozens of Danish Muslims are joining the network of moderate Muslims, the Demokratiske Muslimer (Democratic Muslims). About 700 Muslims have already become DM members and 2,500 Danes have expressed their will to support the network. The initiative has caused anger among the Danish imams and their leader, Ahmad Abu Laban, who have referred to the moderates as “rats.” The imams feel that they are beginning to lose their control over part of the Muslim population.
Moderates such as Kamran Tahmasebi say they have had enough of fanatic Islamism and its intimidation of the Muslim immigrants in Denmark. “It is an irony that I am today living in a European democratic state and have to fight the same religious fanatics that I fled from in Iran many years ago,” Mr Tahmasebi says. He came to Denmark as a refugee in 1989. Today he works as a social consultant and is very grateful for the life Denmark has made it possible for him to have. He says he no longer wants to keep a low profile to avoid attracting the attention of the imams. The cartoon affair was an incentive for him to stand up and warn against the Islamist imams in Denmark, whom he says are damaging the integration process with their misleading criticism of Danish values and norms.
Mr Tahmasebi is one of the people involved in the newly established network of moderate Muslims in Denmark led by Naser Khader, a member of the Danish Parliament. He says he is well aware of the risk he is taking by siding with Mr Khader, who has for a long time been living under police protection. But Mr Tahmasebi feels it is his duty to take part in this debate. “Naser Khader has carried this responsibility for too long. I share his beliefs and now I want to stand up and say so. Apart from that, as a parent I feel a responsibility to fight, so that my children will not have to live under Islamist dogmas. They shall be able to live free in this country.” Mr Tahmasebi adds that he believes the imams are one of the biggest problems Denmark is facing today. 700 is yet a small number， but the tendency is that the larger the crowd becomes， the 'braver' the rest become。 mr tahmasebi's behaviour is but an example of that phenomenon。
abelard has been keeping up with the topic while i've been resting。 as ever there are lots of interesting things to be read。 hammerton has also been doing sterling work - just keep scrolling。
my favourite developments have to be：- the revelation that one of the fake cartoons， taken round the middle east by the danish imams in their successful mission to stir up rioting， was in fact a muddy photocopy of a photograph of a competitor at the annual pig-squealing competition held somewhere in france。 i know of a little village in france that every year hold the world bird whistling competition； unfortunately i've never been there at the right time to see it。
- the egyptian newspaper that reprinted the cartoon back in october， with nary a peep from the usual suspects。
- the british newspaper reporter admitting and celebrating the cowardice of her newspaper， along with the rest of the british fossil media：
This paper’s belief in freedom of speech is paramount. The decision not to reprint the cartoons, not to declare ourselves another Spartacus in support of our European colleagues, was taken, at least partly, out of consideration for the safety of the staff, and the safety of Scottish people here and abroad, and I fully support it. such cowardice is hardly unusual。 that she feels able to flaunt it makes me further worry at the state of british society。 it amazes me that someone with such a craven attitude to life could ever become a reporter。
- apparently of the people arrested in lebanon for destroying the embassies，76 were syrians， 35 were palestinians and 38 were lebanese。 don't forget that the syrians are still assassinating politicians and reporters in lebanon， despite having been forced to end the occupation。
have the british police arrested any of those they protected while inciting violence on the streets of london， as promised？ or is this just another case of the british police unwilling to do their job and their political masters unwilling to lead？ what of the british and american administrations？ are they standing by their first idiotic statements？
i leave it to abelard to explain the importance of the cartoons and the necessity of their reprinting：
The real story concerning the innocuous moh cartoons is the rioting and over-reaction by jihadis, not the innocuous cartoons themselves. [...]
Hitler also believed his dishonesty and attempts at conquest would go well. He likewise judged the west as ‘decadent’. I suggest the jihadis take dire warning from the fate of that historic lunatic. Perhaps they might even take dire warning from the fate of the lunatic of Baghdad, or take warning from the fate of the taliban destroyers of culture in Afghan? A warning that it is not safe to rile the most advanced cultures on earth.
In the 1920s and 30s, Hitler may not have managed to install millions of his followers in foreign countries (as has now occured widely with jihadis), but in both the USA and Britain of that era there were large numbers of people of German extraction who were considered a threat to the nations concerned. In the United States, Henry Ford had a nest of nazi sympathisers in his organisation, while German-American pro-nazi organisations (bunds) and the likes worked to keep the USA out of Adolf’s intended path. The influence of people like Ford and Joseph Kennedy in the US, and Northcliffe and Chamberlain in the UK were hardly beneficial to the freedom aspirations of Western interests.
In the UK, there was a very considerable constituency for appeasement and many who would not hear a word against that nice Mister Hitler. The Northcliffe newspapers (primarily the Daily Wail) were very pro-Hitler until it became ill-advised.[...]
I am uncertain just what the proportion of fellow travellers the jihadis have within the general Islamic population in Western countries. It is essential that this is probed; it is vital home security data. Without that data, rational planning is near to impossible.
Hence, the incredible irresponsibility of the fossil press in not doing their duty of publication, while politicians desperately attempt to sweep these serious and genuine questions under the carpet. note that there were also such organisations and individuals working for the soviet socialists， chinese socialists， cambodian socialists， cuban socialists， as well as for the nazi socialists， just as more recently large numbers worked for saddam's socialists； neither does this include the ever present useful idiots and cowards。
unsurprisingly， all three groups continue to be well represented in the fossil media： cf ted turner's [owner of cnn] decision to not report the real situation in iraq for fear of losing saddam's 'good will' - now does that make him "fifth column"，a "useful idiot" or a "coward"？ just as with "mad bad sad"， you essentially can't tell。
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02:20 pm
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conservative opposition call for arrests
david davis is the shadow home secretary。 he came second to david cameron in the recent conservative party leadership election。 his sane and measured response to the jihadis further highlights why the labour party are in serious trouble now that the socialist coup has apparently been removed from the tory party：
Mr Davis said last night: "Clearly some of these placards are incitement to violence and, indeed, incitement to murder - an extremely serious offence which the police must deal with and deal with quickly.
"Whatever your views on these cartoons, we have a tradition of freedom of speech in this country which has to be protected. Certainly there can be no tolerance of incitement to murder." here is the attorney general， dominic grieve：
Mr Grieve, speaking on GMTV, said: "It is certainly not a happy state of affairs where such a demonstration takes place and those people who are acting in that way don't end up under arrest before the demonstration is ended." contrast this with the gibbering of the foreign secretary， jack straw：
"Re-publication of the cartoons has been unnecessary, it has been insensitive, it has been disrespectful and it has been wrong." note that jack straw is the mp for blackburn， well-known for the "exuberance" of many its large muslim community。。 although probably not as well-known as nearby bradford [with a slightly less illustrious labour mp]：
A protester was also photographed wearing a garment resembling a suicide bomber's jacket. The man, Omar Khayam from Bedford, said he had no regrets about his style of dress, telling the Daily Express: "I didn't go there to cause anyone any harm. I went along just to attend a protest. Yet I have been branded a suicide bomber overnight. Did I say, 'Kill Jews?' No. Did I have racist signs on me? No. So why this reaction?" He went on: "Yes, I would do it again to make a point. I could have gone along and held up banners or something, but this made the point better."
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: チャゲ＆飛鳥 - LOVE SONG
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| 10:18 am
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jihadi update: denmark, iran, syria, sane muslims, british police
the dissident frogman appears to be back blogging， after a very long absence。 he has created some pretty banners， of which this is an example：
continuing the good news， it seems that the europeans have finally decided they have had enough of iran：
The United Nations' atomic energy watchdog voted in Vienna yesterday to report Iran to the UN Security Council, [...] 27-to-3 decision [...] Cuba, Syria, and Venezuela voted against the resolution. Algeria, Belarus, Indonesia, Libya, and South Africa abstained. merkel is showing herself to be significantly less soft-headed than schroeder：
An Iranian leader ''who questions Israel's right to exist, a president who denies the Holocaust, cannot be expected to receive any tolerance," said Merkel while mccain continues to understatedly get the message across：
''Every option must be on the table," he said. ''There's only one thing worse than military action -- that is a nuclear-armed Iran." in response， the iranians are threatening to impose sanctions on themselves：
Following the insults of some western countries' media to Holy Prophet of Islam, Iran's President, Dr. Ahmadi Nejad ordered Commerce Minister to set up a council on "reviewing and cancellation of economic contracts and commercial exchanges with these countries". meanwhile， the us government is rightly holding the syrian government responsible for the invasion and razing of parts denmark and norway by syrian citizens：
"We will hold Syria responsible for such violent demonstrations since they do not take place in that country without government knowledge and support," said presidential press secretary Scott McClellan. [...] "The government of Syria's failure to provide protection to diplomatic premises, in the face of warnings that violence was planned, is inexcusable," McClellan said. embassies are the sovereign territory of the country who staffs them， thus the danish embassy is under law just as much danish soil as is copenhagen。this is just one more in a long line of legitimate causi belli：
Now, depending on the level of (passive) involvement by the Syrian regime, one could make the case this is an act of war. And since Norway and Denmark are both NATO members, Bush can invoke article V of the NATO charter that says an attack on one member state is an attack against all of them...
Presto! Legal casus belli... and no need to find further justifications in hidden WMD's, terror sponsoring or the need for 'regime change'. Just point the tanks in Baghdad to Damascus and start driving... i can't see this happening yet， though。 so far still no apology for the state department's calling freedom of speech "not acceptable"。
given the fossil media's propensity for trying to excuse the inexcusable behaviour of the jihadis， it is very hard to get an idea of how widespread the repudiations from sane muslims are。 here is another example of a large international group of muslims who categorically condemn the violent and threatening behaviour of their so-called brethren：
In Pakistan, hundreds demonstrated on Thursday, chanting "Death to Denmark" and burning Danish and French flags. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak warned that the decision by some European papers to publish the cartoons could encourage terrorists. Consequently, government ministers from 17 Arab nations have asked the Danish government to punish the newspaper for what they called an "offense to Islam" and some countries have even pulled their ambassadors from Denmark. [...]
The response by Muslims to the cartoons is absolutely pathetic and depressing but revealing. The reason Muslims are responding with anger and threats of violence is because most Muslims live in countries where democracy and freedom of speech are alien concepts.
Moreover, the Muslim world suffers from a lack of visionary leadership. In this particular case, when Muslim leaders, including American Muslim leaders, realized that Muslims are furious they joined the chorus of fury rather than explain to their people that they must be reasonable and that freedom of speech is healthy even if it is insulting. What is even more disgusting is that most American Muslim organizations, who should know better, have joined the chorus of instigators rather than taking this opportunity to teach their members about the importance of freedom of speech and tolerance. meanwhile a court in south africa， one of the countries supporting iran's attempts to develop nuclear weapons， has preemptively banned the publication of the danish cartoons：
The Sunday Times newspaper, one of those covered by the ruling, said it had not decided whether to publish the cartoons but had refused a request by the Council of Muslim Theologians to promise not to use the images.
The Council then approached the court for the temporary restraining order, which was granted late on Friday. the obvious answer to this sort of 'law' is civil disobedience：
meanwhile the reprehensible behaviour of the british police comes further to light。 here is a photo rich comparison of the response by the british police to a peaceful protest by anti-fox-hunting-ban protesters and their response to jihadi marchers complete with masks and blatant incitement to violence：
Instantly, the police responded with a flail of truncheons. For a moment, they resembled beaters driving birds towards guns. They were scenes more associated with the clash of police and shaven-headed football hooligans or dreadlocked anti-capitalist demonstrators rather than men in flat caps and women in quilted waistcoats. [...]
n Association of Chief Police Officers spokesman said that the protests did not yet represent a serious threat to public order. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Arrests, if necessary, will be made at the most appropriate time. This should not be taken as a sign of lack of action."
Scotland Yard says a decision not to arrest protesters was taken because of public order fears. It confirmed that police had received more than 100 complaints from the public about the protesters' behaviour.
there were two arrests yesterday， however：
The only arrests made were of two men found carrying cartoons of Mohammed. Police said they had been detained "to prevent a breach of the peace". A man dressed as a suicide bomber, however, was left unhindered, while the police sought to prevent photographers taking pictures. free speech results in arrest。 incitement to violence results in police protection。 still the british fossil media follow the craven example of their benevolent rulers。
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07:59 pm
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quote of the day: prescott explains one of the basic tenets of socialism
prescott is the deputy prime minister of the uk。 he has the refreshing character trait of not *trying* to hide his idiotic socialist tendencies：
If you set up a school and it becomes a good school, the great danger is that everyone wants to go there. of course new-old-new-labour aren't socialists。
taken from this article。 lead from abelard。
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Current Music: Otis Grand - Six Ways (Pam's Tune)
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07:22 pm
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'social' 'services'
this is what happens when you allow secret courts， gagging orders， extra-legal powers， secret hearsay 'evidence' and no possible oversight into the hands of shallow do-'good'ers：
Now, for the first time, Daniel, his siblings and the other children whose lives were wrecked by the scandal can speak publicly about their experience after the BBC successfully challenged a longstanding injunction that gagged them and prevented the media from identifying the two key social workers involved in the case, Jill France and Susan Hammersley. Both still work in child protection. It also obtained social services ’ original video-recorded interviews with the children — a legal precedent — which can be seen in a documentary tomorrow night.
One child, Caroline, then 6, is seen being so distraught throughout her “interview” that the judge said it was one of the most abiding and disturbing parts of the case. As many of those children, now adults, say, the only abuse they suffered was at the hands of the authorities. this is a far from atypical example of the behaviour of the british ss。 it is long past time the ss were shut down and replaced by strictly regulated organisation with considerably reduced powers and publicly open and enforced records。 it is long past time the secret courts and gagging orders were made illegal。 it is long past time that the likes of france and hammersley were prosecuted for child abuse， along with the likes of piggott as accessories to child abuse：
Terry Piggott, Rochdale Council’s executive director responsible for children, schools and families, said of the BBC’s documentary: [...] “I cannot see how the interests of today’s challenges of protecting children will be served by re-examining past cases that are 15 years old.
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Chester Bennington of Linkin Park - System
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04:31 pm
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cameron appears serious
abelard has done a prodigious amount of work following and commenting on the trials of the conservative party over the last ten years， mostly visible on the uk.politics.misc newsgroup。 there appears at last to be light at the end of the tunnel。 as abelard comments：
For several years, there has been no legitimate or genuine Conservative [Tory] opposition to Tony Bliar’s socialism. Bliar has been given an easy ride by socialists who captured the Tory Party on the fall of Thatcher.
At last, there are considerable signs that this may be changing. at the last link there are three solid examples of cameron putting his word on the line， which are worth reading carefully and in full。
already signs of panic are appearing amongst the socialist ranks and scribblers - another reason for optimism。 the two questions remaining： how far will he take this and how good is his word。。 the second of which cannot be determined easily before he becomes prime minister and starts act-ing。 the first we will no doubt see unfold over the next few months。
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11:08 am
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the new 'tolerance', orwell turns in his grave
religious fundie appeasement reaches absurd depths in the uk：
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (Tory-controlled) has now announced that, following a complaint by a Muslim employee, all work pictures and knick-knacks of novelty pigs and "pig-related items" will be banned. Among the verboten items is one employee's box of tissues, because it features a representation of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.
this is being justified as 'tolerance' of 'muslim ideas'。 in fact it is just the opposite： this is an example of intolerance of personal choice in decoration， choice that can in no reasonable way be considered to be harming others。 both socialists and islamists are well known for their apparent belief that it is ok to lie for the cause， and as ever appeasers simply copy their dishonest misuse of language。
the above pigs example is far from the one：
When the Queen knights a Muslim "community leader" whose line on the Rushdie fatwa was that "death is perhaps too easy", and when the Prime Minister has a Muslim "adviser" who is a Holocaust-denier and thinks the Iraq war was cooked up by a conspiracy of Freemasons and Jews, and when the Prime Minister's wife leads the legal battle for a Talibanesque dress code in British schools, you don't need a pig to know which side's bringing home the bacon.
i'd suggest as an alternative to your piglet mug， a group sing-a-long to the 1921 classic， "Rebecca (Came Back From Mecca)"。
as a general rule of thumb， i regard getting 'offended' as a dishonest attempt to bully others， an attempt to push a guilt trip while hypocritically claim the mantle of 'victim'hood。
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Current Music: LOVE PSYCHEDELICO - neverland
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10:53 am
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magnacartaplus news
magnacartaplus is a growing resource aimed at documenting attacks on civil liberties and the rule of law。 for the time being at least， it is an exclusively uk-centric resource。 magnacartaplus also has a collection of important human rights documents from around the world， including original translations of the magna carta and the french declaration of the rights of man and the citizen。
magnacartaplus has now gained itself a news resource for more immediate tracking of civil liberties and rule of law issues。 there are already a number of interesting items， including an item documenting the knots blair is tying himself in by his destruction of rule of law。
most of the content will come from james hammerton， probably the most impressive civil liberties specialist around。 abelard is also heavily involved， although currently mostly as an advisor。 my involvement is limited to the technical side and financial backing。 there are also two or three others who contribute sporadically。
read。 enjoy。
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Current Music: Mesh - People Like Me
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09:11 pm
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blair speech item extended
i decided that my article on blair's speech could do with expanded comments。 click the link if you wish to read them。
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Current Music: Afroman - Because I Got High
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| 09:18 am
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majority of tory party leadership against democracy not enough to destroy the party
The attempt to change the rules on who chooses the next Conservative leader has been defeated in a vote of MPs and senior party activists. [...]
Overall: 61% in favour of changing rules
MPs: 71% backed the proposal, 26% against
Voluntary activists: 58% wanted rule change, 42% against
Peers/MEPs: 63% wanted rule change, 37% against
they needed 2/3 to get the rules changes： a close squeak。
i'm still waiting for one of their leadership candidates to promise a change in the rules to stop any repeat h***** (currently 'leader') style coup： having taken down the duly elected leader， no mp had the guts to stand against h*****， thus he became leader without a vote by the party-at-large。
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Current Music: Afroman - She Won't Let Me Fuck
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| 09:07 am
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ye gads! blair gets philosophy!
don't tell me blair is starting to think his way out of socialism！
The pace of change can either overwhelm us, or make our lives better and our country stronger.
What we can't do is pretend it is not happening.
I hear people say we have to stop and debate globalisation. You might as well debate whether autumn should follow summer.
taken from his party conference speech。 what with doing the right thing with iraq and speeches like that， one could almost start to grudgingly respect the bastard， despite the compulsive lying and breakneck destruction of british rule of law！ quite incredible。 is this really blair？！
a large part of the speech is dedicated to in turn telling different groups in britain and its labour party to grow the fuck up。 it is well worth a read and/or watch。
people get the government they want/deserve。 the british have made it very clear that they are unwilling to stand up for their liberty or take responsibility for their lives。 the inevitable result is a blair and a government determined to make it impossible for them to not behave as they 'ought'。 if you behave as a child， you will be treated as a child。 britain made its choice over a decade ago and continues to reaffirm that choice every day they fail to take their lives into their own hands and rejoin the adult world。
the british， however， seem to be incredibly lucky to have got themselves a largely benevolent dictator， one who seem determined to look after the sheep rather than just fleece them。 he even seems to think that one day he'll get them to grow up and stand on their own feet：
One day when I am asked by someone whose neighbourhood is plagued with anti-social behaviour; or whose local school is failing or hospital is poor, "what are you going to do about it?", I want to be able to reply: "We have given you the resources. We have given you the powers. Now tell me what you are going to do about it."
good luck to him！
of course someone like me might change that to "we haven't stolen your resources， all power remains in your hands， now what are you going to do about it？"， but then i am no socialist， nor am i running a kindergarten。 --_^
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Current Music: Nas - U Wanna Be Me
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09:25 am
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belmont takes portillo apart on iraq facts
portillo has apparently taken up the iraq is all doom and gloom theme， along with childish anti-american swipes。 unfortunately for him and the moonbats， his facts are wrong。 here's portillo：
Whereas GIs shot from the hip, British troops engaged the Iraqis’ hearts and minds. [...] The United States and Britain intend to withdraw when the constitution is in place and the Iraqis can handle their own security. The problem is not that there is no strategy, but rather that it looks unachievable. [...] the number of American casualties has been rising remorselessly
[notice the similarities to the recent time magazine pro-thugist propaganda piece]
as it happens， the british are now adopting american methods because they work better。。 american methods：
the US has made the major investments in robotics, electronic warfare and supporting fires that will provide the British Army with whatever precision firepower it needs to get out of a jam. GIs rarely shoot from the hip, whatever Portillo believes, and have invested billions investing in technologies that are wholly the opposite of this cinematic approach.
the "unachievable" goals， such as elections， getting a constitution written， iraqis able to run their own security are all obviously coming along very well。 the first happened with little disturbance， other than to the thugists and fellow travellers who were given the finger。 the constitution is writing and awaiting referendum。 the iraqis have just led a very successful large scale operation against a thugist base。 unachievable indeed！
as for the "remorselessly" rising casualties， belmont gives detailed tables that make it very clear that casualty numbers are just over half those for the previous year [1186 to 2354]， this in a quarter with a major offensive operation and the run up to a referendum - ie a time at which you'd expect these undefeatable thugists to be killing more than usual。
in january i came to the conclusion that portillo is not a serious politician。 this latest just adds more to that case。
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Current Music: YUKI - 愛しあえば
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