Target Centermass

Category: General

  • Iraq Calls for Muslim Force; Terrorists Quake

    Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is urging other Arab nations to send troops to combat the terrorists disrupting the progress in the beleaguered nation.

    Allawi made the appeal a day after Saudi officials disclosed that they had initiated an effort to encourage the creation of a Muslim security force to help bring stability to Iraq.

    “The leaders of this region must unify and must stand as one group against those gangs, against those terrorists and those criminals who are threatening and causing a great deal of harm to the Arab World and the Islamic world,” Allawi said.

    The terrorists responded quickly by playing the Jew card and posting internet threats against such a force

    “Our swords will be drawn in the face of anyone who cooperates with the Jews and the Christians,” the group said in its statement. “We will strike with an iron fist all the traitors from the Arab governments who cooperate with the Zionists secretly or openly.”

    The statement was issued in the name of the Jamaat al-Tawhid al-Islamiya — Omar el-Mukhtar Brigade, a little known group whose main title means the Group of Islamic Monotheism. Omar el-Mukhtar is the name of a Libyan nationalist who fought against the Italian occupation who was hanged by the colonial authorities in 1931….

    The Internet statement was addressed to the Saudi and Pakistani governments. It said the two states “intend to send Islamic troops to Iraq.”

    “We will not keep silent in case any Islamic or Arabic country, especially Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, send troops to Iraq. We also call on Muslim soldiers, in case they are sent to Iraq, not to respond, not to throw themselves in the path of death.”

    These tough guys are getting to be quite the good at the criminal side of the business via their kidnapping. They can prolong the suffering of their fellow Arabs, standing against the tide of progress and the hands of time.

    However, practically asking Muslim troops to please not make the trip shows their weakness: they can’t fight. They can’t make a stand against the well-trained soldiers of the coalition without getting shredded, and they can’t make a stand against Muslim forces without threatening any support they have in the populaces of Arab nations.

    They can only manage atrocities against civilians and assaults on the infrastructure. Oh yeah, they can post threats on the internet.

  • Y’all al-Queda?

    We’ll have to see what comes from this story of a possible terrorist infiltration caught here in Texas.

    Federal authorities are investigating whether a South African woman they say tried to board a flight near the U.S.-Mexico border with a mutilated passport has ties to al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.

    Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed, 48, was arrested July 19 at the McAllen airport and charged four days later with illegal entry into the United States, falsifying information and falsifying a passport. She was denied bond on Tuesday by a federal magistrate.

    A senior federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that investigators were trying to determine whether the woman had ties to terrorist groups. So far nothing has been substantiated, the source said.

    Simply put, our borders are not secure, and the Rio Grande is amazingly porous. Even if this is not a terrorist connection, I put big Gunner money that it shows weaknesses in our security that can be, and probably have been, exploited. The days are numbered — are we counting down to another 9/11 or a campaign of small-scale suffer-the-children-of-Israel-type campaign? The Iraqi and Afghani efforts must continue and be supported. Even somewhat stable-democracies in those countries will be enough of a threat to the Islamist movement to drive the bastards towards desperation.

    When desperate, what will the Islamist terrorists do? Attack here and falter at home? Attack at home and continue the current course? Turn to the Tet strategy of gambling it all by hitting hard everywhere and counting on the American mainstream media to assist in the cause?

    The Cronkite types better not help them in this one. I want to have children and grandchildren, and I want all of them to enjoy the freedoms I enjoy.

  • Kerry’s Stance(s) on Iraq

    Tipping the CVC to Every Thing I Know Is Wrong for finding the RNC’s new video on the timeline of Kerry’s positions on the Iraq campaign.

    This new video from the RNC is a must view. It completely destroys any possibility that anyone, even the least politically engaged, who sees it can believe John Kerry did not flip-flop over the war on terror, the war in Iraq, and the question of weapons of mass destruction. It shows without a doubt, using a chronological display of videos of John Kerry himself, that he is utterly disingenuous and untrustworthy on these vital issues.

    Windows Media | Real Player

    The video is too long (about 12 minutes) to get much play on sound-byte TV, but as many people as possible should see it. If you are a blogger please link to it, if you are not send it to a friend. We can’t allow a man who is this casual about these issues to become President.

    “They call him Flipper, Flipper….

  • A Few Brief Points About Teresa’s Speech

    Per the text of the potential First Lady’s convention speech,

    My name is Teresa Heinz Kerry.

    Is it? Is it, really? Apparently, it’s still Teresa Heinz, but she’ll pretend and claim otherwise for political expediency.

    To me, one of the best faces America has ever projected is the face of a Peace Corps volunteer. That face symbolizes this country: young, curious, brimming with idealism and hope, and a real, honest compassion. Those young people convey an idea of America that is all about heart and creativity, generosity and confidence, a practical, can-do sense and a big, big smile.

    For many generations of people around the globe, that is what America has represented. A symbol of hope, a beacon brightly lit by the optimism of its people — people coming from all over the world.

    I would counter that, for many generations in Europe, northern Africa, southeast Asia and a great many islands in the Pacific, a better face of America would be a soldier, bravely struggling to bring freedom while generously handing out a chocolate bar.

    John believes in a bright future. He believes we can, and we will, invent the technologies, new materials, and conservation methods of the future. He believes that alternative fuels will guarantee that not only will no American boy or girl go to war because of our dependence on foreign oil, but also that our economy will forever become independent of this need.

    Translation: no blood for oil.

    Also, it seems rather naive to say that reducing America’s need for foreign oil will automatically reduce oil’s importance on the geopolitical stage to the extent that our military can be guaranteed it will never be embroiled in the conflicts of oil-producing states.

    John is a fighter. He earned his medals the old-fashioned way, by putting his life on the line for his country.

    Did you know Kerry was in Viet Nam?

    But he also knows the importance of getting it right. For him, the names of too many friends inscribed in the cold stone of the Vietnam Memorial testify to the awful toll exacted by leaders who mistake stubbornness for strength.

    Did you know Kerry was in Viet Nam?

    No one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will — and he will always be first in the line of fire.

    For four months.

  • Kerry Wants to Extend the 9/11 Commission

    Back in the early 90’s, I lived in Washington, D.C. for a little over a year, including interning for a fall on Capitol Hill. One thing I learned while there was that there is nothing so permanent as a temporary government agency. This was brought back to mind when I read this:

    Kerry said the (9/11) commission should issue progress reports every six months, beginning in December. Among the questions they should address, Kerry said, are whether we are doing enough to strengthen homeland security, reorganize intelligence agencies, build global alliances and make America as safe as it can be.

    In Boston, Kerry foreign policy adviser Jamie Ruben told reporters that keeping the commission intact would be an effective way to “bird-dog the bureaucracy” on implementing the panel’s recommendations.

    So, Kerry wants to bureaucratize the 9/11 Commission and have its bureaucrats oversee the rest of the government’s bureaucrats. Does Kerry anticipate changes in the panel or any checks on the commission, or is he wanting a Supreme Court of Security whose edicts must be enforced?

    Ah, but who will guard the guards?

  • Army National Guard Recruiting Falling Short

    Despite the active Army meeting or closing in on recruiting and retention goals, it seems the call-ups and rotations are beginning to take their toll on National Guard recruiting.

    The U.S. Army is lagging about 12 percent behind its recruiting goal for the Army National Guard amid the Pentagon’s heavy reliance on such troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, officials said on Monday.

    Amid predictions by critics that the difficult duty in Iraq and Afghanistan may harm the all-volunteer U.S. military’s ability to attract and keep troops, Gen. Peter Shoomaker, Army chief of staff, told a Pentagon briefing he was watching the situation closely.

    National Guard recruiting was at only 88 percent of its goal, Shoomaker said. “However, we remain cautiously optimistic that we will make our goal,” he added.

    But the National Guard was slightly exceeding its target for retention — soldiers opting to remain in the service — while the active-duty Army and part-time Army Reserve both were generally meeting retention and recruitment goals, Shoomaker said.

    Maybe the days are drawing near when the answer to my personal debate about re-enlisting will be forced upon me by my often-hyperactive sense of duty. Maybe it’s about time the guy on the left in the picture below (me, from Ft. Hood in May 1993) goes back in the Guard. Adding to the pressure: I recently found out the guy on the far right, a close buddy of mine, has gone back in the Guard.
    On an M1 at Hood in May 93

    Besides, if I go back in, I’ll finally get the black beret that the tankers should’ve always had.

    Note: Yeah, we slipped off post to Wal-Mart and bought some sidewalk chalk. If you can’t read it in the pic, for those three weeks of transition training from the M60-A3 to the M1, we dubbed ourselves the Bonedickers, slang for goof-offs, of a military sort.

  • Banned In Boston!

    Apparently, the USA Today just doesn’t get Ann Coulter.

    USA Today: IS THAT LAST SENTENCE SARCASTIC? IF SO, YOU SURE LOST ME.

  • Pentagon Report Examines China’s Military

    Is there another arms race around the corner?

    The Pentagon has taken a new look at China’s military modernization program. A recent Pentagon report concluded that after decades of relying on Eastern bloc technology, Beijing is striving to achieve a quality of weapons equal to those in the developed world within the next decade.
    The Pentagon says it has much to learn about the strategic ambitions and decision-making behind Beijing’s military modernization. One thing is known though. A decade of sustained economic growth in China has helped the Peoples’ Liberation Army to close the weapons technology gap with the United States.

    While China is closing the gap, assessment of the report is that the technology gap will not disappear.

    The report concludes the Chinese military has directly benefited from what has been a five-fold increase in the country’s economic growth, enabling Beijing to upgrade missiles, aircraft, and submarines, while looking to achieve the same level of technology as the industrialized world within the next five to 10 years.

    But the Pentagon’s latest assessment of China’s military capabilities concludes Beijing is likely to fall short of fully meeting that goal. Richard Bitzinger is a researcher at the Defense Department’s Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.

    “The concern is obviously that the Chinese are going to be moving from a military that was largely a 1950s and 1960s technology base to one that is certainly 20-25 years further on down the line,” said Richard Bitzinger.

    This is important as, on the ground, China has the obvious numerical advantage. Their problem would be in projecting this power. The areas they are focusing upon (missiles, aircraft, subs) are crucial in their ability to threaten Taiwan and blunt our ability to support the Taiwanese defenses.

    Does this leave open the chance for another arms race? Seemingly yes, though there is no guarantee. If it does occur, it could possibly happen while the U.S. is facing strong economic competition from the EU and China and still engaged in the fight against Islamic terror.

    Not a pretty picture.

  • Star Wars ROTS

    I’m not too sure Lucas gave any thought to the acronym before he announced the title of the next Star Wars movie.

    Next year’s third and final installment of the “Star Wars” prequels will be called “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” the film’s producers said Saturday.

  • Apparently, the Blogging World Waits

    All weekend, my blogroll has been relatively quiet, leaving little to advocate or cause comment.

    Unfortunately, monitoring Google, Yahoo!, CNN, etc., I find little of worth to blog about on these. Does the world wait on the DNC convention? Goodness, I hope not. I wonder what the next few days of the blogging world will be like if we must rely on a heavily-orchestrated event like the DNC National Convention for news.

    But, wait … this means possibly two things.

    First, the rest of the world is seemingly relatively quiet, waiting, not wanting to interfere. This could be something or nothing, as it would have to be compared relative to the upcoming RNC gathering. Who makes noise? Who voices their vested stake?

    Second, the Dems are toning down their ABB (Anybody But Bush) message because the 9/11 Commission has shown that terrorism is an ongoing threat. This week, Kerry has to show that he can get better international support for our efforts than Bush has managed — more support from the French, et al, than they provided to Saddam. Kerry has to show that he can improve the intelligence community, despite his voting history of cutting funding to it. Kerry has to show that he can assist the military in their efforts, despite his stances to deprive them of funding, especially the Iraq-related funding. Kerry has to support the troops, after trashing the military, and himself, for war crimes.

    It’s sad that a major contender for president has allowed his message to shift so much without conceding he was wrong.

    Kerry about jobs: well, it’s pretty quiet now.

    Kerry about pre-emption: Never against it, but quiet now.

    Kerry about WMD: They’re there. They are not there. Quiet now. ‘Cause they’re there (found) and elsewhere (unfound, but mark Gunner at his word).

    Kerry about the UN: We should act in our own best interests. No, we should act in accordance with every country acting in their own best interest but phrase it as if they are worldly and we are selfish. That is how to lead decisively.

    Instead, I expect a low-key, patriotic Dem convention over the next few days. “We could do better.” Lots of patriotic music, little policy.

    Here’s hoping Teresa Heinz says something cool, but Gunner money is against it. Dean and his ilk would’ve been fun, at least.