Dreams Into Lightning 2

H.R. 1592

In support of H.R. 1592. I'm supporting HR 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007.

There seem to be a lot of objections to it from the conservative world, some reasonable, most (in my opinion) not. In the interests of cogency, I'll begin with the reasonable objections.

The basic argument against H.R. 1592 is the argument against "hate crimes" legislation in general: that it clutters the lawbooks with unnecessary and redundant laws, and that it differentiates between "classes" of citizens (in this case, crime victims) - thus enshrining the very inequality it purports to fight. What is needed, the conservative argument goes, is not special laws to protect certain classes of people, but better enforcement of existing laws against common crime.

I have some respect for this position, but I think it misses a couple of key points. First, the purpose of hate crimes laws is to target bias-motivated crime; that is, it's the motive of the aggressor, not the identity of the vicitm, that's the determining factor. Now you may agree or disagree with that on principle, but there's no basis for the claim that the law operates on the basis of the victim's identity. Here's what HR 1592 says:

Sec. 249. Hate crime acts

`(a) In General-

`(1) OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person--

`(A) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and

`(B) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if--

`(i) death results from the offense; or

`(ii) the offense includes kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.

`(2) OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR DISABILITY-

`(A) IN GENERAL- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, in any circumstance described in subparagraph (B), willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person--

`(i) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and

`(ii) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if--

`(I) death results from the offense; or

`(II) the offense includes kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.

There's a lot more at the link, of course. Now I think the language of "actual or perceived race, etc." is a problem because it seems to suggest the opposite, i.e. that the victim's race (or other status) is itself part of the law's concern. It would be better if the text read only "perceived race, etc." because it's the perp's perceptions that we care about. But a little farther down you can find the following:

`(b) Certification Requirement- No prosecution of any offense described in this subsection may be undertaken by the United States, except under the certification in writing of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, or any Assistant Attorney General specially designated by the Attorney General that--

`(1) such certifying individual has reasonable cause to believe that the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person was a motivating factor underlying the alleged conduct of the defendant;

which ought to clear things up. Bottom line: the victim doesn't automatically get to claim "bias crime" just because he or she is a different race (or whatever) from the perpetrator.

The second point I want to make is that bias laws don't just apply to certain groups or "minorities". But don't take my word for it. Here's a clip from the FBI's 2004 hate crime statistics:

Racial bias motivated crimes against 5,119 hate crime victims of single-bias incidents. Nearly 68 percent (67.9) of the victims were the object of an anti-black bias. Slightly more than 20 percent (20.1) were victims of an anti-white bias, 5.2 percent were victimized because of an anti-Asian or Pacific Islander bias, and 2.0 percent were victims due to an anti-American Indian or Alaskan native bias. Victims of anti-multiple races bias, i.e., groups in which more than one race was represented, comprised 4.9 percent of hate crime victims.

In 2004, law enforcement agencies reported that there were 1,586 victims of crimes motivated by a religious bias (single-bias incidents only). Most (67.8 percent) were victimized because of an anti-Jewish bias. An anti-Islamic bias motivated offenses against 12.7 percent of victims, and an anti-Catholic bias provoked crimes against 4.3 percent. Victims of an anti-Protestant bias made up 3.0 percent of victims of hate crimes resulting from a religious bias; other religions, 9.3 percent; and multiple religions, group, 2.5 percent. The remaining 0.4 percent of hate crime victims were targeted because of the offender’s anti-Atheism or anti-Agnosticism bias.

In terms of single-bias incidents motivated by a sexual-orientation bias, law enforcement reported 1,482 victims, most of which (60.9 percent) were victims of crimes motivated by an anti-male homosexual bias. In addition, 21.2 percent of victims were targets of an anti-homosexual (male and female) bias. Slightly more than 14 percent (14.3) were victims of an anti-female homosexual bias, 2.4 percent were victimized because of an anti-heterosexual bias, and 1.2 percent were targets of an anti-bisexual bias.

Obviously I've added the bolding here. The point is that phrases like "race" and "sexual orientation" mean what they say; the law recognizes a bias crime as a bias crime. So, does anti-bias law protect straight white Protestant males? Yes.

You can go to the Wikipedia article on hate crime laws in the United States for an informative, readable, jargon-free roundup of information on the subject. Here's what Wiki says about federal law:

Current statutes permit federal prosecution of hate crimes committed on the basis of a person's race, color, religion, or nation origin when engaging in a federally protected activity (see 1969 law, infra). Legislation is currently pending that would add gender, sexual orientation, gender-identity, and disability to this list, as well as remove the prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally protected activity ...

Now, I'd originally planned to spend a lot of space rebutting Andrew Jaffee's rant at Israpundit but I don't think it's really worth the effort. In Jaffee's favor, though, I'll point out that the section he quotes about eliminating "the badges, incidents, and relics of slavery" has been stricken from the text of the bill, and rightly so, in my opinion; and as I've already said, I have a problem with the "real or perceived" business for the same reason Jaffee does.

Jaffee goes on to quote a WND article which alleges that 1592 is

similar to a state law that already has been used to send grandmothers to jail for their "crime" of sharing the Gospel of Jesus on a Philadelphia public sidewalk.

I'm not familiar with the specifics of this case, but I take everything WingNutDaily says with a grain of salt. So I'll just zip right to my next main point, and that's on religion, free speech, and homosexuality.

As I posted two years ago, I absolutely support the right of social conservatives to exercise their right to free speech, regardless of whether their views about homosexuality are the same as mine. In the 2005 incident, students at South Windsor High School (my old school, BTW) were denied the right to wear T-shirts with Biblical quotes about homosexuality on the grounds that it was "hate speech".

But the business of "hate speech" is entirely different from the "hate crimes" I've discussed above. In the Connecticut case, school officials acted arbitrarily and high-handedly (and unencumbered by any legal system) to enforce an ad-hoc speech code on their students. No acts of violence or property damage were committed or threatened by the conservative students; they were simply expressing their beliefs about homosexuality, in the context of an ongoing debate over pending gay-rights legislation in the state. (That bill was later signed into law by Republican Governor Jodi Rell, making Connecticut the first state in the US to recognize civil unions through the legislative process).

Now back to hate crimes. A hate crime is, by definition, an act which is already criminal in and of itself - threat, vandalism, assault, murder - and which is legally exacerbated by the bias motive. No hate crime law is going to make it illegal to express your belief that homosexuality is wrong, immoral, or a sin - unless your idea of "expressing your belief" means doing harm to somebody else. If you don't know the difference, maybe you need to sign up for a refresher course in Civilized Debate 101.

But here's the thing. There are people out there who are unable or unwilling to draw that very distinction. Do I have to spell it out for you? Do I have to name names?

There are people out there who would like to cut your head off just because you don't believe in the same religion they do. And their views about "lifestyle choices" would make any Baptist preacher look like a free-love apostle by comparison. Regardless of what CAIR may think this legislation will do for them, hate-crime laws are there to make life harder for people who want to do violence based on prejudice - and we in the counter-jihad world ought to remember that and use it to our advantage.

Think of Ilan Halimi. Was he killed because he was a Jew? Does it matter? I think he was, and I think it does. Now think of the immigrant women in places like the Netherlands who live in fear of honor killings if they step out of line. A crime is a crime is a crime, you say? Hmmm.

All right then. This is turning into a long post, so it's time for my bottom line.

Maybe it bugs you that the same law that protects Jews and Christians from religious persecution, might also protect lesbian and gay people from homophobic hate crimes. Well, think about this. HR 1592 is about the crime, not about the victim. It's about the use of gender to justify violence and religion to justify killing gays.

H.R. 1592 isn't there to tell you what to think or what to say. It's not there to tell a preacher in a church or an imam in a mosque that he can't speak about his beliefs on homosexuality. What it does do is bring down a whole lot of firepower on people who use certain kinds of hate to justify illegal and immoral acts against other people.

If you feel that cramps your style, then maybe we'd better have a long talk.

Counterpoint. Via a mailing list, George Will gives an excellent presentation of the case against hate-crime laws. Well worth reading.

Update. On the liberal side, there's some excellent debate in the comments thread at this post on Feministe.

Munitions blast in Mozambique kills over 100 (March 22).

From Tesao at LiveJournal:

Sonic booms were felt for hours Thursday afternoon (22 March 2007), as an unused military ammunition stockpile dating from the decades of "civil war" in Moçambique exploded and sent shrapnel and artillery shells raining overhead. Although the stockpile was located in the outer suburb of Malhazine, near the airport, windows in downtown buildings shattered and buildings shook. The roofs of houses near the site caved in. Ordnances, weighing as much as 100kg, were littered across the city; many were unexploded and potentially dangerous. A friend from the US was staying in my flat while I was out of the country, and she reported seeing huge dark mushroom clouds, fires, and smoke. She flew in about 1/2 hour before the explosions began, and watched it all from the fifteenth floor. Mimi the African Attack Cat was terrified by the noise and the shaking of the building, and hid under the bed.

One person’s car was lifted off the ground by the sound wave from the explosions. “It felt like it was hit in the rear by a 2x4,” he said. He could see a huge ball of flame in the distance as he came closer to the seminary. Crowds lined the streets, trying to run away from the blasts. Ceilings of near-by apartments fell down. Other houses in the community received extensive damage, as if “a bazooka was fired point blank at the front door.”

Over 100 people have died because of the tragedy, with almost 600 people injured. Most of the injuries are serious ones, losses of limbs are the most common. I personally know about 8 people who had relatives lose hands or arms or feet or legs. I know twice as many people who had an unexploded bomb land near or ON their property, including my houskeeper, Laura.

Funerals started this past Sunday, with expenses paid for by the Maputo and Matola municipalities and the Ministry of Health, and coffins provided by the Maputo City Council. Many citizens have donated blood for the blood bank at the Central Hospital, including FRELIMO Party parliamentary deputies.

The military spent the weekend cleaning up after the blasts, and removing ordnances and other projectiles. Some of the rockets lodged inside or underneath houses; the houses may have to be demolished in order to remove the munitions. Mozambican President Armando Guebuza has announced that the facility will be decommissioned and the munitions will be moved to a remote site, away from populated areas. There has been an uproar amongst the Maputenses, who blame the Minister of (In)defence. They are calling him this because he has no credentials for the post. He is, however, the brother-in-law of the Prime Minister.

Morning Report: March 23, 2007

A Friday morning roundup, including breaking news from Iran, and the good, the bad, and the ugly at CENTCOM.

British troops captured in Iran. Never Yet Melted from Bloomberg: 'Iran seized 15 British naval personnel who were conducting “routine boarding operations” in Iraqi waters, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said. “The boarding party had completed a successful inspection of a merchant ship when they and their two boats were surrounded and escorted by Iranian vessels into Iranian territorial waters,” the ministry said in an e-mailed statement. “We are urgently pursuing this matter with the Iranian authorities at the highest level.” The incident occurred in the Arabian Gulf at about 10:30 a.m. Iraq time today, the ministry said. It gave no details of the units and vessels involved.' (NYM)

Kesher Talk on "Breaking the Silence". Kesher Talk: 'In today's [New York] Times [Steve] Erlanger brings his obtuseness to bear on Breaking the Silence, a group which collects stories of malfeasance by IDF soldiers against Palestinians, and then the soldiers tour around college campuses and synagogues testifying to their misdeeds. A related group Combatants for Peace pairs an IDF soldier with a supposedly reformed Palestinian terrorist who demonstrate how peace can be achieved when the Israeli confesses his misdeeds and the Palestinian agrees with him. ...' Read the rest at the link. (KT)

Belmont Club on the Musharraf era. The Belmont Club: 'Musharraf's tightrope act suggests that Pakistan is divided between powerful forces, some sympathetic to the Jihad and others opposed with a big slug of criminality and thuggery thrown into the mixture. However, the "exit strategy" recommended by [Ahmed] Rashid has dangers too. ...' (Belmont Club)

Iraqi engineers learn new skills. MNF-Iraq: 'A class of Iraqi engineers completed a four-day course in construction quality management, enhancing their job skills to achieve a quality product safely, on time and within budget. The instructor of the course, Peggy McBride is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Quality Assurance lead for the Europe District. McBride explained how the construction quality management course, or CQM, teaches engineers the execution of tasks that ensure construction is performed according to plans and specifications; completed on time within a defined budget, and done in a safe work environment. “This class gives the Iraqi contractors the ability to meet the Corps’ construction contract requirements, and trains them to be contractor quality control personnel,” McBride said. “We give them standards that can be applied throughout Iraq.”' (MNFI)

Stopping corruption at Iraqi oil refinery. MNF-Iraq:

A United States Army captain met with a deputy commander of the Oil Protection Force to talk about security needs for the Bayji Oil Refinery here March 9.

U.S. Army Capt. Kwenton Kuhlman, Company B commander, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division and overseer of the oil refinery, and Nabhan Mohammed, deputy commander of the OPF in the Bayji refinery discussed corruption and embezzlement problems as well as the relationship between Iraqi Soldiers and OPF workers.

One of the biggest problems the refinery faced were guards being bribed and drivers being extorted, said Hassan Ahmad, an OPF employee.

“We have caught guys pumping extra fuel, short-changing government fuel tankers and a couple of OPF guys taking bribes from oil tankers,” said Kuhlman.

“The Iraqis are very aware of what is going on at the refinery, and they are fed up with it. Fuel is too important to the Iraqi people to have guards not doing their jobs,” said Kuhlman.

“We have to have a culture in the OPF that doesn’t tolerate corruption,” said Kuhlman.

To combat this corruption, Kuhlman introduced two contracts for new anti-corruption equipment which will be installed inside and outside the oil refinery.

“We will make it really hard and really expensive to steal from (the refinery),” said Kuhlman.

The Iraqi Army also did its part to make sure the corruption stops. Lt. Gen. Abdul-Aziz, commander of the 4th Iraqi Army Division, pledged to permanently station an infantry battalion at the refinery to help with security.

Bush: Mideast peace necessary for US security. CENTCOM: 'Peace in the Middle East is hard work, but it’s necessary for U.S. security and for the development of the region, President Bush said here today. “We have a remarkable country, and we have people from different walks of life, different levels of experience, make the decision to serve America by helping a young democracy survive,” Bush said after meeting with Iraq provincial reconstruction team leaders at the White House. “They understand what I understand, and that is, success in Iraq is important for the security of the United States.” Bush met with team members from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the military. PRTs are joint civilian-military units that support local leaders and empower provincial authorities by working closely with the communities on reconstruction and other activities.' (CENTCOM)

Iraq reconstruction moves ahead. CENTCOM:

The reconstruction effort under way in Iraq is one of the most extensive and challenging of all time, but also one of the most important, the deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today.

Army Maj. Gen. Ronald Johnson, who served as the first commander of the corps’ Gulf Region Division, reported that the Iraqi reconstruction program “is yielding positive, tangible results every day and has significantly improved the lives of the Iraqi people.”

Despite a challenging and often hostile work environment, Johnson reported that some 4,000 Corps of Engineers soldiers and civilian employees have seen more than 2,800 projects completed. “We have completed 13 refurbished hospitals that can serve 5,500 patients a day, restored water treatment facilities benefiting over 2.3 million Iraqis, completed over 250 border forts, helping to secure more than 2,000 miles of Iraqi borders, completed over 800 new or renovated schools serving 325,000 Iraqi children, and have increased electric power generation, benefiting 1.3 million homes,” he said.

Why is CENTCOM kicking Michael Yon out? Michael Yon: 'A general emailed in the past 24 hours threatening to kick me out. The first time the Army threatened to kick me out was in late 2005, just after I published a dispatch called “Gates of Fire.” Some of the senior level public affairs people who’d been upset by “Proximity Delays” were looking ever since for a reason to kick me out and they wanted to use “Gates of Fire” as a catapult. In the events described in that dispatch, I broke some rules by, for instance, firing a weapon during combat when some of our soldiers were fighting fairly close quarters and one was wounded and still under enemy fire. That’s right. I’m not sure what message the senior level public affairs people thought that would convey had they succeeded, (which they didn’t) but it was clear to me what they valued most. They want the press on a short leash, even at the expense of the life of a soldier.' Captain's Quarters: 'Does the Army want to build honest support for the mission here at home? Or would they rather play bureaucratic games with one of the few journalists willing to go wherever our soldiers go? Someone needs a reality check at CENTCOM.' (Michael Yon, Captain's Quarters)

Blast from the past. Sand Gets In My Eyes links a prescient 1946 War Department report:

Six decades ago, just after WWII and before the start of the Cold War, the US War Department conducted a study on long-term threats to global security. The number one threat according to their study? Islamic fundamentalists in the Middle East.

The report is filled with political incorrectness that would today probably lead to lawsuits and sit-ins, but it is also filled with some pretty interesting thoughts.

According to the report – remember it was written long before the terrorist attacks of recent years – paints a picture of a region “full of frustration and discontent”, a region torn apart by two powerful urges: one internal and one, not surprisingly external:

“The Muslims remember the power with which once they not only ruled their own domains but also overpowered half of Europe, yet they are painfully aware of their present economic, cultural, and military impoverishment. Thus a terrific internal pressure is building up in their collective thinking.”

The report goes on to conclude that:

“The Muslims intend, by any means possible, to regain political independence and to reap the profits of their own resources, which in recent times and up to the present have been surrendered to the exploitation of foreigners who could provide capital investments. The area, in short, has an inferiority complex, and its activities are thus as unpredictable as those of any individual so motivated.”

Read the rest at the link. (SGIME)

Morning Report: March 20, 2007

Iraq's navy moves forward despite problems, Iranians unite against the regime, an American general feels safer, and more.

Iraqi Navy moves toward independence. An article by Carmen Gleason, appearing at both CENTCOM and MNF-Iraq, reports on the status of the Iraqi Navy.

The Iraqi Navy will soon add 21 vessels to its fleet, putting it another step closer to being operationally independent, officials said during a Baghdad news conference Sunday.
With a contract on the verge of completion, the Iraqi Navy is the first of the Iraq’s forces to use the Ministry of Defense’s procurement process with Iraqi money in purchasing major capital programs from foreign governments and commercial ventures.

“The Iraqi Navy has come a long way since the end of the hostilities,” United States Navy Capt. Michael Zamesnik, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command liaison officer to Multi-National Force-Iraq, said “They were an organization that had been ravaged by the effects of the war, and they are making great strides to rebuild themselves.” ...

Read the rest at either of the links. However, Strategy Page cautions that corruption remains a serious problem: 'Corruption, however, has seen to it that most of the larger boats arrived in poor condition, and attempts to obtain spare parts, and needed maintenance, have not gone well. Money keeps disappearing, as well as shipments of needed materials. Welcome to Iraq. ...' (MNFI, CENTCOM, Strategy Page)

Calling Iranian expats: Your people need you. The Spirit of Man: 'I am hearing that Iranians living in Sweden are collecting money for those workers who have not been paid by the Iranian gov't and are currently on strike across the country. So I was wondering if this could spread to all Iranian expat communities worldwide. Iranians in Canada, America, Western Europe, Australia and Japan are instrumental in helping these people who are struggling to stay alive. Moreover, if we can maintain a good flow of cash to Iran through any possible way, then we might also be able to initiate strikes and ask the rest of the country to go on strike too. I know it is a huge task and a bit hard to do, but it is not impossible. That's where the support of western governments, especially the United States, is going to play a major role. Their financial backing would be a major step towards the removing of mullahs.' (TSOM)

IRI stopped weapons inspectors from visiting underground bunker. Via Shiro-Khorshid-Forever: 'Iran stopped UN inspectors from visiting an underground bunker where it is building an industrial-scale plant to make enriched uranium but the inspectors will try again, diplomats told AFP Monday. Iran had however promised "frequent inspector access" to the site in Natanz, the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in February.' Read the full AFP article here. (SKF)

Mohammed Fadhil: Somebody finally bothered to ask Iraqis. ITM's Mohammed Fadhil at Pajamas Media:

With the constant force buildup many streets now host multiple checkpoints, both fixed and mobile. All are positioned in a manner that allows soldiers in one to have visual contact with those in the next one.

As the operations continue, the interior ministry is introducing new identification measures for vehicles used by its personnel. The new armored vehicles are unique and leave no room for confusion, while the SUV’s are getting new light-green paint with the words ‘National Police’ well visible on the sides.

From my personal experience I can tell that the men staffing the checkpoints do not take their job lightly. One can feel that a long month of hard work did not exhaust them, and I am awed by the courage of those soldiers and policemen. In a city which has absorbed more suicide bombings than all other cities in the world combined every passing vehicle or motorcycle is a threat. ...

You look around in Baghdad now and see hundreds of men working in the streets to pick up garbage; to plant flowers and paint the blast walls in joyful colors. Many of Baghdad’s squares are becoming green and clean. The picture isn’t perfect, but it’s a clear attempt to beat violence and ease pain through giving the spring a chance to shine.

Nights in Baghdad now are far from quiet, but the sounds cause less anxiety for me than they did before. I recognize the rumble of armor and thump of guns and they assure me that the gangs and militias do not dominate the night as they once did.

When Arabs or westerners ask me about the situation and I answer that hope remains and that we’re looking forward to a better future most would say ‘Are you living in this world?’ I answer, ‘Yes, it’s you who live in the parallel world the media built for you with images of only death and destruction’.

If it surprised some of them that a poll found Iraqis optimistic, then I’m surprised that someone finally bothered to ask Iraqis how they feel.

Please go read the full post at the link. (PJM)

Petraeus: "Nobody shot at us." Gordon Cucullu at Benador Associates:

'I WALKED down the streets of Ramadi a few days ago, in a soft cap eating an ice cream with the mayor on one side of me and the police chief on the other, having a conversation." This simple act, Gen. David Petraeus told me, would have been "unthinkable" just a few months ago. "And nobody shot at us," he added.

Petraeus, the new commander managing the "surge" of troops in Iraq, will be the first to caution realism. "Sure we see improvements - major improvements," he said in our interview, "but we still have a long way to go."

What tactics are working? "We got down at the people level and are staying," he said flatly. "Once the people know we are going to be around, then all kinds of things start to happen."

More intelligence, for example. Where once tactical units were "scraping" for intelligence information, they now have "information overload," the general said. "After our guys are in the neighborhood for four or five days, the people realize they're not going to just leave them like we did in the past. Then they begin to come in with so much information on the enemy that we can't process it fast enough."

Read the rest to find out what we're doing to make Iraq's gathering place safer, and what other major figure recently took a stroll in the Sunni streets of Ramadi. (Benador)

Azadegan for a free Iran. The Free Iran - ActivistChat message board links to Azadegan's report (PDF) detailing a strategy for change and a vision for a new Iran. Go to the link for excerpts and important related news. (Free Iran)

Commentary. Politicians like Oregon's Senator Gordon Smith ("R"), who opposed the troop surge, are going to be in a tough spot soon. I was cautious at first about making predictions for the surge's success, but every indication - from the sources who actually know what they're talking about - is that it is working.

Afternoon Roundup - March 18

Via LGF: Thailand attack kills 3 schoolchildren.

Three Muslim schoolchildren were killed and seven injured in an attack by suspected insurgents at an Islamic school in restive southern Thailand, police said Sunday.

The attack occurred late Saturday evening at the Bamrungsart Pohnor school, a Muslim boarding school in Songkhla province, said police Col. Thammasak Wasaksiri. Attackers hurled explosives onto the school grounds and opened fire with assault rifles into the sleeping quarters of the school, Thammasak said.

Ritzy Mabrouk: Egypt opposition set to resign. Follow Ritzy's links for details. Global Voices: 'According to Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdulfattah, two bloggers were among more than 20 people arrested for taking part in an anti-government rally called for by opposition movement Kefaya to protest against Constitutional amendments which will allegedly give the ruling party more power.'

Morning Report: March 18, 2007

Morning Report returns after a month-long hiatus. Let's roll.

"Enforcing the Law" reduces violence in northwest Baghdad. MNF-Iraq:

Violence has reduced since moving Coalition forces out of big forward operating bases and into smaller community-based combat outposts as part of the Fardh Al-Qanoon, a senior Army officer serving there said Friday.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division has seen a significant drop in violence over the past few months in the province of Shula and Kadtimiya, said Col. J.B. Burton, the unit’s commander.

Murders are down, from 141 in January to 63 in February to only 16 so far in March, he said. However the area has seen an increase in car bombs targeting Shiite gathering places, Burton said.

About one million people live in the area patrolled by Burton’s troops. It is principally Shiite-occupied in the northeast, Sunni in the west and southwest, and mixed in the southeast. Sectarian fault lines define the areas, and both Sunni and Shiia extremists fight for control over portions of the city and its citizens, said Burton.

CENTCOM explains: 'The Government of Iraq and the Coalition Force officially announced the name for the Baghdad security plan Feb. 17. The operation is named ‘Fardh Al-Qanoon,’ an Iraqi phrase that translates to ‘Enforcing the Law.’ This is the title agreed upon by Government of Iraq, with the support of the Coalition leaders, and reflects the Iraqi-led nature of the operation.' (MNFI, CENTCOM)

Admiral Fallon assumes command of CENTCOM. CENTCOM reports:

Adm. William J. Fallon took charge of United States Central Command here Friday replacing the retiring Gen. John P. Abizaid.

Fallon, the former chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, now leads more than 200,000 service members deployed in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, which includes 27 nations throughout Southwest Asia, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.

Fallon is the first naval officer to assume command of CENTCOM, which began as the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force in 1980.

Secretary of Defense, Robert M.Gates, presided during the ceremony, paying tribute to both Abizaid and Fallon during his keynote remarks.

He thanked Abizaid and his wife Kathy for the wonderful job they’ve both done for the United States and wished them well in their retirement. Abizaid wraps up 54 months at CENTCOM as both deputy commander and commander.

Read the rest at the link. (Note: Site may load slowly.) (CENTCOM)

Al-Qaeda does what it does best. Iraq the Model: 'Al-Qaeda's terrorists-whom AP insists on calling insurgents-expended three suicide bombers and precious resources against their supposedly sympathetic civilian Sunni hosts instead of American and Iraqi soldiers and Shia civilians; their usual enemies. If this indicates anything it indicates that al-Qaeda's is reprioritizing the targets on the hit list. The reason: al-Qaeda is sensing a serious threat in the change of attitude of the tribes toward them and perhaps the apparently successful meeting of the sheiks with Maliki and the agreements that were made then was the point at which open war had to be declared. The tribes in Anbar are stubborn and they have many ruthless warriors. That's a proven fact and it looks like Al-Qaeda had just made their gravest mistake—their once best friends are just about to become their worst enemy.' (ITM)

Battle of Diyala. The Fourth Rail: 'Baquba, the capital of the violence wracked province of Diyala, has emerged as the latest battlefield in Iraq. Earlier this week, Multinational Forces Iraq began to redeploy a battalion of Strykers - about 700 soldiers and 100 of their Stryker combat vehicles from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division - from Baghdad to Baquba to chase down the 2,000 plus estimated al Qaeda fighters who have fled the capital in anticipation of the Baghdad Security Plan. Upon the first day of their arrival in Baquba, the Strykers of the 5-20 have engaged in heavy combat in the streets of the city. Al Qaeda in Iraq was prepared for the arrival of the Strykers, and set up defensive and ambush positions throughout the city. The Strykers arriving in Baquba encountered mortars, snipers, RPGs, a host of Improvised Explosive Devices and possibly anti-tank weapons. ...' Roggio concludes: 'The recent tape released by Abu Omar al Baghdadi, the leader of al Qaeda's political front the Islamic State in Iraq, reflects concern within the terror group. Baghdadi implored tribal leaders and insurgent groups to fight under the banner of the Islamic State in Iraq, and threatened those who will not with death and damnation. Al Qaeda has seen its power decline in Anbar province the past few months and Baghdadi will want to stem this trend in Diyala, Salahadin and elsewhere.' (TFR)

Yemen: bombing closes school. Via Armies of Liberation: 'March 13 — Teachers have refrained from working at Al-Abous district’s Talb School for three months and classrooms remain closed because an identified group detonated a package of explosives in the school, damaging it and intimidating its students, who number as many as 550.' (Armies of Liberation)

Iran: Teachers, workers, veterans protest. The Spirit of Man reports on several protests brewing in Iran now. (TSOM)

Hossein Forohideh execution stopped. Shiro-Khorshid-Forever reports: 'I just got of the phone with one of my contacts and seems like as of yet the execution has not been carried out. I know so many people have worked really hard to try to save Mr. Forohideh's life and I would like to thank everyone. Ofcourse this does not mean that he is out of the woods yet, so please keep the pressure on, until we recieve news that the threat of execution has passed.' Background: 'The Revolutionary Court in the city of Oroumiey has sentenced Hossein Forohideh, a political activist to death and is planning to execute him today March 16, 2007. Four months ago Mr. Forohideh was arrested in the Kurdistan of Iran and was subjected to severe torture. For three months his family had no news about his whereabouts. They tried to find out his whereabouts by going to various Security and Judiciary Agencies but were not successful and slowly started losing hope in regards to him still being alive.' Full article at the link. An important reminder of the importance of grassroots activism. (SKF)

A new home for Amarji. Amarji announces: 'Well, it finally had to happen, I guess. I have just moved my blog to the Tharwa Community.' Sensibly enough, since he's the founder. Here's the new URL: http://www.tharwacommunity.org/amarji/ (Amarji)

Commentary. Amazingly enough, the approach of "Fardh Al-Qanoon" - an Arabic phrase meaning "let's win the war by actually fighting it" - seems to be working. Well, fancy that. We shall have plenty more to say on this subject in due time.

Night Flashes - March 7

ITM goes back to politics:

A new political bloc has emerged. It’s not a fourth bloc as Mohammed anticipated some time ago; it’s a union of, so far, two existing blocs. The core of the new movement is pretty much the same as what Mohammed expected, though. The Accord Front has announced it has joined the bloc led by former PM Ayad Allawi, forming what they refer to now as the “Iraqi National Front”. This new alliance has 69 seats in parliament and is likely to gain an additional 11 seats if the Dialogue Front of the nationalist Salih al-Mutlaq decides to join in, which is not unlikely.

It’s still not decided who is going to be the leader in the new bloc, and none of the leading figures involved has talked about this yet. However I suspect that this position will be filled by Allawi who, although his group has only 25 out of the 69 seats, was the one who came up with the idea in the first place, and his charisma, history in leadership and his nonsectarian attitude qualify him over the others.

The second development, which is far more significant than the first, just took place in the corridors of the United Iraqi Alliance, the main Shia bloc. This morning, in a frank challenge to ayatollah Sistani’s earlier call for preserving the UIA’s unity, the head of al-Fadheela party -which controls 15 of its 130 seats- declared independence from the Shia bloc and said his team now would act as an independent bloc within parliament.

Here's ThreatsWatch: 'In regard to Fadhila’s withdrawal from the governing coalition, this is not as significant as it may seem on the surface. Fadhila has withdrawn from the coalition before, and since the formation of the current government under Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has never actually participated in the government, having been denied the Oil Ministry due to allegations of corruption. Like the Sadr faction, Fadhila has opposed Maliki’s government on many major votes. Although both voted for Maliki’s nomination and confirmation as prime minister, his core support has always depended on four elements - his own Dawa Party, SCIRI (the largest Shia faction), the Shia independents of the UIA (who make up a fifth of the coalition), and the Kurdish parties.'

A US Navy sailor has been arrested on terrorism charges: 'A former US Navy sailor was arrested on terrorism charges Wednesday for allegedly mishandling classified information that ended up in the hands of a suspected terror financier. Hassan Abujihaad, 31, also known by the name Paul R. Hall, is charged in the same case as Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites to raise money to finance terror.' JPost adds: 'Hassan Abujihaad, 31, from the Western state of Arizona, was arrested in a case that began in Connecticut, on the Atlantic seaboard, and has stretched across the country and into Europe and the Middle East. Abujihaad, who is also known by the name Paul R. Hall, is charged in the same case as Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites to raise money to finance terror. ... During the Ahmad investigation, investigators discovered computer files containing classified information about the positions of US Navy ships and discussing their susceptibility to attack.'

The Defense Department approves more troops for Iraq. 'The US Defense Department has approved a request by the new US commander in Iraq for an extra 2,200 military police to help deal with an anticipated increase in detainees during the Baghdad security crackdown, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday. Gates told reporters at the Pentagon that the extra MPs are in addition to the 21,500 combat troops that President Bush is sending for the Baghdad security plan and 2,400 other troops designated to support them.'

Iranian women arrested at protest for arrested Iranian women. 'Iranian security forces on Sunday arrested around 30 women's rights activists rallying outside a Tehran court where a group of their fellow campaigners were on trial over a demonstration last year. "My clients and other women who had gathered in front of the court were arrested," Nasrin Sotoodeh, the lawyer for the accused, was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. ... The protestors had gathered in front of the revolutionary court in solidarity with five women on trial over their roles in a demonstration which was broken up by police in June last year. Nushin Ahmadi Khorasani, Parvin Ardalan, Shahla Entesari, Susan Tahmasebi and Fariba Davudi Mohajer were standing trial for organising an "unauthorised" rally to ask for equal rights for women. It was not clear which of the accused were among those arrested.'

Talisman Gate on Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.

This is what the Iraqi government told us: ‘Abu Omar al-Baghdadi’ is the pseudonym for Khalid al-Mashhadani, who also goes by the name ‘Abu Zaid’.

This is what we know from following the bitter recriminations among jihadists on internet discussion forums: ‘Abu Omar al-Baghdadi’ was arrested under the Ba’athist regime as a Salafist (radical Islamist) activist who had broken into a school and defaced Saddam Hussein’s pictures and the Ba’athist slogans at the school.

This is what Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq claims about his pedigree: ‘Abu Omar al-Baghdadi’ is descended from the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Al-Hussein bin Ali, which would make him a Husseinite from the Hashemite clan that is part of the tribe of Quraysh.

This is the best I could do to tie all this up together, according to my sources: al-Baghdadi’s full name is Khalid Khalil Ibrahim al-Mashhadani. He is in his early 40s, and is known as ‘Abu Zaid’. He had been a Salafist under Saddam, and was briefly detained then over some unknown infraction. He has five brothers (that I know of), the eldest being Aggab (born 1954, served in the Iraqi Army’s 56th Battalion during Iraq-Iran War, last job was as principal of a secondary school in the Tarmiyah area north of Baghdad), and the second eldest is Hatim (a former NCO in the Iraqi Army). Khalid’s father, Khalil al-Mashhadani, used to own three lorry trucks that he would rent out for transporting gravel and the such, and after his death (about seven years ago) Khalid took over the business and converted their small office (at the entrance to the Dabbash neighborhood in Hurriyah, opposite to the Chalabi grove) into a service facilitating car registrations. However, Khalid seemed to have shuttered down his business during 2003. Khalid’s father was considered a respected person among the Mashhadani tribe and among the residents of Hurriya. ...

Weekend Roundup

After a short hiatus, let's get caught up with some recent events.

TMG on Omar Baghdadi's face slap from Jebouri on al-Zawra. Kat at The Middle Ground has an in-depth analysis of this incident previously noted at The Belmont Club:

He goes on to name names of the people killed by Al Qaeda who were either associated with the insurgents or were these "notables". He also outlines other "crimes" by Al Qaeda, including murdering Juburi's emissary (gigantic no-no in the Muslim/Arab culture), murdering men, women and children regardless of their relationship to the insurgency or the "occupiers", and on and on.

Right on Jihad TV.

I think that the last sentence I highlighted, demanding Omar Baghdadi's real name, is a huge slap in the face Arab style. In Arab culture, family and tribe are everything. People marry within their own families and tribes to maintain that connection and protection. Who you are, your ability to lead, your blood lines and their relation to Mohammed can mean the difference between being a respected leader with the right to make religious pronouncements and a goat herder. It is directly related to your name.

In a few circumspect words, Juburi may have implied that Omar Baghdadi is a nameless, fatherless cur.

Read the rest here. Also from TMG: How can you tell when the Navy's in charge? Heh.

ITM on Operation Baghdad. 'The buildup of troops in the capital seems to be incremental and increasing by the day giving a steadily growing sense of the seriousness of the operation. Yesterday during my tour with some friends we were stopped to be searched seven times during about only two hours; five times in Karkh and two in Resafa. The search typically includes verifying the vehicle registration papers, looking for guns and munitions or suspicious objects, destination of the passenger/driver and often their identity cards. In general the security personnel are polite in their dealing with people they search and some of them even end the procedure with an apology for the inconvenience. We are getting used to the procedures at checkpoints; keep your hands visible on the wheel, keep your papers close to you, prepare to open the trunk and if it's getting dark then turn the headlights off and turn the reading light on. I hear a lot from people how they want to see checkpoint search each and every vehicle on the street even their own because we know that the more effective checkpoints are the more secure the city would be. ...'

CTB on al-Qaeda propaganda video. 'The propaganda video "Convoy of Martyrs" that was produced by Al-Qaida's "Mujahideen Shura Council" (the precursor to the current "Islamic State of Iraq") in late 2006 has finally been publicly released. The video includes interviews with many foreign jihadists fighting for Al-Qaida in Iraq--mostly of Saudi and Syrian origin. In a recorded plea to his family, one young man from the Arabian Peninsula, Abu Nasser al-Janoobi, admonishes his brother, "I beg you to depart for the land of honor and manhood. Don't just sit there and stay behind, and don't listen to anyone who tries to stop you. Just go and kill the Americans. Just kill them and don't leave any survivors." Another Saudi national, Abul-Abbas al-Jeddawi, shows off an explosives-packed suicide car bomb and explains jubilantly, "At the end [of the wire], you can see the button which I will press on my way to paradise."' Go to the post for a link to the video.

The Fourth Rail: Al-Qaeda targeting Sunni opposition in Anbar. 'Al-Qaeda in Iraq has stepped up its campaign to eliminate the indigenous Sunni opposition in Anbar province. According to an American intelligence official and a military officer, al-Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to destroy all effective Sunni opposition in the province. Over the past week, al-Qaeda has conducted two major suicide attacks in Habbaniyah and Ramadi against two influence members of the Sunni opposition to al-Qaeda in Iraq: Shiekh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, and the imam of a Habbaniyah mosque who spoke out against al-Qaeda. ...' If you've forgotten where Anbar Province is, it's due west from Baghdad; go to the article and you'll see Habbaniyah and Ramadi on that map.

Fumento: Democrats' SOF fixation. I wanna be tough like John Wayne! 'Go to www.navyseals.com and click on "training" and you'll wonder that even 30 percent survive. "Doubling the size is impossible," Bailey told me. "But there's something about special ops that appeals more to Democrats than GOP," he added. "There's almost like there's a craving to be accepted by real men. I don't know any liberal Democrat who doesn't like special ops." Expanding other units will prove more doable because their attrition rates are lower. But few if any Special Operations Forces units could be doubled, much less the overall force. "Doubling SOF is a joke," says Heidt. But the joke may not be funny if SOF is doubled by the one means possible – lowering the bar. ...'

New to blogroll: Sand Gets In My Eyes. An American expat in Saudi Arabia writes about her experiences.

Tammy Bruce: Thug (20) meets vet (70). And meets an early demise. 'Only one will walk away, and it's not the mugger. ...bravo to the veteran who still does honor to his uniform.'

Baldilocks: "I wish I had prayed for her." 'A woman died today, one who had money, fame and good looks. She had everything—and nothing. Here was a woman who seemed to go every which way in her public and private lives to gain “love” but it seemed to elude her nonetheless. ....' Read the rest.

Related. Black TV.

Morning Report: February 18, 2007

A political storm brews in Washington, while boots hit the ground in Baghdad.

ITM: Baghdad attacks down 80 percent. Iraq the Model: 'Since the multiple bombings in Shroja market district on the 12th, Baghdad hasn’t seen any major attacks and there’s a tangible decrease in all kinds of attacks. Not only official statements say so (Defense ministry officials said today that attacks are down by 80% in Baghdad). It’s a reality I live in nowadays, at least in my neighborhood and its surroundings. It is also what I hear from friends and relatives in other parts of the city. We are hearing fewer explosions and less gunfire now than two weeks ago and that, in Baghdad, qualifies as quiet.' (ITM)

Kesher Talk posts Lieberman address. Kesher Talk posts the text of Senator Joseph Lieberman's speech opposing the anti-surge resolution in the Senate. 'Congress has been given constitutional responsibilities. But the micro-management of war is not one of them. The appropriation of funds for war is. I appreciate that each of us here has our own ideas about the best way forward in Iraq, I respect those that take a different position than I, and I understand that many feel strongly that the President's strategy is the wrong one. But the Constitution, which has served us now for more than two great centuries of our history, creates not 535 commanders-in-chief, but one—the President of the United States, who is authorized to lead the day to day conduct of war.' Read it all. (KT)

Gay Patriot: "Congressional cowards give up on the troops." Gay Patriot links to Ralph Peters in the New York Post: 'The "nonbinding resolution" telling the world that we intend to surrender to terrorism and abandon Iraq may be the most disgraceful congressional action since the Democratic Party united to defend slavery. The vote was a huge morale booster for al Qaeda, for Iraq's Sunni insurgents, and for the worst of the Shia militias. The message Congress just sent to them all was, "Hold on, we'll stop the surge, we're going to leave - and you can slaughter the innocent with our blessing."' GP adds: 'Luckily, the Senate vote against the “non-binding” resolution on Saturday was a devastating defeat for the Democrats…. and there are number of vulnerable House freshmen Democrats who must have their pins stuck in their Nancy Pelosi voodoo doll this weekend.' (Gay Patriot, NY Post)

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Infidel. Ayaan Hirsi Ali speaks on her new book, "Infidel". Video at the link. (AEI)

General explains troop surge strategy. Via CENTCOM, MND-B commander Major General Joseph Fil explains the strategy:

The security plan includes an increase in Iraqi and coalition forces in Iraq’s capital, a push to rid the city of violent extremists and the creation of joint security stations throughout Baghdad, Fil said.

Once the streets are cleared of extremist elements, the coalition and Iraqi security forces will assert control of each neighborhood and move further toward transition, he said.

“After an area is cleared, we move into what we call ‘control operations.’ Together, with our Iraqi counterparts, we will maintain a full-time presence on the streets. We’ll do this by building and manning joint security stations,” said Fil, who assumed responsibility for MND-B three months ago. “The effort to establish these joint security stations is well underway.”

As Iraqi security forces assume control of the day-to-day operations of Baghdad’s joint security stations, coalition forces will move out of its neighborhoods, but still respond to requests for assistance from Iraqi security forces, if needed, he said.

In addition to the joint security stations, Fil said the new strategy will also have an economic component to spark the Iraqi economy.

“During these three phases, efforts will be on-going to stimulate local economies by creating employment opportunities, initiating reconstruction projects and improving the infrastructure,” he explained. “These efforts will be spearheaded by Neighborhood Advisory Councils, District Advisory Councils and the government of Iraq.”

General Fil emphasized that it would take time for the operation to work. Full text at the link. (CENTCOM)

Haider Ajina on troop surge. Haider Ajina at Mudville Gazette posts two articles translated from the Iraqi media and comments: 'The long awaited new security plan for Baghdad has now started in earnest. These Iraqi unites trained by us and the UK are performing well. As I have mentioned many times. It is hard to train Iraqi security to serve, protect and enforce the rule of law in three short years, when all they have known previously is oppression and dictatorship. Think about how long it takes for us to train our military, and our men and women have grown up in a society of rule of law and democracy. Democracy and rule of law has only been a dream for Iraqis up until four years ago. The training of the Iraqis is thus doubly challenging. The new security operation looks and sounds good with Iraqis performing well. What is also interesting is the media campaign the Government has launched to support this operation. Extra billboards displaying hotlines numbers for tips, TV & Radio adds denouncing terrorism etc… Popular and political support for this operation is the highest I have seen for any operation to date. Iraqi Arab Sunnis and Shiites as well as Kurds, who in Iraq are mostly Sunni, and Christians all support and have high hopes for this operation. Sentiment and hope is especially high amongst the displaced families who are now hoping they can return to their homes sooner rather than later.' (Mudville Gazette)

IraqPundit on Murtha's stealth surrender. IraqPundit quotes an editorial in the Washington Post:

Murtha “would stop the surge by crudely hamstringing the ability of military commanders to deploy troops. In an interview carried Thursday by the Web site MoveCongress.org, Mr. Murtha said he would attach language to a war funding bill that would prohibit the redeployment of units that have been at home for less than a year, stop the extension of tours beyond 12 months, and prohibit units from shipping out if they do not train with all of their equipment. His aim, he made clear, is not to improve readiness but to ‘stop the surge.’ So why not straightforwardly strip the money out of the appropriations bill -- an action Congress is clearly empowered to take -- rather than try to micromanage the Army in a way that may be unconstitutional? Because, Mr. Murtha said, it will deflect accusations that he is trying to do what he is trying to do. ‘What we are saying will be very hard to find fault with,’ he said.”

IraqPundit adds: 'Are the Democrats seriously intending to curtail the U.S. effort in Iraq by political sleight of hand? The Post's point about stripping out the funding is exact. Congress has the power to do that. But instead of attempting that, the Democrats prefer to try to run the military, in the hope that they can undercut the war with a minimum of criticism.' (IraqPundit)

Israpundit: The Democratic Party's octopus. The palindromic billionaire behind the Democrats is like an octopus, says Israpundit, diagramming the multifarious connections of George Soros. 'George Soros, like his creation MoveOn.org, is part of the cancer that infests the Democratic Party at the expense of mainstream Democrats. George Soros has reputedly destroyed nations’ currencies to enrich himself while using his network of NGOs like MoveOn.org, Open Society Institute, International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA, run by Soros minion Rebecca Peters), and so on to perpetrate his visions of internationalism at the expense of national sovereignty. He has similarly used his enormous wealth to subvert, polarize, and marginalize part of the Democratic Party to the point where it no longer represents anything in which decent Americans believe. This includes the working people who have relied on the Democratic Party to represent their interests against abusive big businesses and special interests. The Democratic Party must accordingly treat its Soros-infested wing like malignant cancer, which must be excised before it destroys the party entirely.' Details at the link. (Israpundit)

Ramadi mayor solving problems. MNF-Iraq: 'AR RAMADI – Ten city directors and representatives met with the mayor here Monday to discuss city problems and solutions.
The meeting was the second of its kind to be held since the appointment of Mayor Latif Obaid Ayadah in early January, and served as a forum for the leaders. Representatives from Ramadi’s water department, sewage and sanitation department, electricity department, municipality department, and a few supervisors of other areas attended the morning meeting. The collection of professional leaders addressed a variety of topics during the meeting, all focused on increasing the quality of life for Ramadi citizens. The main topics of discussion for the meeting were the importance of electricity and water for the upcoming summer months, obtaining smooth communication between city departments and Iraqi Army units, providing honest jobs for the citizens, and identifying the “bad elements” of city departments.' Mayor Ayadah declared that "all of Ramadi must become a Green Zone." (MNFI)

Israel: Datiyot more likely to become officers. Israelity reports: ' According to a study commissioned by Israel’s Knesset (parliament), while only a fifth of religious women enroll in the army, those enlisted are more likely to opt for officer’s training than are their secular counterparts. “The army is interested in enlisting religious recruits because they are high achievers, and has therefore opened a versatile range of courses for them…” The Knesset Education Committee Chair said.' Article here. (Israelity, YNet)

Commentary. Take note: this troop surge is the make-or-break, decisive campaign that must bring an end to effective terrorism in Baghdad. And it is precisely this success that certain cowards in Washington know they must stop, lest the face of true courage be revealed, and put them to shame.

Morning Report: February 11, 2007

General Petraeus takes charge, analysts look at a new inter-Palestinian accord, American officials break silence, satellite TV gets a review, and a survivor of anti-Semitism is attacked while one of its victims is laid to rest.

Petraeus addresses troops. MNF-Iraq:

To the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Civilians of Multi-National Force-Iraq:
We serve in Iraq at a critical time. The war here will soon enter its fifth year. A decisive moment approaches. Shoulder-to-shoulder with our Iraqi comrades, we will conduct a pivotal campaign to improve security for the Iraqi people. The stakes could not be higher.

Our task is crucial. Security is essential for Iraq to build its future. Only with security can the Iraqi government come to grips with the tough issues it confronts and develop the capacity to serve its citizens. The hopes of the Iraqi people and the coalition countries are with us.

The enemies of Iraq will shrink at no act, however barbaric. They will do all that they can to shake the confidence of the people and to convince the world that this effort is doomed. We must not underestimate them.

Together with our Iraqi partners, we must defeat those who oppose the new Iraq. We cannot allow mass murderers to hold the initiative. We must strike them relentlessly. We and our Iraqi partners must set the terms of the struggle, not our enemies. And together we must prevail. ...

Read the rest here. (MNFI)

Bill Roggio: Baghdad OOB. The Fourth Rail puts together a picture of the order of battle in Baghdad, from open-source material. 'The plan is to split Baghdad into two subcommands (Divisions) east and west of the Tigris River. An Iraqi Army general has assumed command of the overall operation, with U.S. units in support. The U.S. has devoted 9 combat Battalions plus Training Teams and Quick Reaction Forces, about 17,500 troops, to augment the 10 Iraqi Army combat Brigades, 8 Iraqi National Police Brigades and local police forces. The U.S. battalions will pair up with the Iraqi Army Brigades and police units, and establish approximately 30 Joint Security Stations (JSS) within the neighborhoods. From the JSS, US, Iraqi Army and police forces will maintain a permanent presence in the neighborhoods, conduct patrols and direct reconstruction projects.' Go to the link for full post, and a map. (TFR)

Khalid Hasan blasts Pakistani televangelists. Via ThreatsWatch, Pakistani expat Khalid Hasan takes on Pakistan's TV fundies, who get piped in via satellite to Pakistanis living abroad: 'The religious programmes are so dark and grim that one would have to have strong faith to remain in the flock after watching them. There you have these people, masquerading as divines and theologians, as authorities on the word of God and all that has been revealed to man. They never smile. They only deliver themselves of chilling warnings to those who stray from the path, a path that they credit God with having laid down, but of which the Almighty is quite innocent.' Go read it all. (Pakistan Daily Times via TW)

Evidence of Iran's role unveiled. Counterterrorism Blog:

"(O)ne of six Iranians detained in January in a raid on an office in the northern city of Irbil was the operational commander of the Quds Brigade, a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards that trains and equips Shiite militants abroad. He was identified as Mohsin Chizari, who was apprehended after slipping back into Iraq after a 10-month absence, the officer said. The Iranians were caught trying to flush documents down the toilet, he said. Bags of their hair were found during the raid, indicating they had tried to change their appearance, he added. He said the dates of manufacture on weapons found so far indicate they were made after fall of Saddam Hussein -- mostly in 2006. He said the "machining" on the components was traceable to Iran but did not elaborate."

For the first time, American officials were able to quantify the casualties resulting from Iranian-made armaments: "Sophisticated Iranian-built bombs smuggled into Iraq have killed at least 170 US and allied soldiers since June 2004 and wounded 620 more, senior US defence officials have said. Iran is involved in supplying explosively formed projectiles or EFPs and other material to Iraqi extremist groups." And the briefing included a description of the route used by Iranian agents to smuggle the weapons into Iraq: "The U.S. officer said Iran was working through 'multiple surrogates' -- mainly 'rogue elements' of the Shiite Mahdi Army -- to smuggle the EFPs into Iraq. He said most of the components are entering Iraq near Amarah, the Iranian border city of Meran, and the Basra area of southern Iraq."

Also on the Iran/Iraq front, Debka has this:

Iran sends shoulder-borne QW-1 anti-air missiles to Iraqi Sunni insurgents and Hizballah to shoot down US and Israeli helicopters.

DEBKAfile’s sources in Tehran and Kurdistan disclose that, last month, two Iranian QW-1 and SA-7 missile consignments reached Iraqi insurgents allied with al Qaeda and one, radical Shiite Moqtada Sadr’s Shiite militia, the Mehdi Army. Israeli sources report the same anti-air weapons were delivered at about the same time to Hizballah units in Lebanon including the south.

Our military sources add that Iran’s arms industry has succeeded in replicating a quality version of the Chinese QW-1 and improved its electronics. It is 1.447meters long and packs 16.5 kilos of explosives. The IDF estimates that the first of these missiles used experimentally by Hizballah caused an Israeli helicopter to explode during take-off near the Litani River in the Lebanon War last summer.

Iranian markings have been erased from the equipment going into Iraq and Lebanon to suggest they were bought on the black market. Dated Soviet-era models of the SA-7 were indeed bought by Iran on Far East black markets and supplied to Iraqi insurgents and also pro-Tehran governors in western Afghanistan. Iran is preparing the ground for a Shiite insurgency against NATO forces there.

According to our sources, all three consignments to Iraq went through the North Iraqi Kurdistani town of Suleimaniya not far from the Iranian border. An Iranian clandestine center operates there like “the liaison center” the Americans raided in another Kurdish town, Irbil, last month. The Suleimaniya center operates with permission from Iraqi’s Kurdish president Jalal Talabani.

They weapons were smuggled in concealed compartments of trucks transporting building materials and iron from Iran for a Kurdish building company. After unloading their legitimate freight, the trucks drove on south up to the regional border where Iraqi insurgents off-loaded the missiles to their vehicles and distributed them to their networks in Baqouba, Ramadi and Tikrit – north of Baghdad and Hilla to the south.

Full posts at the links. (CTB, Debka)

ODIE on UAE. Or Does It Explode links to two views of the United Arab Emirates. Faisal Devji at FT: 'Dubai is a technocracy, its ruling family the simulacrum of a monarchy. Having been granted their titles by the British in India, the UAE's rulers derive their glamour from the vanished world of the Raj, while functioning like presidents of corporations. Democracy is misplaced in Dubai, being possible only in a community of citizens. To confine democracy to the small minority of Emiratis is nonsensical and to offer citizenship to the country's majority absurd. Democracy means citizenship, citizenship means nationality and nationality means the creation of a majority. There is no ethnic, linguistic, religious or even political majority in Dubai, nor can there ever be one given its total reliance on a migrant and expatriate workforce.' Youssef Ibrahim in the Sun: 'Even the fabulously oil-rich cannot buy that yearning of the mind and soul called culture with a fistful of dollars. For years now, Gulf Arabs have confused modernity with tall buildings, sophistication with the ability to trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and true education with the construction of gleaming, albeit vacuous, campuses.' Go read it all. (ODIE)

Elie Wiesel attacked in San Francisco. SF Examiner: 'A man who approached Nobel Peace laureate and Holocaust scholar Eli Wiesel seeking an interview at a San Francisco hotel last week later roughed him up, police said. Police are investigating the incident in which they say a man, who may have been a Holocaust denier, approached Wiesel in an elevator at a peace forum at the Argent Hotel Feb. 1 and requested an interview. When Wiesel consented to talk in the hotel's lobby, the man insisted it be done in a hotel room and dragged the 78-year-old off the elevator on the sixth floor, police Sgt. Neville Gittens said.' Police said a man posting at an anti-Semitic website registered in Australia claimed credit for the attack. Pro-Semite Undercover has a thread on it. (Examiner, PSU)

Mecca accords reviewed. Debka sees the Mecca accords between the two main Palestinian factions as having two main results: the ascendancy of Hamas over Fatah, and Riyadh's replacement of Tehran as the Palestinians' chief sponsor.

At Mecca, the Saudi monarch had quite different fish to fry: the replacement of Tehran as Hamas’ senior financier and backer. To this end, he dictated a reshuffle in both rival Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah.

The Damascus-based hard-line Khaled Meshaal, who had signed a pact with Tehran, was demoted, as was the second signatory of the Palestinian reconciliation package, the moderate, pro-Western Mahmoud Abbas. Raised in their place was prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas’ political wing. Abbas’ ally, Gaza Strip Fatah commander Muhammad Dahlan, can expect a senior post in the Hamas-led government. Another winner is his business partner, the Palestinian-Kurdish tycoon Muhammad Rashid, who has turned his coat at least twice in two weeks while jostling to regain the influence he enjoyed behind the shoulder of the late Yasser Arafat who died in 2004.

...The Saudi king and the Hamas prime minister agreed on a six-point plan for subsequent incorporation as the core of the Mecca accord:

1. A shared interest in weakening Israel and active collaboration to achieve this goal;

2. This collaboration is based on personal trust between Abdullah and Haniyeh. As middlemen, they appointed Saudi intelligence chief Prince Moqrin bin Abdulaziz and the Palestinian Muhammed Rashid...

3. The Saudi throne endorsed Ismail Hanya as Palestinian prime minister on condition that he introduced members of the Fatah young guard, led by Dahlan, to key government positions. This group of factions, which includes the suicidal al Aqsa Suicide Brigades, aspires to take Fatah over from the veteran leaders including Mahmoud Abbas;

4. King Abdullah personally guaranteed full Saudi diplomatic, military and financial support for the Hamas-led Palestinian government;

5. Hamas government members would not be required to recognize Israel or previous peace agreements. No mention was made of violence against Israel or the renunciation thereof;

6. The most pressing goal in Riyadh’s sights was Haniyeh’s personal guarantee to scale down in stages the Iranian and Hizballah presence in Hamas ranks with a view to banishing both from the Gaza Strip. Prince Moqrin is in charge of the quiet understandings accompanying this point of agreement, which also contains a Saudi pledge to take the place of Shiite Tehran and Hizballah by paying for all the weapons and military instructors the Palestinian group needs.

Riyadh thus reverted to its original role as the founder and banker of Hamas, which the Saudis created in the 80s as a Sunni counterweight to the Shiite Hizballah.

Debka adds that 'No reaction has been forthcoming from Washington to the foursquare financial, military and intelligence backing Saudi Arabia has granted the extremist, jihadist Hamas, with no strings attached. The heads of Israel’s government have clearly not yet digested the fact that an Arab power which its policy-makers had counted on as a moderating, pro-Western Arab force had proved to be the opposite of this.' The Belmont Club comments: 'If the West is brought under Sharia law it will have no excuses. It will hardly be possible to argue that its leaders were deceived. That, like Neville Chamberlain, they let their idealism get the better of them. No excuse except plain illiteracy can explain the inability to comprehend this blatant statement of intent. "We have agreed with the Saudis to market this agreement internationally. ... We will never recognize Israel. There is nothing called Israel," he told Reuters. "We, in the Hamas movement, will not abide by anything."' (Debka, Belmont Club)

Ilan Halimi goes home. Murdered in Paris, buried in Jerusalem, Ilan Halimi is finally at rest. Arutz Sheva: 'Murdered and tortured French Jew Ilan Halimi was reburied in Israel on Friday in an emotional ceremony at Jerusalem’s Har HaMenuchot cemetery. Halimi was kidnapped and brutally tortured for three weeks before being murdered on February 13, 2006 by Muslims. His family, acknowledging that Halimi’s murderers targeted him due to his being a Jew and because of his relationship with Israel, decided to transfer Halimi’s body for burial in Jerusalem. The move and reburial was facilitated by the Jewish Agency for Israel, which normally handles Jewish immigration from the Diaspora. Hundreds of mourners, including Halimi’s mother Ruth and sisters Yael and Anne-Laure, gathered at the cemetery in Jerusalem’s Givat Sha'ul on Friday - the Hebrew anniversary of Ilan’s murder. Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Absorption Minister Ze'ev Boim, Chief Rabbi of France Yosef Sitruk, French Ambassador Jean-Michel Casa, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Vice-Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein and many Jewish immigrants from France attended the ceremony.' (A7)

Commentary. Apparently the gentleman who "accosted" (in the Examiner's delicate language) Mr. Wiesel in San Francisco didn't get the memo about non-violent conflict resolution.

The Belmont Club's Richard Fernandez notes that 'Hamas understands that Western Pacifism must rule out coercion at all costs; that all it has to do is wait, and all, even Israel's extinction, will be delivered, abjectly, to its doorstep.' Or as the RockRose Institute explains: 'The greatest challenge facing our world in the 21st century will not be a conflict over resources, or culture, or ideology—it will be our inability to resolve those conflicts without violence.'

Indeed.