Iran Update

Received following update dated 19th September from the Committee on the Present Danger:

Iran's Other Proxy War Against the West
Tehran's Troublemaking in Afghanistan

America’s leaders have focused much more intensely in recent weeks on Iran’s deepening role in Iraq, where U.S. officials say the Islamic Republic is helping expand the scope and lethality of the insurgency against the U.S.-led coalition. In their testimonies before Congress last week, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker both delineated Iran’s malignant political and strategic role in the former Ba’athist state.

Increasingly, however, Iran is working its destabilizing magic on another front in the War on Terror as well. Quietly, and away from the public eye, Iran’s ayatollahs are attempting to subvert the fragile, pro-Western government of President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. Evidence of an Iranian hand in the former Taliban stronghold is mounting. >>>

- The Washington Times: "Ground Zero is not for crashing" - "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the well-armed fruitcake who is more or less in charge of the government in Iran, knows how to pull the chains of certain wimps in the West. The Iranian president will arrive in New York City on Sunday for a two-day visit to the United Nations, where he will deliver one of his entertaining rants against the United States, Israel and the West." >>>

- The Washington Post: "Columbia Won't Cancel Ahmadinejad Speech" - "Columbia University said it does not plan to call off a speech by Iran's president despite pressure from critics including the City Council speaker, who said the Ivy League school was providing a forum for "hate-mongering vitriol." >>>

Now this is a typical example of Pomo's redistributions of speech rights: whereas infidels are constricted by 'hate speech' handicaps, fiddles ... fidels' freedom of speech is exerted unrestraint by similar considerations!

- Monsters & Critics: "Thousands mourn slain member of parliament, Ghanem, in Beirut"- "Thousands belonging to the anti-Syrian camp Friday mourned slain MP, Antoine Ghanem, who was killed two days ago in a bomb blast in the Christian eastern sector of the capital. ... He was the eighth anti-Syrian figure to be slain since the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. ... Ghanem's death has now reduced the number of the majority to 68 in the 128-member parliament against a Shi'ite-Christian opposition bloc that includes Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran. >>>

Trouble being in the opposition? Just kill the government! Where's the useless U.N. and their tribunal? Perhaps too busy fighting off the latest evidence of moral bankruptcy?

- The Wall Street Journal: "Yet Another UN Scandal" - "This might look like progress toward prosecuting one of the 20th century's most heinous genocides: the extinction of over one million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979. Unfortunately, this optimism masks another U.N. corruption scandal in the making -- one so serious that it threatens the legitimacy of the entire process." >>> Here's more >>> The kickbacks payable to the Cambodian judges come out of U.N. funds.

Update: PJM: "Return to the Killing Fields" - "A monument to the victims of Pol Pot’s Regime, the Tuol Sleng Prison bore witness to the horrors and the unspeakable brutality of the Khmer Rouge. LDT Regent reports ... about one of the Asian Rousseau inspired returns to the simplicity and serenity of Agrarian Collectivist life ... >>>

Of Censors, Norks and Virtual Itinerant Reporting

The auto censoring machinations at the MSM spin factories have created an interesting derivative, almost reminscent of the time of the earliest printed newspaper: the itinerant reporter! The news as it happens (as opposed to 'the news as we like to report it') - the items that the MSM is suppressing, doctoring or manipulating - is being picked up by the bloggers and other niche reporters.

This week concentrated on the Stop Islamization of Europe (SIOE) demo on 9/11 in Brussels, which was ninety percent MSM suppressed and some ten percent re-framed/selectively emphasized. Now that the dust is settling it can be said it is no surprise that participation was low, as large numbers of would be picketers were hauled in by the police, long before even reaching the place of action. Here's one astonishing account.

I am suspending endorsement by this blog of the SIOE, until some leadership issues have been settled satisfactory: the removal of my critique, while it is dealt with by the British Branch in the usual defensive terms, is but the last straw. I do owe the readership an account of the day's press conference. Here it is. Skender has the latest slide show.

In all the suspense and emotion the virtual itinerant reporter might almost overlook a mighty interesting article that was published in the MSM, in this case in today's Times Online: an account of how Israel flattened Syria's nork pile on the 7th instant: "Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache‘ - Secret raid on Korean shipment":

"It was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian coast-line. On the ground, Syria’s formidable air defences went dead. An audacious raid on a Syrian target 50 miles from the Iraqi border was under way ... As a bonus, the Israelis proved they could penetrate the Syrian air defence system, which is stronger than the one protecting Iranian nuclear sites. >>>

Update: Milblog Black Five commentators' speculations running ariot! Someone's recalling Saddam's lost WMD (were those not in Tito's Iraqi bunkers?).

Update: Spook86 weighs in with expert comments.

And ...

Of Political Entertainment and Slumber

The surrender party have now resorted to overnight theatricals in the hope of averting a victory for democracy in Iraq, pushing instead to open up the way for a victory of the forces of darkness, thereby completing the long and slow process to complete moral bankruptcy.

My personalized version of Google News has been announcing it since Saturday, ominously threatening that "Democrats will pull an all-nighter" ... "Senate debates Iraq pullout in marathon session" ... "Slumber Party in the Senate" ... "Senate Burning Midnight Oil", etc., etc., culminating this morning in "Senate Republicans scuttled troop withdrawal bill" and "Republicans Deride All-Night Senate Debate on Iraq", the White House classifying the amusement as 'a spectator event'.

What a to-do just to show how much the capitulators are out of touch with reality. Subject matter is the central theme of this decade, the geopolitical future hangs in the balance, and the hapless donks turn it into a piece of bad amateur operatics! These immature dilettantes are the party that is to supply the free world with a new leader come 2008?! Give me British entertainment any time (see next items).

- Update 20th June 01:25 l.t.: Democratic Senate leaders knew going into Wednesday's procedural roll call on their proposal to withdraw most U.S. forces from Iraq that they didn't have the votes to win, but victory wasn't their goal; it was stand-up comedy to draw attention to the Cause, which - as we know - justifies any means, which includes improper use of resources >>>

- Update 20th June 02:15 l.t.: I don't consider it my duty to provide the donks with a list of the consequences of their irresponsible demogoguery, but one person who did was Victor Davis Hanson. I hope somebody there takes notice and reaps some benefit from his wise insights, but regretfully we know better! Read "Defeat and Flight from Iraq" >>>


Remember ghastly George ... Galloway, Saddam's old buddy? Parliament's anti-sleaze watchdog, the Standards and Privileges Committee has found strong circumstantial evidence that the U.N.'s discredited oil-for-food program was used by the Saddam regime, with Mr Galloway's connivance, to fund his Mariam Appeal that he set up to campaign against sanctions imposed on Iraq.

The old windbag got off much too light, as usual: suspended from the Commons for 18 days during which time he is supposed to be contemplating his past sins. Knowing George, he'll probably be pondering whose interests to further next: the insatiable Satrap's in Tehran, or ride the wave of the emerging neo Marxists in South America instead?


On a happier note, we'll be in for a political treat as beastly Boris has officially announced he'll be running against erratic Red Ken! "I have a stock speech in which I berate the British - and especially British politicians - for being altogether too namby-pamby, mollycoddled and risk-averse; and I think of that speech now as I contemplate the challenge of running for Mayor of London."

"I am happy to confirm that I have today put my name forward to be the Conservative Candidate for London Mayor". Exchange of postmodern invective is already proliferating!


Back at the real war front, whence independent reporter Michael Totten has let it be known he's made it from Kuwait City to Baghdad. Noah Pollak has posted a report in re of Al Qaeda in Iran and reveals:

"It is long past time that one important piece of fantastical rubbish be finally sent on its way: this is the idea that Islamists maintain some kind of fastidious ethnic and theological separatism when it comes to who they're willing to work with on killing people. The co-option of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (Sunni Arab) by Iran (Shia Persian) is one piece of reality that intrudes on this comforting notion; so is the Iran-Syria alliance, along with the reality of Iranian support for both Shia and Sunni insurgents in Iraq."
Here's the rest of the revealing article >>>

While on the subject of debunking Islamic myth, most people think of Syria as a Sunni Arab country. The owners of this family estate however, the Assad dynasty, are Alawites or Alevites, a sect of Shi'ite Islam that is rather prominent in Syria. Hence the intimate connection with the satraps in Tehran, Southern Lebanon and Gaza City.

Syria Invades Lebanon

Reported by Michael J. Totten on 9th July, 2007

A few days ago Lebanese daily newspaper Al Mustaqbal quietly reported a limited Syrian invasion of Lebanon. (Via Naharnet.)

Syrian troops on Thursday (5th July!) reportedly have penetrated three kilometers into Lebanese territories, taking up positions in the mountains near Yanta in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

The daily Al Mustaqbal, citing sources who confirmed the cross-border penetration, did not say when the procedure in the Fahs Hill overlooking Deir al-Ashaer in the Rashaya province took place.

The sources said Syrian troops, backed by bulldozers, were fortifying positions "in more than one area" along the Lebanese border, erecting earth mounds and digging "hundreds" of trenches and individual bunkers.

This happened immediately before I left town for two days. When I returned I was surprised to find no mention of this whatsoever anywhere else in the media. I assumed the story had to be false. How could Syria invade three kilometers into any region of Lebanon without triggering a diplomatic and media storm?



So I asked Michael Young, opinion page editor at Beirut’s Daily Star, if the story was bogus. “It is true,” he said ...

Read Michael's entire report >>>

Of Degeneracy, Megalomania and other Anomalies

Today's range of current affairs subjects may differ wildly, but they have one thing in common: Culture War.

After failed attempts to establish a political party for pederasts, and the marketing of sex toys for Mother's Day (what can possibly be wrong with that?!), the Dutch broadcasting society that successfully brought televised sex and drug use education to the nation, is now pushing through a reality game show in which first prize is ... a kidney transplant! Wow, how progressive and liberal can a country possibly get without going to the dogs entirely? Answer: not very.

Let's put it in another way: this country is beyond immoral; it has long passed amoral; it has in effect become a moral black hole! As a consequence, and to make my point, ninety percent will have no idea what I'm on about!

The latest exercise in indifference and contempt for human life has resulted in the headlines "Baby suffocated in car", in two separate incidents of 'forgetfulness' in the Netherlands and in Belgium. Good night!

The good news is, Labour, the party we have to thank for furthering so much of the above, is on the brink of collapse! I could have told them that their boy wonder, Wouter Bos comes across as the cold-hearted, vain, unprincipled, technocrat that he is: a second Ad Melkert. People can sense fake even through the screen of a television. That's why the former Maoist competitor, Jan Marijnissen of the Socialist Party may be a totally misguided idealist, I'd buy a second hand car from him any day, as opposed to Bos whom I wouldn't even trust with the collection of my garbage.
CNN is reporting: Guantanamo detainee 'kills self'. Can anyone explain the function of these inverted commas, suggesting ... what ... foul play?

On to some more serious stuff now, as Venezuela requires our attention. The compassionate Leftist strongman of the proletariat, voted into power for a second time with some sixty percent of the vote as validated beyond doubt by the worst president in United States history, after the best of Marxist traditions is well on his way to megalomaniac totalitarianism. The choice for learning things the hard way seems to be a common human trait. Read here how key institutions have now been brought under Chávista control: ten of the twelve TV stations, the judiciary, the military.

John Allen of The National Catholic Reporter is having some fun with Chávez' "Cubanization policies" that are reflecting the spirit of "the greatest Socialist in history", viz. our Lord Jesus Christ. Apparently Pope Benedict's finer philosophical and theological points on Liberation Theology are lost on the Chávez' household, as might be expected. Enter the Second World War, Adolf Hitler and the Anti Christ, which just goes to show that even the saintly men in Rome can be sorely tested.

Asked Tomas Sancio of Venezuelan Politics Blog what we can do to help the situation in his country: "Write, write and write, that's what we can do, hoping that search engines and public opinion can read our opinions. Providing explanations on why we think totalitarianism is happening now. Opinions and arguments do count. The Venezuelan government pays people to lobby on its behalf (I know the name of one French man that was hired to do that job). Foreign press has for years given Chávez the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully, we can provide our grain of sand to overcome the propaganda."

Yes, the press from hell would be involved, wouldn't they? As they are in furthering the Marxist multicultural agenda as set out by the irrational, totalitarian Unholy Alliance of Islam and the Left in the boycott of Israel. After the 35,000 members of the British National Union of Journalists (NUJ) found it in themselves to declare a boycott against Israel, yesterday also Britain's largest professional body of lecturers (UCU) called upon its 120,000 members to join an international boycott of all Israeli academic institutions.

Israel is going the way of South Africa: singled out for boycott against Apartheid (the worst president in U.S. history has set the tone with a book title turned misnomer), while all measure of barbarism, suppression and crimes against humanity are apologized in the name of Marxist good intentions. Lately I'm having déjà vues from the 1970's.

Apart from the fact that we obviously have the Unholy Alliance here at work, I think we are getting beyond bias now, into the realms of open war fare on the part of Britain's multicultural bastions. Another way of seeing it, is an assault on an independent state by denying its right and first duty of protecting its citizens against terrorism. Put yet in another way: the 'right to commit insurgency' of a virulent minority outweighs the state's prime duty to protect the majority. How does this florid example fit into the transnational progressive agenda of undermining the legitimacy of the nation state?

Let's wrap this up with some good news, the U.N. Security Council has passed a resolution on the creation of an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. If the Syrians hoped pressure could be exerted by unleashing the international band of marauders of Fatah Islam on Lebanon, these hopes are now truly dashed.

"Yes my Friends, I will Call for War ..."

"Yes my friends, I will call for war just as powerfully as the bad guys do and I must show them that I'm stronger than they are, because they do not understand the language of civilization and reason. They understand only power ... everything they accomplished was through absolute control over the assets of their nations through murder, torture, repression and intimidation."

The above is a paragraph from the 7th May's post on blog "Iraq the Model". To those whose political affiliation leads them to the denial of reality, here's a contribution from Bernard Lewis, a breed of scholar on the brink of extinction thanks to dumbing down to ensure equal dumb outcome and the onslaught of relativism. Lewis' lecture deals with recent historical backgrounds in the Middle East, pertinent to the above:

"In 1940, the government of France decided to surrender and, in effect, changed sides in the war. The greater part of the colonial empire was beyond the reach of the Axis, and the governors therefore had a free choice: Vichy or de Gaulle. The overwhelming majority chose Vichy, including - and this is what concerns us specifically - the governor, high commissioner, he was called, of the French-mandated territory of Syria-Lebanon. So, Syria-Lebanon was wide open to the Nazis, and they moved in on a large scale, not with troops, because that would have been too noticeable, but with propaganda of every kind."

"It was then that the roots of Ba'athism were laid and the first organizations were formed, which ultimately developed into the Ba'ath Party. It was then that the Nazi style of ideology and government became known, eagerly embraced simply because it was anti-Western rather than because of inherent attraction."

"From Syria, they succeeded in spreading it to Iraq, where they even set up a Nazi-style government for a while, headed by Rashid Ali. It was possible to deal with that, and they were driven out of the Middle East. But after the war, the Western allies also left and the Soviets moved in, taking the place of the Nazis as a champion against the West. To switch from the Nazi to the communist model required only minor adjustments".

The communists may have gone as well with the demise of the Soviet Union, but a system and a mentality aren't shaken that easily. In any case the Ba'athist regimes in Iraq and Syria remained, until Saddam was thrown out of Iraq by 'the neocon Coalition'. Here's Iraq The Model's blogger again with another excerpt from "Don't bury your heads in the sand":

"I have said it over and over again that some of us in Iraq and America are sending wrong messages to the terrorists and the dictators behind them; in fact I wasn't surprised when I saw Zawahiri appear on al-Jazeera to announce America's defeat, not long after Reid did. Zawahiri claims al-Qaeda has won and Reid claims America has lost but I see only a war that's still ongoing and I see ... that al-Qaeda has the shortest stick."

"We are going through a fierce war and sending more wrong messages could only further complicate an already complicated situation and create more mess that would be exploited by Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia for their own purposes - more iron-fist control on the peoples and treasures of the region and pushing the Middle East to crises and confrontations with the world, not forgetting spreading their dark, backward ideologies."

Need I go on? So much for the real world. And this is while American and Coalition soldiers bite the dust in Iraq, risking life and limb for a cause bigger than themselves, that Democrats are willfully endangering the soldiers' lives through petty party politics, and European and American brats that are spoiled to the bone, display their mindless message of No To Fascism! to the wrong party, the ones that are fighting it!

How stupid can a human being get! In France and Greece cars are set alight night after night as they play "anarchist". Here are the figures from France's blasé anti Sarko lot, to whose youthful cynicism

"(to the) persecuted by the tyrannies and by the dictators, to all the children and to all the martyrized women in the world to say to them that the pride, the duty of France will be at their sides"

has no meaning at all because "he's a neocon, isn't he?" Blister their little bourgeois buttocks with .... censored for legal reasons.

In Greece they got out the heavy weaponry and are attacking entire police stations. In fact, the latter might be of another order altogether, more inspired by 19th century Russian nihilism. As we have seen in "History Class: of Agit-prop, Revolution and Terror this was the pet project of their variety of bourgeois brats, the children of the new Russian middle classes: they took up terror as a weapon to create an atmosphere that fostered repression, war and revolution, clearing the ground for their Marxist worker's paradise.

All that romantic quasi heroism might appeal to the average postmodern, suburban, middle class, ignoramus, bored to death as he is with his own lack of spirit and character; but in consideration of the present state of affairs, reliving their romanticized versions of history amounts to handing a Daisy Cutter to a baby.

Alternatively they might find it in themselves to pick up a book and learn the first things about democracy and liberty: that it requires a rational population with a sense of responsibility and respect for each other's rights, possessions and opinions! Apart from it looking a bit moronic to blindly keep on fighting the wrong parties, how else are we to deal with the assimilating aspirations of The Borg, like the ravings of this particular Muzzleman:

"Western 'civilization' is in its death throes. It is collapsing around you as every day the blasphemous lies upon which it is based are exposed. Every day the descent into degeneracy accelerates. You recognise this and have become quite irrational as you contemplate your future. But there is no reason to fear. Just open your eyes and look around you. Everywhere you look you will see the advance of Islam. You must realise that Islam is not just a "religion" in the sense that Westerners understand that term. In fact, Islam is a complete way of life and provides the answers to all questions. Open your eyes, embrace Islam, and live in peace in submission to the will of Almighty Allah (swt). Your grandchildren will be Muslim. Allahu akbar!"

Bees pee upon them all! (Thanks for the loan, Skipper!).

Hizbollah's scorched earth mentality backfires yet again

I promised revisiting the Regensburg speech, but there are other pressing news items. For some weeks now I have been googling two articles whisked from Lebanon's The Daily Star newspaper. One I have already mentioned in an earlier post about a new phenomenon in Middle East politics, the Iranian-Syrian invention of National Islamism. It seeks to replace and incorporate Arab Nationalism with Islamism, a highly suspect and volatile potion indeed! The Palestinian and Lebanese subcontractors are Hamas and Hizbollah respectively. The idea is uniting Sunnis and Shiites, Arabs and Iranians under a "patriotic" Shiite-Islamic banner led by the axis Iran and Syria, with the primary goal of victory over Israel and its Western allies. This is not to be achieved by means of a negotiated settlement mind you, which is anathema to the National Islamists. The asset of Iran's nuclear capability looms large.

- The Syrian Al-Assad Ba'ath regime (sister-party to Saddam Hussein's) being predominantly secular, and Iran just about owning Syria, is in a position to dictate terms.
- The leadership in what are usually termed "the moderate Arab countries" is largely irrelevant to the doctrine: the policy as envisioned is grass-roots up.

The article underscores what stands out when you think about it: the moderate elites would be delighted to see Israel and its allies put the axis and its subcontractors in their place, but are unlikely to do anything themselves, occupied as they have been for decades with self-preservation.

The article closes with the ominous conclusion that even moderate success will set the Israeli-Palestine peace settlement back at least a generation. Against this backdrop a drama is presently playing out in the streets of Beirut. Since early December of last year Hizbollah with the assistance of Christian turncoat Michael Aoun has been camping out in the streets of Beirut in an effort to topple the Siniora government, which is seen by the protest movements as pro Western and thus "unpatriotic".

Hizbollah's scorched earth mentality has brought Lebanon into a war with Israel over the summer of 2006, at a material cost which, by the U.N. is estimated at $10 billion; through increasingly violent protest rallies and strikes it is now jeopardizing Prime Minister Siniora's attendance of the donor conference known as Paris III, where the sole agenda item is Lebanon's total public debt of about $41 billion, or 190 percent of Lebanon's GDP. It is slowly dawning on the country just what Hizbollah's state-within-a-state is costing, and that's just the material down-side.

- In another article it becomes apparent how disastrous the situation actually is: Hizbullah is not only having to deal with its devastating blunder of last summer and the protracted and futile encampment on Beirut's streets, they also have to deal with Syria's troubles with the international community over the Hariri murder tribunal.
- Added to that the fact that the Iranian pay-master is not amused that the investments haven't been paying off and over the loss of buffer territory at the Lebanon-Israeli border.
- Hizbollah's own Shiite community is also far from pleased: not only did it have to sustain the suffering due to the war, the reconstruction and "reimbursement" promised by Tehran is also not forthcoming.

Considering all this, it becomes apparent that what we are witnessing these days in Beirut may be the last desperate efforts to salvage an impossible situation, one of which the citizens of Lebanon have had enough.

The outside world may have another impression, but Israel has calculated that its policy of military restraint, in place since the Oslo peace process in 1993, is not paying off. Two particular reasons stand out in this respect: the lack of willingness or ability of ordinary Lebanese citizens to constrain Hizbollah's state-within-a-state at the southern border, and the fact that during the years of restraint Hizbollah has been piling up rockets on the Israeli border. The Palestinian organisation Hamas, at present in government, is a not only Iran's subcontractor, but is also Hizbollah's peer, and the two are emulating and incorporating successful elements of each other's strategies. It may well be that the next miscalculated kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Hizbollah will not cost Lebanon $10 billion, but will result in total bankruptcy.

- The meeting in Damascus of Palestinian President Abbas with Hamas' supreme leader Khaled Meshaal this weekend for crucial discussions on whether Hamas will accept the terms of a coalition with Fatah, is yet another cross current in the National Islamist's proxi power play with the forces of democracy.
- The latest news from Tehran is that it said it was still cooperating with the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, despite announcing a day earlier that it was barring 38 inspectors from working in the country.
- The aforementioned story is not carried by any other news outlet, but the Jerusalem Post carries a article about Iran just having taken delivery of a number of Russian Tor M-1 missiles (purchased before the recent U.N. sanctions were imposed) just as three days of military maneuvers went under way in Iran.

Nobody is at this stage advised to hold their breath till democracy breaks out in the Middle East.

Dissecting relativism, The Base (I): Demolishing relativism and its obnoxious relatives

The International political situation is getting more complicated and news items are getting grimmer by the day. While the Iranian, Syrian and Turkish wolves are encircling the dying remnants of Mesopotamia, ready to carve it up into three parts, rid it of its oil reserves and call such a concept as an independent Kurdish state a prospect of the past, Lebanon and Palestine are in trouble in more ways than one. In the meantime Pakistan is doing business in the time-honoured way in that part of the world, by playing two or more tableaus at once, and saying yes and doing another. Lest we forget we owe the existence of the Taliban to Pakistan, then ruled by the first female Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto! Apparently the hens are coming home to roost.
I belief it is just a matter of time before the fur starts flying seriously. The only question is whom against whom?

In the meantime I owe a book review of "Without Roots" (tagged The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam) and co-written by Marcello Pera, Professor of Science Philosophy at the University of Pisa and former President of the Italian Senate, and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, as Pope Benedict XVI was known before his election. Since however, this book is nothing less than at the very heart of this blog, I can hardly treat it as any other. If I followed what I'd really wish, I'd dissect it here page by page, word by word. But that would be taking the entire book apart, which would ne'er do. So, I think it suffices to say with sincere respect, but in rather domestic terms, that this is The Cookery Book for the next thirty to forty years or so, or at least until we have rid ourselves of the bane of our time, relativism and its big bully of a brother deconstructionism, including its little ugly cousins once removed, political correctness and multiculturalism. But we can analyse the problem, can't we?

Dissecting relativism, The base (I) (which is al qa'ida in Arabic, but that's just an unpleasant coincidence and is neither here nor there).
The West's secularization, which has firmly set in at the end of World War II, is still in progress, but if signs don't deceive us at a less rapid pace than during the period roughly between 1980 and 2000. But by now there have been generations of children growing up without having learned about their Christian heritage, either from their parents or their (secular) teachers. Mom and dad have done away with faith and the church as something of their parents and grandparents', a relic of the past which has no place in modern society, that is all about getting an education, a home and a car, keeping up with the holidays of the neighbours and all other material wealth we think we need to be happy and healthy.

As the years went by this generation of baby-boomers rid themselves of the last remnants of their Christian "hang-up" of their youths: a frustrated sexuality, the feeling of being watched from above and the angst of being punished for bad mistakes in the after-life. Subconsciously they retained however a basic Christian morality: nothing elaborate, but what we must, or shouldn't do, like killing other people or stealing. But they also still felt guilty about telling lies and they kept true to other past values as solidarity, compassion, empathy and belief in the truth.

Of course they didn't want to "lumber" their children with the fears and inhibitions of their youths, so what the younger generation got from the faith of their parents were a few atmospheric stories for under the Christmas tree and a vague historical account of what is Easter. Christian official feast days could just as well be called bank holidays for all they are worth: a day to sleep in from the night before and keep up with the admin or homework. If those children happened to attend a faith-based school, their knowledge and awareness may go a little further than just skin-deep, but not very much. That is the extent of it.
To be continued.

About staying power, gas and other sources of energy

Before we proceed with the next tiresome instalment of the State of Malcontent (will it never end?) a few intriguing articles out of today's current affairs vacuum:

- On 1st November Heather Robinson wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal all Americans can take to heart. "My Country Needs Me. Iraqi democrats haven't given up the fight. How can we?" chronicles the trepidations of Mr Al-Alusi, founder of the now 15,000 members strong Iraqi Nation Party. I'd would like to add the following remarks:

First, now that diplomatic efforts are exerted to get Syria and Iran involved in normalizing the situation in Iraq, one wonders how these countries can possibly have that ability, given that neither has a hand in the pernicious "resistance"?
Secondly, since the Democratic Party in the U.S. has won the last elections on a leave-Iraq ticket and public opinion has shifted against the war, it is only to be expected that the U.S. Army will be withdrawn as soon as it is practically possible. In such case my sad advise to the American nation would be, not to entertain in the foreseeable future any thought of a military intervention again, since you have proved the terrorists right when they said that it would only be a matter of time before the Americans left (see Vietnam), as they just don't have the staying power to stick it out.

There's more of this sort. John Allen excelled again this weekend in an article "Benedict and religious freedom in Turkey" . It lists all Benedict's references to religious freedom made during the trip, which is very practical. It also mentions a few other remarkable facts: 1. that Turkish ID cards specify one's religious persuasion (wait till the boys in Brussels hear about this!), and 2. that "the (present) Turkish constitution recognizes every citizen's right to freedom of worship and freedom of conscience". As is made evident by Pope Benedict's six different remarks on this matter, the daily reality is at best one of (bureaucratic) harassment. One of the more important arguments in favour of Turkish accession to the E.U. is the guarantee it offers of freedom of religion. Since present Constitution isn't able to change the facts on the ground, who is to say that E.U. accession requirements will. I'd hate to spoil the party, but aren't we kidding ourselves here just a little?

This piece shows how my suspicion of the delicate profile of the heroic Mesrob II was regrettably justified.

With all the attention focused elsewhere it must be noted that the developments in Moscow are not of the heartening kind. While we are high-fiving for having won the Cold War, now that the adrenaline has worn off, we are in danger of losing the battle over Energy. Read Richard Rahn's "Russian Bear sets a trap" to see how gullible we are! And me thinking bears get trapped, instead of setting them...

While on the subject of the Russian Bear, The Daily Star of Beirut tells how Moscow is coming to the aide of the Ayatollahs' nuclear program. In passing it states something noteworthy:

"Echoing Russia's concerns, U.N. atomic watchdog chief Al-Baradei on Sunday warned against the diplomatic isolation of North Korea and Iran, saying confrontation would only lead them to accelerate their nuclear programs".

Be that as it may (or not), but is Mr Al-Baradei here not overstepping the mark, just like his colleague at the U.N., Kofi Annan is prone to do? I'm not sure of Mr Al-Baradei's status, but if he's a simple civil servant acting as chairman (like Mr Annan) shouldn't he refrain from making political statements? Educated comments invited. What to think of the man's naivete when he states that "...We need to ... change the hearts and minds in Iran ..."! I ask you: hearts and minds in Iran?! To touch the heart you need to be able to look somebody in the eyes. Ever tried to see Ahmadinejad in the eyes? Good luck to you!

For bed-side literature, try this one .

Pope Benedict XVI in Turkey: days 3 and 4

Greek public broadcaster ERT, having not reached that level of P.C.-ness as some others in Europe, under the title "A Historic Meeting" and "Visit of Love and Peace" yesterday sang the praises of the papal visit for the opportunity it offers to expose the lamentable situation of Patriarch Bartholomew and his flock to the international press.
The commentators were especially curious about Benedict's message in the guest book, because, as they said "such texts always have a deeper meaning". Alas, we never learnt!
The joint declaration, signed yesterday morning in Hall of the Throne in the Phanari was considered "very important". So there you are!

About the Agia Sophia as a building, I can say only this: it's spooky and it's big! In fact it, and everything in it, is huge, over-sized and made for giants. It doesn't contain much anymore but some menacing Turkish shields with Arabic calligraphy and some other indescribable relics, but what there is outsizes the next in dimension. It may be hypersensitivity on my part, but it gave me the creeps. Till today I've not been able to find the words for what I felt there. It's a culture-clash of gigantic proportions, a sacrilege against a brother religion and a crime against good taste. At some point in time even the Turks seemed to agree and built their own temple in the vicinity, the Blue Mosque, about which I can also be short: it was unmemorable apart from the fact that I can vaguely remember taking off my shoes.

Pope Benedict last night prayed at the Blue Mosque "like a Muslim, towards the east", about which the Turkish press and Al-Jazeera were very excited. What's more he didn't pray at the Agia Sophia, which was even more cause for praise as that would have constituted an embarrassment for the government.
The Dutch press are also their usual diminutive self, describing the Church of the Holy Wisdom as the "Sinte-Sofie", as if it were the local village pastorial.

Last night the Pope also joined with the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch Mesrob II in a prayer service at the Armenian cathedral. He brought up the sensitive topic of the Armenian genocide, albeit not explicitly. EWTN today apologised for not having any video material made available, which indeed makes you wonder. Is the world not to be made aware of the Armenian presence, or does their low profile not permit any media exposure?

Later in the evening Pope Benedict met with the grand rabbi and concluded the third day of his visit at a dinner with the Catholic bishops of Turkey.

Yesterday the demonstrations against the Pope were also back. As a measure of democracy and civil rights in Turkey it is a positive thing. In terms of toleration of other faiths and a measure of maturity or ability to absorb criticism, it's not. And then there are the demonstrations by the organization calling itself The Grey Wolves, who have persuaded themselves that Bartholomew wants to establish in Istanbul a Vatican-style state, reminiscent of the Byzantine Empire. Looks to me something of the Mother of all Conspiracy Theories, but what do I know! I mean, membership of an organization by that name must be only one jot worse than holding a membership card of the Club of the Black Hand. Brrrrr ....

A measure of how far off we are from the required E.U. levels is illustrated by the following, reported by The Independent Online: the Turkish government warned the Pope against describing the Orthodox Patriarchate as "ecumenical", saying the use of that ancient title (meaning universal in Greek) has political overtones that could undermine Turkish sovereignty.

As I am writing this, the Holy Father is on his way back to Rome. On his departure he looked a great deal less tense than when he arrived. I guess that in many respects the papal visit can be called a success. In terms of improved relations with the Christian brothers and Islam and in terms of delivering a few messages in passing, such as the need to unite and renew awareness in Europe of its Christian roots.
This morning's Mass at Istanbul's Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit - due to its Eastern elements - stood out and was more and not a little moving!

It's about time too we wrapped this up, as there are a zillion topics waiting for posting, such as the impending civil wars in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. The latter is engulfed today by Hizbolla mass demos with a view of toppling the government of Fuad Siniora, all with a little help from the friends in Syria and Iran and turn-coats like Michel Aoun.

I'm not there yet but an in depth delivery on the book Without Roots, a joint product of Pope Benedict and Marcello Pera with the tags The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam, is underway. It describes my complaints about Europe word for word and we may have the beginnings here of a movement away from the present predicament. Hopefully!

It's official: the Religion of Peace ...

I'm in a terrible dilemma. I have prepared five to six instalments of analysis in re of the State of Malcontent. Today would be the posting of the third in the series. You'd think it would be possible - even in today's world - to have a few other topics under discussion except Islam without the McEnrows getting louder by the hour. But we are getting closer to the Pope's visit to Asia Minor, which means that the tension is on the up and comments, demands and statements are getting louder as we go.

Maybe we can combine a few note worthies. Like this one we cannot possibly miss.
- The Religion of Peace is hence an official designation. This has been done on specific demand by none other than Ali Bardakoglu.
- Meanwhile Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is puzzled.
- A Moroccan mountain village near the Rif called Tetouan has been identified as a breeding ground for the Sons of Peace. Comments on the Elsevier site explain the reasons for this rare phenomenon and it stands to reason if you think long and hard enough about it: it's due to poverty, stupid! If poor, your inclination is to sell your loyalties to the highest bidder. So what we should have done, opines Mo, is offer money. Why is he telling us only now!
- And in the meantime in Iraq the Sons of Peace are hugging each other to death.
- Lebanon's Daily Star has concluded if there's one thing that makes Assad The Younger tremble in his fourposter, it's the U.N. investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Tariq Hariri. That's why he's doing the only thing possible, he simply refuses to cooperate on the off-chance somebody may actually believe this is due to the fact that he haven't given permission. Diplomacy is sometimes of the kindergarten variety. I mean, do you ask Hannibal Lector if he's willing to assist the police in their enquiries?
- Now I'm as puzzled as Recep Tayyip Erdogan! The Daily Star doesn't agree with the findings of Turkey's Ali Bardakoglu. What's it to be, boys? The Religion of Peace or ... what?

About the old war and the new one

A sad time once again in Lebanon with the assassination today of Pierre Gemayel (34), a third generation, Maronite politician and Minister of Industry in the government of Fuad Siniora.

Not content with the attempt to topple the government, which is seen as pro Western (pro democracy, that is), the idea is apparently to destabilize the country even further, with the well-known object of establishing Tehran on the Mediterranean.

According to sources it is sheer intimidation of the government, that just this week approved an international investigation into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. That the axis Tehran-Damascus is involved, has already been established by a preliminary U.N. investigation, already conducted.

This is not a day for flippancy, but has anybody kept count of the number of dead, wounded and maimed, including charming and innocent TV journalists?

Damascus has already pronounced their involvement in the killing as ridiculous and I think we don't have to wait long before Israel is implicated (and George, of course).

There's hardly any denying by now there's a war in progress, by proxy in tortured Lebanon, or elsewhere. The Daily Star opines that the U.N. investigation is closing in on Damascus. Hezbollah, of course, is their proxy. To be continued, I fear.

It is also increasingly unhealthy to criticize President Vladimir Putin of Russia. And that's putting it very mildly! Old Sovjet habits die hard! If it didn't cost brave people their lives you might even romanticize and think in terms of Cold War spook thrillers. No, frankly, it's sad and more than somewhat bizarre!

Tuesday, 14th June 2005

Just saw a CNN exclusive interview with Rt. General Aoun: he didn't clarify his recent allience with some pro Syrian parties; but he did declare that:
- he has always been anti Syria and always will be,
- all other parties (including Hariri's) have also collaborated with Syria,
- he is available for the presidency,
- he'd disarm Hizbollah,
- strive for a united Lebanese army,
- fight corruption,
- fight sectarianism,
- reform democracy after the Jeffersonian model.
Where there's hope, there's life, as we said in the Polder before this was considered too moralistic (for some reason best known to baby-boomers themselves).