President Bush's Weekly Radio Address: 8/25/2007

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

President Bush addressed the nation this weekend in a radio message on terrorism and Iraq.

In Focus: Iraq

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I traveled to Kansas City to address the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I spoke about the ideological struggle that our Nation faces in the 21st century, and the lessons we can draw from the advance of freedom in Asia in the 20th century. America's enduring presence and perseverance on that continent aided the rise of democracy, helped transform American enemies into American allies, and made our country safer.

Next week I will address the members of the American Legion at their annual convention in Reno. In that speech, I will focus on the Middle East and why the rise of a free and democratic Iraq is critical to the future of this vital region and to our Nation's security.

I will also provide an update on the developments we are seeing from our new strategy in Iraq. Every month since January, U.S. forces have killed or captured an average of more than 1,500 al Qaeda terrorists and other extremists. And in June our troops launched a surge of operations that is helping bring former Sunni insurgents into the fight against al Qaeda, clear the terrorists out of population centers, and give families in liberated Iraqi cities a safer and more normal life.

As security improves, more Iraqis are stepping forward to defend their democracy. Young Iraqi men are signing up for the army. Iraqi police are now patrolling the streets. Coalition and Iraqi forces have doubled the number of joint operations. As the Iraqi people feel more secure, they are also forming neighborhood watch groups. They're volunteering important information about the terrorists and extremists hiding in their midst. And the increase in tips helps account for the marked reduction in sectarian murders.

By driving out the terrorists from cities and neighborhoods, we're creating the conditions for reconciliation -- especially at the local level. In communities across Iraq, citizens are seeing their local and provincial governments return to operation. Despite continuing violence, leaders in places like Anbar, Najaf, and Ninewah are now working through local provincial councils to approve funds to finance the rebuilding of homes and neighborhoods, to fight corruption, and to create new jobs.

Here at home, it can be easy to overlook the bravery shown by Iraqi troops and Iraqi civilians who are in the fight for freedom. But our troops on the ground see it every day. Last week, a team of American soldiers was meeting with an Iraqi citizens group near Baghdad. Suddenly, a suicide bomber came running around a corner and headed straight for our soldiers and the Iraqi civilians.

One Iraqi man saw what was happening and ran to intercept the bomber. As he pushed the terrorist away, the bomb detonated -- killing both men, but sparing four American soldiers and eight Iraqi civilians. Army Staff Sergeant Sean Kane is one of those who says he owes his life to this brave Iraqi. Sergeant Kane says, "He could have run behind us or away from us, but he made the decision to sacrifice himself to protect everyone." Sergeant Kane spoke to the Iraqi man's father, who said that even if his son had known the outcome beforehand, he "[would not] have acted differently."

The story does not end there. Later that same night, the citizens group contacted the local director of the National Police and told him the location of the al Qaeda cell believed to be responsible for the attack. The National Police immediately conducted a raid that resulted in four arrests.

We are still in the early stages of our new operations. But the success of the past couple of months have shown that conditions on the ground can change -- and they are changing. We cannot expect the new strategy we are carrying out to bring success overnight. But by standing with the Iraqi people as they build their democracy, we will deliver a devastating blow to al Qaeda, we will help provide new hope for millions of people throughout the Middle East, we will gain a friend and ally in the war on terror, and we will make the American people safer.

Thank you for listening.

Freedom of religion update: Denial of Rights overturned

ADF: One man is not a parade; Ga. town acted illegally in criminal case against resident

When a 67-year-old Georgia man was arrested, held in jail for two days and convicted by a judge without being given access to a lawyer for passing out Gospel tracts on a public street, the Alliance Defense Fund jumped into action.

First the legal team submitted a request to overturn the man's conviction, and a Georgia Superior Court agreed. Now the same team has brought a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Fredric Baumann again the town of Cumming, Ga., and its police chief, Mike Eason, for the arrest.

Says a senior legal counsel for the ADF, "Christians have the same First Amendment rights as anyone else in America and cannot be treated as second-class citizens. The government should not force them to get special permission before practicing their constitutional right to free speech."  For the rest of the story: ADF: One man is not a parade; Ga. town acted illegally in criminal case against resident

Will Hezbollah strike in the US of A

Back in 2006, I asked the question; Will Hezbollah strike in the US??

According to a Reuters report dated July 18th 2006, Iran’s Hezbollah party, which has claimed links to Hezbollah in Lebanese, promised that it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide.  At about the same time, also from Reuters, the FBI was busy trying to ferret out possible Hezbollah agents in the United States amid concerns that rising U.S.-Iranian tensions at the time might trigger attacks on American soil.

American law enforcement officials were concerned the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which has so far focused on fund-raising and other support activities inside the United States, could turn to violence in solidarity with Iran.

Much to my supprise, a name resurfaced about the same time in our news media but did not get much attention: Imad Fayez Mugniyah (one of the leaders of Hezbollah security organization).  The lame stream press has a very short memory and did not connect the name with the man. 

Mugniyah has been active on the terrorism circuit for over 20 years.

According to Laura Mansfield,  ( Laura Mansfield.com )

there appears to be striking similarities between Mugniyah’s brand of terrorism for the past 20 years and the practices of the present-day terrorists in Iraq.

Mugniyah allegedly has been tied to kidnappings and bombings throughout the world over the past two decades.  Please note that Mugniyah was also linked to terrorism in South America in 1992 and 1994. 

▪ April 18, 1983 bombing of the United States embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people including 17 Americans

▪ October 23, 1983 simultaneous truck bombings against the French paratroopers and US Marine killing 58 French soldiers and 241 Marines.

▪ September 20, 1984, he attacked the US embassy annex building.

▪ Linked to the numerous kidnappings of Westerners in Beirut through the 1980s – some were killed, some by beheading, and a few were eventually released

▪ March 17, 1992 bombings of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires Argentina, which killed 29

▪ July 1994 bombing of the AMIA cultural building in in Buenos Aires Argentina, killing 86 people

▪ Orchestrated the 2000 abductions of three Israeli soldiers in the southern part of Lebanon

▪ Abduction of Israeli Colonel Elchanan Tenenbaum. Source: Laura Mansfield

In 2002, Jeffrey Goldberg, reporter-at-large for The New Yorker magazine did an interesting 2- part article, “IN THE PARTY OF GOD” that included Hezbollah operations in South America and the United States:

• Part 1 - Are terrorists in Lebanon preparing for a larger war? Jeffrey Goldberg's Article Part 1
• Part 2 - Hezbollah sets up operations in South America and the United States
  Jeffrey Goldberg's Article Part 2

Here is an excerpt from Part 2 of Goldberg’s article:

“Roughly two hundred thousand people live in the Ciudad del Este region, including a substantial minority of Arab Muslims; in the Triple Frontier zone, there may be as many as thirty thousand. According to intelligence officials in the region and in Washington, this Muslim community has in its midst a hard core of terrorists, many of them associated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group backed by the Iranian government; some with Hamas, the Palestinian fundamentalist group; and some with Al Qaeda. It is, over all, a community under the influence of extreme Islamic beliefs; intelligence officials told me that some of the Triple Frontier Arabs held celebrations on September 11th of last year and also on the anniversary this year. These officials said that Hezbollah runs weekend training camps on farms cut out of the rain forest of the Triple Frontier. In at least one of these camps, in the remote jungle terrain near Foz do Iguaçu, young adults get weapons training and children are indoctrinated in Hezbollah ideology—a mixture of anti-American and anti-Jewish views inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini.

In the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah raises money from legitimate businesses but, more frequently, from illicit activities, ranging from drug smuggling to the pirating of compact disks. Unlike the other radical Islamic groups in the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah, it is said, has the capability to commit acts of terror.”

Part 2 of the series takes place in South America, not, the Middle East. It seems to me that the Atlantic Ocean offers little protection from the spread of terrorism as we witnessed first hand on September 11, 2001, in New York City.

We have been very lucky for the past six years.  However, the powder keg of the middle east and the hate of the Islamic Jihadi may have broader ramifications. Does Hezbollah have the ability to strike here?  Will it striker here?

Be ever vigilant.

Putin: Gain Superpower Status, again!

Putin calls for Russian leadership in military aviation

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pushed Russia's military aviation industry as a global leader, just days after announcing the resumption of Cold War-era strategic bomber flights.

Bush's speech 8/22/2007

Bush ties Iraq to Vietnam, South Korea, Japan

US President George W. Bush on Wednesday warned that a hasty withdrawal from Iraq would trigger a bloodbath like the one in Southeast Asia after the US defeat and retreat from Vietnam

Philippines clashes with al-Qaeda linked rebels

Courtesy of Breitbart.com

Philippines clashes kill 13 soldiers, dozens of extremists

Thirteen troops and dozens of Muslim extremists were killed Saturday in clashes between government forces and Al-Qaeda-linked rebels on the southern island of Basilan, the military said.  The Philippines military has been battling Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MNLF) in areas of the south since the extremists broke a ceasefire they negotiated with Manila three years ago.  The extremists claim that the soldiers "intruded into MILF territory."   In July, 14 Marines were killed in an ambush. Ten of the Marines were beheaded.

Volcano erupts in Indonesia

Aug 20, 2007

Volcano erupts in Indonesia

A volcano spewed lava and ash high into the air hours after villagers were evacuated. » 'Ring of fire'

• Alaska volcano poised to erupt
• Lava flows from Hawaiian volcano

• Volcano erupts in eastern Indonesia
• Browns' franchise QB has stellar NFL debut
• Officials: 'Miners may not be found'
• Key to what makes young people happy

» More News at Yahoo.com

Ahmadinejad: rule of islam the only way

 

Courtesy of Iranian News Agency

This is the radical ideology that we are up against.  This guy is nuts.   R/ Bosun

Iran-Afghanistan-Ahmadinejad
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Tuesday that rule of Islam on mankind is the only way for salvation of human beings.

"There is no truth on earth but monotheism and following tenets of Islam and there is no way for salvation of mankind but rule of Islam over mankind," said Ahmadinejad in a meeting with Afghan Sunni and Shiite ulama at Iranian Embassy in Kabul.

President Ahmadinejad said nations are today distancing themselves from culture of materialism and selfishness and look for a new way for their prosperity, that is the path of Islam.

He said that the world is on verge of a great upheaval and ulama at this juncture shoulder a heavy responsibility that is introducing genuine Islam as it is.

"Nations today have no haven but religion," the Iranian president announced, cautioning Muslim nations against enemies' divisive plots.

He said, "All of us have the duty to resist the enemy by closing our ranks."
He said that the Iranian nation today feels more than ever the need to stand beside the Afghan nation.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has kindly received their Afghan brothers and will continue to do so in future. Minor issues will cannot affect Iran's policies on Afghanistan," he added.

The president said Islam belongs to all generations and Muslims should get ready for global mission of Islam.

Grooming of white girls for sex

Courtesy of  Anna Venger.

Excerpts from "Grooming of white girls for sex is exposed as two Asian men jailed":

A hidden world in which Asian men “groom” young white girls for sex has been exposed with the jailing yesterday of two men for child-abuse offences

Zulfqar Hussain, 46, and Qaiser Naveed, 32, from east Lancashire, were each jailed for five years and eight months after exploiting two girls aged under 16 by plying them with alcohol and drugs before having sex with them

Both men pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to abduction, sexual activity with a child and the supply of a controlled drug...

The trial came amid growing concern at the attitudes of some Asian men towards white girls which campaigners for women claim few people wish to address.

Parents have complained that in parts of the country with large Asian communities white girls as young as 12 are being targeted for sex by older Asian men yet the authorities are unwilling to act because of fears of being labelled racist....

Although campaigners claim that hundreds of young girls are already being passed around men within the Asian community for sex, she said that attempts to raise the problem with community leaders had met with little success, with most of them being in a state of denial about it...

"Asians cannot go to Asian girls because it would be a terrible breach of the honour of the community and their family to have sex with an Asian girl before marriage.”

Apparently, the police aren't the only ones afraid of being labeled racist. The Times Online is too since the use the term "Asian" instead of Muslim or Pakistani. Several commenters were incensed about the term, and some Asians and British complained that the paper was afraid of insulting Muslims but not afraid to insult Asians in general. What a surprise.

Why do European nations fear insulting immigrants more than they fear harm to their own women and children?

How politically correct of the British for not mentioning "muslim or Pakistani." I know that a good muslim would not put up with this type of thing, right?  Unless, maybe if the victim was a damn infidel.

Hat tip: This was from my friend's blog: Anna Venger At Blogspot.com

bin Laden had al Qaeda camps in Iraq pre-invasion?

Received an email from my friend, Blackrain.  So, I figured that I would share what he received from another one of our friends.

Have a good day. R/ Bosun

Quote:

Terrorist Says Bin Laden Had al Qaeda Camps in Iraq (prior to invasion)

For those counting, this is at least the sixth confirmation of this. ABC News led the way with three reports from captured AQ and captured IIS guys immediately after the invasion.

The political rhetoric says that these camps were not in Saddam's Iraq but in the Kurdish north. What that ignores is that the camps were certainly not at all allied with the Kurds, but against them, and were acting with Saddam's help.

Politicians often try to point to Sen Intel Com reports claiming there were no ties etc., but these reports are:

1. political reports not intelligence reports
2. the Sen Intel Com is not an Intelligence agency any more than Feith's OSP was an intelligence agency
3. the claims of no ties in the Sen Intel Com reports were based on a single interim DIA officer's testimony-not an intel investigation and subsequent conclusions
4. believe it or not....there has NEVER been a conclusive investigation done by ANY of the 16 intel agencies into whether or not there were AQ camps in Iraq prior to the invasion (read the political reports carefully, and you'll see this)

For a complete listing of the government reports on AQ ties to Saddam's
regime, you can go to flopping aces blog and read this:

Flipping Aces: Saddam's  ties to al-Qaeda debunk

Some points of concern regarding this matter:

1. no one has really looked into this matter, but politicians have been happy to cherry pick it and push a false idea until it's accepted
2. every few months there's more and more evidence leaking out that Saddam's regime had closer ties with Al Qaeda than the Germans and Italians did with the Japanese (think about it, were there Japanese training camps in Bavaria and Tuscany?  Were German and Italian troops in training camps in Japanese held Indochina?
3. by and large the news media let the world down by not adequately looking into either the Bush Admin or the UN claims about WMD in Saddam's Iraq, and now they're doing it again by not (FIVE YEARS LATER) by not examining a question that's only been reported on by politicians and not by intelligence agents.

So the American people and the world are left to look at the videos themselves as ABC, NBC, CBS, even Fox just won't report on the connection and adequately describe it.

We're letting politicians, professional lawyers (trained, professional liars and spinmeisters) tell us what is real and what is not depending more on their political needs than on what is fact.

Why does the media parrot the political distortions rather than the truth (see video again)?

Captured Iraqi Terrorist Says Bin Laden Had al Qaeda Camps in Iraq (prior to invasion)

R.I.P. Merv

Merv Griffin, the entertainer turned impresario who parlayed his "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire, has died. He was 82. Griffin died of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his the family that was released by Marcia Newberger, spokeswoman for Merv Griffin Entertainment.

 

Merv Griffin dies at age 82 ... US News and World...

Entertainer Merv Griffin Dead At 82 ... ABC News

Entertainer, Entrepreneur Merv Griffin Dies ... NPR News

Will Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson apologize?

Courtesy of Talk show host Larry Elder, "Sage From South Central"  

FBI Statement on Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

Courtesy of: FBI NATIONAL PRESS OFFICE
(202) 324-3691

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 2, 2007

FBI STATEMENT ON MINNEAPOLIS BRIDGE COLLAPSE

The federal investigation is being led by the NTSB. The State of Minnesota will lead the state investigation. The FBI is in a support role in this incident. The FBI responded to the collapsed bridge to offer assistance and conduct any investigation necessary. Although it is early in the investigation, we have no reason at this time to believe there is any nexus to terrorism. The FBI has provided Special Agents, our Evidence Response Team and support in the Command Post. We will provide whatever resources we have available if requested by the NTSB or the State of Minnesota.

We would also like to share a public service message at this time. In recent history, tragic incidents such as 9/11, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the Virginia Tech shootings have all prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit for contributions for a charitable organization and/or a good cause. Consumers should consider the following:

• Do not respond to unsolicited (SPAM) e-mail.
• Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as officials soliciting via e-mail for donations.
• Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.
• Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
• To ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make contributions directly to recognized organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
• Validate the legitimacy of the organization by directly accessing the recognized charity or aid organization's website rather than following an alleged link to the site.
• Attempt to verify the legitimacy of the non-profit status of the organization by using various Internet-based resources, which also may assist in confirming the actual existence of the organization.
• Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: providing such information may compromise your identity and open you to identity theft.