Theodore's World

State of the Democratic Party: Meltdown

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 1, 2006 — Despite President Bush’s weak poll numbers heading into yesterday’s State of the Union address and the recent indictment of a high-profile Republican lobbyist, new information suggests that it’s the Democratic party and not the GOP that is in political disarray. This according to Katharine DeBrecht, the outspoken author of the 2005 hit children’s book “Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed” (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726904).
Going into the mid-term elections with a two-term president of the opposite party should be a golden opportunity for Democrats, notes DeBrecht, but instead there are signs of strife as attempts by liberal senators to stop the Alito nomination fell flat while the party’s congressional leadership seems destined to clash with its national chairman.
“To make matters even worse, the Democratic National Committee is nearly broke,” says DeBrecht, “while the Republicans have millions in the bank. When Howard Dean won the chairmanship everyone thought he’d be able to raise truck loads of money from his online supporters and the MoveOn.org crowd, but instead he’s facing a rebellion from Democrats in Congress who are worried about his mismanagement.”
Dean seems unlikely to take the rebellion lying down, though. Reports have surfaced that the former Vermont governor has prepared a Nixonian response by digging up dirt on Harry Reid, the Democrat’s leader in the Senate. One DNC source is quoted in media reports as ominously saying that Dean’s secret evidence on dealings by the Senator from Nevada makes “Jack Abramoff’s lobbying work look like that of a rank amateur.”
Since lobbyist Abramoff recently pleaded guilty in a high profile influence-peddling case, says DeBrecht, this posturing from one of Dean’s DNC staffers suggests that Dean thinks he is in possession of extremely damaging information on the Senate minority leader. Whether Dean will disclose that information to the press or hang onto it in order to avoid an attack by the party’s Congressional leadership remains unclear.
Last fall liberals including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Fox host Alan Colmes, and MSNBC pundit Ron Reagan all vocally criticized DeBrecht’s book for teaching politics to children and portraying Clinton and Ted Kennedy as cartoon villains. Clinton’s spokesman twice criticized the book in published reports, while liberal blogger Andrew Sullivan called it Maoist and the Democratic Underground named DeBrecht to their “Top 10 Conservative Idiots” list. Liberal condemnations notwithstanding, the book soared to #1 on Barnes & Noble’s online bestseller list following praise from Rush Limbaugh.
DeBrecht chuckles over the lack of similar cohesion among Democrats today: “Fortunately for the liberals, I have a new book — ‘Help! Mom! Hollywood’s in My Hamper’ — coming out this March. It depicts Hollywood stars telling children that liberals like Hillary need to run their lives for them. Maybe that will help the Democrats find a common issue they can finally rally around.”
About Kids Ahead: Kids Ahead is an imprint of Los Angeles-based World Ahead Publishing, the West Coast’s premier publisher of conservative and libertarian books. Visit http://www.worldahead.com to learn more.

And then there is this article………
Howie and Harry

It appears that the Democrat Party is closer to imploding than the Republican. How else to explain the ongoing attempts by Democrat Party Chairman Howard Dean to destroy Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid?
According to knowledgeable DNC sources, Dean about ten days ago was shown opposition research documents generated by the Republican National Committee more than three years ago, which laid out facts regarding Reid and his family’s lobbying and ethical conflicts.
Dean, according to the sources, was fascinated by the details, and asked that his staff research and independently confirm everything on the documents. “Basically he oppo’d a member of his own party,” says a DNC source loyal to Dean.
“Basically, we were looking at three- or four-page documents that made Jack Abramoff’s lobbying work look like that of a rank amateur,” says the DNC source. “Between the minority leader’s past in Nevada and here in Washington, and the activities of his sons and son-in-law, there probably isn’t anyone in this town with more conflicts. The Reid family is the symbol of what’s wrong with Washington; it’s their behavior that enabled the culture that spawned people like Abramoff.”
Dean then went public over the weekend, saying that Democrats with an Abramoff problem would be in trouble, not only with voters, but with the Democrat Party. But why attack a senior member of his own party?
According to Democrat Party watchers and DNC staff, Dean has grown increasingly frustrated at how he is treated by the likes of Reid, Sen. Dick Durbin, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who leads the House Democrat candidate recruitment effort. “They treat him like a lackey, not as an equal,” says another DNC employee. “Just last week, they were all badmouthing his fundraising activities, when clearly he’s done a good job. What this comes down to a fight for the soul of our party, and if the chairman has to draw a long knife on a few of his colleagues, he’s more than willing to do so.”

From Drudge
DEAN UNDER FIRE FROM PARTY DEMS; NEARLY ALL CASH SPENT
Mon Jan 30 2006 10:52:31 ET

Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are privately bristling over Howard Dean’s management of the Democratic National Committee and have made those sentiments clear after new fundraising numbers showed he has spent nearly all the committee’s cash and has little left to support their efforts to gain seats this cycle, ROLL CALL reports.
Congressional leaders were furious last week when they learned the DNC has just $5.5 million in the bank, compared to the Republican National Committee’s $34 million.
Senate and House Minority Leaders Harry Reid (Nev.) and Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), along with the Senate and House campaign committee chairmen Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have made their concerns — directly or indirectly — known to Dean, claims the paper.
Emanuel was particularly upset last week upon seeing the latest DNC numbers.
“A lot of people are scratching their heads as to what’s going on,” said one senior Democratic aide.
Another Democratic source familiar with the party fundraising apparatus said there is “obvious displeasure” among the leaders.

Wild Thing’s comment………
Weeeeeeeeee this is hilarious! What can I say………..better them then us. BUAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAHA

Before I begin I want to give credit to Cao’s Blog, Cao is a wonderful woman
with a big heart and very smart. She has much more information than I do that
you can go and read at her Blog.

Also SuperPatriots.US is the place to be as well if you want to get information and
updates.

“The SuperPatriots and Jack images on this site are used by
the Blogs and website listed below with written copyright
permission and any use by any third party is subject to legal
action by SuperPatriots.US”. So don’t mess with them or me
and think you that hate this war can just take the images and
use them against those serving our country.

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If you have any feeling inside of you then you will be
angered like I was, you will shed tears as I have done and you will know in your
heart that an injustice has been done and needs to be corrected ASAP!

They men that ask “why not” instead of why.

Jack Idema is the soldier, who more than a decade ago first warned the Pentagon about the Russian Mafia selling suitcase nuclear bombs to terrorist supporting nations. Suitcase nuke proliferation is reportedly much worse since Idema first told the Pentagon what he learned from the Lithuanian KGB about the illicit traffic. That story by the way, won major awards when reported by CBS “60 Minutes”, though CBS chose not to credit their major source – Jonathan K. Idema (Jack).

Jack Idema is a former member of the US Army Special Forces and is a Green Beret. He has operated for the US Government, and trained foreign counter-terrorist forces in Nicaragua against the Sandinistas, in El Salvador with the Ramon Bellosa Immediate Reaction Battalion against the FMLN terrorists, in East Germany and Europe against the Bader Meinhoff Gang, in Thailand with the Thai Special Warfare Command, in Haiti protecting the US Mission against dissidents, in the Middle East against Hezbollah, Hamas and Abu Nidal terrorists, in Lithuania against the OMON terrorists, and numerous other operational areas.

His Special Ops and SF background includes more than two dozen SF, Special Ops, police, counter-terrorist and classified courses and schools. He is an expert in counter-terrorism, intelligence asset development, and hostage-rescue, with more than 25 years’ experience in all of these. He’s currently employed by the Counter-Terrorist Group U.S. (CounTerr Group) as a CT Operator in a direct action capacity against international terrorism, specifically, Al Qaeda and related terrorist groups.

CounTerr, aka CounTerr Group, is an organization based in the US that leads counter-terrorism activites in support of US government initiatives. Counter Group conducts training, organization, direct action, HUMINT, and advisory services to foreign and domestic agencies. Counter Group has been in operation , in various forms, in various countries, for approximately 27 years. Counter Group began deploying personnel to Afghanistan and other countries just weeks after 9/11 as part of the effort to combat Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda and other terrorist forces such as the Taliban. Counter Group’s foreign operating group and CONUS personnel worked in conjunction with Commander Massoud’s Northern Alliance, which were primarily responsible for the liberation of Afghanistan with US Army Special Forces and Special Ops units.

During the 2002 war in Afghanistan, his mother died. Jack was chasing Iraqi, Pakistani, Iranian, and Japanese al-Qaida terrorists in Afghanistan. He had been very close to bin Laden, and this was well documented by UPI, books, and other news sources. He did not return to bury his mother until three weeks later. Wounded twice, with nine straight months in combat and/or intelligence operations, Jack Idema served continuously longer than ANY other ground operator in Afghanistan in 2001/2002. When al-Qaida again threatened regional security and the lives of his Afghan friends, Jack returned on what was to be a 30-45 day operation against a single terrorist bomber.

In 2001 Jack Idema was a hero in the war in Afghanistan. Associated Press wrote a story that he saved 300 women and children at an Earthquake in Afghanistan, and he was thanked by the Afghan President. Within a short time later he and his men spend ten years in an Afghan prison from a Taliban judge.

October 2001……Jack Idema and TASK FORCE SABER personnel participated in numerous operations starting in October 2001. These operations included combat advisor and combat medic operations in OPERATION ANACONDA in March 2002, and humanitarian assistance and rescue operations during the 2002 Nahrin earthquake disaster and other similar crises. All of these activities were officially as part of, or attached to, the Northern Alliance Anti-Taliban Forces and the United Front.

During these operations Task Force Saber/7 personnel were repeatedly commended for their actions by U.S. forces such as Task Force 180, high-ranking members of both the Northern Alliance and the Afghan government, including numerous cabinet level Ministers, National Security Council members, Vice-President Kareem Khalili, and even President Karzai himself.

Only a few years later, Idema stands accused of running an illegal jail in what has been termed a freelance search for terrorists. The U.S. government says it did not sponsor or employ him.
They are accused of kidnapping and torturing Afghan citizens in their makeshift jail. They could face 15 to 20 years in an Afghan prison. And being there without permission from the U.S. Government….aka Loose cannons……..which is a bunch of BS!

See this above, it is from the FBI TO Idema. Yep, the FBI Counter-Terrorist Unit and Counter-Terrorist Watch Command was sending Federal Express packages to and from Jack! Between December 2003 and April 2004 there were far more than a dozen of “urgent priority” packages sent between these two groups.
This receipt above, sent by the FBI, billed to a US government account, and sent via a special Federal Express route, called “Sensitive – Courier Alert” marked – “Highest Boarding Priority” – “No Redirect” and a bunch of other spook stuff, was sent by Debbie Brooks of the FBI directly from the FBI’s CT Task Force (CT Watch Command at Headquarters). Notice several things:
1) 4.45 pounds of al-Qaida documents;
2) FBI Sensitive CT account #;
3) “From Room 5712 Category A” – that room handles all sensitive/classified communications for the Counter-Terrorist guys;
4) “Origin” – which gives a phone number at the CT Task Force Command office;
5) “15 Jan 04″ – right during the height of the exchanges, and right during the time when Ashcroft was announcing “special” and “covert” intelligence was finding evidence of new al-Qaida attacks planned on Americans.
But wait……hold on those of you reading this….the FBI wants us to believe they had no idea who these guys are!

In 2004……… they participated in, or independently conducted military operations known as OPERATION RUBICON, OPERATION MONK, OPERATION ROADRUNNER, OPERATION ACME, and assisted U.S. and NATO Forces in OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. Idema, Bennett and Caraballo were part of TASK FORCE SABER and TASK FORCE 7 implemented by Counterr Group between September 12, 2001 and July 2004. These two activities, hereafter referred to collectively as “Task Force Saber/7,” conducted military and humanitarian operations in support of the U.S. and Coalition War on Terror and ongoing efforts to continue the liberation of Afghanistan and permanently defeat the Taliban and al-Qaida terrorist forces waging a guerilla war and resurgence in Afghanistan.

February and March of 2004……………
In February and March 2004, the FBI, through their Washington, D.C. Headquarters and CT Watch Command (Counter-Terrorism Watch- a supposed clearing house for terrorist information), made concerted efforts to co-opt Counterr Group intelligence assets inside al-Qaida. Co-opting an asset refers to one agency attempting to seize total control and operational direction over another organization’s human intelligence source. Counterr Group resisted FBI efforts to co-opt their assets and refused to release their identities. However, Counterr Group continued to pass actionable intelligence to the DOD, DIA, and NSA. The FBI then sought to discredit Counterr Group’s assets and intelligence, and coerce Counterr Group officers and their families with a wide-range of threats.

April and July of 2004……..
Between April 2004 and July 2004, Task Force Saber/7 interdicted and captured numerous terrorists in Afghanistan. While some were turned over to U.S. military forces and Afghan Ministry of Defense forces, others were in custody and awaiting transfer to the U.S. military’s TASK FORCE 180 (JTF-180), the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, and other classified activities in Afghanistan. Task Force Saber/7 were working with and briefing the U.S. Department of Defense and the Afghan Ministry of Defense on a daily basis, sometimes an hourly basis. Furthermore, Afghan government employees, such as Lieutenant Rasuli, were always operating with Task Force Saber/7 twenty-four hours a day, as were 12 Afghans.

In July 2004……..
On July 5th, 2004, the Jack Idema, Brent Bennett, Ed Caraballo and Afghans including Zorro and Ezmerai, were arrested by forces under the control the FBI, and with the assistance of Karzai forces in opposition to the former Northern Alliance and the interim government’s Ministry of Defense. This was orchestrated by Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami forces loyal to Mullah Omar and Gulbideen Hekmatyar, with the knowledge and approval of then Interim President Hamid Karzai. The purpose of this was to prevent a high level Hezb-i-Islami terrorist (Sidiq) from being transferred to permanent U.S. military custody and exposing the depth and breadth of the high level plot. In return, Karzai would receive full support and votes from Hekmatyar controlled areas such as the Konar Province (he later did).

“Mr. Jack” was charged with entering the country illegally, torturing innocent Afghan civilians, and running a private jail.

Middle of August 2004….
Attorney John Edwards Tiffany had arrived from NY with the legal team he assembled. It would not do much good. The Taliban Judge (are you ever “ex-Taliban”?) would ignore the Rule of Law completely. The men were convicted of all charges, in spite of extensive evidence of innocence. The FBI confiscated much of the evidence and eventually all of the evidence in the case, leaving them with no way to defend themselves. They were charged with illegally entering the country, kidnapping, and torture.

The entire trial violated the Afghan Criminal Code, and not one shred of actual evidence was ever presented against the men. No prosecution witnesses testified under oath, no cross examination ever allowed, and even the defense statements were not allowed to be read, nor did the Court provide competent interpreters and most of the time the men had no idea of what was being said in court.

So, you had known terrorists, caught with explosives, detonators, bomb plans to kill diplomats and American soldiers, weapons, ammunition, and all sorts of terrorist related items, including a letter from an al-Qaida relative in GITMO Cuba, and a letter from Mullah Omar, claiming that they were “abused” and “tortured” by Americans (oh, and that they didn’t get to go to the bathroom for twelve hours) and the press actually believed them, although they were ALL in perfect health and could not show a single mark or injury. The Red Cross later confirmed that not one single terrorist had any injury or showed any evidence of torture.

On September 16, 2004….
According to Court documents, the Defendants were illegally convicted of all charges in the Primary Court on September 16, 2004 and sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment.

In November 2004……………
Defendants were granted a Trial de novo (a completely new trial) and the convictions were declared null and void.

On December 1, 2004….
The Court of Appeals of the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan conducted another closed hearing in the case (again to keep it away from media scrutiny). By the end of the hearing, the Afghan Court of Appeals had declared all four Afghans innocent of all charges and three of Idema’s men were ordered released immediately by the Appeals Court after hearing evidence from Afghan government police officers and learning that the FBI was present during torture sessions and illegally seized Petitioners’ evidence in the case for the second time. The American FBI successfully delayed this case for another 30 days and still refused to return the evidence. The US government continues to withhold evidence.

December 17,2004…..
eight al-Qaida terrorists implemented an assassination plot and attack on the Idema, Caraballo & Bennett at Pulacharke. One of their motives was to collect a $250,000 reward Osama bin Laden had placed on Idema.
Approximately 40 days later, the Appeals Court met again, and repeated that all members of Task Force Saber/7 were “completely innocent,” but that they could not be released because of pressure and coercion by the U.S. Embassy and FBI. Further, the Appeals Court cleared them of all torture charges after hearing covertly recorded statements of the alleged “victims” and seeing evidence linking the “victims” to terrorist leaders and terror plots.

In February 2005….
Idema and his team were found innocent of entering the county illegally when the Appeals Court saw video of their passports being handed to Customs Officials and Border Police.

On February 16, 2005………….
al-Qaida terrorists attempted a seventh assassination attempt against them. Seventeen Pakistani, Red Chinese, and Arab terrorists implemented another plan to kill Idema and the two other American POWs. The assassination attempt was interdicted by Northern Alliance officers again, and foiled just twelve hours before their attack on these men.

In March 2005…..
The three Americans remaining in prison were found innocent of all charges after an undercover tape was played in which their accusers admitted there was no torture and that it was “all a show for the press.” A second tape was played with the terrorists discussing their plans to bomb Bagram Air base, the US airfield north of Kabul, and plotting to kill several national leaders. Idema and his men were still not released.

But here is the kicker…………
The American government will not approve their release!

November 7th week, 2005……
The independent newspaper published by the Massoud Hero Foundation, and the Mujahadeen and Martyrs Group called for the immediate release of American Jack Idema and his Northern Alliance anti-terrorist team.

As Jack and the Task Force Saber 7 say in their sign off
Freedom Endures
TASK FORCE SABER/7

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* Big Dog’s Weblog
* Cao’s Blog
* Rottweiler Puppy

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If you want to know more about the story,Cao’s Blog has a large section devoted to Jack Idema. There’s also a timeline here, and of course a huge amount of information if available at SuperPatriots.US, without whose work done none of us would have learned about Jack’s story.
Anyone reading this with their own blog can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details. I’d urge everyone to do this.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2006 – Speed and flexibility make a new military high-speed vessel especially valuable for shallow-water operations, a Defense Department official said.
The “Stiletto,” a shallow-water craft made of a tough, lightweight carbon composite material, offers a safer, more comfortable ride and is easily reconfigured to accommodate technological advances and the military’s needs, said Navy Cmdr. Greg E. Glaros, a transformation strategist in the Office of Force Transformation.
“We can’t predict the future,” Glaros said. “Therefore, . . . we better design systems that are . . . flexible. ”
Stiletto was initiated in the DoD transformation office in association with U. S. Special Operations Command, he said. When fielded, the boat will be available for use my all services. It’s meant to get special operations forces to their missions quickly with a top speed of more than 50 knots, Glaros said. Those forces, a total of 15 per boat, also could benefit from its unusual hull design.
Described as an “M-hull” because of its resemblance to the letter “M,” the water Stiletto displaces is pulled through tunnels under the boat. The water mixes with incoming air from the forward movement of the craft and creates an air cushion that the boat rides on, he said.
Glaros said this cushion could be a back-saving benefit for those using Stiletto for transport. The vertical impact to the neck and the spine from riding on a traditional small transport craft have been likened to a “10-G shock,” or the body suddenly weighing 10 times its own weight, at least twice an hour, he said. If a seat fails, that shock can spike to 20 Gs.
“At any given time, . . . 30 percent of (small boat-operating teams) are ‘medically down’ because of injuries sustained while driving their boats,” Glaros said. After about 10 years, most small-boat drivers are eligible for 100 percent disability by Department of Veterans Affairs standards, Glaros said.
Stiletto’s other purposes include what Glaros describes as “techno exploration. ” Basically, he said, the boat is a floating experiment. The office wanted to understand the uses and the limits of composite materials in this type of application.
The boat’s design also anticipates advances in technology, he said. “In our world today, the most powerful element is information,” Glaros said. “For us, it would be folly to build anything that didn’t have the means with which to connect to the outer world. ”
Stiletto’s “electronic keel” provides that connection, he said. The system offers open access to its network for various uses by all services, Glaros said. Its plug-and-play nature makes it adaptable to advancing technologies.
“It’ll (reduce) dramatically the cost of upgrades and, more importantly, it gives us options in the future so that we can change the mission and the configurations in the boat,” he said.
While any force can customize the hull for a specific purpose, Glaros said, it was designed with servicemembers in mind. “They’re at the heart of this,” he said. “Give them something that they can change and manipulate on their own and doesn’t damage them more than the enemy. ”
Fifteen months after the contract to build Stiletto was signed, the boat is considered “operational experimental,” Glaros said, though he is uncertain when it will be fielded. The boat will be put through its paces with Naval Special Clearance Team 1 in early May.
To date, the ship has cost about $12. 5 million, Glaros said. About one-fourth of that went to building computer-aided models and more operational testing.

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There is an UPDATE at the bottom of this post

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Monday, January 30th,2006
COPENHAGEN (Reuters)

Denmark warned its citizens on Monday to avoid Saudi Arabia, and gunmen in Gaza said any Scandinavians there risked attack, as Muslim fury mounted over newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
Denmark has defended the newspaper Jyllands-Posten’s right to publish the satirical drawings that seemed to portray the Prophet as a terrorist and which a Norwegian paper has run too.
Some Muslims, who deem images of prophets disrespectful and caricatures blasphemous, have threatened Danes and demanded an apology.
Saudi Arabia has recalled its envoy from Denmark and its religious leaders called for a boycott of Danish products.
Many Saudis have started boycotting Danish goods and across the Gulf, several supermarkets pulled Scandinavian foods off the shelves after consumers complained.
Jyllands-Posten said on Monday that it regretted offending Muslims but defended its right to publish the drawings.
“We cannot apologize for having printed the cartoons as part of a debate about the right to free speech,” Editor-in-Chief Carsten Juste told Reuters.
Libya has closed its Copenhagen embassy, and thousands of Palestinians marched in protest on Monday.
An Iraqi militant group called on Monday for attacks on Danish and Norwegian targets, saying a boycott was not enough, according to a statement attributed to the Mujahideen Army.
The Internet statement called on fighters to “hit whatever targets possible belonging to these two countries and others that follow their steps.” It could not be authenticated.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday advised colleagues in the European Union of the situation and the bloc’s executive said it might complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) about the boycott if the Saudi government had encouraged it.
“The EU strongly rejects any threats by militant factions against EU citizens,” EU foreign ministers said in a statement.
The Danish Foreign Ministry advised against non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia and urged Danes to be cautious in other Muslim countries.
“Danes who choose to stay in Saudi Arabia should show extraordinarily high watchfulness,” it added on its Web site.
The Danish Red Cross said it had pulled two employees out of Gaza and one from Yemen, and Norway’s Foreign Ministry said two Norwegian aid workers in Gaza were planning to leave on Monday.
Sweden warned its citizens against traveling to Gaza and the West Bank and the Swedish consulate in Jerusalem received a fax claiming to be from Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades demanding that all Danes and Swedes leave the area.
“All Swedes and Danes that exist on our soil have 48 hours to leave our country or else,” according to the fax read to Reuters by a consulate official.
Swedish officials said they were taking the threat seriously even if it might be the result of being confused with Denmark.
Dozens of Palestinians with rifles and grenade launchers rallied outside the EU headquarters in Gaza City, demanding an apology and warning Danes and Norwegians they would be at risk in Gaza.
Some of the gunmen fired in the air, while others burned Danish and Norwegian flags.
Hamas, the militant Islamic group which won Palestinian elections last week, urged Islamic countries to take “deterrent steps against idiotic Danish behavior.”
Hardest hit by the boycott was Danish-Swedish dairy product maker Arla Foods, with annual sales of 3 billion Danish crowns ($487 million) in the Middle East. The world’s biggest maker of insulin, Novo Nordisk, also said it was affected.
Rasmussen said on Monday that “the Danish government cannot apologize on behalf of a Danish newspaper. It doesn’t work like … and we have explained that to the Arab countries. Independent media are not edited by the government.”
Denmark has around 530 troops serving in Iraq.

So here they for you to decide

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‘This is not just about cartoons, but standing up for our values’Times Online

THE Danish editor who brought the fury of the Muslim world on his country by printing pictures of the Prophet Muhammad defiantly declared yesterday: “We do not apologise for printing the cartoons. It was our right to do so.”
As protests continued for a second day in Gaza with shouts of “Death to Denmark”, Flemming Rose, the culture editor of the centre-right daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten, sat in his book-lined office declaring his surprise at the reaction.
He said that he had to stand his ground because, as in the Salman Rushdie affair, freedom of speech was being threatened. “There is a lot at stake. It would be very naive to think this is only about Jyllands-Posten and 12 cartoons and apologising or not apologising.
“This is about standing for fundamental values that have been the (foundation) for the development of Western democracies over several hundred years, and we are now in a situation where those values are being challenged,” he said.

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Danes try to calm Muslim rage
International Herald Tribune

The Danish government stepped up efforts Tuesday to curb the damage caused by the publication of cartoons in a Danish newspaper linking the Prophet Muhammad to terrorism.
But the moves failed to allay Muslim anger as retailers boycotted Danish goods in the Middle East and protesters in Gaza set fire to photos of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The economic fallout continued, with the French supermarket chain Carrefour announcing it was pulling Danish goods from its shelves in Arab countries.
A day after the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, apologized for offending Muslims, the Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moller, handed out a contrite statement about the cartoons on the sidelines of an Afghanistan fund-raising conference in London.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
So apparently beheadings and suicide bombers are OK though…..”stop offending us or we’ll cut off your heads”…….they do it anyway, even if the person that was beheaded did not offend them.
History proves that before Islam came into existence the Sabeans in Arabia worshiped the Moon god who married the sun goddess and who gave birth to three goddesess. They were called Al-lat, Al-uzza and Manat. They later became idols and they were worshipped throughout that part of the world as the ” Daughters of Allah”. The moon god was Allah! He was just one of 360 idols in Kabah in Mecca.
The cresent moon is everywhere in Islam. Evem Ramadan begins and ends with the crescent moon.
Muhammed wanted to create his own religion. He needed the backing of his powerful tribe. So he picked Allah, the Moon-god which they worshipped, to be the one god. And he declared himself tio be Allah’s prophet.
In the 1950’s a major temple to the Moon-god was excavated at Hazor in Palistine. Two idols of the Moon-god were found, proving Alah wa sa pre-Islamic pagan deity.
The truth is that Alah is NOT God, Muhammad was NO prophet and the Koran is NOT the word of God.
Look at this, it is just an example of what the terrorists think is funny. But of course this kind of thing is fine with them. GRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

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Other cartoons from the Arab world

UPDATE on those getting involved around the world on this topic!!

* Michelle Malkin …..FIRST, THEY CAME FOR THE CARTOONISTS
* Jihad Watch …..Do you value freedom of speech and freedom of the press? ( good news from Europe: publications in France, Germany, Spain and Italy reprinting some of the cartoons that have provoked international cartoon rage)
* Judith Apter Klinghoffer ……PAPERS WORLDWIDE PUBLISH OFFENDING DANISH CARTOONS. AMERICAN MSM?
* My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy……Boycott the Stupid Boycott
* Vince Aut Morire ……..’To All The ‘slamotards I’ve Loved Before’
Feel free to grab one of these images from Sandmonkey’s blog . He is making sure this is not all talk and turns into action about what has happened. Thank you Sandmonkey!
Images below to help spread the word…………..

When I was growing up my parents would take us on a vacation every summer. It was always part for pure fun but also for educational purposes as well. When we visited the East coast I got to see the places that had to do with how our government was run and tour the many buildings including the monuments, Arlington Cemetry and sooo many other places. I was taught early on how important our Military is to my Freedom and living in the land of the brave. I was in awe of the House of Representatives, the color of the wood, the size of the room, the balcony we all stood on as we looked down upon the enormous room, every part of what made that place so important to our country. How the person I vote for was to speak and vote ( hopefully) for what my vote counted for. The vastness of Arlington and the sacrifices that each grave meant to my life. Impressions that were not only a learning process but something that became a part of how I think and listen when others speak.
I was thinking about all of this before President Bush spoke tonight. With a grateful heart that Bush has been our President, and yes I have not agreed with all he has done but most of the things get my stamp of approval. I was thinking of how this Nation could not have survived more years of the Clintons even if he would have been allowed to run a third time.
As President Bush said tonight, “Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage.”, and it is. Our Nation is what it is with our Freedoms because of our Veterans and our troops today. Because of THEIR courage, YOUR courage you wonderful Veterans that post here! Thank you! I just pray that as Bush said tonight, our Military will run this war and NOT those in Washington, that as he said, they should “stand behind the American military.”
These are just some quotes by Presient Bush tonight:

“Abroad, our nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal — we seek the end of tyranny in our world. Some dismiss that goal as misguided idealism. In reality, the future security of America depends on it. On September the 11th, 2001, we found that problems originating in a failed and oppressive state 7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country. Dictatorships shelter terrorists, and feed resentment and radicalism, and seek weapons of mass destruction. Democracies replace resentment with hope, respect the rights of their citizens and their neighbors, and join the fight against terror. Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer — so we will act boldly in freedom’s cause. ”
“We love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it.”
“If we were to leave these vicious attackers alone, they would not leave us alone. They would simply move the battlefield to our own shores. There is no peace in retreat. And there is no honor in retreat. By allowing radical Islam to work its will — by leaving an assaulted world to fend for itself — we would signal to all that we no longer believe in our own ideals, or even in our own courage. But our enemies and our friends can be certain: The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil.”
“Our work in Iraq is difficult because our enemy is brutal. But that brutality has not stopped the dramatic progress of a new democracy. In less than three years, the nation has gone from dictatorship to liberation, to sovereignty, to a constitution, to national elections. At the same time, our coalition has been relentless in shutting off terrorist infiltration, clearing out insurgent strongholds, and turning over territory to Iraqi security forces. I am confident in our plan for victory; I am confident in the will of the Iraqi people; I am confident in the skill and spirit of our military. Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning.”
“The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels — but those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C.”
“Our coalition has learned from our experience in Iraq. We’ve adjusted our military tactics and changed our approach to reconstruction. Along the way, we have benefitted from responsible criticism and counsel offered by members of Congress of both parties. In the coming year, I will continue to reach out and seek your good advice. Yet, there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy.”
“With so much in the balance, those of us in public office have a duty to speak with candor. A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison, would put men like bin Laden and Zarqawi in charge of a strategic country, and show that a pledge from America means little. Members of Congress, however we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in this vital mission.”
“Our men and women in uniform are making sacrifices — and showing a sense of duty stronger than all fear. They know what it’s like to fight house to house in a maze of streets, to wear heavy gear in the desert heat, to see a comrade killed by a roadside bomb. And those who know the costs also know the stakes. Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay was killed last month fighting in Fallujah. He left behind a letter to his family, but his words could just as well be addressed to every American. Here is what Dan wrote: “I know what honor is. … It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to…. Never falter! Don’t hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting.”
“The Palestinian people have voted in elections. And now the leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism, and work for lasting peace.”
“The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people. The regime in that country sponsors terrorists in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon — and that must come to an end. The Iranian government is defying the world with its nuclear ambitions, and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons. America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats.”
“Tonight, let me speak directly to the citizens of Iran: America respects you, and we respect your country. We respect your right to choose your own future and win your own freedom. And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran.”
“Our country must also remain on the offensive against terrorism here at home. The enemy has not lost the desire or capability to attack us. Fortunately, this nation has superb professionals in law enforcement, intelligence, the military, and homeland security. These men and women are dedicating their lives, protecting us all, and they deserve our support and our thanks. They also deserve the same tools they already use to fight drug trafficking and organized crime — so I ask you to reauthorize the Patriot Act.”
“Fellow citizens, we’ve been called to leadership in a period of consequence. We’ve entered a great ideological conflict we did nothing to invite. We see great changes in science and commerce that will influence all our lives. Sometimes it can seem that history is turning in a wide arc, toward an unknown shore. Yet the destination of history is determined by human action, and every great movement of history comes to a point of choosing. ”
“Lincoln could have accepted peace at the cost of disunity and continued slavery. Martin Luther King could have stopped at Birmingham or at Selma, and achieved only half a victory over segregation. The United States could have accepted the permanent division of Europe, and been complicit in the oppression of others. Today, having come far in our own historical journey, we must decide: Will we turn back, or finish well?”
“Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage. Like Americans before us, we will show that courage and we will finish well. We will lead freedom’s advance. We will compete and excel in the global economy. We will renew the defining moral commitments of this land. And so we move forward — optimistic about our country, faithful to its cause, and confident of the victories to come.”