Bloggledygook

Guest Blogging.

I will be among the guest bloggers subbing for Jack Grant as he prepares to move back to the States to be near his father, who is gravely ill. I have my first post up here. Hopefully, the ones following will be more coherent.

Best wishes to Jack and his family.

Bush Upstaged By Lieberman, Will Make Sure All Doors Are Unlocked.

One of the shames of the last Democratic primary is how quickly and completely Joe Lieberman was ignored and summarily booted out.

One of the shames of the current administration is that a Democratic senator, writing in an OpEd yesterday, and speaking on many news shows throughout the day, enunciated more clearly and much more forcefully the progress being made in Iraq, and why premature withdrawal would be disastrous than has ever been uttered by the president.

None of these remarkable changes would have happened without the coalition forces led by the U.S. And, I am convinced, almost all of the progress in Iraq and throughout the Middle East will be lost if those forces are withdrawn faster than the Iraqi military is capable of securing the country.

The leaders of Iraq's duly elected government understand this, and they asked me for reassurance about America's commitment. The question is whether the American people and enough of their representatives in Congress from both parties understand this. I am disappointed by Democrats who are more focused on how President Bush took America into the war in Iraq almost three years ago, and by Republicans who are more worried about whether the war will bring them down in next November's elections, than they are concerned about how we continue the progress in Iraq in the months and years ahead.

Here is an ironic finding I brought back from Iraq. While U.S. public opinion polls show serious declines in support for the war and increasing pessimism about how it will end, polls conducted by Iraqis for Iraqi universities show increasing optimism. Two-thirds say they are better off than they were under Saddam, and a resounding 82% are confident their lives in Iraq will be better a year from now than they are today. What a colossal mistake it would be for America's bipartisan political leadership to choose this moment in history to lose its will and, in the famous phrase, to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory.

Lieberman goes further than Bush ever had, in saying that although the US has made some mistakes, there is no blind "stay the course" non-action:

Does America have a good plan for doing this, a strategy for victory in Iraq? Yes we do. And it is important to make it clear to the American people that the plan has not remained stubbornly still but has changed over the years. Mistakes, some of them big, were made after Saddam was removed, and no one who supports the war should hesitate to admit that; but we have learned from those mistakes and, in characteristic American fashion, from what has worked and not worked on the ground. The administration's recent use of the banner "clear, hold and build" accurately describes the strategy as I saw it being implemented last week.

We are now embedding a core of coalition forces in every Iraqi fighting unit, which makes each unit more effective and acts as a multiplier of our forces. Progress in "clearing" and "holding" is being made. The Sixth Infantry Division of the Iraqi Security Forces now controls and polices more than one-third of Baghdad on its own. Coalition and Iraqi forces have together cleared the previously terrorist-controlled cities of Fallujah, Mosul and Tal Afar, and most of the border with Syria. Those areas are now being "held" secure by the Iraqi military themselves. Iraqi and coalition forces are jointly carrying out a mission to clear Ramadi, now the most dangerous city in Al-Anbar province at the west end of the Sunni Triangle.

Why haven't we heard this from the president? While Bush and his acolytes have been insisting that their original plans have been working (which no one believes) and insisting that the Iraq campaign has been virtually trouble-free (which is a bald-faced lied) Lieberman honestly and simply tells us, finally, what's going on in Iraq and what further needs to be done.

I have not changed my opinion about the Iraq campaign, but I have lost just about all sympathy for the Bush Administration. Not because there hasn't been significant progress, but because the president is on the brink of forfeiting Iraq, and thereby the larger war, by failing to speak straight and actually lead.

We will hear another highly-touted speech from the president. He will have to do much to outdo Lieberman, and I see no reason to think that he will. But it is a shame, Mr President, that while you are ducking to locked doors, trying to avoid questions, a Senator from the opposition party makes a better case for your policies than you do.

Another Stupid Party In Which Your Humble Correspondent Is Conspicuously Not Invited.

Why do I bother? The Commie's new play group is going all cliquish and posting on something stupid called a "Flogjam." It a closed system over there in Flannel Land, with Stephen and some snot named WuzzaDem inviting all the "cool" kids to hang out with them.
Well, it looks like things are not so sweet in Paradise. Check out the pathetic lingo and the inside jokes. Like I GivaDamn, WuzzaDem.

Flogjam my ass.

Video Of Hostages Released.

Rusty Shackleford has exclusive video of the Christian Peacemakers Team members taken "hostage" in Iraq.

A hostage video has been released of the four Western peace activists taken hostage in Iraq. The Jawa Report has obtained a copy of the video. Images from the video and links to video posted below.  The video shows American Thomas Fox of Clear Brook Virginia, Canadian Harmeet Singh Sooden, who resides in Auckland, New Zealand, British citizen Norman Kember, and some one who appears to identify himself as James Loni (last name unclear) of Canada.

If this turns out to be legit (and no one can say if it is, yet. I'm a little skeptical) the reaction from the peaceniks will be interesting. The men taken are members of a group that ran an "adopt a detainee" program until September of this year. One wonders if CPT will find anybody to write to to plead for the lives of these men.

The Curse Of The Lottery.

Apparently NBC either doesn't want you to be rich or thinks you're too stupid to handle a few million dollars. Or maybe, they just want to lull you into a circular state of resignation and hope.

Matt Lauer introduced yet another saga this morning on the pitfalls of becoming a lottery winner. Turns out, a burgeoning bank account ain't what it's cracked up to be. There are many cautionary tales of what can happen to those who suddenly have more money than they ever thought possible. We see the ramifications of it every day, with teen singers and twenty-something athletes getting into all kinds of whacky predicaments.

Every once in a while, the media trots out some simpleton who won the big bucks and is now living with his dog in a VW bus parked under a bridge. The lesson her is not to foreswear the lottery, but to be happy that's it's not us that one. This satisfies two objectives: 1) To continue to pump up state gambling revenues; and 2) to keep scrutiny off of the lotteries themselves.

Very rarely, if ever, do we hear a tale of a nice couple, say, who maybe has kids who would like to go to college. And maybe there's a sick grandmother and a dream house. Maybe the family sets up a few trusts or a Family Limited Partnership and lives within the means of what the capital generates. The kids get to go to college, grandma is feeling better, thanks, and there's a nice, not-too-big home for everyone to enjoy.

Not a chance. That way, lottery players would be upset that they didn't get the chance to have a great life and maybe they would start to think that the odds are so wildly set against them, that it's not worth the anguish of playing and losing.

And we let this happen, of course. We want the winners all to be losers, so at the very least we can feel superior by proxy. After all, we don't have to prove that we can handle money if we don't have any.

So yeah, some people don't know how to handle money. But the theories are all the same if you have $10,000 or $10,000,000. It's just a matter of technique and temperament. Those who can't manage a large amount probably can't manage a small amount, either.

Next time you hear a fluff piece about how terrible it is to win a large sum of money, turn off the tube and pick up a copy of The Wall Street Journal.

The New, New, New, New Media.

I have nothing to say about fashion and the dissemination of news to the masses. Probably, it's a consequence of a decade-long low-grade fever. On the other hand, it could just be that I have grown tired of the whole "what's next" quality of modern life.

Now, one of my role models has punched the llama and cooked up an alternative to Pajamas Media. It has potential. Sadly, I am not qualified. The Commissar is pretending to open up the blogoverse when in reality, he is merely setting up not only impossible criteria for inclusion in his little Internet sodality, but he is openly mocking those of us who do not revel in his, uh, sartorial sickness. How depressing. First, Reynolds and Simon and Johnson go off on their own to build a secret tree house and now Stephen flaunts what amounts to the flannel trots (as opposed to flannel Trotsky), all the while threatening his readers with barbecue implements.

So this is what we've come to, is it? The fractionating of a once-almost-but-not-really great movement to return the news to its rightful owners--the little people who scrape together the cyber pennies to support the self-appointed secular prelature known as New Media.

It's sad. It's really, really sad. I was going to confront Stephen directly, but then I realized: what's the use? He's already been seduced by the big bucks and glamor (just get a load of the pictures! Damn Stephen, must you be so wanton?) and has left the rest of us behind.

So go ahead and take a look if you want. Sooner or later, you know you're gonna. Get it over with and move on. But please, please, don't remind me that I can never measure up to yet another "exclusive" cadre.

Screw you, Stephen. Why don't you just get it over with and move to Seattle?

Canadian Government Falls On No-confidence Vote.

Wow. Governments are falling all over. Paul Martin's minority government lost a no-confidence vote today in the Canadian Parliament:

Canada's three opposition parties, which control a majority in Parliament, voted against Martin's government, claiming his Liberal Party no longer has the moral authority to lead the nation.

The loss means an election for all 308 seats in the lower House of Commons, likely on Jan. 23. Martin and his Cabinet would continue to govern until then.

Opposition leaders last week called for the no-confidence vote after Martin rejected their demands to dissolve Parliament in January and hold early elections in February. Monday's vote follows a flurry of spending announcements in Ottawa last week, with the government trying to advance its agenda ahead of its demise.

Martin is expected to dissolve the House of Commons on Tuesday and set a firm date for the elections. Under Canadian law, elections must be held on a Monday unless it falls on a holiday and the campaign period is sharply restricted.

Reportedly, the Bush Administration is doing the hokey-pokey in the West Wing.

Duke Cunnigham Pleads Guilty, Resigns.

It's not been a banner year for the GOP, has it? Now comes news the Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham has plead guilty to conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud:

Cunningham, 63, an eight-term congressman and decorated Vietnam War veteran, had been under federal investigation for his ties to Washington-based defense contractor MZM Inc. since the summer.

"I am resigning from the House of Representatives because I've compromised the trust of my constituents," Cunningham said after the court hearing.

He entered guilty pleas in San Diego federal court on Monday to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. The last charge stemmed from the underreporting of his income in 2004.

Cunningham, who in July had denied any wrongdoing, said he was deeply sorry. "I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my office. I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family," he said.

This whole thing started with Cunningham getting a sweetheart price for his house from Mitchell Wade, of MZM, Inc., a defense contractor that has been under scrutiny and has been acquired by Veritas Capital through a new subsidiary Athena Innovative Solutions.

The Reaction Blog.

I've put up a new blog over in the blogroll. The Reaction is the home-grown work of Michael Stickings, who some may find familiar through the auspices of Joe Gandelman and The Moderate Voice.

While it goes without saying that I do not agree with everything Michael writes (and a good thing, too--wouldn't that be boring?) I have found his arguments to be well-reasoned and respectful of differing opinions. We're looking to get some cross-linking going on, and maybe we can have a few battle of wits on some important issues. If anybody has suggestions on which topics they would like to see covered and debated, please leave them in the comment section or drop me an email.

Welcome, Michael.

Iran's War On Weblogs.

I got an email from Doctor Zin at Regime Change Iran saying that his fears have been confirmed: the mad mullahs have blocked his site. He asks his fellow bloggers to republish his reports so that the regime has a much harder time blocking news about Iran.

So here goes:

Lillian Swift, The Telegraph UK:

Iran is fighting a constant battle against dissenters who are using the internet to voice criticism of the Islamic Republic and to push for freedom and democracy. With the closure of most independent newspapers and magazines in Iran, blogging - publishing an online diary - has become a powerful tool in the dissidents' arsenal by providing individuals with a public voice.

An Iranian blogger known as Saena, wrote recently: "Weblogs are one weapon that even the Islamic Republic cannot beat."

There are an estimated 100,000 active blogs written by Iranians both within the country and across the diaspora. Persian ties with French as the second most common blogging language after English.

Over the last year, however, Iranian authorities have arrested and beaten dozens of bloggers, charged with crimes such as espionage and insulting leaders of the Islamic Republic. Among them is Omid Sheikhan, who last month was sentenced to one year in prison and 124 lashes of the whip for writing a blog that featured satirical cartoons of Iranian politicians.

The press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders last week named Iran as one of 15 countries who were "enemies of the internet".

"These new measures point to an ideological hardening in the Iranian government and a desire by the new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to centralise authority," its report said.

There is no legislation against blogging itself but the writers can be charged by authorities in the hardline theocracy with "morality violations" for the content of their websites.

Nevertheless, Iranians are increasingly turning to blogs and those who can publish their words in English hope they will reach a wider international audience and alert them to the problems facing free-thinkers within Iran.

The blogs offer everything from reprinting articles published in the international press about Iranian issues to views on the president's recent call for the destruction of the state of Israel and Iran's attempts to become a nuclear power. Some writers use the platform as an opportunity to voice opinions that would not be tolerated in the national press.

In one entry yesterday a blogger calling himself Persian Dissident wrote: "How long can this go on? His [President Ahmadinejad] ministers are terrorists, political prisoners are in jail, political in-fighting is clearly visible."

But the Iranian authorities are fighting a losing battle to crush these new outlets of dissent. As fast as one perpetrator is tracked down and closed, another rises in its place and takes up the cause.

The authorities have reportedly spent millions on programmes designed to filter cyberspace and block access to controversial sites, with names such as "regime change Iran", "free thoughts on Iran" and "women against fundamentalism".  READ MORE

As part of the most recent clampdown, reported in the reformist newspaper Shargh, Iran's Telecom company has ordered all service providers to block access to blogrolling.com, a free service enabling users to track their favourite weblogs and be informed when they are updated.

In one of the 1,500 internet cafes in Teheran, a technician bemoaned the loss of an important tool but was still able to access a blocked site within five minutes.

"There are ways around it but it is getting harder and it is very annoying," he said. "It is possible to trick the authorities into believing that we are not in Teheran but somewhere else".

The Telegraph is reporting what we have heard for a long time that the regime has blocked our site. Guess who the 1 or 2 Iranian readers of our blog are (see the sidebar’s neocounter report of nations reading our blog). These readers often post pro-regime comments here. That is why we started our blogosphere supports real democracy in Iran campaign.

Fellow bloggers: republishing our reports on your blog makes it almost impossible for the regime to block access to the important news on Iran.

More:

     Teheran 'Secretly Trains' Chechens to Fight in Russia                          

 

Con Coughlin, The Telegraph UK:

Iran is secretly training Chechen rebels in sophisticated terror techniques to enable them to carry out more effective attacks against Russian forces, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Teams of Chechen fighters are being trained at the Revolutionary Guards' Imam Ali training camp, located close to Tajrish Square in Teheran, according to Western intelligence reports.

In addition to receiving training in the latest terror techniques, the Chechen volunteers undergo ideological and political instruction by hardline Iranian mullahs at Qom. ...

"Just as they have orchestrated attacks against British troops in Basra to pressure Britain to drop its opposition to Iran's nuclear programme, so they are trying to put pressure on Moscow by backing Chechen fighters," said a senior intelligence official. READ MORE

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Iran Press News reported that the regime’s high tribunal affirmed the sentences of 3 activists.
• Iran Press News published a photo of a political prisoner chained to his hospital bed.
• Iran Press News reported on the worsening conditions for women including: a cash penalty for improper veiling.
• Iran Press News reported that disabled war veterans protested in front of Ahmadinejad’s office.
• The Guardian UK reported on how Ahmadinejad's radicalism is now hurting even his allies.
• Reuters reported that Iranian President Ahmadinejad is in no hurry to nominate a fourth candidate for oil minister.
• Reuters reported that Britain, France and Germany agreed on Sunday to hold talks to see whether there were grounds for resuming formal negotiations.
• Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that Khatami Arrived in Spain to attend UN meeting on Civilizations.
• Amy Kellogg, FOX News released part six of her reports from inside Iran: Women Worried About Freedoms. Video also available.
• Times of Oman reported that President George W. Bush has asked US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad to reach out to Iran for assistance in subduing the unrest in Iraq.
• Iran Press News reported that Tehran University students protested and threw out the new Mullah president of the university installed by Ahmadinejad. Photos.
• Iran Press News published a statement regarding the installment of a Mullah to presidency of Tehran University.
• CNN News reported that at least five people were killed and five villages largely destroyed when a strong earthquake struck southern Iran.
• Nazila Fathi, The New York Times reported on the rush to excavate ancient Iranian Sites before they are flooded by a new dam.
• And finally, Cox & Forkum published another of their cartoons: As Plain As...

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