Academic Freedom and Diversity

The recent controversies surrounding the writings of Ward Churchill and the musings of Larry Summers, the issue of bias in the academy has been brought to the forefront. As an example of what goes on in a University, and what the mindset of academics is - at least in the humanities - below is an email I received from a friend currently working on his graduate degree.

A week or so ago I attended an academic dinner where the atmosphere was friendly and collegial, and the academics present felt chatty. The conversation turned to politics first through a comment made by one person present (let's call him G), who said that he was asked to write a letter of recommendation for a bright and dedicated student, only to realize to his horror that the letter was in support of her application to a conservative think tank. Once he alerted the student's attention to that atrocity, and made sure that it was not a mistake born out of ignorance on the student's part, the professor wrote the letter, but not before he addressed the student. "I will give you the letter," he said "because I promised to, and you deserve it." The implication is clear: the student should be grateful for the magnanimity of such a selfless act. Never mind that letters of recommendation are the ABCs of what professorial work is all about, never mind that the student deserved the letter fair and square. Thus the conversation focused on all matters politic, and the consensus around the table was that no one - but no one! - has the misfortune (thank god!) to know a conservative, that to be conservative is "morally repugnant" (direct quote), and that old friendships are best dissolved if the friends in question turn out to be (oh no!) conservative. And the one conservative at the table kept cowardly quiet, fearing for his career. This is the way academic freedom and diversity manifest themselves today. Substitute the word 'conservative' for 'black' or 'Jew' and you will get a racist narrative. But this irony was lost on the enlightened minds of the ivory tower.

Powerline links to a forthcoming article in Commentary by Ruth Wisse, commenting on the whole Summers controversy. At some point there will inevitably be a backlash against the Leftist domination of academia. It will be interesting to see what causes this. Until then, many more will suffer under the imposed orthodoxy of that "herd of independent minds".

Victor Hanson takes a look at who Ward Churchill really is, and doesn't find much there.

So who really is this strange creature who calls himself Keezjunnahbeh? The Paris Hilton of the campus, a Peter Sellers-like fraud in his own Being There, or a Tony Randall turning into all sorts of strange beasts in Dr. Lao’s circus? He is nobody in fact, but also everybody in theory.

Perhaps it is best to think of Churchill as our aging portrait of an academic Dorian Gray, in whom all the once-hallowed university’s vices and sins of the last half-century are now so deeply etched and lined.

Blogiversary

Today is the 1 year blogiversary of The Nudnik File. What started as a way for me to vent - especially after Nudnikette got tired of listening to me - has since then grown. With the addition of the Elder, and MAH (and soon another blogger), changes are on the way. Look for more changes soon.

A Sad Day in Florida

This is a little off-topic ... but deserves attention, because it's one of the sickest things that the United States of America has ever permitted to occur on its soil.

For those of you not aware of today's news: a judge in Florida has ordered the hospital in which Terri Schindler Schiavo is being treated to execute her by means of starvation, despite objections from the patient's mother and father.

Imagine if this was your daughter, who you saw breathing, blinking, looking back at you with obvious emotion, and even occasionally smiling. Now imagine that your daughter who was very sick married a guy who didn't care about her life. He was more interested in "moving on" than the welfare of your daughter. Now imagine that this man is with a new woman - and fights vigorously for the state to sanction the killing of your daughter.

How would you feel watching her die of starvation and dehydration?

One can only wonder how a single judge can order the execution of a woman who committed no crime. One can only wonder how our country can allow this to happen.

Peggy Noonan summed it up best (as she usually does) in the Wall Street Journal today:

But in the end, it comes down to this: Why kill her? What is gained? What is good about it? Ronald Reagan used to say, in the early days of the abortion debate, when people would argue that the fetus may not really be a person, he'd say, "Well, if you come across a paper bag in the gutter and it seems something's in it and you don't know if it's alive, you don't kick it, do you?" No, you don't.

Today, a judge in Florida kicked the bag. And the sad thing is that no one has succeeded in stopping him.

Which is where you come in.

If you are disgusted by this story - and you think that the starvation death sentence issued to Terri is cruel and unusual punishment for a woman who committed no crime, then please visit this site to send a message to the Florida State Legislature encouraging them to stop this madness.

Also, you may want to visit these sites to learn more about Terri's plight:
terrisfight.org
saveterri.com
conservativealerts.com



Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schindler Family.
UPDATE 3/19/2005 7:00PM EST: Congress Moves Again to Keep Fla. Woman Alive

In an effort to intervene to keep alive a severely brain-damaged Florida woman, federal lawmakers agreed on Saturday on a compromise bill aimed at restoring her feeding tube and pushing the right-to-die case back into court.

The deal was reached just 24 hours after doctors acting on a Florida court order removed the feeding tube that has kept Terri Schiavo alive for the past 15 years.

"We are confident that this compromise addresses everyone's concerns," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, told a news conference. "We are confident it will ... restore nutrition and hydration" to Schiavo.

The House will meet on Sunday afternoon in a special session to consider limited legislation passed by the Senate that would allow a federal judge to rule on whether withholding food and water from Schiavo violates her constitutional rights.

UPDATE: 3/20/2005 10:00AM EST: Bush Returning to Washington Over Schiavo

President Bush is changing his schedule to return to the White House on Sunday to be in place to sign emergency legislation that would shift the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman to federal courts, the White House said Saturday.

UPDATE 3/20/2005 9:00PM EST: Senate Passes Legislation on Schiavo Case

The Senate passed a bill that could prolong Terri Schiavo's life while House Republicans, stalled by Democrats, scrambled to bring enough lawmakers back to the Capitol for an emergency vote early Monday.

[...]

"We ought to err on the side of life in a case like this," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

UPDATE: 3/21/2005 12:01AM EST: House Passes Schiavo Bill

[T]he US House of Representatives passed SB686 (203 - 58) on a vote that suspended the rules of House and passed the "save Terri Schiavo" bill. Slightly more than half of the members returned for the vote, which took place just after midnight on 21 March. Voting for the bill were 155 Republicans and 47 Democrats; voting against were 5 Republicans and 53 Democrats. Had the Democrats voted the party line, the bill would not have passed because the rule suspension required a two-thirds majority. Missing from the vote were 71 Republicans, 102 Democrats and 1 Independent.

UPDATE: 3/21/2005 1:30AM EST: Bush Signs Emergency Schiavo Legislation

"Today, I signed into law a bill that will allow federal courts to hear a claim by or on behalf of Terri Schiavo for violation of her rights relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life," Bush said in a written statement.

"In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. This presumption is especially critical for those like Terri Schiavo who live at the mercy of others," he said.

UPDATE: 3/22/2005 4:00PM U.S. Judge Rejects Resumed Feeding in Schiavo Case

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a request from the parents of brain-damaged Florida woman Terri Schiavo to order her feeding tube reinserted, dealing a blow to attempts by the U.S. Congress and the White House to prolong her life.

UPDATE: 3/22/2005 7:00PM Schiavo's Parents Appeal to Restore Feeding Tube

Terri Schiavo's parents filed an appeal with a federal court Tuesday afternoon to order their severely brain-damaged daughter's feeding tube reconnected.

"Where, as here, death is imminent, it is hard to imagine more critical and exigent circumstances," David Gibbs III, attorney for Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, told the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta in the electronically filed appeal. "Terri is fading quickly and her parents reasonably fear that her death is imminent."

UPDATE: 3/23/2005 11:00AM Was Terri Abused?

The state Department of Children and Families seeks access to sealed Probate Court records pertaining to financial records in the Schiavo case. The department contends that the records are needed as part of its investigation into allegations of abuse.

UPDATE: 3/23/2005 6:00PM Appeals Court Rebuffs Schiavo Parents

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday twice rebuffed a bid by the parents of brain-damaged Florida woman Terri Schiavo to have her feeding tube restored, putting the highly charged case on a path to the highest court in the land.

UPDATE: 3/23/2005 6:30 State officials may place Schiavo under protective custody

Now, state officials said, they might attempt to place the brain-damaged woman under protective custody so her feeding tube can be reinserted. As a possible precursor of that event, they filed a new motion in state court in Tampa.

[...]

Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings and the director of the state social services agency confirmed they were considering an intervention in the controversial and increasingly tangled case -- based on calls alleging that Schiavo is being abused in her hospice.

Podhoretz in Israel

Norman Podhoretz, the purported intellectual leader of the "neo-con cabal", recently traveled to Israel to receive briefings on the state of the country. In this article he describes his conversations with a number of the leaders of the Right in Israel Much of the conversations focus, as would be expected, on the disengagement plan and what it will mean for Israel. Podhoretz is cautiously optimistic that the disengagement plan, and the continuing transformation of the Middle East according to the Bush Doctrine, will demonstrate if the Palestinians are truly ready to live in peace or if the idea of a Palestinian state will be put off into the distant future.

A "Democratic Palestine"

This picture perfectly illustrates who the "international community" wants to give a state to. Maybe they should reconsider.

Chutzpah

This would seem to be the perfect example of chutzpah.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations (news - web sites) agreed to use money from Iraqi oil sales to pay the legal bills of the head of the scandal-tainted U.N. oil-for-food program, chief U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard acknowledged on Tuesday.

New Peace Plan

King Abdullah of Jordan has proposed a new peace plan for the Middle East. What makes this plan interesting is that it calls for normalization of relations between Arab countries and Israel before Israel gives up any of the land captured in 1967. This is more than another in the line of peace plans like the Geneva Initiative or the Saudi plan of a few years ago. In effect, this plan changes the paradigm from "land for peace" - a formula enshrined by UN Sec. Council Resolution 242 - to one of "peace for peace" with the discussion of territorial concessions later. This is something that Israel has always wanted; exchanging tangibles for promises has proven itself to be highly problematic. This plan also has no chance of passing since the Arab League would never allow something not negative for Israel to be adopted. But, the fact that it was even brought up by an Arab leader may be promising.

Missiles to Iran

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the main danger emanating from Russia and the former Soviet Republics has been their willingness to sell weapons and weapons material to the highest bidder. As far as we know this has not yet happened with any nuclear weapons. However, today we learn that Ukraine - one of te former republics which has the most Soviet weaponry, has allowed 12 Kh-55 strategic cruise missiles to be shipped to Iran. Ukraine assures us that they were shipped without the nuclear warheads that they are capable of carrying, but even without them, they change the dynamics of the Middle East.

These missiles are much more capable than the Shihab-3 and Shihab-4 that the Iranians were building. The Shihabs are ballistic missiles which had barely been tested, which were not that accurate, and that would be perfect targets for the Arrow II and Patriot anti-missile systems that Israel deploys. The Kh-55s, on the other hand, are subsonic, highly accurate missiles. They can fly at extremely low altitudes and are difficult to detect and destroy. Clearly they present a greater danger to Israel and US interests in the area.

Nominations

The Washington Post describes the displeasure in Europe to Bush's nomination of Wolfowitz to be head of the World Bank.

Some Say Selection of War Proponent Could Undercut Improved U.S. Relations

What improved relations are they talking about? After Bush and Condi made their "fence-mending" trips to Europe, and then joining Europe in its negotiations with Iran, Europe has still not contributed anything to Iraq, refuses to label Hezbullah a terrorist organization - despite the fact that aside from al Qaeda they have killed more Americans than anyone else over the last 25 years, and are now planning to sells arms to China that would be used against US troops in any confrontation with Taiwan. It seems for Europe, "improved relations" are when the US does what Europe wants.

Mark Steyn, meanwhile does an excellent job of describing Europe's and the Left's opposition to Bolton as Ambassador to the UN.

The New York Times wondered what Mr Bush's next appointment would be:

'Donald Rumsfeld to negotiate a new set of Geneva conventions? Martha Stewart to run the Securities and Exchange Commission?'

Okay, I get the hang of this game. Sending John Bolton to be UN ambassador is like ...putting Sudan and Zimbabwe on the Human Rights Commission. Or letting Saddam's Iraq chair the UN conference on disarmament. Or sending a bunch of child-sex fiends to man UN operations in the Congo. And the Central African Republic. And Sierra Leone, and Burundi, Liberia, Haiti, Kosovo, and pretty much everywhere else. All of which happened without the UN fetishists running around shrieking hysterically. Why should America be the only country not to enjoy an uproarious joke at the UN's expense?

The Jordan Option

Gary Sussman of Tel Aviv University discusses what Sharon's true strategic goal may be in terms of relations with the Palestinians.

His vision is no longer the creation of limited Palestinian state on some 50 percent of the West Bank, as many have long assumed. Instead, Sharon envisions a Palestinian state on a significant portion of the West Bank, possibly as much as 80 percent. Sharon is all too aware that such an entity is not “viable.” He assumes, in fact, that a two-state arrangement cannot be sustained and will not bring an end to Palestinian-Israeli strife.

In the long term, the Israeli premier hopes that the Palestinian state will meld with Jordan. His assumption is that unilateral disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, his plan for a carefully managed transition away from direct Israeli rule over the majority of the Palestinians, will set this process in motion. Over time, Sharon calculates, contiguity between “Palestine” and its neighbor to the east, as well as increased trade, cultural ties and the “democratization” championed by the Bush administration, will induce Palestinians on both the West and East Banks of the Jordan to agitate for Palestinian-Jordanian federation themselves. If one assumes that Sharon has quietly held on to his once openly expressed belief that “Jordan is Palestine,” his break with his old supporters among the settler movements and the right becomes easier to understand.

It seems to me that this is not such a horrible outcome. If the Palestinians truly want a state, as opposed to the destruction of Israel, this would give them a much larger entity than they could get now. The Jordan option is not new, but it has been one that no one wants to discuss for fear that it could destroy the Hashemite dynasty. But if there is true democratization in Jordan, the Palestinians (who make up the majority) would most likely gain control of the government anyway.

Syrian Coup Rumors

The World Tribune is reporting this morning that a military coup has taken place in Syria and that Assad has fled Damascus.

Syria's military increased deployment around Damascus due to tension within the regime. The opposition Lebanese Foundation for Peace said the Syrian military has undergone a split, with a rebel faction having taken control over parts of the capital, Middle East Newsline reported.

The rebel faction was said to be led by Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan and Firas Tlas, the son of former Defense Minister Mustapha Tlas. The sources said this group, which included Syrian intelligence chief in Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh and Maj. Gen. Ali Madi, has rebelled against Assad's decision to withdraw from Lebanon.

"Around 3 a.m. [Wednesday], Damascus time, the Syrian Air Force bombarded two military airfields around Damascus, the air force base of Dumair, and the air force base of Katana," the opposition Lebanese Foundation for Peace said. "Also, late night around 3 a.m., the Syrian Air Force bombarded military positions of the Syrian Army west of the city of Homs."

While this would undoubtedly be possible, given all the talk about Assad being weakened by Syria's forced withdrawal from Lebanon and the fact that he was not a strong leader to start with, I am not very confident of the credibility this opposition group. If this has happened, this would not necessarily be a positive development. If hard-line military leaders have taken over, a direct confrontation with the US becomes that much more likely.

UPDATE: It seems that the rumors of a coup were not correct PubliusPundit says.

Iran Protests

While no one (or at least the MSM) is looking, protests have been breaking out around Iran. Regime Change Iran reports on the goings on there.

A report from Tehran: Young celebrants today set scarecrows in the likeness of various Mullahs, such as Khamenei, Rafsanjani, Khatami, Sharoudi, Jannati, etc. on fire in the streets. They cried out slogans such as: "Referendum, referendum, this is the people's dictum."

Even more interesting is how they express their views regarding the US and Europe.

In another area of the city people took to setting the French flag on fire while chanting: "Europe is finished and so are their Mullahs." OR "Bush, Bush, where is Bush?" (In Persian this rhymes: Bush, Bush, kush, kush!).

While this is encouraging, such small scale demonstrations have been going on for quite a while. The main problem there seems to be the lack of organization of the anti-mullah forces. In part this is because of the arrests of many student leaders. Nevertheless, there is hope that with the elections - that will undoubtedly be rigged - coming up, the pro-democracy forces will create enough noise to actually attract external notice and support.

Stunning

This piece of news is at once stunning, yet completely predictable.

As part of his trip to Israel to attend the opening ceremonies for the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial's new museum in Jerusalem, Annan on Monday went to the grave of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, and laid a wreath of flowers on the tomb.

So let's get this straight: Annan travels to the Jewish state to attend a ceremony for a museum that commemorates Jewish victims of mass murder, and a day earlier — maybe to be evenhanded? — he pays his respects at . . . the grave of a mass murderer of Jews?

Taking "No" For an Answer

In today's press conference, President Bush once again stated that diplomacy with Iran is just starting and that we are cooperating with "our European friends" inn getting Iran to abandon their nuclear program. Almost at the same time, Mohammed Khatami was unequivocally stating that Iran will continue the program and that "No US Incentive Will Lead Iran To Give Up Enrichment". Of course this could be part of Iran's negotiating tactics, but at some point the US and the EU3 need to take Iran's "no" as an answer and develop a plan from there. It seems that the plan of the EU3 is to delay as long as possible - until Iran has a nuclear weapon - and then throw up their hands and say that they deeply regret it, but that nothing more can be done. Going to the UN Security Council is all part of this delaying tactic. It seems that the US, at this point is willing to wait to June to see if the elections in Iran - sure to be hijacked by the mullahs - will produce some kind of popular uprising. If that doesn't happen, there will be no good options regarding what to do.

Looting of WMD?

This past Sunday, the New York times carried a story about looting of weapons plants in Iraq. These weapons plants had equipment that could be used for the production of WMD. This is of course the first article about weapons looting that the Times has written since the al Qaqaa stories came out right before the election. Christopher Hitchens notices a few problems and inconsistencies in the NY Times article.

My first question is this: How can it be that, on every page of every other edition for months now, the New York Times has been stating categorically that Iraq harbored no weapons of mass destruction? And there can hardly be a comedy-club third-rater or MoveOn.org activist in the entire country who hasn't stated with sarcastic certainty that the whole WMD fuss was a way of lying the American people into war. So now what? Maybe we should have taken Saddam's propaganda seriously, when his newspaper proudly described Iraq's physicists as "our nuclear mujahideen."

My second question is: What's all this about "looting"? The word is used throughout the long report, but here's what it's used to describe. "In four weeks from mid-April to mid-May of 2003...teams with flatbed trucks and other heavy equipment moved systematically from site to site... 'The first wave came for the machines,' Dr Araji said. 'The second wave, cables and cranes.' " Perhaps hedging the bet, the Times authors at this point refer to "organized looting."

But obviously, what we are reading about is a carefully planned military operation. The participants were not panicked or greedy civilians helping themselves-which is the customary definition of a "looter," especially in wartime. They were mechanized and mobile and under orders, and acting in a concerted fashion. Thus, if the story is factually correct-which we have no reason at all to doubt-then Saddam's Iraq was a fairly highly-evolved WMD state, with a contingency plan for further concealment and distribution of the weaponry in case of attack or discovery.

Zarqawi Threats on US

According to this article in Time, Zarqawi wants to attack the US.

Intelligence officials tell TIME that interrogation of a member of al-Zarqawi's organization, who was taken into U.S. custody last year and has been described as a top aide, indicates that al-Zarqawi has given ample consideration to assaults on the American homeland. According to a restricted bulletin that circulated among U.S. security agencies last week, the interrogated aide said al-Zarqawi has talked about hitting "soft targets" in the U.S., which could include "movie theaters, restaurants and schools."

My first response to this is "what took them so long?". The best way for terrorists to hurt the US is a number of suicide bombings all around the country in shopping malls, movie theatres, public transportation, etc. This would slow the US economy to a crawl. Instead, we have been told that bin Laden and his ilk are planning another "spectacular" attack on the US.

It seems to me that the fact that Zarqawi now is considering resorting to the tactics described shows how weak the terrorist network has become. No longer are they able to pull off a coordinated large-scale strike as they have wanted to do for a few years, instead they have had to change their methods to attacks on soft targets in the US.

Beirut Protests

After last week's pro-Syrian Hizbullah demonstration, there was a feeling that maybe the there wasn't much power behind the opposition, and "people power" in general, in Lebanon. After all, the opposition was only able to muster 100,000 people, while Hizbullah's demonstration was more than 500,000 strong. And perhaps the opposition was itself slightly stunned after such a show of force, even if many of the demonstrators were bussed in by Syria.

Today, the opposition responded. According to this article, hundreds of thousands are demonstrating in Beirut demanding "Freedom, sovereignty, independence", on this one month anniversary of the assassination of Hariri. PubliusPundit links to a number of articles showing that it is significantly more than "hundreds of thousands".

Independent estimates placed the number of the opposition demonstration at well over 1.6 million. Highways into Beirut from northern, eastern and southern Lebanon were clogged by human waves stretching more than 5 kilometers from the capital trying to push their way to join the graveside protest.

It is interesting to note that the size of these demonstrations is being downplayed by much of the MSM (NPR referred to the size as "thousands of people"). Leftist blogs, which had been so quick to write about the Hizbullah demonstrations and their size, are so far silent on these latest pro-democracy demonstrations.

Shall we dance?

Pardon the interruption of the big picture subject matter but…

Off topic I know, but given the connection to several Nudnik File contributors, a quick, well deserved congratulations to the George Washington Colonials is in order. For the first time in the School’s history, they have won the Atlantic 10 conference basketball tournament, on the way killing the Ram, Owl and Hawk…. and off to the dance they go. Death to the mighty Yellow Jacket!!!

[and we sing]
Hail to the Buff. Hail to the Blue. Hail ‘ole G double U.
[and now we stop singing]

And now back to your regularly scheduled political discussion.

All of the News That's NOT Fit to Print

Below are stories from the past week that you won't hear about on the evening news, and you won't read in the New York Slimes (thank you Mark Levin for coining that term).

Iran

Iran and U.S. moving eyeball to eyeball along Iraq border (Registration Required)

U.S. military commanders are warning Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that tensions between Iran and the United States are heading toward a breaking point and that there could be a major clash between the two militaries.

The commanders said U.S. and Iranian troops are becoming closer along the Iranian-Iraqi border and that U.S. aircraft have been moving in and out of Iran while Teheran seeks to bolster its air defense forces.

Some commanders are urging the Pentagon to prepare for the prospect of a brief but intense war with Iran. They said Iran has been arming for a major counter-strike for any U.S. attack on Iran — even under accidental circumstances.

"The situation with Iran is tense, and the possibility for miscalculation high," Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week.

Iran Protesters Stage Sit-In on Brussels Plane

"We want the European Union to remove the Islamic leaders from Iran. We want to remove the mullahs from power," Armin Atshgar, a protester, told Reuters by mobile phone from the aircraft.

---

Saudi Arabia

The Face of Iraqi Terrorism

by Stephen Schwartz
03/04/2005
The Global Research in International Affairs Center in Israel, a highly reputable and reliable think-tank, has published a paper titled "Arab volunteers killed in Iraq: an Analysis," available at e-prism.org. Authored by Dr. Reuven Paz, the paper analyzes the origins of 154 Arab jihadists killed in Iraq in the last six months, whose names have been posted on Islamist websites.

The sample does not account for all jihadists in Iraq, but provides a useful and eye-opening profile of them. Saudi Arabia accounted for 94 jihadists, or 61 percent of the sample, followed by Syria with 16 (10 percent), Iraq itself with only 13 (8 percent), and Kuwait with 11 (7 percent.) The rest included small numbers from Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria, Morocco (of which one was a resident in Spain), Yemen, Tunisia, the Palestinian territories (only 1), Dubai, and Sudan. The Sudanese was living in Saudi Arabia before he went to die in Iraq.

---

Syria / Lebanon

Terrorist Claims Syrian Training

February 24, 2005
Iraqi state television aired a video yesterday showing what the U.S.-funded channel said was the confession of a captured Syrian officer, who said he trained Iraqi terrorists to behead people and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops.

He also said the terrorists practiced beheading animals to train for decapitating hostages.

Later, Al Iraqiya aired another round of interviews with men it said were Sudanese and Egyptians who also trained in Syria to carry out attacks in Iraq.

Israeli general sees war with Syria on the horizon

Thursday, March 10, 2005
TEL AVIV — Israel's military is bracing for the increasing prospect of a war with Syria in a confrontation expected to include Iran and Hizbullah.

The General Staff has discussed an assessment by the military's Northern Command of an emerging threat from Syria and Hizbullah over the next year.

The Northern Command said a weakened Syria, under pressure from the United States to withdraw from Lebanon, was likely to approve an Iranian-Hizbullah campaign against Israel, Middle East Newsline reported.

Reform rally disrupted in Syria

A protest against the Syrian government in the capital, Damascus, has been disrupted by supporters of President Bashar al-Assad.

About 100 activists calling for reforms were chased away from a square by marchers wielding placards and sticks.

The protest, intended to mark 42 years since the imposition of emergency laws, came a day after a large pro-government rally in the centre of Damascus.

Can you believe that? It was all the way back in 1963 when Syria issued a "state-of-emergency" and imposed martial law. The only thing is, it's been operating under that same "state-of-emergency" for 42 years!!! Long emergency, I guess? :)

Syria moves intel headquarters to Hizbullah sector in Beirut

Friday, March 11, 2005
"The Syrians aren't going anywhere," an opposition source with connections in Lebanese intelligence said. "They are fusing with Hizbullah while pretending to pull out some troops from Lebanon."

And an interesting footnote:

In Brussels, the European Parliament voted in a non-binding resolution to deem Hizbullah a terrorist group, Middle East Newsline reported. But the parliament rejected a motion to include Hizbullah on the EU's list of terrorist organizations.

Russia says Hizbullah should play role in Lebanese politics

Saturday, March 12, 2005
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Hizbullah should be allowed a role in the country's politics. ... Lavrov said: "It is in the interests of Lebanon, and the whole Middle East, for Hizbullah's political role to be taken into account."

---

China

China's parliament passes Taiwan anti-secession law

The text of the draft, according to Xinhua news agency, calls for the use of "non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," if all else fails.

This will be necessary "in the event that the 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces should act under any name or by any means to cause the fact of Taiwan's secession from China," the draft law said.

It does not specify what is meant by "non-peaceful means" but analysts believe it would cover anything from blockade to surgical missile strikes and all-out invasion.

(Yup - the Chinese are our friends)

Why Ya Gotta Love Donald Rumsfeld ...

Last week, after grilling Donald Rumsfeld about everything under the sun, the House Armed Services Committee afforded its junior House members an opportunity to also question the Secretary of Defense. One of them questioned him about something related to heavy use of the reserves, and asked if it made America appear to be stretched too thin to countries that might "want to make mischef."

After responding to the important questions from the power-brokers for hours, Rumsfeld could have blown this one off. Instead, his classic answer serves as a small reminder of why we are all extremely lucky to have a guy like Donald Rumsfeld serving our country:

If you think about it, 5 years ago - 10 years ago, I would go around Europe and talk to friends back from when I was abassador to NATO, and they were worried about us. They were worried about the United States of Amercia ... they were worried about Somalia - and the probelms there - where the US made decisions that left question marks in the minds of other countries in the world. We've even seen intelligence where Saddam Hussien made comments about "the United States won't do this," "they cant sustain anything," "they'll cut and run."

And the world has seen in the last three and a half years the capability of the United States of America to go into Afghanistan, a land-locked country all the way across the globe, and with 20,000, maybe 15,000 troops, working with the Afghans, do what 200,000 Soviets couldn't do in a decade. They've seen the United States and the coalition forces go into Iraq, and the world has seen a vivid demonstration of the power and capability and agility of the armed forces of the United States.

That has to have a deterant effect on people.

It's true, we're doing a lot in the world right now. But if you put yourself in the shoes of a country that might decide that they'd like to make mischef, they have a very recent vivid example of the fact that the United States has the ability to deal with mischef.

He just has a way of painting a picture for you that leaves no doubt about what he's trying to say ("do what 200,000 Soviets couldn't do in a decade" - ha!).