De “Libertad Digital”
Part of my new job involves translating to and from Spanish. So, I had been looking for something online — a magazine or newspaper — in Spanish which I could use to brush up on my Spanish and practice my reading and comprehension skills. Most of what is online disappointed me: the usual Leftist or anti-American garbage.
But I did find something interesting and unique: Libertad Digital. It an online-only “publication”, free of charge. It is in Spanish and is based in Spain. What makes this unique is that it is libertarian and conservative, much like the rising wing in the Republican Party in The United States. They are also pro-American. Quite refreshing indeed.
Si sabes español y quieres leer algo interesante en español sobre la Red, por favor vaya allá. Su dirección es: http://www.libertaddigital.com/ Ese publicación tiene opiniónistas de todo el mundo incluyendo los EEUU. (Tiene, por ejemplo, una traducción español de artículos de varios escritores americanos.) Hablaré sobre algunos artículos en los siguientes días. Este periódico tiene información y perspectivas que no he leído o visto aquí en los EEUU.
Check. Check. Check.
And for the record, the Left’s propaganda machinery constantly “checks” what the Right says and writes, so much so and so effectively that many automatically dismiss anything that is believed to originate from the Right. The Left is very good at smearing the messenger as well as the message, with the consequence that people begin to doubt the reliability of the messenger as well as rejecting the message.
Truth and facts matter little: what matters is how it buoys the Left’s favorites.
On the other hand, we on the Right can do a better job challenging the Left, and in challenging the media with regard to the Left. If we can do a better job publicizing scandals by those in the Left, the rest of the media will have no choice but to follow suit. We are too soft.
The Media and Truth
Knowing truth or reality is difficult. Part of this difficulty is that one cannot do it alone. One does not have access to all the information one may need in order to be sufficiently aware about an issue or thing. We, thus, depend on experts to explain things to us, on information-gatherers to inform us of what is happening and, often, why. Read the rest of this entry »
A marvelous work indeed
Is it not marvelous how the Internet allows one to learn Gospel truths by providing so many resources and by allowing people to communicate?
Truly it is a miracle!
Thanks to all who have posted and enlightened me!
Phoning it in
For some time, I was able to write and submit posts using my mobile device’s browser. But then, suddenly, my mobile device’s browser began disliking WordPress’s admin features: the browser would lock up and the phone was slow down dramatically.
But I have found a solution, so now I should be able to post more often, if not daily.
For Wednesday, March 7, anno Domini 2007, in the season of Lent.
Another front of World War III: cyber-jihad
In one way, I don’t really feel comfortable addressing this issue. It’s not safe. But it’s an important issue, so I better talk about it.
Often when I think about the “network” part of “militant Islamist terrorist networks,” I think about cell phones, bank transfers, smuggling, and, believe it or not, honey. (Honey is an ancient and major commodity in the Middle East — used mainly in tea and in food and as a food — , and NPR once said that militant Islamist terrorist networks practically controlled the entire industry, using their control not only to launder money but also to transport and hide ammunitions, materiel, money, and even people.)
Even considering the online presence of these networks, I am wont to think of fora and websites that have propagandistic books in PDF format. I am more aware of Islamists online than militant Islamist terrorists. (I tend to avoid the latter anyway.)
But we would be quite foolish — and I admit I have been foolish thusly — to ignore the very real online presence of militant Islamist terrorists, their networks, and their supporters. Whether e-mail, chat rooms, fora, links, portals, downloadable material (books, manuals, music, instructions, proapaganda), there is a large presence of militant Islamists. (This is, of course, in addition to Islamists of all types, which is an issue that deserves its own post and attention.)
What do militant Islamists use the Internet for? In a word: everything.
But I would like to focus on one phenomenon in particular, which may be known under many names: cyber-jihad, cyber-warfare, hacking, cracking, cyber-terrorism, so on and so forth. This relates to the efforts of computer-savvy Islamists — militant and otherwise — to sabotage, destroy, disrupt, or otherwise attack online entities of their enemies; we are their enemies. Read the rest of this entry »
Plot to attack mall during Christmas season: thwarted
Ever think that militant Islamist terrorism won’t affect you?
Think again.
On December 8, 2006, federal investigators thwarted a terrorist plot by a convert to Islam, Derrick Shareef of Rockford, IL, to attack a shopping mall (among other intended targets) at the height of the Christmas season. He was planning to detonate hand grenades at the CherryVale Mall in Rockford, IL.
It is written (in “Feds: Man Planned to Blow Up Ill. Mall” by Mike Robinson of AP) (emphasis added):
Shareef was born in the United States and converted to Islam, officials said. They believe he might have learned about jihad through videos and Web sites.
This incident highlights a number of important points:
- “Home-grown” terrorism is still a threat to The United States and their people.
- The cyber-presence of militant Islamist terrorist networks is one vehicle through which said networks spread their propaganda, modi operandi, plans, ideas, and other information related to terrorist attacks or justifications thereof. In other words: this online presence is a threat and enables the militant Islamist terrorist networks to effortlessly expand its presence and operations throughout the world, even into one’s own town.
- The Government is paying attention to those who wish us harm, and it seems that they are taking all such threats seriously.
- Militant Islamist terrorists deliberately target civilian sites. If we are to be on alert if they wish to attack government and military sites, so much more should we be alert when they intentionally target civilian sites. Their goal is mayhem, and so we cannot afford to dismiss the danger that these people and networks pose to us civilians.
- Militant Islamist terrorists and their supporters have as their end striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. There is no morality and there are no rules in this game. They are vicious and inhuman. We cannot afford to restrain ourselves by assuming our enemies operate taking into consideration what we take for granted, such as the value of every life.
Be aware and vigilant.
This event should wake us all up to the threats we face. We can be hurt even if highly-organized militant Islamist terrorist networks are not actively implementing a terrorist plot: any one of their deranged followers can carry out an attack. Whether by a network or the work of a lone idiot, the result is the same.
But what about non-militant Islamists? Surely they play no role in this, right? Wrong. Islamists deny that terrorism is a problem generated by Islamists. They place the blame on Western imperialism, American foreign policy, modernism, Israel and Jews, and so on. Thereby, they prevent anyone from clearly seeing the situation as it is. They throw up smokescreens. They also do not permit any criticism or inspection of the Muslim community whereby we can ascertain their feelings and intentions towards us so that we may thereby establish relations that will help us protect ourselves. Islam and the Muslim community are beyond reproach, especially by infidels. More smokescreens. Finally, Islamists also seek the downfall of The West and the triumph of Islamist fascism.
Do not tolerate any acceptance of Islamism. And do not tolerate any Islamist, militant or otherwise, conspiring against us. It’s not only a matter of civilizational survival but of our very lives.
For more information on this story, read:
- “Shopping Mall Terror Plot Foiled” by The Smoking Gun.
- “Man Charged in Shopping Mall Jihad Plot” by Mike Robinson of the Associated Press, courtesy of Bretibart.Com.
- “Feds: Man planned to blow up Ill. mall” by Mike Robinson of the Associated Press, courtesy of Yahoo! News.
- “Feds: Man Planned to Blow Up Ill. Mall” by Mike Robinson of the Associated Press, courtesy of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- “Feds: Man Planned to Blow Up Ill. Mall” by Mike Robinson of the Associated Press, courtesy of the Plainview Daily Herald.
Turks
These days, we are somewhat wont to think of the Turks as friends of The West. What greater indication is there of their love of The West than their quite public desire to join us, via The European Union?
But there is more to Turkey’s relationship with The West than meets the eye. The state itself is very secular. The military, which essentially established the modern Republic of Turkey, is quite active in ousting Islamist governments or governments it thinks has not been secular enough. Even today, the Turkish military remains a very important and powerful part of the Turkish government. Compared to other Muslim states in the region, Turkey is very open-minded, liberal, and secular.
But, whether we or the Turkish military like it or not, Turkey has been going through an Islamization phase. Read the rest of this entry »
It was CNN
The nightmare continues, thanks to the Legacy Media. Via Prickly City (November 20, 2006) by Scott Stantis.
Good resource: “The Militant Ideology Atlas” by West Point
Thanks to “Know Thine Enemy” by Jeremayakovka of Jeremayakovka (who learned of it at “November 15 – 1800Z” by Asher Abrams of Dreams Into Lightning), there is a very important and well-made resource available:
The Militant Ideology Atlas by the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
- Click here to visit The Militant Ideology Atlas webpage at the Combating Terrorism Center’s website.
- Click here to download the Executive Report of The Militant Ideology Atlas (a PDF file; 28 pages).
- Click here to download the Research Compendium of The Militant Ideology Atlas (a PDF file; 360 pages).
Glimmers of wisdom from The Gray Lady
In the November 12, 2006, issue of Magazine of The New York Times, letters to the editors were published which had some very good points. I present them here with some comments by me. Read the rest of this entry »
Correction: Senator Palpatine unmasked by Afifah, not Gutfeld
This post that reveals the true identity of whom we should call Senator Palpatine (D-WV) was actually written by Afifah, az-Zarqawi’s Mom.
My apologies to Afifah (az-Zarqawi’s Mom) for crediting this to Greg Gutfeld of The Daily Gut. I must have been made confused by the Jooooooos.
(Thanks to Levy of The Cranky Insomniac for the correction; Levy is the man behind the blog Al-Zarqawi’s Mom’s Blog. That post on The Daily Gut was written by Levy, not by Greg Gutfeld as I originally said.)
By the way, Afifah of Al-Zarqawi’s Mom’s Blog has a new post (“I AM HAVING RETURNED!”). Do check it out!
Update on little Iraqi girl
I would first like to thank everyone who has come here recently. As usual, my thanks and appreciation are also with those who are regular readers and with those who comment.
Second, in the comment thread for the picture “John Gebhardt and little Iraqi girl”, commenter Adana left a comment wherein the commenter provided a link to a story by MSNBC (“War photograph generating a lot of buzz” by Anne Meyer of KSNW-TV, dated November 6, 2006). This story was about the picture and it also provides an update about the status of the little girl. (I was prompted to write this post by a question e-mailed by Wendi Webster. Thank you, Wendi.)
The article says (emphasis added):
This won’t be the last time you see Chief Gebhardt. This Saturday, on Veterans Day, CNN will be interviewing him about the photograph. As for the little girl, we know she is out of the hospital and living with relatives. The Gebhardt’s think of her often and wish more stories could end as well as hers did.
“This Saturday” would have been November 11, 2006, Veterans Day.
The article also says (emphasis added):
Chief Gebhardt is still surprised by all the attention. He is not really accustomed to receiving attention but he hopes it gives all of us a bigger picture of what’s happening overseas.
And this is why I believe that picture is so important.
Concise yet illuminating
I really like this concise yet accurate perspective of what has happened, as said by lauraw (of the Ace of Spades HQ and Innocent Bystanders) in the comment thread of “Rumsfeld Resigns” by Dave in Texas (of Dave in Texas and Innocent Bystanders) at Innocent Bystanders:
Come on now. This is the first real good news for the Dems in twelve years. Did you think we could make them eat shit forever and ever?
The pendulum swings this way and that, and it is a moderate country, after all. The Reagan Revolution continues apace.
Momentary setback.
Comparing the academic performance of Kerry to that of Bush
Regarding Bush’s intelligence and the Democrats’ rhetoric against him on this issue, I found an article that’s a very good read. I discovered it via “I Believe You, Senator Kerry” by S. Weasel of S. Weasel: “Yale grades portray Kerry as a lackluster student” by Michael Kranish of The Boston Globe. (Preserved here in case the link to the article expires.) Puts a different spin on the realities of the issue.
Her Majesty The Queen lays up to 2,000 eggs a day!
Thanks to Reuters, we learn that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second (by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith) “has 10 times the lifespan of workers and lays up to 2,000 eggs a day.”
More information available at:
“Reuter’s Royal Screw-Up” by Aussie Dave of Israellycool.
“Queen ‘lays 2,000 eggs a day’” by Metro.co.uk.
“Reuters typo tells us “Queen Elizabeth has 10 times the lifespan of workers and lays up to 2,000 eggs a day”" by Regret the Error.
“Bush lied, people died”?: challenging the critics
A very common assertion has been, and unfortunately continues to be, that President Bush lied in order to “get” his war on Iraq. Herein I will discuss how these opponents have yet to prove or demonstrate their claims and how recent events even suggest that they are quite wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
Detail of a spectacular galactic collision
In “When Worlds Collide”, Isaac Schrödinger of Isaac Schrödinger links to a post, “When galaxies collide”, by Michelle Malkin (of Michelle Malkin) wherein she posted a breath-taking picture of two universes colliding.
Courtesy of Astronomy Picture of the Day by NASA is a close-up of that picture: “The Antennae Galaxies in Collision” (picture for October 24, 2006).
From that page:
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Acknowledgment: B. Whitmore (Space Telescope Science Institute) et al.
The goodness of US soldiers
So often, the armed forces of The United States are depicted and described as evil monsters. We know they are not: it’s all false propaganda by people who are wont to lie.
But I have found a picture that is, in a word, sublime. It may make you cry; it may lift your spirits; it will fill you with pride in our men and women in uniform. This may be old for many, but this is new for me.
This picture is of Chief Master Sargeant John Gebhardt. A little Iraqi girl was rescued from an attack by insurgents, who killed her entire family and shot her in the head. She survived, but would cry all day. She would only be calm when Gebhardt would hold her. So Gebhardt has held her and slept with her in his arms for four nights (by the time the picture was taken).
Thanks to:
“An Email from Iraq” by John of OpFor.
“Why We Fight, Part…I’ve Lost Count” by MikeyNTH of Cold Fury.
“Chief Gebhardt… Making a Difference” by El Capitan of Dude, where’s the beach?
“Gentle Warrior” by dcat of Razor Sharp Claws.
“Severely Wounded Little Iraqi Girl Comforted In Arms Of U.S. Airman” by Richard of Hyscience.
“Thanks, Chief” by Beth of My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.
“Gentle Warrior” by Anna of A Rose By Any Other Name.
“”Baby Killer” Comfort” by alan of Kim & Her Friends Explain It All.
“this made me cry” by Marsha of Marsha Loftis.
Another story of/by Chief Master Sergeant John Gebhardt (also has a picture of him holding a baby):
“Prepare now, your life depends on it” by Chief Master Sergeant John Gebhardt on Air Force in Iraq 332nd AEW.
Another example of how our men and women in uniform have a positive impact (quite a heart-warming story):
“The Soldier and the Boy” by Anna of A Rose By Any Other Name
from
“Found” by bandit.three.six of bandit.three.six.
May God bless and keep all of the above, and may He bless, keep, protect, and abundantly comfort and strengthen all of our men and women in uniform, wherever they may be. May the world thank them for the wonderful job they do, and may we always be grateful to them.
Magical Jew Missiles!
From commenter Amos (here’s the comment’s permalink) in the comment thread of “BOOK YANKED” by Tim Blair of Tim Blair:
You can laugh, but magical Jew missiles are no joke! I hear the hated occupiers have one which can hypnotize the faithfull and cause them to sneak out at night to have intimate relations with livestock, which it then films and puts on YouTube. It has a giant eye full of evil and it’s solid rocket booster is made of muslim orphans but don’t fear because if one recites a passage from the sunnah it causes it to explode inshallah which is why you should always loudly recite the Qur’an while having sex with a cow.
