Tag: paris

War, Not Candyland

Some Republican senators are calling “for Iraqi forces to take the lead next year in securing the nation and for the Bush administration to lay out its strategy for ending the war.” WHAT!?!

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 – In a sign of increasing unease among Congressional Republicans over the war in Iraq, the Senate is to consider on Tuesday a Republican proposal that calls for Iraqi forces to take the lead next year in securing the nation and for the Bush administration to lay out its strategy for ending the war.

The Senate is also scheduled to vote Tuesday on a compromise, announced Monday night, that would allow terror detainees some access to federal courts. The Senate had voted last week to prohibit those being held from challenging their detentions in federal court, despite a Supreme Court ruling to the contrary.

Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who is the author of the initial plan, said Monday that he had negotiated a compromise that would allow detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to challenge their designation as enemy combatants in federal courts and also allow automatic appeals of any convictions handed down by the military where detainees receive prison terms of 10 years or more or a death sentence.

Well, it just doesn’t get any stupider than that. Why do we need legislation to tell the Iraqis what to do? Bush laying out the stragety is just retarted anyway. I mean, sure, a general overview is nice and has been given time and time again without much notice from those who should take notice.

It seems like congress is all about letting our enemy get one up on us. You don’t tell your enemy what your plans are in a war, that’s just how it works. Do they expect our enemy not to act on this information? “Now, we’re going to set a withdrawl strategy, but you can’t use this information against us.” I don’t think that’ll work, though they may believe that’s how it’ll work. Since when are our senators flat out pussies willing to cop-out so easily? And those detainees are not american citizens. They should not be allowed access to our federal court system. They should be held until it’s proven they hold no threat the the U.S. and our allies. We’re at war, this isn’t a fucking game of candyland.

Scott at ScrappleFace feels basically the same way. Zarqawi is gonna be happy about this! Scott is right, I mean, we might as well ask for Zarqawi’s input on this. While we’re at it we should probably just let the paris riots continue un-hindered. What do we gotta lose?

Others blogging include Michelle Malkin, Right Wing Nuthouse and Hugh Hewitt. Donklephant says this is a good thing, basically how Kerry said he would have handled the situation, minus the U.N. and quarterly senate reports. I’m all for letting the Iraqi citizens take total control of their country, just not yet. We have to make sure they’re 100% ready or we’ll be right back in the same place we were 5 years ago. We’ve started down this line and we need to follow through, there’s no going back.

UPDATE: Looks like Bush won’t be forced to divulge future war plans. Instead, 2006 “should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty.” From the AP via Yahoo News:

On the question of a timetable for troop withdrawal, senators rejected the Democrats’ proposal by 58-40. Democratic leaders had advanced the measure in the wake of declining public support for a conflict that has claimed more than 2,000 U.S. lives and cost more than $200 billion.

Republicans countered with their own nonbinding alternative that the Senate approved on a 79-19 vote. Five Democrats sided with the majority party.

Instead of calling for a withdrawal timetable, the GOP provision urged that 2006 “should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty,” with Iraqi forces taking the lead in providing security to create the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces.

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Muslim Riots Continue

What a surprise! Lastnight saw the 18th consecutive night of muslim riots in Paris. 284 cars were set ablaze and 115 people were arrested. Since October 27th, 2,652 total arrests have been made. As usual, the Brussels Journal has a good roundup:

Hurrah! Last night was even “quieter” than the night before. According to French police statistics in the 18th consecutive night of rioting, there were violent incidents in 120 municipalities. In the whole of France 284 cars were set alight and 115 people were arrested, which brings the total number of arrests since the beginning of the riots on October 27 to 2,652. Five policemen were injured in Grenoble when a gas canister exploded in a dustbin that had been set alight. Paris was said to be “calm,” though other sources reported that a gas station had been set ablaze. The police announced that 68 cars were torched in Paris, compared to 76 the previous night. Michel Gaudin, the head of French police, said earlier that 86 vehicles burned in a single night is “about normal” in Paris. That, apparently, was more or less the pre-riot level in the capital of multicultural France.

Lyons was calm too: last night 15 cars were torched in France’s second largest city, one school was arsoned and another school was rammed with a car. Later today the French government is going to prolong the state of emergency until 21 February. The European Union will donate France 50 million euros to help recover from the damage, as if rioting is a kind of natural catastrophe, the French equivalent of Hurricane Katrina.


There’s really no major news outlets covering this anymore. I don’t think I saw anything on FoxNews about the paris riots over the weekend. CNN had a few minutes of video on their Headline News channel, but that was it. Maybe if they just ignore it the threat will just go away. Bird’s Eye View discusses a more general concept: Society before State. Good read.

The Dread Pundit Bluto has figured out the cause of the rioting, with the help of some lowly journalists . It’s caused by infants and their unwillingness to speak or learn any language at all. When will the wee ones learn?

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The Imploding French Model

Curt at Flopping Aces linked to an interesting opinion piece discussing the Paris riots and the economic policies that caused them.

Through a combination of socialism at home and appeasement abroad, the French believed they had found a viable alternative to, in former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin’s phrase, “jungle capitalism,” as practiced by you know who. Jacques Chirac was more direct, condemning “ultra liberal Anglo-Saxon” economic policies, while also famously boasting that France would anchor a European pole in a “multipolar” world, with American influence vastly reduced. With 300 French cities in flames, French pretensions lie singed and shriveled.


The article places most of the blame soley on economic factors and Frances willingness to accept immigrants. Economic factors do play a factor, no doubt. I don’t think that’s the root of the problem though, it all goes back to radical Islam. Curt gets it:

While I agree that the French economic policies are a factor in the Paris riots, how do you explain the rioting in Germany and Belgium? You let Muslims take over neighborhoods in your country, almost giving them autonomy, then as soon as they get strong enough they will let you know that Islam has no borders and they will take the land by force. Radical Islam has no other goal then the destruction of the west, get it through your thick skulls liberals.

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Bloggers Encourage Paris Riots

Some bloggers in France have been detained for encouraging people to participate in the Paris riots. Doesn’t seem like a very smart thing to do given the situation. French bloggers are apparently split on this, some encouraging the riots, others attempting to bring peace and quiet. H/T Boing Boing.

Two bloggers have been detained by authorities in France on suspicion of encouraging people to take part in the Paris riots.

A 16-year-old French teenager and an 18-year-old of Ghanaian nationality are being questioned by Paris prosecutors, according to reports.

One of the blogs was called “sarkodead”, a reference to the interior minister and presidential contender, Nicholas Sarkozy, who referred to the rioters in disparaging terms and has been singled out for criticism by many French bloggers.


Boing Boing also points to an article written by Thomas Crampton (who’s been covering the riots) in which he discusses the role blogs and SMS (text messages) played in the riots in France.

This could make for some really interesting news when more information starts coming out. There’s a lot of talk about this going on at French blogs, but I don’t know French.

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Hotel Suicide Bombings in Jordan – UPDATED

Three hotels in Amman, Jordan were the target of suicide bombers today. 23 57 people are known to have died while 120 300 people were injured. The hotels were popular among Israeli and Western toursits.

AMMAN (Reuters) – At least 23 people were killed and scores wounded on Wednesday when three suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up in three hotels in Amman, a security source said.

Reuters correspondents said there had been explosions at the Radisson SAS and Grand Hyatt hotels in Amman and the official Petra news agency said there had been a third blast at the Days Inn hotel in the city.

“At least 23 people were killed in the three blasts and many wounded,” a security source told Reuters.

Jordan’s interior minister, Awni Yarfas, who was at the Radisson hotel, told reporters: “There were explosions in the Hyatt and the Radisson … Yes, they were bombs.”

Police threw up roadblocks around the hotels, causing traffic chaos in the city, and Reuters television footage showed a fleet of ambulances and fire vehicles outside the buildings.

The blasts appeared to happen at much the same time.


Supposedly, a wedding was taking place in a banquet hall inside one of the hotels. There was some speculation over wether or not the bombs were pre-planted or if this was the result of suicide bombers. It seems to be generally accepted now that it was suicide bombers.

Could this somehow be related to or in response to the Paris riots? Could be, but I doubt it. Proabably just more islamic crazies blowing stuff up for the sake of blowing stuff up. And to murder as many zionist pigs as possible, which is usually their goal. Note I said “usually”, not “always”. And I said “islamic crazies” rather than “all muslims”. You liberal european bloggers can stop calling me islamaphobic now.

Others blogging the Jordan bombings:
Protein Wisdom
The Counterterrorism Blog (has updates)
Michelle Malkin (also has updates)
Stop the ACLU
LGF
The Tar Pit
The Coalition of the Swilling
Terrorism Unveiled (very large roundup)
Don Surber
The Jawa Report

UPDATE 1: Wizbang has an update stating that FoxNews is reporting the death toll has risen to 57 with 115 people injured. Apparently the bombs at the Radisson and the Hyatt were suicide bombers. The Days Inn explosion was caused by a car bomb.

UPDATE 2: FoxNews is now reporting the number of injuries to be closer to 300 than 115.

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