ITS GOOD TO BE ALIVE

U.N. Human Rights Council?

2006-05-12T14:32:00.000+10:00

Never mind, Russia, China, Cuba, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia on the UN Human Rights Council, take a look at the Swiss representative - Jean Ziegler:

The [Wiesenthal centre] suggested that "Switzerland propose a more appropriate Swiss citizen than the founder of the 'Muammar Khadafi Foundation for Human Rights,' established by Ziegler in 1989, four months after the Libyan sponsored terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The 2002 Khadafi Human Rights laureates were Ziegler and convicted French Holocaust denier, Roger Garaudy."

Samuels continued, "While charging the United States and Israel for starvation genocide in Cuba and the Palestine Authority respectively, he has ignored the famines of Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic and other stricken nations…"

"…According to UN Watch, he has served Mengistu, the perpetrator of mass murder by starvation in Ethiopia, in assisting in writing that country's one party constitution."

Richard Carleton kicks the proverbial bucket

2006-05-09T17:30:00.000+10:00

Tim Blair's commentors on the late lefty journalist Richard Carleton: I must say I loathed Richard Carleton. My condolences to Carleton's family.

Sorry - very, very difficult to show proper respect, given Carleton’s lifetime career of journalistic disrespect to the living and the dead.

Given his history and ‘form’, I’m sure Carleton would appreciate the comments made, for instance in the previous thread and here, as soon as murph & geoff show up.

BUT the mine management obviously conducted an unsafe press conference - surely they should have checked everyone for potentially fatal heart problems before they allowed questions? They will be held accountable.

Posted by Stop Continental Drift! on 2006 05 07 at 01:37 AM • permalink

Texas Bob, this might give you an insight into what he was like.
Posted by Melanie on 2006 05 07 at 02:14 AM • permalink

Who says that nothing good comes out of mine disasters?

Posted by Mike Jericho on 2006 05 07 at 01:37 AM • permalink

Ok Mike, sure Carleton was hardly the finest example of journalistic integrity when it came to other’s privacy, and I don’t really expect to follow the unwritten code of showing only respect for the dead, but somehow I doubt that’s the most appropriate response…

Posted by Leigh on 2006 05 07 at 01:41 AM • permalink

Appropriate that the very last “journalistic” question he asked was an attempt to pin blame for the disaster on the mine owners & was met with the reply “we will consider the reasons why once the trapped miners are safe”. He died as he lived, as a scum sucking bottom dweller, reviled by everyone he met.

Posted by Tom H on 2006 05 07 at 01:51 AM • permalink

I have no opinion of the bloke but today his young son is surely shattered. My thoughts go out to Carelton’s family.

Posted by JAFA on 2006 05 07 at 01:52 AM • permalink

I find it ironic that as in his dying moments he was being shielded from the media, his fellow reporters and camera crews. WTF, that guy had no respect for anyone’s privacy. He was totally blinkered and biased in his interviews- all he wanted to do was to project his opinion and his idea of what the truth was. He was never after the facts, never after the truth- even if it was staring him in the face.

Posted by Wylie Wilde on 2006 05 07 at 02:28 AM • permalink

I remember Carleton telling a Muslim cleric that we have free speech in Australia and he (Carleton) could call Mohammed’s daughter a whore if he wanted to. He then did so about three times - the interviewee’s head nearly exploded. Pre 9/11 it was. He also proved what an un-polished little twerp Bob Hawke was when he asked the then union boss what it was like “having blood” on his hands after the Hayden hatchet job.

Isn’t this hate-fest getting a bit overwrought?

Posted by C.L. on 2006 05 07 at 02:53 AM • permalink

Richard Carleton was a rude, self-important man in life, so it’s no surprise that his last moments on earth were rude and self-important.

Channel 10 (a rival station) has just broadcast the news they describe him as ::chortle:: a ‘highly-respected journalist who show no fear or favour’.

For those here calling for restraint on demonstrations of antipathy, I put it to you: this man may not have been a terrorist or a war criminal but he was personally responsible for needless misery of countless people because of his irresponsible reporting and grotesque ego.

The only kindness I can offer is a prayer for his family.

-- Nora
Posted by The Thin Man Returns on 2006 05 07 at 03:21 AM • permalink

As objectional as his style of reporting was, his sudden death was tragic and I extend my condolences to his family.

Posted by Kidon on 2006 05 07 at 04:00 AM • permalink

Blogging Break

2006-05-03T15:27:00.000+10:00

I'm getting married this weekend, so blogging will resume next week. I'll leave with this piece of wisdom:

Four things make a man age prematurely: fear, anger, children and a bad-tempered wife.

----- MIDRASH: TANHUMA

Quote of the Day

2006-05-02T13:27:00.000+10:00

If there had only been government research establishments in the Stone Age, by now we would have had absolutely superb flint tools. But no one would have invented steel.

--------------------A. C. Clarke

Trivia of the day

2006-04-30T08:31:00.000+10:00

Who coined the phrase "its all Greek to me"?
.
.
.
"ALL GREEK TO ME - Goes back to Shakespeare. The line was first spoken by Casca, one of the conspirators against Caesar in the first act of 'Julius Caesar.' He was speaking of the comments made by Cicero after Caesar three times refused the crown of emperor. Cicero actually did speak in Greek, using that language as a device to make sure that casual passers-by did not understand his remarks. Today the expression 'It's all Greek to me' simply means that what has been said is beyond the speaker's understanding." From "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

As an aside the following phrases were coined by Shakespeare's character Polonius in Hamlet.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be".

"Give every man thine ear but few thy voice".

"Brevity is the soul of wit".

The Australian Fisks Fisk

2006-04-28T14:13:00.000+10:00

An editorial in today's Australian (scroll down) gives Robert Fisk a good Fisking.

Fisk assessment - Journo's performance reveals deeper moral bankruptcy

VERY few people live to see their names turned into verbs, but it happened to Robert Fisk. In Pakistan after the September 11 attacks, the British journalist was beaten up by a group of Afghani kids, prompting him to write a much-mocked column detailing his sympathy for his assailants. This almost self-parodic piece of left-wing self-hatred was instantly dissected across the internet – and the term "fisking" quickly became synonymous with the point-by-point refutation of facile over-the-top arguments. But as undistinguished as that episode was, it pales in comparison to Fisk's florid and rambling appearance on ABC's Lateline on Wednesday night.

Speaking from Beirut, the infamous war correspondent who has made his fortune documenting the misery of others revealed once and for all the moral bankruptcy of the post-modern Left.

Earlier Post here.

Update: Robert Fisk writes a cover article for the independent that would make Julius Streicher proud (via Little Green Footballs).

More at Harry’s Place.

Update: David Tate has more on this.

Help! I'm being censored by Fisk!

The suggestion that Jews control the world by proxy - particularly by manipulating the media and by secretly directing the policies of other countries - is a widespread, and racist conspiracy theory with a long history. It is a view which is very much alive, on the far right and the far left, and - indeed - the far green.

To take a recent example Abdurrahman Jafar, the Respect Mayoral candidate, claimed yesterday in the Muslim Weekly, that Tony Blair had lied about "how Israel has been formulating and directing UK and US foreign policy".

Italy commemorates liberation from facism

2006-04-27T15:17:00.000+10:00

Little Green Footballs has more on the demonstrations here and here.

Fisk Fisks Fisk

2006-04-27T14:29:00.000+10:00

"Journalist" Robert Fisk cops a royal smackdown from Tony Jones (via J. F. Beck).

K. Bowman, a commentor at Tim Blair's site sums up:

Look, Look, Look, Look. Fisk’s points are all very simple. Zarqawi is just a figurehead whom we just are encouraged to loathe, who, at the end of the day, is not a person whom we need to worry about. Although he is a problem for all of us (Fisk, too). The West bestializes Zarqawi, although he is genuinely a bad guy (no doubt about it). It is wrong for us to paint the Middle East as a fight between good and evil, although Bin Laden and Zarqawi are monstrous. We created Zarqawi, although he created himself, and we helped, although he used to exist as a fantasy figure created by American propaganda. The media perpetuates these myths every time it blames Zarqawi, although he is to blame, and it would be absolutely wrong for reporters to ignore the things he is to blame for. Zarqawi’s existence supports American propaganda, but his continued existence is also a severe blow to American credibility.

Sydney Man in Jihad Plan

2006-04-27T14:06:00.000+10:00

Lodhi denies terror charges

ARCHITECT Faheem Khalid Lodhi worked at three Sydney defence sites he was allegedly planning to bomb in a "violent jihad", a court has been told.

Outlining the crown case today, Mr Maidment told the court Lodhi's cause was "violent jihad", which could be described as "holy fighting conducted by Muslims against non-Muslims".

"The intention of the accused in his preparation for the bombing attack could only have been to influence by intimidation either governments, or members of the public, or both," Mr Maidment said.

Irony Alert

2006-04-26T15:07:00.000+10:00

Well, you've probably already heard about the latest ~~terrorist attack~~ protests in Egypt. The linked article is so full of irony its just asking to be fisked:

The country's biggest opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the attacks and "whoever might be behind them."

Terrorists condemning terrorists?

...Arabs across the region, many of whom questioned why Muslims have now become a prime target for terrorists....

Ummmm..... whats that story about the guy who breeds wolves in his backyard to attack the neighbours and ends up getting bitten himself?

Jordan's King Abdullah II said it was necessary to bolster "unified international efforts to combat this dangerous disease [terrorism], which is completely alien to our Islamic values and traditions."

Completely Alien huh?

Blogroundup

2006-04-24T15:24:00.000+10:00

*Osama Bin Laden has reportedly released an audiotape... blah blah blah.... death to the west etc... Evil Pundit of Doom has some interesting analysis on the issue. Little Green Footballs points to some disturbing opinions on OBL's latest message from radical UK Islamic forum ummah.com.

*J. F. Beck posts a picture of the front cover of the Mexican version of the Protocols.

*Powerline blog gives an interesting analysis of Olmert's wishful thinking:

In another example of the power of wishful thinking, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert concludes from editorials in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the British Guardian "condemning" Hamas that the world recognizes the absence of a peace partner for Israel and thus that Israel has no choice but to draw its own borders on the West Bank. But talk is cheap at the New York Times, Washington Post, and Guardian, and liberals in the West have a habit of condemning Palestinian terrorists one week and demanding that Isrealis "take risks for peace" the next.

*The House of Wheels: Geuss who votes democrat? No suprises.

*Rational Minded promts readers to suggest a collective noun for moonbats. Noted suggestions include asylum, discombobulation, whinge and froth.

*Superblogger Tim Blair reports on the rhyming efforts of the Islamic thinkers society.

Zionists, Zionists you will pay! The Wrath of Allah is on its way!
Israeli Zionists you shall pay! The Wrath of Allah is on its way!
The mushroom cloud is on its way! The real Holocaust is on its way!

Tim Blair adds: Way to rhyme “way” with “way”, thinkers.

*Roger L. Simon on Mullah Murder:

The Student Movement Coordinating Committee for Democracy in Iran is reporting a mass execution at the notorious Evin prison: Reports are stating [sic] about a mass execution that took place, today, at the infamous Evin jail located in North Tehran. 9 un-identified victims were hanged in the facility in which tens of political activists are being held including several student activists.

*Happy fifth Blogiversary to Meryl Yourish.

Moonbat of the day

2006-04-24T15:09:00.000+10:00

Today's moonbat of the day award goes to P. Gilet of Albany, Western Australia for this rant appearing in today's Australian letters page.

THE media hype about the Anzacs is a cynical exercise. All our wars, from the Boer to Iraq, have been fought to secure the investments and empires of others, not defend our own shores. Japan indeed wanted to invade but only because we fought them in Asia to defend those said investments. Had we not, many young Japanese and Australian men would have lived. There is nothing glorious about collective suicide nor craven submission to our domestic masters.
P. Gilet
Albany, WA

G-d Bless the ANZACs.

Who's on first?

2006-04-24T12:26:00.000+10:00

George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening?

Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.

George: Great. Lay it on me.

Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.

George: That's what I want to know.

Condi: That's what I'm telling you.

George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes.

George: I mean the fellow's name.

Condi: Hu.

George: The guy in China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The new leader of China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The Chinaman!

Condi: Hu is leading China.

George: Now whaddya' asking me for?

Condi: I'm telling you Hu is leading China.

George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China?

Condi: That's the man's name.

George: That's who's name?

Condi: Yes.

George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was dead.

Condi: That's correct.

George: Then who is in China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir is in China?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Then who is?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir?
Condi: No, sir.

George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.

Condi: Kofi?

George: No, thanks.

Condi: You want Kofi?

George: No.

Condi: You don't want Kofi.

George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi?

George: Milk! Will you please make the call?

Condi: And call who?

George: Who is the guy at the U.N?

Condi: Hu is the guy in China.

George: Will you stay out of China?!

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi.

George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone.

Quote of the day.

2006-04-20T15:48:00.000+10:00

As already pointed out - before attacking Americans on their home soil, the Iranians would do well to ask around about how that usually works out…

---------Margo's Maid

Blog Roundup

2006-04-20T14:49:00.000+10:00

*Little Green Footballs informs: Iran has been elected to be the vice chair of the UN’s disarmament commission.

*Rational Minded has some good ideas on a strategy for dealing with Iran:

Iran's nuclear program could be destroyed convincingly with a Shock and Awe strategy of air strikes and cruise missiles guided by solid reconnaissance, likely without a single American casualty.

*Evil Pundit of Doom finds that Iranian superweapons, such as their Seagoing Magic Carpet, are just recycled versions of Soviet technology that's at least twenty years old.

*Meryl Yourish on Iran's proxy war with Israel. Lots of good stuff from Meryl Yourish.

*A Saudi Cleric asks "why can't we say anything good about Hitler?"

*Tim Blair reports on what will likely be the planet’s biggest Blair’s Law festival ever.

UPDATE: House of Wheels describes his blog roundup as "links to a bunch of things I can't be bothered writing extended posts on". Good Stuff!

Easter Break

2006-04-12T15:00:00.000+10:00

I'm off to Queensland for the Easter/Passover break. Blogging should resume in just over a week.

Remembering a Great Australian: Sir Roden Cutler

2006-04-12T14:34:00.000+10:00

This man was a true Aussie hero.

Sir Arthur Roden Cutler VC, AK, KCMG, KCVO, CBE (1916–2002)

A Victoria Cross winner and the longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Cutler won the Victoria Cross in the 1941 Syrian campaign and was severely wounded, requiring the amputation of a leg.

Roden Cutler began his military service in the Sydney University Regiment while a student. Commissioned in November 1939, six months later he joined the second AIF. He was posted to the artillery’s 2/5th Field Regiment, which trained in Egypt and Palestine before going into action in Syria against the Vichy French forces in mid-1941.

Seemingly fearless, Cutler was a forward observer who, from 19 June, consistently placed himself in danger in order to direct artillery fire against the enemy. He was often directly involved in the fighting and when necessary he took command of the local situation; he also helped in evacuating the wounded. Once he was cut off and had to wait for darkness to escape. Finally, on 6 July, he went out under heavy machine-gun fire to lay a telephone line and was severely wounded.

Badly hit, Cutler lay out isolated and exposed for 26 hours before he could be rescued. His leg became septic and later had to be amputated.For his sustained valour leading up to his wounding he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Invalided home, he received a hero’s welcome in Sydney. With his fighting spirit unquenched, he then embarked on a fresh career of public service.

Wikipedia reference for Sir Roden Cutler.

Advantages of Reading the Arab Press

2006-04-12T14:05:00.000+10:00

A story is told of a Jewish man who was riding on a bus reading an Arab newspaper.

A friend of his, who happened to be riding on the same bus, noticed this strange phenomenon. Very upset, he approached him: "Moshe have you lost your mind? Why are you reading an Arab newspaper?"

Moshe replied, "I used to read Jewish newspapers, but what did I find? Jews being persecuted; Israel being attacked; Jews living in poverty; Jews living in fear. I became so miserable I decided to switch to the Arab newspaper."

"So, now what do I find? Jews own all the banks; Jews control the media; Jews are all rich and powerful, Jews rule the world. The news is so much better, I don't feel miserable any more."

From the Onion

2006-04-11T14:17:00.000+10:00

Hamas calls for 'Giant Summit' with all Israelis

Haniyeh characterized the one-day summit as "the final solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute," and invited every Jewish citizen of the world to attend. Haniyeh said he expects more than 5 million participants from Israel alone.

Hamas has already gone to significant lengths to ensure that Israeli Jews will be able to attend the summit, including transportation via specially chartered freight trains.

This is Hillarious: Video Blogging

2006-04-11T13:46:00.000+10:00

What do you call a Video Blogger?

A Vlogger

The Funniest Regulation Ever

2006-04-10T14:30:00.000+10:00

Kiss for more than five minutes and you could go to jail.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Couples kissing in public for longer than five minutes could soon face arrest in one Indonesian city as part of proposed laws cracking down on behavior seen as un-Islamic, media reports said Friday.

Quote of the Day

2006-04-07T15:18:00.000+10:00

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

-------George Orwell (via The Getz Files).

Blog Roundup: Friday comic relief

2006-04-07T12:25:00.000+10:00

This is the Laughing edition of blog roundup.

*Potfry (kinda like The Onion, except funny) reports that U.S. Counters Iranian Missile Demo with Short Film: "Hiroshima, A Retrospective."

"Wow. A super-fast underwater missile. We'll be sure not to tangle with Iran's navy now, that's for sure. We're quite impressed with Iran's efforts to...find ways for missiles to travel faster through, uh, water. Through our own painstaking research, though, we have found that missiles travel better through the AIR, particularly when they have to travel long distances, like say 6,337 miles."

*The Jawa Report has some very funny stuff: Iran Unveils Seagoing Magic Carpet, Iran Goes Disney With Stealth MIRV Platform, Underwater Missles, And - Now A 'Flying Boat'? and Iranian Generals Hold Bongathon.

*Mother Jones has an hilarious post on Intellectual Property Run Amok (via But I am a Liberal and The Getz Files).

FOR INCLUDING a 60-second piece of silence on their album, the Planets were threatened with a lawsuit by the estate of composer John Cage, which said they’d ripped off his silent work 4’33”. The Planets countered that the estate failed to specify which 60 of the 273 seconds in Cage’s piece had been pilfered.

A FRENCH DIRECTOR had to pay $1,300 after a character in his film whistled the communist anthem, “The Internationale,” without permission.

*Blame Bush - Bush stole an hour of sleep (via commentor Rational Minded at The House of Wheels).

As I sat in my boss’ office this morning, desperately trying to hold my eyelids up while the old fascist tore into me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Bush was somehow responsible. Unbeknownst to me, Daylight-Savings Time had passed in the dead of night and under the cover of darkness. As a result, I was TWO, rather than the typical ONE hour late. There was no way I could explain it away this time as Bush intentionally scheduling trains, school buses, and naked samurai-sword guys to obstruct my morning commute, either.

*Israeli Newspaper Ynetnews reports on Hamas's attempt to supply Potfry with extra material for his blog (hat tip:The House of Wheels):

United States churches are secretly run by Jews who converted to Christianity with the intention of controlling religious Americans including President Bush, a top Hamas member claims.

“Even the churches where the Americans pray are led by Jews who were converted to Christianity, but they were converted to keep controlling the Americans,” Mohammad Abu Tir, the number two Hamas terrorist in the newly formed Palestinian Authority government said.

Abu Tir? He's the guy who vowed revenge on Israel after a prankster dyed his beard (pictured below).

*Tim Blair blogs about serious stuff, yet reading his posts I feel strangely comically relieved.

Mahmoud and the nazis

2006-04-06T11:24:00.000+10:00

Spiegel Online Reports (via Daimnation).

Last weekend at a lower division match between Hamburg St. Pauli and eastern club Chemnitz FC, visiting Chemnitz fans stormed Turkish-owned stores chanting "Sieg Heil" and waving imitation Nazi flags. Some shouted: "We're going to build a subway from St Pauli to Auschwitz."
[...]
The far-right NPD party and other neo-Nazi groups apparently want to stage a "freedom of speech" march in Gelsenkirchen, in the Ruhr Valley, and further demonstrations in Leipzig, Berlin, and Nuremberg, to show solidarity with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has openly denied the Holocaust and suggested that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

Does no one else see the irony? Ok, neo-nazis are attacking Turks, whom they consider second class human beings, partly because they are Muslims. The neo-nazis have been showing solidarity with Ahmadinejad because he hates jews and inspires their cause by denying the holocaust. Ahmadinejad claims he is acting in the name of Islam.

In summary, Islamic fundamentalist inspiring white supremacist, bonded by their common hatred of jews and their desire to finish what Hitler started. White supremacists attack Muslims. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ahmadenijad thinks its ok to sacrifice the civil rights of Muslims in Europe in order to offend a few Holocaust survivors.

But wait there's more: The Muslim Council of Britain announced a boycott of Holocaust memorial day:

Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, has written to Charles Clarke, the home secretary, saying the body will not attend the event unless it includes the “holocaust” of the Palestinian intifada.

It almost makes you want to vomit. But I digress. By boycotting Holocaust memorial day they are offering inspiration to neo-nazis who probably don't like Muslims anymore than they like jews. In short Iqbal Sacranie is in bed with some pretty nasty people because he thinks it serves his purpose of bringing the jews down a notch or two.

Let us not forget Yasser Arafat's mentor and hero: Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (pictured above meeting with Adolf Hitler), Mohammad Amin al-Husayni and his ties to the nazis.

Al-Husayni was officially received by Adolf Hitler on November 28, 1941 in Berlin. He asked Hitler for a public declaration that "recognized and sympathized with the Arab struggles for independence and liberation", al-Hussayni submitted to the German government a draft of such a declaration:
Germany and Italy recognize the right of the Arab countries to solve the question of the Jewish elements, which exist in Palestine and in the other Arab countries, as required by the national and ethnic (völkisch) interests of the Arabs, and as the Jewish question was solved in Germany and Italy.[4]

Compare with the arab struggle for "independence and liberation" currently going on in Sudan. Seems to be a euphamism for genocide.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center in their news letter reports on Hate and Digital Terrorism, further illustrating the love affair between neo-nazis and supporters of the Palestinians.

• Middle East-based Internet forums that actively promote attacks on Israeli, Jewish and Christian institutions by posting detailed information on how to make ‘dirty’ bombs, use cell phones as detonators, and plan chemical and biological attacks• Online tutorials for terrorists, includes animated scenarios for urban warfare and suicide attacks on motorcades as well as a video course on how to use global positioning technology

• In Europe, online radio, ‘clubs’ and newsgroups with cutting-edge graphics stoke growing tensions between the West and disaffected young Moslems. And. neo-Nazi and skinhead groups use overseas Internet sites to evade anti-hate laws and attract thousands for illegal hate music concerts. Hooligan sports groups seek recruits for racist manifestations at football matches

• Our researchers were among the first to track trans-national hate, in which, European, North American racists and Middle Eastern extremists use the Internet to forge links. Meanwhile, shocking new antisemitic websites, including al Qaeda’s Hiddenworlds, Irancartoons, and Housewitz, fan the flames of Jew-hatred worldwide

• Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and like-minded terrorist groups whose global network of supporters use the Internet to maximize the worldwide impact of kidnappings, beheadings and mayhem.

Earlier Post here.

Quote of the Day

2006-04-05T16:05:00.000+10:00

Another day, another stupid Indymedia 'article'.

------------Hugh Le Caine

Blog Roundup: Hamas Edition

2006-04-05T15:18:00.000+10:00

Todays Blogroundup focuses on Hamas. As we all know, this is a tiny minority of extremists so there is nothing to worry about, right!

*Damian Penny reports:

A Beeb report on a letter from the Hamas government's foreign minister to UN Secretary-General Koffi Annan cites a priceless excerpt:

The new Hamas-led Palestinian government has told the UN it wants to live in "freedom and independence side by side with our neighbours".

Unlike the hapless recipient of this missive, we can only surmise that by "neighbours", Mahmoud Zahar means Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Period. [Penny]

*Little Green Footballs on Terrorists who know how to work their audience. Charles points out that the above letter to Kofi Anan is in direct contrast to comments made a couple of days earlier by Hamas leaders regarding their genocidal dreams:

“I dreams of hanging a huge map of the world on the wall at my Gaza home which does not show Israel on it,” he said. “I hope that our dream to have our independent state on all historic Palestine (including Israel).”

*A Western Heart has some interesting commentarty on Hamas. The following is from a Caroline Glick column in the Jerusalem Post with commentary in square brackets by MathewK.

In promoting and proselytizing jihad, Hamas will "support mosques and mosque facilities" and "ensure that places of worship serve both a missionary [jihad jihad jihad] and educational [careful with those wires, boys and girls] role in society." And the educational role of the mosques, like the role of schools and the media, will be to preach jihad. Hamas explains that its goal is to "improve our citizenry" with the goal of helping them "resist cultural normalization." The media under Hamas will receive "guidance... [similar to that dished out to western media, by associated Islamists, who flirted with publishing certain cartoons] so that they serve to elevate the Palestinian people and foster their perseverance and resistance."

*Hugh from "But I am a Liberal" offers a great critique of an idiotic indymedia article. Hugh asks why should we financially prop up a government that is hostile to us? .... Dictators and totalitarian regimes from around the region constantly talk about the oppression and poverty of the Palestinian people, so why don’t they contribute more to their cause?

Because it serves their interests to have Palestinians living in poverty. Otherwise who would they point their fingers at?

Speaking of funding the Palestinians, I noted in an earlier post an article by Jimmy Carter in which he says:

Abbas informed me after the election that the Palestinian Authority was $900 million in debt and that he would be unable to meet payrolls during February.

Lets see if we can find an extra $900m: A 2003 report by the International Monetary Fund revealed that Yasser Arafat diverted approximately $900 million from the PA Finance Ministry into secret accounts that he alone controlled. Forbes ranked Arafat number 6 on a list of the richest “kings, queens, and despots” with a fortune of $300 million.

Blog Roundup: French Edition

2006-04-04T12:29:00.000+10:00

This special edition of Blog Roundup focuses on what blogs are saying about France. Its good for a laugh.

*Superblogger Tim Blair reports on the Last Angry Frenchman. The post is from Tim Blair so you already know there's a good joke in it.

*Canadian blogger Damian Penny reports on the French tradition of mobocracy.

"The street" in healthy democracies means a road you cross. In dictatorships, it means the gossip of discontent, as in "Arab street." In France, it means mobocracy:

*Little Green Footballs informs us of the progression of Sharia law in France.

*J. F. Beck blogs on the French being..... French.

*But I am a Liberal links to a funny hoax article on Anarchists for Job Security. False but accurate.

The new 'must work for money' rule, introduced by the French government, has precipitated huge street demonstrations in Paris, as student and labor leaders rise against the specter of capitalism, worried that its emphasis on hard work and personal responsibility will ruin their most cherished cultural values of government dependency.

Quotes of The Day

2006-04-04T11:23:00.000+10:00

I kill communist for fun but for green card I slice him up real nice.

--------------Tony Montana (Al Pacino) in Scarface.

Don't hate your enemies, it effects your judgement.

--------------Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in The Godfather III.

London Bombings: It's all about Iraq

2006-04-03T16:45:00.000+10:00

Harry's place has an excellent post criticising those who blame the London bombings on the Iraq war.....

For the hard of remembering I set out below the evidence in support of the contention that 'It's not all about Iraq':

February 1993: First bombing of World Trade Center; 6 killed.

June 1996: Truck bomb explodes outside Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia; 19 killed, hundreds of others injured.

August 1998: Bombing of Embassies in East Africa; 224 killed.

September 2001: Destruction of World Trade Centre and attack on Pentagon, thousands dead and injured.

November 2002: Explosion at synogogue in Tunisia leaves 17 dead.

October 2002: Nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia, 202 dead.

May 2003: Suicide bombers kill 34 at housing compounds for Westerners in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Are these Islamist bombings of Western targets to vanish down the memory plughole because their dates don't fit the chronology or are they to be explained away as acts of retaliation against the imperialist invasion of Iraq - just, er, in advance of the actual deed?

Bombing in Canada

2006-04-03T14:39:00.000+10:00

Damian Penny reports that a bomb went off in a Tim Horton's about 4 blocks from where I used to live.

Details are unclear, but as a former resident I can tell you there are a lot of weirdoes in that area. It could've been anything from a protestor to someone who just didn't like the taste of the coffee at Tim Horton’s.

Tim Horton’s (owned by Wendy's) is the most popular fast food chain in Canada - way more popular than Macca's - it serves mostly coffee and doughnuts. Tim Horton was a famous ice hockey player. The doughnuts are all glazed. You don't get fresh cinnamon doughnuts in Canada like you do in Australia.

The coffee is gross but they make a superb bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich (you have to say tomayto or else they won't understand you).

If you are trying to lose weight don't eat the doughnuts. When John Travolta needed to put on weight for a movie, he said that doughnuts were the only thing that worked. Before that he tried pineapple, cucumber, celery, carrots and bananas.

Quote of The Day

2006-04-03T11:34:00.000+10:00

I really love the Russians on this one - he should have come to Russia, then all would have been fine. Now, I'm not carrying any torch for the Dutch healthcare system, but if you had to give me a choice between being treated in Holland and in Russia, I know what I'd choose.

-------Matty at the Hague, commenting on the Death of Slobodan Milosevic.

Fatah Tries to Win Back Support

2006-03-31T11:31:00.000+11:00

After their overwhelming defeat at the polls by "a small minority of extremists" (as President Bush keeps reminding us), Palestinian terrorist group Fatah has tried to win back the hearts and minds of the Palestinian people.

Three Israelis killed in West Bank suicide bombing attack

Three Israelis were killed when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives in a car after nightfall Thursday at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Kedumim, located west of Nablus.

Blog Roundup: French Riot Special

2006-03-30T16:06:00.000+11:00

The French are rioting for a change.

Rational Minded has a very informative post. Links to news articles and explains the jist of whats going on.

The House of Wheels blogs on the brutality of the French riot police, I'm waiting for the lefties to declare that Chirac=Hitler, oh wait, never mind.

J.F. Beck informs us on the internal clashes (photograph) between the "French youths".

In scenes recorded by television cameras, swarms of hooded, masked youths infiltrated the march Thursday in an upscale tourist district in the heart of Paris, beating and stomping the marchers, stealing their cellphones and money, and torching cars.

J.F. Beck also links to a slide show on the violence.

Superblogger Tim Blair has a picture of a guy who really hates hatchbacks - the war on hatchbacks? More from Tim Blair here and here.

Romeo Mike's moonbattery on a pole also mentions what the left are calling "today's revolt in France".

Burn Paris Burn.

Hows Cool is This?

2006-03-29T14:48:00.000+11:00

At 10:22 pm and twenty two seconds on feburary the twenty second in the year two thousand two hundred and twenty two, the precise date will be:

22:22:22 22/2/2222

How cool is that?

Joke of the Day

2006-03-27T21:03:00.000+11:00

Today's Joke of the Day comes from Superblogger Tim Blair:

The BBC’s Caroline Wyatt reports:

The crisp early springtime air on the Left Bank is filled once more with the heady scent of revolution, black coffee and Gauloises.

Tim Blair responds:

If only the French were stereotyped as an, er, aromatic people. Then I’d be able to make an easy joke here.

I laughed so hard, I fell off my chair.

Quote of the Day

2006-03-27T12:38:00.000+11:00

"Condi Rice thinks Afghanistan has "come a long way" because when the Taliban ruled, they "wantonly" executed people for playing music (as opposed to now, you know, where executions of people for abandoning Islam are contemplated in a much more civilized, non-wanton manner)."

----------- Michelle Malkin

Chief Rabbi urges dialogue between Jews and Muslims

2006-03-17T09:41:00.000+11:00

Rome's chief rabbi pays landmark visit to mosque, urges coexistence with Jews

ROME - Rome's chief rabbi paid a landmark visit to the capital's mosque yesterday, calling for greater dialogue betweens Jews and Muslims to promote peace.

Blair's Law

2006-03-17T08:49:00.000+11:00

A four part series in the Asia Times offers evidence for Blair's Law - that all the world's idiots are joining together to create a giant, useless force.

Islamism, fascism and terrorism

From Part I:

Among those interrogated by police was a certain Albert Friedrich Armand (aka Ahmed) Huber, 74, a Swiss convert to Islam and retired journalist who sits on the Nada board of directors. Nothing too unusual perhaps, except for the fact that Huber is also a high-profile neo-Nazi who tirelessly travels the far-right circuit in Europe and the United States. He sees himself as a mediator between radical Islam and what he calls the New Right. Since September 11, a picture of Osama bin Laden hangs next to one of Adolf Hitler on the wall of his study in Muri just outside the Swiss capital of Bern. September 11, says Huber, brought the radical Islam-New Right alliance together......

I know a few people who are die hard supporters of the Palis, and they also happen to be nazi sympathisers. One day I was sitting in front of the television with one of my best friends at the time. We were watching the news. One of the stories featured Latvian nazi war criminal Konrad Kalejs. Latvia was trying to extradite Kalejs from Australia for his role in the extermination of 30,000 people: mostly jews and Russian POW's.

Latvia was applying for entry into the EU, and the fact that they had never prosecuted any WWII war criminals was looking bad on their application. The story did not phase me too much.

It was my "friend" who got angry. He looked at me with such disgust and said "I can't stand the way YOU jews are playing a violin over something that happened 50 years ago".

I was speechless.

"I feel really sorry for that guy" he pointed at the TV "don't you feel sorry for him? don't you feel sorry for him? you have to feel sorry for him? YOU should let him go?" he kept at it.

I was shocked into silence, not knowing how to respond.

"I reckon YOU jews were asking for the Holocaust" he continued. He looked at me with contempt.

And I thought he was just anti-Zionist.... as he often claimed.

Update: Harry's Place provides further evidence for Blair's Law:

Apart from a statement from a trades union branch in Basra to be read out by someone else they've only got one Iraqi speaker.

Who might it be? a speaker from the Communist Party? A leader of a major trades union? A representative of a national woman's group?

Don't be old so fashioned - it's their new comrades from the Iraqi Islamic party.

Quote Of The Day

2006-02-23T17:00:00.000+11:00

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.

------------- George Bernard Shaw

Former Australian Beauty Queen Backs Irving

2006-02-21T17:34:00.000+11:00

Beauty queen backs Holocaust denier

A former Australian beauty queen and socialite divorcee has dramatically championed the case of British historian David Irving who has been thrown behind bars in Austria for saying the Nazis did not send millions of Jews to the gas chambers.

In front of camera crews and reporters, Renouf called for the bodies of "so-called Holocaust victims to be exhumed to see whether they died from typhoid or gas".

Renouf praised Irving for "standing up to the Zionists" before a member of the Austrian press shouted at her: "Do you think your British flag entitles you to bring your Nazi propaganda into this court?"

Quote of The Day

2006-02-21T17:09:00.000+11:00

A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest slice.

---------- Ludwig Erhard

Irony of The Day

2006-02-21T15:36:00.000+11:00

From the "I may offend and disrespect thee, but thou dare not offend me" department comes:

Kingdom [of Sandi Arabia] Calls for Respect Among Nations

... the Cabinet emphasized the need for respecting the will of the Palestinian people and condemned Israel ....

In response to criticisms of the Council over its refusal to discuss women driving, Shoura Chairman Saleh Bin-Humaid said the consultative body is not running away from its responsibilities. “The decision on women driving was a procedural measure and it is quite natural that decisions will not satisfy everybody,” he said, adding that the Shoura would not ignore its members’ proposals.

Respect among nations? That sounds like a great idea! Saudi Arabia should heed their own advice and start respecting infidels, woman and moderate muslims.

Pictured Above: Cartoon from The Arab News, Saudi English language daily online version, July 30, 2002, shows a Jew, depicted as a traditional anti-Semitic caricature, shooting at a child

In Saudi Arabia:

Public and private practice of any non-Muslim religion is restricted. Non-Muslims can be arrested, lashed, or deported for any religious activity that attracts the attention of the government.

The wearing of non-Muslim religious symbols is restricted.

The printing, possession, importing, or distribution of any non-Muslim religious material is banned.

Big Idea Kidnapped

2006-02-21T14:38:00.000+11:00

Breaking News From Getty Images: The Next Big Idea Has Been Kidnapped.

Click To Play Quicktime

All the films for the Getty Images "Next Big Idea" competition can be viewed here. Some of them are better than others.

Useful Idiot of the Day

2006-02-20T18:56:00.000+11:00

Today's Useful Idiot award goes to Jimmy Carter. He uses his op-ed piece in the Washington Post to totally white wash Hamas.

Don't Punish the Palestinians
by Jimmy Carter

The spokesman for Hamas claimed, "We want a peaceful unity government." If this is a truthful statement, it needs to be given a chance.

An Hamas representative had this to say:"We are a nation that drinks blood, and we know that there is no blood better than the blood of Jews. We will not leave you alone until we have quenched our thirst with your blood, and our children's thirst with your blood."

Jimmy Carter Continues:

Perhaps a greater aggravation by the Israelis is their decision to hinder movement of elected Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council members through any of more than a hundred Israeli checkpoints around and throughout the Palestinian territories. This will present significant obstacles to a government's functioning effectively.

This will also present significant obstacles to Palestinians who wish to blow themselves on buses, which is indeed the motivation for the checkpoints. The fact that this hinders the movement of Hamas members is just an added bonus. As well, the Israelis have withdrawn from the Gaza strip, so no checkpoints there.

Pictured above: An Israeli rescue worker removes a body part from a bus after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in Jerusalem November 20 2002. The Palestinian suicide bomber killed at least 11 people.

More from Jimmy Carter:

Abbas informed me after the election that the Palestinian Authority was $900 million in debt and that he would be unable to meet payrolls during February.

Lets see if we can find an extra $900m: A 2003 report by the International Monetary Fund revealed that Yasser Arafat diverted approximately $900 million from the PA Finance Ministry into secret accounts that he alone controlled. Forbes ranked Arafat number 6 on a list of the richest “kings, queens, and despots” with a fortune of $300 million.

I'll let Jimmy Carter have the last word:

The election of Hamas candidates cannot adversely affect genuine peace talks, since such talks have been nonexistent for over five years.

WTF!?!

2006-02-20T13:09:00.000+11:00

At Germany’s n-tv.de, a photo from an Islamic rally in Pakistan. (Via Little Green Footballs, Hat Tip: The House of Wheels)

Low Life Lefties

2006-02-17T19:48:00.000+11:00

A bunch of low life lefties have abused people attending the funeral of Kerry Packer, the funeral? (Via Rational Minded).

The ABC makes sure to emphasize that this was a tax-payer funded funeral. This little tid-bit is mentioned twice in their article:

Australia's political, business, sporting and entertainment elite have remembered the life of Kerry Packer with laughter and tears at a taxpayer-funded state memorial service.

..........

Prime Minister John Howard spoke both of the media mogul's great understanding of what made the ordinary bloke tick and his extraordinary generosity.

He paid tribute to Mr Packer, describing him as a larrikin and a gentleman as well as a great businessman.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello says Mr Packer deserves the tax-payer funded state memorial service being held at the Sydney Opera House today.

..........

Mr Costello has also criticised a group calling themselves the "Packer Dismemorial Collective" which has protested outside the service, calling them misguided.

Mr Costello says he has no reservations about the service being held in Mr Packer's honour.

"I think Kerry Packer was a very significant Australian in his contribution in media, in business, in a whole range of areas in public life," he said.

Police have laid 14 charges and issued an infringement notice after clashing with protesters outside the memorial service.

Six people will face court next month charged with various offences, including resisting arrest, hindering police and failing to listen to directions to leave the Opera House forecourt.

A 47-year-old man was issued with an infringement notice for assault, while a 33-year-old man was charged with operating a public address system illegally. [A public address system? - probably blasting guests with a magaphone - ed.]

Kerry Packer (RIP) is the guy who donated a large sum to the New South Wales Ambulance Service to pay for equipping all NSW ambulances with a portable defibrillator as well as being a patron of the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

I extend my sincerest sympathies to his family.

American Military Wrongly Accuses Commandos

2006-02-17T14:02:00.000+11:00

In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.

Have You Seen These Men?

2006-02-17T13:38:00.000+11:00

If you see any of these men, do not approach them, they could be armed and are considered dangerous (Via Pre-Emptive Strike and Michelle Malkin).

Interpol has issued the following statement:

LYON, France – Interpol has issued international Blue Notices for 23 dangerous criminals and convicted terrorists, including some responsible for deadly attacks on US and French ships in 2000 and 2002, who escaped last week from a military prison in Yemen.

Repeat, do not approach these men. Call the authorities and they will take the appropriate action.

Tiny Minority of Extremists

2006-02-17T12:30:00.000+11:00

On January 26, 2006 it was announced that a "tiny minority" of extremists, the radical Islamic movement Hamas, had won a large majority in the new Palestinian parliament. The extremist Islamic terrorist group Hamas thus replacing the more moderate Islamic terrorist group Fatah.

Lets see what this "tiny minority" of extremists with an overwhelming majority election win has to say (Via Little Green Footballs):

The Hamas website this week presented the parting video messages of two Hamas suicide terrorists. One message was for Jews, whose blood Hamas promises to drink until Jews "leave the Muslim countries," and the second to a mother, as she helps dress her son for battle prior to his suicide terror mission.

Each terrorist had a separate message for Jews. This first said:

"My message to the loathed Jews is that there is no god but Allah, we will chase you everywhere! We are a nation that drinks blood, and we know that there is no blood better than the blood of Jews. We will not leave you alone until we have quenched our thirst with your blood, and our children's thirst with your blood. We will not leave until you leave the Muslim countries."

The second terrorist said the following:

"In the name of Allah, we will destroy you, blow you up, take revenge against you, [and] purify the land of you, pigs that have defiled our country... This operation is revenge against the sons of monkeys and pigs."

Russia reacted by inviting Hamas to Moscow, which was fully supported by France:

De Villepin added that France considered Hamas to be a terrorist organization, but that the international community should "take into account the democratic option taken by the Palestinian people and try to accept as soon as possible the logic of peaceful dialogue with Hamas." France is the only country that has supported Putin's invitation to Hamas. Putin justified the invitation on the grounds that Russian has never considered Hamas to be a terrorist group, unlike its other three partners mediating in the Middle East crisis, the US, the UN, and the EU.

Ok, in spite of everything Hamas has ever said, since they were democratically elected by an overwhelming majority and extremist terrorists are a "tiny minority", it is assumed that we can obtain a "peaceful dialogue with Hamas".

De Villepin is right that we should "take into account the democratic option taken by the Palestinian people" in the sense that it negates the MSM theory that extremist Palestinians are a tiny minority.

Update: Hamas Wants Off the List

Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs adds:

You almost have to laugh.

Then you remember that this is a genocidal, fanatically Islamist terrorist organization openly dedicated to finishing the job the Nazis started, by any means possible.

I See Your Blogroll Is As Long As Mine

2006-02-17T11:15:00.000+11:00

Blogroll Update:

Blogger Potfry has been added to the Blogroll. The addition is due to Potfry's hillarious ask Cindy Column and the excellent coverage of Cheney's Hunting Trip.

There are so many excellent blogs yet to be added.

Blog Roundup

2006-02-16T14:32:00.000+11:00

*Left Wing internet site, IndyMedia accuses Jews of conspiring to control the Canadian government (Via IndyMediaWatch.)

*The Brussels Journal reports the Dutch are unhappy with EU ~~Foreign Policy Coordinator~~ Head Appeaser Jihad Javier Solana's recent appeasement efforts.

*The Jawa Report blogs on the British Imam who sometimes condemns terror and sometimes praises terror.

*Little Green Footballs sites a clear appeal to America’s appeasement bloc from Iranian government sponsored terrorists.

*Meryl Yourish on Iranian Anti-Semitism.

*Michelle Malkin blogs on Al-Gore's betrayal of America. More from Meryl and J. F. Beck.

ROTFLMAO!

2006-02-16T13:35:00.000+11:00

Blogger POTFRY publishes a Dear Cindy Column (Via The House of Wheels):

Dear Cindy:
I have been in a relationship with a man for two years, and I am in love with him. But, my question is when I say to him, "I love you—“ There is nothing -- just silence. What is the problem? What should I do? Am I just fooling myself?
The Silence Is Slowly Killing Me, Anchorage, Alaska

Dear Silence:
In order to understand the psyschology of your man, you need to first look at history.

The first American men landed here 200 years ago from Israel, and they were evil, filth-mongering neo-cons, with sharp knives and bad intentions. That’s why they killed the Indians, and the killing has gone on, pretty much 24/7, since then. The question you should be asking yourself is not whether you need the love of your American man, but is he worthy of you? You should find yourself a man who appreciates you, perhaps a Swede, who knows about commitment and love, and who hasn’t been influenced by the PNAC agenda.

Hilarious!

Update: New Dear Cindy letters published. Definitely worth a look.

Cindy Sheehan's New Advice Column, Part II. The Peace Mom answers your questions about life, love, and the Neo-Con agenda.

I have submitted the following letter:

Dear Cindy,
Both my sons were killed in the Iraq war, I have since lost my houses and I am now being prosecuted by the American and Iraqi military. What should I do?

Yours Sincerely,
Saddam Hussein.

I hope she responds.

Jihad Javier

2006-02-15T16:33:00.000+11:00

Pre-Emptive Strike reports on Javier Solana's visit to Saudi Arabia.

Javier Solana, visited the Secretary-General of the organization of the Islamic conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in Jeddah. It was a meeting between brothers in the spirit.

More on Jihad Javier Solana from the Spain Herald.

EU foreign-policy boss Javier Solana, a Spanish Socialist, is currently traveling through the Middle East apologizing for the European free press's publication of caricatures of Mohammed. He said yesterday that he saw "no problem" with Russia's invitation to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to negotiate in Moscow, or with France's support for Russian president Putin's initiative.

Solana has always made me want to vomit.

Little Green Footballs has more.

Letter From Germany

2006-02-15T15:58:00.000+11:00

I received a letter from someone in Germany!

I'm just writing to say thanks for your nice comment on my blog. i don'tthink you need to translate the articles with the google-translator, cause most of the news i'm trying to present, are well covered in the english-speaking media.you have a nice blog, too. i think i'm going to come around looking at it.

His blog is Pre-Emptive strike and is highly recommended. It is linked on the blogroll.

I tried to translate the blog with the Google Translation tool. Babblefish gives a list of free online language translation tools. Some of them may work a little better than Google.

Pre-Emptive Strike reports on the Cartoon-Jihad industry (great pics accompany this blog entry). Basically people have been trashing McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC "restaurants". In my opinion, this is excellent marketing for said fast food outlets. My deepest sympathy goes out to the people who are employed in those particular stores and depend on it for their livelihood as well as the owners of the franchise stores.

Iran Holocaust Cartoons

2006-02-15T12:39:00.000+11:00

Iran Holocaust Cartoons.

(Via The Jawa Report).

Quote of the Day

2006-02-15T11:50:00.000+11:00

"Freedom of speech is only important if you're gonna offend someone; if you're not gonna offend someone, you don't need free speech."

-------- Larry Flynt (Via Roger L. Simon)

People We Wish Would Go Hunting With Dick Cheney

2006-02-15T11:39:00.000+11:00

The Jawa Reports Guide to People we Wish Would go Hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney.

Che Guevara and Charlie Manson

2006-02-14T14:24:00.000+11:00

.................

Che Guervara (left) and Charlie Manson (right).

Abu Hamza and Charlie Manson

2006-02-14T13:02:00.000+11:00

......

Abu Hamza and Charlie Manson

I was watching a bbc documentary on convicted hate monger Abu Hamza. The first thing that came to my mind was the remarkble similarity between Abu Hamza and Charlie Manson.

Hamza was part of a plot to train Mujaheedan, a murder-cult, on a deserted cattle ranch in Oregan for the purpose of murdering jews and Americans.

Manson set up his hippie-murder-cult, known as The Manson Family on the Spahn Ranch in California. The Spahn Ranch was a deserted movie studio once used to film Westerns.

Both were murderous psychos. Both had devoted followers. Both cults involved brainwashing.

From The Archives

2006-02-13T11:56:00.000+11:00

A bit of Shakespeare

2006-02-13T11:39:00.000+11:00

Brevity is the soul of wit
and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes.

------- Polonius

Ahmadinejad: Israel 'will be removed'

2006-02-12T18:01:00.000+11:00

Ahmadinejad: Israel 'will be removed' (Via Drudge).

Too Smart To Be So Dumb

2006-02-12T16:00:00.000+11:00

This essay from The Weekly Standard is an oldie but a goodie.

Too Smart To Be So Dumb
The moral tyranny of IQ.
by Joel Engel

"THE RELEVANCE OF INTELLIGENCE" is a phrase from former journalist/political attack dog Sidney Blumenthal's just-published memoir of the Clinton administration, in which he writes that the ex-president was usually the smartest guy in the room, knowing more about any particular policy than the policy experts themselves.

Reading that phrase in a book review the other day reminded me (for reasons you'll soon understand) of a car accident my wife and daughter were lucky to walk away from three years ago. A 16-year-old driving a new Lincoln coupe hit them at 70 mph--twice the speed limit--after careening off a hillside. Later that night the kid's mother told me how shocked she was by the witness reports of his reckless driving. "But he got 1550 on his SAT," she cried.

"What do you do for a living?" I asked.

It was no surprise to hear that she's a college professor.

Like millions of intellectual elites and wannabes, this woman presumes an inherent connection between intelligence and goodness, and between intelligence and wisdom, as though there exists some objective domain of ethicality to which Mensa members are automatically admitted.

The presumption is of course wrong--demonstrably so--but it does begin to explain why so many academics and pundits and other affiliates of the intelligentsia ridicule George W. Bush's purported lack of gray matter. That he doesn't see the truths they consider self-evident means he must be stupid; and because he is, he can be neither good nor wise--as his policies confirm. In this tautology, the man's staircase ends three steps shy of the second floor.

.........

Carter and Clinton saw so many sides of every issue that what appeared to their eyes was not a unified image but a view at the sub-atomic level--a pixilated version of the big picture that registers trees instead of forest. But was it helpful? Their considerable intellects persuaded them then, and persuade them still, of their own righteousness; just as Bush's stupidity ipso facto makes him wrong, their intelligence makes them always right. "When I was in office," Clinton declared before the war, "inspections [in Iraq] worked." Carter, meanwhile, continues to write essays indicating he has no idea that North Korea began breaking its pledge to him the moment his plane took off.

Read it all.

Muslim Public Affairs Committee

2006-02-10T19:07:00.000+11:00

The Muslim Public Affairs Committee or the Nazi Party. Spot the difference.

(Via Harry's Place).

Update: IndyMediaWatch has more.

WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH 1000 ARAB TERRORISTS THAN WITH A SINGLE JEW

2006-02-10T17:04:00.000+11:00

"WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH 1000 ARAB TERRORISTS THAN WITH A SINGLE JEW"

This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a business in Philadelphia. Most would be outraged at the thought of such an inflammatory statement. One would think that anti-hate groups from all across the country would be marching on this business and that the National Guard might have to be called to keep the angry crowds back. But, perhaps in these stressful times one might be tempted to let the proprietors simply make their statement. We are a society who holds Freedom of Speech as perhaps our greatest liberty. And, after all, it is just a sign.

You may be asking what business would dare post such a sign?

Goldberg's Funeral Home.

Cartoons from the arab press

2006-02-10T16:41:00.000+11:00

New Boss for Nine Network

2006-02-10T11:07:00.000+11:00

Eddie McGuire has been appointed the new boss for the Nine Network.

I was hoping for Fatty or Sterlo.

Congrats Eddie.

Aussie of the day

2006-02-10T08:38:00.000+11:00

This letter, published in The Australian, is for all those Kos kidz and their left wing buddies who think Muslims can't handle democracy.

BEING an Aussie Muslim, I was taken aback by Leon Hadar's opinion piece ("Democracy not an export item", 9/2), which openly stated that the Muslim Middle East was not fit for such an ideal. Hadar has the right to express his view, however, the basic premise expressed was so insulting that it demands a response. While Hadar did not say so explicitly, his article clearly left the reader to infer that the West should continue the policy it has followed for the past 70 years, namely, support repressive dictatorships that are helpful to it. This policy is clearly a failure and has resulted in gross corruption where an elite few treat the national treasuries as their personal bank accounts. It is also the cause of increasing radicalisation as the result of suppressing dissent. I'd like to ask how Hadar intends the people of the region to react to this oppression? As Abraham Lincoln said: "Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."
Mohammed A
Gladesville, NSW

Update: 6:00 pm. Check out the "Bring Sadam Back" sign the protest warrior is holding. You've gotta love protest warrior. For the whole story see this post at The House of Wheels.

Iran makes fun of the Holocaust

2006-02-09T14:26:00.000+11:00

The whole Iran making fun of and denying the Holocaust fiasoc reminds me of a comment I read on a blog a few months ago (I have been unable to locate this comment to link to it). The commentors jist was that "Hitler was the biggest idiot in history".

What were said commentors reasons for this thought?
(a) He was disgusted by the slaughter of millions of Jews, Roma (Gypsies), Serbs etc..
(b) He thought Hitler's moustache was very silly.
(c) He believed it was the memory of the Holocaust that was stopping Europeans from deporting Muslims.
(d) None of the above.

If you guessed (c) you would be correct. Basically, the Iranian Mullahs believe that offending a few jews is worth sacrificing the civil rights of Muslims in Europe. To the Mad Mullahs I say "careful what you wish for...".

Carlsberg, Goldberg, its all the same to me.

2006-02-09T14:15:00.000+11:00

A Yobbo's view reports on Iran's decision to run a Holocaust Desecrating Cartoon competition.

Commentor Celtic Pride suggests:

It is great that the Iranians have worked out the real target and instigator?
It is always the Jews.
They can appropriate their ideas from stormfront now.

Carlsberg, Goldberg, you're all the same to me.

From Hizbullah with love

2006-02-09T13:37:00.000+11:00

"If any Muslim had carried out the fatwa of Imam Khomeini against the apostate Salman Rushdie, those despicable people would not have dared to insult the Prophet Muhammad - not in Denmark, not in Norway, and not in France."

-------- Hassan Nasrallah On Al-Manar TV

"For example, a few years ago, a great French philosopher, Roger Garaudy, wrote a scientific book. He did not offend, curse, or insult anyone. He wrote a scientific research of an academic nature, in which he discussed the alleged Jewish Holocaust in Germany. He proved that this Holocaust is a myth."

-------- Hassan Nasrallah On Al-Jazeera TV

Via MEMRI

Religous Art II

2006-02-09T12:40:00.000+11:00

The Sistine Chapel.

More on the Sistine Chapel from the Vatican Museum.

Religious Art: A Jewish Perspective

2006-02-09T12:31:00.000+11:00

'The point is that those who have been Divinely gifted in art, whether sculpture or painting and the like, have the privilege of being able to convert an inanimate thing, such as a brush, paint and canvas, or wood and stone, etc, into living form. In a deeper sense it is the ability to transform to a certain extent the material into spiritual, even where the creation is in still life, and certainly where the artisitic work has to do with living creatures and humans. How much more so if the art medium is used to advance ideas, especially reflecting Torah and mitzvohs, which would raise the artisitic skill to its highest level.'

--------- The Lubavitcher Rebbe, RABBI SCHNEERSON

ps. I'm not Lubavitch or very religious, but I just think this is a nice quote, especially with all the discussion on religious art.

From Hamas with love

2006-02-09T12:12:00.000+11:00

The Nation of Islam Will Sit at the Throne of the World and the West Will Be Full of Remorse – When it's Too Late.

----- Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al at a Damascus Mosque

Queenslander of the day

2006-02-09T10:35:00.000+11:00

This letter appeared on the Australian letters page. I've noticed a pattern, that Queenslanders are often alot more anti-idiotarian than the rest of us Aussies.

INTERESTING to witness the Australian media agonising over the publication of a few ink-and-paper caricatures for fear of upsetting Muslim sensibilities. Too bad al-Jazeera doesn't take the same approach when giving voice and respectability to the often highly offensive utterances and occasionally barbaric actions of Islamic fundamentalists. Talk about a clash of worlds.
Bill G
Indooroopilly, Qld

Tim Blair notes that "We’ve now got two senior Laborites, both from Queensland, who support publication."

Personally, I'm not fond of stereotyping people based on religion, which is what I believe these cartoons do. My target here is the hypocrisy of the arab press, who are constantly displaying hatred and racism towards Jews, Christians, Americans, Israelis, Danes etc..

Quote of the day

2006-02-09T10:23:00.000+11:00

You can't damage the reputation of a guy whose name instantly gets associated with Gitmo any further.

----- The House of Wheels

Blog Roundup

2006-02-08T18:29:00.000+11:00

The House of Wheels discusses what is probably the worst movie ever. It stars actor Gary Busey, file under the "where is he now" department.

Tim Blair informs us that popular Islamist orator Abu Hamza al-Masri has been convicted of fomenting racial hatred.

The Jawa Report reports on the favourite French past time of collaboration.

Rational Minded gives a good argument as to why the First Home Buyers Grant is a stupid idea. His site has recently been renovated and is looking great.

Quentin George asks us why we need to think, when G-d can do it for us.

Michelle Malkin talks about the murder of Father Santoro (RIP).

Father Andrea Santoro, Requiescat In Pace

Little Green Footballs laments the courage of Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

J. F. Beck finds out a great place where one can meet chicks.

The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler exposes Kofi Anan's love affair with terrorists.

A Bit of Yiddish

2006-02-08T17:14:00.000+11:00

The shlemiel is the pants presser who always drops the iron off the ironing board. The shlimazl is the shmo on whose foot the iron always falls. And the kibitser is the one who says "I told you so".

A nebech is the one in a group you always forget to introduce.

Random Thought

2006-02-08T17:12:00.000+11:00

I'd join you in a drink but I don't think we'd both fit.

The AWB Scandal

2006-02-08T17:05:00.000+11:00

As far as I'm concerned the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) scandal doesn't bother me one little bit. If the AWB hadn't paid those bribes, the business would have gone to the next highest bidder, most likely the Americans. Furthermore, those payments brought dollars into the Australian economy. I think Labor (sic) is barking up the wrong tree by pursuing the issue. Perhaps it is best left as a discussion for university ethics professors. But that's just my opinion, and this is my blog.

Stalins Ape Men

2006-02-08T11:33:00.000+11:00

Stalin's half-man, half-ape super-warriors (Via Quentin George)

THE Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ordered the creation of Planet of the Apes-style warriors by crossing humans with apes, according to recently uncovered secret documents.

Blaming the Jews III

2006-02-08T11:29:00.000+11:00

And who could forget the old favourite of the Arab press, blaming the jews for the World Trade Centre attacks on September 11th, 2001.

Blaming the Jews II

2006-02-08T11:16:00.000+11:00

Not satisfied with blaming the jews for the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, the Arab press blames the jews for pushing the US to the brink of war.

Al-Watan, April 17, 2003 (Qatar)The Jew is representing "the big Israel", which pushes the US towards "Syria".

Al-Watan, April 6, 2003 (Qatar)
Secretary of State Colin Powell, a puppet of the Jew, is pointing at “Syria” and “Iran.”

Blaming the Jews

2006-02-08T10:50:00.000+11:00

The ADL draws our attention to a number of editorial cartoons in the Arab Press Blaming the Jews for the assassination of anti-Syrian Lebanese PM Rafik al-Hariri.

In the wake of the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, some editorial cartoons and articles in the Arab press have suggested that Jews and Israel were responsible for the killing. They offer up hateful, stereotypical portrayals of Jews as scheming and plotting to destabilize Lebanon, while hiding the "evidence" of their involvement in the death of al-Hariri.

Ar-Ray, February 24 2005 (Jordan)."Investigation committees concerning the assassination of al-Hariri"

An editorial published in a Saudi Arabian newspaper states:

"… Yet we must not ignore the Jews, for they are the peak of treachery and the peak of dissention sowing between full brothers …" Salih al-Harithi (Readers' comments,) "Why, Are Not the Jews the Ones Who Did it? – Very Possible", ar-Riyad (Saudi Arabia), February 19, 2005

Al-Watan, February 25 2005 (Oman).On the coffin: "Al-Hariri"; on the right "The beneficiaries", and on the left "The losers - France, Lebanon and Syria".

Those Scheming Jews and Their Time Machine

2006-02-08T10:33:00.000+11:00

The Ayatollah Khamenei has attributed the Muhammed Cartoons to a Zionist Plot (Via The English Guy).

"The west condemns any denial of the Jewish Holocaust, but it permits the insult of Islamic sanctities," Ayatollah Khamenei said. The caricatures amounted to a "conspiracy by Zionists who were angry because of the victory of Hamas," he said.

A bestselling Iranian newspaper, Hamshari, announced it was retaliating by holding a competition to find the best images satirising the Holocaust. The move mirrors the exercise of the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, whose publication of 12 images of Muhammad in September sparked the row.

Let's see, Jyllands-Posten published the cartoons about three months ago, the Palestinian elections were about three weeks ago. Those scheming jews must have built a time machine just to cover their tracks. I knew they were up to something.

It seems whenever there is a problem in the Islamic world, the blame falls on the Jews. I'm not sure whether this is a compliment or an insult.

Little Green Footballs has more on this.

Bush phones Denmark's PM to show support

2006-02-08T10:13:00.000+11:00

Bush phones Denmark's PM to show support

US President George Bush phoned Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday, in a display of solidarity between the two countries.

It followed attacks on several Danish embassies by Muslims venting their anger over the publication of Mohammad caricatures.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "The two leaders are in agreement that all sides concerned need to choose a path of dialogue and understanding, thereby rejecting violence."

Zahra Kazemi

2006-02-07T17:10:00.000+11:00

Zahra Kazemi

Iran to publish Holocaust cartoons

2006-02-07T16:49:00.000+11:00

Blogger Oblogatory Anecdotes notes that Iran is to publish Holocaust cartoons:

In the “do not offend we, but we may offend thee department”, Iran’s largest newspaper announced today it will hold a contest for artists to submit “Holocaust” cartoons. These will be any cartoons that depict the Holocaust as a myth. This is supposedly in response to the Danish cartoons that break Islamic law by depicting the “prophet” Muhammad. Apparently there is no prohibition in Islam to denigrate other religions.

The Australian has more:

IRAN'S largest selling newspaper announced today it was holding a contest on cartoons of the Holocaust in response to the publishing in European papers of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed."It will be an international cartoon contest about the Holocaust," said Farid Mortazavi, the graphics editor for Hamshahri newspaper - which is published by Teheran's conservative municipality.

He said the plan was to turn the tables on the assertion that newspapers can print offensive material in the name of freedom of expression.

Its funny to hear the leadership of Iran harp on about anything relating to "freedom of expression". After all isn't this the country where a Canadian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi (RIP), was raped and tortured to death. To bad she wasn't a holocaust denier, perhaps she would have met a different fete.

Update: Michelle Malkin has more.

Those Disgraceful Cartoons

2006-02-07T15:15:00.000+11:00

No, no, no, not those Danish cartoons, the other cartoons, you know the one's depicting jews as as global conspirators, corrupters of society and blood-suckers. The one's that appear in the arab press daily.

Al-Ahram, March 24, 2004 In Arabic: "No comments". Note the stars of David all over the snake's skin.

Ad-Dustur, March 13, 2004 Bush is holding a box on which is written: "Support me, or if not - you will lose me". The Jewish lobby is saying to Bush: "Don't tell me what you gave to Israel. Tell me what else can you give". The man representing the Jewish lobby is holding behind his back a long list of "new demands".

Akhbar al-Khalij, March 19, 2004 The cartoon's headline: "The American Elections".

Al-Ittihad, August 25, 2005
The Jew, the American and another man (maybe Iranian) are sitting around a table eating chicken on which is written "Iraq". The American is saying to the man representing "Turkey": "Who invited you?"

Akhbar al-Khalij, January 29, 2006 (Bahrain) As the Islamic world reacted with anger to caricatures of Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, this cartoon claimed the controversy was a result of “The Penetration of Zionism to Denmark.” The cheese, shaped like a Star of David, is labeled “Danish products.” The text on the far left reads, “Boycott it!”

The Anti-Defamation League has released the following statement regarding the Danish Cartoon Controversy.

ADL is opposed to religious, racial and ethnic stereotyping in the media. We found some of the cartoons in Jyllands-Posten troubling, particularly the direct linkage of Mohammad and violence.

[...]

What has been overlooked in the controversy is the fact that despicable anti-Jewish caricatures appear daily in newspapers across the Arab and Muslim world. While invoking the supposed "freedom of the press" in their countries, Arab and Muslim leaders have refused to take any action to stem the drumbeat of anti-Semitism in widely circulated newspapers, many state-sponsored. Indeed, leaders of regimes such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia have virtually ignored appeals from the United States and Jewish organizations to put an end to incitement in their media, excusing it in the name of "freedom of the press." One would hope that leaders of Arab and Muslim countries would turn all of the anger being aimed at the European press into a larger lesson for their own people about the power of images.

The Brussels Journal has excellent coverage of this story.

Orwell and Chomsky

2006-02-07T13:45:00.000+11:00

One Man's Big Brother is Another Man's Socialist.

Cartoon Wars

2006-02-07T13:43:00.000+11:00

We Should Never Forget This: Rescue of The Danish Jews

Denmark was the only occupied country that actively resisted the Nazi regime's attempts to deport its Jewish citizens. On September 28, 1943, Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German diplomat, secretly informed the Danish resistance that the Nazis were planning to deport the Danish Jews. The Danes responded quickly, organizing a nationwide effort to smuggle the Jews by sea to neutral Sweden.

[...]

The Danish rescue effort was unique because it was nationwide. It was not completely successful, however. Almost 500 Danish Jews were deported to the Theresienstadt (Terezin) ghetto in Czechoslovakia. Yet even of these Jews, all but 51 survived the Holocaust, largely because Danish officials pressured the Germans with their concerns for the well-being of those who had been deported. The Danes proved that widespread support for Jews and resistance to Nazi policies could save lives.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T11:41:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you have an enjoyable Christmas holiday and don't get to drunk.

Just Do It blogs about Christmas traffic between Toronto and Ottawa.

I have had two weeks of Christmas carols and fantasies of drinking hot tea, knitting by the fireside, and of going to the fir-lined snowy slopes. This was all the "pep talk" I needed to brave the traffic, the sleet, the winter road condition, and the other drivers, and that guy who always has to tailgate (in Canadian winter?! nuff said).

My Christmas spirit could not be dampened. I even started singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with my parents in the car.

I think I will have a fantastic Christmas break indeed. For now, lets hope the mall has good enough offerings for it to be worth the Desperado-shopping traffic!

Its a beautiful day in Sydney today, as it always is on Christmas day.

Just wondering, since its PC to say Holiday instead of Christmas, is Christmas Holiday half PC?

Bombing Iran.... with western television

2005-12-23T15:35:00.000+11:00

The Simon Wiesenthal Center "bombs" Iran with Holocaust documentary.

To counter the controversial statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in which he discredits the Nazi Holocaust as a “myth” fabricated to justify the State of Israel, National Iranian Television, the Los Angeles-based expatriate network will be broadcasting Genocide, the 1980 film by the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Moriah Films.

We should give credit not only to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, but also to the brave Iranian expatriates who run National Iranian Television.

They were thinking of broadcasting Kenny G into Iran, but decided that would amount to cruel and unusual punishment.

Some Talmudic Wisdom

2005-12-23T11:00:00.000+11:00

G-d did not create woman from man's head
that he should command her.

nor from his feet
that she should be his slave,

but rather from his side
that she should
be near his heart.

---- The Talmud

Some of My Best Friends Are Anti-Semites

2005-12-23T09:25:00.000+11:00

Damian Penny notes an interview in the New York Sun with Hisham Abd al-Rauf, the foreign editor of Egypt's largest-circulation afternoon paper. A translation of Hisham's column "Israel Lies" is provided by MEMRI.

Hisham Abd al-Rauf claims:

the Holocaust never happened, that the Romans did not destroy the Second Temple in Jerusalem because it was never built, and that Jews ordered President Bush to unseat Saddam Hussein.

Jews secretly control the governments of Britain, France, and America;

In 1993, he met many more Jews, whom he claims to genuinely like.

Where have we heard that before? Ah, Margo Kingston claims:

"the fundamentalist Zionist lobby controls politics and the media in the US and Australia"

She responds to criticism of this remark:

"I am not anti-semitic, and I thought what I wrote was a statement of fact."

The theme continues with David Duke, former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, while on a solidarity trip to Syria:

"It is not just the West Bank of Palestine, it is not just the Golan Heights that are occupied by the Zionists, but Washington D.C., and New York, and London, and many other capitals in the world."

He also says:

"I don't consider myself antisemitic."

Note to self: remember to deposit covert funds from Paul Wolfowitz into bank and fix the weather machine.

Blog Roundup

2005-12-23T09:08:00.000+11:00

*SuperBlogger Tim Blair talks about mamma moonbat. WARNING: May contain irony.

*House of Wheels: Kofi's outraged. The post concludes with a well spotted fact.

*Rational Minded discusses Time magazines persons of the year. He notes that Bill Gates "has given more to charity than any other human being in history, and he has done so because of the fact that he is the most successful capitalist in history."

*Cox and Forkum publish an editorial cartoon of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I thought it was a photograph, but alas I'm told its actually a drawing.

Torturer Tortured

2005-12-22T11:24:00.000+11:00

"I was tortured", Saddam Whimpers in Court.

Penguin Update

2005-12-22T08:00:00.000+11:00

£5,000 reward for missing baby penguin

A zoo on the Isle of Wight is offering a £5,000 reward for the safe return of a baby jackass penguin that was stolen on Saturday and is unlikely to survive until Christmas Day unless it is returned.

Penguins are way cool. I wonder if the person who took it knows what they're doing?

Could this be the world's most efficient motor?

2005-12-22T07:37:00.000+11:00

The axial flux electric motor developed here in Australia by Byron Kennedy and Dean Patterson at Northern Territory University (NTU) could well be the world's most fuel efficient motor.

The motor contains no moving parts (except electrons) and was originally developed for the NTU entry into the World Solar Challenge.

Byron Kennedy heads up In Motion Technologies for the commercialisation of energy-efficient technology.

Oh no, the C word, not the one you're thinking of, that other C word, Commercialisation.

Byron and his team should think about entering the Space Elevator Games.

Disappointment of the Day

2005-12-22T07:14:00.000+11:00

Austalian Teacher Kidnapped in Gaza

AN Australian teacher and a Dutch colleague were kidnapped then released unharmed in the Gaza Strip overnight, the latest in a line of abductions of foreigners in the troubled Palestinian territory.

"They were surprised when they found who we are. They were looking I think, they were aiming for Americans, so they were disappointed," he said. [Emphasis - Ed].

Its always disappointing when you kidnap someone and it turns out they're not American.