Benjamin Netanyahu To Be Indicted

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to be indicted on corruption charges, pending hearing.

In 'Plane' Sight

Iranians Furious After Finding Jewish Symbol Hidden In Plain View

Mock Mood Ahma-diner-jacket... er, Ahmadinejad and his antisemitic cronies are fuming with anger after discovering the Star of David on the roof of Iran Air headquarters at Tehran's airport. The building was originally built by Israeli engineers prior to the the Islamic Revolution. [Source - Gizmodo]

Nobody noticed the Jewish symbol until someone found it in Google Maps. The building—which hosts their national airline at the Mehrabad International Airport—was built by Israeli engineers before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The star has been hidden in plain sight for more than four decades now.

It won't stay there for much longer. According to The Jerusalem Post, Iranian government officials have already ordered its destruction. [Google Maps via Jerusalem Post]

My Dear Persian friends - you should be a TAD more worried about how the entire world is ganging up on you to knock your genitalia into the dirt. The drum beat and justification for the US or the Jews to 'wipe you off the map' is getting louder and stronger.

Sunday Comics: Week in Review

Somehow we made it through Thanksgiving. It wasn't easy. There were TSA agents greeting weary travelers... when they bothered to turn the scanners on. It's fairly easy to claim victory over opt-outers when you don't bother to follow your own rules.

We covered this a lot, but, well, it might be one of our last stands for the 4th Amendment.
There have been reports of a tad bit of a double standard going on. Apparently women in Burkas are exempt from screening. And mom always has good advice when it comes to your underwear.
Meantime, 9 years later, a conviction for something that happened before 9-11. And even as justice was finally being doled out - the media missed a couple points about the perp.
And here's a gem of a cartoon explaining why, today, there isn't peace in the Middle East. One of ten thousand reasons...
The Irish are now officially broke.
And speaking of broke, now we have a new poverty index - the Potter Index.
Between that and slaughtered turkeys and 20% off television sets that people camped out in freezing temperatures and slaughtered their neighbors for... not a terrible week. Hope to have the electricity to see you next week.

Would-Be Terrorist's Bully Pulpet

"Brace yourselves, because the war with Muslims has just begun," 31-year-old Faisal Shahzad told a federal judge. "Consider me the first droplet of the blood that will follow."

"We are only Muslims trying to defend our religion, people, homes and land, but if you call us terrorists, then we are proud terrorists and we will keep on terrorizing you until you leave our lands and people at peace."

U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum said,"You appear to be someone who was capable of education and I do hope you will spend some of the time in prison thinking carefully about whether the Quran wants you to kill lots of people."

Shahzad responded that the "Quran gives us the right to defend. And that's all I'm doing."

The judge cut him off at one point to ask if he had sworn allegiance to the U.S. when he became a citizen last year.

"I did swear, but I did not mean it," Shahzad said.

In his address to the court, he said Osama bin Laden "will be known as no less than Saladin of the 21st-century crusade" — a reference to the Muslim hero of the Crusades. He also said: "If I'm given 1,000 lives, I will sacrifice them all."

Shahzad smirked when the judge imposed the life sentence. Asked if he had any final words, he said, "I'm happy with the deal that God has given me."

Massive Arms Deal

60 Billion dollars in arms. It's going to be sold as a 'jobs' bill. Just you wait for it.

It'll give Iranian Mockmood Ahm-a-dina-job more right to keep his nuclear package.

It further destabilizes the Middle East.

But, man, all those great American jobs in the Boeing Company? You just can't put a price tag on that kind of political security, can you?

Sunday Comics: Week in Review

Ah what a week it's been if you've been paying attention.

The Blago circus opened the tent. I know most folks are thinking, hey, it's just Illinois. Wrong. This is National Politics, and the Chicago Machine that is running the country. This is how Obama Governs... and the current DNC. And since Blago has proven that he's a 'wild card', if he's going down, he'll gladly pull down the main poll and bring the tent down with him. This is going to be an awesome circus.
And now here are some useless numbers pulled out of some graphic designer's ass...
Look, a moped in space would require oxygen to complete the internal combustion - oh. Well, here's something else to ponder Mrs. PhotoShop - that number you spout out is one day and a half of USA's consumption. Other than the dead birds, it's a minor inconvenience. Speaking of...
Maybe Mr. Obama shouldn't have been so harsh about Katrina? Nah, helped him get elected. But let's keep an eye on how well that bites him in the ass in a couple years. And I hear Bobby Jindal's doing a heck of a job organizing clean up efforts. Heck, He even asked Obama To End Moratorium On Deepwater Drilling.‎
Is this the Grog and Hizzog that George Bush thought would begin the Armageddon? Nope, just another day in Gaza. But speaking of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...
Pretty much everyone knows that the North sunk the South's ship. Iran saber rattles some more. There are five open fronts on the 'War on Terror' and Israel is sinking 'peace floats'. Oh, and the world economy is in the crapper. It's like some little kid has been setting up dominoes...
Sigh.

Hey single ladies, Al Gore is available! Get your hands up...
Eric Holder can't read. At least, that's what I've been told about it.

The Sestak Offer continues to have ZERO traction. But at least he created a job finally.
I'm personally pissed that my State has cut library funding... so I'll just have to buy more books.

Oh, and everyone was supposed to have quit Facebook this week.
Great week everyone. Let's do it again next week.

Oh, and today was D-Day. Thank a WWII vet if you know one.

Israel Ready for War

Meanwhile...

Israel Primed For War On Iran - Netanyahu Deputy -- Reuters

HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Israel is primed for a war on Iran, a deputy to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, in a rare break with his government's reticence as world powers try to talk Tehran into curbing its nuclear plans.

By spearheading assaults on guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon and Palestinian territories, the Israeli air force had gained the techniques necessary for any future strikes on Iranian sites, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said.

Read more ....

Update #1: Deputy Israeli premier says country's air force is better prepared for a war with Iran -- AP
Update #2: Ya'alon: Israel capable of attacking Iran -- Ynet News

Sometimes you get what you wish for .... this is something that no one should have wished for. Unfortunately .... both Iran and Israel have been slowly gearing up for a major conflict against each other for some time, and Deputy the PM's comments on Israeli readiness should come as no surprise.

Old Jarhead's View of a Nuclear Iran

This was forwarded to me from a reader. Fascinating stuff, and spot on.

A Nuclear Iran

Below is my response to two articles sent to me by the Republican National Committee. Check out the articles forwarded to me below.

[The China / Russia / Iran connections Iran and the Elephant in the Room

The true nature of the threat is explained in this essay- The Unconsidered Enemy]

The articles are very interesting. I think the Reuters article is on target and the James Traub article is more intellectual and requires more thought to put it all in perspective. My thought is the Obama Administration keeps kicking the can down the road concerning a nuclear Iran while Russia, China and Iran plays the US like a fiddle. I don't agree that we have achieved any significant gains from Russia.

Here is my take on the seriousness of the current nuclear issue with Iran:

Neither China nor Russia will approve sanctions that will have any impact on Iran's nuclear program...sanctions will not work. Both China and Russia like to see the US tied down in the Middle East militarily and economically, while they develop their own high tech deployable military and further develop their economies. Considering our national debt and need for China to buy our treasury bonds, this Administration will not put much pressure on them. China is really in the drivers seat and will dictate their foreign policy objectives to the US, and sanctions are not in their interest.

I have a different perspective about Russia. Russia does not want Iran to develop nuclear weapons, but they very well may want Israel or perhaps the US to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. If this happens, the price of oil will sky rocket (maybe $400 a barrel) and Russia will benefit as an oil producing Nation. Iran has been trying to get Russia to provide their new surface to air missile technology, but they have resisted so far...there is a limit to their support. As indicated in the Reuters article, over a year ago Israel attacked facilities in Syria (potential nuclear facility being developed by North Korea) and was able to get in and out of Syria undetected. Iran has the same missile defense system and they know they are vulnerable.

I agree with the Reuters article that the reported additional nuclear facilities in Iran probably will not happen anytime soon, but you should never underestimate clandestine support and their ability to construct them.

Ahmadinejad often talks about the 13th Mahdi, and the Mahdi will return to earth when there is absolute chaos. When this occurs, infidels will be killed and Muslims will rule the world. A logical thinking person would find this to be an absurd concept, but we are dealing with a sociopath and religious cult who believes this can happen. I believe he thinks the only way to create total chaos is from nuclear weapons. This is why a nuclear Iran is so dangerous not only to Israel, but to the world. There are many ways they could employ nuclear weapons: man packed carried across borders; surface detonation via missiles, and electronic magnetic pulse (EMP) from atmospheric nuclear detonation. Iran recently launched a satellite into orbit with a missile so we now know they have the capability to strike the US, but I don't think this would be their option, as it would be detected. A man packed nuclear weapon is the easiest way to deploy nuclear weapons and it would be very difficult to determine if Iran provided such weapons to terrorists. The most devastating would be through EMP. This can be done with just a simple SCUD missile fired from a cargo ship off the coast of the US or any Nation. The ship would then be destroyed and it would be hard to determine who was responsible. Nuclear weapons exploded in the atmosphere would destroy all electronics...nothing would work. Electronic grids, cars, trucks, phones, hospital equipment would no longer work. Food could not be delivered, and those on medications and life saving equipment would perish very quickly. Perhaps only a small percentage of the population would survive. You don't hear much about EMP in the news, but it is for real and many other countries have this capability. Iran is the real threat though.

The issue is what is the Obama Administration doing about this potential devastating threat? Essentially, they are pursuing diplomatic efforts to obtain sanctions. They are playing nice with rogue countries and hoping this will all go away. I think Obama, Clinton and his extremist Czars are both naïve and stupid about foreign affairs and overall implications of having a nuclear Iran. Should Iran finally develop nuclear weapons, this will impact the balance of power in the Middle East and will likely result in nuclear proliferation by other Middle Eastern countries.

This Administration is trying to appease Israel by establishing deadlines for Iran to stop their nuclear program, but Iran just keeps marching on. Israel probably feels they have no choice but to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. This will be a very difficult task for them if they use conventional weapons and the Iranian nuclear facilities are deep underground. It would take a specific type of MOPP bomb to penetrate these sites, and it is unknown if the US ever gave them any. If so, it was done during the Bush Presidency. Israel just announced their new very large drone aircraft, which could provide many operational advantages. If Israel decides to bomb these facilities, then the US must give flight rights over Iraq, so we will have knowledge and will be blamed along with the Israelis. Since this is the case, the US should take out the surface to air missile sites and boats that will likely mine the Straits of Hormuz (this would impact the flow of oil out of the Middle East). I doubt we will provide such assistance as Obama's left wing base will raise hell. Should Israel attack Iran, there will be a global economic impact, but I believe that is preferable to a nuclear Iran. A conventional attack would probably only set the program back a few years, but that may allow enough time for a potential coup to occur as the Iranian people might overthrowing the existing government...that is a big if! Israel should also bomb their refineries as Iran is the 3rd largest importer in the world of gasoline. You can probably count on the Russians providing them gasoline, but it would not be sufficient to meet all needs. Such an attack could bring Iran to their knees.

The other and more devastating attack would be for Israel to conduct an EMP attack on Iran, but this is not likely as the world would demonize them. It would; however, send a strong message to the Nations sponsoring terrorism.

This is just a quick take on my perspective about the Iranian nuclear program and the Obama Administration's failed diplomatic approach. When it comes to foreign policy, I can't think of one thing they have accomplished. They are causing the US to lose National prestige.

Geoffrey B Higginbotham
Major General, USMC (Ret.)

Na'Vi's Want the West Bank

Demonstrators dressed up as Avatar's Ferngully People and protested on behalf of evicted Palestinians yesterday in the West Bank. Image via AP Photo/Dan Balilty.

Cute

But, this could be misconstrued as a viral Oscar campaign. Or Smurf Awareness Day.

Iranians Tested Peaceful Nuclear Warhead Detonator

Just read in The Washington Post; Western and U.N. nuclear officials are evaluating a secret Iranian technical document that appears to show the country's nuclear scientists testing a key component used in the detonation of a nuclear warhead, according to intelligence officials and weapons experts familiar with the document.

The document, if authenticated, could rank as one of the strongest pieces of evidence pointing to the Iranian effort to build nuclear weapons, said former intelligence officials and weapons experts. They were responding to a published report of alleged sophisticated research by Iran on one of the final stages in the construction of a nuclear device.

The leaked document published yesterday contained instructions from the head of Iran's research operation ordering scientists to carry out experiments using uranium-deuteride. The compound's only use is to detonate an atomic weapon.

But wait! Hold on! We elected Obama! His outreached hand and pleasant demeanor was supposed to eliminate the Iranian Nuclear Threat! Hey! No fair! And what about the National Iranian Assessment in 2007? You know, the one where the State Department said there wasn't an Iranian nuclear program - for sures? (I do)

I guess we'll have to let Nnetanyahu take care of it on his next turn?

Confirmed Kosher Nukes

It is official. The US Army has outed Israel. Israel is estimated to have 200 to 400 nuclear warheads.

After years of ignoring the Israeli nuclear program, the United States' Department of Defense has acknowledged Israel nuclear power status for the first time.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of its own nuclear arsenal, but page 37 of the US Joint Forces Command report recognizes the fact, putting it in the same group as Pakistan, India, China, North Korea, Russia, along with an "emerging Iran," Taiwan, and Japan having "the capability to develop nuclear weapons quickly."

According to "The Samson Option" report—an investigative article written by reporter Seymour Hersh—Israel may have 200 to 400 atomic warheads, ready to use as the last resort in case of a massive attack that may put in danger the existence of the country.

Why does this matter? I mean, we already knew, right? Well, first, because the subject has been dodged forever by the US government, including President Barack Obama, who recently ignored the question when asked by zombie White House correspondent Helen Thomas. Second, because to the Symington Amendment—which bans support to countries developing nuclear weapons—this may mean the end of US help to Israel. Well, it never stopped us from pouring billions into Pakistan and India, right?

Probably some poor schmuck at the DOD will get fired and the report will be corrected with a big black marker. Or, it's the Obama Administration's signal flare that we're getting out of the helping Israel business. Have a nice day!

Israeli Trama

A severely injured Israeli women who has been blown into a fugue state of being on her cellphone. The attendant has obviously suffered from the blast as well because he's carrying her away from the emergency vehicle and towards a row of people with cameras. What a sad state he's in. Tragic.