If you really, really try it’s possible to turn even a tragedy into a comedy. The Australian’s lead paragraph on the recent attacks in Mumbai is so breezily politically correct that it’s almost like a retro commercial.
An Adelaide woman in India for her wedding is lucky to be alive after teenage gunmen ran amok, shooting a man, just metres from the restaurant where she was holed up. Fashion designer Kloe Papazahariakis – in Mumbai to wed Bollywood star Puneet Vasishtha – was with a group of about 100 people trapped in a restaurant, metres from a hospital that was bombed during a wave of attacks across the city that have killed at least 82 people. Ms Papazahariakis was having dinner with friend when she got a phone call saying there had been a shooting at the popular restaurant Leopold’s.
So there you have it folks, watch out for teenage gunmen running amok the next time you visit India. Popular culture’s a great thing and educational too. I once asked my son to name four famous painters and he swiftly responded with “Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael.” And you know, he was right. All together now.
embedded by Embedded Video
YouTube Direkt
But on a more serious note, the Indian Prime Minister has blamed terrorists based in Pakistan, not “teenage gunmen” for the attacks. The BBC reports that Manmohan Singh:
has vowed to take “whatever measures are necessary” to track down those responsible for the Mumbai attacks. He said the perpetrators were based “outside the country” and India would not tolerate “neighbours” who provide a haven to militants targeting it. … India has complained in the past that attacks on its soil have been carried out by groups based in Pakistan, although relations between the two countries have improved in recent years and Pakistani leaders were swift to condemn the latest attacks.
The attackers are exploiting the fact that both India and the US need Pakistan’s cooperation to fight terrorism based within its borders. With Obama planning to send 20,000 more men to Afghanistan, Islamabad’s cooperation shipping military supplies through its ports is more important than ever. And because India is unlikely to seek war with Pakistan, New Delhi also needs Islamabad’s help in suppressing terrorists. In an article in Foreign Affairs, Obama outlined his Afghan/Pakistan policy:
I will join with our allies in insisting — not simply requesting — that Pakistan crack down on the Taliban, pursue Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants, and end its relationship with all terrorist groups. At the same time, I will encourage dialogue between Pakistan and India to work toward resolving their dispute over Kashmir and between Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their historic differences and develop the Pashtun border region. If Pakistan can look toward the east with greater confidence, it will be less likely to believe that its interests are best advanced through cooperation with the Taliban.
In other words, Obama had hoped India would mollify Pakistan by making concessions in the East so that Islamabad would agree to crack down on the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the West — even provide money to boost the economies of the NWFP. Now that the “teenage gunmen” have made Indian concessions to Pakistan politically impossible we can expect those overtures to be suspended, but they will resume the moment public anger subsides. Over time, this sort of policy will come to resemble that existing between Palestine and Israel, with India playing the role of Israel. Diplomats will keep hoping that if India makes enough concessions to Pakistan then the “moderates” will gain the upper hand, crack down on the “extremists” and conclude a grand diplomatic bargain. The absence of a viable alternative means that the diplomats will keep trying this formula, however often it fails, because they have nothing else up their sleeves. Those “teenage gunmen” have got New Delhi and Washington over a barrel and know it. The events in Mumbai are unlikely to change the situation in the region. On the contrary, they suggest that such attacks will become depressingly common, much as the rockets raining down on Israel have ceased to become news.
Update
Stratfor reaches as somewhat different assessment from the same premises. In its view India will be forced to act either plunging Pakistan into a crisis or forcing a domestic one upon New Delhi. It writes:
That, in turn, will plunge India and Pakistan into the worst crisis they have had since 2002. If the Pakistanis are understood to be responsible for the attack, then the Indians must hold them responsible, and that means they will have to take action in retaliation — otherwise, the Indian government’s domestic credibility will plunge. The shape of the crisis, then, will consist of demands that the Pakistanis take immediate steps to suppress Islamist radicals across the board, but particularly in Kashmir. New Delhi will demand that this action be immediate and public. This demand will come parallel to U.S. demands for the same actions, and threats by incoming U.S. President Barack Obama to force greater cooperation from Pakistan.
If that happens, Pakistan will find itself in a nutcracker. On the one side, the Indians will be threatening action — deliberately vague but menacing — along with the Americans. This will be even more intense if it turns out, as currently seems likely, that Americans and Europeans were being held hostage (or worse) in the two hotels that were attacked. If the attacks are traced to Pakistan, American demands will escalate well in advance of inauguration day.
There are two problems with this line of argument. The first is the Pakistani capability to do anything about Islamic terrorism within its borders and the second is Pakistani intent. Radical Islamism is a domestic political force in Pakistan. Expecting Islamabad to crack down on the LeT or the Taliban is like hoping the Democrats will crack down on Barney Frank or Bill Ayers. It’s politically hard to do and in the end, they may not be able to even if they wanted to. What’s most likely is that the Pakistanis will go through the motions and the “teenage gunmen” will lie low for a while, and they may not even do that — until next time. There will be a next time.
I just find myself wondering what we as adults are doing wrong that causes kids to think they need to do this in order to settle their differences. It makes you wonder how much these teens must be hurting inside in order to behave in this way. And it also makes me wonder why India doesn’t have sensible gun control laws.
Verily, the scars of colonialism and oppression and military occupation run deep.
I expect Evergreen College students to launch the Kashmiri Solidarity Movement. If India will end its occupation of Kashmir these teenagers will stop runing amok.
Third Jim checking in.
How does that song go?
She’ll tell ya bout the plane crash
witha gleam in ‘er eye…
The news is starting to be looked at like Average Boris does. They package it all sanitized and people just add in the truth.
Jim
Yup, that’s many of the ways that judgment is removed, gunman are counted as one of the killed, victims are not labeled as murdered, religion and color only mentioned when they are “Christian” and/or white, The bible I read says no where that a disciple of Christ was allowed to murder and still go to heaven (don’t confuse murder and kill) , come on folks, Murder is on the top ten list, the other part of this is forgiveness does not stop punishment, i.e. Hell is waiting for those that confess change but continue sin (their grace, forgiveness, etc stopped as soon as they sinned again), Wholly Sprit does not abide in corrupt temple, pure washed clean souls only have the gate code, Jesus went among the most posse and damned but they were never excepted until the demons where removed and they stopped their sin, not everyone Jesus healed went to heaven, yes a murderer can be saved, no a homosexual cannot until the very damned thoughts are gone and there is a difference between them and there is a difference between human forgiveness and judgment and Gods, the old and new testament teaches us what and how to judge and what to expect.
“We called him Tortoise because he taught us.” – the Mock Turtle
Happy Turkey Day to all turtles.
Regarding the barbarians of Mumbai, perhaps their punishment lies in the fact that they are barbarians? That however is God’s provenance. Humans also need to see justice done and for that reason we need to engage in the hard unromantic and most necessary work of seeing that actions have consequences.
The radical Moslems have shown themselves unable to play well with others and therefore need to be removed from the political playground. They are unique in their core inability to share power. On the international stage that means that they cannot be treated as equals in a community of sovereign nations. Domestically they have proven themselves sources of subversion and instability that eat at the very core values essential for maintaining a democratic polity. These would be true even if their culture produced greater creativity, wealth and compassion for those who joined it. As it happens it does not and instead leads to stagnation, poverty and brutality.
The hard question is can the “radical Islamists” be separated from the average Moslem? Is there a difference and if so how can we tell?
It could simply be that since they have several types of terrorists in India, the Australian was unsure at the time of whether the perps in question were Islamic, Hindu, or other. They’re not supposed to guess about these things.
Wait a minute, now … I thought it was all about Israel. Do you mean that Muzzies attacking Hindus in Mumbai and Bali isn’t because of the West Bank Occupation?
Do you mean that Muzzies attacking atheists in NW China isn’t about The Wall?
Do you mean that Muzzies attacking Orthodox in Moscow isn’t about Gaza?
Do you mean that Muzzies attacking Buddhists in Thailand isn’t about Jerusalem?
I don’t get it. What else could it be?
Teenage wasteland….,
Since were considering urban terror.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Teenage%20Wasteland
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYEdxnu-PLwQ&ei=LbEuSbnTMZmMsQPp8oX9CA&usg=AFQjCNEQWFNPFgmJ2eY8AFjOfa7L6LbeYQ&sig2=jrVJEa1PYf1yhuchSCw0KA
It always irritates me when people spell muzzies with a capital m.
The old TMNT was better- some of Cory Feldman’s best work. I’m surprised that when they redid the movie recently they didn’t make Shredder into a good guy and the turtles into bad guys- that’s the bizzaro world we live in now, isn’t it?
Could it be…?
Happy Thanksgiving to all at BC.
Conservative Teacher, that would be a “reimagined” TMNT, similar to the “reimagined” Battlestar Galactica. (Which I love, btw.)
On a serious note, may God bless and protect the people of India.
BarnOwl ? as in Buzzard ? If so, regards from Bluestem and Manuka.
A couple of experts on TV the other day said that the attacks were due to Pakistan’s success in attacking militants in the lawless border region. The terrorists are trying to force a confrontation between Pakistan and India that will draw military forces away from their safe areas.
In over 4 years in the Pentagon I learned the three little words that make the world go round: “Make it hurt.” Someone threatens to do something to you, then make the direct consequences of their actions something they can’t stand.
India should not mass troops on the border with Pakistan but instead announce it is joining the coalition in Afghanistan and would be sending 20,000 troops to fight Al Queda and the Taliban. Another attack like this recent one, make that 30,000 troops, and so on. Pakistan would then have to send more troops to the border region to keep an eye on the Indians and to save face. And the Taliban and Al Queda get it in the shorts both ways
Make It Hurt!
I read over on Rantburg that India has captured the ship the terrorists came in on. I guess everything hinges on what they find there.
RWE, yes make it hurt. If this be war then let us war. The enemy shows no compunction and so neither should we. Determine what they hold most dear and threaten to destroy it. Then, if necessary, destroy it.
I think RWE has it right: now’s the time for India to take a stand with the US against Islamist terrorists, and doing so in Afghanistan (with the potential for spilling into the tribal areas of Pakistan) threatens the status quo in Islamabad more than starting another war between India and Pakistan. I lived in southern India during one of the previous Indo-Pak wars, and found it rather hard to take seriously. Short of a nuclear exchange, any future Indo-Pak war just promises to be more farce. But if the Indian government declares war on the terrorists, without threatening the government of Pakistan, it forces Islamabad to take a public stand it has thus far avoided. A good move, with the potential for forcing the Pakistan to change its policy in a positive direction. Not to say they can’t screw that up, but it’s better than another border war, anyway. F
It is all up to the Pakistanis, the ball is in their court. The extremists have been a tool, but the extremists have murdered PM Butto, and are threatening the nation as well as the world with their terror tactics. Pakistan if it is to survive as a nation has to renounce and eradicate the extremists, if it can. The ISI and the Taliban generally have not been disposed to nor amenable to change. They prefer death along with their step child Al Qaeda. We should grant them their wish.
…if the Indian government declares war on the terrorists, without threatening the government of Pakistan, it forces Islamabad to take a public stand it has thus far avoided.
The idea has much to commend it. But I think central to this strategy would be a commitment to and from the Pakistani government to fight the extremists within. The new government should be given no choice in this matter but to comply–much as Musharraf was given no choice in the wake of 9/11.
Let Islamabad know we expect its full effort and cooperation in return for our continued financial and military support. In any event, make it clear that we are already allied with the Indian government; the Pakistani government can either get on board too or consign itself to irrelevance.
I expected a series of these sorts of attacks in the US after 9/11. The logical explanation is that AG John Ashcroft swept up the control network when he swept up thousands of “terror enablers” in the following days. Once they have contact with the FBI for more than a few hours it is kind of hard to trust them “operationally.”
Now that the Democrats are in charge (and may have to respond in a similar manner) the “Journalists” might entertain the possibility that while the way Ashcroft did it was wrong the idea was kinda right. After all, the Left is OK with preventive detention when they are doing the preventing and detaining. They will call it something else, of course.
If Ireland, the Middle East and the Balkans, to name but three, have anything to teach us, it’s that the last thing we need to see happening here is a “peace process”.
The Quran states and I do not have verse numbers for it. But the loose translation is. Allah will not let Mecca be destroyed. So basically I say we mine it with a 5 megaton by sideways drilling into it from the sea. Plant the bomb with seismic triggers and then send a polite note. Stop or we make Mecca sink into the boiling sand.
Jim
JF: Not sure why spend so much time and money to drill under Mecca — we can do the same thing from a distance with any number of delivery systems. The question is always deniability. Or do you suggest we not try for deniability? “This is Washington calling: clean up your act or your big black stone disappears at midnight.” Seems to me this is not the kind of policy our president-elect proposed in his campaign. I kinda doubt we’re gonna see that happen. F
So the vicious killers the Indian public have been most angry about over the past year now make it clear that what they fear most is the help India gets from the US and the UK.
The effect will be to cement India (the largest democracy on the planet) into its alliance with the West (a key Bush objective and success), against all likely opposition. This result is helpful to us in the long term, and not at all what the terrorists presumably wanted.
God forbid that we should one day encounter opponents who are actually, you know, smart.
Wretchard, with all due respect I don’t think you are thinking about how domestic Indian politics affect the situation. India is going to do what benefits Indian pols, not Obama, who is in any respect both:
WEAK.
And Pro-Pakistan and Pro-Muslim.
Obama visited Pakistan during one Summer while at Columbia, during his “hidden” years when no one not even student radicals knew him so perhaps he was at a Mosque then. It’s believed he MAY have been at a Madrassa during his visit to Pakistan. It certainly wasn’t for the girls and the beaches.
This pretty much guarantees India will react strongly. War is highly likely. Along with a huge dose of ethnic/religious cleansing.
In the latter, property can be seized and given to politicians’s supporters. That sort of thing is always popular. Indian pols simply won’t care if the NYT has a fit. Particularly since as Stratfor notes any other course leaves them open to populist alternatives seeking a vote of confidence and who could supplant them in power.
In the former, India can no longer support a series of endless attacks with impunity upon it’s major cities. Particularly since the economy is collapsing with a Global Recession and the attacks mean withdrawal of pretty much most Foreign Direct Investment.
India is not Israel, and the constraints on a tiny nation of less than 5 million (Israeli Jews) is not the same of the constraints on India, a nation of nearly a billion. India is quite capable of launching a conventional WAR against Pakistan, taking a big chunk of territory, kicking out all the Pakistanis, and giving the land to various backers. With a series of punitive raids to reduce Pakistan’s military capability, “daring” Pakistan to use it’s nukes.
It’s a better domestic political alternative to continued impotence and weakness demonstrated every year, as the economy collapses and formerly middle class people sink into poverty.
Obama? He’s objectively pro-Muslim, he’s said so, he faces HUGE distrust not only from Indian leaders but Indian people, so his family all being Muslim on his Father’s side, and his repeated praise and support for Islam, makes his influence on India pretty much nil. Since everyone in the Indian leadership expects him to be on Pakistan’s side anyway.
Bottom line: Obama means the US has little influence, Pakistan over-reached, India is likely to use lots of force back to make it’s case that India too can make life VERY unhappy for Pakistanis and assuage Indian nationalism as the Indian economy collapses.
Follow up –
This model, the “Big Knockover” ala Dashiell Hammett, where about 100 or so terrorists conduct themselves as assault teams and aim to hit as MANY soft targets (hospitals, schools, restaurants, movie theaters, malls, stadiums, police stations, etc.) probably scares the hell out of everyone.
Imagine this done to say, New York City. Hitting schools, cathedrals, subways, the Empire State Building, police stations, with the aim to simply overwhelm the police and military, perhaps targeting bridges and tunnels to prevent re-inforcements and maximize casualties.
Obama, should he wish to continue in office, cannot afford to respond to that with weak words or Clintonian impotent missile strikes. He will have to reach out and really, really hurt someone. With an unmistakable escalation. An escalation that intimidates, causes fear, and most importantly makes it impossible for Republicans to charge that Obama as a “stealth Muslim” is soft on terror and in sympathy with the Muslim Jihadis.
Given the inability of the conventional military to really hurt someone without lots of messy US casualties, this means nukes.
I don’t think Obama will nuke anyone. It is not in his character. I DO think this mode of attack, i.e. swarming terrorist assault teams, will happen in a major US city, Obama will be instinctively weak and pro-Muslim. Obama is not however seen as a “Texas Cowboy” but a stealth Muslim. He’s going to face serious impeachment threats and may well be removed over public anger at his reflexive Pro-Muslim statements that come out whenever Jihad rears it’s ugly head.
Deniability doesn’t matter in this case. These people believe that 9/11 was a jewish plot. They don’t believe that the pilot of flight 990 deliberately crashed that airplane. If the Iranians nuked Mecca we would still get the blame!
I think what the situation calls for is a little Les Grossman. Fast forward to 3:48.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-EtU9ojZe95M/les_grossman_from_tropic_thunder/
I detest Obama and about 99% of his party, but he might have been right when he mentioned invading Paw-kee-stahn, or however the hell he pronounces it.
Contrary to what most think here, I think he would have to overreact to any terror attack on American soil or interests overseas. Hilary would have had to do that too, just to counteract the “Dems as weak-tits” meme that they have so rightfully been stuck with over the years.
And can we quit with the grandiose dreaming up of schemes to somehow make Mecca disappear by stealth? Just nuke it and be done with, preferably during hajj. As with all muslim attacks on the west, everybody would know who was guilty of it anyway.
whiskey –
One thing we do know is that we don’t know.
Another thing we do know is that when things turn out to be different from what we had imagined, we look at the facts and change our point of view. This is why we are not (il)Liberals.
So, yes, the “Big Knockover” might happen. Or, it might not.
And, if Obama should fail in handling it, that might not be the end of the world either.
And, if perchance it is, at least you and I won’t be here to argue about it
My serious point is: America is bigger than Obama. It has always been and will always be bigger than one or a few individuals. That’s one of the many things to love about it.
So, here’s wishing you and all BC’ers a very happy Thanksgiving. God Bless America.
I wonder what would happen if India rounded up its Muslims, marched them to the various borders they are closest to, and said, “Get out — we don’t care where you go, but you’re not allowed to live in India any more.”
Pakistan’s terrorists have been using India’s internal Muslims to hide among as they’ve gone about their depradations against India for years now, so if the internal Muslims were removed, wouldn’t it make it easier to spot teenaged bad guys in speedboats carrying AK-47′s?
BTW, how do you go about walking down a crowded Indian street carrying bandoliers of extra bullets and machine guns and manage to make it to your targeted American / Jewish / Australian end goal without anyone notifying the cops beforehand that something odd is going on?)
And if India could successfully throw out all its troule-making Muslims in self-defense how long would it take before America, Canada, Australia, France, England and Germany did the same thing?
NahnCee
India did throw out its Muslims. Those places are called Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The effect will be to cement India (the largest democracy on the planet) into its alliance with the West (a key Bush objective and success), against all likely opposition. This result is helpful to us in the long term, and not at all what the terrorists presumably wanted.
Nomenklatura, the effect of this and similar attacks will be an even greater loss to terrorist/extremist ends (and so logically confer a benefit to the rest of us) if the Pakistani government can be drawn into alliance as well. This may be as easily done as said if the words of a Pakistani Ambassador just related on Fox are indicative. Says he: Instead of (merely) blaming a neighboring country which is itself a victim of terrorists, India should work to form an alliance with Pakistan to defeat them.
Maybe America could sign on too.
so here I am watching streaming video of the slaughter in Mumbai. I live way out of the way with the hicks.
And there is an interview with a “Foreigner” in one of the hotels. He talks about how lonely he feels, because the hotel telephone system has broken down. He is alone in his room. He is advised to lock his door and hunker down.
After than, it is reported that the ‘teen gunmen’ are watching TV (just like me!). And THEN the anchor asks another police guy, what about that foreigner HIDING IN ROOM 527?
Not that I have read too many thrillers. But.
Do not expect much to come of this and you will not be disappointed.
the trouble with attacking Pakistan is that it would be like attacking a huge bowl of jello.
Aside from a few local government entities, it has no internal structure one could destroy. The so called “government of Pakistan” is a source of wealth for a very few families. They do not have any real power over the tribes in Waziristan or Baluchistan or whatever.
However, I am sure that India may be unhappy enough to do some terrible things. One of the ‘teen gunmen’ they have identified has a muslim name. They are now focussing on that group called Lashki whatever. The boat that brought some of the ‘teen gunman’ has a headless body on it….
This just keeps going on. The TV coverage is quite good. This is what CNN etc does well.
It is on streaming video:
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/video_streaming.php
Also, the teen gunmen give their society name, Decca MUJAHADEEN…
Chat about they are coming across the ‘border’.
What It Would Take to Kill New York — A Simple Scenario from March, 2004
http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/terrorwar/what_it_would_t_2.php
re #33 Peter Boston,
A few years after muslim attacks on Hindu religious festival trains I asked several external associate friends (Hindus) about muslims in India. They explained that there are muslim enclaves in most of the cities and that they tend to be very slummy, inwards facing and unfriendly. One of my friends had an injury to his right eye, I learned then that this had come from rock-throwing muslims during his grade school days.
Great advantages in these “seed plots”, shelter, intelligence, resources and even a “reason to travel”.
We also have these here in the USA, some at large urban centers but others located at secluded and rural places. Any guesses what purpose those might serve?
“An Adelaide woman in India for her wedding is lucky to be alive after teenage gunmen ran amok…” Lex Hall, The Australian
“So there you have it folks, watch out for teenage gunmen running amok the next time you visit India…” –Wretchard
Generally, you have to shine sunlight on this ink stained wretch who glosses over heinous terror acts such, as Lex Hall of The Australian, to modify his poor reporting habits.
You would generally want to know his background, his boss, and his location or contact address. With the internet and google it is fairly simple. Just google his name. Here are the results:
[Linkedin.com]
Lex Hall
Reporter at The Australian/News Limited
Sydney Area, Australia
Current:
Reporter at News Limited – The Australian
Lex Hall’s Education
Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis
MA, French Literature, 2001 — 2004
University of New South Wales
1996 — 2000
Go to Linkedin.com and you will find him.
See: Lex Hall’s bio in LinkEdin dot com
His boss can be found under the Staff link at The Australian:
Mostly likely Lex’s boss is Andrew Fraser Queensland bureau Chief.
“Our Staff”
Andrew Fraser
Queensland bureau Chief
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/ourstaff
[Click the link and you get his bio and his telephone number and email address]
[bio and picture]
Fraser was appointed Queensland bureau chief in early 2007. He joined The Australian in 2000, and since then has been a finance and general reporter as well as Queensland political correspondent. He has also worked as a journalist in the Canberra press gallery and as senior adviser to the deputy premier of Queensland. He is a generalist, and is particularly interested in stories where elements such as politics, business, arts and sport overlap. The Queensland bureau also looks over the border to northern NSW.
Phone 07 3*** 74**.
frasera at theaustralian dot com dot au
[Wrechard notes]
“Now that the “teenage gunmen” have made Indian concessions to Pakistan politically impossible we can expect those overtures to be suspended, but they will resume the moment public anger subsides… Those “teenage gunmen” have got New Delhi and Washington over a barrel and know it. The events in Mumbai are unlikely to change the situation in the region. On the contrary, they suggest that such attacks will become depressingly common, much as the rockets raining down on Israel have ceased to become news.” Wretchard
That is probably a good assessment. I doubt Obama will have the stomach to fight.
I would suggest dissecting Pakistan terror infrastructure using Special Forces and clandestine methods.
That will require obtaining names and locations of Pakistani officials who shelter terrorists and eliminate them as quickly as possible with the least amount of media attention.
The tactics are the same. You obtain information on the Pakistani official’s location (possibly by payments) then liquidate them (preferably “in an accident”).
You repeat the process until enough holes have been drill in to the “Swiss Cheese” that it just collapses.
Wretchard,
“Expecting Islamabad to crack down on the LeT or the Taliban is like hoping the Democrats will crack down on Barney Frank or Bill Ayers. ”
Not that hard to do if done on the QT, via providing intel. Which may be behind the recent Predator strikes in Pakistan. That allows the Pakistani government to deny involvement and thus avoid internal political ramifications, while still appeasing the U.S.
It does require the government having the upper hand in the ISI, though, which is questionable.
The Australian is the most schizophrenic newspaper I’ve ever read. The “news” organism is an exact replica of the shennanigans found in the LA Times and the NY Times including a hard left multi-culti photo-shopping there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-terrorist tilt. While the opinion pages seem to have a distinctly neo-con and/or conservative bent.
I’ve often wondered if the two sides work different shifts on different floors of the building, because surely if they worked side by side there would have been a good juicy murder or two done by now.
Or maybe there has been and the Australian just reported it in a typically PC way using euphamisms and initials for everyone involved so no one realized that “journalists” in Oz are killing each other.
The radical Moslems have shown themselves unable to play well with others and therefore need to be removed from the political playground. They are unique in their core inability to share power. On the international stage that means that they cannot be treated as equals in a community of sovereign nations. Domestically they have proven themselves sources of subversion and instability that eat at the very core values essential for maintaining a democratic polity. These would be true even if their culture produced greater creativity, wealth and compassion for those who joined it. As it happens it does not and instead leads to stagnation, poverty and brutality.
Slaughter now or slaughter later.
Slaughter later = slaughter more.
…and well said, lotm…and a Happy Thanksgiving to all.
“That will require obtaining names and locations of Pakistani officials who shelter terrorists and eliminate them as quickly as possible with the least amount of media attention.”
I believe that’s already been done. Recent meeting between new head of Pak military and Petraeus has resulted in several high-ranking terrorist predator hits, when Petraeus pointed out to said Pak military leader that we have *proof* of Paki military and ISI connections with Taliban and Al-Queda.
And if India didn’t already have those names, too, you know fur shur they do now.
*the trouble with attacking Pakistan is that it would be like attacking a huge bowl of jello.*
What happens if you carpet bomb jello? Does the jello disintegrate into a billion tiny, tiny pieces?
Well, there you go, then.
India and Pakistan has been getting friendlier. This is undoubtedly an attempt to disrupt the closer partnership of Pakistan and India. The question is who is funding the fedayeen and provided support for this commando raid. Was it ISI of Pakistan to divert attention from the battles of the Northwest Frontier to Kashmir? Was it the Chinese who has designs on India and wants to divert India to war with Pakistan in Kashmir to allow a Chinese successful invasion from the northeast and Nepal?
Or was it totally homegrown Islamic commandos from the madrassas to just stir up trouble in India?
This attack was a classic commando raid with targets picked put ahead of time of hard and soft. The hard targets were the attacks on the two police stations. Soft targets were the transit and hospitals and just spray and terrorize.
The medium targets were the hotels and restaurants for valuable hostages of Americans and British. Thankfully the Indian response was to go into room by room and kill the commandos.
This raid is an issue to America but it was not an attack on our soil and apparently few if any Americans were killed. This is sole province of India. So comments we should destroy Mecca are absurd.
RAH said, “Thankfully the Indian response was to go into room by room and kill the commandos.”
That is something you can only do with boots on the ground, and it’s a lot like that shooting range in “Magnum Force” where Clint Eastwood has to hit the bad guys and hold fire when it’s just civilians. The Bush Administration most of their their troops in Iraq running midnight basketball programs and painting madrassas, so they just rely on Predator drones to take care of terrorists on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, maybe with some Blackwater thrown in there for a little color. That amounts to just kicking the door down and taking out everyone in it without looking to see if the intelligence was bad and it’s really a tupperware hen party instead of a jihadist hootenanny like they first thought. President-elect Obama wants to shift the troops away from building nations and actually get them up into the shit.