17 Comments

1. asher:

Beautiful!

Dec 20, 2004 - 5:55 pm 2. Kevin P:

Roger:

Perfect! I would love to see Harari debate Chomsky and Moore and watch the intellectual bloodletting.

Dec 20, 2004 - 6:16 pm 3. richard mcenroe:

KevinP ó Nah, Chris Matthews or Larry O’Donnell would start screaming hysterically every time he opened his mouth, to drown him out…

Basically the only Muslim country in the MidEast that is a functioning state, and not a simple kleptocracy propped up by a oil money, is Turkey. Oddly, this is the one Muslim country in the MidEast that was never colonized by the Great European Powers.

Could it be argued that Europe’s long domination of the Middle East was the worst thing that could have happened to Islam, by relieving the theocrats of the burden of having to actually form functional states? After all, the imams and pashas were free to nurse their illusions of competence without the need to actually provide working infrastructure and social models. In short, they never had to face the fact that what they had didn’t work…

Dec 20, 2004 - 7:12 pm 4. BurbankErnie:

It is a shame more people will never read this piece. It should be mandatory for the MSM to read and comprehend the message which is all too clear. Thanks for posting it Roger, and I suggest everyone who reads this article email it to at least two people. It is time more people realize we are at War, not just in Iraq; not just finding OBL, but a long term worldwide struggle, and the sooner more people realize it (Liberals, MSM) the better.

Dec 20, 2004 - 7:29 pm 5. chuck:

Richard,

I think the problem is that the middle east took its political ideas from Europe in the 20’s and 30’s. The result: despotic fascism. Africa took its political ideas from Europe in the 40’s and 50’s. The result: despotic socialism. Both these regions are pretty much failures. Too bad they didn’t take their ideas from the Scotch enlightenment, I suspect they would be much better off.

Dec 20, 2004 - 8:29 pm 6. nopundit:

Roger,

Thank you once again. The paragraphs on comparative GDPs and intellectual output really are the most telling. That a region awash in such abundant natural resources wallows in such abject material and intellectual poverty is … I can’t think of the word.

Dr. Harari’s sentence that caught my eye though:

I recommend to you, even though most of you do not understand Arabic, to watch Al Jazeera, from time to time. You will not believe your own eyes.

And my question is: why not? Why not offer it as cable channel here in the US (I just looked at COX cable of New Orleans’ web site; they have 800 channels of crap, but no Al-Jazeera)?

I’m being absolutely serious. Let us (especially the dictator/fascist/genocide-loving liberals) all see the belly of the beast. I have heard for some time about the two faces of the imam: the English-speaking Western sympathiser and the Arabic-speaking terrorist supporter. I’d like to see it for myself, over and over and over. Far from inciting any support here, it would help us all sharpen our focus on exactly what it is we are fighting. Subtitle it (preferably) and otherwise just let it air unfiltered. If the FCC gets a jones about “protecting the kids”, let it be a premium channel.

Let me speak as a Christian: I HATE the enemy with all my heart. The enemy is not the Arab world and the enemy is not Islam. The enemy is that unprovoked and violent hatred of me, my life, and my values. In other words, I hate the hatred, not the vast majority of people to whom the hatred is identified with. It is that hatred found in the “inner circle” of terrorists which must be completely and utterly destroyed. Let us all see for ourselves what we are fighting and why we are fighting, over and over and over.

Merry Christmas to one and all.

Kenneth Greenlee

Dec 20, 2004 - 8:58 pm 7. someone:

Den Beste blogged it — at length, of course — back in the day.

Dec 20, 2004 - 9:42 pm 8. Wallace:

I just love it when theoretical physicists get untheoretical.

Dec 20, 2004 - 9:45 pm 9. Patrick Tyson:

Kenneth Greenlee—

We get Al Jazeera Headline News on International Channel Networks (INTL) at 6:00 a.m. on Weekdays. INTL is part of our basic cable package.

There is also the DVD of Control Room. It includes the original documentary, a lot of deleted footage, and three commentaries.

Dec 20, 2004 - 11:06 pm 10. richard mcenroe:

It turns out that most of the al-Jazeera editorial and reporting staff were trained at the BBC; another example of all the good Europe has done Islam…

Dec 21, 2004 - 5:50 am 11. Richard Nieporent:

I agree with you Wallace. If it were physics instead of politics, it would be worthy of a Nobel Prize for its brilliant and insightful analysis of the Israel-Arab conflict.

Dec 21, 2004 - 6:20 am 12. Kyda Sylvester:

There is a new game in town: The actual murderer is called “the military wing”, the one who pays him, equips him and sends him is now called “the political wing” and the head of the operation is called the “spiritual leader”. There are numerous other examples of such Orwellian nomenclature, used every day not only by terror chiefs but also by Western media. These words are much more dangerous than many people realize. They provide an emotional infrastructure for atrocities. It was Joseph Goebels who said that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. He is now being outperformed by his successors.

Amen, brother. It used to burn my butt royally when Irish-American politicians like Peter King would wine, dine and laud Gerry Adams, who was received even in the White House, and then send him home with a suitcase full of money. If your organization employs terrorist methods, it’s a terrorist organization and I don’t care what “wing” you happen to represent. Haven’t seen much of old Gerry since 9-11, have we.

I just love it when theoretical physicists get untheoretical.

Theoretical scientists and mathematicians can be, and often are, quite good at this kind of analysis. Perhaps we should turn to them more and political pundits less.

Thank you, Roger, Sheryl and Charlie for this.

Dec 21, 2004 - 8:01 am 13. nopundit:

Patrick,

Thank you so much for the heads up. I appreciate it.

Kenneth Greenlee

Dec 21, 2004 - 8:56 am 14. Brian H:

Patrick;

The al Jezeera you are watching is the re-jigged English version. It reputedly bears almost no resemblance to the Arabic original. Hence the recommendation to watch the Arabic channel; the images are apparently enough to get the message across.

The above is 2nd-hand info, though. Just thought I’d pass it on.

Dec 21, 2004 - 8:38 pm 15. pothos:

Oh Kyda, Kyda, Kyda…

It “used” to burn your butt “when Irish-American politicians like Peter King would wine, dine and laud Gerry Adams”? Well, you “haven’t seen much of old Gerry since 9-11″ because your MSM (not to mention your average blogger, eh-hem) aren’t looking out on your behalf. Did you think that either adversary in “the Troubles” didn’t find a way to capitalize on 9/11?

In August, 2001 three IRA-men were apprehended as they exited the Colombian FARC territory, a news item that was soon eclipsed. That story culminated only this week with their sentencing in Colombia. Now tell me where you saw any mention or analysis of this? It must be “old Gerry” is still laying low, eh?

Within weeks following 9/11/01 Sinn Fein unveiled a brilliant new tack: by capitalizing on an atmosphere of intense anti-Americanism in the Republic (also unreported by the MSM) and by re-tooling their rhetoric to suit the tastes of Dublin’s radical chic, Sinn Fein began building a new power-base in the Republic. The success of that shift can be measured in their subsequent and steady gains of seats in the Irish parliament.

You can see a good summary of Sinn Fein’s late-2001 metamorphosis here:

http://www.geocities.com/irelandvus911/Ndptbl21.htm

But did you think that 9/11 and the ensuing, widespread debates in Ireland about the legality of the war in Afghanistan (and later in Iraq) put an end to more than a century of American donations there?

Each year American taxpayers donate millions to the INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR IRELAND – $439 million since 1986. This year’s omnibus bill is no exception. I refer you to “H.R.4818, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005″ (in the section “Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate”, under “Division D – Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2005″.)

From the text: “For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $18,500,000, which shall be available for the United States contribution to the International Fund for Ireland and shall be made available in accordance with the provisions of the Anglo-Irish Agreement Support Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-415): Provided, That such amount shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make timely payment for projects and activities: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading shall remain available until September 30, 2006.”

I believe we can credit Bush with reductions in this fund which came to $25 million annually under Clinton (who says he’d choose to live in Ireland over any other country after the US). For a review of some of these “projects” in question I refer you to any edition of the Citizens Against Government Waste’s “Pig Books”.

Now, is $18.5 too little an amount for Americans to care about? Or even several hundred million? More to your point, is it too little an amount to find out where it’s really being spent? (I can tell you from personal experience that it’s very difficult to follow this particular money trail.)

On January 28 the 10th Annual Michael Flannery Testimonial Awards dinner will be held at New York’s Astoria World Manor, a fund raiser organized by supporters of the anti-peace process Republican Sinn Fein (RSF), the political arm of the Continuity IRA.

At a $750/table dinner, donors will celebrate Sinn Fein’s centennial, and plan to honor a convicted gun-runner.

http://www.irishfreedom.net/

Frankly Kyda, I can’t find anyone who gives a damn about any of this.

Dec 22, 2004 - 7:43 am 16. Patrick Tyson:

Brian H—

I thought I’d take a moment to look in (I don’t watch the Al Jazeera Headline News very often) to see if something had changed. The audio, graphics and crawl are all in what I assume to be Arabic. There were a few moments in English from President Bush this morning, but then the translator started speaking. I make no claims as to whether or not this is what residents of the Middle East are seeing. I don’t know.

Dec 22, 2004 - 7:58 am 17. pothos:

A little update seems in order for Kyda and anyone else who feels ill-informed by the MSM on the topic of Mr. Gerry Adams, et al. Aside from the dates, pay close attention to the overall PATTERN.

Part 1.

Irish Independent, Sept. 18, 2001 -

“COUNTER terrorism intelligence has revealed the presence of 15 Irish republicans in South America, according to Colombia’s army chief. …”

“Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, who denied that the organisation had a Havana presence, is scheduled for a visit to Cuba later this month. …

“Meanwhile, last night Sinn Fein was confident of continuing its fund-raising in the US despite the upsurge in anti-terrorist feeling and unionist efforts to have its IRA armed wing relisted as a terrorist organisation.”

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=511403&issue_id=5258

****************

Irish Independent, Sept. 19, 2001 -

“Meanwhile, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has denied claims by the Cuban authorities that Connolly was the party’s representative in Havana which Mr Adams is due to visit later this month.”

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=512010&issue_id=5262

****************

Irish Independent, Oct. 23, 2001

SINN Fein president Gerry Adams yesterday admitted that Niall Connolly, one of three republican suspects held in Colombia, was the party’s representative in Cuba at the time of his arrest.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=594707&issue_id=5983

*****************

ABC News, Dec. 18, 2004 -

“Colombia Can’t Find Three IRA-Linked Men After Convicting Them on Terrorism-Related Charges ….

“Caitriona Ruane, an official of the IRA-linked Catholic party Sinn Fein who leads the Bring Them Home pressure group, insisted she did not know where the three are, but said the reports they have fled Colombia should be treated with suspicion.”

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=341768&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

****************

The Observer, Dec. 19, 2004

“Fugitive IRA man ‘aided Colombia escape’ -

“An IRA fugitive [Cork-born Paul Damery] on the run for the killing of Garda Jerry McCabe helped three Irish republicans escape from Colombia, it was suggested last night. …

“The three men left Colombia via Venezuela from a safe house they were living in several weeks before the judge overturned an earlier decision that they were not guilty of training narco-terrorist group Farc.

“Damery, whose wife is Venezuelan, is thought to have helped plan the three republicans’ escape and they are now believed to be in Cuba. …

“If the three turn up in Ireland it will be extremely difficult for the authorities to hand them over to the Colombians. The Republic does not have an extradition treaty with Colombia and according to legal experts the men could challenge any attempt to deport them.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/colombia/story/0,11502,1376961,00.html?gusrc=rss

*************

Part 2.

And last, but not the least of stories:

Press Association, Dec. 23, 2004 -

“The IRA denied any involvement in the ¬£22 million Northern Bank raid.

“A senior republican source claimed: “We are dismissing any suggestion or allegation that we were involved.” ….

“The Provisionals were linked to a ¬£1 million hold-up at a big Belfast superstore earlier this year, where robbers struck with ruthless efficiency. Staff were tied up by the gang who made off with alcohol, cigarettes and top of the range electrical equipment.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/041223/344/f94ec.html

************

The Age, Dec. 24, 2004

“IRA linked to bank robbery -

“Communication intercepts during the 24 hours leading up to the robbery at the Northern Bank in Belfast have led detectives to suspect the IRA’s head of intelligence and one of his chief cohorts.

Mobile phone conversations are said to have pointed directly at IRA involvement and at least one IRA man’s name has been connected to the robbery team, which numbered up to 30. …

“Bill Lowry, the former head of Special Branch in Belfast, agreed all the signs pointed to the IRA.”

http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/IRA-linked-to-bank-robbery/2004/12/23/1103391893289.html?oneclick=true

Dec 24, 2004 - 10:22 am

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