GINA COBB

Weapons Boxes Shipped to Hizbullah: “Customer: Ministry of Defense of Syria. Supplier: KBP, Tula, Russia.”

Islamic Terrorism, the Cold War Continued by Other Means

By DemocracyRules
h/t National Review
Cross-posted: Kommersant.ru

Last week Lebanon’s Hizbullah turned their weapons on their own countrymen.  These weapons are mainly Russian. In 2006, Israelis found Hiz in possession of many Russian weapons, including AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles, Katusha rockets, Russian Fajr-1 and Fajr-3 rockets, Russian AT-5 Spandrel antitank missiles and Kornet antitank rockets.

The heavy collaboration between Soviets/Russians and Islamic terrorists goes back to at least 1967.  In a sense the KGB invented Islamic terrorism.  The book Red Horizons reviews some of these ties with Islamists.  It is written by Lt. General Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest-ranking intelligence officer ever to have defected from the former Soviet bloc.  He has extensive knowledge of the Soviet effort to foster Islamic terrorism.

In 1967 the Six-Day war, Israel humiliated Egypt and Syria, and the Kremlin decided to foster a Palestinian terror war against Israel. Things ramped up quickly with Soviet help.  By 1969 the PLO, largely financed by the KGB, hijacked 82 aircraft. General Aleksandr Sakharovsky, head  of Soviet Russia’s foreign intelligence, told Pacepa, “Airplane hijacking is my own invention.”

Communist countries continuously supplied Palestinian terrorists in Lebanon with everything from bullets to 1,000 tons of Semtex-H  plastic explosives.  The KGB also helped organize “public executions” of Jews in airports, train stations, and other public places.  Most of the spectacular terrorist attacks of that time were instigated by the KGB.  Many died, and many more were wounded.

Communist terrorists in Europe like the Bader-Meinhof gang were also KGB-supported.  Those terrorists killed or injured many political figures, even up to 1990.

From 1972 onwards the Soviets began a plan to mobilize the entire Islamic world against the U.S. and Israel.

Wrote Pacepa, “According to Andropov [the KGB head], the Islamic world was a waiting petri dish in which we could nurture a virulent strain of America-hatred, grown from the bacterium of Marxist-Leninist thought. Islamic Antisemitism ran deep. The Muslims had a taste for nationalism, jingoism, and victimology. Their illiterate, oppressed mobs could be whipped up to a fever pitch...

The codename of this operation was “SIG” (Sionistskiye Gosudarstva, or “Zionist Governments”), and was within my Romanian service’s “sphere of influence,” for it embraced Libya, Lebanon, and Syria. SIG was a large party/state operation. We created joint ventures to build hospitals, houses, and roads in these countries, and there we sent thousands of doctors, engineers, technicians, professors, and even dance instructors. All had the task of portraying the United States as an arrogant and haughty Jewish fiefdom financed by Jewish money and run by Jewish politicians, whose aim was to subordinate the entire Islamic world...

In the mid 1970s, the KGB ordered my service, the DIE — along with other East European sister services — to scour the country for trusted party activists belonging to various Islamic ethnic groups, train them in disinformation and terrorist operations, and infiltrate them into the countries of our “sphere of influence.” Their task was to export a rabid, demented hatred for American Zionism by manipulating the ancestral abhorrence for Jews felt by the people in that part of the world....

Before I left Romania for good, in 1978, my DIE had dispatched around 500 such undercover agents to Islamic countries. According to a rough estimate received from Moscow, by 1978 the whole Soviet-bloc intelligence community had sent some 4,000 such agents of influence into the Islamic world...

Post-Soviet Russia has been transformed in unprecedented ways, but the widely popular belief that the nefarious Soviet legacy was rooted out at the end of the Cold War the same way that Nazism was rooted out with the conclusion of World War II, is not yet correct.”

As I noted above, the Russians are still arming Islamic terrorists and fostering the hatred of Americans and Jews.  In 1968 Bobby Kennedy was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist.

Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: Media Not Just Neutral Between Good and Evil, But Actively Pro-Terrorist

Originally published on April 26, 2006:  Media Not Just Neutral Between Good and Evil, But Actively Pro-Terrorist

"Reuters has gone so far as to all but ban the use of "terrorist," which is considered too judgmental.  An unwillingness to play favorites makes sense when reporting on most topics. Mainstream reporters shouldn't choose between Republicans and Democrats or Microsoft and its critics (though in practice they usually do). But is studied neutrality really the right posture when covering a battle against monsters who fly hijacked aircraft into office buildings?"  (Max Boot in "Loose Lips Win Pulitzers" at the Los Angeles Times)

It's even worse than that.  Some in the mainstream media are not just neutral between good and evil.  They have become actively pro-terrorist.  Here's just the latest example:  Referring to Osama Bin Laden not as a "terrorist" but as a "dissident."

Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden in an undisclosed place inside Afghanistan. [AFP] This is an undated photo of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, in Afghanistan[.] [AP]

Right.  A dissident.  A "dissident" . . . who deliberately engineered the deaths of almost 3,000 innocent men, women and children on September 11, 2001.  A "dissident" who fully intends to take many more innocent lives in the future given half a chance. 

In their anti-Bush rage, the leftists in mainstream media have made the enemy of their "enemy" their friend.  They don't care that the enemy of their "enemy" is deeply evil and dangerous to all decent, civilized people.

They've lost their minds as well as their moral compass.

"Reuters has gone so far as to all but ban the use of "terrorist," which is considered too judgmental.  An unwillingness to play favorites makes sense when reporting on most topics. Mainstream reporters shouldn't choose between Republicans and Democrats or Microsoft and its critics (though in practice they usually do). But is studied neutrality really the right posture when covering a battle against monsters who fly hijacked aircraft into office buildings?"  (Max Boot in "Loose Lips Win Pulitzers" at the Los Angeles Times)

It's even worse than that.  Some in the mainstream media are not just neutral between good and evil.  They have become actively pro-terrorist.  Here's just the latest example:  Referring to Osama Bin Laden not as a "terrorist" but as a "dissident."

Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden in an undisclosed place inside Afghanistan. [AFP] This is an undated photo of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, in Afghanistan[.] [AP]

Right.  A dissident.  A "dissident" . . . who deliberately engineered the deaths of almost 3,000 innocent men, women and children on September 11, 2001.  A "dissident" who fully intends to take many more innocent lives in the future given half a chance. 

In their anti-Bush rage, the leftists in mainstream media have made the enemy of their "enemy" their friend.  They don't care that the enemy of their "enemy" is deeply evil and dangerous to all decent, civilized people.

They've lost their minds as well as their moral compass.

Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: Israel and Palestinians Equally Wrong? Not Unless Premeditated Murder Is the Same as Negligence

Originally published on April 21, 2006:  Israel and Palestinians Equally Wrong? Not Unless Premeditated Murder Is the Same as Negligence

Another homicide bombing in Israel this week.  It happened at a Tel Aviv restaurant.  At least eight are dead; at last 60 are wounded.  The victims included men, women and children.  All were civilian noncombatants.  They were not caught in the line of fire in a battle between militants.  They were peacefully going about their business when they were deliberately killed and maimed.  Children saw their mother killed. 

The bomber and the persons who planned the killings and built the bomb knew they would kill innocent men, women and children who were minding their own business.  They are happy about the resulting deaths, injuries, tears, and funerals.  They passed out pastries to celebrate.  They announced that 70 more such attacks are coming.

And the world shrugs its shoulders.

It's not our concern, right?

Last time I checked, we don't live in Israel.  Not most of us, anyway.

And last time I checked, most of us aren't even Jewish.

So it's their problem.  Not ours.

Besides, there's violence on both sides.  It's a cycle of violence.

But maybe we should review what's really going on, just to be sure.

Here's what we know about the violence caused by the Palestinians:

1.  The Palestinians strap bombs filled with shrapnel to themselves.  The bombers intend to be killed.  The shrapnel is soaked in rat poison to ensure hemorrhaging in the victims.  The Palestinian attacks often also include further bombs targeting rescue workers who come to aid the victims.

In attacks planned in advance, the Palestinians routinely and deliberately take these bombs into the middle of crowds of people who are civilian noncombatants minding their own business -- eating at a restaurant, attending a celebration, or riding a bus.  The targets selected are men, women and children. 

They are not killed because they happen to be too close to another target.  They are the target.

Percentage of persons intended to be killed:  100% (the bomber and everyone at the scene, including rescue workers)

Target:  100% civilian noncombatants

Planning and premeditation of deaths of civilian targets:  100%

2.  The perpetrators of these attacks are celebrated and glorified by the Palestinians, and the Palestinians announce that more such attacks will be coming.

Let's compare this to what Israel does:

1.   The Israelis do not routinely and deliberately plan in advance to kill not only their own soldiers, but also crowds of innocent noncombatant civilians who are eating at a restaurants, riding buses, etc.  Although critics of Israel point to examples of civilian Palestinian deaths, those examples almost always involve civilians accidentally or unavoidably caught in the line of fire (collateral damage of war) or civilians who were deliberately involving themselves in the conflict by throwing rocks, staying in the way, etc. 

2.  Some of the accidental Palestinian deaths are the direct result of the Palestinians' own prior attacks on innocent civilians.  For example, the Palestinians use an ambulance to sneak a homicide bomb into a crowd of innocent people, and then complain when the next ambulance is not waved through a checkpoint as usual and the patient in the ambulance suffers as a result.  These same Palestinians use every act of self-defense on Israel's part -- even something as harmless as building a wall to keep out homicide bombers -- as an excuse for more attacks on Israel. 

But what about civilian Palestinians killed by Israelis, like a girl killed this week in an Israeli strike?  Israel has indeed caused some civilian deaths by accident or perhaps even by negligence or gross negligence, but it does not routinely plan to kill noncombatant civilian Palestinians as its goal.  Israel does not deliberately target noncombatant men, women, or children for death.  The Palestinians do.

3. On the rare occasions when an isolated Israeli recklessly or deliberately kills innocent, noncombatant civilian Palestinians (such attacks are very few and far between), those who carry out such acts are not celebrated and glorified by most Israelis, and most Israelis do not brag that more such attacks on noncombatant civilians will be forthcoming.  This is the exact opposite of what occurs when a Palestinian does the same thing or worse.

The distinction is not difficult to make, if you really think about it.

Even a dog understands the difference between being tripped over and being deliberately kicked. 

Everyone on earth understands the difference between accidentally hitting a child with a car and deliberately planning to run over a child with a car and carrying out that very plan.  One is a horrible accident or at most negligence or even gross negligence; the other is first-degree, premeditated murder.

No sane civilized society treats the driver who accidentally kills a child the same as it treats a serial murderer. 

No reasonable person thinks that if the police accidentally take a civilian life while chasing a suspect, it is fair game for the police to be slaughtered in response -- or, worse yet, that it's fair game for the family of the victim to stand in the crowded town square and spray bullets in every direction to "get even." Yet that is exactly what Palestinians argue every day to justify their campaign of slaughtering innocent civilians.

When Israel starts detonating bombs in crowds of Palestinians who are just eating at restaurants -- not accidentally while pursing a military target, but routinely, as their entire goal -- then critics of Israel can legitimately say that there is moral equivalency between the Palestinians and Israel. Until then, there is no comparison.

Why does it matter?

It matters, first of all, from the standpoint of simple human justice and mercy.  We don't treat accidental or negligent killing and premeditated murder the same way because it would be wrong to do so.

Second, until you are clear about the difference between right and wrong, you can't figure out how to solve any problem.

If the troubles in the Middle East seem to be endless, perhaps part of the reason for that is the endless excuses being made for those who are willing to commit acts that are genuinely evil.

One of those excuses is poverty.  Nonsense.  In no courtroom on earth is being poor a defense to a charge of premeditated murder.  In fact, being willing to support premeditated murder is a good way to ensure that your society stays lawless and poor. 

Saying that there is a "cycle of violence" in the Middle East is like saying that there is a "cycle of violence" between criminal gangs and police.  The solution is not for the police to turn over the city to the gangs and go home.  That would only ensure that the violence continues.

Make sure you're clear in your own mind about what moral standards you believe in.  Do you believe that involuntary manslaughter is the same as premeditated murder? 

If you accidentally kill a person while driving your car -- as a few unlucky people have -- are you on the same moral plane as the Unibomber, the BTK killer, or any other serial killer?

Even if your driving was not as careful as it should have been, you are not even remotely in the same ballpark as a serial killer.  You did not intend to take someone's life.  You are filled with regret; the serial killer is filled with glee.  And while you, out of your sincere regret, will go to great lengths in the future to make sure that it never happens again, out of the serial killer's glee will grow the plans for his next killing.

Israelis openly lament the deaths of any innocent Palestinian civilians, and takes pains to avoid such innocent deaths whenever humanly possible.  Palestinians take open glee in the death of any innocent Israeli civilian. 

It's not asking too much to expect all sane, decent human beings on earth to be willing to take sides against routine, premeditated mass murder of noncombatant civilians.

Please have the moral clarity, the courage, and the common decency to take sides.

If you can't be bothered to challenge the pure evil of premeditated serial mass murder before it reaches out and harms you and your loved ones personally, then what good are you to the world?

Let your decency show.  Be willing, once in a while, to give credit to people who are struggling albeit imperfectly to do the right thing and protect their own safety without killing innocent people.  Be willing once in a while to acknowledge basic decency when you see it. 

Go out on a limb once in a while and have the courage to condemn what is clearly wrong.  Use the word "evil" once in a blue moon.  Not every day.  Not for little things, like your political opponents.  Once in a while, use the world "evil" when it really fits. 

"Evil" is the only word to describe what the Palestinians routinely do, and then gloat over.  If deliberate, premeditated murder of innocent men, women and children who were minding their own business and not anywhere near any line of fire is not pure evil, then what is?

If terrorism isn't evil, then you might as well throw the word away and hope that you're never on the receving end of what you chose not to condemn.

___________________________________

Want to read more?  Click a link:

• Terrorism Update
• Israel
• Humor
• Main Page

Another homicide bombing in Israel this week.  It happened at a Tel Aviv restaurant.  At least eight are dead; at last 60 are wounded.  The victims included men, women and children.  All were civilian noncombatants.  They were not caught in the line of fire in a battle between militants.  They were peacefully going about their business when they were deliberately killed and maimed.  Children saw their mother killed. 

The bomber and the persons who planned the killings and built the bomb knew they would kill innocent men, women and children who were minding their own business.  They are happy about the resulting deaths, injuries, tears, and funerals.  They passed out pastries to celebrate.  They announced that 70 more such attacks are coming.

And the world shrugs its shoulders.

It's not our concern, right?

Last time I checked, we don't live in Israel.  Not most of us, anyway.

And last time I checked, most of us aren't even Jewish.

So it's their problem.  Not ours.

Besides, there's violence on both sides.  It's a cycle of violence.

But maybe we should review what's really going on, just to be sure.

Here's what we know about the violence caused by the Palestinians:

1.  The Palestinians strap bombs filled with shrapnel to themselves.  The bombers intend to be killed.  The shrapnel is soaked in rat poison to ensure hemorrhaging in the victims.  The Palestinian attacks often also include further bombs targeting rescue workers who come to aid the victims.

In attacks planned in advance, the Palestinians routinely and deliberately take these bombs into the middle of crowds of people who are civilian noncombatants minding their own business -- eating at a restaurant, attending a celebration, or riding a bus.  The targets selected are men, women and children. 

They are not killed because they happen to be too close to another target.  They are the target.

Percentage of persons intended to be killed:  100% (the bomber and everyone at the scene, including rescue workers)

Target:  100% civilian noncombatants

Planning and premeditation of deaths of civilian targets:  100%

2.  The perpetrators of these attacks are celebrated and glorified by the Palestinians, and the Palestinians announce that more such attacks will be coming.

Let's compare this to what Israel does:

1.   The Israelis do not routinely and deliberately plan in advance to kill not only their own soldiers, but also crowds of innocent noncombatant civilians who are eating at a restaurants, riding buses, etc.  Although critics of Israel point to examples of civilian Palestinian deaths, those examples almost always involve civilians accidentally or unavoidably caught in the line of fire (collateral damage of war) or civilians who were deliberately involving themselves in the conflict by throwing rocks, staying in the way, etc. 

2.  Some of the accidental Palestinian deaths are the direct result of the Palestinians' own prior attacks on innocent civilians.  For example, the Palestinians use an ambulance to sneak a homicide bomb into a crowd of innocent people, and then complain when the next ambulance is not waved through a checkpoint as usual and the patient in the ambulance suffers as a result.  These same Palestinians use every act of self-defense on Israel's part -- even something as harmless as building a wall to keep out homicide bombers -- as an excuse for more attacks on Israel. 

But what about civilian Palestinians killed by Israelis, like a girl killed this week in an Israeli strike?  Israel has indeed caused some civilian deaths by accident or perhaps even by negligence or gross negligence, but it does not routinely plan to kill noncombatant civilian Palestinians as its goal.  Israel does not deliberately target noncombatant men, women, or children for death.  The Palestinians do.

3. On the rare occasions when an isolated Israeli recklessly or deliberately kills innocent, noncombatant civilian Palestinians (such attacks are very few and far between), those who carry out such acts are not celebrated and glorified by most Israelis, and most Israelis do not brag that more such attacks on noncombatant civilians will be forthcoming.  This is the exact opposite of what occurs when a Palestinian does the same thing or worse.

The distinction is not difficult to make, if you really think about it.

Even a dog understands the difference between being tripped over and being deliberately kicked. 

Everyone on earth understands the difference between accidentally hitting a child with a car and deliberately planning to run over a child with a car and carrying out that very plan.  One is a horrible accident or at most negligence or even gross negligence; the other is first-degree, premeditated murder.

No sane civilized society treats the driver who accidentally kills a child the same as it treats a serial murderer. 

No reasonable person thinks that if the police accidentally take a civilian life while chasing a suspect, it is fair game for the police to be slaughtered in response -- or, worse yet, that it's fair game for the family of the victim to stand in the crowded town square and spray bullets in every direction to "get even." Yet that is exactly what Palestinians argue every day to justify their campaign of slaughtering innocent civilians.

When Israel starts detonating bombs in crowds of Palestinians who are just eating at restaurants -- not accidentally while pursing a military target, but routinely, as their entire goal -- then critics of Israel can legitimately say that there is moral equivalency between the Palestinians and Israel. Until then, there is no comparison.

Why does it matter?

It matters, first of all, from the standpoint of simple human justice and mercy.  We don't treat accidental or negligent killing and premeditated murder the same way because it would be wrong to do so.

Second, until you are clear about the difference between right and wrong, you can't figure out how to solve any problem.

If the troubles in the Middle East seem to be endless, perhaps part of the reason for that is the endless excuses being made for those who are willing to commit acts that are genuinely evil.

One of those excuses is poverty.  Nonsense.  In no courtroom on earth is being poor a defense to a charge of premeditated murder.  In fact, being willing to support premeditated murder is a good way to ensure that your society stays lawless and poor. 

Saying that there is a "cycle of violence" in the Middle East is like saying that there is a "cycle of violence" between criminal gangs and police.  The solution is not for the police to turn over the city to the gangs and go home.  That would only ensure that the violence continues.

Make sure you're clear in your own mind about what moral standards you believe in.  Do you believe that involuntary manslaughter is the same as premeditated murder? 

If you accidentally kill a person while driving your car -- as a few unlucky people have -- are you on the same moral plane as the Unibomber, the BTK killer, or any other serial killer?

Even if your driving was not as careful as it should have been, you are not even remotely in the same ballpark as a serial killer.  You did not intend to take someone's life.  You are filled with regret; the serial killer is filled with glee.  And while you, out of your sincere regret, will go to great lengths in the future to make sure that it never happens again, out of the serial killer's glee will grow the plans for his next killing.

Israelis openly lament the deaths of any innocent Palestinian civilians, and takes pains to avoid such innocent deaths whenever humanly possible.  Palestinians take open glee in the death of any innocent Israeli civilian. 

It's not asking too much to expect all sane, decent human beings on earth to be willing to take sides against routine, premeditated mass murder of noncombatant civilians.

Please have the moral clarity, the courage, and the common decency to take sides.

If you can't be bothered to challenge the pure evil of premeditated serial mass murder before it reaches out and harms you and your loved ones personally, then what good are you to the world?

Let your decency show.  Be willing, once in a while, to give credit to people who are struggling albeit imperfectly to do the right thing and protect their own safety without killing innocent people.  Be willing once in a while to acknowledge basic decency when you see it. 

Go out on a limb once in a while and have the courage to condemn what is clearly wrong.  Use the word "evil" once in a blue moon.  Not every day.  Not for little things, like your political opponents.  Once in a while, use the world "evil" when it really fits. 

"Evil" is the only word to describe what the Palestinians routinely do, and then gloat over.  If deliberate, premeditated murder of innocent men, women and children who were minding their own business and not anywhere near any line of fire is not pure evil, then what is?

If terrorism isn't evil, then you might as well throw the word away and hope that you're never on the receving end of what you chose not to condemn.

___________________________________

Want to read more?  Click a link:

• Terrorism Update
• Israel
• Humor
• Main Page

Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: What Palestinians Deliberately Did to 68 Innocent Men, Women and Children

Originally published on April 19, 2006: What Palestinians Deliberately Did to 68 Innocent Men, Women and Children

Innocent.

Noncombatant.

Men.

Women.

And children.

Peacefully visiting a restaurant.

When suddenly --

Explosion.

Shrapnel.

Screams.

Agony.

Blood.

Pieces of human flesh.

Grievous wounds.

Suffering.

Dying.

Crying.

Watching her son writhe in agony.

Watching their mother die.

It wasn't --

An accident.

It wasn't

A natural disaster.

It wasn't --

Civilians caught in the soldiers' line of fire.

It was --

Deliberate. 

Mass.

Murder.

And so -- 

At least 8 are dead and 60 injured due to a Palestinian terrorist homicide bombing Monday in Tel Aviv.

If you don't live inside of Israel or have any ties there, it's easy to let these homicide bombings pass through your consciousness and slip away in a matter of days.

Don't let that happen this time.

This time, take a moment to remember that the victims are real.  They are men, women and children whose lives and health and futures and loved ones were deliberately torn from them for no reason.

Brutally Honest has an important reminder about just how evil these attacks are.  You need to know that these are not just bombs.  They are bombs filled with shrapnel soaked in rat poison to cause hemmorhaging. 

It is like standing in a crowd of innocent men, women and children and shooting bullets in every direction -- but worse, since the "bullets" are coated in poison.

Next time you hear someone fault Israel for not giving even more land or more concessions to its Palestinian tormentors, remember this.  Remember that Israel's tormenters are unspeakably evil.

In the fathomless depths of evil in which Palestinians live, the only "crime" is that one of their own condemned the attack.  From Haaretz:

Palestinian militant groups demanded an apology Tuesday from Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for condemning Monday's deadly suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, in their harshest criticism yet of the moderate leader over his stand on violence. The criticism, including from armed groups within Abbas' own Fatah party, underscored a growing debate among Palestinians over the use of violence against Israel. "We ask President Abbas to apologize to the entire Palestinian people because of the offense he committed," the groups said in a joint statement by a coalition of militants read by a masked gunman at an open-air news conference in Gaza.

Abbas said Monday that the attack, which killed nine people, ran counter to Palestinian interests. But he used stronger wording than usual, describing the attack as "despicable."

Abbas is in the political minority now that Hamas controls the Palestinian authority.  Here is what most Palestinians are doing right now:  celebrating the mass murder of innocents.  In Gaza, Islamic Jihad militants handed out pastries on the streets in celebration of this mass murder bombing attack.

And Palestinians are planning many more such mass murder attacks against innocent men, women and children:

The Islamic Jihad movement, hailing its Monday suicide bombing that killed nine people and wounded scores in Tel Aviv, has warned that has an army of 70 suicide bombers who plan to blow themselves up in Israel.

The "martyrdom operation" was "the first fruit of a recently formed unit of bombers, which includes 70 male and female bombers," Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed told reporters in Gaza hours after the attack.

He slammed Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for condemning the suicide attack in Tel Aviv and praised the new Palestinian government led by the militant Hamas movement, which condoned it.

"This is a legitimate attack by all the international laws and conventions, as well as religious rules, and no one can condemn this act of resistance," he said.

Let's review that again: 

A "legitimate" attack?

By "all the international laws and conventions"? 

Which ones, pray tell?

. . . "as well as religous rules"?

Not unless the "religious rules" were written by the devil himself. 

And perhaps they were.

___________________________________

Related Post:  Israel and Palestinians Equally Wrong? Not Unless Premeditated Murder Is the Same as Negligence

Want to read more?  Click a link:

• Terrorism Update
• Israel
• Humor
• Main Page

Innocent.

Noncombatant.

Men.

Women.

And children.

Peacefully visiting a restaurant.

When suddenly --

Explosion.

Shrapnel.

Screams.

Agony.

Blood.

Pieces of human flesh.

Grievous wounds.

Suffering.

Dying.

Crying.

Watching her son writhe in agony.

Watching their mother die.

It wasn't --

An accident.

It wasn't

A natural disaster.

It wasn't --

Civilians caught in the soldiers' line of fire.

It was --

Deliberate. 

Mass.

Murder.

And so -- 

At least 8 are dead and 60 injured due to a Palestinian terrorist homicide bombing Monday in Tel Aviv.

If you don't live inside of Israel or have any ties there, it's easy to let these homicide bombings pass through your consciousness and slip away in a matter of days.

Don't let that happen this time.

This time, take a moment to remember that the victims are real.  They are men, women and children whose lives and health and futures and loved ones were deliberately torn from them for no reason.

Brutally Honest has an important reminder about just how evil these attacks are.  You need to know that these are not just bombs.  They are bombs filled with shrapnel soaked in rat poison to cause hemmorhaging. 

It is like standing in a crowd of innocent men, women and children and shooting bullets in every direction -- but worse, since the "bullets" are coated in poison.

Next time you hear someone fault Israel for not giving even more land or more concessions to its Palestinian tormentors, remember this.  Remember that Israel's tormenters are unspeakably evil.

In the fathomless depths of evil in which Palestinians live, the only "crime" is that one of their own condemned the attack.  From Haaretz:

Palestinian militant groups demanded an apology Tuesday from Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for condemning Monday's deadly suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, in their harshest criticism yet of the moderate leader over his stand on violence. The criticism, including from armed groups within Abbas' own Fatah party, underscored a growing debate among Palestinians over the use of violence against Israel. "We ask President Abbas to apologize to the entire Palestinian people because of the offense he committed," the groups said in a joint statement by a coalition of militants read by a masked gunman at an open-air news conference in Gaza.

Abbas said Monday that the attack, which killed nine people, ran counter to Palestinian interests. But he used stronger wording than usual, describing the attack as "despicable."

Abbas is in the political minority now that Hamas controls the Palestinian authority.  Here is what most Palestinians are doing right now:  celebrating the mass murder of innocents.  In Gaza, Islamic Jihad militants handed out pastries on the streets in celebration of this mass murder bombing attack.

And Palestinians are planning many more such mass murder attacks against innocent men, women and children:

The Islamic Jihad movement, hailing its Monday suicide bombing that killed nine people and wounded scores in Tel Aviv, has warned that has an army of 70 suicide bombers who plan to blow themselves up in Israel.

The "martyrdom operation" was "the first fruit of a recently formed unit of bombers, which includes 70 male and female bombers," Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed told reporters in Gaza hours after the attack.

He slammed Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for condemning the suicide attack in Tel Aviv and praised the new Palestinian government led by the militant Hamas movement, which condoned it.

"This is a legitimate attack by all the international laws and conventions, as well as religious rules, and no one can condemn this act of resistance," he said.

Let's review that again: 

A "legitimate" attack?

By "all the international laws and conventions"? 

Which ones, pray tell?

. . . "as well as religous rules"?

Not unless the "religious rules" were written by the devil himself. 

And perhaps they were.

___________________________________

Related Post:  Israel and Palestinians Equally Wrong? Not Unless Premeditated Murder Is the Same as Negligence

Want to read more?  Click a link:

• Terrorism Update
• Israel
• Humor
• Main Page

Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: Zacarias Moussaoui: Like Most Terrorists, He's Evil, Crazy, Foolish and Dangerous

Originally published on April 14, 2006: Zacarias Moussaoui: Like Most Terrorists, He's Evil, Crazy, Foolish and Dangerous

The trial testimony of would-have-been September 11th hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui is giving Americans and the world a much-needed reminder of the deranged swamp of hatred that motivates worldwide terrorism.  From the AP:

ALEXANDRIA , Va. - Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui insists he does not want to be executed, but for the second time he took the stand at his death-penalty trial and spouted off in a way that could eliminate any chance for mercy.

Moussaoui mocked the tearful testimony of 9/11 victims and their families and wished for similar attacks every day until America falls. He gave a detailed explanation of his hatred for America, flipping through a Quran on the witness stand trying to find justification for his views.

Moussaoui's testimony Thursday at his death-penalty trial came as defense lawyers sought to show Moussaoui was crazy and prosecutors sought to show he was simply evil.

Of course, "crazy" and "evil" are not mutually exclusive.  Moussaoui seems to fit both categories.  I would add the words "foolish" and "dangerous" as well.   

In fact, the same description would be apt for most Islamic terrorists on earth today:

EvilCrazyFoolishandDangerous

Keep these four adjectives in mind when considering the appropriate response to terrorists.

Do we make excuses for genuine evil?  No.  Not unless we want to water down our own commitment to what is good and tolerate evil.

Do we negotiate with the crazy?  No.  Not if we are sane ourselves.

Do we "make room at the table" by sharing decision-making power with the foolish?  No.  Not unless we are either foolish ourselves, or indifferent to whether the resulting decisions turn out well.

Do we ignore the dangerous?  No.  We take action to avoid and prevent the danger.

As the civilized nations of the world engage in this battle begun by worldwide Islamic terrorists, let us always keep in mind what terrorism is.  We will save ourselves a lot of confusion and grief if we keep in mind that goodness, sanity, common sense, and harmlessness are not defining traits of terrorists.

The trial testimony of would-have-been September 11th hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui is giving Americans and the world a much-needed reminder of the deranged swamp of hatred that motivates worldwide terrorism.  From the AP:

ALEXANDRIA , Va. - Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui insists he does not want to be executed, but for the second time he took the stand at his death-penalty trial and spouted off in a way that could eliminate any chance for mercy.

Moussaoui mocked the tearful testimony of 9/11 victims and their families and wished for similar attacks every day until America falls. He gave a detailed explanation of his hatred for America, flipping through a Quran on the witness stand trying to find justification for his views.

Moussaoui's testimony Thursday at his death-penalty trial came as defense lawyers sought to show Moussaoui was crazy and prosecutors sought to show he was simply evil.

Of course, "crazy" and "evil" are not mutually exclusive.  Moussaoui seems to fit both categories.  I would add the words "foolish" and "dangerous" as well.   

In fact, the same description would be apt for most Islamic terrorists on earth today:

EvilCrazyFoolishandDangerous

Keep these four adjectives in mind when considering the appropriate response to terrorists.

Do we make excuses for genuine evil?  No.  Not unless we want to water down our own commitment to what is good and tolerate evil.

Do we negotiate with the crazy?  No.  Not if we are sane ourselves.

Do we "make room at the table" by sharing decision-making power with the foolish?  No.  Not unless we are either foolish ourselves, or indifferent to whether the resulting decisions turn out well.

Do we ignore the dangerous?  No.  We take action to avoid and prevent the danger.

As the civilized nations of the world engage in this battle begun by worldwide Islamic terrorists, let us always keep in mind what terrorism is.  We will save ourselves a lot of confusion and grief if we keep in mind that goodness, sanity, common sense, and harmlessness are not defining traits of terrorists.

Terrorists Testing Airline Defense With Bombs Disguised as Common Objects

Think airport security officials are going overboard these days?

Maybe not.

Terrorists are attempting to turn common items -- from back braces to electric toothbrushes to watches -- into explosives and detonators:

U.S. officials have been collecting examples of would-be bombs from airport security and intelligence agencies around the world.

The newest techniques involve everyday items. "They're always working to improve to use common objects to use against us; they're innovative, creative," TSA administrator Kip Hawley told ABC News. "And even though you think this is a very small container, you can put a lot of damage inside even the back of a watch."

Hawley showed ABC News one such watch, demonstrating that what looks like an ordinary accessory can actually become a bomb detonator -- an explosive charge -- which could be used to set off a huge explosion.

How would a would-be suicide bomber use it? "Well, you would smuggle it through security then you would actually be able to press it up against" a bomb-laden vest, Hawley explained.

"Just that simple. You have a power source, you have the detonator and everything else you need there in an explosive," Hawley said.

The watch -- a duplicate of one recovered from a suspected suicide bomber overseas -- comes complete with a battery for electrical spark and a tiny cube of TATP, a powerful explosive.

Authorities overseas also found an electric toothbrush, similar to one the TSA showed ABC News, which was actually re-engineered to detonate a plastic explosive that could be hidden in the lining of a briefcase.

A government test video shows how small amounts of explosives can cause a damaging blast. Islam and his co-defendants allegedly planned to use common sports drink bottles to conceal liquid explosives. Investigators said the group planned to use those materials, and seemingly innocuous electronic devices such as MP3 players, in their alleged plot, which authorities thwarted in 2006.

The Transportation Security Administration says terrorists' latest tactics to bypass airport security include hiding explosive materials in common items such as watches, electric toothbrushes and braces.

(ABC)

As a result, U.S. officials banned liquid containers of more than 3 ounces from all carry-on luggage.

In December 2001, British citizen Richard Reid attempted to blow up his explosive-packed shoes on a plane flying from Paris to Miami. He pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in 2002 and is serving his sentence at the Supermax federal prison in Florence, Colo. But according to the government, the threat posed by shoe bombs didn't end with the so-called shoe bomber.

Government tests have shown how a shoe bomb could easily slice through metal and potentially take down a plane.

In recent months, TSA screeners have been routinely discovering peculiar, suspicious items hidden in the lining and soles of shoes.

Authorities have discovered wires, electronic components, even toggle switches embedded in footwear.

Other items that cause concern for TSA screeners are medically necessary devices, such as a back brace, which, in the wrong hands, could be used to hide an explosive.

Hawley said security personnel could likely detect bomb components with a pat down, but that they need to be prepared to deal with suspicious travelers who might use a brace to conceal explosives.

"Frequently, somebody will talk their way out of [it]: 'Oh, that's just I've got a sore back. Don't touch back there,'" Hawley said. "So officers have to be prepared for somebody doing a little bit of a fake or talking them out of it. And they just have to just maintain their distance and their discipline to determine whether or not there is a threat object." 

Given the seriousness of the threat, the TSA deserves credit for having helped to prevent, thus far, a terrorist airline disaster since September 11th.  We don't give credit often enough to the full range of people who are working hard every day to try to keep us safe.  Firefighters get gratitude and respect, but TSA workers get very little.  Yet they are serving on the front lines of this war of Islamic terror.  I, for one, am glad they are there. 

The Terrorist Nursery

Noteworthy: Suzanne Fields, Teaching Violent Intolerance: The Tiny Ticking Time Bombs in the Middle East

It takes a concerted effort to nurture and maintain the level of hatred that leads men to sacrifice their own lives just to take the lives of innocent civilians.

And yet look at the results of the Islamic jihad:  Thousands upon thousands of innocent men, women and children killed and critically injured in the name of Allah all around the world.  Hundreds more added to the rolls of the dead and maimed every week.

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

(Rodgers and Hammerstein, South Pacific)

If we are ever to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the earth, where do we even begin when violent hatred is deliberately instilled in Muslim children from earliest childhood?

Do You Care That They're Still Trying to Kill You?

Is the trial of the transatlantic airline bomb plotters all one big yawner, since no planes have actually exploded lately?

Hey, it's human nature to react to imminent threats, and to relax when the immediate danger seems to have passed.  So I'm not exactly on the edge of my seat over the 2006 plot to detonate multiple jetliners as they crossed the Atlantic. 

Yet it still fills me with outrage, and I think it should do the same for you.

I'm outraged that since 2006 I've had to dump most of my liquids before boarding a flight, or confine them to tiny baggies for inspection.  This after having tossed my scissors and other forgotten weaponry at the security checkpoint.

I'm outraged that every time I take a flight, there's a little added element of risk, thanks to sick, loony Islamists who think nothing of killing themselves and few hundred people who happen to be around them.  They think nothing of it other than A good day's work -- insallah.

I'm outraged that there are tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands or millions of these nutballs walking the earth whom I can't turn my back on.  I can't trust them to help in an emergency -- heck, they are trying to create the emergency.  No, I can't trust them with my own life, or my children's lives.  Common human decency?  Not in the playbook.

I'm outraged that the apologists, defenders, and whitewashers of their ilk aren't shouted down every time they open their traps to speak.  I'm outraged that the AP has been known to call Osama Bin Laden, orchestrator of deaths of innocent thousands, a "dissident."

Oh, but let's hear about the fresh hell this batch of walking demons planned to unleash -- and still will, if it can:

LONDON -- A 2006 plot to blow up passenger jets over the Atlantic could have resulted in the near-simultaneous detonation of seven Boeing 777s, with authorities having no means of halting "an act of terrorism on an almost unprecedented scale" once it was underway, prosecutors said Thursday.

As a trial opened for eight Britons accused of hatching the plot, prosecutors for the first time laid out evidence in a now-infamous scheme that paralyzed airports on both sides of the Atlantic and ended the era when passengers could pass through airport security with a soft drink or a large bottle of shampoo.

At least seven flights were targeted, leaving at midafternoon from London's Heathrow Airport for New York, Washington, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and San Francisco, prosecutor Peter Wright told jurors.

"Therefore, barring unexpected cancellation or lengthy delay, seven passenger aircraft carrying hundreds of passengers and crew depart Heathrow Airport entirely at the mercy of the suicide bombers who happen to be on board with their deadly devices," Wright said.

The trial is expected to last as long as eight months for the men, many of them strongly observant Muslims, who hail mainly from suburban communities around Britain such as Walthamstow and High Wycombe.

No charges have been filed in Britain in the current case against Rashid Rauf, a British-Pakistani citizen believed to have links to extremist groups in Pakistan. His arrest in Pakistan apparently triggered the roundup of the suspects in Britain. Rauf's brother was one of 24 suspects initially taken into custody, but was subsequently released without charge.

All eight men have pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiracy to murder, preparing acts of terrorism and, in at least one case, possession of illegal firearms. According to the charges, at least one defendant had a book on improvised explosive devices, suicide notes, wills and a map of Afghanistan.

The majority of the prosecution's case is expected to be laid out today, but in an initial overview Thursday, Wright also detailed how the suspects are believed to have planned to disguise bombs as bottles of soft drinks in order to smuggle them through airport security.

Details of the North America-bound flight schedules and information about baggage restrictions at Heathrow were on a computer memory stick found in the pocket of one of the alleged ringleaders, Ahmed Abdullah Ali, 27, when he was arrested, the prosecution said. Wright also showed the jury a small address book that authorities say was found in Ali's possession that contained lists of items investigators believe were the components needed to assemble liquid bombs.

"Clean batteries, disguise . . . drink bottles . . . check time to fill each bottle," the list said. "Decide on which battery to use for D. Small is best. . . . Select date. Five days before. All link up, prepare. . . .

"One drink use. Other keep in pocket maybe will not get through . . . plus keys and chewing gum . . . cameras take. The drinks that you should drink should be different flavr [sic]."

Potentially explosive quantities of hydrogen peroxide, the prosecutor said, were to be mixed with a fruit-flavored drink powder, then injected by hypodermic needle into the bottom of plastic drink bottles to make it appear as though the bottles were unopened when they were taken through security.

Small AA batteries, he said, were to be emptied and refilled with a homemade detonating compound, which would then be set off with something such as a disposable camera flash.

Ali was arrested when he drove to a parking lot near his house to meet with another man authorities have identified as one of the ringleaders, defendant Assad Sarwar, 28.

The other defendants are Tanvir Hussain, 27; Mohammed Gulzar, 26; Ibrahim Savant, 27; Arafat Khan, 26; Waheed Zaman, 23; and Umar Islam, 29.

It was a "2006 plot."  That keeps it at a safe distance.  But the reality is that it is also a 2008 plot.  It's still a this-year-if-we-can-get-away-with-it plot, and a next week plot, and a maybe tomorrow plot.  Remember that as you carry your baggie with 3 ounces or less sized liquids through security.  The outrage should be fresh because the danger is a real today as it was before.

The murderous nuts and their defenders should be shouted down, ridiculed, hunted, captured, and pulled out of free society.  There must be no elbow room for their ilk.  They must not be watered down in our talk from "terrorist" to "militants" to "fighters."  It is not a "fighter" who engages in wanton murder of civilians minding their own business.  It is a murderous nut.

Here they are . . . the alleged murderous nutballs:

You, and, you, and you, and you, all eight of you -- you receive the presumption of innocence that you (allegedly) would have denied to everyone who happened to board a plane.  You will receive the very due process you would have (allegedly) denied to the wide swath of humanity -- men, women, children -- you call your enemy.

They don't have an agenda.  Death is their agenda.  They say it's for the glory of Allah.  Not, it's for the glory of death, destruction, and decay.

I'm still angry now because the danger is still now.

There is no prison deep enough.

Airline Passenger Detained Had Bomb-Making Materials in Bag

Did passenger profiling by behavioral specialists result in the apprehension of a man atttempting to carry bomb-making materials in his luggage onto a flight in Orlando?  That's the impression one might draw from this report of the incident:

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A man behavior specialists spotted acting suspiciously was detained after components used to make pipe bombs were found in his luggage at Orlando International Airport.

IMAGES: Man Taken Into Custody

Officials said agents noticed something about the man's body language that prompted officers to move in near the Virgin Atlantic and Jamaica Airlines ticket counters.

A portion of the Terminal A in front of Virgin Atlantic was closed Tuesday afternoon and passengers were evacuated.

The man, believed to be Jamaican, and his bags were then searched by bomb squad members.

During the search, bomb materials were found in at least one of the man's bags.

"This appears to have been a serious matter with the potential for tragic consequences, and the incident is being thoroughly investigated," ranking member on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure U.S. Rep. John Mica said in a written statement.

However, apparently it didn't take as much training as it might initally appear to spot this guy.  The report continues:

Passengers waiting to board flights said they noticed the man acting suspiciously before agents moved in.

"He looked rather crazy," a passenger said. "He was rocking left and right and up and down. He looked a little wacko."

Oh.

I guess everybody's a behavioral specialist then.

Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: Terrorists Show More of Their Endless Creativity in Service of Death: Sold Poisoned Food

Originally published on March 25, 2006: Terrorists Show More of Their Endless Creativity in Service of Death: Sold Poisoned Food

And . . It's "Bin Laden" AUDIO with a Still Photo

Report here.

And what's the terrorist's grievance du jour?  Mohammed cartoons.

Osama bin Laden slammed the publication of drawings insulting to the Prophet Muhammad in a new audio message posted late Wednesday and warned Europeans of a strong reaction to come.

The message, which appeared on a militant Web site that has carried al-Qaida statements in the past and bore the logo of the extremist group's media wing al-Sahab, showed a still image of bin Laden aiming with an AK-47.

A voice believed to be bin Laden's described the cartoons as taking place in the framework of a "new Crusade" against Islam and warned Europeans that a reaction would come.

"The response will be what you see and not what you hear and let our mothers bereave us if we do not make victorious our messenger of God," he said, without specifying what action would be taken.

The tape was posted less than a week after the Danish intelligence service said the reprinting of a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad had brought "negative attention" to Denmark and may have increased the risk to Danes at home and abroad.

Danish newspapers republished a cartoon showing Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban on Feb. 13 to show their commitment to freedom of speech after police said they had uncovered a plot to kill the artist.

The drawing was one of 12 cartoons first published in a Danish newspaper that triggered major protests in Muslim countries in 2006. The reprint has led to protests in some predominantly Muslim countries.

Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable, for fear it could lead to idolatry.

In the audiotape, the voice believed to be bin Laden's describes attacks by Europeans, saying "it grieves us that you targeted our villages with your bombardments, these villages built of mud, collapsed on our women and children."

But he said these "paled (in comparison) when you went overboard in your unbelief and freed yourselves of the etiquettes of dispute and fighting and went to the extent of publishing these insulting drawings, this is the greatest misfortune and the most dangerous."

The five-minute message, which featured English subtitles, is bin Laden's first for 2008 and follows up an hour-long, audio missive from Dec. 29 in which he warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against fighting Al- Qaida in Iraq and vowed new attacks on Israel.

Oh, and he blames the Pope.

What a nutbar.

Update 1:  Allahpundit has no answers but lots of very good questions.

Update 2:  The CIA reportedly says with a high degree of confidence that the voice on the latest audio tape is Bin Laden's.

Which means either that the CIA actually has a high degree of confidence that the voice is Bin Laden's or that it wants the terrorists to think that this is what the CIA thinks.

For now, let's go with the simple working assumption that Bin Laden is alive but concealing his current appearance.

Osama Bin Laden Fake Video On Its Way

A new "Osama Bin Laden" message is on its way.

I'm not expecting current video.  Bin Laden is either pushing up daisies opium poppies or keeping his currrent appearance a secret.

If there's video, look for splicing and dicing.

I suppose I could be wrong.  Bin Laden could be (a) alive and (b) suddenly willing to throw caution to the wind and reveal himself.  But odds are against it.  He's been too silent for too long, as murderous megalomaniacs go.

As for the substance of the video, do we care what "Bin Laden" thinks of the Iraq war or anything else? 

Have we ever handed our foreign policy over to someone whose claim to fame is killing lots of innocent Americans?

The video is of interest only as means of verifying Bin Laden's whereabouts or non-existence.

Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: More Evidence of Saddam-Al Qaeda Connections for Journalists to Ignore

Originally published on March 18, 2006:  More Evidence of Saddam-Al Qaeda Connections for Journalists to Ignore

Osama bin Laden requested Iraqi cooperation on terrorism and propaganda.  In January 1997 the Iraqi regime was eager to continue its relationship with bin Laden

One Year Ago Today on GINA COBB: A Confession From Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- Sept. 11 "Mastermind" and Murderous Moral Idiot

Originally published on March 15, 2007:  A Confession From Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- Sept. 11 "Mastermind" and Murderous Moral Idiot

A Confession From Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- Sept. 11 "Mastermind" and Murderous Moral Idiot

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is being held at Guantanamo as an enemy combatant, has admitted to planning the 9/11 attack and planning or assisting a total of over 30 attacks.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, confessed to that attack and a chilling string of other terror plots during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a transcript released Wednesday by the Pentagon.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is being held at Guantanamo as an enemy combatant, has admitted to planning the 9/11 attack and planning or assisting a total of over 30 attacks.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, confessed to that attack and a chilling string of other terror plots during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a transcript released Wednesday by the Pentagon.

Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: American Hostage Tortured and Killed; Activists Can't Work Up Any Moral Outrage

Originally published on March 11, 2006:  American Hostage Tortured and Killed; Activists Can't Work Up Any Moral Outrage

Palestinians Celebrate Murder, Racing Toward Their Own Destruction

Palestinians have a death wish, on more than one level.

Michael Goodwin writes ("Palestinian Celebration of Murder Dooms Hope for Peace"):

The pictures from Jerusalem were horrifying: Dead and injured students being wheeled out of a Jewish religious school after an Arab gunman went on a rampage. Other images were disturbing in a different way: These were the pictures of Palestinians celebrating the massacre.