PERSON OF THE WEEK - July 23-29, 2006

I have been almost totally deprived of news this past week. I was at a "Liberty and Current Issues" seminar, and I ate, slept, and breathed Libertarian political theory from about 9:00 AM until midnight every day (no the seminar didn't run until midnight, but the evening socials did). That said, the one thing I did hear about was Condoleeza Rice's trip to the Middle East - so it must have been important. Having since caught up on the news, Rice does seem to be the week's biggest newsmaker, and I give her a lot of kudos for dropping everything and heading to over there to try to help stabilize the situation (though I personally think that the only real way to stabilize things is to wipe out Hezbollah).

So, for her efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is ConservaGlobe's Person of the Week.

Tags: Condoleeza Rice, Condi Rice, Middle East, Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Person of the Week

PERSON OF THE WEEK - July 16-22, 2006

This week's award goes to the irst man to refer to the situtation in the Middle East as what it really is, World War III.

ConservaGlobe's Person of the Week is...
NEWT GINGRICH!

Kudos to Newt for his brutal honesty.

Two Week Vacation

I will be spending the next two weeks in Washington, DC for a seminar and a conference, so this site may not be updated terribly often. I will make my best effort to get Person of the Week columns written, but I can't garauntee much more thant that. If I have time and access to the internet, I may be able to post a few entries (but don't hold your breath). If possible, I will try to blog the Young America's Foundation's National Conservative Students Conference, which will include quite a few big name speakers (I'm really looking forward to hearing Newt Gingrich, Michelle Malkin, and others.)

If you really want to read my work, I have been participating in a debate on left-wing blog. The subject matter is whether or not Israel is a racist apartied state (obviously, I believe that is isn't). You may not want to read this thread if you are sensitive to profanity (and no, I'm not the one using it.) Click here to view.

PERSON OF THE WEEK - July 9-15, 2006

Conflict between Israel and Islamist terrorists dominated the news yet again this week, but this time with a new villain. Forget Khaled Mashal of Hamas and his puny little insurgency; center stage now belongs to the better armed, better funded, and better organized Hezbollah. Instead of sporadic rocket fire from Gaza, Israel now has to contend with a constant rain of Katyusha rockets from Lebanon, where Hezbollah claims to have amassed 10,000 of the devices. The man behind this massive bombardment is not a scraggly guerilla like Yasser Arafat or a well groomed politician like Mashal and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Those images have been replaced by the black turban and robes of a Shi'ite cleric named Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.

Nasrallah was not as well-known as other terrorist leaders because of Hezbollah's relatively quiet ways in recent years, but this week he made sure that everyone remembered that Hezbollah, not Hamas, was the number one anti-Israel terrorist organization. His forces kidnapped two Israeli soldiers (part of me wonders if that was just to show up Hamas, which only took one), killed eight more, and began pelting Northern Israel with rockets. By doing so, he triggered a massive conflict which has killed a number of Lebanese civilians.

In my opinion, Nasrallah is personally responsible for every death in this conflict, whether Israeli or Lebanese. He carried out an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation, which now is asserting is right (and responsibility) to defend itself. Had he not carried out these despicable attacks, innocent citizens of Lebanon would not be at risk.

So, for killing innocent Israelis in cold blood and doing massive harm to his own country by inviting Israel to attack, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is ConservaGlobe's Person of the Week.

Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Terrorism, War, Middle East, Hezbollah, Hamas, Katyusha,Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Person of the Week, Palestinians, News, Politics, Current Affairs, Palestine

The Terrorist Dictionary

There are a few confusing (and similar sounding) terms that are being mentioned in many news stories about the conflict in the Israel and Lebanon, so I thought it would be useful to explain the differences between Hamas and Hezbollah and also between a Qassam rocket and a Katyusha rocket.

Hamas and Hezbollah are VERY different organizations: Hamas is based in the Palestinian Territories (mainly the Gaza Strip) and it is composed of Sunni Muslims. Hezbollah is a Shi'ite organization based in Lebanon and Syria.

A Qassam rocket is a homemade device with a very short range and absolutely no accuracy, and it is the favorite weapon of Hamas. Katyusha rockets, preferred by Hezbollah, are more sophisticated devices built for conventional militaries. The original Katyusha was built by the USSR ("Katyusha" is an old Russian folk song), but the term is now applied to many similar rockets built in other countries. I think Hezbollah's are Iranian in origin. The Katyusha is a short range rocket and not very accurate by conventional military standards, but it is FAR superior to the primitive Qassam in both range and accuracy.

So, hopefully a few of you will understand the conflict better now that I have posted this dictionary of destruction. Good luck to Israel in their quest to eliminate all of the four terms defined in this post.

ROCK ON, ISRAEL!

Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Terrorism, War, Middle East, HezbollahHamas, Katyusha, Qassam

Rock On, Israel! (Part 2)

Israel has expanded it's anti-terror operations into Lebanon after Hezbollah guerrillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. As I did when they invaded Gaza, I commend Israel for showing no restraint in eliminating the deranged scumbags who are hellbent on killing innocent Israelis. That said, I do recognize that some people in Lebanon may be suffering right now, some of the pictures I have seen make me want to vomit. When I see children in pain, I want to spit in the faces of those who caused their misery - THAT IS ONE REASON WHY I SUPPORT ISRAEL'S MILITARY CAMPAIGN!

Now, what I have just said probably makes no sense to you if you are on the left (maybe even if you're on the right). I know what you're thinking - Isn't the suffering the result of Israel's military campaign? No, it isn't! If Hezbollah wasn't firing Katyusha rockets at innocent Israeli civilians, Israel would not be responding. The terrorists started this, Israel is merely finishing it. Furthermore, part of the reason that Lebanese civilians are being injured is that Hezbollah is purposefully using them as human shields! It is a common tactic of terrorists to purposefully operate in densely populated areas so that any attempt to fight them will result in massive civilian casualties (allowing them to claim mass murder when Israel responds to their terrorism). The more people die, the more Hezbollah can use their death as a rallying cry - so they are trying to make sure that as many people as possible are killed.

Hezbollah not only instigated this skirmish by firing at civilians, but it is attempting to maximize the number of innocent Lebanese civilians killed! Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that Hezbollah, not Israel, is to be held responsible for any harm that comes to Lebanese civilians. Israel is merely defending itself, and it is liberating the people of Lebanon from their bloodthirsty oppressors in the process.

So, I will reiterate what I said at the beginning of the Gaza Operation:

ROCK ON, ISRAEL!

Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Terrorism, War, Middle East, Hezbollah

Thoughts On The Mumbai Bombings

I really don't have much to say about yesterday's massive train bombings in Mumbai (Bombay), India. It's probably just as well; the main focus should be on the families who have lost loved ones, not online opinionists like myself.

One thing I did want to do was to put this attack into perspective. As of now, the death toll is 190 and climbing. That is more than triple the toll of last year's London Bombings (52), and only two short of the 192 lives claimed by the 2004 Madrid Bombings. In other words, if three more bodies are counted, this will become the deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11.

This is a despicable act of violence, and those who perpetrated it should be hunted down like the animals they are. No one has yet claimed responsibility, proving that they are not only subhuman butchers, but cowards as well.

My deepest condolences to all those who have suffered loss today.

Tags: Mumbai, Bombay, India, India Bombings, Mumbai Bombings, Bombay Bombings, Terrorism, al-Qaeda, Kashmir, South Asia, Asia

PERSON OF THE WEEK - July 2-8, 2006

Normally, I give this award to people who WIN elections. However, the theatrics of the runner up in Mexico's presidential election were enough overshadow the victory of conservative Felipe Calderon. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (popularly known as AMLO) was bested by Calderon in two separate vote counts, but he still refuses to concede defeat. Instead, the socialist mayor of Mexico City is demanding yet another recount, earning the new nickname "ObraGore" in the process. However, I disagree with that characterization - AMLO is ten times worse than Al Gore ever was. For one, Al Gore never led massive street protests in Florida. AMLO , on the other hand, has thousands of his people protesting in Mexico city (click here for picture). Furthermore, Gore never asserted that the people counting votes were actively conspiring with the Bush campaign to steal the election. In contrast, AMLO is alleging massive fraud and arguing that he lost because of a conspiracy (rather than a confusing ballot design).

In my opinion, the real difference between AMLO and Gore is that Gore accepted the decision of the courts and conceded - I don't think that AMLO will. While a formal protest has been filed with Mexico's electoral tribunal, I don't think that AMLO will recognize a ruling in favor of Calderon. You see, he is already alleging that the government is trying to keep him from taking power, so it wouldn't much of a stretch for him to just say that the courts are part of the conspiracy. Al Gore didn't try to take power by force after he lost, but I fear that AMLO will.

So, for pursuing a course of action that could shatter Mexico's fragile democracy, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is ConservaGlobe's Person of the Week.

Tags: Mexico, Mexico Election, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Felipe Calderon, Calderon, AMLO, Politica, PAN, Elecciones2006, prd, Person of the Week

...and I thought traitors in the US were bad!

Now Israel has it's very own version of John Murtha...Only worse. Murtha has said a lot of bad things about US troops, but he has never actually supported the kidnapping of US soldiers. However an Arab member of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) has actually come out in support of the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas militants. MK (Member of Knesset) Wasil Taha of the Balad Party said the following in a recent interview with Israel Radio: "the murder and massive bombardment of Gaza and the continued killings have left Palestinians with two options: Either to harm innocent civilians or confront the army, and they've picked the more difficult choice of confronting Israel Defense Forces, capturing [Corporal Gilad] Shalit in the conflict." Taha was then asked whether or not the kidnapping of Shalit was legitimate, to which he responded, "the occupation is not legitimate". Furthermore, Taha objects to the use of the word "kidnapping" to describe the abduction, saying that a more fitting word would be "captured". His defense of this statement was "A kidnapping is something terrorist organizations and as such do". (Note: People who blow up busses and fire Qassam rockets at innocent civilians are TERRORISTS!)

Now, Mr. Taha is entitled to his opinion (sick and demented as it may be). However, he is an Israeli citizen, and therefore his comments in support of his country's enemies are, by definition, traitorous. Furthermore, I am sure that Taha had to take some sort of oath to support Israel when he entered the Knesset (I would appreciate info from any one familiar with the process of swearing in MKs), and my guess is that his current stance places him in violation of that oath. Therefore, he should be thrown out of the Knesset immediately (kudos to MK Efi Eitam, who is asking Israel's Attorney General to investigate Mr. Taha).

In conclusion: Mr. Taha is a traitor to his country. If he has more loyalty to the Palestinians than to Israel, then he should relinquish his Israeli citizenship and emigrate to the Palestinian Territories, and I hope he does.

Tags: Israel, Palestine, Middle East, Terrorism, Politics, Treason, Wasil Taha, Taha, Balad, Knesset

Felipe Calderon, Presidente de Mexico!

With 99.54% of the official count completed, conservative Felipe Calderon leads socialist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the race to become Mexico's next president. Calderon's margin of victory is extremely thin (0.45%), but after two counts I think it is safe to say that his victory is beyond doubt. However, Lopez Obrador remains convinced that he, not Calderon, was elected based on the fact that his party's pre-election polling showed him winning by 500,000 votes. Taking a page from Al Gore's playbook, Lopez Obrador wants yet anther recount and his taking his demands to court, saying "We are going to the Federal Electoral Tribunal with the same demand — that the votes be counted — because we cannot accept these results" and "we have to defend the citizens' will.Apparentlyty, like many on the left, he has deluded himself into thinking that the only way he could lose is if someone cheated.

My message to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is this - follow your own advice and defend the citizens' will. You lost to Calderon in twseparatete vote counts, and it's time to concede.

Tags: Mexico, Mexico Election, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Felipe Calderon, Calderon, AMLO, Politica, PAN, Elecciones2006, prd

Happy 4th of July!

This blog may be about transcending national boundaries, but the blogger is proud to be an American. Happy birthday America!

Tags: 4th of July, Independence Day, USA, США, America, Freedom, Fourth of July

Mexico: Presidential Election Deadlocked!

While Mexico's election commission had hoped to declare a winner last night based on a "quick count" of representative polling stations, it has now become clear that the resolution of this election is going to be anything but quick. With almost all of the votes counted, conservative Felipe Calderon and socialist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are virtually tied - and both of them have declared victory. Here are the results turned in by 95.6% of the polling places (top two candidates only):

Felipe Calderon - 36.46%
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador - 35.41%

However, there is a catch. These numbers are not the OFFICIAL count, since they were counted at the various polling places across the country. The election commission will not declare a winner until they complete their own count of all the ballots - which will not even start until Wednesday. With such a razor-thin margin (about 500,000 votes) this election could easily go either way.

Regardless of who wins, this election is bound divide the Mexican population. Lopez Obrador pledged that he would govern for the poor, while Calderon's free market policies have caused him to be seen as a candidate of the rich. Both candidates had previously pledged to respect the result, but Lopez Obrador will not rule out calling massive street protests if he feels that he must "defend his triumph" (in other words, if he thinks he won but the election commission says otherwise).

Stay tuned....

Tags: Mexico, Mexico Election, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Felipe Calderon, Calderon, AMLO, Politica, PAN, Elecciones2006, prd

PERSONS OF THE WEEK - June 26-July 1, 2006

This week's choice was easy, but it was also difficult. The easy part was picking which story to focus on - nothing could equal Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, isolating one individual who had the most influence was very difficult. In the end, I chose to give the award to all three of the people who I think shaped the current situation.

First, could not ignore the man whose kidnapping triggered the military operation - a young Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit. His case has captured the attention of the entire world, and I'm sure that millions of people worldwide are praying for his safety. Luckily, the evidence seems to indicate that he is still alive. I can assure you that he is also in the prayers of this blogger, and I wish that I did not have to give him this award this week (as I would much rather he be safe than making this sort of news)

While Gilad Shalit may be the reason for the current situation, I also felt that I would be remiss if I did not mention the men who made the decisions about eeacatly how the rescue was to be carried out. Israel's leaders have made some very gutsy decisions throughout this campaign- most notably the decisions to arrest many prominent members of the Hamas-led Palestinian government and bomb the office of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Hence, I feel that I must give a piece of this award to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Defence Minister, Amir Peretz.

So, for their contributions to the current situation in Israel, I name Gilad Shalit, Ehud Olmert, and Amir Peretz as ConservaGlobe's Persons of the Week.

Tags: Person of the Week, Gilad Shalit, Ehud Olmert, Olmert, Shalit, Amir Peretz, Israel, Gaza, News, Current Affairs, Current Events