""In fact, everyone Kyle kills is horrible. The war is a lot easier to support when no Americans ever make a mistake and everyone who opposes them is obviously horrible. You’re either with us or against us. We’re spreading freedom and democracy with guns and drones. God bless America." "The message of American Sniper is that Kyle is the real victim of the war. The Iraqis he shot deserved it, because – as it has established to its own satisfaction – they were savages. As for non-savage Iraqis who may have reasonable grounds to complain about what happened to their country following the invasion, they must be in some other movie.""
Friday, January 23, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
This is most touching: a former researcher for Human Rights Watch eulogizes the Saudi King
"""During King Abdullah's reign, he has inspired a greater openness in two particular areas: role of women and freedom of expression. And there is [an] outburst of criticism, social criticism and of government policy that happened in Saudi Arabia with the tolerance to some degree of the Saudi government," Christoph Wilcke, former Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera."
Remember the victims of your beloved king
There is a Hadith which says: And remember the virtues of your dead.
I say: And remember the virtues of the victims of your dead, they are more deserving of mercy and sympathy.
I say: And remember the virtues of the victims of your dead, they are more deserving of mercy and sympathy.
The Nasser complex
While Al-Arabiyyah (the sleazy news station of King Fahd's brother-in-law) is mourning the king, they could not help but take digs at Nasser. From his grave Nasser is still tormenting this grotesque dynasty.
American TV mourning the death of a tyrant, in tears
You have to watch CNN a bit to get a glimpse of the hypocrisy of all mainstream Western media. Wolf Blitzer and Fareed Zakaria are almost as devastated as the sons of the King (the daughters are not as devastated because four of them have been locked up for years). Zakaria praised him as "the most liberal and the most progressive" of all the princes. Yeah, this is like saying that Goring was less militant than Himmler. The entire facade of Western policies are exposed for what they are: tyrants are supported and praised if they serve as tool of the US. Zakaria insisted that he was loved by his people because he attended his gathering one time: as if dissidents are allowed within the parameters of the royal palace. But then again: did you plagiarize your sentences on the King, Mr. Zakaria or were those your own words?
Comrade Hossam on the death of the Saudi King
"Hossam عمو حسام @3arabawy · 55m 55 minutes ago
I await impatiently pictures of some Arab liberals weeping over their patron :-)"
I await impatiently pictures of some Arab liberals weeping over their patron :-)"
Three amigos
The one to the left is a tyrant. The one in the center is a tyrant. And the one to the right is a tyrant.
Three hours ago from Reuters
"A member of the royal family wrote: "I give you good news. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is fine and there is no truth to the rumors going around.""
Weekend At Bernies?
The last picture of the Saudi King according to the news station of the brother-in-law of his brother, Fahd, Al-Arabiyyah.
Did the Saudi King die?
I am getting a lot of emails and messages that the Saudi king has died--for real this time.
Leaderless countries
Name the two Arab countries that don't currently have a head of state, where there are vacancies in the top post of government?
Anne Barnard and Lebanese public opinion
"Yet that outpouring was largely among Hezbollah loyalists." I know that she does not know Arabic, but if she looks around the social media among the Lebanese she may notice that many profile pictures have been rendered to honor Jihad Mughniyyah. In fact, there has been such outpouring among the Christian and leftist audiences in Lebanon. But how would she know when she relies too much on the March 14 stringers and fixers in her bureau?
American Sniper and politics
"Sniper is a movie whose politics are so ludicrous and idiotic that under normal circumstances it would be beneath criticism. The only thing that forces us to take it seriously is the extraordinary fact that an almost exactly similar worldview consumed the walnut-sized mind of the president who got us into the war in question.
It's the fact that the movie is popular, and actually makes sense to so many people, that's the problem. "American Sniper has the look of a bona fide cultural phenomenon!" gushed Brandon Griggs of CNN, noting the film's record $105 million opening-week box office.
Griggs added, in a review that must make Eastwood swell with pride, that the root of the film's success is that "it's about a real person," and "it's a human story, not a political one."
Well done, Clint! You made a movie about mass-bloodshed in Iraq that critics pronounced not political! That's as Hollywood as Hollywood gets."
It's the fact that the movie is popular, and actually makes sense to so many people, that's the problem. "American Sniper has the look of a bona fide cultural phenomenon!" gushed Brandon Griggs of CNN, noting the film's record $105 million opening-week box office.
Griggs added, in a review that must make Eastwood swell with pride, that the root of the film's success is that "it's about a real person," and "it's a human story, not a political one."
Well done, Clint! You made a movie about mass-bloodshed in Iraq that critics pronounced not political! That's as Hollywood as Hollywood gets."
Why is the New York Times delibately misquoting the French Prime Minister?
"Mr. Valls spoke of waging a war “against terrorism, against jihadism, against radical Islam". In fact, Valls spoke of war against "radical Islamism" but the paper has consistently been misquoting him.
NYT rehabilitates Joan Peters
This obituary of Joan Peters is basically a rehabilitation of someone who was so discredited that she changed her name and never wrote a word after her famous hoax.
Thomas Friedman complaints: not enough Islamophobia in the US
Imagine if people were to complain that based on Israeli terrorism, people are avoiding calling Israeli terrorism an example of "Jewish terrorism" or to link to the faith itself. But do you notice that invariably Friedman cites someone who writes in the media of Saudi princes? Here he cites a writer in the mouthpiece of Prince Salman, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, who also works for Hariri TV. How cute. This Zionist-Saudi honeymoon is almost touching.
Wait: is this one of those cases where the FBI comes up with a terrorist plot and then feed it to an informant who then lures dumb militants to it?
"Later, according to court papers, Mr. Vinas used his familiarity with the Long Island Rail Road to give details on the system’s operations to a senior Qaeda member, to help with a plot to blow up a commuter train at Pennsylvania Station."
American Sniper is also a fabricator
"“There were a lot of things he told people that are really unverifiable,” journalist Michael J. Mooney, who wrote a book on Kyle, told The Washington Post in July."
Turkish defector exposing the role in Syria
From Ali, Angry Arab's correspondent in Turkey: "After documents showing how Turkish intelligence providing the groups in Syria were leaked, Another significant witness show up himself and break the silence.
An ex-Senior MIT (Turkish intelligence) official, working on Syria during early stages of the armed uprising and handed over Hussain Harmoush who was believed to be mastermind behind bloody massacre in Jisr ash-Shougur in 2011 to Syrian authorities breaks the silence and exposes their role in the war.
* I didn't gave Harmoush to Syrian government for money, I did it for may conscience, we knew that he killed 138 people in Jisr ash-Shougur but MIT attached importance to him, this was disturbing me.
• Thousands of people from different countries were coming to Turkey with no legal papers, and Turkish officials helped them to cross the border.
• Turkish port of Iskenderun was used as an hub to arm the jihadists. Ships unload the weapons to Iskenderun port where they were load to lorries and sent to border.
• Leading Syrian oppositions figures continued their anti-Alawite rhetoric in Hatay. They told Syrian refugees that be careful about Alawite doctors and nurses etc.
• I am ready to expose the role of Turkish government in any international court. I am ready to give testimony as a witness. "
An ex-Senior MIT (Turkish intelligence) official, working on Syria during early stages of the armed uprising and handed over Hussain Harmoush who was believed to be mastermind behind bloody massacre in Jisr ash-Shougur in 2011 to Syrian authorities breaks the silence and exposes their role in the war.
* I didn't gave Harmoush to Syrian government for money, I did it for may conscience, we knew that he killed 138 people in Jisr ash-Shougur but MIT attached importance to him, this was disturbing me.
• Thousands of people from different countries were coming to Turkey with no legal papers, and Turkish officials helped them to cross the border.
• Turkish port of Iskenderun was used as an hub to arm the jihadists. Ships unload the weapons to Iskenderun port where they were load to lorries and sent to border.
• Leading Syrian oppositions figures continued their anti-Alawite rhetoric in Hatay. They told Syrian refugees that be careful about Alawite doctors and nurses etc.
• I am ready to expose the role of Turkish government in any international court. I am ready to give testimony as a witness. "
So who is the legitimate leader of Yemen now?
From Basim: "Did the U.S. State Department ever call the democratically-elected Muhammad Morsi the "legitimate leader" of Egypt? :
The United States declined on Wednesday to criticize Egypt's military, even as it was ousting Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi from power. Asked whether the Egyptian army had the legitimacy to remove Mursi from power, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, "We're not taking sides in this."
The United States declined on Wednesday to criticize Egypt's military, even as it was ousting Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi from power. Asked whether the Egyptian army had the legitimacy to remove Mursi from power, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, "We're not taking sides in this."
Freedom House as mentored by Bill Casey
"In an Aug. 9, 1982 letter to Raymond, Freedom House executive director Leonard R. Sussman wrote that “Leo Cherne has asked me to send these copies of Freedom Appeals. He has probably told you we have had to cut back this project to meet financial realities. … We would, of course, want to expand the project once again when, as and if the funds become available. Offshoots of that project appear in newspapers, magazines, books and on broadcast services here and abroad. It’s a significant, unique channel of communication” – precisely the focus of Raymond’s work.
According to the documents, Freedom House remained near the top of Casey’s thinking when it came to the most effective way to deliver his hardline policy message to the American people in ways they would be inclined to accept, i.e., coming from ostensibly independent sources with no apparent ties to the government.
On Nov. 4, 1982, Raymond wrote to NSC Advisor William Clark about the “Democracy Initiative and Information Programs,” stating that “Bill Casey asked me to pass on the following thought concerning your meeting with [right-wing billionaire] Dick Scaife, Dave Abshire [then a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board], and Co."
According to the documents, Freedom House remained near the top of Casey’s thinking when it came to the most effective way to deliver his hardline policy message to the American people in ways they would be inclined to accept, i.e., coming from ostensibly independent sources with no apparent ties to the government.
On Nov. 4, 1982, Raymond wrote to NSC Advisor William Clark about the “Democracy Initiative and Information Programs,” stating that “Bill Casey asked me to pass on the following thought concerning your meeting with [right-wing billionaire] Dick Scaife, Dave Abshire [then a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board], and Co."
US policy in Syria and the rest of the Arab world
The US never chose between killers and victims. The US has always favored a policy that rested on this question: who among the killers do we favor?
France's government confirmed on Wednesday
"Several French former soldiers have joined the ranks of jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq, France's government confirmed on Wednesday," (thanks Amir)
Tyrant Sisi
I really am of the opinion that Gen. Sisi is not altogether. Have you watched his interview? You feel that he may crack at any second. Watch this.
a coup or not a coup: an American guide for the perplexed
Sisi coup was not a coup because Sisi was more pro-US than his predecessor.
Huthi coup in Yemen is a coup because Hadi is pro-US.
Huthi coup in Yemen is a coup because Hadi is pro-US.
John McCain and Ahmad Jarba
Did people notice that John McCain referred to Ahmad Jarba as president of the Syrian National Coalition when he posted their picture on twitter? It seems that the US government planned a secret election for the leadership of the SNC but the latter was not informed.
The leader of the Syrian Muslim brotherhood threatens Alawites with extermination
The seculars of the Syrian "revolution" have been assuring us that the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has changed and that it no more espouses sectarian views, its past history of sectarian massacres notwithstanding. Yet, the new "General Inspector" (that is what they call their leader) of the Brotherhood just threatened extermination of `Alawites in Syria in an interview.
Obama on Syria
"Fourth, as much as he despises Assad, he understands more than his colleagues do that the jihadis are a far greater threat to American national security and to our allies than Assad ever was or will be."
Is there a shift in conventional thinking about Syria in Washington, DC?
Does that mean that Kerry will soon have another candle light dinner with Asad and his wife? "But these advisers simply don’t get the plain fact that the jihadis are quickly overtaking Assad in atrocities and will go frighteningly further in the end."
The thrust of US Department of State official policy toward Syria
"but they also protest fiercely that any move away from the rebels toward Assad would totally alienate key American allies in the region such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia." (thanks Fadi)
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
The Ms Lebanon controversy
Of all the developments in Lebanon, the New York Times thought that the most important story is the picture of Ms. Lebanon with the representative of the Israeli occupation state in the silly beauty pageant. The biggest story in Lebanon in the last two months has been the imposition of health standards on Lebanese restaurants and there was not one word about that by the US correspondents in Beirut but this one is newsworthy for them. And in this article they mention in passing that Israeli terrorist killed Lebanese in Qunaytrah.
Anne Barnard reports: threats from Nasrallah?
"A range of developments — threats from Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech on Friday". I watched the speech in Arabic and--unlike Barnard--it was not reported to me by the pro-March 14 stringers and fixers of the New York Times office in Beirut and I did not see threats that Nasrallah made. He did talk about defense against Israeli attacks, does that mean that to defend from Israeli attacks is a threat in itself according to Barnard?
Israeli terrorists kill Arabs if they think that they "may have been planning" attacks against Israel
"On Monday, Eyal Ben-Reuven, a retired Israeli major general, said in a conference call with international journalists that the presence of such a high-ranking Iranian figure alongside Hezbollah commanders near the Golan Heights suggested that they may have been “planning an operation against Israel on a high level.”" Does that mean that Arabs will have the right to kill Israelis if they think that they "may have been planning attacks on Arabs"?
It is dangerous to engage in satire in France: terrorists of the state and terrorists of ISIS may go after you
"Un adolescent nantais de 16 ans a été placé en garde à vue pour avoir diffusé sur Facebook un dessin faisant l'apologie du terrorisme."(thanks David)
Is this funny?
"80+ Cartoonists And Comics Workers Tell Comics Industry: “No Business As Usual With Israel”" (thanks Ethan)
U.S. embassy: How Houthis obtain their weapons
"Contrary to ROYG [Republic of Yemen Government] claims that Iran is arming the Houthis, most local political analysts report that the Houthis obtain their weapons from the Yemeni black market and even from the ROYG military itself. According to a British diplomat, there are numerous credible reports that ROYG military commanders were selling weapons to the Houthis in the run-up to the Sixth War. An ICG report on the Sa'ada conflict from May 2009 quoted NSB [National Security Bureau] director Ali Mohammed al-Ansi saying, "Iranians are not arming the Houthis. The weapons they use are Yemeni. Most actually come from fighters who fought against the socialists during the 1994 war and then sold them." Mohammed Azzan, presidential advisor for Sa'ada affairs, told PolOff on August 16 that the Houthis easily obtain weapons inside Yemen, either from battlefield captures or by buying them from corrupt military commanders and soldiers. Azzan said that the military "covers up its failure" by saying the weapons come from Iran."
U.S. embassy: What Houthis are fighting for
"Over the past 20 years, Zaydis -) who have historically made up the majority of the governorate's population )- have felt increasingly threatened by the radical Sunni Salafism exported from Saudi Arabia (ref b)."
President Barack Obama praised King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s “commitment to reform
"just days after Bahraini security forces fired live ammunition at protesters in Manama — an attack that killed four and wounded many others — President Barack Obama praised King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s “commitment to reform.” "
Homeless set on fire while sleeping
"Three male suspects lit a homeless man on fire while he was asleep in his sleeping bag at Ventura Beach." (thanks Amir)
"Wide zone of freedom for writers" in Saudi media
Saudi regime loyalist, Jihad Khazin, denounces Western criticisms of Saudi regime and maintains that there is a "wide zone of freedom for writers" in the media of Saudi princes. I am not making this up. (thanks Ahmad)
Who is the "legitimate" leader of Yemen?
"State Department: President Hadi remains the legitimate leader of #Yemen". Wait: does that mean that the ousted president of the Ukraine is also the legitimate leader of Ukraine although Hadi was handpicked by dictator Saleh and approved by GCC, unlike the election of the ousted president of Ukraine?
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