If you want to see the future of the European Union and understand the reality of its vainglorious ambitions, look to the present. In particular, look to the wearily predictable fracas over the supply of helicopters for the humanitarian mission in Chad, intended to relieve the suffering of the peoples of Darfur.
This is an issue on which EU member states are in the frame, in an area within the French sphere of influence and one which is crying out for urgent, practical action.
Yet, as the Associated Press tells us, the launch of the Eus peacekeeping could (yet again) be delayed, while the force commander Gen. Henri Bentegeat waits for firm commitments on the supply of vital helicopters.
All the man wants is a meagre dozen transport helicopters, which are absolutely essential to the mission as force multipliers to move peacekeepers quickly along the vast, sparsely populated borderlands west of Darfur.
Bentegeat says he is "very confident" nations would come up with around one dozen transport helicopters during the meetings in Brussels starting Monday but the very fact that the mission is supposed to start in December and he is still having to hand round the begging bowl tells you everything you need to know.
The ramshackle nature of the peacekeeping force and the weak commitment to it was well predicted in September, when there was plenty of time to get things organised and make the necessary equipment available.
So, Miliband can prattle all he likes about the role of the EU. But it is all empty rhetoric. When the chips are down, there is only one constant: Europe can't deliver.
#1
In an interview at WSJ, Henry Kissinger says "Europe can no longer convince its people to accept sacrifice." By this, he means every dime spent on military power is a dime not spent on welfare, and the ageing eurodhimmi population just won't hear of it. Pop over to Real Clear Politics and read it...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/17/2007 13:52 Comments ||
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#2
There is one big nightmare brewing on the background for Europe......Kosovo.
Posted by: Boss Uloling7442 ||
11/17/2007 15:28 Comments ||
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#3
It's not that it can't deliver. It won't deliver.
As opposed to France's, Sweden's, Holland's, the USA's,... third world future??? Seems to me that mass immigration into the West is a common feature, which brings common woes. Also, I might add that violence against jews is real, but pales in the scale of the violence against the non-jewish white europeans.
By Joseph Puder
Como, Italy Boatloads of illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and Arab North Africa land in Italys southern provinces, and then proceed northwards to the wealthier regions Lazio (Rome), Tuscany (Florence), Veneto (Venice), Piedmont (Turin) and Lombardy (Milan and Como).
These illegal immigrants can be seen in all the tourist spots throughout Italy and even in smaller towns such as Como, near the Swiss border. Their presence, while annoying to tourists and natives, is becoming increasingly menacing with their involvement in a new wave of crimes previously unseen in Italy.
The annoyance lies in the audacity with which these Third World infiltrators push their wares in peoples faces, often in a provocative way. The police look on passively, no doubt instructed not to interfere.
Inquiring into this untenable situation (immigrants constitute now 6.2% of Italys 58 million population), which may eventually prove to be detrimental to tourism and national identity, native Italians shrug their shoulders in a gesture of resignation. When prodded, most express their frustration by saying, Our government promises a lot with words but does nothing in actuality.
Italians, known for their love of life and tolerance towards others are getting fed up, albeit not totally focused on action. The October 30th, 2007, murder of an Italian woman by a Romanian immigrant brought the issue of immigrants threat to public security into sharper focus. Former center-right Prime Minister and opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi called on the Prodi government expel the Romanian immigrants (a large number of them are Gypsies/Roma people). Romes center-left Mayor Walter Veltroni was in a panic, demanding the central government act immediately.
On November 6th, 2007, the Prodi government came up with a decree, giving officers of the Interior Ministry the power to expel immigrant-citizens of EU countries. The decree does not however relate to the illegal immigrants that in proportion to their numbers commit far more crimes. It remains to be seen whether the new decree will be enforced?
In scores of impromptu interviews with local citizens during a recent visit to Italy, it was apparent that political-correctness and fear of being labeled racist have muted citizens complaints. Italians and other Europeans have remained relatively silent in the face of the ever-rising number of illegal immigrants (many of them Muslims from North Africa and Albania) who are in breach of Italian law (and that of other European Union member states as well). The only logical explanation for their inaction and seeming resignation to the marked changes taking place around them may just be a sense of guilt.
Most Italians and other European Union member states are beginning to recognize that their states fundamental character is threatened by the apparently unstoppable influx of uneducated and unskilled immigrants-legal and illegal. Compassion towards these illegal immigrants is commendable; after all, they simply seek to better their lives and that of their families. But then, one must consider the implication for countries such as Italy (and for that matter the other EU states) if the flow of illegal immigrants continues.
There is no telling how many of Africas 680 million might turn up in Europe, overwhelming the continent economically, politically, and culturally. Millions of Pakistanis (population 165 million) and Bangladeshis (150 million) live in abject poverty and would gladly leave their countries as well for either to Europe or the U.S. if the opportunity presented itself (including those from an ever growing list of other poor countries bursting with humanity).
Millions of Egyptian, Yemeni, Syrians, and Iraqi Arabs, would like to leave their poor and repressive authoritarian states and come to Europe, some for reasons that go beyond economics they seek to extend the domain of Islam. In Britain, Germany, Holland, and France Islam has already been fully accommodated - out of both guilt and intimidation, and in Italy, Islam will soon enjoy equality with (Catholic) Christianity.
White-European guilt and political-correctness is accommodating and appeasing the illegal immigrants and their home countries in spite of the prominent role the illegal immigrants play in criminal activities. In Venice, the world famous Palazzo Ducale (Doges Palace) is showing an exhibit on Venice and Islam. Bookstores throughout Italy and even in small towns like Como are replete with books about Islam.
The bookstores visited in Italy have an abundance of books about the Holocaust, but none about modern Israel- the Jewish State that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. And while there are tour books on Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Syria, there are none to be found about Israel. At one particular store in Como, the store clerk stridently responded to the question of why there were no tour books on Israel by saying Israel is not a tourist destination!
Europe, during the past sixty years has attempted to atone for the sins of the Holocaust and two thousand years of persecution and anti-Semitism by paying reverence to its dead Jews. It is the living Jews, however, in its midst that the Europeans ignore, leaving them, at times, to the mercy of Muslim youth mobs who perpetrate hate crimes against those visible Jews, wearing a skullcap, or sporting a long beard. Throughout Europe and in Italy as well, few Jews dare exhibit their religious identity for fear of a violence attack. Religious Jews wear baseball caps instead of skullcaps.
In an attempt to assuage its guilt Europe is appeasing Arab illegal immigrants and their repressive governments. In spite of widespread European investment in the infrastructure of Arab and African countries and serious attempts to create jobs there, these governments continue to eagerly send masses of their people to Europe.
It is however the Jews and not the Muslims, to whom the European should be expressing their guilt and remorse. European colonialism, no doubt, was exploitive (in Italys case it was Libya and Ethiopia) but the Ottomans Muslim colonial rule over the Christian population of the Balkans was just as exploitive without the attached guilt. On the other hand, Europeans committed the Holocaust, the greatest crime in history, on European soil, against native European Jews. Europe persecuted and exploited the Jews for more than a millennium - the same Jews that gave Europe its genius and culture. Europe placed Jews, not Arabs or Africans in ghettos, and it is the same old Europe that perpetrated pogroms on law-abiding Jews.
The anti-Semitism of the past is gone - at least on the surface - but when visiting Jewish quarters and synagogues throughout Italy one cant help but notice the preponderance of police protection. While Jews in todays Europe are full citizens with protection of the law, oftentimes the crimes against them are ignored by the press and diminished by public officials. And while individual Jews feel well treated by their Italian compatriots, the collective Jew - Israel, is vilified in the European media, albeit, less so in Italy.
Israels role as a frontline in the war against radical Islam is of little interest to post-Christian Europe. Europe has sacrificed its soul, and all that remains of its national and religious pride on the altar of greed and profit, and in the pursuit of hedonism. Italians readily admit this.
While European Jews have historically resorted to reason when arguing their case, Muslims have preferred violence and intimidation. Europes post-war commitment to non-violence has become an absurdity in light of Muslim (immigrant) intimidation and the European response in condemning Israels acts of self-defense.
Europes misplaced guilt is exacting a high price, which Italians and other European natives are already paying. Europe is too precious to lose, and one can only hope that the people of Europe will find their voice and elect governments that will save the continent.
This story might be of interest because Vancouver, Canada will host the 2010 Winter Olympics, and its treatment of alien visitors must be fair. Apparently, a Polish immigrant to Canada became frustrated when he couldn't contact the party who was to pick him up at an airport, and began throwing things (no person was put at risk). Police were called and on arrival, they immediately tased him. As he writhed on the ground, they treated same as non-compliance, and tased him again. He experienced cardiac arrest; police provided no assistance, prior to attendance by medical professionals. The man died. Poland has protested his treatment by the Canadians. The police are investigating.
Trainers in Taser operation never instruct in use of same as a first-use weapon (they were classified as a Firearm until the gunpowder charge mechanism was replaced). Law Enforcement personnel are counseled - and often subject to Standing Orders - on use of escalating means to the ends of restoring peace, based on what is both reasonable and necessary. The stages go from attempts at verbal compliance, open hand techniques, closed hand (holding limbs of the suspect), hard physical takedowns, use of batons (usually on legs), pepper spray, taser, armed force. Few officers would want that changed.
So is somebody responsible for what happened to the man? Don't blame Taser Corp. Don't blame instructors. Don't blame the two cops who clearly did not participate in the decision to tase, and who could not have prevented same. Don't blame the man who videotaped the incident. Don't blame the victim. Blame the two cops who chose to use the Taser as a first-strike weapon, against a man who was in retreat and who had his hands in the air. After only 1 day, over half million have viewed the video on Youtube alone. Unless the Canadians do the right thing, East Europeans could boycott the Olympics. None of us want that.
I forgot that the last Olympics was boring. Lowest ratings ever. No hotties in the figure skating. Hockey is a dead sport. Downhill racing lost its luster. There were a lot of unsold tickets in Italian venues.
I hate to see someone die unnecessarily. I have never worked in policing or security, but 30 years ago I worked at a rough hotel, and had to toss out low life. I had no trouble taking someone down and dragging them outside. And I never threw a punch. Cops seem to be relying on tasers, rather than using physical force. Maybe in back alleys, but at an airport... The Taser is a great invention. But it should be used in situations just short of cases where armed force is used. I reviewed case law after posting, and I found nothing to suggest that Taser is negligent in any way in training in proper use of their product. However, they can't write Standing Orders of police services.
Youtube views of this video - and there are numerous posts under different categories (taser,Tazer) - are over a million. And there are thousands of Youtube clones. The Euros, Leftists and Disarmers are going to eat this up, and make a decent US company a villian. Damn those cops.
#5
The Euros, Leftists and Disarmers are going to eat this up, and make a decent US company a villian.
It didn't work for Caterpillar and shouldn't work for Taser either. Frank's on the money. Rowdy down within a mile of any airport or plane and expect to get a big hurt on your sorry butt.
#8
There were a total of FOUR mounties involved in this incident. They tasered him right away. Four mounties couldn't physically handle one guy. What a bunch of maroons. I think the RCMP are poorly led, poorly trained and cruelly understaffed. They are certainly losing the respect of the citizens who pay for their services. Like me.
#9
You're right Zen, the Olympics haven't been the same since the end of the Cold War. I haven't even watched the last couple.
Actually, that was McZ's observation. I can barely remember the last time I paid serious attention to the winter Olympics. Maybe it was Squaw Valley or Grenoble.
too dumb to recognize tongue-in-cheek? Actually, throwing things in an airport DESERVES a beat-down, idjit. Did I offend you? Were you or your family involved in a similar incident, or are you partial to throwing things in airports? Ima curious at your being so instantly hyper-offended...It's almost Islamic
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2007 14:37 Comments ||
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#12
The dude should have been arrested, and by physical takedown and cuffing. Police are there to restore peace, but they have to do it within guidelines.
#13
In defence of the police/mounties, it might be a bit difficult to get close enough to a man throwing things, in order to subdue him. Especially if he has a powerful throwing arm or is fairly accurate. What on earth did the reporter's comment that no person was put at risk mean? Was the gentleman throwing socks and crumpled paper, or was he not throwing sharp knives and grenade? Or perhaps he was throwing things on the floor and jumping on them? Were they his own things or chocolates from a nearby shop display?
Even an op-ed piece should not leave out critical information necessary to properly judge the situation.
The man is having some sort of psychotic episode for unknown reasons. He picks up a computer and drops it on the floor. He then picks up a chair (or what looks like a small table) to defend himself from the people who he perceives are attacking him, saying "don't approach me", and "I'll sue you". He doesn't physically threaten anybody. At one point he calls out for the police. He certainly does not threaten the police once they get there.
The RCMP takes the lazy way out and they taser him without any attempt to calm him down and dissipate the situation, all within less than 30 seconds of getting at the scene.
After realizing that the man is not breathing, they do not attempt to revive him, but rather just stand around like useless punks.
I hope the man's family gets a nice payout after the civil suit.
Videotape evidence is subject to different interpretations. At this point, I would put my views in the column of opinion, because I don't have all the facts. Use of Tasers is a hot issue, and I defend both Taser International's product and their training guidelines.
#22
I hope you get tasered too, grom. Once or twice, or maybe more. Writhing in pain. And much laughter will ensue.
Someone commented in a different forum that this man might have been a high-functioning autistic, judging by his behaviour in the 10 hours prior to his death. He took the instruction to wait at the baggage claim area literally. He waited there for almost 10 hours. When his mother asked airport officials where he was, they told her they didn't know, and then told her he wasn't at the airport, all the while he was in the baggage claim area.
Even though this was written early this year, it explains what is happening regarding appropriations for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan at this time.
Top House Democrats, working in concert with anti-war groups, have decided against using congressional power to force a quick end to U.S. involvement in Iraq, and instead will pursue a slow-bleed strategy designed to gradually limit the administration's options.
If the Senate does not approve these new funding restrictions, or if Senate Republicans filibuster the supplemental bill, Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership would then be able to ratchet up the political pressure on the White House to accede to their demands by "slow-walking" the supplemental bill. Additionally, House Democrats could try to insert the Murtha provisions into the fiscal 2008 defense authorization and spending bills, which are scheduled to come to the floor later in the year.
Posted by: Injun Flavise8457 ||
11/17/2007 01:39 ||
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#1
Eleven percent and dropping. Hope those padded reelection coffers make up for the retirement program that they're sacrificing along with the republic.
#3
I have not seen word one about the Republican counter strategy to this. Unlike the Dhimmis, who brag about their tactics before using them, the Republicans do not. This is why 9 times out of 10, the Dhimmis are caught off guard, panic, and scream about conspiracies and fascism after having their behinds kicked.
#4
Reid and Pelosi and the rest of the defeatocrats are despicable. How many soldier's deaths have they caused by prolonging the Iraqi War with their slow bleed strategy? If these traitors were lined up against a wall, it would be appropriate.
#5
The GOP needs to pound this home in '08 that the Dems are purposefully trying to lose a won war. Nothing is more important to them than short-term domestic politics. Darth is right - this is beyond treason.
Richard Landes over at Pajamas Media has given us an update on the al-Dura affair. This scandal is one of the more grotesque displays of media bias in recent history, a textbook example of how the mainstream media distorts (and in this case, fabricates) events to lionize the enemies of Western civilization.
The al-Dura case, which became a cause célèbre for the Arab world (and its Western lackeys), involved the staging in September 2000 of what appeared to be a merciless and drawn-out murder of a Palestinian Arab boy by Israeli troops in Gaza. Someone got a hold of footage that was not shown on TVscenes that revealed the entire concoction in all its detailand blew the whistle on the whole operation. Landes and his associates have worked tirelessly for several years to bring these shocking revelations to the attention of the public.
Anyone familiar with the intifadah knows that this choreographed hooey was standard operating procedure. But in the case of al-Dura, the counterfeiters were caught red-handed. It may very well be the most damning evidence thus far against Pallywood, the production, filming, and splicing of bogus incidents of Israeli brutality.
Western journalists have a long record of collaboration with the Arab propaganda machine. Let me point to just one example with which I am familiar from personal experience.
After the signing of the infamous Oslo Accords in 1993, the Western media was suppressing any news that would make the nascent Palestinian Authority look bad. This included a blackout on Arafats belligerent posturing to the Arab world, in Arabic. Despite the peace treaty signed on the White House lawn, Arafat and his lieutenants continued to speak to their people as if the war against Israel was at its peak. One would never know this, however, from reading Le Monde or watching ABC news. (Unfortunately, this was before the advent of the blogosphere.)
I was in Israel some time later, working as a freelance journalist. I picked up a rather unusual assignment. A team of film technicians and translators had made videos of some of Arafats Nazi-style, jihadesque speeches to the masses in Gaza. These chilling spectacles, which could make even the most hardened Arafat-watchers hair stand on end, were translated into Hebrew and English.
The team was looking for a native English speaker to present the videos to the Western media. I accepted the offer. At the outset, I was concerned that my personal safety might be endangered when the films were shown to a wide audience.
My fears were for naught. For several days, I visited with virtually the entire Western press corps in Israel: the New York Times, the BBC, Reuters, you name it. All of them courteously listened to my pitch. All of them tried to keep a poker face as they watched the video, but signs of shock expressed themselves in a rogue muscle twitch or bead of sweat. All of them responded at the end with some mumbo-jumbo such as oh, thats just what Arafats saying to his people; he has to do that to maintain credibility.
Sure, I said to myself. Thats certainly what these journalists would say if I had shown them translations of Yitzhak Rabin making speeches in Hebrew calling for the Palestinian Arabs to be driven into the sea.
Not a single one of those media outlets ran the story. The silence was deafening. Little did I realize, at the time, that this entire affairjust like al-Durawas one more link in the long chain of media promotion of all that is anti-Western.
#1
another reason I'd rather read the JPost version of a ME story than the AP or AFP
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2007 18:48 Comments ||
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#2
It may very well be the most damning evidence thus far against Pallywood, the production, filming, and splicing of bogus incidents of Israeli brutality.
Now, try to imagine the sort of incendiary tripe volcanoes that Hamas could gin up with their proposed megabuck media production facility.
All of them responded at the end with some mumbo-jumbo such as oh, thats just what Arafats saying to his people; he has to do that to maintain credibility.
Yet, the vast majority of us know that Arafat was deadly serious. Now, how about Ahmadinejad? Is all of his spewing just "to maintain credibility"? At some point we must learn to hold these twisted phuques to their word and deal with them accordingly.
In my opinion, if we want to understand the root cause of Irans current problems, we have to glance back at the events following the 1979 Revolution, which, in my analysis, had two contradictory trends.
Mr. Rafsanjani in 1989 took over the executive branch with a mandate to reconstruct the country after a devastating eight-year war. He also promised to reform the economy with the World Banks guidance, open up the countrys cultural atmosphere, normalize Irans foreign relations, and institute principles of scientific management in place of religious management. These goals were interconnected and formed a so-called "package." In reality, this package was none other than following the Western model of development. As such, it alienated the leftist camp and marked a departure from some of the 1979 Revolutions ideals. The alienation of the leftist camp, to which I myself belonged, did not matter much, as leftists did not hold much power anyway.
Mr. Rafsanjanis main problem was with the Hezbollahis, or the pious, committed forces who quickly realized that Mr. Rafsanjanis scientific management does not leave a place for them or their ideology.
I think Mr. Rafsanjani did not intend to alienate the Hezbollah. In fact, he preferred that the Hezbollah stayed in power, after a little moderation of a radical ideology. Mr. Rafsanjanis program, however, was to institute scientific management, and that did not leave any place for the Hezbollahi forces. The Hezbollah, however, regarded itself as the bastion of the revolution and pursued its own interests, so it was natural that it would not tolerate Mr. Rafsanjanis package and direction of change.
In fact, if we want to be impartial, the Islamic Republic had been able to withstand all kinds of foreign and domestic challenges precisely by relying on Hezbollahs determination and ideological ferocity. Therefore, it was not easy for the regime to push Hezbollah aside. In fact such a move may have even brought about a tactical suicide, depriving the regime of its main bastion of support.
Losing Hezbollahs support meant that Mr. Rafsanjani needed to rely on the support of an alternative social base, which was emerging in the form of a new and progressive middle class, something that Mr. Rafsanjani did not have a good grasp of and did not try to bring about. At least, his efforts to do so were too little and too late.
On the one hand, Mr. Rafsanjani did not want to lose Hezbollah, while on the other, he was not able to create a stable social class to replace it. For this reason, despite his accomplishments in his first term in office, Mr. Rafsanjani retreated during his second term and essentially abandoned his development program in a bid not to alienate the Hezbollah any further. Meanwhile, in order to stand up to Rafsanjani and discredit his programs, Hezbollah began propagating its own ideology more vehemently and strengthened its organizational capacities.
Mr. Rafsanjani finished his second term in office while a disorganized new middle class was dispersed across the country, whereas an organized and institutionalized Hezbollah had emerged more powerful than ever before.
Rafsanjanis disorganized supporters went head to head with Hezbollahs organized forces during the 1997 presidential election, in which the former camp won the battle, owing to its sheer numbers. But this was only the beginning of a much larger and more dangerous game that followed, which I will get to in my next article.
Ahmad Zeidabadi is an Iranian journalist and political analyst. His articles appeared in many newspapers and other media such as Rooz and BBC Persian.
Posted by: Pappy ||
11/17/2007 00:36 ||
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#1
I ý don't ý give ý a ý damn ý. ý Rafsanjani ý needs ý to ý catch ý a ý slug ý anyway ý.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
If you want to see the future of the European Union and understand the reality of its vainglorious ambitions, look to the present. In particular, look to the wearily predictable fracas over the supply of helicopters for the humanitarian mission in Chad, intended to relieve the suffering of the peoples of Darfur.
In my opinion, if we want to understand the root cause of Irans current problems, we have to glance back at the events following the 1979 Revolution, which, in my analysis, had two contradictory trends. 
