Atlas Shagged

Red Dress Run!

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Over There: A Review By One Who Was Over There

Guest television review by Chief Warrant Officer Erik L. Thiesmeyer, Pilot, U.S.Army Reserve, Operation Iraqi Freedom II, April ’04 to April ‘05.

U.S. Muslims issue anti-terrorism 'fatwa'

It only took them four years after 9/11 to do it, but... it's a start:

Top U.S. Muslim scholars issued a "fatwa," or religious edict, against terrorism on Thursday and called on Muslims to help authorities fight the scourge of militant violence.

The fatwa might carry more weight with us, however, if these "top Muslim scholars" were to disavow the violent actions of the prophet Mohammad himself.  Yes, Christians have their own history of violence, but no one can say that they're violent "in imitation of Christ": Unlike Mohammad, Jesus never ordered the beheadings of hostages, or authorized the plundering of caravans, or demanded the murders of three poets who wrote verses who displeased him.

Link: U.S. Muslims issue anti-terrorism 'fatwa'.

London bomb suspect was convicted robber

Further to our thesis that local police, not national intelligence or law enforcement agneices, are the most likely authorities to cross paths with the new breed of homegrown terrorists before they strike:

Muktar Said Ibrahim, 27, whom police say planted a bomb on a bus in last week's attempted attacks, was jailed for 5 years in 1996 for mugging people when he was part of a teenage gang, the Daily Telegraph said.

Link: London bomb suspect was convicted robber.

The full moon rises behind the ancient temple of Posseidon, in Sounio about 73 kilometers (45 miles) south-east of Athens, on Thursday, July 21, 2005. The moon was larger than usual, as the distance between the Earth and its only natural satellite was the closest until 2007, at about 357290 km (223306 miles). (AP)

The four suspects in the 7/21 London bombings, from transit surveillance.

The Greatest Danger

"The greatest danger is that we fail to face up to the nature of the threat that we're dealing with," British Prime Minister Blair said today. "And what we are confronting here is an evil ideology." Unfortunately, Blair himself, along with every other Western statesman, philosopher, and thinker, has so far failed to face up to the nature of the threat. Facing up to it would in fact require evaluating the systematically violent and intolerant acts of the the Prophet Mohammad, according to the official texts of Islam.

Larissa Franka (R) of Brazil calls the play to team mate Juliana Felisberta Silva (not pictured) while compatriot Renata Ribeiro (L) stands in attention during women's beach volleyball final match at the FIVB World Tour 2005 in St.Petersburg, July 9, 2005.

The Babe Theory of Politcs (Ct'd)