Riehl World View

Somalia's Islamists Isolated, Face Two Front War

There's a good lesson in this bit of news:

As fighting began to flare up today around Kismayo, the final redoubt for Somalia’s diminished Islamic movement, elders within the city demanded that the Islamists leave.

The Islamists didn't leave and Somali and Ethiopian forces have begun to engage.

Around 5 p.m., the fighting started, with the Ethiopian-backed forces unleashing an artillery barrage against Islamist troops dug in near Jilib, a town about 30 miles north of Kismayo. As the shells began to rain down, residents said, clan militias within Kismayo turned on the Islamists. That set off running gunbattles across the city, with several people reportedly killed. It also accelerated the exodus out of Kismayo, with thousands of residents hastily tossing a few things over their shoulders and joining the stream of people fleeing the fighting in southern Somalia.

Just as would happen with various unaffiliated groups in Iraq, when decisive force is being used and the ultimate winner is clear, such groups don't have a lot of trouble picking sides.

We can't allow Iraq to become a rationale for America to not act militarily in the future. We need to examine it's lessons, learn from them, and incorporate that knowledge into any future plans.

63,000 - Yes, That's Some Number

It's unfortunate that one might predict an almost celebratory tone in announcements from the media and the Left that US deaths in Iraq have reached 3,000. I had to search around to find a news story that actually named the individual.

Spc. Dustin R. Donica, 22, of Spring, Texas, was killed Thursday by small arms fire in Baghdad, the Defense Department said. Donica was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

While neither the media nor the Left will pause to take note, there are a few other numbers we can justifiably project for ourselves on this New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2006.

An estimated 16,692 persons were murdered nationwide in 2005, an increase of 3.4 percent from the 2004 figure.

Murder comprised 1.2 percent of the overall estimated number of violent crimes in 2005. (Based on Table 1.)

There were an estimated 5.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.

Based upon the 2005 figures, approximately 46 Americans are killed within our borders every day. The Iraq War officially began on March 20, 2003 - approximately 1,375 days ago. Consequently, one can project that well over 63,000 Americans have died at the hands of other Americans since the beginning of the war.

It might do a person some good to think that our media and our Left cared just that much more about the 3,000 military deaths over the same period because they were proud members of our military ... serving our country with courage, dignity and honor. Unfortunately, given that both the media and the Left seem so quick to ignore the more than 63,000 civilian deaths which have occurred during the same time period, I don't know that I will take much comfort from what will likely be their over-coverage of this particular milestone in the Iraq War.

Googly Goo

Whenever a business entity comes to dominate its field, there will inevitably be complaints and genuine dissatisfaction. I've been far from impressed with Google's dedication to customer service.

It's early to know how much of the negativity surrounding the brand lately is fully warranted, but there may be signs that Google is becoming increasingly unpopular in thought, if not yet deed.

The Saddam Hanging Video

If you haven't seen the actual hanging and want to see it, the video is at this Jawa  link.

I found myself tearing up earlier tonight, not at the ruthless dog in the video linked above, but at the state ceremony for Gerald Ford. Perhaps future generations will look back at our politicians today and think of how Washington was better when people were civil to one another, if so, I can only imagine how bad it will eventually get.

When I look at the Democrat opposition today, particularly the leadership, I find it hard to believe we have many very good people in DC. They look like a group of basically distasteful, self serving jerks.

Spain Airport Terminal Rocked From Large Explosion

Update: Basque ETA said to be claiming responsibility for the bombing.

Update: Fox may have overstated the injuries, but it isn't clear.

MADRID (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in a parking lot at Madrid's Barajas airport on Saturday after an anonymous telephone warning, Spanish police said.

A warning had been telephoned to motorway rescue services in the Basque Country, state radio reported.

Two police, who were looking for the suspect vehicle, were slightly injured in the blast according to the radio report.

More Via Fox TV, several injured from a blast at approximately 9:30 AM local time when a car bomb exploded near one of Madrid's busiest airport terminals. It doesn't sound like Al-Qaeda, a warning was issued by telephone right before the explosion. It's unclear if an evacuation prevented more causalities.

MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A powerful explosion apparently caused by a car bomb caused extensive damage to Spain's busiest airport Saturday, police said, but there were no reports of casualties.

The explosion after 0800 GMT followed a warning to police, who were able to evacuate part of Madrid's Barajas International Airport. It was not clear who gave the warning.

Witnesses described a huge column of smoke billowing out from the scene of the blast.

Samantha Graham, an employee of CNN's parent company who was in an airport concourse for a flight, said hundreds of people evacuated the terminal through jetways and have gathered outside on the airport tarmac.

CNN's Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman said the explosion caused a collapse of part of the affected airport terminal and extensive damage to glass.

Goodman said that previous explosions preceded by a warning in Spain were attributed to the Basque separtist group ETA, blamed for more than 800 deaths.

ETA earlier this year declared a permanent ceasefire, although this has been hit by tensions in recent weeks, Goodman said.

In March 2004, 191 people were killed by bomb attacks on Madrid commuter trains. The attacks, blamed on al-Qaeda-linked militants, were not preceded by any warning.

The airport is Spain's busiest, handling more than 40 million passengers a year, according to the airport's official Web site.

Update: Gone!

Executed between 9:30 - 10:00PM EST - still images and video said to be taken. Celebrations break out in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad.

BAGHDAD, Dec 30 (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Iraqi television station Al Hurra said Saddam Hussein had been executed by hanging shortly before 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Saturday....

According to Arabia.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The official witnesses to Saddam Hussein's impending execution gathered Friday in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone in final preparation for his hanging, as state television broadcast footage of his regime's atrocities.

6AM in Iraq, no word, yet. Helicopters seen over the city.

Word is Saddam has now reached the execution site.

According to Fox, all preperations are in order.

Some details and history on Hussein via Gateway Pundit.

PJM is reporting and Michelle has a round up of links.

Updates to follow.

Ghost Riding The Whip

A hot new Hip Hop fad. See story and YouTube below. I suspect the number of dead will be growing, especially among the youngest.

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) -- "Ghost riding the whip" - a stunt in which a driver gets out of his car and dances around and on top of the slowly moving vehicle to a thumping hip-hop beat - has gotten at least two people killed, led to numerous injuries and alarmed police on the West Coast and beyond.

A fad among devotees of a West Coast strain of hip-hop music called "hyphy," the stunt has been celebrated in song and performed in numerous homemade videos posted on YouTube.

"It did not take Einstein to look at this thing and say this was a recipe for disaster," said Pete Smith, a police spokesman in Stockton. "We could see the potential for great injury or death.

Vive La French!

ROFLMAO! A YouTube at Ace's, Watch the whole thing. About midway through I had tears coming out of my eyes I was laughing so hard.

Peace Activist Sings For Saddam

Update: Hanging before 10 PM? I wouldn't be surprised if it's done earlier.

Man, as a real young kid I was a fan of the Smothers Brothers. I didn't realize Tommy was a total moon bat, right down to his Bush is a fascist, Canada is better, Dennis Miller is now a loser core. In the top link, he was even punched out by Bill Cosby, who Smothers believes never did enough for Blacks.

He went the route of Pete Seeger, now some have gotten together and recorded a message for Saddam.

Download Singing for_Saddam.mp3

This isn't embed-able but if you want some funny SM via YouTube click Boil That Cabbage Down

Smothers was asked about the right wing's smarmiest spokesperson, Dennis Miller. "Oh, man. Did he turn south. Well, he's not funny anymore. Well, you know, I went up and saw his act. He was here about three years ago in Santa Rosa and I went over and saw it. And I kinda started heckling because I couldn't believe it. And my wife said, 'Just shut up and get outta here.' So I left. I walked out. I was so upset. It was just, 'bomb everybody, those ragheads, people in mudhuts,' 9/11 turned a lot of people around. They lost their perspective and became nationalists and fascist by nature."

GM: Do you think the war in Iraq is a parallel to the war in Vietnam?

TS: Oh, absolutely. The same type of people running it, the same arrogance, the same mistakes, going into someone else's country and trying to do something, except saying there's a light at the end of the tunnel
in Vietnam, the same thing they're saying here. ... So it's a disaster. This country is just... ugh. I can't believe these people will vote... I mean, thank God Canada's around. At least the Canadians are bright.

GM: Well, we just elected a conservative government aligned to Bush.

TS: That comes and goes. I mean, the television's smart, the people are good. Every time I get in Canada I feel comfortable.

If you want something hilarious but non-political, check out this Smothers Brothers YouTube. Embedding is disabled.

So Long Saddam

At right, Time Magazine covers from 1945 and 2003.

So, so long Saddam, it appears, despite this foolishness in the New York Times which makes absolutely no sense at all.

Toppling Saddam Hussein did not automatically create a new and better Iraq. Executing him won’t either.

It's a vapid editorial, suggesting no realistic alternative, offering nothing constructive. It was an Iraqi justice system that tried Hussein, whether the NY Times understands and appreciates that isn't clear.

All they can do, day in and day out, is bash the administration and complain about the war. In some twisted way, even Saddam almost looks more noble compared to the faceless editors of the NY Times. At least he is going to take responsibility and ultimately die for his crimes.

Lately, there's an emptiness behind the Times editorials ... a black hole of weakness - a nothingness magnified by a constant non-creative, ineffectual prose slinking outward from an irresponsible viewpoint, day after day. Perhaps they are coming to understand how few people really care, or even read what they think or believe.

But they may be right about one thing - it's unclear if executing Saddam will help Iraq move forward, though a good case can be made that it will. Alas, it will have to do, I suppose. Unfortunately, we can't just up and execute an editor for the Times, instead ... even if eliminating such a profane source of enemy propaganda might actually help Iraq.

Heh! Watch that last bit set the Liberals off! ; )

Watch for updates and coverage at Hot Air and Michelle Malkin has several links, including this interesting one from Bill.