Riehl World View

Chicago "Fall Of Capitalism, Rise Of Islam" Conference And Protest

We are tolerant of a great many things in America. But it would be good to see this protest by R.E.A.L. draw some support.

Although the group dismisses democracy - the theme of Sunday's conference is the "Fall of Capitalism and the Rise of Islam" - they hope to elect one Muslim worldwide ruler, or caliph, and hold that person accountable.

There's more info on both groups available via links above. Here's the protest link, again. This is all happening on July 19 on Chicago's Southside.

A controversial Islamic group is hosting a conference at the Oak Lawn Hilton Sunday, bringing with it a message of the evils of capitalism.

It' s called Hizb ut-Tahrir America, a faction of the international Hizb ut-Tahrir group, which advocates for implementing Islamic doctrine across the globe by organizing into a unified caliphate, a form of rule based on the Islamic religion.

UK: Churchill He Ain't

Certainly any deaths are tragic and I'm certainly not making light of those. But a defense minister spouting off about "gloom and worry" is tragic in its own way, too.

LONDON (AFP) — The defence secretary said Wednesday that there was "gloom and worry" about the number of troops being killed in Afghanistan, after a seventh soldier died within a week.

Bob Ainsworth said, however, that despite the losses, troops were making solid progress in fighting Taliban rebels.

"There is, of course, gloom and worry back here in London with the numbers of people that we've lost. If people weren't (worrying), there would be something seriously wrong with them," he told BBC radio.

"But when you go out to Afghanistan, as I did last weekend, there is a very real sense of momentum."

Ex-Gitmo Inmate Leading Taliban in Helmand

Gee, I wonder why Obama changed a policy proposal he used to unfairly criticize Bush throughout his campaign, not that McCain offered any better alternatives. The Gitmo criticism of Bush by the liberal Democrats without having presented an implementable alternative has to be one of the lowest points in their demonizing of the former President. And that's saying something.

A former Guantanamo Bay inmate is leading the fight against U.S. Marines in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to FOX News on Tuesday.

Mullah Zakir, also known as Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, surrendered in Mazar-e-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan in 2001, and was transferred to Gitmo in 2006. He was released in late 2007 to Afghan custody.

Now as the United States is pushing ahead with the massive Operation Khanjar in the southern province of Afghanistan, Zakir is coordinating the Taliban fighters. Some 4,000 U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan forces have faced some resistance as they sweep across the province, reclaiming control of districts where Zakir and his comrades were running a shadow government.

More On Afghanistan

Via Hershel at Captain's Journal - one of the most insightful blogs when it comes to war and all things military.

We learn several things from this article. First we learn the limitations of Woodward’s reporting, or the editing at the Washington Post, or both. This report is monumental. Obama ran against the campaign in Iraq, unequivocally stating that the troops needed to be in Afghanistan. This was stated too many times to count, in too many different venues and publications to recite. It’s now clear that he will allow somewhat less than 70,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Afghanistan at any one time, regardless of what might have been advocated half a year earlier.

Taliban Capture US Soldier

Let's hope this doesn't end as badly as it might. The soldier was not involved in the major offensive in the South. It's unclear if this is in response to it, or the Taliban just taking advantage of an opportunity. An AP video report on the offensive below.

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier has been captured by militants in Afghanistan, the U.S. military and the Taliban said Thursday.

A soldier mans a weapon at the rear of a U.S. Army helicopter over Afghanistan in May.

 The unidentified soldier has been missing since Tuesday. U.S. forces are exhausting all resources to find the soldier, the military said.

"We are not providing any further details at this time, in order to protect the welfare of the soldier," a military statement said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the abduction. The U.S. soldier was kidnapped along with three Afghan soldiers, Taliban commander Mulvi Sangeen said.

Obama Will Hold Terror Detainees Indefinitely!

Change! Not! So much for all the BS campaign rhetoric.

The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, has drafted an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.

AP: Obama Reaching Out To Hezbollah

As a general rule, I'd be hesitant to put much stock in this, but Obama has shown a willingness to continue to reach out to Iran post-election. And the AP put enough stock in their source to include the claim in a recent news item. Hmm.

Speaking about his party's relations with foreign countries, he said Hezbollah was open to talks with representatives of all Western governments except the United States.

"Several US officials at different levels and more or less close to the administration have asked to speak with but we have refused," he said.

"It is useless to have any dialogue with the Americans since they regard us as terrorists," Qassem added. "The Europeans for their part have a role to play, especially as they are taking a different approach from the Americans."

The Law v What's Right?

Two articles to read on the lawsuit by the 9/11 families versus members of the Saudi Royal family.

One here, and one here.

It's obvious which way one's heart might go. But what about the law? The second link to NRO suggests the law isn't actually clear. The Obama DOJ has sided with the Saudis. I'm not certain Bush would be doing anything differently. But that's not clear, either.

Afghanistan Engagement

Just happened to flip by Fox News to check reports from Iran and caught this new video out of Afghanistan, which I was able to record. A helicopter engages 15 Taliban fighters on a road. It finishes up with a brief ground fight as one Taliban blows himself and another gets a grenade tossed his way and shot for good measure. It should also display pretty well in full screen mode.

Virgins wanted ....

North Korea: What If?

Via Bill at Pundit Guy

While all eyes are on Iran, trouble continues to brew on the Korean peninsula. The regime in Pyongyang has ratcheted up their rhetoric significantly in the last few weeks. The latest threat comes in the form of a missile pointed toward Hawaii. Allegedly, Kim Jong Il has plans to fire a Taepodong-2 with a range of 4,000 miles on July 4th in the direction of the 50th state. What do we make of all this and why should we worry?