Marines v Iraq < Marines v Motorcycles?

Now this is interesting. Puts Donor cycle into a new context.

Iraq is less deadly then your average motorcycle? I guess if you're a US Soldier. But then again, more people die in the US from car accidents every year then the total number of soldiers that have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I wonder if there is a correlation between serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and likelihood of being involved in an accident (fatal or non-fatal)?

Democracy Crunch?

The Economist has an online article discussing whether the financial crisis is going to result in a recession of Democracy.

I was going to say something smart referencing Samuel Huntington, but then I got distracted. That's been happening a lot lately.

I will say that I agree that the progress of Democracy will be delayed because of this downturn. Democracies are stable when they reach a certain threshold of GDP per capita, $6,055. That was the highest that a country, in this case Argentina in 1975ish, has ever gotten and reverted to some form of non-democracy. So as the financial crisis assaults countries that are democratizing, but below that threshold and pushes countries above that threshold down towards it... Of course we'll see more and more progress away from democracy. The general theory being that as the state provides people less and less shelter, and does not offer them anything the less likely the populace is to support it. And democracy is contingent on popular support (Did I really need to point that out? Did I just turn into my Civ Pro book?).

And (here's that Huntington refrence) the ecoomic prospects decline, forces across society start to fracture and get stronger. If they reach a certain point, they will break the government (whether it be electing a new political party or by some kind of overthrow or coup) and make one that more accurately reflects the underlying societal beliefs and tensions.

I think in a declinging economic environment, this is more likely to be a 'socialist' type system. The government that presided over the fall is getting kicked out and replaced with one that is hoped can arrest the fall.

I'm not saying socialism is bad, I mean look at Capitalism. Its becomeing more and more socailistic all the time. Compare the capitalism of 'The Jungle' and the Industrial Revolution to that of today! The basic principles are the same, but how the execution has changed! It just seems that in the developing world, where most of the democratic reversion is going to take place, socialism there tends to be much more bloody and not nice.

Still, check out the article. It's a good one.

Interesting link in the Terror-Criminal Nexus

I've got a hunch that Hugo has something to do with this.

Hezbollah linked Colombian drug runners?

Lets see:

Hezbollah is intimately connected to Iran.

Hugo is apparently intimately connected with FARC.

FARC runs drugs too!

Hugo hearts Iran.

Ergo, therefore, moreover... Hugo wanted some giant Ostrich sandwich.

Good ol' Darpa

Swarms of hunter robots.

Now they want to see inside a 10 story building and 2 floors into the basement from the air? Probably so the swarm of hunter robots can get you.

Holy moley.

At least the police wouldn't be able to use the technology to peep inside your house. And see the Lady of the house in a compromising position. (Scalia, gotta appeal to the Italian Stallion. Would that make Alito the Sicilian Million? Is he even Sicilian? Is Scalia? These are questions I do not have the answers to.)

Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Focus Article

Directly lifted from the Jamestown Foundation. I'd link to it, but the only way I've got it is in an email.

Jihadis Recommend Internet Guerrilla Warfare in Response to Hacking of Islamist Websites

The recent hacking and shutting down of some jihadi websites has raised concerns among jihadi forum members seeking alternatives in case all jihadi forums go down. These forums have, in many terrorism cases, been a launching pad and deployment point for jihadi activities. One still-operational jihadi forum posted a message entitled “Guerrilla Warfare on the Mountain Range of the Internet,” offering contingency plans for the disruption of existing websites and proposals for new methods to keep jihadi internet communications and propaganda efforts alive (alhesbahweb.net, September 28).

Posted by a forum participant nicknamed “Riah al-Ghobar,” the message says that it is time to devise plans to counter the Western campaign against major jihadi forums. The suggested plans should be implemented in case all jihadi forums are attacked and shut down. Al-Ghobar begins his posting by laying out the components of internet guerilla warfare (IGW) and ways to implement these tactics on the web.

Firstly, al-Ghobar outlines “email support” as the number one method of digital warfare. This method can be carried out by members who follow jihadi events and view video clips without participating in militant activities. It is important for this category of jihadis to sign up and receive jihadist material through their emails. Therefore, they are instructed to open new email addresses and register with the “email support” group. After the creation of new email addresses and considering internet security precautions such as the use of secure proxies, mailing lists are compiled and divided into groups of participants and moderators.

Secondly, virtual jihadis should install Encrypted Messenger software and add to it the compiled email addresses. Each moderator should have his own messenger group to discuss issues or jihadi events and future jihadi activities in coordination with other moderators. Next, al-Ghobar suggests jihadis surf the internet, searching for forums and email groups in order to join them and gradually disseminate the Salafi-Jihadi ideology among their members. Once a certain forum is targeted, moderators may instruct participants to register at these groups and start a dialogue directed at convincing the members of the merits of jihad. Although small forums and email groups would welcome the increase in group members, they might also reject the Salafi-Jihadi influence and ban the jihadis. In that case, jihadis should be persistent in the face of such rejection and if the targeted website insists on banning them, they should attack the website and shut it down in a coordinated group effort.

The spread of Salafi-Jihadi ideology will not be impeded when jihadi websites, such as alhesbah or eklaas, are shutdown, says al-Ghobar, who adds: “If our forums are blocked, truth will spread through the many email addresses of influential people that we should search and add to our lists.” The enemy will not be able to restrain this campaign, especially when the guerilla network expands. Al-Ghobar believes his plan would spare jihadis unwanted scrutiny by security forces because each member of the network will belong to a small cell connected to another cell through one jihadi who would remain anonymous.

Al-Ghobar concludes his plan by emphasizing the procedures necessary for secure internet communication, such as proxies recommended by alhesbah and ekhlaas website administrators and encryption programs, revealing that he has already obtained and tested the necessary software for his proposed plan. Until his internet invasion battalions can be launched, al-Ghobar suggests uploading websites to the internet with specious domain names.

There are disadvantages to al-Ghobar’s concept of internet guerrilla warfare. The decentralized structure of al-Ghobar’s scheme might cause slackness, consequently leading to disconnection among jihadis. Female jihadis, who al-Ghobar regards as the spearhead of all jihadi operations for their commitment and perseverance, might get involved in unreligious practices through private contacts between males and females. According to Islam, females are not allowed to communicate privately with marriageable males. To overcome this religious taboo, al-Ghobar suggests females communicate over the internet through a male sibling or unmarriageable relative.

Forum participants responded positively to al-Ghobar’s proposed IGW and contributed to the plan with further comments and revisions. To encourage members’ participation, one participant suggested the imposition of new regulations banning non-active members from the forums. Another member added the need to build strong infrastructure for the proposed IGW, comprised of flexible email addresses, strong proxies and decentralized administration, comparing the plan, once implemented, to a nuclear fission-like chain of action spreading jihad across the internet. Other participants asserted their willingness to become part of jihadi media support groups in crisis situations. To evade scrutiny by security forces, forum members suggested changing the name of the jihadi encryption software “Secrets of the Mujahideen” into something less suspicious and dividing the groups non-geographically to avoid identification and restriction by intelligence services (see Terrorism Monitor, September 27, 2007).

The question is whether we are better off without jihadi websites. The decision to shut down jihadi websites should be based on the separate examination of each website. The decision making process must weigh the intelligence value against the security risk posed by the website, information attainable only through prolonged monitoring and analysis of the activities and contents of rogue jihadi websites.

Abdul Hameed Bakier is an intelligence expert on counter-terrorism, crisis management and terrorist-hostage negotiations. He is based in Jordan.

Hmmm, IGW consists of emailing Wahhabi-Salafi material to people via encrypted email? Really, I was expecting attacks on Western web targets.

Still, interesting to see the taboo of male-female interaction spread to the web. Western views are more 'you are probably not talking to an 18 yr old blond woman, with DD's, and wears a size 1 dress, it's most likely a 35 yr old man living in his parents basement.'

Does this signify that the West has much better internet security? Because you know there are some lone, tech savvy Wahhabi-Salafi patriots who are trying to shut sites down.

Does it signify that Wahhabi-Salafi's are just not that tech savvy? Granted, I'm not totally immersed in the Web-culture. But it seems like if one top site went down, a few HUNDRED more would pop up immedaitely, and one would rise from the ashes to take over where the first site left off...

UN has a PR problem

The UN has been doing a lot of good work in Iraq. Most recently this. Essentially providing Iraqis with full election coverage. Talk about a boon to democratic politics.

Juxtapose it with recent ineffective attempts to authorize the use of force against Pirate off the coast of Somalia.

Maybe the blue helmets need to focus more on peace keeping and helping struggling countries then attempting to be a 'Parliament of Man' and a world government.

You know what they say. You can't herd cats.

Al Qaeda on the web

The primary wahhabi-salafi forums have been down for a while now.

The secondary level of these forums has also come under attack.

And now this article is detailing the impact on Al Qaeda.

I wonder who/what is responsible for this? Rival groups? Some enterprising tech-savvy patriots? Some Saudi oil fueled program?

By the way, Jihadica is an AWESOME site. if you're at all interested in this topic, and have not visited there yet? Do so now.

UPDATE:
Some more info from the BBC.

An update from Jihadica.

CSM article.

When did Tijuana turn into Baghdad?

Gangs? Ethnicity? Tribes?

People will still pick any reason to murder one another wont they?

Political ties with unsavory individuals

Obama seems to be tied to quite a few of these types:
-Bill Ayers, terrorist extraordinaire
-Reverend Wright
-Antoin Rezko, shady developer and fundraiser

What's the deal? Someone who has plans to run for President of the United States should be on the look out for people who, while expedient at the time to ally themselves with, will impact the later.

I guess the real question for me me is associate with these less people in the first place? Were these people the gate-keepers to the state democratic party in the Chicago area? Were they they gate-keepers to the national democratic party for Illinois?

I can explain away Rezko, Obama may not have known about his shady acts until it was to late. From the reading I've been doing, it's more crimes where concealment is one of the elements.

Reverend Wright? That's been hashed over and I will not go into it here. It suffices to say that he was a gate way to the political establishment in Chicago.

Ayers? The connection is a little more troubling. Can't quite place it. I'd be fine if Mr. Weathermen had distanced himself from his terrorist past, but apparently he has not. So what is it Obama? I would like to know.

UPDATE:
More from Volokh. Makes a comparison from the Left's and the Right's unsavory characters.
Lawyers, Guns and Money (best blog name ever) on McCain's unsavory friends.
More from Commentary.

I didn't say it...

The newspaper of record said it.

I just happen to agree 100%. In fact, I would go even further, saying that the Gov. Palin pick for VP represents everything that is wrong with the American political system.

Oh, and apparently Gov. Palin will for sure be another Sith Lord VP.

IFILL: Governor, you mentioned a moment ago the constitution might give the vice president more power than it has in the past. Do you believe as Vice President Cheney does, that the Executive Branch does not hold complete sway over the office of the vice presidency, that it it is also a member of the Legislative Branch?

PALIN: Well, our founding fathers were very wise there in allowing through the Constitution much flexibility there in the office of the vice president. And we will do what is best for the American people in tapping into that position and ushering in an agenda that is supportive and cooperative with the president's agenda in that position. Yeah, so I do agree with him that we have a lot of flexibility in there, and we'll do what we have to do to administer very appropriately the plans that are needed for this nation. And it is my executive experience that is partly to be attributed to my pick as V.P. with McCain, not only as a governor, but earlier on as a mayor, as an oil and gas regulator, as a business owner. It is those years of experience on an executive level that will be put to good use in the White House also. (Source: Transcript.)

Exclamation point indeed.