And so it begins
An ex-Muslim cartoonist is authoring the first R-rated cartoon film showing Mohammed and his 9 year old bride according to the Gateway Pundit. The Sugiero blog writes: "Ehsan Jami decided to reject Islam after the 9/11 terror attacks. Since then he has defended the right of religious freedom, with the usual consequences ... "
Jami is in hiding in the Netherlands. Sugiero remarks that Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who "has written a letter to Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in which he says that the views presented in the anti-Qur'an film of populist leader Geert Wilders do not represent those of the Dutch government" will be writing a lot more letters. Yesterday for Wilders, tomorrow for Jami, and the day after for who knows who?
In an earlier post I predicted that European leaders, "Human Rights" committees and all the assorted enforcers of politically correct speech would eventually be trapped in a whack-a-mole mode. They'll be busy fighting a cultural counter-insurgency.
If al-Qaeda is smart it will do the unexpected and refrain from issuing any more fatwas; to quit presuming a veto power over Western cultural and political institutions. If Islamic radicals back off, most people will lose interest in these Mohammed parody cartoons, which frankly have a limited market on their own merits and whose attraction is principally that of symbols of resistance. But if groups like al-Qaeda continue with a campaign of intimidation and terror, they will be met with a campaign of blasphemy the likes of which they never imagined possible. And who knows where it goes from there?
But al-Qaeda, though clever, is fundamentally stupid. They are like those brainless thugs who yell their way through a crowd and, finding someone who refuses to give way, believe that by yelling louder they'll gain passage. A smart thug would know that he's come upon the Black Swan; that he's run into trouble and should move around. But fanatics, armed with a presumed divine foreordination, don't believe in the existence of surprises; they think they know the future from their doctrine and bull on. But they don't know the real mind of God; they only think they do. Nothing surprises the fanatic more than the belated discovery that he doesn't know everything.
And so, the Islamic radicals will likely go on assuming that the asymmetrical warfare rules which paralyze governments necessarily paralyze whole populations. They might commit their tame media outlets, hired academics, cowed liberal intellectuals and all their instruments of information control to a campaign aimed at suppressing dissent inside the West. And my guess is that the instruments of political correctness will shatter under the effort of waging a sustained cultural counter-insurgency. They will use up their own jihadi cultural fifth column in futile attacks against never ending targets. Political correctness works when applied in small, gradual steps. What the Mohammed cartoons have done is force political correctness to overreach.
One of the enduring lessons of history is that the worm, tormented long enough, always turns.
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posted by wretchardthecat at 3/29/2008 05:34:00 AM
35 Comments:
Sadly, NEA programmed worms don't know which way to turn.
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- In Memory of Aqsa Parvez
(sad confluence of 9th Century Barbarism w/U.S. pop culture libertinism)
praaahz
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sir don't know what the hell you are talking about. Islam DOES NOT encourage killing other people. And I am not even muslim.
raccoonbrat
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I wish I didn't know what I am talking about. But sadly, I do know. I have several versions of the koran and have read them.
I also have several books written by muslims who have left their religion.
The koran does teach that a kafir must either convert, be killed, or if they are of the book they must be subjagated to dhimmi status.
I notice you hate America - so sad, I don't hate Canada even though I disagree with some of the politics.
Tinyani1
Many years ago I was on the 8th floor of a building in an earthquake. The epicenter was about 150 miles away but it was an intensity 8 tremor and that building danced the jig. It was an open plan office and of the 40 people on the floor, 3 people went completely to pieces -- they just fell to the floor and writhed hysterically -- 3 took decisive charge of the events and the rest -- about 30 or some individuals, were momentarily stunned and recovered once leadership asserted itself. And the leadership came from the 3 who just seemed to know what to do.
There were two lessons I came away with from that experience. The first is that there was no way to predict from moral uprightness, intelligence or competence who would fall apart and who'd remain calm. People often don't know themselves how they'll react until the moment comes.
I read somewhere that statistics show that 5% of military personnel cause 70% of all enemy casualties in combat. (I'm a little unsure of the exact numbers, but they convey the idea) It's called the Ace Factor. A few will have "it". But no one has invented a test that can predict an Ace before the actual test of combat.
To return to the NEA worms: you wouldn't have expected that a relatively unknown set of figures in relatively obscure European countries would turn out to have become the pivot around which these things are turning. I'm sure out of 40 NEA worms, 3 will wriggle round in circles, 30 will wait for orders and 3 will surprise us with the ferocity of their turning. But just which individuals? Well, we'll know on the day.
And so, the Islamic radicals will likely go on assuming that the asymmetrical warfare rules which paralyze governments necessarily paralyze whole populations.
You got that right, but the "Islamic radicals" qualification is something of a cop out. The Motoons' mobs were dreamed up at a formal session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) which is well attended by the shieks, princes, generals, and assorted majesties of Islamoworld.
The Koran is a script for a gangster movie starring the gangster-in-chief himself, Muhammed. Even a cursory study of Islam makes its plain that Islam's primary appeal is the supremacism of the gang, and the social justification of robbery and murder. Not really much different from the testosterone laden appeal of M13 or any other criminal adolescent pack.
As the narrative develops it will become clear to even the most obtuse that Islam itself is the modern world's greatest obstacle to progress.
Wretchard,
Yes!
(the traditionalist in me still wishes the rest of the worms had the education offered by a 1950 Catholic School, tho.
...gotta be better for our country, on the whole than our miserably failing public schools.)
Our earthquake taught me that preparedness is a black and white affair, as I stumbled around in the darkness in my room.
...you are, or you aren't.
We now have flashlights, an inverter, water, propane to cook the rice, and a son who has gone to the trouble of obtaining a firearms permit in this liberal ghetto..
OTOH, you down to earthers,
Consider this:
We may well shirk our mortal coils w/o ever experiencing the writhing ecstasy of the hysterically possessed.
Support the War against
Global Climate Change!
Wretchard,
You are one of the most ferocious worms I have ever gotten to know.
Time for me to roll over.
Sun the other side.
Listening.
Flopping Aces - '?Disturbance? Goes Viral'
Actually 'Vitna Goes Viral'
A reminder that it isn't only humor that kicks the Islamists in the teeth.
More, much more...
Wretchard
I've seen similar stats on killing in war. A comprehensive study by the DOD after WWII and Korea showed that about 80% of the soldiers never fired their weapons AT the enemy.
As for leadership. I am a firm believer that there is a genetic composition to leadership under extreme stress, war, earthquakes, etc. George Washington had it in abundance as did Douglas MacArthur.
Jimma Carter and I believe Barack Obama have a deficiency in that area. Obama couldn't even bring himself to cast a yea or nay on over 150 votes in the Illinois Senate, opting instead for the heroic "present", a home room response. Jimma Cater always remained a peanut farmer. Reagan showed it in Reykjavik and Teddy Roosevelt throughout his life, but notably on Kettle Hill.
5% of military personnel cause 70% of all enemy casualties in combat. (I'm a little unsure of the exact numbers, but they convey the idea) It's called the Ace Factor. A few will have "it".
when i was in combat in 90', albeit it only lasted 5 days, I was able to see something like this. some of the guys were just ferocious on their 50 cals others weren't quite as into it. as a crew member of a Bradley (driver) i knew that some of the gunners were just nailing more than others. the excellent training the gunners received made them all lethal just some came more alive when it counted (they all did great though).
Nice piece on Flopping Aces.
Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon,can bite my ass for his characterization of film as hate speech.
Writer and commentator Charles Krauthammer has suggested a great approach to marginalizing the UN and other useless international organizations inimical to US interests. He suggests establishing new parallel organizations , one he labeled The League of Democracy that would actually do positive things in the US's interest. His admission that getting the USA out of the UN would be too great a bite for the US population to take psychologically ...so you parallel functionality in other organizations with tougher entrance requirements, i.e. no Russia , no ChiComs, no Islams, and soon the UN folds up or becomes so flaccid as to be not even Bobbitt worthy.
Slimslowslider
they all did great though
undermines your point but is a fine gesture toward an all volunteer Army.
However, having been in Vietnam as a US Marine platoon leader and then recruited into the CIA for various in country tasks I can say without hesitation that when the chips are down so are far too many troops. Not from injury but from fear or cowardice.
Fortunately the Corps teaches killing and as a consequence does an excellent job, but when I was assigned as a CIA operative with other services I can say their performance wasn't what I had seen before. Different war , different time but you are either a killer or you are not.
I am proud you did your part and the parts others could not do. They must have signed up for the college benefits.
W,
"And my guess is that the instruments of political correctness will shatter under the effort of waging a sustained cultural counter-insurgency. They will use up their own jihadi cultural fifth column in futile attacks against never ending targets. Political correctness works when applied in small, gradual steps. What the Mohammed cartoons have done is force political correctness to overreach."
Man, I do so hope that you are correct. Could we simultaneously defeat both the jihadis and the purveyors of PC-claptrap all at once? Time will tell. Too delicious!
One way of looking at those studies is that most people have a real resistance to killing. To break this lamentable tendency, the armed forces instituted more severe training. In a saner world this might be thought of as good news.
peterboston has it exactly right about Islam. Muhammad's cult took off when he took his ten followers from Mecca, went to Medina, and then decided that Allah/Satan would give him revelations that it was time to start raiding the caravans. The lure of booty and rapine had a certain appeal among the criminal class of Medina and the disinherited youngest sons. From there, in Medina, Islam took off on, so far, a fourteen hundred year history of jihad violence and conquest.
Doug,
Maybe Wretchard is right. At some point, when our civilization is under more intense stress from these savages, at least a few of those NEA members will wake up and join the resistance. But, you are right. Most of them are sheeple who have swilled the Leftist gruel.
Wretchard,
You might have read about the Ace Factor in Dave Grossman's book "On Killing". Another example from there involved soldiers back when they used muzzle-loaders. Apparently when the rifles (or whatever muzzle-loaders are properly called) of dead soldiers were examined they had often never been fired; instead the soldier just kept loading and four or five musket balls and powder would be found in the barrel. Grossman was of the view that this sort of thing just illustrates an instinctive reluctance in many of us to do violence to other people rather than it being cowardice or fear.
In relation to your observation that islamists think that they can use asymmetric warfare to paralyze governments - as they have done with some success - but not entire populations; we cannot depend, as too many of us have been doing, on governments or bodies like the EU to fight these battles, we need more ferocious worms and tenacious gadflies. As boghie commented, you are a particularly ferocious worm. Thanks for this and please keep being so.
the Islamic radicals ...
It's a mistake to blame the threats and violance totally on radicals and Al-Q.
A huge part of the problem are the clerics like the Wahhabi's in Saudi Arabia and the Mullahs in Iran. As far as I can see, these Islamic clerics are in it for the power, the money and the glory and what Allah actually wants has very little to do with anything.
In turn, the various clerics in the various countries either are or are strongly backed by the governments that make the policies and decisions, and those governments, in turn, have all the oil money.
The last couple of go-rounds of attempted intimidation by violence have featured government-sponsored newspapers in the Middle East actively telling their readers that it is their *duty* as good Muslims to boycott and to go out into the streets to riot.
In other words, the government through the journalists is putting out a message of "Allah wants you to riot, loudly and with violence."
This hasn't worked so well, since (1) the Arab boycotts were totally made up for by increased Western spending, and (2) the only ones hurt or killed in the rioting were Muslims killing Muslims. And the West sort of enjoys watching that, so it's counterproductive.
Al-Queda may or may not want to respond to the cartoons because it is a slap across their swarthy face with a silk glove. But the ones who *HAVE* to respond are the clerics who risk losing their power and authority as the "hand of Allah" if they don't. And that means that they'll be digging their spurs into whatever government officials belong to them to "DO something!"
Wretchard has given us years of great writing and insight. I thank him.
Today’s is no different. One part did however peak my interest.
His statement:
And so, the Islamic radicals will likely go on assuming that the asymmetrical warfare rules which paralyze governments necessarily paralyze whole populations.
A few remarks. Gallop Polling recently conducted their largest polling ever, taking the Muslim worldwide temperature. Of the 1.61 billion Muslims worldwide a full 7% believe that the 9-11 assaults were fully justified. I place those 112,700,000 Muslims in the fanatic category. There is no indication that their faith in asymmetrical warfare is waning, in fact it is probably in a consolidation stage. They will continue to come after the USA, Israel , and all infidels.
We are also headed within the next ten years into a world where most Muslim countries will be nuclear, thus greatly mitigating the need for asymmetrical warfare. That will change the ballgame forever. But for now the asymmetrical structure serves as a perfect bridge to the nuclear age. If we can retard and discourage them by bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities then we buy time, but simply time to develop a better anti missile system. We are not going to stop their ideology without mass killing which the West will never do. We will allow sharia law in this country before we blast Islam to hell. We will settle for an amuse-bouche instead of a full course dinner. What a pity
"One way of looking at those studies is that most people have a real resistance to killing."
Bob,
I don't think that's it. Arabs are notoriously blood thirsty, but in a fluid combat situation they are worthless. They are also the most cowardly of cowards, and many of them were caught hiding behind the family sofa and basement water wells when IDF soldiers were sweeping through southern Lebanese homes in the last war.
Fact: Allah doesn't grant Muslims victory over the US. The US is militarily victorious.
George Bush pats "good" Islam on the back and declares them "friends". George Bush hunts down and kills "bad" Islam and calls them fascist, and terrorists.
This is the first front against Islam. It is designed to cause Islam to evolve, not destroy it.
The normally cowardly Europeans are openning a second front against Islam. This is a war of ideas. This is also designed to cause Islam to evolve.
The Wahhabbist faithfull are cutting internet cables, because they fear the second front more than the first.
One day, the other versions of the Quran will be revealed. This will open the third front against Islam and will push even harder for Islam to evolve.
I will lead the parade for the person who can create a behavioral paradigm that will "evolve" 112 million plus radical Islams into even just "normal" wife beating, lying, stoning to death, Islams.
Habu, 112 million fanatics looks like a pretty grim number, but remember, people can change.
Probably 111 million of 'em will, when something bad happens to that other million.
How many Germans found religion immediately after WW2? According to Wikipedia the population of Germany in 1939 was 69 million. If that many Nazi's can be convinced of the error of their ways in five year, maybe 12 million Muslims can be, too. 'course Germans are wayyyyyyy smarter than Arabs ...
* * *
One day, the other versions of the Quran will be revealed.
Oooooohhhhh. What an excellent idea. I had never thought of that. Of *course* the Other Versio will be revealed. I wonder whre it's being developed right now, and by whom. And how it will be discovered when the time comes.
Yeah, they can change but they have a very high recidivism rate. In fact it actually defies computation.
When Gallop asked whether they would kill a monkey/ape Israeli or an American running dog first it was evenly divided when the respondents pointed to the pictures.
They knew either way they'd get the lollipop.
NahnCee,
That's not 12 million Islamics, it's
112,000,000 million.
That's the 7% of the 1.61 billion Islamics who thought hitting the WTC , The Pentagon , and the WH (a miss) was A-OK ..just your run of the mill 112 million fanatics.
It's almost more than one can contemplate for the entire ME to be nuclear within a decade, but it's coming on like gang busters...all under the rubric of them needing lighting for their homes and cities...it's all peaceful ya know..
I understand Farrakhan wants one to power Rev Wrights mansion.
Barack Obama is feverishly working right now with Rev Wright and Louis Farrakhan on the New Improved Quran. They'll be in Barnes and Nobles by Christmas.
That's not 12 million Islamics, it's
112,000,000 million.
Yeah, I know.
Point is, that hard-headed fanatics can start changing rapidly and more or less stay changed when Very Bad Things have happened to them.
We have the capability to make Very Bad Things happen to Muslims to encourage their changing. I sort of think it will, ultimately, come to that. Of course, if they all end up dead before they change, that's OK too.
They'll be in Barnes and Nobles by Christmas.
Would Mohammad (propeller beanie upon him) approve of the celebration of Christ's birth?
Maybe it could be a Thanksgiving unveiling.
Speaking of alternate Korans, remember this?
You might have read about the Ace Factor in Dave Grossman's book "On Killing".
I think that's the book I'm thinking of.
An army lieutenant in Al Anbar, (was it one of the cannoneers?) wrote a little while back that there are currently two powers, outside of the central government, in most of Iraq. By extension case can be shown to be true of most of the middle east, and south Asia. First there are the clerics, the guys who preach on Saturday and run guns the rest of the week. they were the ones who embraced Al Queda. Then there are the Sheiks who under Saddam had lost a great deal of authority in most tribal areas. then there was the government of Saddam. once the Government fell, the clerics and the Sheiks were left to sort out the wreck that was Iraq. Once the clerics had been shown to be power hungry POS, the people turned to the Sheiks demanding that the Islamists and by extension some of the clerics be dis-invited to the tribal area. In such an environment how difficult is it to make such a message stick?
I am betting that message was not lost on a lot of folks. Especially some in KSA, too.
In his book on the band of brothers, Lt. Winters talks about the nature of the soldiers, some being "natural killers" and others never even firing their weapons. It is important to know who falls into what category. When push comes to shove covering fire is easier.
NahnCee
Yeah ..on the 112 million deal I figured you knew I was just check'n. I couldn't agree more that we can make bad things happen. I just hope we do.
I'd like the Islamics to know that paybacks are hell , not always nation building.
Habu: We are not going to stop their ideology without mass killing which the West will never do.
A couple of—or even just one—American city vaporizing in a mushroom cloud could change all that in a heartbeat.
We will allow sharia law in this country before we blast Islam to hell.
Geert Wilders and the Danes are doing a great job of exposing shari'a law for the barbarous and systemic abuse of human rights that it is. Despite any momentary cheering by the Left for Islam, an actual taste of shari'a law would make the vast majority of them puke up their granola.
Habu : I will lead the parade for the person who can create a behavioral paradigm that will "evolve" 112 million plus radical Islams into even just "normal" wife beating, lying, stoning to death, Islams.
Myself and others here have repeatedly outlined a strategy that could lead to such an "evolution". While regime change is nice, as with all significant transformations, it must begin at the top.
A program of targeted killings designed to decapitate Islam's clerical, political, financial and scholastic elite could bring about a massive redirection in an amazingly short interval. Consider what would happen if those on the short list below suddenly were rendered ineffectual:
1. Ayman al-Zawahiri
2. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
3. Ayatollah Kahmeini
4. Mullah Muhammad Omar
5. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir (Bashir)
6. Moqtada Sadr,
7. Abu Hamza al-Masri,
8. Mullah Krekar (AKA: Abu Sayyid Qutb),
9. Khaled Meshal
10. Sheikh Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
11. Ismail Haniya
12. Mohammed Abbas
13. Yusuf al-Qaradawi
14. Tariq Ramadan
15. Sheikh Taj al-Din al-Hilali
16. imam Omar Bakri Muhammed Fustuq
17. imam Abdel-Samie Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa
18. imam Sheikh SyeSyed Mubarik Ali Gilani
19. Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal
20. Sheik Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi
21. Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar
22. Prince Sultan Ibn Abd al-Aziz
23. Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz
24. Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz
25. Muhammad Taqi Usmani
26. Yasin al Qadi (Saudi terrorist financier)
27. Imad Mugniyah, — Iranian master terrorist
28. Sheikh Abdullah bin Jibreen — top Wahabbi cleric
29. Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan — top Wahabbi cleric
30. Sheikh Nasser Al-Omar — top Wahabbi cleric
31. Sheikh Essa
32. Abu Waleed Ansari
33. Abu Yahya al-Libbi
34. Maulana Ilyas Kashmiri
35. Ahmed Abu Laban — DEAD — January 19, 2007
36. Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi (al Qaeda CEO)
37. Sheikh Abdel-Aziz Al al-Sheikh — Saudi Grand Mufti
38. Ramadan Shalah — Islamic Jihad leader
39. Ali Abdullah Saleh – Yemini President
40. Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ghaith — head of SA’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice
A dedicated campaign to assure that those who emulated the above individuals all met with a similar fate would do more to alter Islam’s rush to the precipice than anything short of regime change in every Muslim majority nation.
Habu: Yeah, they can change but they have a very high recidivism rate. In fact it actually defies computation.
Death rather dramatically reduces any troubling recidivism.
That's the 7% of the 1.61 billion Islamics who thought hitting the WTC , The Pentagon , and the WH (a miss) was A-OK ..just your run of the mill 112 million fanatics.
Which is why a program of massively disproportionate retaliation is required. Fly an airliner into a skyscraper and watch some major Muslim metropolis get carpet-bombed into a field of rubble. No nukes needed, those are our hole cards for a terrorist nuclear attack. Just killing enough Muslims whereby they quake in panic-stricken fear with the announcement of every new terrorist atrocity is all that's required.
After enough of them are rendered dead or homeless, with each new atrocity—and subsequent retaliation—enraged Muslims will rush down to the nearest mosque and slit the jihadist imam’s throat. This is how Islam will be persuaded to change.
Using the current “Law Enforcement” approach or fighting it—as we are in Iraq and Afghanistan—“bullet-by-bullet” only guarantees that Islam will paint us into a nuclear corner. These current policies literally assure that there will be a Muslim holocaust.
Political inaction in the face of one or several domestic terrorist nuclear attacks would most likely see a military coup of concerned and genuinely patriotic generals who would have the courage to “Respond In Kind”. One way or the other, a nuclear-armed Islam would bring about its own demise in record time. Even without inviting Western immolation, Muslim countries enjoy sufficient inbred rivalries whereby they will quite likely—as Wretchard noted in his “Three Conjectures”—set about nuking each other even farther back into the stone age than they already are.
Either way, “Bad Things” will happen to Islam. It is up to the West to make sure they occur before we lose some truly priceless portions of our common heritage. Given the chance, Islam’s 20% of this planet’s population will try or succeed at killing some 50% of humanity. This is what the global caliphate entails and represents a tipping point that must be made to serve against Muslim interests. Given that reformation is nearly impossible, how much of that 50% Islam kills before we kill the Muslim 20% is all that remains to be seen. Remember:
ISLAM WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.
27. Imad Mugniyah, — Iranian master terrorist
I've just noticed that Imad Mugniyah was on my list and has been killed. This represents the only instance where the West finally has begun to act against those listed. Not that my roster is comprehensive, by any means. Still—much like the bus load of lawyers at the lake's bottom—it's a great start.
The only previously deceased nominee was Danish cleric Laban and he died of unfortunately natural causes.
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