"Islamists loathe us far more than they despise each other."-VDH

Correct. VDH, rocks.

"Iraq...the frontlines of the entire struggle between Islamic radicalism and Western liberality."-VDH

We must win in Iraq. If the USA which has the best military on the planet-the American military-can't achieve victory over 7th century, savage Muslim terrorists in Iraq, where can we win?

"What follows won't be the impression that we are weak, but the fact that we are--as we convince ourselves we cannot win against such horrific enemies, and so should never again try."-VDH

We won't have a choice. We (non-Muslim countries) will end up fighting either way. But the fighting will be more horrific, bloodier and on a grander scale in a few years. The fighting will also be on our own streets...as Russia is finding out.

"Russia to be Majority Muslim by 2050"

San Francisco Chronicle:...Across Russia, Islam is thriving. Experts say the country is undergoing a startling change and that if current trends continue, more than half of Russia's population will be Muslim by midcentury.

"Russia is going through a religious transformation that will be of even greater consequence for the international community than the collapse of the Soviet Union," said Paul Goble, an expert on Islam in Russia and a research associate at the University of Tartu in Estonia.

As in many Western countries with growing Muslim populations, tensions are also on the rise. Ethnic Russians fear their country is losing its traditional identity; Muslims are offended by widespread discrimination and a lack of respect for their faith.

Russia's Muslims are extremely diverse, including Volga Tatars, the myriad ethnicities of the North Caucasus and newly arrived immigrants from the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. But they all share an important demographic -- birth rates far higher than that of Russia's Christian Orthodox, ethnic Slavs.

Russia's overall population is dropping at a rate of 700,000 people a year, largely due to the short life spans and low birth rates of ethnic Russians. The country's 2002 census shows that the national fertility rate is 1.5 children per woman, far below the 2.1 children per woman needed to maintain the country's population of about 143 million. The rate in Moscow is even lower, at 1.1 children per woman.

But Russia's Muslims are bucking that trend. The fertility rate for Tatars living in Moscow, for example, is six children per woman, Goble said, while the Chechen and Ingush communities are averaging 10 children per woman. And hundreds of thousands of Muslims from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have been flocking to Russia in search of work.

Since 1989, Russia's Muslim population has increased by 40 percent to about 25 million. By 2015, Muslims will make up a majority of Russia's conscript army, and by 2020 a fifth of the population.

"If nothing changes, in 30 years people of Muslim descent will definitely outnumber ethnic Russians," Goble said.

BTW, Muslim terrorists are already here in America-

Detroit Metro Terror Arrest Update (via Lgf) "Ethiopian-born Sisayehiticha Dinssa, arrested at Detroit Metro Airport, is going to stay locked up. This article has new details about what Dinssa had in his possession, including $80,000 in cash, data about US nuclear power plants, suitcase bomb instructions, a commemorative edition of a newspaper dated September 11, 2002, and a hand-written threatening note.

"Suspicious airline passenger to stay locked up"

The Detroit News: A federal judge overturned a lower ruling Monday and ordered detention for a man stopped at Detroit Metropolitan Airport with articles about nuclear plants and suitcase bombs and the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman ruled Sisayehiticha Dinssa, 34, was both a flight risk and a danger to the community. He overturned a ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen, who earlier on Monday ordered Dinssa released under strict supervision.

Dinssa, an Ethiopian-born U.S. citizen who lists his address as Dallas, Texas, was arrested Tuesday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after arriving from Kenya by way of Amsterdam.

He is charged with currency smuggling after telling Customs agents he was only carrying about $18,000 before a search of his luggage turned up nearly $80,000.

Though he faces no terrorism charges to date, Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Feller told Borman that evidence found in Dinssa’s luggage and inside his laptop computer makes him a potential threat to national security.

Agents found articles about nuclear plants, suitcase bombs and a hard-copy commemorative edition of the Dallas Morning News from Sept. 11, 2002 — the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Feller said.

Agents also found a hand-written note saying: “This community is angry. Something is going to happen. We are going to see justice. This is a powder keg waiting to go off.”

The United States not only must win in Iraq, it will win. The real problem is will, not military capability. The terrorists realize that this is a battle of wills more than anything else. As long as they think they can keep whittling down our will, they will continue fighting. If they realize that we are resilient in our cause and they have no hope of success, they will give up.

Now all we have to do is get the so called MSM to realize that constant focus on the bad news only makes things worse. How about the good that is happening? How about the areas that are not violence prone? We need to hear more about that to encourage the population at large to be willing to continue the fight. Perception is so very important right now, and the MSM and the Libs are making it so much worse.

Ok, who here would be willing to double their tax rate if ALL of the extra money would go to winning this war, i.e. more troops, up-armored vehicles, IED detectors, building schools and hospitals, electricity and water systems, and arming, training and paying Iraqi police?

Maybe you would, congressive, now quit with the Charlie Rangel talking points.

Folks, I'm taking a sabbatical until advised further by my lawyer. It appears one of the members here is stalking me and making threats via e-mail. At this time, I have no information who he/she/it is, only an e-mail address. It is rushfan385@aol.com--probably a fake address, but I've got people checking it for me, and have forwarded it to AOL. I think this individual is someone who stalked me from a previous blog, but I'm not sure. So until I have this resolved, I'll see you all later. Drop a line to rushfan385@aol.com when you get the chance.

Happy Thanksgiving, and God Bless you all...

a political leftism which really considers Donald Rumsfeld a war crminal, and President Bush a greater threat than the lunatic president of Iran

The left thinks Gitmo is a GULAG, while ignoring the real GULAGs in North Korea and the rest of Cuba. The Gitmo detainees have gained weight, in contrast to the living skeletons produced by the Holocaust and the original Soviet GULAG. I'm surprised that no lefties have accused us of torture by fattening up the detainees.

“Ok, who here would be willing to double their tax rate if ALL of the extra money would go to winning this war, i.e. more troops, up-armored vehicles, IED detectors, building schools and hospitals, electricity and water systems, and arming, training and paying Iraqi police?”

congressive,
Did you have a point here? Hard to tell exactly what you wanted to say here. But let’s play this game a little further. If you had a high level of confidence that there were terrorists currently in the US or planning to enter the US sometime in the near future with the intent to cause a MAJOR catastrophe, what would you give to prevent it?

- We know for sure there are people with this intent.
- We know for sure they have operatives currently in the US.
- We know for sure they are being funded by many groups, some of those residing in the US.
- We know for sure they have no intention of negotiating for an end of their course of action.
- We have a high level of confidence they are targeting numerous locations within the US and her interest.
- We know for sure they are seeking to cause the greatest damage possible.
- We have limited capability to prevent every potential man made catastrophic action.

What would you do and what would you pay to minimize the damage or prevent it altogether? What’s your plan?

I wouldn't worry too much Redneck, the looney left doesn't have the huevos to do anything, it's all talk, just like their answer for Iraq...blah..blah...blah.

If you don't believe that reason and justice triumph over lunacy and extremism, then you lower yourself to their level. I, for one, don't want to go there. We are judged not by what happens to us but by how we react.

The shear naivity and ignorance of the left will result in the distruction of western civilization. And if they think that the United States is the evil in the world, just wait till leftist feminists are wearing burkas, gays and lesbians are being beheaded, adulterers are being stoned in the streets, etc. We are dealing with an evil so insidious that unless it is destroyed, we will be. What the left doesn't realize is that we cannot "give peace a chance". There is no reasoning with them. There is no amount of money or social engineering that will distroy it. Radical Islam is like a cancer, and only agressive means will root it out and destroy it

Man I hate that feeling redneck, been there, done that! They surely are a pain in the a..! It's usually some pinhead liberal geek that can't fight a battle anywhere but behind a keyboard. Well good luck & happy thanksgiving!!!

Mark Ma Amigo, I too will stand right ehre in support of teh war. As you well know we real patriots are the ones who think that troops should walk around as cops in Bagdad drainin money from America to a place which bloes up whatever we build it in short order.

I will support the war to victory for as long as it takes. My definition of support however is limited to a yellow ribbin and spening money on that new Xbox. The second there be a draft, I gone be opposed to this quagmier.

For all of you in Rio Linda, Awangatang is an imposter porn star wannabe. Dave R. go have your boyfriend lead you around the house with your underwear on your head, please(on a leash of course). It's time better spent for you! LMAO!

It's usually some pinhead liberal geek that can't fight a battle anywhere but behind a keyboard.

You know, bearman, you're right. It's some kook trying to get under my skin. Why should I let someone chase me away from here, someone I'll never even meet?

However, Matt and Mark, lots of good people have left this blog due to your being overly tolerant of trolls who do nothing but spew talking points. This used to be a good blog, back when Scaramonga, Macker, Gozer, Megapotamus, et.al. were regulars. They either left, or post infrequently, because of the scum who hang out here. What gives? Why drive away allies?

btw, I letmy lawyer go--turns out he's a card-carrying member of the ACLU. I don't employ commies...

Yah Keefer, those kinds of lawyers are a dime a dozen these days(course they cost an arm and a leg)! I agree with you on your assessment of B4B. It seems as though posters with any depth have gone elsewhere. Guess that's why it takes 5 min. a day to catch the goodies from Mark, Matt & Leo and move on! The kookbats are out in force these days. I love dissent, but these guys are a joke. Especially Jimbo, I mean he really believes he's a moderate! LMAO!

Who's Jimbo, bear? Oh, you mean Jim Olive Oyl? Yeah, he's such a tool.

My main problem with the trolls is that they're all about revenge and gotchas. There's nothing original about them; groupthink is the order of the day...

You know I may start to pay attention to them(troll), when at least ONE of them can come up with some kind of proof that Bush lied us into a war. I'm still waiting! I'm sure I've asked just about every troll on this site to present some tangible evidence, facts, maybe something that would warrant an arrest or something! Three years later they still can't depose the FACTS surrounding Sadaam Insane! God help us, how did our country buy this crap, hook, line & sinker!

Keefer:
--I presume you have me in the "et. al." of the "This used to be a good blog, back when Scaramonga, Macker, Gozer, Megapotamus, et.al. were regulars"

Bearman, Keefer,

I strongly agree!

B4B needs some serious reform, there is way too much hatred and un-American claptrap coming from the left these days!!!

Jeremiah