This MSM report from the Washington Post gives a pretty good description of what is physically happening right now. To nutshell it, Ethiopian troops have pushed into Somalia in an attempt to destroy Islamo-fascists who, aside from their usual criminal activities, are also fanning separatist flames inside Etheiopia. To give a good idea of the cluelessness of both the MSM and the elite, we have this passage:
"I find it perplexing what the Ethiopians are up to," said David Shinn, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia. "Over the long term, I don't see where this gets them. And one wonders how long they can hang on in this situation, because eventually it's going to turn into a nasty guerrilla war, and I don't think the Ethiopians have the stomach to carry on with that kind of campaign."
It was unclear Tuesday whether Ethiopian troops were preparing to invade Mogadishu or merely surround it.
But Shinn and others noted that a force of 15,000 troops had failed to subdue the capital in 1993, when 18 U.S. troops were killed in an incident depicted in the book and film "Black Hawk Down."
It is as if things happen in a vacuum for the MSM and the elite: there is the story - 15,000 American troops couldn't do it, so the 3 or 4,000 Ethiopian troops won't be able to do it...and they also wonder if the Ethiopians have the stomach for a protracted, guerrila war. Well, lets just say that it wasn't 15,000 men who failed to secure Mogadishu in 1993, but just one man who lost his nerve: President William Jefferson Clinton. And as far as stomaching a nasty, guerrila war...if the MSM would allow us to direct some nastiness at our enemies without screaming that we're war criminals when we look crossways at the armed enemy, then this war would be over pretty quick. There won't be a lot of MSM in tow behind the Ethiopian army, and so the Ethiopian army will be able to do what armies do: kill people and break things until the enemy submits.
Now, for the larger picture:
Ethiopia is a desperately poor nation, though no longer wracked with famine since they turned out the famine-causing socialist government in 1991. A highly mixed population which may be as much as 50% Moslem, but with certainly a very large, very strong Christian community making up more than 35% of the total population of approximately 75 million people. It would seem that the non-Islamo-fascists of Ethiopia - and especially the Christians who have seen how non-Moslems are treated in neighboring Sudan - have decided that full scale war is better than allowing their country to bit by bit be taken over by Islamists who will start oppressing non-Moslems as soon as they get a chance.
Somalia has been a basket case since before our 1992-93 intervention and continues in a massively chaotic state today. When people talk of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, one shouldn't think of this as being a national seat of government like Washington, DC is. It is really just a city which once had a national government, and thus with the intertia of our international bodies (ie, UN, EU, etc), whomever controls that city is held to be the legitimate government of all Somalia. The true state of Somalia is that it has no government - there is no non-sectarian body a Somali can turn to and expect even an approximation of impartial justice. It is the wild, wild East Africa. And this, of course, is just how the Islamo-fascists like it - nice and chaotic while still be recognised as a nation and thus with all sorts of potentiality for using diplomatic processes for transmitting various terrorist activities from one place to another...meanwhile, it is a free-fire zone which allows you to train your suicide bombers by the bushell for use elsewhere.
Right now, we've got our hands full in Iraq and with Iran, etc - but we cannot afford to let slip this opportuntiy to win friends, influence people and destroy Islamo-fascists. We've already worked out a pretty useful alliance with Djibouti, which neighbors Somalia and Ethiopia, and this is our opportuntiy to get Ethiopia and, by extension, Somalia on the side of the anti-terrorist/anti-Islamist angels. We can certainly spare weapons, supplies, some air power and economic support to Ethiopia in their battle against Somali - or, more accurately, their battle againt the Islamist elements who infest Somalia. Ethiopia gets victory over their enemies, the average Somalis get rid of the Islamists, America gains a strong anti-terrorist friends in the Horn of Africa - this is a win/win/win situation here, and all we need do is grasp it.
Posted by Mark Noonan at December 27, 2006 09:30 AM
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“...and they also wonder if the Ethiopians have the stomach for a protracted, guerrilla war.”
If there were a war in a city neighboring yours and the negative elements of that war were encroaching on you with the likely prospect of eventual take over, seems like you have 3 choices; A.) Fight, B.) Leave or C.) Give in.
It appears that the Ethiopians have chosen to fight. They are realizing that if you do not when you have the chance, the opportunity will slip away and you will be left with the consequences. That alone is enough for most sane people to carry on a protracted war if it comes to that.
Seems like the Ethiopians have the sense to take a stand, which is really for their lives.
Cowards however will always run.
Posted by: DM at December 27, 2006 11:17 AM
Yet another example of how the islamosavages and their first-world facililtators cry when the tables are turned against them.
Its all well and good for the American lefties as Somalia's self-imposed islamic government threatens execution for those who dont pray five times a day, but if a non-religious element fights back against the fascists then suddenly its a calamity.
The Ethiopians are getting a close up look at what could happen to them if theyre not careful and they dont like the show. Too bad for the world that there arent more nations willing to break up these islamic regimes before they metastasize into something worse. Ethiopia is showing the way forward.
Posted by: Bacon-I Will Miss Thee at December 27, 2006 11:18 AM
Let's all send our prayers for the success of the Ethiopians.
The Sudanese barbarity of the early 90's (spurred on by our old buddy Muammar Quaddafi) has lead to the horror of Darfur. The "Lost Boys of the Sudan" refugees who ran to Ethiopia showed them how serious the threat was.
With hope and support, the Ethiopians maybe, maybe, maybe will be able to restore order to Sudan, stop the rape of Darfur, and contain the burbling cauldron of civil war that has encroached more and more on the Horn of Africa.
My prayers go out and I hope you all join me.
Posted by: Major Smegma at December 27, 2006 01:24 PM
Can we get these Ethiopians into Iraq!!!
Posted by: james allegro at December 27, 2006 01:34 PM
if the MSM would allow us to direct some nastiness at our enemies without screaming that we're war criminals when we look crossways at the armed enemy, then this war would be over pretty quick.
What would also help is the MSM actually recognizing the Islamofascists for the war criminals they are, such as by actually using the term "war criminals" to decribe those who systematically, routinely and deliberately target civilians, hide behind civilian "human shields", booby-trap dead bodies, use ambulances to transport weapons, hide weapons in mosques, shoot from mosques, kill people for having a different religion than themselves, all without wearing any recognizable uniform. I would love to see the MSM use that term to describe the Islamofascists, but I realize that I have a better chance of seeing a real literal Bigfoot.
Ethiopia is showing us what must be done with Islamofascists. You can NOT negotiate with them. You can NOT reach an understanding with them. You can NOT work things out with them. There is only ONE thing that Islamofascists respect, or are even capable of respecting, and that's a fist bigger than their own, and that's only if someone is willing to use it.
Posted by: Bigfoot at December 27, 2006 05:50 PM
Mark, thanks for the thread!
The Somali-Ethiopian War is now a major front in the GWOT. GO ETHIOPIA!!!
We can certainly spare weapons, supplies, some air power and economic support to Ethiopia in their battle against Somali - or, more accurately, their battle againt the Islamist elements who infest Somalia. Ethiopia gets victory over their enemies, the average Somalis get rid of the Islamists, America gains a strong anti-terrorist friends in the Horn of Africa - this is a win/win/win situation here, and all we need do is grasp it.
Absolutely! America must help the Ethiopians to secure victory over the Islamofascists!
GO ETHIOPIA!!!
Posted by: Freedom1 at December 27, 2006 10:47 PM
BTW, France is doomed.
"...Ethiopia...have decided that full scale war is better than allowing their country to bit by bit be taken over by Islamists who will start oppressing non-Moslems as soon as they get a chance."-MN
Too bad France hasn't learned this lesson.
France As a "Muslim Power"
(via LGF) "Here’s a review by Daniel Johnson of a new book by David Pryce-Jones:" 'Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews'."
As I write, it is exactly a year since the desolate banlieues of France erupted in an orgy of violence, on a scale which had not been seen for generations. At the time, these riots were blamed on social exclusion. Since then, it has become clear that the rioters are not just ‘immigrants’ or ‘youths’, but are first and foremost Muslims. When they set light to a car, their cry is often: ‘Allahu akhbar!’ (’Allah is great!’) [Oddly enough, the same thing supporters of Rep. Keith Ellison shout. —ed.]
The violence, moreover, is endemic and ubiquitous. In 2005, there were 110,000 incidents of urban violence, including 45,000 vehicles burnt out. This year, there has been an average of over 100 incidents a day. Since the riots supposedly subsided last January, some 3,000 police officers are reported to have been injured. France is quite deliberately being made ungovernable.
This ‘French intifada’ was merely the culmination of a process that has turned many suburbs into no-go areas for the police and increasingly for non-Muslims too. In particular, the Islamist rabble-rousers who are behind the insurgency have incited their followers to attack Jews, who are now outnumbered by Muslims in France by at least ten to one.
How has it come to this? In this devastating indictment, the cri de coeur of an Englishman who loves France but is exasperated by the French, the background to this breakdown of civil society gradually emerges. David Pryce-Jones has discovered the explanation in the archives of the French foreign ministry, known after its imposing headquarters, the Quai d’Orsay. The corps diplomatique who have run this institution like a private club - known to initiates simply as ‘la carrière’ - are responsible not only for the decline of French prestige abroad, but also for creating the conditions for the unfolding catastrophe at home.
Like so many misfortunes, this one has its origins in the megalomania of the Bonaparte clan. For more than two centuries, since Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt, French diplomacy has been gripped by a delusion of grandeur: the idea of France as une puissance musulmane, ‘a Muslim power’ - a phrase that has a new and sinister echo now.
Posted by: Freedom1 at December 27, 2006 11:20 PM
Where is the other story? Al Qaeda lost, again.
Posted by: Tom at December 28, 2006 01:45 PM
Ethiopian forces have routed the Islamists, killing 2000 in the last 48 hours. The Ethiopians now have occcupied Mogidishu and are hunting the bush for the remains of the islamist fighters.
It amazing what a determined military can do against these islamists when not hamstrung by political correctness and MSM oversight.
The group that was routed was the same one responsible for the "Black Hawk Down" incident which convinced Slick Willy to withdraw our troops...the single act which convinced OBL that we were paper tigers...the single act that emboldened OBL to plan 9/11.
How much different the world would be today if Slick Willy would have taken is oath of office more seriously.
Posted by: phnxbmed at December 28, 2006 05:38 PM
The Ethiopians are very good students of history. It wasn't all that long ago (1935), that their nation was invaded by Italy as a precursor to the wider conflict which later ensued, now known as World War II. Today, they are acting as not only the proverbial "canaries in the mineshaft," signalling a growing menace for the larger community of nations, but also as first responders in their sphere of influence.
They suffered mightily as a third world nation under the military might of Fascist Italy. I'll never forget watching the film footage of the late Emperor, Haille Selassie (sp?) imploring the League of Nations to help his country to defend itself in 1935. His pleas for assistance fell upon deaf ears, and his country was sacked by the Italians.
This time around, the Ethiopians aren't banking upon any help from "more powerful" nations of Western Europe. They understand that they're looking at the writing on the wall. They are wise to engage the enemy before it knocks on the doorstep, before it becomes entrenched and empowered in Somalia. I salute them for having the courage to stand up for their way of life and nip this cancer called Islamofascism in the bud before it metasticizes and brings its dark vision of cruelty and despair to Adis Abbaba.
I join Maj. Smegma in praying for their success...
Posted by:
babyboomer aka dbogdan at December 28, 2006 07:32 PM
What would also help is the MSM actually recognizing the Islamofascists for the war criminals they are,...
Bigfoot, this would require the MSM, aka the DBM, to switch sides in the war on terror. They won't do this, not while President Bush is in office. OTOH, if Big-Ears Obama were to take the throne in '09, they'd be all over it...
Posted by: Obama-sama has Big Ears of Corn at December 28, 2006 08:32 PM
Order Matt and Mark's book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble
“...and they also wonder if the Ethiopians have the stomach for a protracted, guerrilla war.”
If there were a war in a city neighboring yours and the negative elements of that war were encroaching on you with the likely prospect of eventual take over, seems like you have 3 choices; A.) Fight, B.) Leave or C.) Give in.
It appears that the Ethiopians have chosen to fight. They are realizing that if you do not when you have the chance, the opportunity will slip away and you will be left with the consequences. That alone is enough for most sane people to carry on a protracted war if it comes to that.
Seems like the Ethiopians have the sense to take a stand, which is really for their lives.
Cowards however will always run.
Yet another example of how the islamosavages and their first-world facililtators cry when the tables are turned against them.
Its all well and good for the American lefties as Somalia's self-imposed islamic government threatens execution for those who dont pray five times a day, but if a non-religious element fights back against the fascists then suddenly its a calamity.
The Ethiopians are getting a close up look at what could happen to them if theyre not careful and they dont like the show. Too bad for the world that there arent more nations willing to break up these islamic regimes before they metastasize into something worse. Ethiopia is showing the way forward.
Let's all send our prayers for the success of the Ethiopians.
The Sudanese barbarity of the early 90's (spurred on by our old buddy Muammar Quaddafi) has lead to the horror of Darfur. The "Lost Boys of the Sudan" refugees who ran to Ethiopia showed them how serious the threat was.
With hope and support, the Ethiopians maybe, maybe, maybe will be able to restore order to Sudan, stop the rape of Darfur, and contain the burbling cauldron of civil war that has encroached more and more on the Horn of Africa.
My prayers go out and I hope you all join me.
Can we get these Ethiopians into Iraq!!!
if the MSM would allow us to direct some nastiness at our enemies without screaming that we're war criminals when we look crossways at the armed enemy, then this war would be over pretty quick.
What would also help is the MSM actually recognizing the Islamofascists for the war criminals they are, such as by actually using the term "war criminals" to decribe those who systematically, routinely and deliberately target civilians, hide behind civilian "human shields", booby-trap dead bodies, use ambulances to transport weapons, hide weapons in mosques, shoot from mosques, kill people for having a different religion than themselves, all without wearing any recognizable uniform. I would love to see the MSM use that term to describe the Islamofascists, but I realize that I have a better chance of seeing a real literal Bigfoot.
Ethiopia is showing us what must be done with Islamofascists. You can NOT negotiate with them. You can NOT reach an understanding with them. You can NOT work things out with them. There is only ONE thing that Islamofascists respect, or are even capable of respecting, and that's a fist bigger than their own, and that's only if someone is willing to use it.
Mark, thanks for the thread!
The Somali-Ethiopian War is now a major front in the GWOT. GO ETHIOPIA!!!
Absolutely! America must help the Ethiopians to secure victory over the Islamofascists!
GO ETHIOPIA!!!
BTW, France is doomed.
"...Ethiopia...have decided that full scale war is better than allowing their country to bit by bit be taken over by Islamists who will start oppressing non-Moslems as soon as they get a chance."-MN
Too bad France hasn't learned this lesson.
France As a "Muslim Power"
(via LGF) "Here’s a review by Daniel Johnson of a new book by David Pryce-Jones:" 'Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews'."
Where is the other story? Al Qaeda lost, again.
Ethiopian forces have routed the Islamists, killing 2000 in the last 48 hours. The Ethiopians now have occcupied Mogidishu and are hunting the bush for the remains of the islamist fighters.
It amazing what a determined military can do against these islamists when not hamstrung by political correctness and MSM oversight.
The group that was routed was the same one responsible for the "Black Hawk Down" incident which convinced Slick Willy to withdraw our troops...the single act which convinced OBL that we were paper tigers...the single act that emboldened OBL to plan 9/11.
How much different the world would be today if Slick Willy would have taken is oath of office more seriously.
The Ethiopians are very good students of history. It wasn't all that long ago (1935), that their nation was invaded by Italy as a precursor to the wider conflict which later ensued, now known as World War II. Today, they are acting as not only the proverbial "canaries in the mineshaft," signalling a growing menace for the larger community of nations, but also as first responders in their sphere of influence.
They suffered mightily as a third world nation under the military might of Fascist Italy. I'll never forget watching the film footage of the late Emperor, Haille Selassie (sp?) imploring the League of Nations to help his country to defend itself in 1935. His pleas for assistance fell upon deaf ears, and his country was sacked by the Italians.
This time around, the Ethiopians aren't banking upon any help from "more powerful" nations of Western Europe. They understand that they're looking at the writing on the wall. They are wise to engage the enemy before it knocks on the doorstep, before it becomes entrenched and empowered in Somalia. I salute them for having the courage to stand up for their way of life and nip this cancer called Islamofascism in the bud before it metasticizes and brings its dark vision of cruelty and despair to Adis Abbaba.
I join Maj. Smegma in praying for their success...
What would also help is the MSM actually recognizing the Islamofascists for the war criminals they are,...
Bigfoot, this would require the MSM, aka the DBM, to switch sides in the war on terror. They won't do this, not while President Bush is in office. OTOH, if Big-Ears Obama were to take the throne in '09, they'd be all over it...