The truth about the Iranian Nuclear ambition

As I mentioned in a recent post, I had a unique opportunity to have an enjoyable dinner with a high ranking member of the Israeli Knesset. He has, and will hold other high offices (amongst the highest) including joint work with the Senate, and has frequent meetings with the highest members of the US government (just that week he had met with Nancy Pelosi and Condi Rice). And these are not pro forma meet and greets but high level policy discussions.

Most of us that have followed the Iranian situation over the years have no doubts about what is going on, nor have we ever.

Since Jimmy Carter began providing nuclear materials to the Shah, the Iranian program has always been about weaponry.

That this is even debated on the world stage is the biggest joke going.

What was so shocking about the discussion with this gentleman was the explicit detail that he provided.

As he said, he could not go into how, but to describe the intelligence confidence he put it this way.

The world's intelligence agencies had high confidence about WMD's in Iraq (yes it was NOT only the US, EVERY intelligence agency in the world believed this). However, there was not confirmed information because the intelligence was developed based on previous experience (gassing of the Kurds, weapons inspectors, defectors, etc.).

The difference hear is in the word. With regard to Iran's plans, it is knowledge, not confidence.

This comes from multiple sources, human intelligence that was not available in Iraq. The arrest and penetration of the Pakistani nuclear terrorist A.Q. Khan, who sold nuclear weapons technology all over the world, including North Korea as well as Iran, and extensive knowledge of the Iranian missile systems.

This last point is the most frightening.

The point made, was that Iran does NOT seek to be a regional nuclear power as Pakistan and India are.

In fact, despite the Muslim constitution of Pakistan, this Minister expressed no fear of the Pakistani, Indian nuclear mutualization, saying that they were there simply as deterrents to each other and that neither nation had made real attempts to extend their missile technologies with nuclear warheads passed 1000 miles, or what was necessary to bomb each other's capitals.

WIth Iran, he gave exact dates as to the completion of each weapon system (including names and details of the weapons)as to when the Iranians would be able to hit various world capitals.

As it stands today, the Iranians can currently target all major European capitals, up to and including London.

In the next two years they will be able to hit Washington and New York. This is not conjecture but the currently constituted missile program, and these missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads.

Now, the positive news is this. While the US press has described the IRanian nuclear program as being largely in underground hardened facilities,
we were told that based on the Iranians own activities with regard to air defense systems, they believe them to being vulnerable to air strikes alone.

He described the fact that the Iranians have, and continue to spend several BILLION dollars a year on air defense surrounding these facilities, thus demonstrating their own fear of air strikes. They continue to add air defense installations surrounding the facilities in fear of air strikes.

Food for thought

"Congressman who willingly take action during wartime that damage and undermine the military are saboteurs, and should be arrested, exiled or hanged."
Abraham Lincoln

I hope people will take a moment to actually READ all of these words before reacting reflexively.

As I have oft times said, I am a social liberal, foreign policy and economic conservative (although I hate to use those terms, better description would be social libertarian, foreign policy interventionist).

However, I do believe that the Congressional timetable for withdrawal from Iraq is blatantly unconstitutional.

As a matter of law, I believe the only way Congress can do this is to stop funding the military. The current construction of the country allows the President, as commander and chief, to determine the course of the war.

Congress is free to say we will not pay for it. But they CAN'T say, we will pay for it but do it my way.

The reasons for this are obvious, not the least of which is that the next step (as there are in the current funding bill) would be various congressmen demanding use of only those military items produced in their districts, etc.

But politics have become so polarized that they can't do that, so they set this timetable, which, I hate to say, does do exactly what the right wing pundits say it does. It gives an exact date, to those who want us to, of surrender.

Make no mistake, whatever the Iraq war WAS, or started out to be, it is now the first confrontation between Sunni-Shia Islam, the first confrontation between the Iranian led coalition and the west, and the attempt by the Wahabbist to control the region.

No Commentary necessary

Below is a speech given last week in Sudan by Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Sheikh Ahmad Bahr.

You can see the speech in video if you go to the MEMRI website (memri dot org).

"America Will Be Annihilated, While Islam Will Remain"

Ahmad Bahr: "'You will be victorious' on the face of this planet. You are the masters of the world on the face of this planet. Yes, [the Koran says that] 'you will be victorious,' but only 'if you are believers.' Allah willing, 'you will be victorious,' while America and Israel will be annihilated, Allah willing. I guarantee you that the power of belief and faith is greater than the power of America and Israel. They are cowards, as is said in the Book of Allah: 'You shall find them the people most eager to protect their lives.' They are cowards, who are eager for life, while we are eager for death for the sake of Allah. That is why America's nose was rubbed in the mud in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Somalia, and everywhere."

[...]

"America will be annihilated, while Islam will remain. The Muslims 'will be victorious, if you are believers.' Oh Muslims, I guarantee you that the power of Allah is greater than America, by whom many are blinded today. Some people are blinded by the power of America. We say to them that with the might of Allah, with the might of His Messenger, and with the power of Allah, we are stronger than America and Israel."

[...]

"I tell you that we will protect the enterprise of the resistance, because the Zionist enemy understands only the language of force. It does not recognize peace or the agreements. It does not recognize anything, and it understands only the language of force. Our jihad-fighting Palestinian people salutes its brother, Sudan." [...]

"Oh Allah... Kill Them All, Down to the Very Last One"

"The Palestinian woman bids her son farewell, and says to him: 'Son, go and don't be a coward. Go, and fight the Jews.' He bids her farewell and carries out a martyrdom operation. What did this Palestinian woman say when she was asked for her opinion, after the martyrdom of her son? She said: 'My son is my own flesh and blood. I love my son, but my love for Allah and His Messenger is greater than my love for my son.' Yes, this is the message of the Palestinian woman, who was over 70 years old - Fatima Al-Najjar. She was over 70 years old, but she blew herself up for the sake of Allah, bringing down many criminal Zionists."

[...]

"Oh Allah, vanquish the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, vanquish the Americans and their supporters. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them all, down to the very last one. Oh Allah, show them a day of darkness. Oh Allah, who sent down His Book, the mover of the clouds, who defeated the enemies of the Prophet - defeat the Jews and the Americans, and bring us victory over them."

A real Memorial Day

Last night at sundown, Israel began celebration of a 2 day holiday.

The first of which, ending tonight at sundown is called Yom Hazikiron, followed the next day by Yom Ha'atzmaut.

The first day is the equivalent of our memorial day. It is a remembrance of the over 22,000 soldiers, (and victims of terror) who have fallen in defense of Israel.

That my not seem like a lot, but considering that Israel's population has just hit 7 million, you can see what a large percentage it is.

Two points here.

At the beginning of the holiday, a siren is sounded.
Virtually the entire country comes to a stop for a full minute.

This also occurs on another holiday Yom HaShoah the holocaust memorial day.

It is absolutely incredible to see an entire country come to a halt. If you are on the highway, you will see traffic cease, people stop walking to stand and remember.

It is truly breathtaking and certainly gives one not just literal pause to consider, but emotional and psychic pause as well. You are forced to think about the sacrifices of those who have given their lives defending freedom.

What is also fascinating is that this somber day is followed immediately the next day by Independence day, just like July 4th.

The confluence of these two days is very much on purpose.

The point is this, perhaps we here in the US, owe our defenders of freedom the same type of recognition.

With Memorial Day rapidly approaching, perhaps thinking of it as the start of summer, or just a cool Monday off from work is not the right way to view it. Let's all take a moment to think about the real meaning of citizenship.

Counters

Alec Baldwin and the horror of parental alienation.

Alec Baldwin's profanity laced tirade toward his daughter was "released" yesterday causing an uproar.

Is he abusive? My guess would be no.

What he did was truly terrible, no child should be spoken to like that.

However, Baldwin is unquestionably the victim here. And the victim of something that so many men go through in this country that it is another example of the incredibly anti male society we live in.

Kim Basinger has been cited by the court in this case over a dozen separate times for interfering with Baldwin's visitation with their daughter.

Now, first, let's take a step back. Ms. Basinger, who I have always had a thing for, is a diagnosed agoraphobe. That means she is afraid to go out of the house. In fact, after winning her academy award for L.A. Confidential, she had trouble getting work because she just couldn't bring herself to stay on set.

Does this make her an unqualified mother? Of course not. But, it can be an indication of additional personality disorders.

Yet, she was given primary custody. Make no mistake, even in the rare case that joint custody is granted, the person the child lives with principally exerts an undue influence.

As you know, children hear everything. How common is it for a child to hear, even in the "best" divorces, one parent speaking to friends, or family, negatively about the other parent?

Well, in this case, you have court findings that Basinger has consistently tried to prevent Baldwin from seeing their daughter.

This is frustrating beyond belief. For every finding of the court, I'd be willing to bet there are dozens of incidents under which she cannot be cited. The primary caregiver can always prevent the other parent from seeing the child by saying things like, she has a cold, a playdate, a school event, a Dr's appt., whatever. The court will never cite the primary for these things.

So the mere fact that the court in this case has repeatedly cited Basinger means that her behaviour has been egregious.

What the effect is obvious.

A child under these circumstances learns very quickly to not only appease the parent that is hurting them (the alienator, Basinger in this case) but actually to go overboard to try and prevent the bad behavior from being directed towards them. This is similar to what abused children do. They may resist for a bit, but shortly they will go overboard to praise and protect the abuser in order to protect themselves.

So, Baldwin, who has consistently NOT used the press, with access to the best lawyers, unlimited funds to litigate this, STILL can't even see his child.

How often do you think this happens to average fathers who simply can't afford to go to court.

So thousands of children grow up with the myth that their father won't or doesn't want to see them.

Don't you think Basinger is feeding this child stories about how bad Baldwin is, how much he DOESN'T want to see her, etc?

So, with all this, he is STILL not able to get primary custody.

Why, because courts reflexively, even in statutorily gender neutral states, favor the mother. And not a little, but fully and unquestioningly.

So, did he go overboard and say horrible inexcusable things - of course.

Was there anger and frustration in his voice - absolutely.

But who do you think that anger was really direct towards?

A conversation about Egypt --- an update.

I had a unique opportunity the other night to have dinner with a leading member of the Israeli government. Someone who has the most intimate knowledge of everything going on in the region.

While I have spent time with many politicians, both American and Israeli, over the years, this gentleman was without a doubt the brightest, most well reasoned of all of them.

In discussing Egypt, he confirmed all of what I wrote in my earlier post about the Egyptian war plans, their current strategic design to war against Israel and the arming of their forces.

The F-16's, the M-1 Abrams tanks, etc. They now have the best of American technology. In deep contrast to when Israel last confronted them and they were flying broken down Migs, using antiquated Russian tanks and firing Kalashnikovs.

However, most frightening was his description of the systematic relocating of the Egyptian army itself.

He described how over the last 5-10 years, Egypt has been systematically moving their bases into the Sinai, hopscotching toward the Suez canal and the border with Israel.

For those that don't remember, the 1956, and 1967 hostilities began with the nationalization by Egypt of the Suez and then the unilateral closing of it.

Even worse, was his description that the American politicians on both sides of the aisle are aware of this but simply haven't, or won't, do anything.

As a point - the demilitarization of the Sinai was a condition of the 1978 Camp David Accords which established the peace between the two countries and was the precondition for Egypt receiving what was essentially matching aid to Israel's from the US.

So, Egypt quite simply has the largest, most well equipped armed forces in the region.
In addition, they continue to allow the flow of arms into the Gaza strip unimpeded, also in violation of the withdrawal accords that were signed last year before Israel unilaterally withdrew.

This almost guarantees an Israeli re-entry and occupation of the Gaza for a period in order to clean out the weapons caches, etc.

Remember, even during the current supposed "truce" there have been DAILY firings of rockets into Sderot in southern Israel from the Gaza strip.

The truth about the Middle East

"For decades, American policy sought to achieve peace in the Middle East by pursuing stability at the expense of liberty. The lack of freedom in that region helped create conditions where anger and resentment grew, and radicalism thrived, and terrorists found willing recruits."

These words were spoken some years ago by Former President Lyndon Johnson in discussing the aftermath of the 1967 War. Amazing how prescient they sound now. The decades of America pursuing a strategic policy of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" has led to the nuclearization of Iran, Sadaam Hussein, rise and fall, the rearmament of Egypt, the festering of Wahabbist radicals in Saudi Arabia, etc.

OK, fooled you, these words were not spoken by Lyndon Johnson, but another brilliant Democrat, Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the aftermath of thew 1973 war during an interview in his tenure as United States Representative to the UN and after the tragedy in Indonesia which preceeded his appointment.

He decried the way that the Arab regimes were being used as fodder in the Cold War, traded back and forth in the axis of the United Sates and the Soviet Union. Radicalism being evident throughout with the new regimes and the loss of nation after nation in breaking apart of the "Pan Arabic Union" of Nasser.

Okay, fooled you again. Who really wrote (or spoke) those words?

Good News - No more Holocaust!!

By now I am sure you have heard the news, according to the British Department of Education there are teachers in Britain that are afraid to teach the Holocaust for fear of violent reprisals from Arab students.

Isn't that wonderful?


Why? Well, they are afraid of offending Muslim students who are confused because they are taught in their mosques that the Holocaust was a myth. More specifically, they are afraid of violence against British teachers for teaching this to their Muslim students who attend Marassas (the Muslim schools) and are taught there that the Holocaust was a myth.

This is not Syria, or Iran, or The Palestinians, this is the land of Churchill, the country that single handedly held off the Germans for two years without help while we here in the States were deciding whether we wanted to be internationalists or not.

The land of Churchill who said famously "we have not yet begun to fight".

This decision certainly falls right in line with the behavior of the British government with regard to the recent Iranian hostage taking.

For those that don't know. Suicide bombing began with the invention of TNT around the turn of the 19th century. Who were the victims? British soldiers and diplomats in the British protectorate of Palestine.

So, a century later they still haven't figured out that capitulation and denial doesn't work.

Everybody get out your copies of the Holy Quran, ladies start wearing those Hajibs, gentleman, start practicing your bowing and get ready for the 5x daily call to the Mosque.

It is becoming inevitable.

Update on the British Seamen (and woman)

As you know the 15 British Sailors who were engaged in interdiction in the Shatt el Arab waterway when they were kidnapped by the Iranians were released as an Easter President by the little Fascist, Ahmadinejad.

Of course, immediately after their release, to no one's surprise, the sailors told of being held in solitary, threatened with death if they did not "admit" to the incursion into Iranian waters.

How embarassed must have been the female sailor, told that the men had all been released, forced to wear the "Hajib" and paraded repeatedly in front of the cameras to admit her "sins" against the Iranian people.

Let's start with the analysis of the British actions. Tony Blair mouthed the correct sentiments, we will not negotiate, but at the same time began back channel discussions. IN fact, it seems that the decision to release them may have been inspired by the Iraqi's releasing an Iranian diplomat taken into custody in Baghdad for providing support to the insurgency.

What the west continues to fail to grasp is that failure to act against this type of behavior is perceived as 1)weakness and 2) implicit permission to do it again.

The Arab world was hoping that the British would act decisively b/c this act by the Iranians was simply an exploratory move to both act with impunity generally, and to control the waterway, and thus access to the oil reserves of the Gulf.

At the very least, the British could have said simply this "If you do not release them we will surround your embassy in London and arrest every personnel in the Embassy."

Of course, they could have also said, this a declaration of war, if they are not released immediately, Tehran will be bombed.

Ahmadinejad would not have allowed that to happen.

Unfortunately, as the taker of the American Hostages in 1978, his life experiences teach him that he can engage in hostage taking without repercussion. In fact, with his weakening domestic status, it could be argued that it helped him politically.

Here, in the States, we should have communicated to the British that we would support anything, but encouraged aggressive action.

If there is to be any hope in the Middle East, firm responses are needed, not mitigation and conciliation. It has not worked in 600 years, and will not work now.

Expect the Iranians to continue to act willfully.

In fact, my sources in the region fully expect Iran's army, Hizbollah, to attack again this summer, perhaps with even more direct support from Syria this time.

Interestingly, Iran's other shadow Army, Hamas, allegedly in a "truce" with Israel, has launched over 200 Qassam rockets into Southern Israel over the 90 days of this "truce".

They are using the internal Israel political strife and alleged "truce" to rearm.

Additionally, they are using their "hostage" the Israeli soldier that was kidnapped last summer, Gilad Shalit, as bait for Israel to release over 1000 Palestinian terrorists.

The Exodus: Fact or Fiction, a Passover post

Below are two recent e-mails I sent to some of my group concerning current archaeologic support for the exodus story.

In addition to what is written below, the most significant current digs going on in Egypt surround the Pyramids. It seems that about 10 or so years ago, a snadstorm revealed what would eventually be excavated and shown to be the living quarters of work force that built the Pyramids.

What seems to be indicated is that, like most ancient empires, the Egyptians employed the non citizen residents of it's empires, not slaves but sort of indentured servants, to build their great structures.

These people were fed, given medical treatment and housed immediately next to whatever structure they were building. Were these Jews? We don't know, but it is an interesting development.

Below some more:

Hey everyone,

In light of recent discussions I thought that this was a fascinating coincidence.

I was watching one of my "shows" on History International.

It was the story of the development of the alphabet.

Interestingly, the archaeology is clear that the alphabet as we know it, began to develop in Egypt approximately 1300-1400 years BC.
It was invented by Northern Semitic peoples in order to have their own form of communication private from the Egyptians and their hieroglyphs.
Is this sounding familiar? hint, hint!!

The earliest known alphabetic writings were found in the "Valley of Terror" in Egypt, written by a "force" of Semites. There is a dispute as to whether this
"force" was a work force or a force of mercenary soldiers.

However, there is a clear "L" referencing the biblical G-d which is not disputed.

The archaeologic evidence now shows that the alphabet traveled through the Sinai into ancient Israel.

In fact, in mines in the Northern Sinai, there were discovered just a few years ago, clear writings, ancient graffiti, so to speak, of SLAVES, writing on the wall
of the mine, asking their G-d for freedom from their slavery!!

Seeing these inscriptions were truly fascinating.

The finds are so detailed that they actually traced the development of each letter. For example, the "A" was originally a picture of an ox, which in ancient Semitic language was pronounced
with an "A" sound at it's beginning. Over the millenia, the drawing of the letter evolved to what we know today.

So, as I have been saying recently, the more that we uncover, the more there seems to be evidence of the Exodus.

[B]AND NEXT:[/B]


OK - I have discussed this with a few of you,

It is my belief that the Egyptian Pharoah, Akhenatan, may well be the biblical Abram.

The translations of the names in hieroglyphs are strikingly similar, but more important for those that don't know,

Akhenatan was a Pharaoh dating to about 1350 bc (there is dispute as to the Pharaonic timetables so it can be anywhere from roughly 1320 to 1380 or earlier).
He was originally Amenhotop IV.

He may well be best known as husband to Nefertiri and father of Tuthankhoten, later Tuthankamen, or as we call him, King Tut.

During his reign, for the only time in the Pharoanic period, he and his family were depicted realistically, previously, and after, all Pharaohs and royals were depicted idealistically.

He changed his name early in his reign in honor of his changing the Egyptian religion to the earliest known form of mono-theism worshiping ATEN, or more commonly known
as Ra, the sun god.

Akhenaten destroyed all of the Amun temples around Egypt and BANNED THE PRODUCTION OF IDOLS.

He moved the capital of Egypt to a new city Akhetaten, built specifically to celebrate the new monotheistic religion of the land.

At the time, Egypt covered most of Northern Africa and into Palestine.

They cooperated with the Hittites and other powers of the region.

At his death, a few years later, when Tut became ruler, all evidence of the monotheistic practices of Akhenaten were destroyed.

The old practices were resumed. Akhenaten's temples were disassembled and the stones used as building materials for a resumption of the old style temples.


Most fascinating to me, and unknown until today, was that I am far from the first person to seriously consider this.

In fact, Freud, in /Moses and Monotheism/, apparently makes this claim (I have not read it, but plan to now!!). He postulates that Moses was an Aten priest and he and his followers were forced to leave Egypt at the death of Akhenaten.

An Egyptian Egyptologist, Ahmed Osman has conjectured that Akhenaten WAS Moses and that his father in law was Joseph. Interestingly, Akhenaten's actual father in law was in fact, a Vizer named Yuya.

Akhenaten was not rediscovered until the archaeologic finds of the 19th century.

Now to the scrolls:

In 1959 one of the only dead sea scrolls discovered by archaeologists (remember the original finds were by shepherds) was found in Qumran in 1959 and has become known as the
"copper scroll". So know because it is, in fact, written on copper.

For 2 decades this scroll was unread because the scientists simply did not know how to unroll it without destroying it. Finally, it was cut into small sections and photographed. For some time it was considered a fake, but now it's progeny is not disputed. It was written by the Essenes, like all of the other scrolls.

It is FAR different than any other of the dead sea scrolls in that it is written in a naturalistic style and is a treasure map, for lack of a better description.

It is an extensive description of how to find a biblical treasure.

For those that don't know, the Essenes were know as the "SONS OF LIGHT" (getting interesting, huh?). And yes, there is a great deal of scholarly speculation that both John the Baptist and Jesus were Essenes (hmmmm, sons of light; Aten-sun god; Jesus -son of G-d)

Strangely, the essenes lived a monastic life, shunning materialism, and yet, they wrote a treasure map.

There is a belief that this scroll is the key to finding the treasures of the First Temple.

I won't discuss that here.

What I will discuss is this:

At the end of each sentence of the copper scroll giving detailed directions to find the treasure, there are Greek letters.

When put together, these letters spell.... drum roll please...

AKHENATEN.

Hmmmm, are we starting to think maybe there is something to this Egypt.... Exodus story??

As another interesting note. During this period of Egyptian history there was an outbreak of black PLAGUE!! This is also an undisputed fact, well known and supported by the chief Archeology of Egypt, Zahi Hawass, who you see on all of the shows about Egypt.

As a side note, this coming Monday's episode of "Digging for the Truth" on the History channel, starring our favorite Jewish heartthrob, Josh Bernstein, I believe is going to be an examination of the Copper Scrolls.

A good starting point for those who don't know about these things is Wikepedia which sports fairly detailed and well footnoted entries on all of these subjects.

The archaeologist who is digging in Qumran and has been leading the research on the copper scroll has a website.