Mark Steyn's recent article in the "OC Register" makes a valid point: That we're not seeing the proverbial forest through the trees. Too many analysts and pundits are splitting hairs trying to figure out which terrorist group is responsible for the attack on Mumbai. However, they're all missing the religious-political ideology that's driving this. Even if we do properly identify the group responsible all we'll be doing is treating a symptom and not the disease.

Mr Steyn also pokes fun at the Rueters reporter who refered to the subject of this photo as a "suspected gunman." Orwellian PC at its finest.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ideology-mumbai-gunman-2242227-muslim-terrorists

Apparently, this "suspected gunman" was the only one, out of 10, captured. He's currently talking to authorities. The defense links on this blog discuss the "failure" of the terrorist operation (they planned to kill 5k people) and the Indian government's response.

Two if by Sea?

According to the map, the terrorists who attacked Mumbai arrived by boat(s). None of the articles I've read so far mention this. Like everything else about this attack, we have more questions than answers.

Who were the Mumbai Gunmen?

Speculation continues on who carried out the attacks on Mumbai.Photos of the attack continue to accumulate:

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Mumbai-Terror-Attacks/ss/events/wl/112608mumbaiterroris

The attached Yahoo News article lists the most likely "usual suspects" and provides links to other sites: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599186273300

The Blitz on London & Great Fire of 1940

This is the picture I mentioned in my previous post.

Mumbai Burning

Good God!

Talk about an iconic picture illustrating the destructiveness of our enemies: The Taj Mahal Hotel on fire from today's terrorist attack.

This reminds me of the famous Herbert Mason photo of London's St. Paul's Cathedral during The Blitz (1940)."Bare Naked Islam" (see Defense Blogs link below) has several YouTube video updates.

Slide show from Yahoo News:

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Mumbai-Terror-Attacks/ss/events/wl/112608mumbaiterroris;_ylt=AuMWAJ.RCltA0M2NZBUgea_9xg8F

Mall Shooting Suspect Found in Portland, OR

The suspect in the Southcenter Mall shooting was found in Portland, OR. The incident may be gang-related. Even more disturbing is gang-related shootings have been on the rise here in Seattle.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008440759_webmallshooting26m.html

Summary of a Meltdown

The attached article is a good summation of our current financial woes. Like the Hurricane Katrina fiasco, some measure of blame can be laid at all levels of the finance sector.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/opinion/26friedman.html

Gunmen go on Shooting Spree in Mumbai

An unknown number of gunmen went on a shooting rampage throughout Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. Information about this attack is still unfolding.

As of now here's the latest news report and most recent casualty figure (from Yahoo News via AP):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_india_shooting

The BBC News site contains several pictures along with a warning about the graphic nature of some of them:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7751360.stm

A group calling itself the "Deccan Mujahideen" is claiming responsibility for the attacks, but this has yet to be verified. Whoever they are, the gunmen were specifically looking for folks from the US & UK. They also managed to take out three top Indian police officers including the anti-terror squad chief.

This begs the following questions: Was he along with the other 2 deliberately targeted? Or were they in the proverbial wrong place at the wrong time? If they were specifically targeted how did they get their intel?

There is also the usual condemnation of the attacks by the politicians and bureaucrats.

Russian Ships Cruise to Venezuela...

...but with the price of oil dropping, Russian and Venezualan economies may soon be running on empty.

The picture is of the Russian nuclear-powered cruiser "Peter the Great."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081125/wl_afp/venezuelarussiamilitarydiplomacy_081125193946

Calling a Spade, a Spade...

...or a "charity," a financier to Hamas.

http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/865

For more on Hamas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas

Not with a Bang...

The US nuclear arsenal is aging. Meanwhile there's great concern among military planners that president-elect Obama's administration may continue to let our strategic deterrence deteriorate.

http://formerspook.blogspot.com/search/label/U.S.%20nuclear%20force%3B%20Reliable%20Replacment%20Warhead%20Program%3B%20Minuteman%20III%3B%20B-52

AQ to IRGC: شكرا جزيلا (Thank you!)

The Iranian Republican Guard Command (IRGC) received a thank-you note from Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's #2 man. The letter was written after the US Embassy in Yemen was attacked two months ago (Sep 08).

But Sunnis (like al-Qaeda) and Shi'ites (like Iranianis) haven't gotten along all that well since Mohammed died in 632 AD. However, hostile feelings are often set aside based on an Arab proverb: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That is, jihadists hate infidels and Jews more than their apostate cousins. They'll settle accounts with each other after they've vanquished the Great Satan and his minions.

(Yea team!)

Or as we capitalist swineherd infidels would say: Business before pleasure.

AL-Qaeda's Thanks & Praise to Iran's Republican Guards, from "Telegraph" (UK):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/3506544/Iran-receives-al-Qaeda-praise-for-role-in-terrorist-attacks.html

More on the Sunni-Shi'ite Schism can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni-Shia_relations

Making Use of the Spoils

Well it isn't "wine, women & song" for the Somali pirates. Instead its "khat, urban planning & sharia."The drug-addled Somali Scallywags are putting their ill-gotten gains to use. But it looks like inflation is causing the price of their drug-of-choice, khat, to rise.

The Somali ransom money story can be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081123/wl_nm/us_somalia_piracy_scene

For more information about their drug-of-choice:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khat

The attached picture is "The Victor and the Spoils" by Howard Pyle.

Then Again, Not All Perpetrators are Human...

A shooting occurred yesterday in Tillamook Bay, OR:

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/34942894.html

I wonder if there'll be a hearing and if found guilty, what will the punishment be? No doggie treats for 6 months?

Local Thug Still on the Loose

One of the victims from yesterday's shooting died, while the other remains hospitalized in serious, but not life-threatening, condition. Police are still looking for the suspect.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008425325_mallshooting23.html

Liquid Bomber gets His 72--What?

The mastermind of the Liquid Bomb Plot, Rashid Rauf, finally gets his 72 virgins/raisins/whatever.
There's some debate among Islamic scholars over what exactly Muslim "martyrs" get when they enter Paradise: Some say its 72 perpetual virgins--others say it 72 raisins. We infidels get a chuckle out of the latter. For us, it would be like going to Heaven and getting served MREs (Meals Ready to Eat).
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jDeOrNGT0wryGUR0N_OyqsazMmjQ

Meanwhile here's what the other side says about this "pious" Muslim:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023605.php

Thugs Fire Shots in Local Mall

This story is still unfolding: Two people were shot at 4 PM at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, WA. So far this is considered a local law enforcement matter. Police are still looking for one suspect.

http://www.king5.com/

Arrrgh!--Hic!--Now Back to Piratin'!

You'll understand the title of this post once you open the link from Lileks. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom for his commentary:

http://www.lileks.com/institute/funny/08/102.html

Today in History: The JFK Assassination

JFK was assasinated 45 years ago today:

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Assassination-John-F-Kennedy/ss/events/us/112208jfkjohnkennedy

Here, he's picture on board PT-109 during WWII.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Assassination-John-F-Kennedy/ss/events/us/112208jfkjohnkennedy

I was only 2 years old when JFK was shot, so I don't remember this at all. However, I was 5 years old when Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy were both killed and I remember the media response quite vividly. Both of these assassinations are then my earliest recollection of national tragedies.

"Insum" is military jargon for Intelligence Summary.

"International law has long recognized a general duty of all nations to cooperate in the repression of piracy. This traditional obligation is included in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the 1982 LOS Convention, both of which provide: "[A]ll States shall cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State.""

(From GlobalSecurity.Org's website)

It sounds like there's already a mandate in place to deal with these scurvy dogs. But as usual, the international collective doesn't have the will to enforce it.
I've added the Global Security's website to my Defense Links. Here's their detailed report on the current pirate problem:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/pirates.htm

BTW: The "Jolly Roger" flag as we know it today and pictured here, is just one of many variations. Each pirate captain had his own personal standard. This one belonged to Edward England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_England

Arrrgh! There Be Pirates Here!

Today's news regarding the latest pirate activity:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,456427,00.html

Experts, political leaders and department heads talk about "imposing sanctions:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45frDJ2H7Lc&feature=channel

Ship owners of the Saudi tanker are "in negotiation" with the pirates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExdtySOfRRA&NR=1

At least one country's navy knows how to deal with pirates:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081119/ts_afp/somaliapiracyshipping_081119125508

When the story of this recent pirate activity broke, a number of my on-line friends asked the following questions:

How do you impose "sanctions" against what can be euphemistically be called NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations)?

When did we need a "mandate" to deal with pirates?

In the past, such "mandates" weren't needed because pirates were viewed as scourge to all mankind.

Here's a short explanation for the 280-year lull in pirate activity:

"Piracy’s Golden Age ended by the 1720s, when pirates were outmatched by European military forces in the Caribbean...Piracy in general declined throughout the late 18th century and early 19th century with the development of the steam engine and the growth of the British and American navies. However, piracy never dissappeared completely..."

(From the History Channel's Website, "True Pirates of the Carribean: History of Piracy").