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