"Ahmadinejad: Democracy, freedom in US nothing but a big lie" (IRNA-Iran)

What's the proof? The two-party system. We also learn that the "era of Marxism and humanism is over." From IRNA:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that democracy and freedom in the United States are nothing but a big lie.

President Ahmadinejad made the remark in a meeting with members of Ten Day Dawn headquarters in Tehran on Monday.

It is over one hundred year that two political parties are governing the US, he said adding that the two political wings pursue similar goals but through different political arrangements.

There is also one group behind the stage that keep people busy in order to mislead them, the President said.

The era of Marxism and humanism is over and they have nothing new to offer to the world, he said.

Days for those resorting to bombs or suppression are now numbered, Ahmadinejad said.

Hmmm, the era of Marxism is over. I don't think North Korean News is going to pick up this story.

What the world needs is more vigilance

Increasing the old vigilance always seems to be the call of the hour in dictatorships. We are agreed that the "D" word is a good description of North Korea, right? Here is an article called "Rodong Sinmun Calls for Heightening Vigilance against Imperialists' Deceptive Artifice":

The imperialists pretend to be "peace champions," becoming more talkative about "peace" and stability" than ever before. But this is nothing but a crafty and sinister artifice to benumb the vigilance of the world people and cover up their aggressive and predatory aims.

Rodong Sinmun Sunday says this in a bylined article.

The prevailing situation requires the world people not to be taken in by the imperialists' crafty deceptive ruse, the article notes, and goes on:

It is necessary, first of all, to be vigilant against the imperialists talking about "freedom" and "democracy" while pretending not to seek any aggressive aim.

The "freedom" and "democracy" touted by the U.S. are part of its moves for "globalization" and its immediate goal is to do harm to and bring down the political system in the anti-U.S. independent countries and nations by sending them the wind of freedom.

It is also necessary to guard against the imperialists' behavior of styling themselves as "mediators" and "guarantors" in settling disputes.

It is the trite method of the imperialists to fish in troubled waters by sowing the seeds of discord and antagonism among other countries and nations and stoke them.

It is particularly important to be vigilant against the imperialists' trumpeting about "peace."

They still keep military bases and troops for aggression in different countries and regions and stage ceaseless and reckless war maneuvers, while giving lip-service to "peace."

It is the scenario of the U.S. imperialists to carry out their strategy for world domination by force of arms. Its main thrust is to bring Northeast Asia under their control and its core is to ignite another Korean war with south Korea as a base.

One should not harbor any illusion about the imperialists. It is essential to unite close with a firm revolutionary stand against them and intensify the struggle against them. What is more important is to firmly maintain the principle of independence against imperialism and direct the spearhead of attack to it, not regarding its crafty deceptive ruse as a change in its intrinsic nature.

A recent CS Monitor article explains that "Iran isn't the religious dictatorship that the West imagines" although it admits "A democracy? Hardly." My modest little contribution to this question is to note that Iran's Supreme Leader for Life is certainly into that vigilance thing: "Leader Urges Youths' Vigilance against Enemy's Plot to Hijack Uprisings":

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei voiced confidence about the Muslim nations' growing power, but at the same time urged the Islamic nations to keep vigilant against the attempts made by the enemies to hijack the Muslim uprisings.

Addressing a meeting with participants at the 'International Conference on Islamic Awakening and the Youths' here in Tehran on Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that enemies are trying to make up for the damages they have sustained due to popular uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and other Islamic countries.

"The enemies are busy with designing plots and conspiracies and Islamic nations, specially the youths of the Muslim Ummah (community) who are the engine of the Islamic Awakening, should not allow the global network of tyranny to hijack their revolutions and derail the current and future paths through full vigilance and use of others' experiences," the Leader added. [...]

If you are holding out for Iran to still not be a "religious dictatorship" in some sense, it doesn't look good. Let's put it that way.

MPAC-UK on "Britain's War on Free Speech"

It has been a while since we dropped in on MPAC-UK. They are currently upset about the denial of a broadcasting license to Iran's PressTV:

[...] With the pressure of hostilities being ramped up against Iran on a daily basis, we are of the view that this is simply a ploy to silence any dissenting opinion against the manufacturing of war consent. If you deny Iran the ability of expressing what is really happening in its country and the motives behind the forces who are preparing to attack it, then you kill any opposing opinion to the pro war hawks. [...]

How's that for solidarity with the Khomeinists? There is no sense here whatsoever that PressTV serves up propaganda. The rest is in the same vein.

"Six americans . . . barred from leaving Egypt"

From Reuters:

Six Americans working for publicly funded U.S. organizations promoting democracy in Egypt have been barred from leaving the country, provoking angry demands in Washington that Cairo's new military rulers stop "endangering American lives".

Among those hit by travel bans - one of those targeted called it "de facto detention" - is a son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, as well as other foreign staffers of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute, officials at the two organizations said.

The United States said Egypt should reverse them: "We are urging the government of Egypt to lift these restrictions immediately and allow these folks to come home as soon as possible," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. [...]

Sound familiar?

"British expert says EU sanctions doomed to fail" (PressTV-Iran)

That "British expert" is Yvonne Ridley!

British broadcaster and journalist Yvonne Ridley said western countries should take a lesson from their past sanctions against Iran and do not repeat their mistakes.

How much more do I need to quote?

"Lee Myung Bak's Appointment of Confrontation Maniac to Important Post at Chongwadae under Fire"

"Diehard confrontation maniac"--hmmm, sounds like disapproval:

Traitor Lee Myung Bak recently appointed Kim Thae Hyo, diehard confrontation maniac as chief for Foreign Strategy Planning in Chongwadae.

Rodong Sinmun Monday observes in a bylined commentary in this regard: This is not for dialogue but a desperate effort of those obsessed with confrontation with fellow countrymen.

Kim Thae Hyo is a traitor without an equal as he took the lead in stoking confrontation with fellow countrymen as a confidant of Lee Myung Bak under the present conservative regime, the commentary says, and continues:

From the time when he was a secretary for Foreign Strategy in Chongwadae he frequently visited the U.S. to earnestly beg it to strongly pressurize the DPRK without having dialogue with it, saying that "there is nothing to benefit from dialogue with it."

It was none other than Kim Thae Hyo who gave a shot in the arm of Lee and advised him implicitly, uttering "it does not matter if his tenure of office expires without any dialogue with the north" and "he needs not to worry as he will be appreciated for having adhered to the principle". Kim is still blustering "south Korea should settle accounts with the north without fail," persistently talking about the warship "Cheonan" sinking case and Yonphyong Island shelling.

What matters is the sinister aim sought by the Lee group in repeatedly crying out for hypocritical "dialogue." The "dialogue" oft-repeated by the conservative group is aimed at creating the impression that it is interested in the improvement of the relations and shifting the responsibility for the escalated tension onto the DPRK at any cost.

With no rhetoric can the Lee group cover up its wicked intention to escalate the confrontation with compatriots. It is an intolerable insult and mockery of the DPRK to talk about "dialogue" with the dagger in his belt, far from making any apology for the crimes committed by the group during the mourning over the big loss to the nation.

The Lee group can never be a dialogue partner of the DPRK as these traitors can no longer be entitled to live with them under the same sky.

They would be well advised to stop talking about "dialogue" which will work on no one.

Ahmadinejad sings one of his biggest hits

Substandard English, even by IRNA standards:

[...] Concerning Holocaust and collapse of the Zionist regime, Ahmadinejad said that downfall of the regime does not need any atomic bomb and even a war, because this regime is based on cruelty and massacre so it will collapse automatically.

He stressed that the Zionist regime has no standing in the Middle East because none of the nations in the region have not accepted this regime and all are opposed to it.

On Holocaust, he said that if it is a historical reality, so why research about it is prohibited and the researchers are imprisoned? [...]

(h/t: IMRA)

LA Times language about Brotherhood and Salafis

You have no doubt heard that these two groups now control, as the LA Times puts it, "nearly three quarters" of the seats in the Egyptian parliament. Here is some interesting language:

The relatively moderate Brotherhood and the puritanical Salafis will likely battle over how deeply Islam should shape the constitution and be ingrained in public life. Both parties have said social and economic challenges are the most pressing concerns, but the Salafis, who receive funding from Persian Gulf nations, are certain to push for an Egypt more rooted in sharia, or Islamic law.

This is an interesting example of how journalistic mannerisms protect extremists. The Brotherhood's General or Supreme Guide in Egypt sounds like this:

"Resistance is the only solution against the Zio-American arrogance and tyranny, and all we need is for the Arab and Muslim peoples to stand behind it and support it. The peoples know well who is [carrying out] resistance and who has sold out the [Palestinian] cause and bargained over it. We say to our brothers the mujahideen in Gaza: be patient, persist in [your jihad], and know that Allah is with you..."

Al-Qaeda is an example of a Salafi party.

(h/t: Isreallycool and Iraqi American Mojo)

Update: Speaking of media coverage of the Middle East, see this from Soccer Dad at Pajamas Media.

"World Public Praises Kim Jong Un as Great Man Born of Heaven"

What better representative of the "world public" could there be than the Nigerian National Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea?

World public is praising the dear respected Kim Jong Un who is identical to the great men of Mt. Paektu in idea, leadership and traits.

The Switzerland-Korea Committee and the Swiss Group for the Study of the Juche Idea in an article posted on their Internet homepage said that General Kim Jong Un is possessed of all dispositions as a state leader and strategist.

Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un is a gifted Songun brilliant commander of Mt. Paektu type, the organizations added.

The chairman of the Nigerian National Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea praised Kim Jong Un as a man who most perfectly personified the temperament and traits as a modern statesman and strategist on the highest level. He has wisely led the KPA for years while making journeys of Songun together with General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the chairman said.

The Bangladeshi paper Blits in its article posted on its Internet homepage said that Kim Jong Un is fully possessed of Kim Jong Il's love for the people, adding that he is a tender-hearted father of the Korean people and the sun of the destiny whom they will follow to the end of this world.

The Indonesian paper Suara Karya stressed that Kim Jong Un is recognized as the youngest leader not only in Korea but in the the world.

The editorial board of the Russian paper Patriot Office in a statement said: Kim Jong Un set it as its mission to faithfully inherit and brilliantly accomplish the revolutionary cause of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. He was always near Kim Jong Il on the forefront of the cause for the revolution and socialist construction.

The chairman of the C.C., Socialist Popular Party of Mexico, the rector of the Cotonou Institute of Journalism of Benin and the secretary general of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage of Guinea said that the future of Songun Korea is immensely rosy as it has Kim Jong Un as the supreme leader.

I'm sure they all used the exact phrase "immensely rosy."

"Obsession with safety is ruining our playgrounds" (LA Times)

Come to think of it, current playground equipment is tamer than what I remember from my childhood:

Last fall, a state inspector strode into Great Beginnings preschool and declared the tree house and climbing structure too high. They would have to come down or be surrounded by extra padding.

The metal ladder to the playhouse, which had been there 30 years, could pinch the children, said Beverly Wright-Chrystal, a state child care licensing representative. Also, a log worn smooth by generations of boys and girls playing horsy and hide-and-go-seek would have to be sanded and painted because of a potential "splinter hazard," Wright-Chrystal determined.

Marian Stocking, who opened the Long Beach preschool in a converted house on 4th Street in 1978, had the offending equipment hauled away. Watching it go, some of the children cried out, "Tell those bad men to bring our log back." [...]

The workers were probably just doing their jobs, of course. The children should have cried out, "Tell the bad inspector lady not to come back here anymore!" or "Tell the bad government to make itself smaller!"

"unspeakable insolent words which can be used only by coldhearted guys"

If you follow this blog much, I'm sure you have already guessed the country responsible for this:

One month has passed since General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the great father of the nation and loadstar of national reunification, passed away all of sudden to the sorrow of the service personnel and people of the DPRK.

In this period, the tears shed by all Koreans formed a veritable sea and their lamentation shook mountains and rivers.

The whole world shared sorrow with the Korean people over the demise of Kim Jong Il, a great guardian of justice. Personages of many countries expressed deep condolences over his demise irrespective of ideology, political view, nationality and religious belief.

However, it was only the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors that perpetrated thrice-cursed treasons during the mourning over the great loss to the nation.

What is more serious is that the group did not hesitate to insult the great father of the Korean nation.

It worked hard by all means and methods to prevent progressive forces and people from all walks life in south Korea from using the word "demise" in their messages of condolences. It also made public a statement peppered with unspeakable insolent words which can be used only by coldhearted guys.

It hurled the right-wing conservative organizations into areas along the front to scatter leaflets hurting the sacred dignity of the DPRK several times.

It cried out for "taking counter-action by separating people from the leadership of the north." Not content with this, the group imprudently shifted the "final blame" for "Cheonan" warship case and Yonphyong island shelling incident onto the supreme leadership of the DPRK. The group blustered it would never officially express condolences.

This is the most serious provocation to the DPRK.

The DPRK has already solemnly declared that it regards the insult to its supreme leadership as vital as life as the worst crime.

However, the south Korean puppet group staged military exercises, setting the supreme headquarters of the DPRK as targets. Not content with this, it committed such traitorous crime against ethics as insulting it during the mourning over the great loss to the Korean nation.

The DPRK will never pardon these crimes through generations.

The Lee group is a gang of worst political hooligans and depraved guys.

The group's serious insult to the supreme leadership of the DPRK resulted in completely severing the inter-Korean relations.

The resentment of the army and people of the DPRK at the group of traitors has run to the sky.

The group will not be able to escape the severest punishment.

"Envoy: Hamas Will Never Recognize Israel" (Fars News-Iran)

Just in case you were wondering:

The Islamic Resistance Movement considers recognition of the Zionist regime of Israel as its strategic red line, a senior Hamas diplomat said on Wednesday.

"Hamas considers non-recognition of the Zionist regime as its strategic red line," the representative of the Palestinian Hamas movement in Tehran, Khaled al-Qoddoumi, said.

"Therefore no one has the right to review this issue. This cannot be put into debate and is among the firm principles of the Palestinian Islamic resistance," Qoddoumi underscored, addressing a conference on Islamic Awakening here in Tehran.

The Palestinian figure further underscored that resistance against Israel is a much more popular option than useless negotiations.

Earlier this month, a Hamas official said that the movement would never give up armed resistance against the Zionist regime of Israel, rejecting reports that the group has accepted to end its armed struggle against the Israeli regime.

"Hamas has not abandoned any method of resistance since the very first day of its establishment 24 years ago and it will continue the same path in future," Ismaeil al-Ashqar, who also represents Hamas in Palestine's parliament, told FNA at the time.

He made the remarks in response to the claims made by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani that Hamas has ended armed resistance.

"Hamas will never give up armed resistance," al-Ashqar underlined.

"the whole audience seethed with an atmosphere of intense loyalty"

Meet the new Kim, same as the old Kim. The "militant art agitation" is certainly the same, at any rate:

Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, supreme leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, the state and army of the DPRK, appreciated a music and dance performance "We Will Hold Our Supreme Commander in High Esteem for All Ages" being staged before full house at the April 25 House of Culture. [...]

The audience paid silent tribute in humblest reverence to General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

The performance began with the immortal revolutionary hymn "Song of General Kim Jong Il".

Its repertoire included colorful numbers like brass band and mixed chorus "Comrade Kim Jong Il Is Our Supreme Commander", female solo and mixed pangchang of immortal masterpiece "Where Are You, Dear General?," male solo and male chorus "Song of Comradeship", male chorus "Leader, Just Give Us Your Order" and mixed chorus "Strength of Korea".

The performance reached its climax when the audience heard narrative poem "Korea, Tell Us" leading it to bear in mind once again how precious the arms bequeathed by Kim Jong Il as the biggest revolutionary heritage is.

When the songs "Footstep" and "We Will Defend General Kim Jong Un at the Risk of Our Lives" resounded forth, the whole audience seethed with an atmosphere of intense loyalty.

He expressed great satisfaction over the splendid performance firm in ideological principle and high in the spirit of the times and replete with militancy staged by creators and artistes of the People's Army. He highly appreciated their successful performance and extended thanks to them.

It is the performance which powerfully demonstrated the true revolutionary characteristics of the KPA by thoroughly embodying instructions of Kim Jong Il in art creative and productive activities and made a profound ideological representation of the firm readiness of the service personnel and people to carry on long journeys for the Songun revolution, holding high the red flag, he said, adding that Kim Jong Il would have been satisfied with the performance, if he had watched it.

Noting that the song "Yearning Is Boundless" is the one of the best new songs, he said with deep emotion that he could not keep back tears while listening to the song. [...]

He set forth the tasks of the art organizations of the KPA and gave precious instructions to carry them out.

The art organizations of the KPA should not lose the nature as the revolutionary and militant art units of the KPA in the art creative and productive activities in keeping with their mission, he noted, adding:

It is an important duty facing the art organizations of the KPA this year for the creators and artistes of the KPA to earnestly keep abreast of the stirring realities and conduct the frontline-style art agitation and performing activities.

He repeatedly said the performance today was successful, expressing great expectation and conviction that the creators and artistes of the KPA would more enthusiastically and loudly sing militant songs powerfully arousing the service personnel of the KPA and people to the drive to accomplish the WPK's cause of Songun revolution in the future, too.

There were evidently also unsuccessful performances in the DPRK.

"Chief Rabbinate: Häagen-Dazs No Longer Kosher" (Arutz 7)

I hate news stories like this in which the journalists don't understand kashrus well enough to report the story clearly:

The Chief Rabbinate announced on Sunday that Häagen-Dazs ice cream will no longer be considered kosher and will be removed from store shelves.

According to Jewish dietary laws, dairy products that contain milk that was not produced by a Jew are forbidden unless a Jew oversaw the preparation process to ensure the milk from a kosher animal was not mixed with milk from a non-kosher animal.

This means the Rabbinut won't allow non-Cholov Yisroel products anymore?

"Fidel Castro: Iran Ready to Give Crushing Response to Aggressors" (Fars News-Iran)

Fidel helps Iran rattle the sabre:

Leader of the Cuban Revolution and Former President Fidel Castro voiced pleasure in his recent fruitful meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Havana, and said Iranians are completely prepared to give a crushing response to any possible aggression against their country.

"In my meeting, the Iranian president was highly calm, unstressed and completely indifferent to the Yankees' threats," Castro said after meeting Ahmadinejad.

"He was certain of his nation's capability to confront any aggression and Iran's arms capability, weapons that most of them are produced by Iranians to give an unforgivable response to the aggressors," he added. [...]

In a related development, North Korea's official news agency reports "Venezuelan President Blasts U.S. Attitude towards Iranian President's Visit to His Country":

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez exposed the nature of the United States which dislikes the development of relations between his country and Iran.

Speaking during a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart on Monday, Chavez said that the U.S. was unhappy with Ahmadinejad's visit to Venezuela because Washington was scared of spread of Iran's ideas and ideals across the world.

He said hegemonic powers worried that the joint voices of Iran and Venezuela which echo freedom, honor and justice will shake the columns of their dominance.

The latest Haveil Havalim echoes freedom, honor, and justice.

Willis Carto and the Left

Jewlicious currently has a good post, "Israel Firster: The White Supremacist Roots," which discusses the fact that current far-left Israel-bashing uses the term "Israel Firster," implying the dual-loyalty canard. Who originated this rhetoric? Evidently one can find examples in Willis Carto's Neo-Nazi Spotlight newspaper, which stopped publication in 2001 according to the Jewlicious post and which I once became familiar with as part of some research into anti-Semitism.

I would add some other accusations and patterns that have now apparently attained some respectability on the left that one used to find only in the literature of Neo-Nazis and other anti-Semitic extremists. One is dwelling on the U.S.S. Liberty incident. Another is attacking the holiday of Purim. Another is sneering references to the "chosen people." And all this is without bringing up the subject of Gilad Atzmon.

"IAEA inspectors abetted terrorists" (PressTV-Iran)

Nicely paranoid:

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman says confidential information on the country's nuclear experts has been leaked to the terrorists by the so-called inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Certain individuals who came to Iran under the pretext of inspecting the country's nuclear facilities have identified Iranian scientists and given their names to the terrorist groups,” Ramin Mehmanparast said on Friday.

The Iranian official highlighted that Tehran would pursue the case in relevant international bodies.

The comments came in the wake of the assassination of Iranian scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan on January 11 when an unknown motorcyclist attached a magnetic bomb to his car near a college of Allameh Tabatabaei University in Tehran. [...]

Mehmanparast also said the assassination is the last-ditch effort of the enemies to stop Iran's scientific advancements, which is by no means untenable.

He went on to say that when “those who claim to champion human rights and combat terrorism” commit such crimes, “they bring shame upon themselves.”

The terrorist attack happened as some of the US presidential hopefuls openly called in November 2011for conducting covert operations ranging from assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists to launching a military strike on Iran as well as sabotaging Tehran's nuclear program. [...]

According to reports, Ahmadi Roshan had recently met International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, a fact which indicates that the IAEA has leaked information about Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists.

Follow that logic?

The Third Music Lesson

Time for another installment in the Music Lesson series. As before, do not read this one until you have thoroughly digested the previous ones. You now are familiar with the half-step and the whole-step. Look at our keyboard diagram and imagine the sequence CDEFGABC numbered instead 12345678. The interval between C and E (or between 1 and 3) is called a "third." The interval between any other two notes skipping one note is also called a third. So E to G is a third and so is A to C.

If you try to apply what we learned previously, and you think about how these thirds break down, you will notice that the thirds we are now discussing come in two types. C to E is made up of 2 whole-steps. E to G is made up of a half-step and then a whole-step (because E to F is a half-step). C to E is an example of a "major third." E to G is an example of a "minor third." Starting to get too complicated? Perhaps it is time to reveal something really awesome to you about thirds which will make it all worthwhile. Ready? Chords are built out of thirds. I have not mentioned it yet, but thinking about intervals helps understand notes played one after the other and also notes played at the same time. That's it for now, but we are close to understanding basic chords.

Previous Posts in this Series:
A Music Lesson
Another Music Lesson

"Capitalist Society Is That of Immorality and Depravity" (Korean News)

Take that, Imperialists!

Capitalist society is falling deeper into quagmire of bankruptcy as all descriptions of immorality and depravity are rife.

Horrible incidents occurred one after another in the capitalist countries including the United States and Japan in recent months.

In December last year a dead body of a seven-year old girl was found in the garbage ground of an apartment building in Atlantic City of New Jersey State, the U.S. Traces proving that she was sexually assaulted and wounds caused by stab were reportedly found on her head and several other parts of her body.

Earlier in July, an 8-year old girl was also found dead in this country after she was kidnapped.

It was reported in mid December last year that a 25-year old woman in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture of Japan, dragged her 3-year old son with dirty bag on his head, stunning the public.

A frolicsome child free from worries had to be a victim of violence beyond the imagination, even being badly treated by its parent--this is the true picture of corrupt capitalist society.

In capitalist society peace is hard to expect on the New Year due to crimes committed all the year.

At the dawn of the New Year people were seized with anxiety and panic at the gunshot.

In the vicinity of San Diego, California State of the U.S., an unidentified criminal broke into a flat and shot four people to death on the New Year.

A shooting in the UK on Jan. 2 left three people dead.

All the facts clearly show that capitalist society is a veritable hell, a rotten and ailing society.

Kim Jong Il may be gone, but Songun propaganda lives on.

"UN a tool of international Zionist power" (IRIB Radio-Iran)

IRIB Radio has a longish anti-Semitic manifesto at the moment (including the above image). Here is part of it, including an explanation of the sinister Zionist plot behind the use of the term "apartheid" and Nation of Islam-derived propaganda that blames the Jews for slavery:

[...] The nucleus of the Zionist mindset, the energy source that drives those who think in this manner to behave like the inhuman monsters that they are is Jewish supremacism; the need to destroy all that it is not Jewish, the goyim, in order for "the Jewish people" to survive.

The developer of the neutron bomb, Samuel T. Cohen, was a Zionist with a strong Talmudic-Jewish upbringing, as was Robert J. Oppenheimer, the creator of the atom bomb. The supremacist need to destroy all non-Jewish peoples and cultures was close to the blackened hearts of the early leaders of the usurping Zionist entity, hence why Ben-Gurion, Dayan, Eshkol and Peres collectively came up with the "Samson Option," the military plan to unleash 'Israeli' nukes upon the world if any nation or every nation attempted to confront Zionist power.

The polar opposite of this thuggish outlook on existence, is the Islamic Revolutionary Republic of Iran, a nation whose Persian history is rooted in the very essence of creation. The finest poets, artists, mathematicians, scientists and theologians that the world has ever known originate from this great land. [...]

The term "apartheid" is an attempt to make international Zionism seem like it is innocuous or closely related with previous colonial endeavors when in reality, it is something far worse and far uglier. Apartheid is simply one facet of the Zionist regime that it is criminally and disgustingly occupying holy al-Quds and the rest of historic Palestine, as is colonization, and most importantly, they are only temporary.

The true goal of Zionism is to wipe out all non-Jewish peoples in vast parts of Egypt, including most of its north, all of Sinai and Cairo, all of Jordan, all of Kuwait, a gargantuan portion of Saudi Arabia, all of Lebanon, all of Syria, all of Cyprus, an elephantine part of Turkey up to Lake Van and finally, part of Iraq south of the Euphrates River. The expulsion and/or mass murder of these peoples would lead to the creation of the Zionist dream known as Greater Israel. So branding this usurping dragon of an entity simply as an "apartheid state" is not only incomplete, it is deceptive. And this disingenuous injection of language into the vocabularies of Palestine's supporters is also meant to deflect the attention from the root cause of this 63-year occupation: the Talmudic ideology that gave birth to Zionism, which is an amalgamation of terrorism, racism, barbarism, supremacism, expansionism and imperialism. [...]

There is no doubt that the United States, the 'golem' of the international Zionist Power Configuration and Jewish banking interests, is the world leader in terrorism. The US is in no moral position to condemn any government or group in the world until it fesses up to its own blood-soaked history. 100 million Native Americans exterminated. 150 million Africans, many of them Muslims, murdered in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, which was dominated by Spanish Jews like Aaron Lopez who had an entire fleet of slave ships and financing from the Rothschild family; these Jews, who were of the extremist and now dominant Talmudic-Kabbalistic school of thought, also introduced to the Curse of Ham to their Gentile slave-trading brothers, a horrific, racist story concocted and developed by the rabbis in their Talmud which lowered the rank of our brothers and sisters of beautiful black skin to animals. This Talmudic drivel was used to justify the dehumanization of millions of others and in the greater geopolitical sense it is now being exercised to justify more Zionist aggression on the African continent. [...]

First and foremost, the IAEA is not an independent outfit like its public relations stooges would like the world to believe. The IAEA reports directly to the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council and coordinates all of its actions with these two institutions of Zionist power. Therefore, without question, it can be said that the IAEA is nothing but a tool of the UN. The same UN hasn't done a damn thing to stop Zionist tyranny in Palestine, scripting hundreds of resolutions against this racist usurping entity but enforcing none of them. The same UN has done nothing to stop Hindutvadi tyranny in Kashmir, which is intimately aided by the Zionist entity with arms and intelligence, scripting dozens of other resolutions and enforcing none of them. The same UN that introduced Resolution 661 to Iraq, the treacherous 'sanctions resolution,' which crippled Iraq, prepared it for the Zionist invasion of 2003 and murdered over 2 million people by starvation including 800,000 Iraqi children. The same UN paved the way for the mutilation of Libya, in which at least 100,000 have been mass murdered. The same UN that now seeks to turn Syria into another Iraq or Libya 2.0. And besides, what is the UN really? As is the case with all matters of history and the revisionism that follows, we must return to the beginning; the origins. The origins of the UN can be found in the financing of the same Zionist banking families, the Rothschilds, Schiffs, Warbugs, Lazards and Oppenheimers, who have financed strife on this earth for centuries. The UN was created to justify the existence of the Zionist entity as a legitimate nation-state, to put a shroud on its hideous supremacist character. Despite the illegal Jewish colonization of Palestine financed by the Rothschild family since the 1880s and the horrible Zionist atrocities of the Nakba in 1948, still the UN recognized this fabricated regime, still gave it a name and a seat. Why? Because its godfathers, the Zionist bankers, wanted it that way. The UN is a tool of international Zionist power and by extension, so is the IAEA.

Norman Cohn's famous analysis of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion is called "Warrant for Genocide." If you were able to get through this post, you just read anti-Semitic propganda which is just as extreme as the Protocols. Some people downplay the threat represented by a regime that spreads this kind of propaganda in its state-controlled media. My question for those people is the following: Is "Warrant for Genocide" an apt title?

"Kim Jong Un's Activities Reported by Media of Russia, China" (Korean News)

Juche music marches on:

The news that the dear respected Kim Jong Un, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, enjoyed 2012 New Year's concert "The Cause of the Sun Will Be Immortal" given by the Unhasu Orchestra on the New Year was reported by Chinese Xinhua and Russian ITAR－TASS between January 2 and 3.

Xinhua news said:

General Kim Jong Un, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, enjoyed the 2012 New Year's concert "The Cause of the Sun Will Be Immortal" given by the Unhasu Orchestra on the New Year.

The audience paid silent tribute to leader Kim Jong Il in humblest reverence.

The concert emphasized that Kim Jong Il would live forever in the hearts of the service personnel and people of the DPRK.

Kim Jong Un highly appreciated the concert and extended thanks to the performers.

He said that he couldn't repress tears in his eyes whenever the benevolent image of Kim Jong Il appeared in the screen and that he was greatly inspired by the concert. [...]

It isn't everyday in North Korea that you can see images of Kim Jong Il. You will highly appreciate the latest Haveil Havalim.

"The revolution is not over yet" (Al-Ahram)

Here is a heartening statement from some non-Islamists in Egypt. How realistic is it? Who knows:

[...] The good thing about the tragic events of 19 November and 16 December is that they separated the chaff from the wheat. We now know who the real revolutionaries are and those who have jumped aboard the revolution for personal gains.The revolutionaries are the ones who took to the street to uphold the ideals of the revolution. They risked their lives, and they will go on doing so.

By contrast, the army showed its real face. When army soldiers stripped girls naked in the streets, all pretence ended. The army's heart was never with the revolution, but with the old regime.

Likewise, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) was too eager to celebrate its electoral victory to bother to show up in the protests. How typical. This was the same MB that refused initially to take part in the revolution and only came to the scene belatedly and after some of its younger members practically defected to join the protests.

For years, the MB thought that it controlled the streets. Now all of a sudden, it has woken up to a new reality. The young people of this country have accomplished what the Brotherhood failed to do for 80 years.Whenever it suited its purposes, the MB was willing to ally itself with the military against the revolution and the young people of this country. The MB sees the young revolutionaries as a threat. It views their struggle for freedom, dignity and social justice with suspicion. This is why young MB members keep defecting, or at least challenging the authority of their elders.

The Friday of Restoring Honour, held on 23 December, was a new start. It was a message to the counterrevolutionaries that Egypt is still alive. The young men and women of this country, with support from many members of the middle class, are going to keep fighting for the ideals of 25 January.

"Retiring L.A. County workers get $48 million for unused time off" (LA Times)

And the state is not so solvent--go figure:

[...] In all, Los Angeles County paid more than $48 million to retiring employees for unused time off in 2010. About a third of that, $16 million, went to workers leaving the Sheriff's Department even though they made up only 13% of the county's retiring employees, payroll data show.

The county is not alone in allowing public sector employees to bank large amounts of time. State and local governments across the country offer workers large future payoffs in lieu of immediate benefits, especially during tough economic times.

Such provisions can also be used to reward political allies. [...]

Amir Taheri on upcoming Iranian elections

Iran has been dismantling the pseudo-democracy and becoming a more straightforward dictatorship:

[...] An analysis of those seeking the candidacy reveals the narrowing appeal of the exercise.

Four years ago, applicants came from broad sections of society.

This time, the overwhelming majority come from the security services, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the network of mullahs appointed by “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei as “Friday Prayer Leaders”. Technocrats working for companies controlled by the IRGC are also present in significant numbers. [...]

"Egypt charges telecom workers over Israel calls" (Ma'an News)

The phrase "served the interests of Israel" could mean anything.

Egyptian prosecutors sent four telecom company employees to court on Thursday after charging them with passing phone calls that served the interests of Israel, an official at the prosecutor's office said.

"The state security prosecutor referred four employees of Mobinil telecom company to the state security court on the charge of passing calls to the benefit of the state of Israel," he said.

The official did not give further details or explain the exact nature of the charges but said a statement would be released later on Thursday. [...]

"IOF distribute pictures of alleged temple in place of Aqsa Mosque" (Palestinian Information Center)

Originally, Ha'aretz ran a story about a picture of Jerusalem with the Al-Aqsa mosque photoshopped out which was included in some IDF literature about Chanukah. This news-site adds the invented detail that the photo also depicted a rebuilt Beit Hamikdash:

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have circulated pictures of the Aqsa Mosque site showing the Dome of Rock was removed and the alleged Jewish temple mount was erected in its place.

The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said the distribution of such pictures to members of the Israeli army was intended to send a serious massage to the Muslim nation about the Zionist intent to establish their alleged temple on the ruins of the Aqsa Mosque.

The foundation highlighted that "the Aqsa Mosque has been purely an Islamic holy site since it was built until today and never been a temple," and added that "the talk about the alleged temple is part of the Jewish myths, fantasies and false allegations."

An photoshopped picture is a non-story. Palestinian denial of history is the real story. (And see EOZ)

North Korea "Condemns Japan for Its Unpardonable Immoral Act" (Korean News)

The "Unpardonable Immoral Act" seems to involve the sort of political speculation and news coverage that occurred practically everywhere else in the world:

The world is watching the DPRK wailing in bitter grief over the untimely demise of Kim Jong Il, the father of the nation, whom the Korean people believed as in Heaven.

Such condolences and mourning are something unprecedented in human history.

The mourning of the Korean people over the demise of the leader was truest and noblest; it was an eruption of the kindred feelings that can be seen between the father and his children.

So, even foreign journalists who kept track of the mourning events were moved to tears. They reported "it is natural for the north Koreans to lament over the demise of their leader as they regarded him as a man always close to them and not imagined their life without him."

Japan, however, behaved as an exception.

The Japanese reactionaries unhesitatingly committed evils baffling human imagination by hurting the feelings of the mourners who suffered the greatest loss.

No sooner had the important announcement been released than the secretary general of the New People's Party and other riff-raffs of Japan talked nonsense about the "collapse of system" and "abduction and nuclear issue". Conservative media let vicious elements hell-bent on the anti-DPRK smear campaign act as newscasters to release malignant reports falsifying facts.

This is a base and despicable act which can be done only by the morally depraved guys ignorant of elementary etiquette, and an unpardonable immoral act of exploiting the great loss to other nation for their political purpose.

The hostile attitude taken by Japan towards the misfortune of a neighbor only once again brought into bolder relief its disposition as a political dwarf.

Japan can never behave otherwise because of its political nature.

It has never acted in good faith as regards the Korean issue but made the situation more complicated, going against the trend of the times.

It is ridiculous, indeed, for the Japanese authorities to trumpet about "collapse of system," availing themselves of this opportunity.

Japan, which has eyed Korea for centuries, is now telling a cock-and-bull story. It seems that Japan is no more than a politically blind country as it does not know about the DPRK at all.

Japan has topped the world list of replacement of prime ministers, becoming the laughing stock of the world and not a day passes without unstable domestic politics. Hence, Japan will never understand the social system in the DPRK, most stable in the world.

The Korean people more keenly realized the greatness of Kim Jong Il after his demise and the DPRK's system has grown more solid than a rock.

Japan would be well advised to face up to the DPRK and act with discretion, though belatedly.

"Iran Likes to Boost Ties with All Countries Excluding US, Zionist Regime" (Korean News)

The (North) Korean News site sometimes adopts the point of view of the Iranian news agencies:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday underlined Iran's resolve to boost relations with all countries except the U.S. and Zionist regime.

He made the remark in a meeting with the Cabinet members and Iranian ambassadors and diplomatic representatives abroad.

Ahmadinejad called for a boosting in Iran's relations with other states in various economic, political and cultural fields and underlined the necessity of interaction between the diplomatic representatives and the cabinet members in this regard.

"Certain people have ‘mischievous’ plans for polls: Jannati" (Tehran Times)

The upcoming fake elections are just not a happy subject for them:

Guardian Council Chairman Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said on Tuesday that certain people have “mischievous” plans for the March parliamentary elections and are making preparations to take advantage of the situation to foment unrest.

He also said that the Guardian Council is closely monitoring the activities of parliamentary candidates, adding that the council will take into consideration certain candidates’ huge expenditure on electoral campaigns in the process of vetting them.

David Frum asks Paulniks a good question

What leads up to this is here.

Here’s my question for Ron Paul supporters: why the denial of the undeniable?

Perhaps you like Paul’s message of legalized marijuana? Why not just say so? You don’t think it’s important to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons? Argue it forthrightly. If you regard Social Security and Medicare as literally the moral equivalents of slavery, go ahead, make your case.

But all this excuse-making, special pleading and jiggering of the rules of evidence so as to exculpate Ron Paul from the record of his whole political life? For what?

Seoul National University lets "hooligans forcibly dismantle the altar"

They aren't mourning the Dear Leader properly:

Students of Seoul National University of south Korea held a press conference in protest against the university side's dismantlement of an incense-burning altar for mourning the passing of leader Kim Jong Il.

The students of the University set up the incense-burning altar at the university students' hall on Monday.

They displayed at the altar a photo of Kim Jong Il taken with ex-President of south Korea Kim Dae Jung during the historic summit in Pyongyang in June 2000.

They wished to mourn the demise of Kim Jong Il with great sadness over his untimely passing as he was father of the nation and lodestar of national reunification.

But the university side let hooligans forcibly dismantle the altar.

They condemned this reckless action, holding it is an expression of elementary etiquette to set up an incense-burning altar and express condolences.

"Rafsnajani’s daughter sentenced to 6 months in prison" (Mehr News-Iran)

I wonder what is involved in banning someone from having "cultural activities."

Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was sentenced to six months in prison on Tuesday on the charge of spreading propaganda against the Islamic system.

She was also banned from having political, cultural, and media activities for five years.

Ha'aretz columnist thinks "Israel is missing another opportunity for peace"

She thinks the Saudi initiative presented earlier missed opportunities:

[...] And now, in real time, it is happening once again: Hamas is suspending its acts of terror, opting for popular resistance, recognizing a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders and even joining the Palestine Liberation Organization, the organization empowered to conduct negotiations with Israel. They aren't saying it outright, but joining the PLO also means accepting the agreements signed with Israel; and there is also the recognition of Israel, as well as responsibility and partnership in political decisions.

This, too, is a truly historic event. Granted, Ismail Haniyeh did visit with the Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday and make declarations about the destruction of Israel; but he is the man who wasn't consulted vis-a-vis joining the PLO and who is about to lose his post as prime minister, and he is kicking and screaming - not at us, but at Khaled Meshal. [...]

I wonder how she explains away all the other Hamas denials that it is "opting for popular resistance"? And hasn't Haniyeh been presented in the past as the "moderate" one? And this great opportunity is supposedly happening while the mainstream media are reporting that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt says it is about to submit the Camp David accords to a "referendum." Is there nothing leftists won't believe?

"N. Koreans told to go gloveless at funeral" (AFP)

The source of this, according to the article, is somebody in Pyongyang by way of "Daily NK, a Seoul-based online newspaper run by defectors":

North Korean civilians were ordered not to wear hats or gloves for the snowy funeral of leader Kim Jong-Il because his son and successor chose to escort the hearse bare-headed, a report said Tuesday. [...]

Temperatures in Pyongyang on the day of the funeral fell as low as minus nine Celsius (15 Fahrenheit), according to South Korea's weather service.

The paper said civilians were ordered not to wear hats, gloves or scarves even if it was snowing. They were reportedly warned that "behind every line there will be people watching".

Video footage of the event showed virtually no one in the vast crowd that lined the route wearing hats or gloves . . .

The Korean News site, in the meantime, reports on a "Ceremony of Bidding Last Farewell to Kim Jong Il Held":

The dear respected Kim Jong Un together with senior officials of the party, state and armed forces organs observed silence before the bier of Kim Jong Il, praying for his immortality, and went round the bier before the departure of a funeral procession.

"Praying for his immortality"? To whom?

"Hamas: Public freedom committee to meet tomorrow" (ABNA-Iran)

Hamas is now 20% more democratic!

Senior Hamas official Ismail Al-Ashqar, a member of the public freedoms committee, said the committee would meet this Monday to address important contentious issues thwarting the national reconciliation.

According to Palestine newspaper, Ashqar stated that the public freedoms committee would discuss the issues of political arrest, passports, the closed charities and institutions, and the restriction imposed on travel and political activities.

The Hamas official affirmed that his Movement deals with these files more flexibly and transparently than ever and gives the higher national interest precedence over any thing else.

This committee involves members from many Palestinian factions including Fatah, Islamic Jihad and the Arab Front.

"Ejeii explains why Rafsanjani website was blocked" (Mehr News-Iran)

Not a terribly informative report--what sort of "criminal content"? It is always interesting, however, to see admissions that all is not totally harmonious in Mullah-land:

National Prosecutor General Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejeii has said that the website of Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was blocked on December 28, 2011, because it contained ‘criminal’ content.

The working committee tasked with supervising the content of websites, chaired by the national prosecutor general, had already given a warning to the webmaster, Mohseni-Ejeii, who is also the Judiciary spokesman, told a press conference on Monday.

The documents in question were removed from the website, but more similar documents were published later, he stated.

He added that the webmaster sent a letter to the committee on January 1, “which I have not seen yet.”

WAFA: Complaining about Abbas meeting with murderess Amneh Muna is "Incitement and Racism"

The WAFA news agency site has a regular feature called "WAFA Monitors Incitement and Racism in Israeli Media," which generally fails to come up with convincing examples. Muna, you will recall, struck up an internet friendship with a random Israeli 16-year-old boy in order to lure him into a murder-trap:

[...] YnetNews website reported on statements issued by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemning President Mahmoud Abbas meeting, in Turkey, with Amneh Muna, who was convicted of the murder of an Israeli in 2001 and released in the Gilad Shalit swap deal between Israel and Hamas.

Netanyahu’s office said, “It is awful that Abbas, who pretends wanting to achieve peace with Israel in front of the whole world, goes to Turkey to ‘meet a killer.'”

"Another sedition brewing: IRGC commander" (Mehr News-Iran)

Iran is apparently nervous about upcoming elections. Will "Spring" finally come to Iran?

Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Sunday that the enemy is seeking to ignite another sedition through taking advantage of the March parliamentary elections.

He also said that the people’s massive turnout for the elections will foil the enemies’ plots.

Hojjatoleslam Saeed Salami, the Supreme Leader’s representative to the IRGC, also said on Sunday that the enemies may be seeking to create challenges for the elections through using the opportunity that will be provided by certain candidates’ failure to gain the approval of the Guardian Council.

"Report: Hamas mulls joining Muslim Brotherhood" (Ma'an News)

Hamas was spawned by the Muslim Brotherhood, of course. What would it mean for it to "join" the Muslim Brotherhood? This article does not provide much of a clue, but it would be a further negative development almost certainly:

Hamas leaders are holding meetings in Sudan to discuss joining the Muslim Brotherhood, the London-based Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Saturday.

Some 59 members of Hamas' Shura Council met in Khartoum to discuss creating a separate branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine, the report said.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh met Muslim Brotherhood chairman Muhammad Badie on Dec. 26 during his visit to Cairo.

A Hamas delegation, including Haniyeh and Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal, is in Khartoum and met Sudanese President Omar Bashir on Thursday.

In October, a Muslim Brotherhood delegation visited the Gaza Strip for the first time. The party had been curbed by US-aligned Hosni Mubarak but it has been empowered by a strong showing in elections since the president's ouster.

"Peculiar natural wonders were observed on Mt. Paektu" when Kim passed

On December 18th I wrote, "Come to think of it, what is Mt. Paektu doing now? Erupting in sorrow?" How did I miss this from December 21?

Peculiar natural wonders were observed on Mt. Paektu, Jong Il Peak and Tonghung Hill in Hamhung City where the statue of President Kim Il Sung is standing at a time when all Korean people are mourning the demise of leader Kim Jong Il in bitterest sorrow.

On the morning of Dec. 17 layers of ice were broken on Lake Chon on Mt. Paektu, shaking the lake with big noise.

The Group for Comprehensive Exploration of Lake Chon on Mt. Paektu said it was the first time that such big noise was heard from the ridge of Janggun Peak and the lake.

The temperature on Mt. Paektu that day registered 22.4 degrees centigrade below zero and there was strong wind accompanied by snowstorm measuring 18 meters per second.

The snowstorm stopped blowing all of a sudden from dawn of Tuesday and heavy clouds were seen hanging around Hyangdo Peak.

At around 8:05 a.m. the sky began turning red with sunrise on the horizon. The peaks looked like a picture for wide and thick glow.

Kim Jong Il's autographic writings "Mt. Paektu, holy mountain of revolution. Kim Jong Il." carved on the mountain, in particular, were bright with glow.

This phenomenon lasted till 5:00 pm.

Glow was seen atop Jong Il Peak for half an hour from 16:50 on Dec. 19 when the nation was shocked by the news of the leader's demise. This was the first of its kind in dozens of years since the observation of the area was started.

A natural wonder was also observed around the statue of the President standing on Tonghung Hill.

At around 21:20 Tuesday a Manchurian crane was seen flying round the statue three times before alighting on a tree. The crane stayed there for quite a long while with its head drooped and flew in the direction of Pyongyang at around 22:00.

Observing this, the director of the Management Office for the Hamhung Revolutionary Site, and others said in union that even the crane seemed to mourn the demise of Kim Jong Il born of Heaven after flying down there at dead of cold night, unable to forget him."

I had a prophetic moment and I didn't even know it.

Repost: "He would tease us and ask if we wanted to die as martyrs with him"

[EoZ notes that it is the third anniversary of Rayyan's death. This article from the Journal of Turkish Weekly (the link still works) brings out the martyrdom fetish that prevails in at least some quarters of the Gaza in an unusually striking way. Rayyan was the most prominent Hamas memeber to be killed in Cast Lead, but his extremely dramatic death does not fit the leftist narrative. Original post here.]

From Ma'an via Journal of Turkish Weekly. Martyrdom is what you might call a recurring theme here:

One of the surviving daughters of slain Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan, Walaa, spoke to Ma’an Saturday. [...]

"My father raised us all to love martyrdom," Walaa said. "If you had the chance to ask my 4-year-old sister Aaysha, who died in the attack, she would have told you that she preferred to die martyr." [...]

One hour before he was killed Rayyan’s daughter in law Eyman Asfora went to visit him. Walaa remembers that Eyman, wife to Rayyan’s eldest son Bilal, was received with a smile. He asked her if she would like to die a martyr with him, and she said "yes." But she left seconds before the missile struck the four-storey home.[...]

According to one of his four wives, Rayyan would tease his children in the days before his death, and ask them: "Who wants to die martyr with me?" and all his children used to answer, "Yes daddy, we all want to be with you alive or dead." His youngest son said, "I can’t imagine that you die martyr and leave me behind unable to see you. I want to die with you.

Dr Rayyan, who held a PHD in Hadith (the profit Muhammad’s narrated teachings), was killed along with his four wives . . .

Finkelstein seems to want to avoid gloating over the death of Hitchens, but can't quite manage it

For one thing, he takes a video of North Koreans weeping over the death of Kim Jong Il, replaces the otherwise unaltered footage with an image of Hitchens for a few moments, and labels the result "American intellectuals weep uncontrollably over passing of 'great leader and guide' Christopher Hitchens." He also has a "Brief Comment on the Passing of Christopher Hitchens," which I'll let you read in its place if you are interested. It involves not very subtle but "ironic" speculation that the death of that very public atheist could be seen as Divine retribution. I will note that it includes the incredible sentence "I get no satisfaction from Hitchens’s passing." And then after an interval of two more sentences, he writes

And if you’ve made a career of pissing on other people’s mostly innocuous beliefs, should it surprise that outside the tiny tent called Vanity Fair, your memory stinks of urine?

New horizons in stupidity

I don't usually post "oddly-enough" stories, but here is an AP story about a man who got arrested after trying to buy $476 worth of stuff at Walmart with a fake million dollar bill. The following sentence suggests an interesting scene:

Store employees called police after his insistence that the bill was legit, and Fuller was arrested.

Were they ready to laugh it off, but he kept bugging them?

Oh, and speaking of new horizons in stupidity, Angry Arab unwittingly linked to an AP story about the goings on Beit Shemseh a few days ago and titled the post "What the Western press does not covered [sic] about the Zionist usurping entity." His link is to the Times of India, which does not credit the AP.