Remember, early 2003?

Over at the blog with the world's worst colour scheme, Larvatus Prodeo, there is a neat post concerning Samarra's effect. The subsequent discussion thread is worth a read (despite a particular d*ckhead commenter employing the now predictable and cliche, 'back-to-sleep' argument).

Meanwhile, Fox is pulling some pretty high revs, redlining, no doubt:

"All-Out Civil War in Iraq: Could It Be a Good Thing?"

Via Road to Surfdom.

Plan?!? What PNAC?

Regarding the bombing of the Shi'ite Mosque, Kurt Nimmo asks, Askariya Shrine Bombing: Black Op?

It makes absolutely no sense for Sunnis to bomb Shia mosques; this would be akin to Baptists bombing Catholic churches. Sectarian violence, dividing Iraqi society, does not serve Iraqis, either Sunni or Shia. It does, however, serve the occupation forces and also begins to realize the plan sketched out in Oded Yinon’s “A Strategy for Israel in the Nineteen Eighties” (the balkanization of Arab and Muslim society and culture), an objective shared by Jabotinsky Likudites and Straussian neocons.

I doubt we'll ever reach a consensus on who the responsible party is.

Of course, Saddam was much worse and none of this could have been foreseen as an outcome of the invasion. Oh well, too late, the nutcases are either already in charge, or their having a good go at getting their hands on the levers.

All your sovereign nations are belong to U.S.

Tim over at Road to Surfdom has a post on the proposed US Embassy in Iraq - Baseless allegations, and reminds us that permanent military bases will help define the sovereign nation, currently being 'constructed';

If not quite a city-state, on completion it will resemble an embassy-state. In essence, inside Baghdad's Green Zone, we will be building another more heavily fortified little Green Zone.

Number 1, baby.

Krazy Kartoon Kapers

John Sugg fills a few gaps in the story of how the infamous drawings of Mohammed came to be;

So, let’s look at the guy who started this whole cartoon escapade. He’s Flemming Rose, the cultural editor of the Danish newspaper. In all of the Lexis-Nexis database of stories from the American media on the Mohammed cartoons, there is absolutely no mention of the fact that Rose is a close confederate of arch-Islamophobe Daniel Pipes.

Crew looking for trouble and… found it!

Further context is provided by the fact the same paper refused to do a similar job on Christ (and Christians).

There’s a bit of useful idiot in all of us. How sweet.

I gotta say, I’m enjoying the Leunig/Chaser fiasco, so far. Those crazy kids from Chaser can do no wrong in my eyes.

Groove is in the heart

Woman 'cut off baby's arms';

Schlosser was arrested in 2004 after she told a 911 operator she had severed her baby's arms. Police found Schlosser in the living room, covered in blood, still holding a knife and listening to a church hymn.

No Judas Priest in your record collection? No Sabbath? How about some 'gangsta' rap? Anything at all with a 'Parental Advisory' sticker!?!

Just doesn't add up.

Can 'The Fonz' admit he was wrong?

Conditions, the message said, "are far more serious than media reports are currently reflecting.

The hidden spine

Greenwald to Gonzales;

After disabusing readers of the notion that Committee Chairman Arlen Specter might hold Gonzales's feet to the fire, Greenwald nails not just Gonzalez's attitude on the stand, but the spiritual crisis facing the American experiment as a result of the right wing radicals in power:

"Of course Gonzales begins his Opening Statement by quoting Osama bin Laden and Zawahri. We used to quote Madison, Jefferson and Lincoln to decide what the principles of our Government are going to be. Now we quote Al Qaeda. The Administration wants Al Qaeda and its speeches to dictate the type of Government we have. It is the centerpiece of everything they do and say."

A left-right combo: *smack* *smack* and down he goes… the Repugs are out for the count.. in my dreams.

I'd love to see footage of this on the evening news. Perhaps, one day.

Zero street cred, yo!

This looks like fun, nasty bloggers gangin' up on a defenceless PR firm, working for Coca-Cola..

Coke Zero.

Spam in a can.

Abstinence from educational gratification

"Am I happy to see you? No, I just have a chastity rock in my pocket."

Depicting Mohammed – A Non-Prophet Organisation

Can’t say I really understand the reaction from those few freaking out over the cartoons and the subsequent lack of a retraction or apology (apart from apologising for causing offence) from the publishers.

I’m trying to think of something that I care about so much, that if depicted in a drawing in an unflattering way, or even just depicted, I’d pop a fuse. I can’t.

My God? I am godless.
My Ipod? Nope, don’t have one.
My fresh Nikes? I don’t wear anything fresh.
My lifestyle, or way of life? Sucked in, I feel sorry that you don’t want to live like me and am glad you don’t want to cause it’ll keep the crowds down.
My freedom (or what’s left of it)? I’d be slightly annoyed and would certainly react, but not with violence.

What is wrong with these sort of freaks? Why are they so insecure? To me, it seems similar to the burning of the flag. No one is hurt, but the reactions are often violent and extreme.

Having said that, I’d like to note that it is not all Muslims who are reacting in this manner, many don’t give a sh*t (props) and most are merely annoyed and don’t support the call for beheadings and violence.

All I can say is.. f*ck religion.

'Beyond tasteless' cartoon upsets US military:

Dave Autry from Disabled American Veterans said he was "certainly not" offended by the cartoon. "It was graphic, no doubt about it," he said. "But it drove home a point."

I choose to listen to Dave.

Why is it, always, those with an agenda likely to suffer from the truth are the keenest to shout it down?

Their justification?

Looking out for the feelings of the soldiers, of course.