Al Qaeda and its affiliates are apparently planning Mumbai-style attacks against targets in Britain, Germany and France. The French director for internal intelligence is quoted as saying that the terrorist risk to France has “never been as high” as it is right now. In the hopes of blunting that threat, US drones and helicopter gunships have been conducting spoiling attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan at an unprecedented rate.
In return, the European Court has overturned a negotiated agreement between the US and and the EC to share third-party passenger information on travelers routing to the US from Pakistan through Europe:
The European Commission has announced that it will negotiate deals to prevent countries like Pakistan from providing travel data to the United States — except when the US already suspects a particular traveler or is otherwise investigating a particular case. In other words, the European Commission wants to bar the kind of wholesale data exchange that’s needed to spot at the border terrorists who have successfully disguised themselves as tourists. And it plans to withhold all European travel reservation data from Pakistan unless the Pakistanis agree to join a data boycott of the United States.
Remarkably, Brussels is pursuing this data boycott despite a solemn promise to the United States that it would not take such action.
Even more remarkably, the EC requires that Pakistan share passenger data with European intelligence services on travelers heading to Europe. They just won’t, you know: Forward it along. And will impose penalties on good faith attempts by the government of Pakistan from sending it along unilaterally.
The EC’s actions to prevent that data from being shared with Washington appear to be based on privacy concerns. Probably because of all the concentration camps we’ve set up for dusky hued South Asians coming in through LAX and La Guardia.
It’s increasingly difficult to take some people seriously.
The TSA data grab reminds us far too much of those other shining lights of civil rights, the StaSi, KGB, and GeStaPo, to hand over data on our citizens to the Obamocracy.
And certainly not while the Obamocracy refuses to hand over similar data on US citizens travelling to Europe (which is withheld on general principle that foreign countries have no business having such data on US citizens, which is quite correct but should be reciprocal, why does the US refuse to let other countries have the data on its people that it demands those countries hand over about their own?).
There’s a point to be made there, but in the instant case it is not European citizens whose information the EC is declining to pass along. And from a purely utilitarian point of view, one has to ask how many mass casualty terrorist attacks have been visited upon European soil that were hatched in the foetid slums of Dearborne?
Or in Dearbornistan, formerly known as Dearbon http://bit.ly/acNDus
which used to be a great All-American city.
The breakdown was over reciprocity between the US and EU.
The US demands that information for all passengers arriving from the EU, not just those on connecting flights from Pakistan.
But it refuses to provide any information about passengers departing the US for the EU (including those on connecting flights to Pakistan).
Why should we pass on information on our people to you when you refuse to do the same with information on your people?
Information moreoever that’s ever more trivial. It’s gotten way beyond passport numbers and travel itineraries. DHS is now asking for dietary preferences, airlines have to tell the TSA whether someone ordered the fish or the beef for the in flight meal.
Well, it seems that pork BBQ and sweet tea is never an option. Pity, that.
Europe can’t seem to surrender fast enough.
Seems like they’re running out of directions in which to retreat, too.
At least we’re not retreating towards communism, that animal that’s failed dozens of times over the last century that the US is rushing headlong towards embracing.
Retreating towards socialism, no matter how many times it is prefaced with “social” or “democratic,” isn’t much better. We’re swinging in that direction, for now. Half of Europe is already there and discovering the limitations.
– Max
Sadly my forefathers brought us there, and hopefully we can work our way out of it.
After the citizenry was disarmed during WW2 (often at gunpoint by among others the US Army) there’s precious little our Leaders can’t do though.
The US Army disarmed Britons in World War II? I thought that happened sometime after 1996.
Race you to the bottom, you go your way, we’ll go ours
I guess we will just have to screen all travelers coming from Europe as if they came from Waziristan.
Or refuse them entry.
No…that would be “profiling” that 8th deadly sin….committed when you’re trying to ignore the threat in your midst by rejecting sound risk analysis…and oh, the ACLU would make life miserable.
Obama: “We need to make clear to people that the cancer is in Pakistan” – today’s Washington Post
Perhaps some do not remember (read the last sentence carefully):
Aug. 1, 2007 – Obama Delivers Bold Speech About War on Terror
In a strikingly bold speech about terrorism Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Sen. Barack Obama called not only for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, but a redeployment of troops into Afghanistan and even Pakistan — with or without the permission of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.
BHO is a feckless opportunist – He said that at a time he was trying to pull borderline conservatives (read moderates) over to the idea of his campaign….Woodward’s Book recently quoted the Empty-Suit-In-Charge as stating that he want to find a way to pull out, as soon as possible (undisputed by the WH)….I.E. ” Cut & Run”…
As for the European Idjits who have seen their own countries deal with rioting hordes (remember the fires around Paris for about a month running where they were burning cars like they were going out of style??)
Hate to be a Geek here twice in two days, but the wisdom of King Theoden in LOTR before the Battle of Helms Deep speaks volumes:
THÉODEN: I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep. They will break upon this fortress like water on rock. Saruman’s hordes will pillage and burn. We’ve seen it before. Crops can be resown. Homes rebuilt. Within these walls, we will outlast them.
ARAGORN: They do not come to destroy Rohan’s crops or villages. They come to destroy its people. Down to the last child!
THÉODEN: What would you have me do? Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance!
ARAGORN: Send out riders, my lord. You must call for aid.
THÉODEN: And who will come. Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead.
ARAGORN: Gondor will answer.
THÉODEN: Gondor? Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gon.. No, my lord Aragorn, we are alone.
I hate to say it, but if the trend continues, we may very well find ourselves feeling like Theoden, very much alone….
Nothing wrong with being a geek. Geeks make the world go round and come in many different brands. Engineers, Surveyors, Pilots, and so on. Some are in more glamorous pursuits than others, but without them the world will come to stand still.
Thanks QM….I knew there were those who would come to my defense. Appreciated.
A country that has nukes usually has a say about foreign countries invading their country. Even India might get nervous.
“They all hate us anyhow, so why not drop the Big One now? Boom goes London, boom goes Paris…”
“Political Science” ———-Randy Neuman
VX
Take heart, at least the ay-rabs don’t swim too well so mebbe the pond will hold em back a while.
Course, things keep on keeping on and we’ll be seeing a flood of English, Dutch, and Frenchies as immigrants.
That’s bad? Oh, wait — I’m already in the upper Midwest and have bland food and good beer.
Any way we can just take the French?
– Max
In the sciences we have already had two decades of immigration from the UK. That trailed off in 2005. Nowadays, China or Singapore is where the young and/or ambitious scientists are going.
More room for you and more room for me!
G-Man … As far as the number of Muslims in the United States is concerned, we already have far, far more than we need. Or want. I read on the Internet last week that there are more than 2000 mosques in the United States already, with more on the way [although I hope not on the doorstep of the World-Trade-Center-that-was]. But many more Muslims are headed our way, across both our borders, north and south, all with their personal sob stories and most with not much else that’s positive.
With that in store, I would welcome a flood of English, Dutch and French as immigrants. They have something positive to contribute, in technology and learning and and understanding of the Western [civilized] world.
Didn’t I tell you? I gave up political correctness and multiculturalism back ten years ago. What a relief! I see soo much more clearly now.
Marianne
Well, if you gave up political correctness, then call them Mohammedans. That really annoys them. I am not afraid to call the Romans Romans, or the Baptists Bible-Thumpers, nor myself a Whiskeypalian.
under El Presidiente Osama the USA may well be part of the Khaliphate before Europe is.
Think about that for a while…
Marianne, please pretend you can hear the sounds of my hands clapping.
THEN: Newt/1994/ONE page/Firm Commitments (might pass or fail, but it would be be put to a vote).
2010: GOP/FORTY EIGHT pages/Platitudes, LOTS of slick room to slide if need be.
I am dog tired of the PC attitude towards those who intend to, and are, destroying this country. I am currently reading a book in which a comment is made that Osama bin Laden is the best practicing Muslim as he is adhering to what Mohammed demands of a true Muslim.
I am also tired of hearing of how hospitable and nice the individual Arabic Muslims are. In 1899, Winston Churchill wrote in “The River War”, http://amzn.to/aQ7Qbm
“…The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it…..”
No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome….” IMO Winston saw the Muslim’s, and the Muslim World equally as well as de Tocqueville saw America.
Lastly, with all due respect to Lex, I am tired of hearing that “we are a nation of laws”. The phrase “the Constitution is not a suicide pact” should have a corollary that says “being a Nation of Laws does NOT mean that we must commit cultural cannabilism”. Justice, equity, fairness are often left abanded by the “law”.
I suppose I am overall tired. Pardon my language, but politicians are screwing us, and for the most part it is overlooked or ignored. When a politician is chaught they are seldom found quilty and even then let off with a wrist slap.
It is time for citizen politicians to serve a limited number of terms. I am not at all comfortable with continuing to have our country controlled by professional politicians.
I attended a political lunch this week that the John Locke Foundation held. I respect and like both Michael Barone and John Hood and there was some very worthwhile discussion, especially on polling and for non-Democrats not to get too excited -the vote has yet to be held. The main democrat (forgot his name) made a statement that while Dems may lose, that o.k. because he will have made enough money to live well. I wanted to wash my hands.
At the end of the Q&A session an older gentleman stood and rambled on a bit, though his key points were 1-why wasn’t the meeting started with a prayer, and, 2)why did we not say the Pledge of Allegince. Very good points, unless you are afraid of offending someone. I’m sorry, but if saying a prayer and the Pledge offends someone, they need to leave. I did notice that the gentlemans well-worn hat showed that he was a Korean War vet and had a number of signs & symbols that I was unable to decipher.
Taking back our country will not be without its challenges.
BTW, whoever (Virgil?) recommended reading “Travels with Charley” by Steinbeck? You Rat, I can hardly put it down, and have to re-read most pages many times. What a great book so far. Especially relevant at this time of our country’s condition, and also mine. Thanks!
Wasn’t me, Ron, tho I’ll gladly take credit.
I would, however, recommend another by him: “The Log From The Sea of Cortez” about specimen-collecting in the waters of Baja Calif. during WWII. Wiki has an EXCELLENT precis’, so give it a gander and see if it entices you to read the thing in the original. I got immense enjoyment out of it. His day-to-day philosophizing/musings about all things large and small is a real treat–like watching his mind work in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way..
PS: I really WILL take/DEMAND credit for this one, Ron.
I ordered it today. Wonder if William Least Heat-Moon was influenced by JS when he wrote “Blue Highways” (the audio cassette was a pleasure to listen to). My guess is that he was.
Marianne, I am sympathetic to your willingness to accept the fleeing English, Dutch and French, but am skeptical because the last thing I want is more of the same cowardice and statism that ruined Europe. The same statist mindset that enabled fascism and national socialism immigrated to the USA en masse in the 1930s, and we have been paying the price for it ever since. Worse, the USA has become increasingly fuzzy about what it really is, so how do you provide the prospective immigrant with an oath or a statement of principles that he must adhere to?
We are, truly, in deep, and as SK1 alludes, there is no one else to call to for help.
The problems began earlier than the 30s. The socialists that started an uprising in 1848 in Germany ran here. They were half a step ahead of the Kaiser’s executioners. They were some of Lincoln’s staunchest supporters. One of them had the gall to lecture John Marshall’s son, Lee’s aide, on political freedom.
You are killing my liver with this stuff. It just makes me want to Drink Moar. (or clean my piece)
The vapors from Hoppes are carcinogenic. Just remember that
So, choose the way you go. Killing your liver or cancer. Your gonna go either way.
Quartermaster … There is a very old tombstone in the oldest cemetery in Cambridge, Mass., that I always remember. It reads, “Pause here my friend, As you pass by, As you are now, So once was I, as I am now, Soon you will be, Prepare for death and follow me.” One [probably smart-aleck] Harvard student had scribbled a cautionary phrase below the verse, “To go your way I’m not content, until I know which way you went.” Very wise of him…
As for me, I’ll try to wait to choose my path as long as I can, in spite of the “pull-date” stamped by Obamacare on my forehead, and the ‘death panel’ wanting to push me over the precipice.
Marianne
Lots more people are going to have to die before nice Americans are willing to name and admit their enemies, sadly.
As yet we’re still too silly to be capable as a people of proclaiming the obvious.
And while I can’t wait for that day to finally arrive I mourn in advance those who will have to lose and what they will have to lose to bring it about.