Syria Protests: March 25th : From Statues to Posters

Video link I

Video link II

There is an unconfirmed rumor regarding the physical condition of Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara. This news is floating about in cyberspace. As of today, no further information noted, and although a more complete picture is presented with the chatter, the news is unsubstantiated so not truly seaworthy yet. Jihad forums also quickly produce their own graphics to depict the sentiment of current events. Above, is a current graphic.

Tammy Swofford

Syria Protests: Friday March 25 with Video

Syrians will march. Reporters are barred.

The haunting words of Thomas Friedman echo in my ears:

"Exact details of what happened in that February of 1982 are, to this day, incomplete. No reporters were allowed to enter Hama during the massacre. Most of the survivors are scattered or intimidated into silence; the Assad government refuses to talk about what transpired."

_From Beirut to Jerusalem_ (p 81)

Will the son perform as the father?

Link

Tammy Swofford

Gov. Haley Barbour: From your Vote to your Wallet

My parents steered me toward a lifetime of service. Too bad they chose the wrong kind of service.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour galloped about in 2010 with $300,000 dollars of taxpayer-funded travel. His frantic gait took him outside the fence line of his state for 175 days of the year.

He now has presidential aspirations. Sure. Why not? He can function as president-at-large in the same manner in which he has dwelt amongst the people of his state.

But it must be remembered, little kiddies. From your vote to your wallet is the quickest two-step dance routine known to man. The peasants beyond the moat will continue to take their cramped little seats for their yearly vacation flights to exotic destinations like Waco and Toledo. But unless we begin to demand accountability from men such as Governor Barbour, these vote-to-wallet specialists will continue to gallop along with careless disregard for the stewardship of their budgets.

So put on your best pair of jeans for a bit of boot-scooting across the floor. We will dance the two-step and raise our beers in song.

Article Link

Tammy Swofford

Sir Winston Churchill Rolls Over....

In his grave, the great man.... yet his strategic writing has tremendous merit.

Libya. A mission in search of a strategy.

Today I pulled Winston Churchills _Hinge of Fate_ off the shelf and read the chapter on "Strategic Natural Selection".

He provides wise counsel and sound reason why certain operations under consideration were ultimately shelved. The man was unafraid to merely say, "No. This won't work." Again and again I note a man who is not swayed by public opinion, political pressure, or the disagreement of his peers. PM Winston Churchill was uniquely gifted and a man of unusually tenacious character.

I recommend the readership take about forty-five minutes of time to read the thoughts of a man who gave careful consideration to the viability and consequences of military actions which were being considered. He was unafraid to declare certain operations unworkable and not in the best interest of the Allies. His choice of chapter title reflects what is true of war: Survival is dependent on the fittest of strategies.

Mr. Churchill never leap-frogged a mission in front of a strategy. Libya is a leap frog at best.

Tammy Swofford

Tammy's Coffee Fund

"With visions of sugar plums, dancing in her head...."

Now that I actually have three steady blog readers it seemed appropriate to add PayPal to the site.

My husband, because he loves me, made the first donation.

Starbucks is running $1.72 for a tall coffee - in the Dallas Fort-Worth area.

If in six months I have not received a coffee donation I will be forced to add the pay-for-view striptease.

The terror alert will go up....

Smiling,

Tammy

Terry Jones Burns a Qur'an: For This Freedom I Stand

The Florida minister who had threatened to burn a Qur'an on 9/11 suddenly had two neurons synapse in his brain to put the Qur'an on trial this week. Soaked the book in kerosene and torched it. Naturally, Muslims in Lahore are riled up and sought to torch a church and threaten the Christian population. We burn molecules. Human cells will possibly burn in response in a nation on the other side of the globe which embraces religious intolerance.

My guess is the little old man in Florida found his backbone after the SCOTUS ruled that the intellectual dwarfs from Westboro Baptist Church (an inbred and incestuous looking family church) had a protected speech status. They retain a right to taunt the families of our dead soldiers and claim that God hit the "smite button" because He hates homosexuals. Having Westboro members show up at a military funeral is as desirable as acquiring a raging case of genital warts.

Proxy retribution. What a lovely thought. You sin, I pay. I sin, you pay. A capricious god.... Who would seek out such an entity? But the fact remains the highest court in our land affirmed the beauty of our foundation. Human liberty, and in particular, freedom of thought and expression, have made our nation both great and also tolerant under extreme pressure toward the opinions of others. Both Westboro and Jones bring the extreme pressure to affirm what works for America.

WE ARE AMERICANS:

If we believe that an American citizen does not have a right to burn a Qur'an then we must criminalize the act.

WE ARE AMERICANS:

If we criminalize the act then we must willingly embrace this:

First Link

Second Link

WE ARE AMERICANS:

If we enact a suite of anti-blasphemy laws which will indeed fly under the radar of our freedom-loving noses as "hate crimes" we must embrace this:

Link


If we embrace hate crime laws for religious intolerance it must include this:

Link

I am unwilling to give up my liberty for the anomalous expression of Terry Jones or the Westboro traveling carnival. Although I am offended by their actions, such actions bring me no physical harm. The psychological harm must be sorted out in private manner.

I AM AN AMERICAN. FOR THIS FREEDOM I STAND.


Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Terry Jones Burns a Qur'an

Let me think on it a bit. I covered this topic the first time Mr. Jones threated to burn a Qur'an.

Here is the reaction in Pakistan. There will be hell to pay in Muslim nations where Christians are a minority demographic.

Yeah, let me think a bit on how I wish to cover this again.

Link to article


Tammy Swofford

Libya: A Bombing Campaign runs afoul of U.S. Military Doctrine

In merely trolling through my brain, I am unable to identify what part of U.S. military doctrine is applicable for the bombing campaign over Libya.

The Army's FM 3-07 Stability Doctrine does not fit for what has now devolved into a full-blown civil war. General Petraeus COIN doctrine is not a good fit. So what is the foundational military doctrine under which this ill-defined mission finds strategic presence? I remain foggy regarding why President Obama allowed American blood and treasure to be roped into what has more the look of adventurism than issues of sovereignty and national defense.

Compassion is not the fifth wheel of military doctrine. Should this drive policy it will decimate our ranks and devalue our oath. Libya's citizens are engulged in their own private hell and the events in North Africa and the Middle East will continue to daisy-chain along quicker than the next chemo agent is sent to attack a mestastisizing cancer. The leaders and nations suffering under what has moved from "democracy" to now "seige" if the adaptive WSJ headlines are to be believed are merely a harvesting of the wild oats of decades of corruption and fraudulent treatment of their citizens.

Our military should not function as Little Red Riding Hood with her basket of bread skipping along to visit a sick grandma. The fangs are showing, the nose is long and the predatory moves of infirm, parasitic leadership must be countered with external as opposed to interventionalist measures.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

International Journalism

Writing continues to be a primary joy. smile

Latest contribution:


Link Here


Tammy

Sarah Palin: From India to Israel - A Media Blitz with Political Deficiencies

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah! We loved you at first. But then we noted your inability to pass a fifth grade geography bee. Ms. Palin now takes her act to India and Israel. Not unlike the Hollywood star with fading appeal who is reduced to traveling to Japan to make a commercial, a presidential hopeful seeks an adoring and fawning audience in Delhi.

Bubbly personality aside, delivering a speech titled, "My Vision for America" makes me want to blush and crawl under the nearest table. Simplistic comparisons between America and India are laughable at best. The film, "The Stepford Wives" comes to mind when I read some of the statements which Ms. Palin gave whilst beguiling her ready-made media audience in India.

After the failed presidential bid of Senator John McCain, the smiling candidate with a great set of legs had a choice to make. She chose the wrong fork in the political road.

Sarah Palin would have been well-served to return to Alaska and spend an intensive two years in training learning the ropes of foreign policy, and engaged in strategic studies regarding the Middle East, the African continent, the vulnerable Caspian littoral states, S. America, etc. She could have then returned to the political stage with strength and maturity. She chose to write books, speak within narrowly defined right-wing venues, and move into political punditry worthy of "The View". She has shown herself incapable of stretching. She does not place herself within circumstances which make her uncomfortable, or challenge her own belief system. She chooses audiences which agree with her, hence she remains too native in her own thoughts.

It is extremely important that voters consider foreign policy expertise as the critical factor in voting for our next POTUS. My current Commander-in-Chief has not risen to the occasion and yet I don't fault him. He did not have a four-year cycle to prepare himself for the task. But Sarah Palin cannot be excused for her lack of work ethic in this regard.

She looks good. But she is unworthy to be the next President of the United States of America.

Tammy Swofford

UNTITLED

The Shi'a: The Pentagon's Old Map

Sure, I am taking a swing at Thomas Barnett. Old map, new map - it doesn't matter much in the scheme of things if the veins are flowing with the blood of Ahl-ul-Bayt. And although the Shi'a seemed to be somnambulating through history from the mid-eighteenth century until the fall of the Ottoman Sultanate, the generational memory was clearly intact. Economic and political malaise is not always indicative of ideological malaise.

Whether the model is neo-Marxism with a capitalist twist or any other hybrid of thought which tantalizes the Western mind, little of this counts for the Shi'a who sustain a doctrinal stream within their greater theography. Tactical and policy decisions which ignore the sub-discipline of ethnography have created areas of blight within the State Department. For that, we should be ashamed.

In looking at the Shi'a and their brain map, fragments of historical information from primary source documents which have passed through centuries and thousands of hands require examination. On a personal note, my research has allowed for the creation of a Sunni and Shi'a compartment within my own brain map and I am now seeking to develop the Sufi compartment.

Even within basic scholarship, there is a divergence in the manner in which West and East search out information. The West envisions a "wealth of ideas" and the Orientalists sees a "wilderness of ideas". Perhaps it is time for us to enter a bit more that wilderness, that Empty Quarter which we do not yet possess. Perhaps time to examine more carefully the landscape of the desert. The seventh century is a good place to start.

The energies currently being released from the cradle of Islam and beyond will produce both sustainable change and in some regions, unrelenting instability. But the Tehran of 1979 is no more. Neither will the Gulf states remain the same, nor the House of Saud retain the same level of clout. Iran with her greater than 90 percent Shi'a majority will continue to seek political tethers with Iraq which has a greater than 60 percent Shi'a demographic and Bahrain with the seventy percent demographic. The diaspora within the West will most likely also move into greater levels of play.

May we meet our challenges with the new breed of warrior-scholar required within the IB. (Intellectual Battlespace)

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

The Shi'a: Political Prowess from the Marrow of the Ahl-ul-Bayt

"As for the Shi'a, we have survived 1,400+ years under extreme oppression. We have leadership that has evolved through murder, torture, imprisonment, tyranny, terror attacks and extreme hardships under many different regimes and in many different countries. It has not changed us as a people. We remain very firm in our beliefs. We will survive. Our moral compass was determined by the massacre of Karbala all of those centuries ago and by our Lady Zaynab who when addressing Yazid in his court told him that it was her message that was going to survive and not Yazid's tyranny. Today in Damascus her beautiful shrine remains a beacon of hope for many millions whilst no one even knows where Yazid was finally buried. I have no worries on that particular front."

Personal correspondence with a friend

American Foreign Policy: The Shi'a Rumble

There is much I can write regarding the Shi'a and their belief system. It is important to understand the differences between the Sunni and Shi'a demographics for the establishment of a cogent foreign policy worthy of 21st century demands.

Bahrain hosts a 70 percent Shi'a demographic. As an underserved and not adequately represented group, it is this very dynamic which feeds the soul of the Shi'a. Sense of oppression feeds patient expectation in a subtle manner which only those to the manner borne, understand.

There can be little doubt that the shadow of Iranian agency and power is at work to facilitate the current restlessness. But fruit must never be confused with root. What is seen above the ground is definitely not what is underneath the ground - that vast realm in which Shi'a embrace common areas of thought is part of the key to political adjustments which must be made within our Department of State. Let the tanks roll from Saudi Arabia and beyond. Unless we begin to get it right, it will be completely wrong. smile

"My eyes are sore and my legs are thin, but I will stand by you...."

If you cannot attribute these words from the seventh century, your own grasp of the Shi'a is minimal.

Tammy Swofford

Syria Protests: Friday March 18th, From the Mosques to the Streets

The images coming out of Yemen are horrific with hospitals reporting that the majority of the wounds are to the head and chest, which does speak of security forces firing on their own citizens.

But the news which must be watched is what is transpiring in Syria since the faithful rose up from their prayer mats after performing Friday prayers. Exploding out of the mosques, the citizens are moving through the streets chanting and seeking to overthrow the government. The crowd leaving the Khaled ibn al-Walid mosque in Homs is said to be moving toward the home of the governor. Crowds in Daraa and Deir el Zour are also said to be activated. These reports are coming in from a jihad site and I will include a grainy video link.

It must be noted that when I wrote of Islam rising as one man within the 21st century it was not necessarily as a compact political bloc but rather with a view toward a psychological awakening which would seek identity via emancipation and self-determination movements. It is happening. And in usual fashion, Fridays are the best days to stir things up because the mosque structure provides a ready platform as campaign central.

Yemeni forces are shooting and killing citizens. Libya's foreign minister now raises the banner of peace in the face of a U.N. resolution. Saudi Arabia has moved to assist Bahrain and sweep up protest leadership into a security net. But Syria is popping right now. Since Syria functions as a nice little land bridge for the underground commerce of terror this whole thing has the look of FUBAR.

Link to video

Tammy Swofford

Blood Money: Justice and Economic Renumeration

Shari'ah is the agency tasked with social order within an Islamic society. The trunk of Shari'ah comes from the Qur'an and Sunnah which branches into five traditionally recognized areas. In a sense, blood money falls under two areas - both from the Madani period. These are mu'amalat (laws having to do with human transactions, legal contracts) and 'uqabat (punishment of crimes).

Diyah, or offering blood money for loss of life and limb is a long-established tradition within Islam. The family of the injured party has the right of retaliation. Or if they choose, the action of the accused can be forgiven and blood money received as recompense. There is no such concept of a city of refuge, such as in Biblical Israel. If you hurt someone the choices are three: you run, pay or get whacked.

The rules of Diyah play out in complex manner. The death of a slave and that of a woman do not require equal recompense for the lifeblood of a man within certain jurisprudential schools. Not unsurprisingly, the demands upon a Muslim who takes the life of a non-Muslim are less than those for Muslim-on-Muslim violence according to some jurists. These bifurcations on administration of Diyah and Hudood penalties are seen readily between ash-Shafi'i and Abu Hanifah. The jurist ash-Shafi'i believed that if a Muslim kills a non-Muslim or a free man his own slave, there is no right to retaliation. Abu Hanifah holds to a rule of equality of status between the perpetrator and his victim. When killings are of an accidental nature there is no allowance for retaliation or blood money to the family or clan of the victim.

In the case of economic renumeration in the days of the Islamic dynasties it could be required in a set amount of dinars of gold, in silver dirhams, or if by the wealth of camels the standard payment is one hundred in number. This is based on the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad and the raffling of arrows for his own father, which changed a former standard transaction of ten camels to one hundred camels for the redemption of a life. But the offer of the flesh of the herd is further subdivided into male and female camels. Make that money grow! As stated, the rules provide a legal labyrinth which is hard to follow.

Now while abu Hanifah declared that the blood money for a female was fifty percent of that for a male, it gets even more interesting when considering the worth of a Jew or a Christian. Estimates run from equal status for a male Jew or Christian, when looking at the opinion of abu Hanifah, all the way down to a low figure of thirty percent by one jurist. Lest ye think these things have little play today, merely follow the trail that leads to the workman's compensation program in Saudi Arabia. Lest I start cursing, I will scamper elsewhere.... smile

Diyah actually breaks down into smaller increments when considering loss of limb or things as small as the injury to an eyelied, finger, toe, etc. Head wounds are broken down all the way from the superficial whack on the head in which there is no sign of blood all the way to open skull fracture.

As for Raymond Davis, I don't even want to consider the price. If it were me, the worth to my government might amount to a cup of coffee and two donuts. I would probably still be filing my nails in a jail cell. wink All in all, I am grateful our citizen is returning home.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Raymond Davis: Blood Money and Islamic Jurisprudence

Having long been in the advocacy column for the payment of "blood money" by our government as required by Islamic jurisprudence, let me move in abbreviated fashion on the topic. The top tier Islamic jurists and their schools of thought have small variances regarding application of penalty for crimes and the issuance of blood money to forgive what is considered a societal debt. I support limited use of this tool in cases such as that of Raymond Davis and Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl - re: return of POW's, chain of command assets. I do not support it in willy-nilly manner which opens the door to propaganda and exploitation of our government. But it is indeed, a valid concept within Islamic republics.

Our government intervened in the following case in 1994, but blood money is not applicable for their crime. It falls under a separate suite of laws.

Daniel Boyd

Daniel Boyd: Part II

Article Link

There is much ground to cover and I like to keep blog posts to about a ninety-second reading. So let me determine what is the most beneficial regarding this topic. I am leaning toward one particular school of thought, but may bifurcate the blog a bit.

Next blog: Blood Money: Justice and Economic Renumeration

Tammy Swofford

Japan Tsunami: The World Changes in Seconds of Time

Several years ago my husband was laid off from his job. Within less than a week of that event my oldest brother was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Two days later, I was in the field with the Navy for a three day week-end of hot weather training. Yeah, Texas summer heat in August can create black flag days. Somewhat performing as an officer-zombie I was on orders to train for advanced burn life support certification. I managed it in the two days allowed for education and training. But after the final test my trip back to the barracks took me by three sailors seated on a cot, drinking rum and Coke out of their canteens. It was tempting to join them. A nice swig of warm alcohol mingled with my sweat sounded like a good deal. smile

My world changed in seconds of time and the incremental nature of the news which shook my world became embedded in the fabric of my life. My vulnerabilities increased during those two weeks. The feeling was hard to shake for months after the initial events.

Japan suffered a violent act of nature bringing tremendous flooding which washed over their nation's shores in a few minutes of time. The Japanese are now faced with both emotional and physical vulnerabilities on scale which are hard for the human spirit to bear. What spiritual comfort for the individual who has lost everything to be counted merely a "survivor"? Many who survive such things will say that the blessing belongs to the dead. What physical comfort for those residing within zones with rising radiation levels which make foreign aid on the ground an impossibility?

We must pray for the Japanese. They require the prayers of the American people.

Tammy Swofford

Lindsey Lohan and Charlie Sheen: Ship and Deliver to Devil's Island

Pardon me for being cranky. Is anyone else suffering from HMS? That would be the cultural disease otherwise known as "Hero Mania Syndrome".

Let's not talk about talent. It is better to identify wasted talent.

Forget the chemical addictions. Hollywood's elite suffer from personality addictions. There is no rehab or cure for a personality addiction. To cure the addiction is to destroy the lie.

Shoplifting charges? This is about inherent dishonesty and criminal behavior.

Custody battles? Cases go to court every day and average Americans fight the same legal battles.

Can we just strip these two clowns of media access? And can they be shipped to Devil's Island in a UPS crate?

While people in Japan are facing the worst nightmare of their lives, Lindsey and Charlie continue to "trend" in the news. Isn't it time to divest ourselves of their miserable little stories?

I am suffering from HMS. What about you?

Tammy Swofford

"Day of Rage" Protests: Aftershocks and Micro-Instability Factors

So what does the blog preface with the "double coyote" joke have to do with the current post which examines the aftershocks and micro-instability issues of the "Day of Rage" protests? Not much really, unless you read Socrates and what comes into my email from blog readers. Since emails retain privileged status, let me move forward with a thought penned by Socrates:

"The genius of Tragedy and Comedy are essentially the same, and they should be written by the same authors."

Protests across North Africa and the Middle East have given the breath of life to many a blogger and independent analyst. The deluge of images and individual vignettes from the protests provide a dazzling kaleidoscope of information. These media shards can be arranged to match the political affiliations, not so hidden agenda, and even fossilized thinking of any individual writer. There is just a ton of breaking news from day to day. A few bloggers seem bent on name recognition and established organizational fronts are also finding the turmoil-in-progress useful for propagation of message.

Yesterday, I received a flyer from a blog reader regarding an event hosted by a university in New York. The lecture is being offered by activists, peace and justice initiatives, grass-root political movements, etc. What came to my mind when reading the flyer is how the delirium of peace is frequently married to that odd and unexplainable American self-hatred exhibited by far-left liberals. They want peace! But they disdain the peaceful landscape of American soil.

It appears that House of Saud leadership looked at the failures to contain the protests from Tunisia and beyond to buy a bit of time. Had they fallen second-in-life behind the initial Tunisian revolt their landscape might have had the appearance of Tahrir Square today. The massive police presence on the streets gave a "bell the cat" scenario. But undoubtedly, the ebullient mood from the successful protests thus far will cause the activists in Saudi Arabia to quietly work toward Plan B. Meantime, the royal family will develop a neurosis about their wealth and become skittish about town. That Bentley might be replaced with a smaller, respectable sedan. The 10,000 princes will become budding philanthropists. wink

In London, squatters took over the mansion belonging to Saif al-Islam. The sword is no longer feared and the party is in progress. Saif's vintage wines are being consumed, pool and jacuzzi seeing traffic and we won't discuss what is happening in the bedrooms. My guess is the party will continue until every morsel of food is consumed and the pranksters run out of ideas for further mischief.

Videos abound now which showcase the ebullient mood which accompanies a basic Islamic understanding of the "booty" of war. One video takes the viewers through a room by room tour of a luxury apartment within the state security building in Alexandria, Egypt. The protesters are almost giddy as they point to art objects, furniture, a simple workout room with a treadmill.

All of these things can be fun from the sidelines of history. But I worry a bit. The distinct future danger is how the nostrils which have picked up the scent of freedom may lack the ability to differentiate from some of the smells which accompany freedom. Capitalism may smell like greed. Legally acquired property and other physical assets may smell like fraud. And attempts to restore a workable and sustainable system of governance may smell like a new level of oppression.

The aftershocks being felt which will continue to keep the guilty awake at night are not necesssarily bad. The economic rape of the Muslim-majority nations by their own kin and the economic gang rape from political cronyism will not suddenly vanish from sight. Until new business models and practices are established the risk remains that the future will resemble the past. But for those who have the kahunas to continue business as usual the game will never again be played in such easy manner.

But it is the micro-instability factors which will keep diplomats sleeping with one eye open for many months to come. The youth are activated, they are energetic and full of ideas. And did I mention that many of them are unemployed? What they do have is time. And what I hope is not lacking is patience. May patience be embraced as the primary virtue.

Tammy Swofford

Preface to Next Blog

It is an old joke. The title is "Double Coyote".

A man gets hammered at the bar and picks up a woman.

The next morning he awakens to see the ugliest woman he has ever laid eyes on sleeping on his arm.

Very quietly he gnaws his arm off to make his escape.

Later, he thinks a bit and gnaws off his other arm.

He wants to make sure the woman does not look for a one-armed man.

Double Coyote! Naturally, it is always the women who receives the brunt of such jokes.

So what does the joke have to do with the next blog?

The next blog will be titled:

"Days of Rage" Protests: Aftershocks and Micro-Instability Factors.

Tammy Swofford

Wisconsin And Arizona: Mirrors for the Will of the People

In a world where our Constitutional and absolutely necessary federal branch moves along in slow manner, the states of Wisconsin and Arizona have proven that state-level political cockfights are now in vogue.

Wisconsin Republican Senators showed leadership and deft political maneuvering last night to end an age of employee entitlement in their state. The original charter and mission of the American union structure primarily addressed workplace environment and abusive wage and practice issues. This mission has morphed over the years to include a Draconian collective bargaining strength which supports unrealistic wage scales and compensation packages in a century of globalization trends. The dark side of collective bargaining is how it can suck the competitive edge from the work force because it shields the individual worker from certain psychological pressures required for high performance.

For Arizona, the fight to create their own state policy moat to deal with the tremendous tax burden of illegal immigrants was met with a fierce backlash from the humanist left, always willing to fund those who have unlawfully entered our country from the wallets of the taxpayer. There is a vast subterranean entitlement system which supports the illegal immgrant and his family. While holding to the Biblical tradition of being kind to the foreigner in the land, it is meant as a neighbor-to-neighbor admonition, not a policy mandate.

So there is reason to cheer. Wisconsin and Arizona will each provide for good governance on the 1/50 scale. May their legal actions which reflect the needs of their states and the will of their people provide a bit of optimism regarding the political process in America. What we have works. Let's keep it!

Smiling,

Tammy

Images: Libya, March 9th

Images are pulled from a recent post on a jihad forum. Pictures and videos continue to be posted on a regular basis from Libya and Egypt. News moves in from Iraq, Morocco, and Bahrain. But there has been a virtual shutdown regarding news on the March 11th protest slated for Saudi Arabia for several days now. It seems to be a deliberate act of self-censorship on this primary site with an average mix of several thousand members and guests at any given moment. There has been no issue of a stand down for Saudi Arabia activists on this site which boasts cameo appearances by a handful of players with tremendous "star power". But neither is there an information stream as in prior weeks. Saudi Arabia no longer exists on the map of the site. What does this mean? I cannot speculate. But absence of communication and signals are as important as the signals which are captured. Perhaps the news is moving via human carriers as opposed to digital footprints. But my gut tells me that if the protest is mounted as planned it will move asymmetrically across the landscape and there will be nothing to define a set-piece battle such as Tahrir Square.

Tammy Swofford

President George W. Bush: November 6, 2003

"Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accomodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe - because in the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty. As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export. And with the spread of weapons that can bring catastrophic harm to our country and to our friends, it would be reckless to accept the status quo. Therefore, the United States has adopted a new policy, a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East."

*Taken from a speech given at the 20th anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy, United States Chamber of Commerce

Full text here

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Raymond Davis

Readers,

Here is my latest contribution to the Daily Times.


Article Link



Tammy

March 11 Protests in Saudi Arabia: U.S. State Department as Mime

Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan social activists have set March 11th as the date for their attempts to oust corrupt national leadership. It seems good to put a bit of predictive analysis on the page.

PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS:

*The U.S. Department of State will perform as Jean-Gaspard Deburau. When actually speaking, the response will be a highly-scripted product for public consumption. The words "democracy" and "human rights" will be hidden under the skirts of "stability" and "reformation". There are few high points to share regarding Saudi leadership and their fraudulent mismanagement of national resources to the detriment of their citizens. The wordcraft will point to the need for stability, hence allowances against the citizens which would be unachievable within the American democratic system of governance.

*A media blackout which will include the darkening of all spaces, including cell phones, will precede the military actions of the House of Saud against the protesters. There is no need for Posse Comitatus with authoritarian and dynastic ruling structures. Military actions against protesters will include overwhelming force. This will not look like Kent State. There is a high potential for state-on-citizen violence.

*Use of temporary incarceration facilities is likely. Satellite photos will show a few new tent cities.

*The protest planners will not allow mass congregation in one locale, as in Tahrir Square, but will use a strategy of multiple and streaming targets. This manner of movement will create a greater risk of single incident acts of anarchy, with small-scale arson being of primary concern.
But the tactic will be used to force reconfiguration of Saudi military police and assets.

*The United States is rightfully concerned about strategic balance in the Middle East. I also share such concern. But there must be careful consideration regarding the marriage of national authority to moral authority. There will be no "Tear down this wall" speech from President Obama as March 11th breaks across the horizon. But the nations of the Levant (those along the eastern Mediterranean, northeast Africa and western Asia) will be greatly affected no matter the end point of the Saudi Arabia protests. Our goal, must be to pull our ship into port after this storm with our national colors on full display. These colors represent what we consider self-evident truths.

Saudi Arabia depends on U.S. public support to quell dissent. May our leadership respond wisely. They can choose their course. But no one gets to choose the consequences. Nations do not rise and fall based on strategy alone. The life of a nation is dependent on guiding principles. What is happening across north Africa and the Middle East today showcases the outcome of unprincipled governance.

Jean-Gaspard Deburau



Tammy Swofford

Islamic Jihad Women's Magazine

No surprise here. But there is a newly released jihad magazine for women. Articles include "Meeting with the Wife of a Mujahid" and "Notes/Folios from the Notebook of a Female Mujahid". Naturally, there is a health section: "Healing steps.... for Clean Skin". Sure! Live hard, die clean....

My files contain a complete recruitment eBook for children to entice them into jihad, but the website has been taken down. As of yet, there is not a monthly magazine offering for children. But with the launch of a women's jihad magazine it will only be a matter of time until the next level of encroachment into the family structure is noted.

For those not yet familiar with the forward movement of the jihad industry in cyberspace, the six-part series "Assassin's Creed" can be found in the May 2010 archives.

Tammy Swofford

Northwestern University: Offering a Live Demonstration of Sexual Instrumentation

Tales from the Crypt:

One day the big news in the operating room was the removal of (as the WSJ so politely describes) an "electric-powered device" from the 'nether regions of a woman. The colorectal surgeon unceremoniously took a pair of forceps and sent it straight into the surgical pail still chugging and clattering along at full speed as the nurse collected the "specimen" and the foreign body removal was successfully accomplished. Another big step for mankind....

Northwestern University appears to have an avid pornography buff in business suit. Live sex demonstration of instrumentation now occur in the classroom, and in prior seasons lectures on unconventional sex by a co-owner of "Weird Chicago Tours", and sex offenders (minus their victims) have graced his personal stage. Wow! What a deal! No visit from the vice squad. No enquiry from the parole officer of the sex offenders who have willingly given of their time. And of course, no visit from a nurse who has seen some really great stuff come through the operating room when adventure sex goes too far. Think "strings of light bulbs" and "gerbils". Think fractured pelvis' from a man jumping off the dresser onto the bed wearing a Batman cape. I mean, what can we say to the woman? Sorry?

Professor John Michael Bailey claims "considerable investment of time for which I receive no compensation" and the Northwestern spokesman states the university supports its faculty to further the advancement of "knowlege".

Mental note:

Add "attended live sex demonstration at Northwestern University" to the "Interests and hobbies" section of the resume. Now THAT will close the deal on the job interview.

The Wall Street Journal article is on page A3.

Tammy Swofford

Shahbaz Bhatti: Killed the Day the White Bull was Killed

There is an Islamic parable which I have read several times in different books and it seems applicable when considering the murder of Pakistan's Minister for Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti. This version, is taken from the internet.

"There was once three bulls - a red bull, a white and a black one. When they were all together, they were very strong and the lions could not eat them. So one day, a lion came and told the black and red bull - if you help me eat the white bull, I will let you go. After a lot of deliberation, the red and black bulls agreed. So the red and black bulls looked on whilst the lion killed and ate the white bull. Many months later, the lion came to the black bull and said - if you help me eat the red bull, I will let you go. Without daring to hesitate, the black bull agreed to the proposition. So the lion came and ate the red bull whilst the black bull looked on. Many months later, the lion was hungry again. Now there was nothing but the black bull left. As the black bull looked on whilst the lion pounced on him and as he was choking and dying - with his last breath, the black bull said: Truly, I was killed the day the white bull was killed."

Salmaan Taseer was killed on January 4th by Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri. The governor of Punjab was assassinated by a member of his own security detail. The governor was snuffed because he sought to ease the tensions created by the ill-crafted blasphemy clauses which were added to the penal code under General Zia-ul-Haq.

When the news broke on the murder of Gov. Taseer , a man who had served in the army, then as a teacher to finally settle in as the chairman of the board of Christian churches in the village of Khushpur had a heart attack. The man's name was Jacob Bhatti, father of Pakistan's Minister for Minorities Affairs. He died a week later because he thought it was now his "son's turn".

Already, there are imbeciles who claim Shahbaz Bhatti was "negligent" for his own death because he lacked a security detail when he left the home of his widowed mother to be brutally murdered by members of the Taliban seconds later. Undoubtedly, he lacked confidence in his own "security detail" due to the fact that it was a member of Mr. Taseer's own security who took his life in a hail of more than two dozen bullets. His death can only be attributed to the ones who pulled the trigger.

Truly, Shahbaz Bhatti was killed the day the white bull was killed. He just did not know it yet. But his father knew it. Jacob Bhatti knew it deep in the gut. Knowing that it is far better for the father to be buried by the son than the parent to bury the child he took it upon himself to spare his own eyes the fate of his progeny. He had his heart attack and he said his goodbye.

Two Christian Pakistani men now find their bodies returned to the soil of a nation which grants them little mercy with regard to the penal code. Less, the mercy of their neighbors.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Misurata, Libya: Signs of Political Denudement

As misery continues to grip Libya the citizens of Misurata relieved their tension a bit by a small display of empowerment. They burned a few molecules.

The Green Book - Muammar Gaddafi's manual for totalitarian success - went up in smoke. This was a smaller copy-cat event of the one held in Benghazi, Libya next to the Green Book Research Center.

As the political denudement proceeds in Libya, I continue to look for signs of the rise of the third movement being birthed from the emancipation and self-determination movements. History and obscure Hadith come to life in a new century. The seventh century stage supported the Persian and Byzantine empires. And then came Prophet Muhammad.... We now have new players on a very old stage.

Tracking such things requires more patience than skill. Assumptions are always based on weak evidence. So when the evidence is weak, it must be trended over time for greater consolidation of information and validation. Media eyes are cast on Libya. Within a few days, Libya will become a media footnote if Saudi activists are able to mount their own protest.

But perhaps the drunken Ukrainian nurse who fled Libya on a military transport provides the best political example of the day regarding the future of the average citizen. She spent nine years under the Gaddafi umbrella. What the hell will she do - for the remainder of her life?

Book burnings, fleeing half-wit nurses and Libyan citizens still stoked with the power of emancipation are the story of the hour. But when the last book is burned and the last statue toppled reality awaits. Functional illiteracy, lack of national productivity and food shortages will remain.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

U.S. Airmen Killed in Frankfurt

When we take the oath of office in the military it is with the understanding that we no longer have a right to our own bodies. We become the "property" of the U.S. government. We also belong to the citizens of the United States of America. We serve to secure our shores and we serve to preserve our national values. We take the oath understanding that what passes from our lips may shorten our time on earth. The testament of this oath streams through our blood and becomes the marrow of our national bone.

My prayers are extended to the military families who will be receiving the news today of the death of their family member, in the line of duty, on German soil. When the doorbell rings and they open the door, they will note a military chaplain. No words will be necessary for them to understand why a military chaplain has intersected with their life at this time. May God grant them the necessary fortitude to receive the sad news.

This is a war by increments. Never forget. Do not forget the cost of freedom.

LCDR Tammy Swofford, USNR, NC

German Defense Minister Guttenberg Resigns Amidst Accusations of Plegiarism

German Defense Minister Guttenberg has resigned due to verified accusations of plegiarism. Approximately one-fifth of his doctoral thesis consists of intellectual theft. Germans awaken to the fact that their Defense Minister is no better than the Gypsy who sells a fake rolex watch to a clueless tourist on the streets of Berlin. His credentials, no longer exist.

The hunt will proceed now with the usual pace. Additional Cabinet ministers and highly placed officials with Ph.D credentials can expect to find their own body of work easily put to the test with a simple search engine quest. Journalistic hyena's always work in packs when they smell the blood.

Those of us who work our derriere's off to present our own unique thoughts, allowing them to stand or fall on their own merit cannot help but pity Karl-Theodur zu Guttenberg. Short-cut intellectualism to obtain a degree has cost a man his somewhat sterling reputation.

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Tammy Swofford