The Western Word

For anyone paying close attention, a historic event occurred this week in Europe. As we go to press, polls reveal that Geert Wilders’ party, the Party for Freedom, has won a sweeping victory in the Dutch section of the European electorate, swamping its nearest rival by nearly 20%.

Today’s elections to the European Union parliament are vitally important. The European parliament in its next session is likely to vote on a number of issues which could affect trade alliances, the sovereignty of its constituent states and the Trans- Atlantic Alliance.

How has Geert Wilders, labeled by his enemies a racist and bigot, whose pronouncements against Muslim extremism are widely reviled by the European intelligentsia, media and political class, won such an extraordinary level of popularity?

The answer is that Wilders reflects a profound disenchantment with those elites men and women who are blindly leading that continent to catastrophe. A willingness to hide behind multicultural slogans and politically correct nostrums, has led to a continent wide rise in anti-Semitism, incipient violence and a vicious anti-democratic movement, led by an empowered Muslim minority.

Wilders recognizes both the seriousness of the threat and the depth of the disenchantment and it is for this reason his popularity has soared. He is courageously spearheading a movement, at great risk to his own life, to alert his corner of the world to the perils of accommodating fundamentalist Islam.

Across the English Channel another man similarly toils against great adversity and the similar willing denial of the deep problems his country faces from appeasement to Muslim demands. Alan Craig, a councilman in one of London’s inner suburbs, is fighting a successful campaign to force a secretive fundamentalist Muslim group to bend in its plans to construct a mega mosque near the heart of the under-construction 2012 Olympic village. Craig’s pertinacity, not just in the face of Tagblihi Jamaat’s campaign of vilification but in defiance of his many political adversaries, is a case study in courage and determination. There are few men of his caliber today in England who state plainly what all can see – that British identity and national character is in a state of free fall and that no less than national survival is at risk if something is not done to rescue that country from the grip of its multicultural swoon.

These two men exemplify the spirit of the hero of conscience – unafraid to start plainly and unashamedly that they are sons of the enlightenment and will resist any attempt to deny that legacy.

For that reason the American Freedom Alliance is proud to offer both men its 2009 Heroes of Conscience Awards. This year’s annual dinner, to be held on Sunday, June 7, at the Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Valley, will offer us the opportunity to pay tribute to their commitment to Western values and to celebrate with them the glory of our heritage.

We hope you can join us.

Want to comment on this article? See Avi Davis’ blog
Avi Davis is the Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the American Freedom Alliance in Los Angeles. He can be contacted at isdev@ix.netcom.com

The Speech Obama should Give in Cairo
by Robert Spencer (more by this author)

As Barack Obama prepares to give his long-anticipated major address to the Islamic world from Cairo, as a public service I here offer the speech he should give:

Dear friends, I have said that in this speech I would offer my personal commitment to engagement with the Islamic world, based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. Establishing peace between the forces of the global jihad and America and her ally Israel is something that I would very much love to do. The first thing I must acknowledge, however, is that much as I would love to see this peace dawning over the world, it is not within my power to achieve this. That may surprise many of you. You have grown accustomed to thinking that the tensions between Muslims and the United States - tensions that boiled over on September 11, 2001 and on the occasions of many other acts of jihad terrorism as well - are entirely the fault of the United States. Americans have been told that we are hated because of our support for Israel, and because of our attempts to bring freedom and stability to the overwhelmingly Muslim people of Iraq and Afghanistan. We are hated because we have spent American treasure to try to secure a better life for Muslims the world over, spending billions of dollars in aid for Egypt, Pakistan, and other Muslim countries. (Americanthinker)

Egypt Invites Muslim Brotherhood Radicals to Hear Obama
Sivan 12, 5769, 04 June 09 10:23by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu(IsraelNN.com)
The radical Muslim Brotherhood party, officially banned in Egypt, has accepted an invitation to attend the speech by President Barack Obama on Thursday. The opposition party formally has renounced violence but has been accused of retaining ties with terrorism. The Muslim Brotherhood, despite being officially illegal, holds more than 20 percent of the seats in the Egyptian parliament. Officials of the Obama administration told American media that the invitations were sent out by the Cairo and Al-Azhar universities but they were fully aware of who was on the receiving list. Presidential advisor Dennis McDonough stated, "I can tell you that invitations have gone out to the full range of actors in Egyptian political society." Approximately 3,000 guests will attend the speech at Cairo University. "Eleven of our Members of Parliament have been invited,” MP Saad el Katatny, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's 88-member parliamentary bloc, told IslamOnline.net. Ranking Republican Pete Hoekstra, who serves on the Congressional Intelligence Committee, objected that “the president takes some big risks by unilaterally putting out these olive branches,” according to Fox News. "What kind of signal are we sending?" Rep. Hoekstra asked. (INN)

Islamic finance training course launched in London-Dan Judge
The growing influence and practice of Islamic finance has been recognised through the creation of a London-based training programme for industry professionals. The programme, which was launched by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Ian Luder, on Wednesday (May 27th), is being run the Islamic Banking Finance Centre UK (IBFC-UK). The aim of the course is to enable financial services centres such as London to better cater for the requirements of Islamic finance, which is guided by Shariah, or Islamic law, principles. The Lord Mayor of the City of London said: “Despite the current global financial crisis, Islamic finance continues its growth as an increasingly viable alternative banking system for both Muslims and non-Muslims. It will be a vital component of the new global financial infrastructure.” IBFC-UK has been established in partnership with the Islamic Banking & Finance Institute in Malaysia (IBFIM) and Cardiff University’s Business School and Centre of Islam. Its role is to provide research and training for private and public organisations and clients include insurance companies, banks, non-financial businesses and academic institutions. (International-advisor)

Police: Man upset at military shoots 2-William M. Welch, USA TODAY
A Muslim convert who said he was opposed to the U.S. military shot two soldiers outside an Arkansas recruiting station, killing one, police said Monday. "This individual appears to have been upset with the military, the Army in particular, and that's why he did what he did," Little Rock Police Lt. Terry Hastings said. "He has converted to (Islam) here in the past few years," Hastings said. "We're not completely clear on what he was upset about. He had never been in the military. "He saw them standing there and drove up and shot them. That's what he said." Police Chief Stuart Thomas said Pvt. William Long, 23, of Conway was killed. Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville was wounded and in stable condition, Thomas said. Police arrested Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, 23, of Little Rock, Thomas said. The suspect was previously known as Carlos Bledsoe, he said. The soldiers wore fatigues, had recently completed basic training and volunteered to help attract others to the military, Thomas said. He said the gunman targeted the military but was not believed to be part of a broader scheme. Interviews with police showed that Muhammad "probably had political and religious motives for the attack," the police chief said. (USAtoday)

Justice Dept. Backs Saudi Royal Family on 9/11 Lawsuit-Eric Lichtblau
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is supporting efforts by the Saudi royal family to defeat a long-running lawsuit seeking to hold it liable for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The Justice Department, in a brief filed Friday before the Supreme Court, said it did not believe the Saudis could be sued in American court over accusations brought by families of the Sept. 11 victims that the royal family had helped finance Al Qaeda. The department said it saw no need for the court to review lower court rulings that found in the Saudis’ favor in throwing out the lawsuit. The government’s position comes less than a week before President Obama is scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia with King Abdullah as part of a trip to the Middle East and Europe intended to reach out to the Muslim world. Lawyers for the Saudi family said that they were heartened by the department’s brief and that it served to strengthen their hand before the court, which has not decided whether to hear the case.But family members of several Sept. 11 victims said they were deeply disappointed and questioned whether the decision was made to appease an important ally in the Middle East. The Saudis have aggressively lobbied both the Bush and Obama administrations to have the lawsuit dismissed, government officials say. “I find this reprehensible,” said Kristen Breitweiser, a leader of the Sept. 11 families, whose husband was killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. “One would have hoped that the Obama administration would have taken a different stance than the Bush administration, and you wonder what message this sends to victims of terrorism around the world.” (NYT)

Netherlands: 40% of Somali/Ethiopian/Egyptian women undergo FGM
THE HAGUE, 30/05/09 - Four out of ten Somali and Ethiopian women who give birth in the Netherlands have been genitally mutilated. This is relatively few, Health State Secretary Jet Bussemaker wrote to the Lower House on Friday. The figures were recorded by research organisation TNO after questioning midwives. The number of cases of female circumcision is fairly low, since nine out of ten women in the countries of origin have been circumcised, Bussemaker reasoned. To obtain a better picture of female circumcision, the state secretary previously announced that midwives would be registering this form of mutilation. They will also be trained in how to discuss circumcision with families. (NetherlandsInfoService)

Time to graduate?-Carol Iannone
In this season of college commencements, are Americans ready for another kind of graduation? Have we absorbed all we can from the dark aesthetic that has dominated literary life for a generation, and are now ready to move on? I see signs that readers, theatregoers, and critics are tiring of the empty depressing postmodern prolixity of the contemporary literary scene. I put the following in evidence:
--First, a contributor to the Christian Science Monitor expressed her dismay at coming to New York to see two notable Broadway plays, Tracy Lett's Pulitzer Prize winning August: Osage County, and Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate, only to find that they are both rehearsals of the wretchedness and selfishness of dysfunctional families, and she questions whether these are accurate views of American life today. This is notable because ever since the rise of the Angry Young Man plays in Britain and their American counterparts from such authors as Arthur Miller and Edward Albee, theatregoers have been remarkably servile in accepting the torment and torture presented by playwrights as typical and realistic. (Iris, Fanger, "A New Script for Family Drama," Christian Science Monitor, December 10, 2008) And Adam Begley in the New York Observer: (NAS)

Who Is Teaching About Islam? -Jonathan Schanzer / The American Thinker
Apologists for extremism lead an effort in education about Islam.
A California nonprofit dedicated to "teaching about Islam & Muslims" at U.S. high schools and college campuses features a board of advisors that is stacked with some of the most controversial activist professors in the field of Middle Eastern studies today. The imprimatur of these scholars may signal a troubling shift toward the support of proselytizing efforts and the further unraveling of Middle East Studies in America. The board of Islamic Networks Group (ING) is a veritable Who's Who of Islamist apologists and activists. Leading the list is John Esposito, the founding director of the Saudi-funded Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. He famously stated that the suicide-bombing Hamas organization engages in "honey, cheese-making, and home-based clothing manufacture." Joining Esposito on the ING board is Sherman Jackson of the University of Michigan, who was a trustee at the North American Islamic Trust and worked with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), both un-indicted co-conspirators in the U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation. (Frontpagemag)

Media Bias

The Obama Infatuation-Robert J. Samuelson
The Obama infatuation is a great unreported story of our time. Has any recent president basked in so much favorable media coverage? Well, maybe John Kennedy for a moment, but no president since. On the whole, this is not healthy for America. Our political system works best when a president faces checks on his power. But the main checks on Obama are modest. They come from congressional Democrats, who largely share his goals if not always his means. The leaderless and confused Republicans don't provide effective opposition. And the press -- on domestic, if not foreign, policy -- has so far largely abdicated its role as skeptical observer. Obama has inspired a collective fawning. What started in the campaign (the chief victim was Hillary Clinton, not John McCain) has continued, as a study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism shows. It concludes: "President Barack Obama has enjoyed substantially more positive media coverage than either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush during their first months in the White House." (Washingtonpost)

Covering for the Radicals – The Mainstream Media’s ‘Usual Bunch’-Steve Emerson
A prominent Muslim American leader issued a stern warning to the FBI. Informants should never breach the grounds of a mosque. No matter what. "Our Koran is off limits," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Los Angeles office said at an Anaheim mosque in April. "Our youth, who they try to radicalize, are off limits. Now is the time to tell them, 'we're not going to let this happen anymore.' " It was the lead element in a Los Angeles Times story by Paloma Esquivel. The story described the sense of betrayal felt by Muslim activists like Ayloush after "the FBI sent an informant into a mosque in OrangeCounty, surveilled community leaders and sent an agent to UC Irvine – caus[ing] some to begin questioning the FBI's real intentions." The story never names the person agents wanted the informant to approach; much less the man's family ties to Osama bin Laden or his efforts to conceal his continuing relationship with the relative. Nor does it explain to readers that CAIR may have some sour grapes toward the FBI, which cut off access to CAIR last summer in light of court evidence showing the group, which touts itself as the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization, was born to serve a Hamas-support network in the U.S. It's just one example of reporters favoring a good quote over the old shoe-leather approach of tracking down a paper trail. For some veteran journalists, it can be too much to take. Mary Jacoby, a former Wall Street Journal reporter now operating her own website, called out "the usual bunch of uninformed reporters" who seem glad to serve as a megaphone for CAIR and other apologists for terror. (Familysecuritymatters)

The Emergence of President Obama's Muslim Roots
ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller report: The other day we heard a comment from a White House aide that never would have been uttered during the primaries or general election campaign. During a conference call in preparation for President Obama's trip to Cairo, Egypt, where he will address the Muslim world, deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago." Given widespread unease and prejudice against Muslims among Americans, especially in the wake of 9/11, the Obama campaign was perhaps understandably very sensitive during the primaries and general election to downplay the candidate's Muslim roots. (Blogss.abcnews)

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to fight shock-jock Michael Savage's lawsuit-Nico Hines
Jacqui Smith will not back down against a right-wing American radio DJ who is suing after he was barred from entering Britain. The Home Secretary included Michael Savage on a list of banned visitors that included a Hamas politician, anti-gay protesters and a Jewish extremist. Savage was furious to feature on the list and said that he would bring a legal action for defamation. Yesterday the Home Office announced that it would staunchly fight any proceedings. It said: "He was excluded for engaging in unacceptable behaviour by making comments that might provoke others to serious criminal acts and foster hatred that might lead to inter-community violence. "Any legal proceedings would be robustly defended; we stand by our decision to exclude this individual. Coming to the UK is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life." Savage has been accused of racism and homophobia and once wished that a critical caller would die of Aids. However, an appeal for donations to support his legal challenge posted on his website insists that he has never advocated violence. (Timesonline.co.uk)

BBC payout for upset to 'anti-war' Muslims
The BBC has apologised and agreed to pay £30,000 to a Muslim group because a panellist on Question Time accused it of supporting attacks on the British armed forces. The BBC has offered the hefty payout despite the Government’s recent refusal to apologise for expressing similar sentiments about the same group, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). The row centres around comments made by former Daily Telegraph editor, Charles Moore, on an edition of the BBC’s popular debate show broadcast in March. He was asked about Muslims protesting in Luton against a parade of British troops returning from a tour of Iraq. Mr Moore said: “I’ve gone to [the Muslim Council of Britain] many times, and said will you condemn the killing and kidnapping of British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they won’t. “Because these wars are in Muslim countries, they will not do this. They do one thing that is perfectly understandable – they are opposed to the war. That is perfectly legitimate. “But there is a bigger step that they take, they say it is actually a good thing, even an Islamic thing, to kill or kidnap British soldiers.” The Government recently refused to apologise for similar sentiments expressed in a letter to a newspaper by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. (Chrisitan.org.uk)

D-Day chance to decry Israel’s foes- Marvin Hier
This week, President Barack Obama travels to Cairo to deliver an important speech in an effort to seize the opportunity and inject momentum into the stalled Middle East peace process. Even more important than the speech is its symbolism of the first African-American president signaling a departure from the past by engaging the entire Muslim world from an Arab capital. At the same time, on the very next day, the president seeks to engage and reassure the Jewish community by visiting Buchenwald Concentration Camp, a camp his great-uncle helped liberate. By making this visit, and bringing back the tragic memories of the past, the president is signaling Israel’s supporters that he understands their fears and concerns. The president surely knows that, for Jews, those memories are at the very heart of the current impasse in the Middle East. How can they not be when the chief funder of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah is Iran – the same country that just successfully tested a new Sejil-2 surface missile with a range of 1,200 miles that can reach Europe; a country whose president denies the Holocaust, calls for the eradication of Israel and continues to defy the world by seeking to develop nuclear weapons. However, to really understand the existential threat that Iran poses to Israel, the president and fellow world leaders gathering in France on June 6 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day might recall a similar fear that gripped Winston Churchill in the days just prior to the launch of Operation Overlord. (AJC)

Jerusalem: The eternal front line Caroline Glick , THE JERUSALEM POST
The following is the full text of Caroline Glick's speech after accepting the 'Guardian of Zion' award.
For nearly as long as I can remember, the image of the watchman on the gates of Jerusalem has been the singular image of Jewish strength for me. It is has always been to the Jewish watchmen, ever vigilant, to whom we have owed our lives, and our survival as a people. Today these watchmen preserve our freedom in our land. For 50 generations in exile, it was the memory of those Jewish Centurions, manning the barricades, that inspired us to keep faith with our traditions, our God, our law and our land. It is an honor beyond measure that Bar Ilan University and the Rennert Center would deem it proper to cast me among the ranks of our greatest defenders and champions. I know I do not deserve the distinction. I certainly do not believe that I have earned it. But I do know that since childhood I have strived to emulate the image of the watchman - or watch-woman - on the walls of Zion. And I pledge that I will continue throughout my life to strive to earn the distinction you bestow on me tonight. THE WATCHMAN at the gates is a powerful image. But of course the defense of Jerusalem cannot begin at the gates. And guarding Jerusalem is not simply a matter of physical strength. It requires spiritual commitment and wisdom as well. Indeed, defenders of Zion require a greater mix of physical and spiritual strength than any defenders of any spot on earth. Both our recent and ancient history as a people is one continuous testament to this truth. And it is this aspect of Jerusalem - the eternal and temporal front line of the Jewish people - that I wish to discuss with you. (Jpost)

An Ode To Joy This Is Not-Melanie Phillips
As we all know, in two days’ time Obama is to make a speech of cosmic significance in Cairo. The run-up to this speech has been characterised by some epic spinning from shadowy American and Israeli ‘sources’ which has been creating a powerful bow-wave of feverish speculation and alarm. The Israelis are apparently shocked and appalled by Obama’s demand – transmitted through Hillary Clinton, no less – that not only should Israel build no new settlements but must not allow the current ones to expand through natural growth. In other words, a thinly disguised requirement for ethnic cleansing through a policy of slow strangulation. If Israel’s government really is shocked and appalled by this, I would regard that as the most shocking and appalling thing of all, since Obama’s irrational beliefs that a) removing the settlers is the route to a Palestinian state and b) such a state will end the Arab war against Israel and help defeat Iran, not to mention c) his ignorance of international law dating back to the still legally binding Mandate giving the right of Jewish settlement throughout the whole of (then) Palestine which includes present day West Bank and Gaza, have been crystal clear since way before his election. (As for Hillary, since she was against Israel’s interests before she was for them -- which by an astounding coincidence took place while she was Senator for New York – and is now against them again, who can be surprised?) (Spectator.co.uk)

TERRORISM, security and policy

Al Qaeda beheads British tourist kidnapped at African music festival-Mail Foreign Service
A Briton kidnapped in Africa has been beheaded by Al Qaeda terrorists demanding the release of radical cleric Abu Qatada from a London jail. The terror group's North African section said on its website that it had killed Edwin Dyer, adding that disbelievers would be 'smitten in the neck'. Gordon Brown said the Government had 'strong reason to believe' the claim. The statement said terrorists 'killed Dyer on May 31, finding that Britain is unresponsive and does not seem to care for its citizens'. It added: 'The British captive was killed so that he, and with him the British state, may taste a portion of what innocent Muslims taste every day at the hands of the Crusader and Jewish coalition to the east and to the west.' The kidnappers blamed the British government for Mr Dyer's death, claiming that ministers had failed to negotiate a deal.
Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) had threatened to kill Mr Dyer if extremist cleric Abu Qatada was not released from a British high-security prison. (Dailymail.co.uk)

Atlanta Terrorism Case Shows Global Reach of Potential Plots-Jason Ryan
Alleged Casing Video of Washington, DC Key Evidence
An Atlanta terrorism case which begins this week details the intricate threads behind several international terrorism investigations that were unfolding in 2005 and 2006 that had FBI officials and counterterrorism officials around the world on high alert due to multiple convergences in the U.S. and abroad. The trial of Syed Haris Ahmed, a former Georgia Tech student, before a federal judge in a bench trial, weaves together several terrorism cases in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Canada and demonstrates how cyberspace has served as a key place for terrorist recruiting. Ahmed, now 24 years-old, was arrested in March 2006, and his alleged accomplice Ehsanul Islam Sadequee was arrested in April of 2006 on charges that they provided material support to Lashkar e-Tayyiba, a Pakistani terrorist group. While Ahmed's trial will be decided by a federal judge, not a jury, Sadequee's jury case will go to trial this August. The men's travels, the government alleges, took them to Canada in 2005, where they met with members of a Toronto terrorism cell that was under investigation by the FBI and Canadian security and intelligence services. In March 2005 the two traveled from the Atlanta area on a Greyhound bus and met with members of the Toronto group. (ABCnews)

The Axis of Evil, Again-Bret Stephens
Not 24 hours after North Korea's nuclear test last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a statement insisting "we don't have any cooperation [with North Korea] in this field." The lady doth protest too much. When it comes to nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, history offers two hard lessons. First, nearly every nuclear power has been a secret sharer of nuclear technology. Second, every action creates an equal and opposite reaction -- a Newtonian law of proliferation that is only broken with the intercession of an overwhelming outside force. On the first point, it's worth recalling that every nuclear-weapons state got that way with the help of foreign friends. The American bomb was conceived by European scientists and built in a consortium with Britain and Canada. The Soviets got their bomb thanks largely to atomic spies, particularly Germany's Klaus Fuchs. The Chinese nuclear program got its start with Soviet help. (WSJ)

Stopping the Taliban Mafia- Ryan Mauro
As the world waits to see if the Pakistani military has the will and the ability to save the country from the Taliban, an equally pressing question confronts the international community: How can the Taliban’s funding sources be located and severed in order to prevent them from becoming the first nuclear-armed terrorist group? In an interview last week, General David Petraeus said that the Taliban is being funded with “hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars” annually from drugs, foreign donations, and “locally generated” sources of income, particularly organized crime. As their responsibility for up to a third of the bank robberies in Karachi in recent years shows, the Taliban has become a hybrid terrorist mafia.
A Pakistani intelligence report says that militants under the command of Baitullah Mehsud, the head of the Pakistani Taliban engage in “criminal activities like kidnapping for ransom, bank robbery, street robbery and other heinous crimes” to help finance their activities. Some companies owned by members of the Mehsud tribe in Pakistan are paying 40 percent of their income to the Taliban, sometimes by force and sometimes of their own accord. The sale of cigarettes and salvaged vehicles are other business investments. (Frontpagemag)

U.S. Bails Out Palestinian Terrorism…Again-Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld
The Obama administration militarizes the Palestinians.
The May 28 meeting between President Barak Obama and Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, confirms that this Administration, like its predecessors, refuses to learn from the past. In yet another déjà-vu, the U.S. unconditional support to the Palestinians is persisting despite the fact that the Palestinians have never upheld any agreement to stop the violence against Israel. Not even the economic downturn and financial instability in the U.S. have curtailed the Obama Administration’s financing of Palestinian terrorism.
A day after the Obama – Netanyahu meeting, U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, reassured Al Jazeera viewers, that “the Obama Administration is not waiting.”In addition to the $900 million the Administration offered the Palestinians on March 2, it is working to speed the establishment of regular Palestinian military and security forces. The U.S. has already trained 1,500Palestinian soldiers costing the recession gripped American taxpayer $161 million. These newly trained forces says Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the PA, “are new men,” unlike the thousands trained by the U.S. since the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1994. (Frontpagemag)

Extraordinary Google Earth map which shows the human cost of the War on Terror-Cher Thornhill
At first glance this shimmering network of golden dots looks like another piece of satellite wizardry from Google Earth. However, these extraordinary maps actually show the true human cost of the so-called War on Terror. Each dot - which is in fact a tiny human silhouette - represents a soldier killed in Afganistan or Iraq. The project, known as Map The Fallen, shows where, when and how each serviceman from the UK, U.S and other coalition forces has died since the start of the war in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. Created by a Google Earth engineer in his free time, the map draws a line across the world linking each service member’s home town to the place where they died serving their country. Visitors can view photos of the soldiers, find out how they died and pay their respects in a guestbook using Google Earth 5, which is free to download.
Zooming in on a target home town reveals yellow figures, which represent the soldiers, positioned among recognisable points of interest. Scrolling over the figures triggers a pop-up box with the serviceman's name and age. (Dailymail.co.uk)

Iran: Elephant In The Room-Peter Brookes
President Obama is likely to use this week's visits to Saudi Arabia and Egypt as stops on his Apology World Tour, repudiating Bush-era Middle East and War on Terror policies. Instead of creating perceptions of weakness -- which would only invite more provocations and attacks -- he should rally Arab states to take a strong stand against the Iranian threat. It's one thing on which we can all agree. Obama's Iran policy has amounted to little more than rhetoric and wait-and-see diplomacy -- all while Tehran launches missiles and enriches uranium. If trends continue, a North Korean-style nuclear moment is in our future.The Arab world is concerned not only about the prospect of nuclear-armed Iranian ballistic missiles but about how this could lead to Iranian hegemony in the Mideast. Iran's recent deployment of warships to the Arabian Sea for supposed anti-piracy operations was a message heard loud and clear by Tehran's neighbors, especially rival Riyadh.This trip gives Obama a bully pulpit, and he should make the most of it, pulling the Arabs together to deal with this common threat. (Familysecuritymatters)

The Dutch (and EU) Establishment Protects Itself-Paul Belien
Our American readers will find this hard to believe, but the electoral system in the Netherlands has been devised to ensure that new or small parties will not be able to win more than 20% of the seats in the Dutch Parliament. Indeed, Dutch law forbids new parties and parties which currently hold less than 16 of the 150 seats in Parliament to put forward more than 30 candidates for parliament. This law is causing concern for the popular politician Geert Wilders, the founder and leader of the Freedom Party, PVV, which at present holds 9 seats. The latest poll predicts that the PVV will win 32 seats in the general elections next year. If Mr. Wilders does as well or even better than the poll predicts, the additional seats above 30 which his party wins will be evenly divided among the other parties. Wilders has asked parliament to change the law to allow him to put forward more than 30 candidates. (Brusselsjournal)

Leaders Urge Voters to Turn Out for 'Strong Europe'
The German and French leaders issued a joint plea to voters to turn out this week for the European parliamentary elections. Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy said they wanted a "strong Europe" in order to weather the difficult times.
With polls predicting a record low turnout for the elections to the European Parliament later this week, the leaders of France and Germany have issued a joint plea urging voters to cast their ballots. A "strong Europe does not necessarily mean more powers for the European Union, even more European legislation or increased financial demands," Sarkozy and Merkel wrote. "We don't want a bureaucratic Europe." Instead the two called for an EU "that gives brave answers to the questions of our time, in order to secure our prosperity." German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a "strong Europe" in a statement published simultaneously in the Sunday newspapers, the Journal du Dimanche in France and Die Welt am Sonntag in Germany and they urged all Europeans to vote in the elections to be held from June 4-7. A "strong Europe does not necessarily mean more powers for the European Union, even more European legislation or increased financial demands," Sarkozy and Merkel wrote. "We don't want a bureaucratic Europe." Instead the two called for an EU "that gives brave answers to the questions of our time, in order to secure our prosperity." (Spiegelonline)

The Climate Industrial Complex-Bjorn Lomborg
Some business leaders are cozying up with politicians and scientists to demand swift, drastic action on global warming. This is a new twist on a very old practice: companies using public policy to line their own pockets. The tight relationship between the groups echoes the relationship among weapons makers, researchers and the U.S. military during the Cold War. President Dwight Eisenhower famously warned about the might of the "military-industrial complex," cautioning that "the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." He worried that "there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties." This is certainly true of climate change. We are told that very expensive carbon regulations are the only way to respond to global warming, despite ample evidence that this approach does not pass a basic cost-benefit test.. (Scienceandpublicpolicy)

Women less happy after 40 years of feminism-Richard Woods
Despite wealth, health and opportunity, men still more content says study by US National Bureau of Economic Research
On the long and winding road to having it all, Helen Parker is making good progress. At 27 she’s forging a career as an executive with a transport company in London, she has a steady boyfriend, and together they are buying a flat. One day the prospect of starting a family will beckon. By many standards, she’s thriving. So is she happy? “Um, I’m reasonably happy,” she said. “And I’m optimistic about the future. But there will always be sacrifices. “There’s plenty more opportunities for women than there used to be — but then again, that means you are always questioning whether the moves you have made are correct, or whether you should have done something else.” Like many women, her sense of well being and life satisfaction do not match up with advances in social circumstances and material comforts. After 40 years of fighting for equality, it seems that women are no happier. In fact, women in many countries have been growing steadily unhappier compared with men, according to a study published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research in the United States. In The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers of the University of Pennsylvania, begin by noting the gains. (Timesonline.co.uk)

Women Bridging Gap in Science Opportunities-CORNELIA DEAN
The prospects for women who are scientists and engineers at major research universities have improved, although women continue to face inequalities in salary and access to some other resources, a panel of the National Research Council concludes in a new report. In recent years “men and women faculty in science, engineering and mathematics have enjoyed comparable opportunities,” the panel said in its report, released on Tuesday. It found that women who apply for university jobs and, once they have them, for promotion and tenure, are at least as likely to succeed as men. But compared with their numbers among new Ph.D.’s, women are still underrepresented in applicant pools, a puzzle that offers an opportunity for further research, the panel said. The panel said one factor out shined all others in encouraging women to apply for jobs: having women on the committees appointed to fill them. In another report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of Wisconsin reviewed a variety of studies and concluded that the achievement gap between boys and girls in mathematics performance had narrowed to the vanishing point. “U.S. girls have now reached parity with boys, even in high school and even for measures requiring complex problem solving,” the Wisconsin researchers said. (NYT)

E3 2009: The Beatles unveil new Rock Band game-Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor, in Los Angeles
Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison have collaborated on a computer game that allows music fans to play along to their favourite Beatles tracks. Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have unveiled a new video game that allows music fans to play along to their favourite Beatles songs. The Beatles: Rock Band will be released in September on the Microsoft Xbox 360 console, and enables video game fans to take on the role of John, Paul, George or Ringo by strumming a guitar, playing drums and singing along to popular songs, including Hard Day’s Night and All You Need is Love. The announcement was made as Microsoft unveiled new technology and a formidable video game line-up for the Xbox 360. Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr told the audience at the E3 video games expo in Los Angeles that the game was “great fun”. They were joined on stage by Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, the wives of John Lennon and George Harrison, with whom they collaborated on the game. "It's a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music," said Sir Paul McCartney. "I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out." The game is being developed by Harmonix, makers of the popular Rock Band franchise, a computer game that allows players to use plastic guitars, drums and a microphone to play along with popular songs. Games such as Rock Band, and a similar game, Guitar Hero, appeal to a broad range of people and span the age divide. (Telegraph.co.uk)

Liberal Fascism 2.0 Back for seconds. An NRO Q&A
Following its release in January of 2008, Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism rose to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Today the book hits shelves in its paperback version (with a new afterword on Barack Obama), which provides an excellent excuse to talk to the esteemed NRO editor-at-large, and to shine a spotlight on an important book, one more time: KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ: So how does it feel to have written a number-one New York Times bestseller? JONAH GOLDBERG: Better than having written a number-two New York Times bestseller, all things being equal. LOPEZ: I asked for that. But, seriously: The book was hugely successful. Maybe the most successful political, or at least conservative, book of 2008. That’s got to be cool. GOLDBERG: Okay, well, yeah: It feels good. (Though it’d feel better if I sold half as many books as Mark Levin. Holy Frijoles.) I spent a long time working on Liberal Fascism, and a lot of things happened in the process — my daughter was born, my Dad died, just to name two — and this beast was a source of a lot of stress and worry on my part. Add to that all of the grief I got from the Left about it, years before it even came out, and, yeah, its success is a nice vindication. What feels better than — or at least as good as — the commercial success of the book is the impact it’s clearly had. It’s very difficult to talk about fascism these days without at least acknowledging my argument. That’s progress. Also, I can’t begin to tell you how edifying it is to hear stories, almost on a daily basis, about how the book is being included in college courses. I’ve spoken to university seminars on it. College kids are constantly writing me for papers they’re doing, and civics teachers are incorporating stuff from the book. That feels so much more concrete to me than bestseller lists and blog spats. (Nationalreview)