Al Qaeda Behind Latest London Terror Plot

The Daily Mail reports that al Qaeda is behind the latest plot in Britain to kidnap a Muslim soldier and behead him on video.

A foiled plot to kidnap, torture and behead a British Muslim soldier was orchestrated by Al Qaeda, police sources have said.

Officers suspect the mastermind behind the appalling attempt to bring the horrors of Baghdad to the streets of Britain is a senior Al Qaeda terrorist with close links to Osama Bin Laden. 

The alleged plan was to abduct a Muslim soldier, mirroring the murders of British hostages Ken Bigley and Margaret Hassan.

The victim would have been made to plead for his life to Tony Blair, denounce the war and ultimately be executed - all on film.

In a move which would have caused unprecedented terror and revulsion, images of his death would have been posted on the Internet, security sources said.

This is what the 7th century, falsely religious barbarians plan for the West. This is what will follow us home from Iraq if the posturing politicians force a premature withdrawal. I have an idea: how about we send our left to negotiate with these people for us? They say we must withdraw from Iraq, so let them step up and fix everything for us all. They know better, they insist, how to solve this. So let them. Right now, individually, go fix this. Go negotiate with al Qaeda, go make peace. How about we send the posturing politicians who won't support the troops? How about we send the Western media. They all have better ideas. Let them prove it.

Go ahead. Or go, a head, as the case may be. Let's see your better way, your solution. Go on. The left is overly fond of the "Chickenhawk" meme. Here's their chance to prove their "Chickendove" credentials. Go negotiate with al Qaeda.

We'll promise a decent burial. Or two, depending on if we recover the parts at the same time.

Weather Service Gets New Supercomputer!

Exciting news! The US Weather Service has turned on the nation's 36th fastest supercomputer to forecast your weather! We bet you're as excited as we are to hear that. We happened to get an advance photo of the new system, which operates at 200 megaflings per second.

The Difference

Blackfive (Uncle Jimbo writing) brought this one to my attention. It seems William Arkin of the Washington Post's Early Warning blog took a shot at the troops who spoke out in the NBC video report I posted yesterday. Uncle Jimbo does a very, very thorough job of dismantling Arkin. I have agreed with some things Arkin wrote in the past, but here he is grossly out of line. And he is taking a lot - a real lot - of heat in his comment section for it. I will not go off on Arkin, others have already done so. But I will point you instead to the post my son sent me a few days ago and let you read the difference between Arkin's desire to stifle the troops valid opinions and my son's protest against a hateful website, done in a calm and logical manner. And then his dismissal of those who do not support the troops, with a promise that he and his fellow soldiers would, nonetheless, continue to defend the rights of those people to express their opinions.

Who's the better person? You figure it out.

UPDATE, Inserted just for people misdirected here from Lawyers, Guns and Money. Greetings. I suppose that the quick link to this post was misdirected, since I really don't pile on to Arkin, even though I think he's wrong. But the post that directed you here says this:

Obviously, photos are incomplete representations; they are incapable of providing "context" (or the rationalizations that Jonah Golberg would prefer); they require other forms of discourse to make them meaningful. But Americans' "right to know" was, contra Goldberg, quite well-informed by Adams' photographs and the film footage captured by Vo Su, the NBC cameraman who was working with Adams that day. Americans had a right to see what was being done in their name.

Which is all well and good, but it also completely ignores the "context" of the times the picture was taken in. And maybe, just maybe, a few of you visiting will click the link to this site and ask what else your imparted wisdom has missed informing you about. Because context is everything and the US policies in the height of the Cold War did not exist in a vacuum. Other people with other agendas were also making decisions. That is what tortured Eddie Adams, the context was missing. And LG&M did not provide you with a link to WHY it tortured him:

On Nguyen Ngoc Loan and his famous photograph, Adams wrote in Time :

The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them; but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. What the photograph didn't say was, 'What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American people?'

Adams later apologized in person to General Nguyen and his family for the irreparable damage it did to Loan's honor while he was alive. When General Nguyen died, Adams praised him as a hero of a just cause.

In other words, you are being manipulated. Try clicking the links LG&M did not provide you. Ypu'll be surprised at how interesting it is to think for yourself instead of relying on imparted wisdom.

End Update.

UPDATE: We appear to have a brewing blogsplosion going off on this one. Michelle Malkin, Ed Morrisey, Powerline, Allahpundit, Hugh Hewitt, LGF, Andrew Olmsted, Sister Toldjah, Spyral Notebook, Tiny, Op For, QandO, Redstate, Brutally Honest, Cadillac Tight, Instapundit, Jammie Wearing Fool, Ace, Wizbang, Jawa Report, Ed Driscoll, Simply Kimberly, Bits Blog, Keith Milby, What the Heck, Dan Riehl, Stubborn Facts, Dinocrat, Les Infants Terrible, Irons in the Fire, Flopping Aces, Leaning Straight Up, Jules Crittenden, Sundries Shack, Fuzzilicious Thinking, Discerning Texan, Noble Duty, Soldiergrrl, Buck Creek Station,

“A Monastic Way Of Life In Solitude And Silence….”

And also bake some great bread. A Trappist monastery in Upstate New York, the Abbey of the Genesee, will begin selling the bread and other baked goods they produce over the internet. Monk's Bread is already sold in many supermarkets in the Upstate region and I can vouch for it being very, very good. Especially the raisin bread, trust me.

Thousands of loaves of bread are baked at the Abbey of the Genesee in the hamlet of Piffard, south of Rochester, each week. The monastery, which has been producing bread for a half-century, sells the bread in supermarkets in Buffalo, Syracuse, Binghamton and Erie, Pennsylvania.

Monks' Bread fans from outside the region already can place orders using a toll-free phone line. Brother Paul Richards said that within the next two or three weeks, an online ordering system should be fully functional on the Monks' Bread Web site.

Like I said, its darned good bread. And they also sell a chocolate chip whiskey cake. Which I have never had, but I expect to rectify that soon. Here is the website for the Abbey of the Genesee. They are not fully functional yet, but they do have limited ordering capability, so you don't have to wait.

Stunning Lack Of Judgement

Earlier today, a number of suspicious devices were spotted in various locations around Boston. Bomb squads were dispatched, transportation was disrupted and generally speaking, all hell busted loose. The devices, which turned out to be some sort of lights had circuit boards; some had wires dangling.

All were part of a Cartoon Network promotional stunt, according to Turner Network Television, the parent company of the Cartoon Network.

BOSTON - Nine blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a marketing campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. At least one of the devices depicts a character giving the finger.

Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless.

"It's a hoax — and it's not funny," said Gov. Deval Patrick.

Turner Broadcasting, parent company of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

"The packages in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger," Turner said in a statement. It said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

"We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger," the company said.

Police said only that they were investigating where the device came from. The Department of Homeland Security said there are no credible reports of other devices being found elsewhere in the country.

Gee, let's all shout "fire" in a crowded theater next, just for giggles. This is possibly one of the stupidest decisions a not terribly bright media has come up with in recent memory. Somebody had better lose a job over this. Probably several people. It will be interesting to see if these devices are actually found in other cities. Maybe then Turner can dispose of them properly. Bon apetite. (Hopefully Boston also sends an appropriately large bill for the costs incurred.)

UPDATE: Pictures of the device and of some of the chaos.

UPDATE: From comments and from this report it would indicate that somenone is in very serious trouble. Someone called in bogus threats about the devices. Someone will be going directly to jail without passing go. This is incredibly stupid. Turner just took a serious hit here and they had better step up and address this fast.

UPDATE: Whoa. Boston police have made an arrest according to this article that just popped on Yahoo.

Al Gore Makes His Play

The S.S. Biden Sets Sail

Senator Joseph Biden launched his candidacy for president and promptly ran into an iceberg of his very own making.

Mr. Biden is equally skeptical—albeit in a slightly more backhanded way—about Mr. Obama. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

But—and the “but” was clearly inevitable—he doubts whether American voters are going to elect “a one-term, a guy who has served for four years in the Senate,” and added: “I don’t recall hearing a word from Barack about a plan or a tactic.”

The Animals Come For Nancy Pelosi

The Animal Uprising™ has begun the next stage of its offensive. It is now targeting the political leadership of the United States. A feathered fiend broke into the apartment of Nancy Pelosi and tried its best to kidnap the Speaker. Unfortunately for the animals, the bird they sent was too small to carry Pelosi and the plot failed.

No, this was a scene written for Tippi Hedren, though truth be told, it was only one bird … and oh, OK, it wasn't pecking the Speaker to bits and pieces. But it was scary!

The bird, Pelosi told her colleagues and aides the next day, was flying around, knocking things over as she and an employee of her condo building chased the feathered fiend for an hour.

Finally, according to someone who heard Pelosi's story, they "trapped the bird with a brown bag." Menacing as it was, Pelosi, ever the San Francisco tree-hugger, made an executive decision that the bird should be liberated. So the building staffer, our source reports, "took it outside and released it."

Next time they plan on sending a condor. Don't forget to board up the fireplace!

A Horrifying Glimpse Into The Future

What the world will look like if the Animal Uprising™ is victorious. A slideshow look into Hell itself. Be afraid. 

Another Must Have Product

Close on the heels of the exciting exploding laptop computer and the must have geek-cessory, the flaming zip drive, comes a new technological wonder! A real consumer must-have: the combustible massage chair!

TOKYO, Jan 31 (Reuters Life!) - Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. said on Wednesday it would recall thousands of massage chairs for free tests and repairs, saying the chairs could catch fire.

The maker of Panasonic-brand goods said fires destroyed two massage chairs in December and January when power cords inside the chairs' motors emitted sparks.

Such fires would only occur in rare cases, said the maker of the chairs, Matsushita Electric Works, which is 51 percent-owned by Matsushita Electric.

The two incidents occurred in demo chairs after repeated use by customers, Matsushita Electric Works spokesman Yukio Kinashi said.

I wonder if there's video. If you have one of these babies, you might want to unplug it until it gets fixed.

New Findings At Stonehenge

Researchers have discovered new evidence of a very large neolithic village (by neolithic standards, presumably) near Stonehenge. The findings support that the two sites were connected to funeral rites.

The finding strongly suggests that the monument and the settlement nearby were a center for ceremonial activities, with Stonehenge probably a burial site, while other nearby circular earthen and timber "henges" were devoted to feasts and festivals.

The small homes and personal items found beneath the grounds of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site are the first of their kind from that late Stone Age period in Britain, and they suggest a surprising level of social organization and ceremonial behavior to complement the massive stonework nearby. The excavators said their discoveries, about two miles from Stonehenge itself, together constitute an archaeological treasure.

"This is evidence that clarifies the site's true purpose," said Michael Parker Pearson of Sheffield University, one of the main researchers. "We have found that Stonehenge itself was just half of a larger complex," one used by indigenous Britons whose beliefs centered on ancestor and sun worship.

The roughly 90 original slabs of Stonehenge, researchers have long known, were carefully placed to align with the rising and setting of the sun during the summer and winter solstices. The new research, funded in part by the National Geographic Society, concludes that the larger wood and earthen circle about two miles away featured concentric rings of timber posts aligned to mark the solstice in reverse. That monument, called Durrington Walls, was in line with sunset at the summer solstice, while Stonehenge was aligned with the sun's rise on that day.

In addition, last summer's excavation — undertaken by a team of 100 archaeologists from universities around Britain — uncovered an avenue 100 feet wide that led from the second circle to the River Avon. That mirrors a similar, but considerably longer, wide path downstream at Stonehenge, leading the team to conclude that the sites were connected, most likely as part of funerary rituals.

Now, this leads to an interesting question. Will the aging hippies and willful idiots pretending they are Druids now stop going to Stonehenge to conduct their made up rituals? Or will they kill one of their own so they can do the funeral bit right? Inquiring minds really want to know. We here at the Crabitat already have claimed Outhenge for ourselves so they can't move their festivities there.

Jules Crittenden says party central has been found.

British Terror Arrests

Eight suspects have been arrested by British authorities in a series of pre-dawn raids. The men were allegedly part of a terror kidnapping plot. Sky news is reporting (authorities are NOT confirming this at the moment) that the men intended to kidnap a British Muslim soldier and behead him, capturing the festivities on video for internet jihadi snuff porn.

BIRMINGHAM, England - Counterterrorism police arrested eight men in an alleged kidnapping plot during pre-dawn raids Wednesday, police said, while a broadcaster reported the suspects wanted to abduct a British Muslim soldier and behead him. Police would not comment on Sky News reports about that, or about a plan to post the beheading on the Internet. Counterterrorism officials — speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation — said the plot was the first of its kind to be uncovered in Britain.

The potential victim was in protective police custody, Sky reported, saying the kidnapping was going to be an " Iraq-style" execution.

Birmingham has been the site of several recent terrorism sweeps, including summer raids that unveiled an alleged plot by several British suspects to use liquid explosives to blow up as many as 10 trans-Atlantic flights.

It is also the hometown of Britain's first Muslim soldier to be killed in Afghanistan last year — a death that prompted militant Islamist Web sites to denounce Cpl. Jabron Hashmi, 24, as a traitor. One site — that of extremist British sect al-Ghurabaa — posted an image of the soldier surrounded by flames.

There are 330 Muslim personnel serving in the British armed forces, according to the Defense Ministry, which would not comment on reports that the intended victim was a Muslim soldier.

Dozens of non-Iraqis have been kidnapped in Iraq, where captors have often broadcast video on the Internet.

One of the highest-profile kidnappings and murders was that of 62-year-old Kenneth Bigley from Liverpool. He was kidnapped from a Baghdad suburb in September 2004 and beheaded three weeks later, with his death captured on video.

Britain is reaching a crisis over the large number of islamists preaching hate inside their country. Hell, Western civilization is reaching a crisis point. That seventh century barbarism is even thought about in the West shows how far things have deteriorated. Herouxville may well be ahead of the curve in dealing with this problem.

UPDATE: The Sun reports a ninth arrest.

Global Warming And Knee Deep Moose

Moose don't particularly enjoy trudging through knee deep snow, any more than humans do. So it really isn't much of a surprise that they tend to leave areas where the snow is really deep and go to where it's easier to move around. Downtown Anchorage, Alaska, for example.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Deep mountain snow usually drives moose to seek lower ground in Anchorage, but the snow piling up in town this winter is a bit much even for the stilt-legged animals. So they're going where they'd rather not, choosing major roads, plowed sidewalks and groomed trails to sidestep the vast cushion of snow in neighborhoods and greenbelts left during a remarkably temperamental month in Alaska's largest city.

The half-ton ungulates are even showing up downtown, placidly gnawing on bare trees at busy intersections.

"They don't want to walk through deep snow either," said state wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott. "Most moose don't really want to interact with people and cars and dogs."

Snow removal crews are overwhelmed with the aftermath of storms that dumped almost 76 inches of snow midway through a season that normally totals 68 inches. It'll be weeks before they get a handle on the massive chokehold, but if the weather pattern continues the city's moose could suffer — and so could people, said Don Spalinger, an ecologist at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

"The problem is the moose are sticking to the trails. They're out on the roads. We could see a lot more of them hit by cars," he said, not to mention more dangerous encounters between moose and people.

There are a lot of moose getting into altercations with automobiles, too. Now normally, I'd be turning a story like this into an Animal Uprising™ post, but there is some information here that warrants serious treatment of the subject. Read this again:

Snow removal crews are overwhelmed with the aftermath of storms that dumped almost 76 inches of snow midway through a season that normally totals 68 inches.

What does that have to do with global warming? Not a darn thing, any more than a hot spell has anything to do with the subject. Yet the media treats a few hot days as proof positive of global warming. Why then is this not proof positive that the ice age is returning? It is only half way through the snow season and they are already well above average snowfall. (Incidentally, the story doesn't mention global warming at all, or we'd really be having fun with it right now.)

Oh, and by the way, if a homeowner in Anchorage discovers a frozen moose on their property when the snow finally melts, they own it. It's their problem to dispose of the half ton or so of moose-sicle.

Did Iran Train And Support Attackers?

The New York Times is reporting that US and Iraqi government sources strongly suspect Iran was involved in the attack in Karbala that killed five American soldiers. While there is no formal evidence being released as of yet, the very nature of the attack and the extremely sophisticated way in which it was conducted argues against it being a homegrown Iraqi effort.

BAGHDAD, Jan. 30 — Investigators say they believe that attackers who used American-style uniforms and weapons to infiltrate a secure compound and kill five American soldiers in Karbala on Jan. 20 may have been trained and financed by Iranian agents, according to American and Iraqi officials knowledgeable about the inquiry.

The officials said the sophistication of the attack astonished investigators, who doubt that Iraqis could have carried it out on their own — one reason a connection to Iran is being closely examined. Officials cautioned that no firm conclusions had been drawn and did not reveal any direct evidence of a connection.

A senior Iraqi official said the attackers had carried forged American identity cards and American-style M-4 rifles and had thrown stun grenades of a kind used only by American forces here.

Tying Iran to the deadly attack could be helpful to the Bush administration, which has been engaged in an escalating war of words with Iran.

One American soldier was killed during the initial attack and four more were abducted and killed shortly afterward as the police pursued the sport utility vehicles used in the attack.

The attack was focused on a meeting at a joint security station, where American and Iraqi forces mesh their efforts in the new security plan.

My son told me that the troops have already been briefed about this situation and that they were told, as media reports have mentioned, that one of the attackers reportedly had blond hair. There have been four suspects arrested in the case and they are apparently indicating that the Mahdi Army may have been involved - trained and armed by Iran. If the evidence is conclusive enough, it needs to be made public.

Abandoning Venezuela

The Washington Post reports that large numbers of Venezuelans are fleeing the country ahead of the new authoritarian controls (T)Hugo Chavez is putting in place. As is always the case in situations like this, the ones fleeing will be the best and the brightest, the most highly educated, the most affluent. The brain drain has begun, capital flight has already been underway and will accelerate.

Venezuela is entering a long, dark night.

The line forms every day after dawn at the Spanish Consulate, hundreds of people seeking papers permitting them to abandon Venezuela for new lives in Spain. They say they are filled with despair at President Hugo Chávez's growing power, and they appear not to be alone. At other consulates in this capital, long lines form daily.

Two months after Chávez was reelected to another six-year term by an overwhelming margin, Venezuela is experiencing a fundamental shift in its political and economic climate that could remake the country in a way perhaps not seen in Latin America since Fidel Castro took power in Cuba in 1959. On Wednesday, the National Assembly is expected to entrust him with tremendous powers that will allow him to dictate new laws for 18 months to transform the economy, redraw the structure of government and establish a new funding apparatus for Venezuela's huge oil wealth.

Chávez's government announced earlier that it intends to nationalize strategic industries, such as telecommunications and electric utilities, and amend the constitution to end presidential term limits.

The new, more radicalized era is enthralling to the president's supporters. To them, Chávez is keeping the promise he has consistently made over eight years in office — to reorganize Venezuelan society, redistribute its wealth and position the country as an alternative to U.S. capitalist policies.

"This is a moment that could be key in the history of Latin America," said Joanna Cadenas, 36, a teacher in the state-run Bolivarian University. "I never thought you could love a president."

But the moves — which opponents say are marked by intolerance and strident ideology — are prompting some Venezuelans to leave the country and others to prepare for a fight in the last battlegrounds where the opposition has influence. A few are trying, against the tide, to remain apolitical in a country marked by extreme, even outlandish rhetoric.

"What we're seeing happen here is not good," said José Manuel Rodríguez, 42, an accountant seeking travel documents at the Spanish Consulate. "What we see here is the coming of totalitarianism, fewer guarantees, fewer civil rights. I want to have everything ready to leave."

The people who fled here to the US after Castro seized power were some of the best Cuba had to offer, professionals and hard workers. Cuba has never recovered from that blow. Neither will Venezuela. Pity those who cannot (or are too misguided to) flee. Their nightmare is just beginning. As (T)Hugo destroys the country's economy and mismanages the oil infrastructure, poverty will become even more pervasive.