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Francis Report 11-09 Dave Francis Dr. 'Atallah Abu Al-Subh, a columnist for the Hamas(1) weekly Al-Risala (Gaza), writes opinion pieces in the form of open letters to prominent figures, ideologies, and events. On November the 7th, he wrote a letter to anthrax. In it, he pondered whether he should loathe anthrax, or embrace it, since it has attacked America, the mortal enemy of Hamas, in the ‘good’ doctors opinion. In the end, he decides that anthrax should be put in America’s drinking water. (You can read his entire letter at www.francisreport.com) He writes, ‘Oh Anthrax, despite your wretchedness, you have sown horror in the heart of the lady of arrogance, of tyranny, of boastfulness! Your gentle touch has made the U.S.'s life rough and pointless.’ Understand, this is not some uneducated teenager with Daddy’s Kalishnikov out for a night on the West Bank. This is not some poor, wretched soul for whom life has had no promise. This is an educated, successful man. He is an influential columnist in a widely read journal in a part of the world that is the focus of everyone’s attention. This is an example of who and what Hamas, Hizbollah, and other terrorist organizations represent. I don’t even want to go into the right and wrong of it. At this point in history, we don’t have the luxury for worrying about right and wrong. It is time now for, “Right or Wrong, My Country!” to apply. This is not Vietnam. In Vietnam, we were trying to accomplish a goal that we felt was worthy. This is about survival as a nation. The letter continues, "You make the U.S. appease us, and hint to us at a rosy future and a life of ease... through a [new] Marshall Plan.” It is widely accepted that WWII was as horrific as it was due to appeasement of Hitler. Had Neville Chamberlain stood up to the Nazis in 1936, the war, had it happened, would have been a lot simpler affair. The string of diplomatic successes Hitler was given by ‘peace at any cost’ statesmen such as Chamberlain helped the Nazis gain prestige at home, and solidify the regime. The Nazis were a minority party when Hitler took office, but after 6 years of uninterrupted success, a lot of Germans were swayed by normal patriotic fervor, and they became believers. As bad as WWII was, imagine how much worse it might have been. Had Hitler not invaded Poland in 1939, had the war not started then, what might have happened? Can you imagine if Hitler has waited, say 5 years, to attack Poland, thus beginning WWII? One significant difference would have been Germany’s war readiness. In retrospect, it can be surmised that Germany might have had the atomic bomb first, had there not been a war. Imagine how different the world would look today if Hitler would have had such a weapon of mass destruction. Imagine how the world would be had Germany been the only country to possess it. That is the danger we face today from many quarters. The longer we wait to face the reality of evil represented by Hama, Hizbollah, Saddam, and several other groups in the world, the more likely it is they will have the ability to wreak havoc on the USA that will cause Sept. 11th to pale in comparison. The USA needs to set it’s jaw, put troops on the ground, wherever they may be needed, and make the world safe for civilized society. The idea of putting anthrax in drinking water is not something beyond our enemies wishes, so we need to make it beyond their capabilities. Condoleezza Rice, the President’s national security adviser said, speaking of Yassar Arafat, “You cannot help us with al-Qaida and hug Hizbullah. That's not acceptable. Or Hamas.” Now, if someone would get Colin Powell to say the same kind of thing to Syria, Iran, etc. Russian Spetznatz forces are helping the US with targeting inside Afghanistan. Russian special forces have been in country for some time now, and are helping the US with target selection and location. The Russian government refuses to confirm this, as troops going to Afghanistan for Russians is a sore point, but a source I have close to the action says the Russians have been very active. Between 30-40 Russian T-55 tanks are reported as being in Tajikistan, having been brought there by the Russians for the Northern Alliance fighters. The NA will be trained in using the tanks, but it is doubtful with the terrain such as it is they will be much use. 50 or more BTR 60 armored personnel carriers are also being brought in by the Russians. The Russian arms deliveries occurred after a meeting in Tajikistan, between Russian Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, and Northern Alliance commanders. One of the Northern Alliance commanders, Borhanoddin Rabbani, said "The troops (and weapons) entrusted to me will soon begin a strong offensive." Russian forces in Chechnya are beginning to have better luck with the war there. Shamil Iriskhanov, a terrorist leader with connections to Osama bin Ladin was killed by Russian Federal Security forces in his mountain fortress in southern Chechnya, according to sources in the region. Iriskhanov was one of the more powerful of the Chechen warlords, and has been linked to bin Ladin since the conflict in Afghanistan in the 1980’s. Iriskhanov, along with his brother Hizir, killed earlier this year by Russian troops, were two of the most important cogs in the war machine led by Shamil Basayev. Italian police are frantically searching for missing uranium. They are scouring Rome with Geiger counters, and have been unable so far to find it. Seven bars of enriched uranium 235 and 238 are missing, and Italian police are convinced it has fallen into the hands of the mafia. It is further feared that the uranium may have been sold to Islamic radical groups, which are very active in Italy. DJF |