There’s a fascinating conversation going on over at Outside the Beltway written by Leopold Stotch. The debate seems to stem from my post concerning a Northwestern professor comparing Al Qaeda’s fight with the U.S. Revolutionary War.

I’m not going to re-hash my views on this subject as I’ve already done so and explained the professor’s comparison, however some interesting debate seems to be taking place. Shoot on over and take a gander.

Steven Taylor also joins into the fray of this debate with some excellent points.

While everyone else is doing some kind of year in review, I’m not going to mess with writing what stories I feel have been most important during 2004. After all, President Bush was re-elected so that trumps everything else.

What I will do though is to go down my blogroll and explain why I have blogrolled each one of the blogs.

Ace of Spades - Always interesting, rarely informative, but funny in a strange sort of way.

Allah - I actually thought it was the prophet when I blogrolled it and now I can’t figure out why I still have it on there.

Argggh! - Informative site relating to military issues.

Armies of Liberation - Jane is a great writer and her posts are enlightening.

Backcountry Conservative - Being a sports fan too doesn’t hurt Jeff’s chances on my list of daily reads.

Belmont Club - Thought provoking posts and always seems to have been updated within the past hour. I smell a hack.

Blackfive- Always brings up military issues in relation to helping out our troops.

Blogs for Bush - Good set of writers and I voted for Bush. Why not support a blog who advocated the same?

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops rounded up 49 suspected guerrillas near Saddam Hussein’s hometown on Friday, a day after Iraq’s most violent rebel groups warned voters against taking part in crucial elections for a constitutional assembly on Jan. 30.

Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division detained the suspects during a midnight raid in Duluiyah, 45 miles north of Baghdad, codenamed Operation Powder River, the U.S. military said.

The statement did not provide any further details on the operation, which appears to be the latest in a series of anti-insurgency campaigns in the so-called Sunni Triangle in central Iraq. Duluiyah is near Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit.

Operation Powder River? Where does the military come up with these names?

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Texas Tech University beat the University of California 45-31 in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. In a game that I thought Tech stood no chance, they completely controlled the game in almost every aspect. The result begs the question, is the PAC-10 that overated or is the Big XII that underated? We shall find out for the National Championship between OU and USC.

There are very few articles written or words said that truly upset me. I may not like some of the references made by some prominent politicians and/or journalists, however I usually take them with a grain of salt. The below is not one of those.

History is made by people who seize the moments that circumstances offer and bend them to their purposes. When the conditions are adverse, they nurse their purposes, their dreams of freedom, dignity and power, so that when their moment arrives, they are ready to seize it, even at the cost of their lives.

On April 19, 1775, 700 British troops reached Concord, Massachusetts, to disarm the American colonists who were preparing to start an insurrection. When the British ordered them to disperse, the colonists fired back at the British soldiers. This “shot heard ‘round the world” heralded the start of an insurrection against Britain, the greatest Western power of its time. And when it ended, victorious, in 1783, the colonists had gained their objective. They had established a sovereign but slave-holding republic, the United States of America.

The colonists broke away because this was economically advantageous to their commercial and landed classes. As colonists, they were ruled by a parliament in which they were not represented, and which did not represent their interests. The colonies were not free to protect and develop their own commerce and industries. Their bid for independence was made all the more attractive because it was pressed under the banner of liberty. The colonial elites had imbibed well the lessons of the Enlightenment, and here in the new world, they had an opportunity to harness liberty in the service of their economic interests. Backed by the self interest of their landed and commercial elites, and inspired by revolutionary ideas, the colonists had a dream worth pursuing. They were prepared to die for this dream – and to kill. They did: and they won.

On September 11, 2001, nineteen Arab hijackers too demonstrated their willingness to die – and to kill – for their dream. They died so that their people might live, free and in dignity. The manner of their death – and the destruction it wreaked – is not merely a testament to the vulnerabilities that modern technology has created to clandestine attacks. After all, skyscrapers and airplanes have co-existed peacefully for many decades. The attacks of 9-11 were in many ways a work of daring and imagination too; if one can think objectively of such horrors. They were a cataclysmic summation of the history of Western depredations in the Middle East: the history of a unity dismembered, of societies manipulated by surrogates, of development derailed and disrupted, of a people dispossessed. The explosion of 9-11 was indeed a “shot heard ‘round the world.”

- Dissident Voice (via Jihad Watch)

How dare writer M. Shahid Alam compare those who killed over 3,000 innocent civilians on another country’s soil to those who fought back at soldiers. Even an imbecile could tell whether or not a target is legitimate or not. Civilians are not legitimate targets in a war while soldiers and officers are.

Not only is Alam’s article historically inaccurate, I know big shock, it also tries to explain away the radical islamic ideology in ways that it should not be explained. Simply put, it’s not true. The dream of the terrorists in Al Qaeda is to re-create Persia under an Islamic rule. They hate the fact the United States, a country which operates under a Democracy, is even in the same area. They see Democracy as evil because it puts the people at the same level as God in their view. Of course they don’t recognize how an Islamic cleric running the country would be the same, but then again the terrorist mindset is far from reality based.

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- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents tried to ram a truck with half a ton of explosives into a U.S. military post in the northern city of Mosul on Thursday then ambushed reinforcements in a huge gunbattle in which 25 rebels and one American soldier were killed. Warplanes fired missiles and strafed gunmen during the fight.

The assault on the outpost, which U.S. soldiers finally repulsed, appeared to be better coordinated than past attacks, with guerrillas apparently pulling out their strongest assaults in an effort to derail Jan. 30 elections, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Hastings said.

“The terrorists are growing more desperate in their attempts to derail the elections and they’re trying to put it all on the line and give it all they can,” Hastings said.

This base was the scene of the suicide bombings inside a mess hall tent. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of yet, all the signs point to the work of Ansar al-Sunnah based upon where the attack occured and how it was carried out.

The below is an entire re-post from Hyscience. It concerns helping the tsunami victims. You may also go to tsunamihelp.blogspot.com for more information on how to help. Please spread the word.

1. The S.M.Joshi memorial foundation’s Arogya Sena is planning to send a team of medical experts and volunteers to Tamil Nadu and other affected places to assist in the relief operations. Those wishing to join the effort may contact Dr Abhijit Vaidya on Pune mobile no.98505 88008 (prefix 0 while dialling from outside Pune).

2. Rotary club of Pune Riverside is sending a team of Rorarians with relief material for Tamil Nadu, Andamans, Andhra and Kerala. The team is leaving Pune on 1st Jan.2005. Relief material like packaged food, vessels, biscuits and blankets can be handed over to them. For details contact, Rohit Jerajani on Pune Ph.26134686.

3. On behalf of Women’s Collective based in Chennai, NGO Maitri is accepting the following: Rice (in sealed bags of 1 kg.), bed sheets and funds. A collection centre is being opened at Padale Palace, off Karve Road, Pune (Ph.25446511).

For any details regarding material to be sent to local Red Cross office at M.G.Road,Pune OR contributions to be made, please call me at Pune cell no.98220 04752 or write in at vmoorthy@rediffmail.com. Vijaya

I have stayed quiet on the tsunami front for a variety of reasons, primarily because I’m too shocked it happened to be able to effectively write on this topic. I still won’t cover it as far as the tragedy, but I will cover it from the area of terrorism and what it could mean for the GWOT.

Today, President Bush announced the U.S. is committed for long-term aid to the region. He also announced a coallition of nations dedicated to providing aid.

Bush said he phoned the leaders of stricken countries to solicit specific needs and assure them the initial aid package “is only the beginning of our help.” He also laid the foundation for a long-term international recovery plan by forming the coalition with Japan, Australia and India and inviting other nations to join.

Boston.com

To me this is where things can get interesting and should effect the GWOT. I’ll try my best to explain why, however like always my readers must draw the final conclusions.

Australia and Japan remain two of our strongest allies in almost every single undertaking we take. Both countries’ governments and people should be applauded by every American based upon their continued support. Our relationship with India has soured slightly, however the two countries remain friends and Indians are one of this nation’s fastest growing minorities.

The area effected by the tsunami is directly in the path of where many terrorists start bases and train jihadists. Indonesia is reported as being a nation with several Al Qaeda linked terrorist groups. While I wouldn’t be sad if those were the people that died, that isn’t the case. India has it’s own jihadists as well. The massive support again will help our country’s image that was damaged by the UN oil-for-food scandal as well as internal strife.

With the United States supplying as much aid as they are and forming a coallition with other nations to provide aid, we should get more support in the region that will help fester anti-Americanism. Al Qaeda terrorists recruit on the basis of fighting the evil Americans and Westerners. If the rest of the West can step up to the plate in terms of aid to the tsunami effected region, this will either completely take away or severely damage this recruiting tactic.

Of course I do not believe this is the reason why President Bush announced what he did, but it’s a great side effect. This is not just a public relations mission, though it can be turned into a great pr opportunity if the United States government starts to realize the power of pr.

What often goes unreported when amount of aid is discussed is raw materials (food, water, wood, etc.). Individual donations also usually go unreported. This is part of the reason why the U.S. has a bad rap with giving aid, which is unfair once the above in included. We as a nation must continue to step up and show our generosity to those who were effected by a tragedy, no matter what country of origin they are.

- Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A powerful explosion in a house in west Baghdad killed at least 29 people and wounded 18, police said Wednesday. They described the blast as an ambush staged by insurgents.

Police were en route to a raid in Baghdad’s Ghazaliya neighborhood late Tuesday after an anonymous call tipped them about a suspected militant hideout in the neighborhood, an official in Ghazaliya police station said.

As they were about to enter the house, an explosion erupted from inside, he added.

At least 29 people were killed, including 7 policemen, and 18 others were injured. Six houses collapsed in the blast and several people are believed to be still trapped underneath the rubble.

This is a good news, bad news incident. First the bad news. It’s a shame this terrorist felt like killing 29 people and injuring 18 others while blowing up some homes. Now the good news. The Iraqi police found this man, who in turn detonated the explosive, through an anonymous tip.

Update:
Times Online is reporting Iraqi police are investigating whether or not they were led into a trap. According to the U.S. military, the house has around two tons of explosives in it, making it at the very least a bomb factory. At this time it is unknown if the blast was triggered in martyrdom or if it was a planned event.

- Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - A suicide attacker tried to drive his bomb-laden car into the Interior Ministry complex, and militants set off another bomb and exchanged fire with police late Wednesday in Riyadh, capital of a kingdom at war with Muslim extremists.

The first explosion at about 8:35 p.m. shattered windows and sent smoke and flames rising into the nighttime sky near the ministry in central Riyadh. Police officials said a suicide car bomber had tried to storm the ministry, but failed and instead exploded his car just outside.

A number of policemen were injured, a ministry official said, without elaborating. The ministry, which is in charge of Saudi security forces, is key to leading the crackdown that Saudi Arabia has led against Islamic militants this year.

Saudi Arabia killed three suspected terrorists just this past week. Couple the killings with the Bin Laden message targeting Saudi Arabia and there is reason to believe the attack today was some sort of paypack and/or carrying out Bin Laden’s message.