Australian Muslim Found Guilty of terror plot to Blow up Australian Power Grid - National - smh.com.au

Lodhi guilty of terror plot - National - smh.com.au Every day, around the world, Islamic extremists are out there, at war with us, though many Democrats would argue otherwise.
See also "Jihad Watch", which quotes the convicted on a videotape found in his home, echoing what many conservative Muslims believe (check their public opinion polls if you have any doubt),

"Jihad "is a way to spread the religion and terrorise the enemy, to expand the domain of Islam all around the world".Jihad Watch --"Jihad is the best thing that man can ever volunteer to do" -- May 4, 2006

Whereas most Western religion has abandoned the concept of coercive conversion to their "true faith", many Muslims have not, and this is the basis for Western civilization's problem with Muslims, not a couple of square kilometers of land in the hands of Israel. There is no denying that trying to come to a settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict would be extraordinarily helpful in shoring up the "center" in the Arab world, removing an excuse for many Arab regimes, and taking away one barrier to modernization (i.e., the excuse of wounded pride due to Zionist-Western Colonialism -- pride is way too important in Arab culture, reflecting its overall backwardness as a civilization). However, any peace deal that weakens Israel and would ultimately lead to its demise (such as the Saudi Plan currently on the table) will only embolden the radicals, who would view such a settlement as a "win", jsut as they have viewed so many other concessions by the Israelis as wins.

The only hope of the Arab moderates -- and of Israel -- is a peace deal that would leave Israel with defensible borders as a result of land swaps, a fair and creative solution for Jerusalem and its respective holy sites, strong and reliable third party trusteeship for an indefinitely long period over the Palestinian territories to both protect Israel from the terrorist failed state that would otherwise take root there and allow a normal society to develop, and the absorption of Palestinian refugees outside of Israel.

JINSA Report #653: Turkey in the Middle on Arab-Israeli Relations

Very well-written piece from Jinsa on the role Turkey can play, and regrettably, does not play, in mediating and bringing a dose of reality to the Arab-Israeli dialogue. It is truly a tragedy that the Middle East today is so short of brave leadership.
#653 Turkey in the Middle

Pelosi Going to Syria Despite Objections

Nancy Pelosi is dangerous, a vain egotist and too arrogant to subrogate to the traditional Executive Branch-Legistative Branch relationship, where the Executive Branch is in charge of foreign policy, and the Legislative Branch is not supposed to take clearly diplomatic actions like this one which could undermine efforts. (Pelosi Going to Syria Despite Objections). It is one thing to vote against funding for a war, it is another to engage in foreign policy trips to enemy nations against the administration's wishes. Anyone who would argue that this is merely a "fact-finding trip" is delusional -- look at this trip through the eyes of the Syrians, and you see an effort to undermine Western and "moderate" Arab efforts to isolate Syria.

In addition, this action should be taken as yet more evidence that, other than Hillary Clinton (whom I do not support for other reasons), the Democratic leadership, permeated by Leftist ideologues, is NOT a committed friend of Israel or its long term survivability.

thanks to Joel for this article.

Iran Escalates - WSJ.com

Well written Op-Ed about the Iranian challenge and the need to win. Iran Escalates - WSJ.com
Debka reports that Russian intelligence places a US air and missile attack on Iranian nuclear sites on April 6th. That's a week form today.

Olmert: 'Not one refugee can return' | Jerusalem Post

Olmert is a putz who can't be trusted (Olmert: 'Not one refugee can return' | Jerusalem Post). Rather than dancing around words on the Palestinian "right of return" issue, the King of the Saudis should show the bravery to come out and face the issue, as Thomas Friedman outlined last week -- the only peace deal Israel can POSSIBLY even discuss, however faulty the rest of Friedman's analysis was ("Abdullah's Chance").