THE REASON YOU DON'T EVER HEAR FROM ARAB MODERATES IS...



...Because they are summarily executed. From today's Wall Street Journal:

April 7: GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- In a secret session before dawn Sunday, a Palestinian military court sentenced six Palestinians to death for collaborating with Israel, Palestinian security officials said. . . . Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat must approve the death sentences before they can be carried out. Some 40 similar sentences await Arafat's approval.



April 5: RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -- Masked Palestinian gunmen shot dead three men suspected of collaborating with Israeli forces in their West Bank village of Toubas . . . Friday, Palestinian sources said.



April 1: NABLUS, West Bank (AP) -- In the West Bank town of Tulkarem, gunmen from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade entered an apartment where seven suspected collaborators were being held by military intelligence Monday, the officials said. The gunmen took the prisoners into the street and shot them, leaving their bodies behind, the security sources said. . . .



In Qalqilya . . . the bodies of Iyad Abu Ishab, 20, and Walid Radwan, 22, were found riddled with bullets in a side street Monday. Palestinian security sources said the two men, who had been arrested on charges of collaboration more than a year ago, were killed by their prison guards. . .



The body of Mahmood Rahamie, 21, was found in Bethlehem near Manger Square, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. The Al-Aqsa Brigades, which is close to . . . Arafat's Fatah movement, said in a statement that Rahamie had been killed after he was caught sending information to the Israelis through the Internet and e-mail.



March 15: NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) -- A group linked to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction said it executed two alleged Palestinian collaborators Friday in the West Bank city of Nablus.



March 14: BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Palestinian militiamen shot dead two alleged collaborators with Israel on Thursday, then tied the body of one to the back of a pickup truck, dragged him through town and attempted to hang him from a rooftop overlooking the traditional birthplace of Christ.



March 12: RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- In a grim warning, the blood-streaked body of a Palestinian shot to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel was strung up by the ankles Tuesday in the middle of this West Bank city. Raed Naem Odeh was left dangling in a traffic circle downtown. . . .

Islamofacists groups are like any other brownshirt organization -- dissent is supressed with by specter of instantaneous death.

BIBI NETENYAHU FOR THE PEOPLE



Former (and future?) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu has written brilliantly in today's Wall Street Journal. You can check out his editorial here.

FREEDOM FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION DESPOTS



In a supremely wise move, Philadelphia's School Reform Commission has voted to turn over control of 1/4 of the city's failing schools to privately operated groups.



The Associated Press reports that 16 year-old Andrew Hopkins doesn't approve of the plan:

We are talking about our education here. They shouldn't be giving these schools to private companies that care mostly about their own profits [said Hopkins]. We want a parent vote in every school they want to take over.

What might explain this student�s opposition? I think the last paragraph in the story holds a big clue:

Edison Schools feature a longer day and school year, a heavy investment in technology and intensive staff development.

FROM THE CIVILIZED FRENCH



Mon Dieu:

PARIS (AP)- Nearly 360 crimes against Jews and Jewish institutions in France have occurred this month, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.



The ministry said 70 people have been questioned and 16 jailed in connection with incidents that have taken place in the first two weeks of April. The wave of anti-Semitic attacks in France has coincided with intensified Israeli-Palestinian violence.



More than 60 percent of the acts involved anti-Jewish graffiti, while the number of people victimized by anti-Semitic slurs had also risen, the ministry said.



Law enforcement agencies also reported a dozen attempts to set synagogues and graves on fire.



Suspects in the attacks generally are young, with an average age of 20, and of "Maghreb origin," chiefly Arab youths from North African countries, the ministry said.



Anti-Jewish violence in France began increasing after Israeli-Palestinian fighting broke out in September 2000 and has mounted further since the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States.



A book published last month by a leading French anti-racism group and Jewish students chronicled about 400 recent attacks against Jews and their religious sites around the country. That number apparently does not include the latest Interior Ministry figures.

WHEN IT COMES TO PEACE, THE ARAB NATIONS ARE MIA



Scot Lehigh has a great column in today's Boston Globe.

QUOTE OF THE DAY



A good reminder for all of us, given recent Middle Eastern events:



"In this conflict there is no neutral ground, there can be no peace in a world of terror...We did not ask for this mission but we will fulfil it."



President George W. Bush

IDIODIC STATEMENT OF THE WEEK



Here it is:

We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11th. . . . What did this administration know and when did it know it, about the events of September 11th? Who else knew, and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered? . . . What do they have to hide?

Thanks to psychopath Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) for this week's Idiotic Statement.

TERRORIST PROPAGANDA AND GULLIBLE BIG MEDIA



The so-called "Jenin Massacre" was a crock.

AMERICA IS GREAT



John Derbyshire has penned a great review of "What's So Great About America" by Dinesh D'Souza.



I was fortunate to see Mr. D'Souza speak at my alma mater when I was a young student coming to age politically. At that time, his book Illiberal Education was quite popular. In it, D'Souza eviscerated the PC-laced curriculums at our "greatest" universities. Ever since that time, I've been a big fan of D'Souza's work, which is characterized by a lucid wit and logic which so often eludes many intellectuals these days.

HORSE, DOG, AND PORK RACING



Well, the 37th annual Atlanta Steeplechase at Kingston Downs went off without a hitch. Rain was the primary threat but, as it turned out, was a relatively empty one. In all, over 30 horses raced in five sponsored events. Betting isn't a "formal" part of the day's activities, but our little group made petty side bets amongst ourselves. I was fortunate to win one of the races, having picked a horse by the name curious name of "Najjm."



Bagpipes sang in the distance, with pig races and doggie drag racing (with Jack Russell terriers) the featured activities in the infield. As we sipped beer, sparkling wine, and at food, the soft sounds of bluegrass could be heard over the din of summer-dressed men in peach colored button-down shirts, accompanied by women wearing their fanciful hats -- a prototypical Southern event if there ever was one. I love visiting the South.