Morning Coffee (140)

The other day was Black Friday. I trust that if you dared to brave long lines, you have returned safely. Who knew that shopping could result in your death by stampede. Wow. I was only going to make mention of it to keep you safe, but Holy Baby Jesus, this is unreal. A man was knocked down and trampled and, unable to get up, probably suffocated when the unwashed masses continued to roll over him, concerned only with getting five bucks off the latest Chinese-made, possibly poisoned, toy. While the paramedics worked on him, the people just kept on rolling in. A woman was also knocked down, but only she suffered a miscarriage as a result (sarcasm, folks). Yay, Christmas!

Global War on Terror:
In case you've been living in a cocoon the past few days, I thought I would bring to your attention a situation that has just recently ended (warning - graphic photos) involving a group of gunmen in a 59-hour standoff with Indian security forces in the Taj Majal Hotel in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. The death toll in the attack, carried out by 10 men, is approaching 200.

Azam Amir Kasab, who pretended to be dead, was the only survivor from the cadre of terrorists. Indian officials are commenting on his interrogation, saying that he confessed to being a member of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT), that his group's goal was to kill 5,000 people, and that he was instructed to target white people, preferably Americans and British.

While these reports may be true, Indians tend to attribute most bad events that happen in their country to Pakistani operatives. With this being said, I find it likely that the LeT conducted this attack. Though it should be noted that as of my Brewing, the LeT has not claimed this attack, but we all know that does not rule them out. This attack was well-coordinated and likely well-funded - hallmarks of LeT action.

For perspective, the LeT was formed in Afghanistan in 1991 to participate in the conflict with the Najibullah regime. Thus, it has ties to other groups created in Afghanistan, such as our favorite group al-Qaida. The LeT's desires go far beyond that of the typical Pakistani terrorist group's goal of establishing Pakistani control over Kashmir. LeT wishes to do that and more; to reestablish Islamic control over South Asia and parts of Russia and China.

This attack will not improve Indian-Pakistani relations, which must be the understatement of the year. Right or wrong, India perceives Pakistan as being the puppet-master of terrorist activity in Indian Kashmir and throughout India. Pakistan likes to make a public show of denouncing terrorism, but has a fairly well established history of privately supporting foreign groups (remember the Taliban?).

The Indian government, the worlds largest democracy, is under intense public pressure to act. Already, the the Indian Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, has resigned, stating that he takes moral responsibility for failing to prevent the attack. But the problem with Indian security forces go beyond poor intelligence. And it should be remembered that even good intelligence will not prevent all possible terrorist activity. Intelligence aside, security forces were unable to project an effective response even after the attack began as they lacked experience and the necessary equipment to quickly deal with the armed men. Of course, it might not have mattered, because investigations into the causes and times of deaths of the victims show that most were killed right at the beginning of the attack.

On the other hand, the terrorist group benefited from excellent intelligence, collection, and targeting, even knowing the time of the tides, having possibly planned the attack for a year. The men had good training; studying explosives, close quarters battle, and beach landings (hence the tidal times). The group planned for two possible targets. To me, the attention to detail exhibited by this group rivals that of some of the world's leading special forces units. I leave proof to the words of one member of India's National Security Guard, who called them the best fighters he had ever encountered:

"They were obviously trained by professionals in urban guerrilla fighting. They used their environment and situation brilliantly, leading us (the NSG) on a dangerous chase through various tiers of the hotel which they obviously knew well. Their fire discipline too was excellent and they used their ammunition judiciously, mostly to draw us out. It was amply clear they came to kill a large number of people and to eventually perish in their horrific endeavour. Negotiating with the Indian authorities or escaping was not an option for them."

Their only failure, it seems, was underestimating how solidly built the Taj Mahal Hotel was, as they were unable to demolish it using their explosives.

Rich Old Men Ask That Taxpayers Afford Them the Dignity of Operating Private Jet:
Completely switching gears, General Motors, who are asking that the US Government "loan" them money so they can continue to operate, have also asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to remove their private jets from FAA tracking. This is another way of saying they don't want the public to know how they use the luxury planes. See, they caught some flak (no pun intended) for CEO Richard Wagoner's use of a leased Gulfstream jet to fly from Detroit to Washington, DC on 18 November to ask for a $25 billion "loan." Beleaguered Ford's and Chrysler's CEOs also used private jets to fly to DC to ask for their share in the "Big Three Loan." Democrat Gary Ackerman said to them, "Couldn't you all have downgraded to first class?"

Anyone else need federal bailout, er, loan money to operate their private jets? I know I do. Actually, I need bailout money to pay on my GM truck, which will in turn help out GM.

GM actually had the audacity to email me to tell me that they need my help. They clarified to me that they were not asking for "bailout" money, but a loan, which they'll pay back. And they asked that I call my Representative to lobby on their behalf. I find it interesting that average Americans can't get loans nowadays because of fear they won't pay them back, but GM believes it is entitled to a loan because its managers cannot manage their money and are vital to the US economy in a way that consumers clearly are not.

Liberal = Bush + Franken * Hypocrisy:
Al Franken, famous from his days on Saturday Night Live (I only remember him as Stuart Smalley, but he was a figure on the show for 15 years), has been in a fight with incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman for a Senate seat. This has gone on since 04 November and will likely continue despite the state Canvassing Board denying Franken's request to access ballots rejected by poll workers. Coleman is presently winning by 292 votes. So Franken is seeking other options, like going to the courts.

The details, such as the number of votes one candidate has over another, or the number of ballots that are in question, do not interest me as much as the fact that Franken, a liberal, is threatening to do much the same thing that Bush is criticized for doing in 2000. Of course, all the whining and crying is covered up by legalese and protocol and talk of "every vote counting." I get the impressing that, because this one seat will help determine the strength of the Democrat faction in the Senate, certain people care less about "every vote counting" than they do about winning. I imagine if the shoe were on the other foot, Franken, like Coleman now, would be against the inclusion of certain ballots.

Word of the Day: Incursion (noun): 1. A sudden attack; invasion, raid. 2. A running or flowing in.

On This Day in History: Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator allegedly kills herself by asp bite (30 BCE). You can find a beautiful painting of the incident by Guido Cagnacci HERE (warning - nudity). Representatives from the US and Great Britain sign preliminary peace articles in Paris (1782). This was later formalized as the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Spanish representatives transfer the Louisiana Territory to the French. Twenty days later France transfers the same land to the US (1803). Iran seizes the Tunb Islands from the United Arab Emirates (1971). Lucy (Australopithecus) is discovered in Ethiopia (1974).