by Christian Lowe

The head of counterterrorism operations for the U.S. Department of State said the al-Qaeda network is largely broken and has lost the ability to conduct large-scale terrorist operations.

While the U.S. has still been unable to kill or capture the organization’s top leaders, they have nevertheless been “beaten back into a hole” by relentless pressure from special operations, law enforcement and drone attacks.

I could hardly believe that this article made it past the SF Chronicle editors. Perhaps they consider these people to be admirable? First, the scene:

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators - including several Jews - protested outside of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco for the fourth time this week, venting anger over Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Then the players, all emphasis added:

“I’m descended from Holocaust victims, and we need to identify with the oppressed - not imitate the oppressors,” said protester Jack Fertig, an astrologer by profession and known to San Franciscans a generation ago as Sister Boom Boom…

Yep, I always go to astrologers for advice!

And you know without even reading this post who they blame:

Protesters on Friday called Israel the main aggressor.

“If you are strangled, you have to fight back,” said Buthina Rashid of Concord, who stood in the throng of protesters blocking Montgomery Street between Sacramento and California streets for two hours as police looked on.

With Rashid were her 4-year-old niece, Rawan, and her 2-year-old nephew, Nezar, who each astonished the crowd by taking a megaphone and leading the crowd in a chant: “Free, free Palestine!”

Now you KNOW that if those were young Christian children leading the crowd in “Jesus saves!” these same people would call them brainwashed.

But, in case there was any doubt in your mind about who the REAL aggressors are, the protesters demonstrated:

The demonstrators remained peaceful until around 5 p.m., when a small group carrying Israel flags gathered across from the consulate. Suddenly, anti-Israel protesters screamed, “Murderers!” and tried to push them.

Did you catch the part above about what the police were doing during the entire protest?

…throng of protesters blocking Montgomery Street between Sacramento and California streets for two hours as police looked on.

However, they finally saw the error of their ways and jumped into action!

Police hustled the pro-Israeli group into the nearest open building.

Is there any hope for San Francisco?

As part of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the US occupation forces celebrated today the handover of the Green Zone and the presidential palace in Baghdad to Iraqi security forces, giving a visible sign of Iraq’s regained sovereignty. During one of the two ceremonies to celebrate the event prime minister Nouri al-Maliki announced that from now on the 1st January would become a national holiday, the “Sovereignty Day”. Formally, from now on the US occupation troops in Iraq will be operating with authority granted by the Iraqi government…

Many Iraqis, Americans and people all over the world thought this day would never come. Others of us believed all along in the competence of the U.S. military, Iraqi military, and Iraqi people.

Happy Sovereignty Day indeed!