Soccer Dad

Second as farce

A few stories recall stuff I've read before ...
Item #1)
Israel Matzav reports on Games terrorists play about a new video game created by Hezbollah.

The new game, named "Special Force 2" - a sequel to a similar game of a few years ago dubbed "Special Force" - involves various anti-Israel missions of increasing difficulty. The first mission is to kidnap Israeli soldiers, in the style of the abduction of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser that kicked off last year's Second Lebanon War. Imitating the events as they actually happened, the player must aim a missile at two IDF jeeps, hit at least one of them, and must then penetrate the border fence to capture the soldiers.

In addition, players undergo training, fire Katyusha rockets against Israeli towns, and participate in guerilla battles in Lebanese villages - just as happened in last year's war. The objective: to "cleanse" the villages of Israeli soldiers.

Strangely, Hezbollah's been here before. The reason that the name of the new game is Special Force 2, is because Special Force was released four years ago.

The hottest video game for the teenagers of Beirut's southern Shiite neighborhoods is "Special Force," a creation of Hezbollah, the strongly anti-Israel militant organization that is on the United States' terror list.

"Special Force," with its simulated attacks on the Israeli military, was released in February, quickly took off and is to be followed later this month by a more sophisticated version that can link multiple players on a network.

While not the first politically oriented video game to enter Middle Eastern cyberspace, "Special Force" is a sign of Hezbollah's elaborate propaganda efforts. Its popularity is also an indication of Hezbollah's success in permeating popular consciousness in Lebanon and in gaining political legitimacy here.

I guess it's also a sign of the computer skills of some members of Hezbollah.

Daled Amos gives a disturbing historical parallel.
Item #2)
The State Department will be training Fatah security personnel.

U.S. State Department officials will train Palestinian troops assigned to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"The course work and practical exercises will enhance the abilities of the Presidential Guard to carry out their primary function -- VIP protection," a department statement said Sunday. "This training is part of a series of courses that will be offered this fall through early 2008."

The training will be carried out by the department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which trains security details around the world. It is part of an agreement signed this month by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and P.A. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the statement said.

Similar training worked really well in the past didn't it?

The saga began one night not long ago, when thieves picked two fairly sophisticated locks on our house and came in without a rustle while we were still awake. They took car keys, credit cards, cell phones, and other valuables. We later learned that operatives from Arafat’s personal security guard, Force 17, were seen driving our car and had been involved in the theft. They’d reportedly been trained in sterile break-in techniques, sniper shooting, and other such skills by the CIA. The idea was to make Arafat’s forces better able to fight terrorism, but the Palestinians are putting their know-how to other purposes.

Item #3)
A man in the UAE is looking to marry - again and again ...

A one-legged Emirati father of 78 is lining up his next two wives in a bid to reach his target of 100 children by 2015, Emirates Today reported on Monday.

Daad Mohammed Murad Abdul Rahman, 60, has already had 15 brides although he has to divorce them as he goes along to remain within the legal limit of four wives at a time.

"In 2015 I will be 68 years old and will have 100 children," the local tabloid quoted Abdul Rahman as saying.

In terms of wives it seems he has nothing on this guy.

UPDATE: Whoops, I didn't remember where I'd first seen the item about Daad. It was at co-blogger JudeoPundit's site. Sorry Yitz.

hezbollah video games, palestinian authority security training, polygamy on the arabian peninsula.