This past Sunday I had the opportunity to listen to Melanie as she described two family's who suffered loss in their family's due to the Iraqi War. It is amazing how the two have such a contrast, and Melanie has captured this contrast in her new book, "American Mourning: The Intimate Story of Two Families Joined by War, Torn by Beliefs" which I highly recommend.
You may listen to the interview at Pundit Review where they have it on podcast. Don't know what that is? Neither do I, but it seems to work just fine for me. I just click on it, and it works! Amazing what they're doing with electronics nowadays, but that's an entirely different article. lol.
Please listen to the interview. It is very moving, and it is not dismeaning. I like that about this interview. Just the facts, ma'am. :)
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Illegals, Courts, Frat suspended, and terrorists
Hispanics Flee Pa. Town Before Crackdown
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press Writer
HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) (snip) "On Wednesday, a tough, first-of-its-kind law targeting illegal immigrants was to take effect in this small hillside city in northeastern Pennsylvania. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the measure for at least two weeks, but the evidence suggests many Hispanics - illegal or otherwise - have already left."
Read the entire article.
Court Keeps Ohio ID Law for Absentees
CINCINNATI (AP) -- A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Ohio can require absentee voters to provide proof of their identification, overturning a lower court's order suspending the new law.
Read the entire article.
Frat Suspended Over 'Hood' Party.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Johns Hopkins University has suspended the Sigma Chi fraternity because of a "Halloween in the Hood" party that drew protests by black students.
The invitation to the party, posted on the Web site Facebook, encouraged guests to wear "regional clothing from our locale" with jewelry including "bling bling ice ice, grills" and "hoochie hoops."
The party, held Saturday night at the fraternity house, featured a skeleton pirate hanging on a noose.
Black Student Union members protested the party on Monday, saying the appearance of the image and the language on the invitation highlighted racial tensions at Hopkins and the strained relations between the university and the surrounding community.
Read the entire article.
Yemen says arrests 8 Qaeda-linked arms smugglers.
Hat tip to LGF and Aussiemagpie.
TWO of the Australian men arrested in Yemen on terrorism charges are the sons of Abdul Rahim Ayub, the man who set up a Jemaah Islamiah cell here and fled after the Bali bombings.
Read the whole article.
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press Writer
HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) (snip) "On Wednesday, a tough, first-of-its-kind law targeting illegal immigrants was to take effect in this small hillside city in northeastern Pennsylvania. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the measure for at least two weeks, but the evidence suggests many Hispanics - illegal or otherwise - have already left."
Read the entire article.
Court Keeps Ohio ID Law for Absentees
CINCINNATI (AP) -- A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Ohio can require absentee voters to provide proof of their identification, overturning a lower court's order suspending the new law.
Read the entire article.
Frat Suspended Over 'Hood' Party.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Johns Hopkins University has suspended the Sigma Chi fraternity because of a "Halloween in the Hood" party that drew protests by black students.
The invitation to the party, posted on the Web site Facebook, encouraged guests to wear "regional clothing from our locale" with jewelry including "bling bling ice ice, grills" and "hoochie hoops."
The party, held Saturday night at the fraternity house, featured a skeleton pirate hanging on a noose.
Black Student Union members protested the party on Monday, saying the appearance of the image and the language on the invitation highlighted racial tensions at Hopkins and the strained relations between the university and the surrounding community.
Read the entire article.
Yemen says arrests 8 Qaeda-linked arms smugglers.
Hat tip to LGF and Aussiemagpie.
TWO of the Australian men arrested in Yemen on terrorism charges are the sons of Abdul Rahim Ayub, the man who set up a Jemaah Islamiah cell here and fled after the Bali bombings.
Read the whole article.
Middle East, Judges, Politics and Commentary
'US Only Answer for Middle East,' Says Saudi Envoy
(CNSNews.com) - Voicing support for U.S. involvement in Iraq, the Saudi ambassador to the United States said the U.S. has a important role to play in the Middle East, "whether it wants to or not." If Iraq were to be divided on ethnic or sectarian lines, he warned, problems in the country would increase three-fold, and there would be ethnic cleansing on a massive scale...
Black Democrats Endorse Republican Senate Candidate
(CNSNews.com) – President Bush told African-Americans two years ago that the Democratic Party was taking them for granted, and this year, a growing number of African-Americans apparently are starting to believe it...
Former Iranian President to Be Honored at Scottish University
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – If British and U.S. authorities are trying to charm the Iranian leadership by inviting former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to their countries, they’ve picked the wrong guy, an expert in Washington said...
Commentary
Why So Much Rage at the Judiciary?
By Tom Fitton
In a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor questioned why there is such an “intensity of rage currently being leveled at the judiciary.” Last week, the New Jersey Supreme Court gave her an answer.
On Wednesday, in an act of raw judicial power, the New Jersey Supreme Court discovered that the New Jersey Constitution, which was last written 60 years ago, requires that homosexual couples have a right to all the benefits of marriage. The court has given the legislature 180 days to rewrite laws governing marriage, but why bother?
Decision Time on Iran
By Daniel Pipes
Where, one wonders, will the desultory, perpetual efforts to avert a crisis with Iran end? With a dramatic calling of the vote at the Security Council in New York? Around-the-clock negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna? A special envoy from the European Union hammering out a compromise in Tehran? None of the above, I predict, for all these scenarios presume that Tehran will ultimately forego its dream of nuclear weaponry. Recent evidence suggests otherwise…
(CNSNews.com) - Voicing support for U.S. involvement in Iraq, the Saudi ambassador to the United States said the U.S. has a important role to play in the Middle East, "whether it wants to or not." If Iraq were to be divided on ethnic or sectarian lines, he warned, problems in the country would increase three-fold, and there would be ethnic cleansing on a massive scale...
Black Democrats Endorse Republican Senate Candidate
(CNSNews.com) – President Bush told African-Americans two years ago that the Democratic Party was taking them for granted, and this year, a growing number of African-Americans apparently are starting to believe it...
Former Iranian President to Be Honored at Scottish University
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – If British and U.S. authorities are trying to charm the Iranian leadership by inviting former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to their countries, they’ve picked the wrong guy, an expert in Washington said...
Commentary
Why So Much Rage at the Judiciary?
By Tom Fitton
In a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor questioned why there is such an “intensity of rage currently being leveled at the judiciary.” Last week, the New Jersey Supreme Court gave her an answer.
On Wednesday, in an act of raw judicial power, the New Jersey Supreme Court discovered that the New Jersey Constitution, which was last written 60 years ago, requires that homosexual couples have a right to all the benefits of marriage. The court has given the legislature 180 days to rewrite laws governing marriage, but why bother?
Decision Time on Iran
By Daniel Pipes
Where, one wonders, will the desultory, perpetual efforts to avert a crisis with Iran end? With a dramatic calling of the vote at the Security Council in New York? Around-the-clock negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna? A special envoy from the European Union hammering out a compromise in Tehran? None of the above, I predict, for all these scenarios presume that Tehran will ultimately forego its dream of nuclear weaponry. Recent evidence suggests otherwise…
Good Morning
Good morning everone. I woke up at 3 am, and I just love this time of day. It is peaceful, quiet, and I can even think. lol. I am very happy right now. Why? Because the Lord is my Shephard, I live in the US of A, our brave men and women are protecting us from another attack and they are helping another country, Iraq, stand on her own. I am so proud of them, and I am so proud to be an American. Have a wonderful day.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Time to Emphasize and Underscore Some of the Positives
Tired of MSM's obsessing over the glass half-empty?
Defend America
Multi-National Force
Kurdistan- The Other Iraq
Are you a quagmirist or are you pro-victory? Do you want to be part of the problem; or part of the solution?
Hat tip: A Rose by Any Other Name
Psst...Pass it on.
Right on Target
Courtesy of TSC Daily. The article, 'Right on Target' was reposted with permission of the editor.
By J. Peter Pham & Michael I. Krauss : BIO| 30 Oct 2006
On October 23, after ten more Qassam missiles were fired from northern Gaza into Israel in forty-eight hours, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops entered the area in search of the launchers and their Palestinian crews. Confronted by a large group of gunmen in the town of Beit Hanoun, the IDF patrol exchanged fire with the heavily armed men, nine of whom were killed while twenty were injured. [None of the patrol members was harmed.] Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was quick to accuse Israel of carrying out a "heinous massacre," noting that this "ugly crime against the Palestinian people" took place on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.
Left out of Abu Mazen's carefully scripted indignation was any mention of who the deceased were. One of them, according to the well-connected DEBKA news agency, was Ata Shinbari, senior commander of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) in Gaza, which has been active in the missile offensive and which teamed up with Hamas in June to kidnap IDF Corporal Gideon Shalit. Others were lower-ranked militants with the PRC, which lent vital support to members of the al-Qaeda linked cell that carried out the kidnapping of Corporal Shalit. These have been identified as Muataz Durmush, cousin of PRC leader Zakariah Durmush, Mahmoud Bastal, Taher Atawa, Ahmed Azzam, and Ibrahim Kahil.
Let us remember that the kidnapping and continued captivity of Corporal Shalit, as well as the daily shower of rockets across an internationally recognized border, are each individually casus belli (acts of war) which, as we argued previously in another context, fully and legally justify the use of force by Israel acting in its own self-defense. However, what if, instead of running into him and his accomplices and being forced to exchange fire as happened in Beit Hanoun, the IDF had come into possession of actionable intelligence on the whereabouts of terrorist commander Shinbari and members of the al-Qaeda cell? What should it do?
Normally, when a democratic state governed by law is confronted with this problem it turns to the government that has sovereignty over the territory where the wanted criminal is located. It then asks that government to take the person into custody and, according to the relevant international conventions in force between the two states, to extradite him or her for trial. Alas, Israel does not live in a normal neighborhood. Since the Jewish state's voluntary disengagement from Gaza more than a year ago -- a step which we demonstrated Israel was never legally obliged to take -- the PA has stepped up to assume the responsibilities of a civil society. Quite to the contrary, the PA, now controlled by the terrorist group Hamas, refuses to recognize Israel's very existence. Needless to say, PA cooperation on security issues like the arrest of militants, painfully inadequate in the best of times, has become non-existent since Hamas swept PA elections earlier this year.
In such cases, international law countenances self-help: Israel may justifiably pursue the terrorists, using the necessary force to bring them back to its territory for trial and eventual punishment. But that is easier said than done in a densely populated area like Gaza, where any incursion to arrest the likes of the late and unlamented Shinbari would have quickly degenerated into urban warfare with massive collateral injury ("ugly crimes") for the otherwise ineffectual Abu Mazen -- and for his well-wishers among the chattering classes abroad -- to wax indignant over.
In response to this unique set of circumstances, Israel has honed its policy of terrorist preemption or, as some have labeled it, targeted killing. It is a counterterrorism tool that, although not to be taken up lightly, deserves consideration as America begins the sixth year of her own global war on terrorism.
The targeting of terrorists for individual punishment, when extradition is not available, is not new. As last year's Stephen Spielberg film purports to document, after the massacre of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Israeli forces hunted down those responsible. However, the use of the tactic to preempt violence rather than to respond to it is of more recent vintage. In 1995, Israeli agents killed Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief Fathi Shaqaqi, leaving that group in disarray for years. Nonetheless, it was the start of the second Palestinian intifada in late 2000 which gave the policy its current impetus. Hard numbers are difficult to come by, especially since the Israeli government, true to the Jewish reverence for life, does not officially trumpet the counterterrorism successes obtained by the killing of killers. However, according to B'Tselem, the leftist "Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories" which opposes pre-emption, and whose numbers may therefore be inflated, between 2000 and 2005 Israeli security forces successfully targeted 203 Palestinian terrorists, collaterally killing an additional 114 people.
Can the policy of terrorist preemption be justified?
Some have criticized it as counterproductive, arguing that it perpetuates a "cycle of violence" and therefore causes more Israeli casualties. While undoubtedly targeted killings raise tensions, especially when targeted terrorists have taken shelter among innocent bystanders who are themselves hurt or killed, it is unquestionably true that the policy seriously degrades terrorist capacity. To cite just one example from the data sets maintained by the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, while the number of Palestinian suicide attacks launched against Israeli civilians increased steadily since 2000, the number of deaths (not counting those of the terrorist perpetrators) declined from a high of 5.4 per incident in 2002 to 0.11 last year. The reason? Quite simply, while there may be an "infinite" number of angry Palestinians, the number of adept and experienced teachers and planners is quite finite.
Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch counter that, whether or not it is effective, preemptive counterterrorism is simply "illegal." However, this position does not withstand scrutiny when one applies the relevant jurisprudence. First, Israel, like all sovereign states, has what the United Nations Charter refers to as the "inherent right of individual or collective self-defense" against armed attack. The attacks launched from Gaza and other Palestinian areas clearly constitute armed attacks. And, since the legislative elections in January, the would-be Palestinian state is governed by a group committed to the destruction of, and essentially at war with, the State of Israel. Second, while international humanitarian law, as codified in the Geneva Conventions, particularly common article 3, protects civilians, members of terrorist groups are ipso facto (illegal) non-uniformed combatants in an armed conflict who may be targeted even when they are not engaged in a belligerent action. Recall, for example, U.S. targeting during World War II of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a legal uniformed combatant, while the officer was riding in airplane en route to Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Third, the targeting of terrorists, especially those who purposely hide themselves among the civilian population, is always a difficult proposition which carries the risk of collateral effects. However, terrorists should not be allowed to reap the benefits of their cynical choices and one must also weigh the dangers to the civilian population of deploying the forces necessary to apprehend them in hostile urban settings like Gaza. (See our earlier extensive discussion of the norm of proportionality.)
Some, while conceding the practicality and legality of selective targeting in Israel's counterterrorism operations, nonetheless question the ethics of this practice. It turns out, however many ethical objections are, upon closer examination, more moralistic than moral. Targeting killing takes place within the context of war and must -- and has -- been carried out in a manner consistent with the discrimination and proportionality required by the just war tradition. If done not out of hatred but out of the will to incapacitate those who would threaten lives by inciting or carrying out terrorist attacks, it serves the additional legitimate end of protecting the innocent. Furthermore, Israel has largely exhausted all other options. It has tried unsuccessfully to get the Palestinian authorities to stop the terrorists. By disengaging from Gaza, it gave the Palestinians exactly what they claimed they wanted: lives free from day to day run-ins with Israeli "occupiers." What Israel got in return was a wave of violence and the election of a group of terrorists whose Covenant commits them to "obliterating" the Jewish state "from every inch of Palestine."
In sum, while not every effective practice is legal, and not every legal practice is ethical, Israel's preemptive counterterrorism efforts are right on target with respect to efficacy, law, and morality.
Fatwas galore currently call upon young Muslim men to wage jihad. They tempt them by describing in detail the great reward they will receive, the status of martyrs in Paradise, and the virgins who await them there. With its increasing need to reconcile scarce resources to broad responsibilities in defending itself and its allies against this specter, the United States would do well to arm itself with all appropriate weapons, including one that its Israeli ally has developed to comply with a higher obligation, incumbent upon governments and individuals, to do everything possible to protect innocent lives in peril (pikuach nefesh).
J. Peter Pham is director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University. Michael I. Krauss is professor of law at George Mason University School of Law. Both are adjunct fellows of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
If you are a producer or reporter who is interested in receiving more information about this article or the author, please email your request to interview@tcsdaily.com
Technorati tags: Fatwah, islamic extremists, palestinian, gaza, israeli, israel, palestine, tsc daily, Qassam missiles, Beit Hanoun, Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, Eid al-Fitr, casus belli, acts of war, hezbollah, hizbollah, terrorists, terrorism, muslim, jihad, counterterrorism, preemptive, jewish state, disengagement, al-Qaeda
Saturday, October 28, 2006
I Want My Country Back
Courtesy of Rick Roberts show, KFMB San Diego
I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK FOUNDATION
By Rick Roberts, Talkshow host, KFMB San Diego
October 13th, 2006
Well as most of you know Rick talks about the “I want my country back” movement in his the Court of Public Opinion. He had a great caller who proposed the idea of an I want my Country Back Foundation for all of us that are fed up with watching our country sold out to the political powers that be.
Click Here to listen to the radio talk show clip.
Most of us are sick and tired of giving away our way of life to accomadate others who have no right to be here legally anyways.
But this goes beyond that, we need to return to the America of old, a society of laws, of morals and of standing up for what is right instead of playing politics.
The I Want My Country Back movement is only getting stronger, and this call from Shawn really got the ball rolling this morning.
We will continue to talk about this on Monday morning, taking your phone calls, ideas, suggestions and input on how we will Take Our Country Back.
It is time for Action..It is time for a change. It is up to each and every one of us, to speak up, speak out and in one unified resounding voice tell America that “WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK!!”
Join in with Rick Roberts, "We want our country back!!" Hundreds of RIck's listeners have requested a transcript of Rick's “I Want My Country Back” rant. You can get to the blog entry by CLICKING HERE. Feel free to post it on every blog you read, and e-mail it to every friend you have. If you would like to listen to it, CLICK HERE. You can also sign RIck's ONLINE PETITION and get a sticker by CLICKING HERE. I have my sticker, how about you?
Why Vote Republican?
Category: People.
I believe you may have seen some of these clippings before. That is, if you were paying attention. The problem is, however, many people do not have the time to bother with politics in the mix of their daily hustle. That is understandable. That is why Wire Werks TV has saved us the time by gathering some of the most famous quotes together in one clip. Take a listen, and you will understand, too. We all must get out and vote Republican!
PS. If you want to complain about the candidates, may I ask you a simple question? Where were you during the primaries? I was voting for the conservatives. That is when we choose our reprentatives. I did not know thee...
Hat Tip: Greg from Pundit Review.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Israeli Analysts Worry About Dems Control of Congress
By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief
October 27, 2006
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - A Democratic takeover of Congress could have a long-term negative impact on U.S.-Israel strategic relations and the campaign against terrorism, according to some experts here. They worry that Democrats may shift policy toward appeasement of terrorist groups and rogue states and placing greater trust in the United Nations.
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Zalman Shoval told Cybercast News Service he did not expect the widespread bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed for years to change, should Democrats win control of either the House or Senate, or both.
At the same time, however, "what one has to look at is whether a Democratic win in one or two houses of Congress will have a far-reaching impact on the administration's ability to pursue difficult [objectives] in its foreign policy, which could both influence and have a dire effect on Israel."
How the U.S. deals with Iran and Iraq were cases in point, Shoval said. With regard to Iraq, "there is uncertainty [about] how to continue." Any decision on withdrawing American troops would have a bearing on the attitudes of Muslims and Arabs towards the U.S. and Israel, he said.
On Iran and its nuclear program, Shoval said, there were those who wanted to wait and see how effective U.N. sanctions would be, while others promoted the idea of engaging Iran in a bid to resolve the problems in Iraq.
The sanctions don't have much chance of succeeding, he argued, and it would be "ludicrous" to think of talking to Tehran about Iraq. Bringing Iran into discussions about its neighbor would turn Iraq into a "major sphere of influence" for Iran, Shoval said.
'Worldview'
"Everything that takes place in the U.S. has an effect on ... the entire world [and] that applies also to the election," said Yoram Ettinger, a former diplomat who served as the Israeli Embassy's liaison to the U.S. Congress.
A shift from Republican to Democratic control would mean "a change in worldview of the majority on Capitol Hill," said Ettinger. "Worldview is the main factor behind U.S. policy throughout the world."
Ettinger said if congressional committee heads "consider Israel to be a strategic partner in the battle against terrorist organizations and rogue regimes" - as the Republicans do now, he said - this provides more opportunity for enhanced bilateral cooperation in areas such as joint military training exercises and development of counter-terrorism equipment.
But if committee chairmen held a worldview leaning towards "negotiations rather than confrontation with terrorist organizations and rogue regimes," there would be less focus on efforts to expand such cooperation, he said. If a committee chair viewed the United Nations as "a positive element in international relations then certainly it will affect their attitude toward Israel, which happens to be burdened by discrimination [at the U.N.] there," Ettinger said.
"The more legislation follows a worldview which confronts terrorism with military actions rather than debates in the United Nations, the more [likely it is there will be] legislation to enhance the strategic role of Israel."
Ettinger also believes that if U.S. lawmakers see the Palestinian issue as the core of all the problems in the Middle East, they would be more likely to lean on Israel to resolve the conflict.
'Appeasement'
Independent Israeli analyst and columnist Jonathon Rosenblum sees an increasingly appeasement-oriented mindset in the Democratic Party. Rosenblum said in a phone interview that Israelis were alarmed by the Democrats' orientation towards Europe as a role model and strong support for the U.N.
"A deep ambivalence towards Israel has infected the Democratic Party," he wrote recently.
Rosenblum cited a U.S. opinion poll comparing voter attitudes on the war in Lebanon and towards Israel, which he said showed Republicans to be far more supportive of Israel than Democrats.
"Though the Democratic Party is the political home of the vast majority of American Jews, 54 percent of Democrats advocate that the United States adopt a more neutral - i.e., less pro-Israel - stance to the Middle East, as opposed to only 29 percent of Republicans," wrote Rosenblum.
"In the recent Senate hearings on John Bolton's nomination as ambassador to the United Nations, Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic standard-bearer, repeatedly criticized Bolton for the fact that America is consistently the odd-man out at the United Nations, and stands outside the consensus of our European 'allies,' he said.
"One shudders to think where Israel would be if the United States ceased to be the 'odd-man-out' at the U.N. Recall that six of those so-called European allies, including France, voted in favor of a resolution of the U.N. Human Rights Commission specifically legitimizing terrorism against Israeli citizens to further Palestinian liberation," Rosenblum added.
Technorati tags: Terrorists ... Terrorism ... National Security ... Homeland security ... Terrorist ... War on terror ... Terror cell ... Counterterrorism ... Islamic extremists ... State Department ... Columbia ... Middle East ... Liberalism … Politically Correct ... Democrat … Donkey Party … Politics … Howard Dean … Liberals … Leftists … Bush … Opinion
Rush Limbaugh's Favorite Ad
Courtesy of NewsMax.Com
RUSH LIMBAUGH: You've gotta hear this campaign commercial. There's a man running for office as a Republican, running for Congress in North Carolina. His name is Vernon Robinson. ... I don't even want to characterize it. Just listen to this commercial.
Watch the Ad Rush is Talking About Now
(or read the text of the ad and Rush Limbaugh's comments first)
ANNOUNCER: (Twilight Zone theme song) If you're a conservative Republican, watching the news these days can make you feel as though you are in...The Twilight Zone. Americans are under attack from Islamic extremists in every corner of the world. Homosexuals are mocking holy matrimony, and the lesbians and feminists are attacking everything sacred. Liberal judges have completely rewritten the Constitution. You can burn the American flag and kill a million babies a year, but you can't post the Ten Commandments or say "God" in public.
CHILDREN: One nation, under -- Shhh!
ANNOUNCER: Seven out of every ten black children are born out of wedlock, and Jackson and Sharpton claim the answer is racial quotas -- and the aliens are here, but they didn't come in a spaceship. They came across our unguarded Mexican border by the millions.
VERNON ROBINSON: I'm Vernon Robinson. If you send me to Congress, I'll send that back to the Twilight Zone. I approve of this message, and of traditional American values. (Leave It to Beaver theme song).
RUSH LIMBAUGH: Goes out with Leave It To Beaver music. I should point out Vernon Robinson is black, and when he mentions Sharpton and Jackson -- have you seen the spot? When he gets to Jackson, he found a mugshot of Jesse Jackson and that's what he runs and he found a picture of Sharpton with an Afro from years and years ago. (Laughing.) This is a national campaign. I mean, he's talking about national issues. They all have impact locally, but I thought it was the Democrats that were going to nationalize the election this year! I thought Democrats were going to do that. That is Vernon Robinson who is running for Congress ... He's getting grief like you can't believe. This is one of the best political ads in a long, long time, and can I ask you: When you heard that, folks, when you heard that, weren't you going, "Yeah! Okay, yeah, yeah," and, "Why don't more Republicans talk like this? Why don't more of them say these are the problems that we face?" And here's Vernon Robinson in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, saying: I'm a pioneer, and I will take the arrows. ...
RUSH LIMBAUGH: That is just a great, great ad. ... Vernon Robinson is a target now, they are targeting this guy...This is, I mean pardon the French here, this is off the plantation. He has escaped and wandered off the liberal Democrat plantation. This is not allowed. This is not permitted. If they could, they'd grab this guy and send him to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and let Hillary as Nurse Ratchet try to get his mind right. Either that or send him to the warden in Cool Hand Luke and put him in the box. I can't tell you folks. This wouldn't have happened 20 years ago. You wouldn't have had a black congressional candidate in North Carolina running a spot like this. ... But it's a new day out there. Vernon Robinson, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Technorati tags: Rush Limbaugh, Democrats, Liberals, Donk Lefti, Left Wing, Howard Dean, Parody, Political Pundits, NewMax, Congressional elections, Twilight Zone
Bill Clinton Monument Committee
Dear Friends and Relatives:
We have the distinguished honor of being on the committee to raise $5,000,000 for a monument of Bill Clinton. We originally wanted to put him on Mt. Rushmore until we discovered there was not enough room for two more faces. We then decided to erect a statue of Bill Clinton in the Washington, D. C. Hall Of Fame.
We were in a quandary as to where the statue should be placed. It was not proper to place it beside the statue of George Washington, who never told a lie, or beside Jesse Jackson, who never told the truth, since Bill Clinton could never tell the difference.
We finally decided to place it beside Christopher Columbus, the greatest Democrat of them all. He left not knowing where he was going, and when he got there he did not know where he was. He returned not knowing where he had been, and did it all on someone else's money.
If you are one of the fortunate people who have anything left after taxes, we expect a generous contribution to this worthwhile project.
Thank you.
Bill Clinton Monument Committee
P. S. The Committee has raised $1.35 so far. And another thing..... Now let me get this straight....... Bill Clinton is getting $12 Million for his memoirs. His wife Hillary got $8 million for hers. That's $20 million for memories from two people who for eight years repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.
I received the above in an email from a friend. I could not help but pass it along.
R/ Bosun
Technorati Tags: Liberalism … Politically Correct … Bill Clinton … Democrat … Donkey Party … Parody … Politics … Hilary … Hillary Clinton … Bill … Howard Dean … Liberals ... Leftists ... Bush ... Opinion
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Rice to Sudan: No UN in country? 'Unfortunate'
I am getting sick and tired of threats against Sudan that are backed up with air. If you are going to threaten them, then by golly, at least have the decency to follow through on those threats. What do you think that makes the rest of world think about us? They can do anything? We will threaten, and so freakin' what?
Well guess what? That is exactyly what is happening in North Korea and Iran with their nuclear programs. No thank you!
You may read the article from allAfrica here. If that link has expired, try this one.
Well guess what? That is exactyly what is happening in North Korea and Iran with their nuclear programs. No thank you!
You may read the article from allAfrica here. If that link has expired, try this one.
Drunk Illegal Kills Woman in San Diego County
Reposted with permission from Rick Roberts, 760 KFMB AM radio, San Diego, California. For further information about Rick or his points of view, please visit Rick's Blog at 760 KFMB.
DISCLAIMER: The different points of views on the Rick Roberts Blog are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bos'un Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bos'un Locker. Courtesy of Rick Roberts, Talk Show Host, KFMB AM San Diego, the voice of Southern California.
DRUNK ILLEGAL KILLS WOMAN
Originally posted By Rick Roberts at KFMB AM on October 25th, 2006
Yesterday, we had Amy Kortlang’s mother, Melanie, on the show. Amy was killed by a drunk driver who then fled on foot. The drunk driver is said to be Rafael Perez. Perez is an illegal immigrant who has had 4 prior convictions for drunk driving!!
Witnesses said Perez was speeding and wrecklessly driving a 2000 Ford F-150 construction truck north on State Route 67 near Mussey Grade Road around 8:50 p.m., when he crossed over the double lines and struck several vehicles.
The truck hit a Dodge Caliber - driven by a Spring Valley man - and then slammed head-on into a 1999 Honda Civic headed southbound. Amy Kortlang, of Ramona, was killed. Perez abandoned the truck and ran, according to authorities. He was found about three hours later walking near SR-67
How is it that an ILLEGAL immigrant who has been convicted of 4 prior DUI’s is still able to come into this country and get behind the wheel - drunk again! This time, sadly, it wasn’t simply a DUI, it was a woman’s life.
This should never have happened in the first place. This man should not have been in the country at all, let alone after 4 convictions. This is another example of the pathetic job this country is doing in securing our borders. Until we start to secure our country and protect the citizens of this nation from foreign invaders, things like this will sadly continue to happen.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kortlang family during this time.
Technorati tags: America ... Illegal ... Mexico ... Hispanic ... Immigration ... President Fox ... President Bush ... Mexico ... Border Control ... Border Fence ... Politically Correct ... Rick Roberts ... California ... Los Angeles ... 760 KFMB ... SoCal ... San Diego ... Drunk Driver ... Vehicular Homicide ... Immigration Crime ... Border Patrol ... DUI ... Foreign Invaders ... Amy Kortlang ... Rafael Perez ... Politically Correct ... Liberalism
The Dems' Double Standard: Ann Coulter
In Ann Coulter’s latest column, that was posted at WorldNetDaily, the take-no-prisoners commentator put Democrat leaders in her sights today.
Columnist Ann Coulter hammered the party for what she sees as a blatant double standard on the terror war.Writes Coulter in her latest piece: “On ‘60 Minutes’ last Sunday night, aspiring House speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced the war in Iraq as not ‘part of the war on terror.’ The war on terror, she said, ‘is the war in Afghanistan.’
“So that’s it. The one part of the war on terror - or ’so-called war on terror,’ as New York Times so-called columnist Bob Herbert calls it - Democrats even pretend to support is the war in Afghanistan.”
Continues Coulter: “If Bush had gone to war with Iraq immediately after 9-11 and waited to attack Afghanistan, Democrats would now be pretending to support the Iraq war while pointlessly carping about Afghanistan. Afghanistan didn’t attack us on 9-11! The Taliban didn’t attack us! What’s our exit strategy? How do you define ‘victory’ in Afghanistan, anyway? It’s a quagmire - aahhhhh!”
Read Coulter’s razor-sharp analysis now on WorldNetDaily.com:
Coulter IDs Democrats’ favorite Halloween costume
Technorati Tags: Liberalism … Politically Correct … Ann Coulter … Democrat … Donkey Party … Freedom … Politics … Foley … Gerry Studds … Inconsistent … Howard Dean … armed forces … Ann Coulter … Military … Israel … Hezbollah … Cut and run … Democrat … Diplomacy … Freedom … Politics … Multilateral Engagement … Détente … Containment … appeasers … Apologists … Cut and Run Politics
Online Fatwas Incite Young Muslims to Jihad
New MEMRI Documentary at http://www.memrifilms.org/
Arab & Iranian Reaction to 9/11 - 5 Years Later
Special Dispatch-Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project/Saudi Arabia
October 26, 2006
No. 1335
Online Fatwas Incite Young Muslims to Jihad
To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit: HTML version of Online Fatwas Incite Young Muslims to Jihad .
In an article in the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh, columnist Fares bin Hazam reports that both preachers in mosques and online propaganda are inciting young Muslims to wage jihad.(1) An interview with a young Muslim who went to fight in Afghanistan, also in Al-Riyadh, provides first-hand testimony confirming this claim.
The following are excerpts from the article and the interview: Saudi Columnist: Preachers in Mosques Urge Worshipers to Join the Jihad in Iraq and Afghanistan Bin Hazam writes in his article: "The business with Afghanistan will never end as long as the 'duty of jihad' continues to live in [our] society, in mosques, in Friday [sermons], and on the Internet...
"After the fall of the Taliban and the subsequent Guantanamo crisis... there was increasing talk about the need to investigate our youth's growing [inclination] towards jihad, and about the need to search for the reasons that motivate them to go to Afghanistan and to other countries..."The call to investigate these reasons is despicable; it is a tasteless joke. [One might think] that the reasons are unknown, that we are not aware of our situation [and need to conduct an] investigation in order to discover why [our young people] went forth and are still going forth [to wage jihad]... The reasons are obvious. Many of us know them, and there is no need for a scientific study or for any other [kind of study] to reveal them...
"Since the causes are known, do we lack courage to deal with [this problem]? [I believe that] we do. Our lack of courage has been apparent ever since we invented the excuse of 'external [influences],' and began to toy with it and wave it at every opportunity. I do not know where these [external influences] come from, since it was we who sent our young men [to Afghanistan] in the first place, before we ever heard of [these influences] that allegedly come [from outside].
"Some preachers, [namely] those who fear the censor, deceive him by being implicit in their incitement to [wage] jihad in Iraq or Afghanistan. They speak in their sermons about the merits of jihad without mentioning a particular region. They speak in general terms that can be applied to any location, even to our [own] country. During the prayer, the details start to pour in thick and fast: first, [a call to wage jihad] in Palestine, [which serve as] a smokescreen, and then [calls for jihad] in Afghanistan, Iraq and Chechnya, and finally... the call 'oh Allah, grant them victory everywhere!' 'Everywhere' includes our [own] country... and we say 'amen' after the preacher calls [upon Allah] to help the mujahideen in our [own] country..."
Saudi Released From Guantanamo: Fatwas Prompted Me to Join the JihadSa'd Ibrahim Al-Bidna, a young Saudi, traveled to Afghanistan with the aim of joining the jihad. He was arrested two months later, and spent four years and eight months at Guantanamo. In an interview with Al-Riyadh, he said that it was fatwas posted on the Internet that motivated him to wage jihad.
Al-Riyadh: "Tell us of your journey, from [the time] you left Saudi Arabia until your return."
Al-Bidna: "I started this exhausting journey when I left Saudi Arabia on my own, motivated by youthful enthusiasm to [wage] jihad for the sake of Allah in Afghanistan. I traveled to Afghanistan through Syria and Iran. [When I arrived], war was being waged against the Taliban and things were not clear to me. So I decided to leave Afghanistan for Pakistan, and from there to return to Saudi Arabia. But [when I reached] Pakistan, I was arrested and turned over to the American forces. [They] imprisoned me in Guantanamo, [where I remained] until the Saudi authorities intervened and brought me back to Saudi Arabia after years of suffering..."Al- Riyadh: "Tell us about the beginning of your journey and the reasons [that motivated you] to set out for Afghanistan."
Al-Bidna: "Many may find it difficult to believe, but I was not very devout, though I did pray regularly. But enthusiasm and zeal filled the hearts of many young people, and unfortunately, I followed certain fatwas that were posted on the Internet. [These fatwas] call upon young people to wage jihad in certain regions. They tempt them [by describing] the great reward [they will receive], the status of the martyrs in Paradise and the virgins that await them [there]. These fatwas have great influence on young people who have no awareness or knowledge [that enables them] to examine them and verify their validity."
In Afghanistan, I Saw Muslims Fighting Muslims, and That is Why I Left Al-Riyadh: "When you came to Afghanistan, did you find the notion of jihad to be as you had imagined it...?"
Al-Bidna: "When I arrived, the war against the Taliban was at its height. There were constant bombardments and things were not clear to me, especially since I was only there for two months. This is not enough time to understand how things really are. But what concerned me the most was that Muslims were fighting each other, and that is why I left [and went to] Pakistan - for in jihad, a Muslim must never fight his Muslim brother."
Al-Riyadh: "Based on your experience, did you feel that there was no real jihad in Afghanistan?"
Al-Bidna: "The [brief] period I spent there did not enable me see the full picture, and I did not have the knowledge to distinguish real jihad from other actions that are [only] called jihad. But I did see that there were devout people there. Some of them were young men who came [to Afghanistan] out of youthful enthusiasm and [due to their] scant religious knowledge, or were influenced by certain fatwas published by various religious scholars, or [were influenced by] by false images, which were not free of exaggeration, of the situation in Afghanistan. This was the kind of thing that prompted me to set out without informing or asking my family, and without considering the concept of legitimate jihad, its conditions and its rules."
Al-Riyadh: "Today, do you feel that you were wrong to set out [to Afghanistan], obeying some irresponsible fatwas?"
Al-Bidna: "Of course. I [now] understand that I was wrong. I should have asked the leaders for permission to set out [and wage jihad], or religious scholars known for their knowledge and piety, of which there are many in our country..."
Al-Riyadh: "Before you left for Afghanistan, was there anyone who urged you and encouraged you to go?"
Al-Bidna: "I did not belong to any group or organization, especially since I was not devout before I left. But there were obviously some fatwas that called [for jihad] and were posted on certain websites. [They] influenced many young men, both devout and [non-devout]..."
Had I Received Proper Guidance Before I Left for Afghanistan, I Would Not Have Gone
Al-Riyadh: "After returning [to Saudi Arabia], did you meet with the counseling committees? What changed in your way of thinking?"Al-Bidna: "My views began to change when I saw the real picture and understood my error, [even] before I was captured. When I returned to Saudi Arabia, we [i.e. the prisoners released from Guantanamo] met with sheikhs and religious scholars who taught us a great deal, and who enlightened us on the tolerant directives of Islam. Had I [known all this] before I left, I would not have gone. The discussions with the religious scholars and sheikhs gave us the ability to distinguish truth from error, and set us on the right path."
Al-Riyadh: "From your experience, are there specific reasons that cause young people to adopt deviant views and carry out terrorist actions?"Al-Bidna: "Of course there are specific reasons [that motivate] young people, especially unemployment, the desire for self-fulfillment, and [having] free time. I, for example, finished [only] elementary school, and sat around without a job for many years prior to leaving for Afghanistan. Such things can cause young people to go astray, especially when there are [people] who feed them erroneous notions..."
Al-Riyadh: "Do you think that a fatwa posted online can prompt a young person to wage jihad, when he does not know for sure whether the fatwa is valid?"
Al-Bidna: "There is no doubt that the problem lies in the youth's enthusiasm [coupled with] scant knowledge. That's what happened with me. I did not think to verify the validity of these fatwas or to consult with anyone, and [consequently] made a big mistake..."
Endnote:
(1) Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), October 10, 2006.
*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Technorati tags: News ... 'War on Terror' ... Terrorism ... Fatwas ... 9/11 ... International News ... World News and Politics ... al-Qaeda ... US News ... Muslim ... Bin Laden ... Islamofascism ... Global Jihad ... Osama Bin Laden ... Caliphate ... counter terrorism ... Domestic Terrorism .. anti-US ... Islamist ... counterterrorism ... religious war
Arab & Iranian Reaction to 9/11 - 5 Years Later
Special Dispatch-Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project/Saudi Arabia
October 26, 2006
No. 1335
Online Fatwas Incite Young Muslims to Jihad
To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit: HTML version of Online Fatwas Incite Young Muslims to Jihad .
In an article in the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh, columnist Fares bin Hazam reports that both preachers in mosques and online propaganda are inciting young Muslims to wage jihad.(1) An interview with a young Muslim who went to fight in Afghanistan, also in Al-Riyadh, provides first-hand testimony confirming this claim.
The following are excerpts from the article and the interview: Saudi Columnist: Preachers in Mosques Urge Worshipers to Join the Jihad in Iraq and Afghanistan Bin Hazam writes in his article: "The business with Afghanistan will never end as long as the 'duty of jihad' continues to live in [our] society, in mosques, in Friday [sermons], and on the Internet...
"After the fall of the Taliban and the subsequent Guantanamo crisis... there was increasing talk about the need to investigate our youth's growing [inclination] towards jihad, and about the need to search for the reasons that motivate them to go to Afghanistan and to other countries..."The call to investigate these reasons is despicable; it is a tasteless joke. [One might think] that the reasons are unknown, that we are not aware of our situation [and need to conduct an] investigation in order to discover why [our young people] went forth and are still going forth [to wage jihad]... The reasons are obvious. Many of us know them, and there is no need for a scientific study or for any other [kind of study] to reveal them...
"Since the causes are known, do we lack courage to deal with [this problem]? [I believe that] we do. Our lack of courage has been apparent ever since we invented the excuse of 'external [influences],' and began to toy with it and wave it at every opportunity. I do not know where these [external influences] come from, since it was we who sent our young men [to Afghanistan] in the first place, before we ever heard of [these influences] that allegedly come [from outside].
"Some preachers, [namely] those who fear the censor, deceive him by being implicit in their incitement to [wage] jihad in Iraq or Afghanistan. They speak in their sermons about the merits of jihad without mentioning a particular region. They speak in general terms that can be applied to any location, even to our [own] country. During the prayer, the details start to pour in thick and fast: first, [a call to wage jihad] in Palestine, [which serve as] a smokescreen, and then [calls for jihad] in Afghanistan, Iraq and Chechnya, and finally... the call 'oh Allah, grant them victory everywhere!' 'Everywhere' includes our [own] country... and we say 'amen' after the preacher calls [upon Allah] to help the mujahideen in our [own] country..."
Saudi Released From Guantanamo: Fatwas Prompted Me to Join the JihadSa'd Ibrahim Al-Bidna, a young Saudi, traveled to Afghanistan with the aim of joining the jihad. He was arrested two months later, and spent four years and eight months at Guantanamo. In an interview with Al-Riyadh, he said that it was fatwas posted on the Internet that motivated him to wage jihad.
Al-Riyadh: "Tell us of your journey, from [the time] you left Saudi Arabia until your return."
Al-Bidna: "I started this exhausting journey when I left Saudi Arabia on my own, motivated by youthful enthusiasm to [wage] jihad for the sake of Allah in Afghanistan. I traveled to Afghanistan through Syria and Iran. [When I arrived], war was being waged against the Taliban and things were not clear to me. So I decided to leave Afghanistan for Pakistan, and from there to return to Saudi Arabia. But [when I reached] Pakistan, I was arrested and turned over to the American forces. [They] imprisoned me in Guantanamo, [where I remained] until the Saudi authorities intervened and brought me back to Saudi Arabia after years of suffering..."Al- Riyadh: "Tell us about the beginning of your journey and the reasons [that motivated you] to set out for Afghanistan."
Al-Bidna: "Many may find it difficult to believe, but I was not very devout, though I did pray regularly. But enthusiasm and zeal filled the hearts of many young people, and unfortunately, I followed certain fatwas that were posted on the Internet. [These fatwas] call upon young people to wage jihad in certain regions. They tempt them [by describing] the great reward [they will receive], the status of the martyrs in Paradise and the virgins that await them [there]. These fatwas have great influence on young people who have no awareness or knowledge [that enables them] to examine them and verify their validity."
In Afghanistan, I Saw Muslims Fighting Muslims, and That is Why I Left Al-Riyadh: "When you came to Afghanistan, did you find the notion of jihad to be as you had imagined it...?"
Al-Bidna: "When I arrived, the war against the Taliban was at its height. There were constant bombardments and things were not clear to me, especially since I was only there for two months. This is not enough time to understand how things really are. But what concerned me the most was that Muslims were fighting each other, and that is why I left [and went to] Pakistan - for in jihad, a Muslim must never fight his Muslim brother."
Al-Riyadh: "Based on your experience, did you feel that there was no real jihad in Afghanistan?"
Al-Bidna: "The [brief] period I spent there did not enable me see the full picture, and I did not have the knowledge to distinguish real jihad from other actions that are [only] called jihad. But I did see that there were devout people there. Some of them were young men who came [to Afghanistan] out of youthful enthusiasm and [due to their] scant religious knowledge, or were influenced by certain fatwas published by various religious scholars, or [were influenced by] by false images, which were not free of exaggeration, of the situation in Afghanistan. This was the kind of thing that prompted me to set out without informing or asking my family, and without considering the concept of legitimate jihad, its conditions and its rules."
Al-Riyadh: "Today, do you feel that you were wrong to set out [to Afghanistan], obeying some irresponsible fatwas?"
Al-Bidna: "Of course. I [now] understand that I was wrong. I should have asked the leaders for permission to set out [and wage jihad], or religious scholars known for their knowledge and piety, of which there are many in our country..."
Al-Riyadh: "Before you left for Afghanistan, was there anyone who urged you and encouraged you to go?"
Al-Bidna: "I did not belong to any group or organization, especially since I was not devout before I left. But there were obviously some fatwas that called [for jihad] and were posted on certain websites. [They] influenced many young men, both devout and [non-devout]..."
Had I Received Proper Guidance Before I Left for Afghanistan, I Would Not Have Gone
Al-Riyadh: "After returning [to Saudi Arabia], did you meet with the counseling committees? What changed in your way of thinking?"Al-Bidna: "My views began to change when I saw the real picture and understood my error, [even] before I was captured. When I returned to Saudi Arabia, we [i.e. the prisoners released from Guantanamo] met with sheikhs and religious scholars who taught us a great deal, and who enlightened us on the tolerant directives of Islam. Had I [known all this] before I left, I would not have gone. The discussions with the religious scholars and sheikhs gave us the ability to distinguish truth from error, and set us on the right path."
Al-Riyadh: "From your experience, are there specific reasons that cause young people to adopt deviant views and carry out terrorist actions?"Al-Bidna: "Of course there are specific reasons [that motivate] young people, especially unemployment, the desire for self-fulfillment, and [having] free time. I, for example, finished [only] elementary school, and sat around without a job for many years prior to leaving for Afghanistan. Such things can cause young people to go astray, especially when there are [people] who feed them erroneous notions..."
Al-Riyadh: "Do you think that a fatwa posted online can prompt a young person to wage jihad, when he does not know for sure whether the fatwa is valid?"
Al-Bidna: "There is no doubt that the problem lies in the youth's enthusiasm [coupled with] scant knowledge. That's what happened with me. I did not think to verify the validity of these fatwas or to consult with anyone, and [consequently] made a big mistake..."
Endnote:
(1) Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), October 10, 2006.
*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Technorati tags: News ... 'War on Terror' ... Terrorism ... Fatwas ... 9/11 ... International News ... World News and Politics ... al-Qaeda ... US News ... Muslim ... Bin Laden ... Islamofascism ... Global Jihad ... Osama Bin Laden ... Caliphate ... counter terrorism ... Domestic Terrorism .. anti-US ... Islamist ... counterterrorism ... religious war
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
12 Congressmen Demand Pardon for Two Border Agents
Posted at WordNetDaily.com, October 25, 2006
Pictures on right: Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ignacio Ramos embraced his wife, Monica Ramos, two days before he was sentenced to 11 years in prison (Courtesy El Paso Times)
A dozen members of the House of Representatives have written to President Bush demanding an investigation of the case against two Border Patrol agents sentenced to 11 and 12 years in prison for the pursuit and shooting of a drug smuggler and calling for a presidential pardon of the pair.
U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso, Texas, sentenced Jose Alonso Compean to 12 years in prison and Ignacio Ramos to 11 years and one day despite a plea by their attorney for a new trial after three jurors said they were coerced into voting guilty in the case. For the rest of the story, please visit WordNetDaily: Conviction
Technorati tags: America ... ... Illegal ... Mexico ... Hispanic ... Immigration ... President Fox ... President Bush ... Mexico ... Border Control ... Border Fence ... Politically Correct
NK: Gulags for disabled
It is unimaginable and maybe that is why we do not conceive it, but North Korea does allow the disabled or the dwarfs to procreate. They are trying to raise a 'pure' race. If anyone has a child that is even half Chinese, it is killed.
You think there is torture here? Read the rest of this article by (The) Telegraph.
If you have troubled with that link, try this one.
You think there is torture here? Read the rest of this article by (The) Telegraph.
If you have troubled with that link, try this one.
China-NK continue port deal in spite of nuclear tests
Michael Rank, from NKZone, has written extensively about North Korea, and now he has written an article on the shenanigans in which China will continue to help North Korea, no matter the fact that they are under sanctions (China is a partner in the sanctions) that have been placed on North Korea.
It is a very good and articulate article which I recommend you take the time read. It is named, China-NK port deal on track despite nuclear test. Have a nice day.
It is a very good and articulate article which I recommend you take the time read. It is named, China-NK port deal on track despite nuclear test. Have a nice day.
Sanctions on Iran?
Here is the latest:
If you have trouble with this link, please try this one.
- The U.S. and its allies want the UN Security Council to ban the sale of missile and atomic technology to Iran and end most UN help for its nuclear programs, moves that diplomats said Tuesday were narrowly focused in hopes of winning Russian and Chinese backing for sanctions.
If you have trouble with this link, please try this one.
NK threatens war if SK joins sanctions
North Korea is now testing the backbone of South Korea by threatening war with them if they continue to join in the sanctions for which they agreed. You may read the article from ABC News here.
If you have trouble with that link, try this one.
If you have trouble with that link, try this one.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Vote NO on Proposition 87
The people of California pay more for gasoline than any other state in the union. This is partially due to taxes. If this bill passes, you can look forward to higher gasoline prices, less police officers, less fire fighters, less teachers, and the list continues. For these reasons, I am asking everyone in California to vote NO on Proposition 87. Thank you.
Iraq rises to confront
Courtesy of American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s governmental leaders are rising to confront “an array of complicated issues” amid a spike in insurgent violence, a senior U.S. military officer said Oct. 19. “The U.S. and Coalition leadership commends this perseverance, while the Multi-National Force-Iraq continues to assess and revise our strategy and tactics to support this government” in an ever-changing, dynamic environment, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq, told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
An Iraqi Police officer ,left, and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rob Landeros, with the California Army National Guard and assigned to the 49th Military Police Brigade, keep watch over a person who was driving a suspicious vehicle at a checkpoint in Ad-Diwaniyah, in southern Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Adrian Cadiz
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently announced the formation of a special committee to address the country’s illegal militia issue, Caldwell said.
The Iraqi Government, he added, is also seeking to reform its Security Ministries. In fact, the Iraqi Government reassigned a number of leaders of the National Police on Oct. 16. “Although the leadership at the division level has changed, the National Police continued to prove itself as a capable, and viable civil force,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell commended the Iraqi Military and Police efforts in combating the insurgency. The Iraqi Security Force is finding “a good number” of weapons caches throughout Iraq. That’s because Iraqi forces are knowledgeable about their areas of operation, Caldwell said, and are growing in size and professionalism.
Caldwell cited a recent joint Iraqi and U.S. Marine operation in Anbar province resulting in the detention of more than 35 suspected insurgents and the discovery of thousands of hidden weapons.
That operation, he said, collected more than 11,000 pieces of weapons and ordnance between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, including much material suitable for making Improvised Explosive Devices. Discovery of weapons caches in Iraq has increased over the past few months, Caldwell said, noting 170 caches were found in July, 190 in August, and 220 in September.
“Already this month, 144 caches have been found,” Caldwell said. And the Iraqi Security Forces is continuing to grow in numbers, as well as in capability, Caldwell said. More than 312,000 Iraqi Soldiers and Police have been trained and equipped by the Coalition Force.
Caldwell pointed to the Iraqi government’s recruiting plan to bring more than 30,000 new Iraqi troops to serve in troublesome Anbar province by May. And more than 600 Iraqi Police recruits, the general noted, are slated to graduate this week and begin work in the troubled province. In February, 3,800 Iraqi Police worked out of 14 active Iraqi Police stations in three of the nine districts in Anbar province, Caldwell said. Today, there are 33 police stations operating in eight districts, he noted, with more than 8,000 trained Iraqi Police.
Caldwell acknowledged there’s been an increase in insurgent violence since the start of Ramadan in late September. That’s consistent, he said, with similar spikes in enemy activity that have occurred during the month-long Muslim observance in the past two years. “The violence is indeed disheartening,” Caldwell said, noting there’s been a 22-percent increase in insurgent attacks in Baghdad during the first few weeks of this year’s Ramadan observance. But Operation Together Forward has made a difference, and has helped to reduce the amount of sectarian violence in the specific Baghdad neighborhoods. Still, he acknowledged, it hasn’t caused a reduction of the overall level of violence in the city. Meanwhile, “we are working very closely with the government of Iraq to determine how to best to re-focus our efforts,” Caldwell said.
That goal “is achievable,” Caldwell emphasized, “with a combination of both tough security measures by coalition and Iraqi Security Forces and a political process that recognizes that 11 to 12 million Iraqis voted for a unity government.”
Technatori Tags: News ... counterinsurgency ... Terrorism ... International News ... World News and Politics ... al-Qaeda in Iraq ... US News ... Iraq ... Jihad ... Media Bias ... Islamist ... Counterterrorism ... War
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s governmental leaders are rising to confront “an array of complicated issues” amid a spike in insurgent violence, a senior U.S. military officer said Oct. 19. “The U.S. and Coalition leadership commends this perseverance, while the Multi-National Force-Iraq continues to assess and revise our strategy and tactics to support this government” in an ever-changing, dynamic environment, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq, told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
An Iraqi Police officer ,left, and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rob Landeros, with the California Army National Guard and assigned to the 49th Military Police Brigade, keep watch over a person who was driving a suspicious vehicle at a checkpoint in Ad-Diwaniyah, in southern Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Adrian Cadiz Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently announced the formation of a special committee to address the country’s illegal militia issue, Caldwell said.
The Iraqi Government, he added, is also seeking to reform its Security Ministries. In fact, the Iraqi Government reassigned a number of leaders of the National Police on Oct. 16. “Although the leadership at the division level has changed, the National Police continued to prove itself as a capable, and viable civil force,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell commended the Iraqi Military and Police efforts in combating the insurgency. The Iraqi Security Force is finding “a good number” of weapons caches throughout Iraq. That’s because Iraqi forces are knowledgeable about their areas of operation, Caldwell said, and are growing in size and professionalism.
Caldwell cited a recent joint Iraqi and U.S. Marine operation in Anbar province resulting in the detention of more than 35 suspected insurgents and the discovery of thousands of hidden weapons.
That operation, he said, collected more than 11,000 pieces of weapons and ordnance between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, including much material suitable for making Improvised Explosive Devices. Discovery of weapons caches in Iraq has increased over the past few months, Caldwell said, noting 170 caches were found in July, 190 in August, and 220 in September.
“Already this month, 144 caches have been found,” Caldwell said. And the Iraqi Security Forces is continuing to grow in numbers, as well as in capability, Caldwell said. More than 312,000 Iraqi Soldiers and Police have been trained and equipped by the Coalition Force.
Caldwell pointed to the Iraqi government’s recruiting plan to bring more than 30,000 new Iraqi troops to serve in troublesome Anbar province by May. And more than 600 Iraqi Police recruits, the general noted, are slated to graduate this week and begin work in the troubled province. In February, 3,800 Iraqi Police worked out of 14 active Iraqi Police stations in three of the nine districts in Anbar province, Caldwell said. Today, there are 33 police stations operating in eight districts, he noted, with more than 8,000 trained Iraqi Police.
Caldwell acknowledged there’s been an increase in insurgent violence since the start of Ramadan in late September. That’s consistent, he said, with similar spikes in enemy activity that have occurred during the month-long Muslim observance in the past two years. “The violence is indeed disheartening,” Caldwell said, noting there’s been a 22-percent increase in insurgent attacks in Baghdad during the first few weeks of this year’s Ramadan observance. But Operation Together Forward has made a difference, and has helped to reduce the amount of sectarian violence in the specific Baghdad neighborhoods. Still, he acknowledged, it hasn’t caused a reduction of the overall level of violence in the city. Meanwhile, “we are working very closely with the government of Iraq to determine how to best to re-focus our efforts,” Caldwell said.
That goal “is achievable,” Caldwell emphasized, “with a combination of both tough security measures by coalition and Iraqi Security Forces and a political process that recognizes that 11 to 12 million Iraqis voted for a unity government.”
Technatori Tags: News ... counterinsurgency ... Terrorism ... International News ... World News and Politics ... al-Qaeda in Iraq ... US News ... Iraq ... Jihad ... Media Bias ... Islamist ... Counterterrorism ... War
One in 10 'Back Honour Killings'
Courtesy of BBC: One in 10 'backs honour killings'
The girl pictured on the left, Samaira Nazir, was murdered by her relatives after she asked to marry an Afghan man - instead of marrying someone in the Pakistani family circle.
BBC's Asian Network conducted a survey of 500 Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and Muslims. Apparently, one in 10 young British Asians surveyed believes so-called honour killings can be justified when someone disrespected their family's honour.
The United Nations estimates that 5000 women and girls are killed each year due to honour killing. An unidentified source at World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC) passed on to me that British police have recently re-opened around 150 cases in Britain that police now suspect may have been honour killings. Most deaths were originally listed as suicides and accidents and unknown etc (fell off the balcony etc). However the common thread in those deaths are young girls (age 16-26) of Kurdish, Middle Eastern etc parents..
The linked article from BBC One in 10 'backs honour killings' corroborates what an unidentified WEA RLC staffer shared with me today by mentioning that (British) Metropolitan Police are investigating 200 deaths linked to honour killings.
This may be the tip of the iceberg in out civilized societies where Honour Killings may be taking place in immigrant populations.
You may wish to visit the website International Campaign Against Honour Killings to get additional information regarding this subject.
Unfortunately counties like Canada, Australia and soon to be Britain avoid discussing the dirty little secret because there are now laws against religious vilification. Linking Islam or cult religions with violence is regarded by the court as vilification and subject to action. Human events on line wrote an excellent article in 2004 regarding the pitfalls of vilification laws, Pastors Found Guilty of Religious Vilification of Muslims. Honour Killings are difficult to investigate and the press does not like to mention the dirty little secret for fear off having lawsuits filed against them.
Related Stories:
Moderate Muslims Physically Threatened
Britain's Jack Straw Enrages Muslims
French Philosopher Faces Death Threats for Telling Truth About Muhammad
CAIR, Hamas and the House Candidate
Technorati tags: Islam in the News ... Honour Killings ... Religious Feud ... Ritual killing ... Muslim ... Christianity ... International News ... World News and Politics ... Koran ... Australian News ... Muslim Religious Killing ... Convert ... Apostasy ... Riddah ... Islamofacism ... Islamist ... Qur'an
Slave Owners in California Sentenced, not enough
Slavery in this country has been abolished since 1865, yet it continues. There were promises made (just like to the Indians) that were never signed into law (40 acres and a mule).
There were the Jim Crow laws that declared 'seperate but equal' was good enough for our black brothers and sisters. They were not allowed to eat, drink or sit wherever a white person could. They could not go to the same schools, and the schools they were allowed to attend were delapitated. Fine choice, eh?
Then there was bussing. Who's idea was this? Oh yes. Sen. Ted Kennedy. I guess he figured that black children did not want or need their friends from home. What a foolish and evil way to treat our neighbors. What an evil way to treat our children.
I am glad to say that we are doing much better. Is it truly better? Yes. Is it equal? In some areas of life, yes, in others, no. How do you change an ignorant person's heart?
Now we have a case--in this day and time--of slavery. It is outrageous that they only received a three years maximum prison sentence.
Maybe United States Attorney Debra Wong Yang can explain to us what went terribly wrong. If anyone has any additional information on this case, please contact me.
PS. The one thing to come out of this whole ordeal is the young lady, now 16, has been granted a visa allowing her to stay in America. I just pray she is blessed with a family whom will show her love, kindness, fairness, charity, and all the things she will need to have a successful and happy life.
Hat tip: Pajamas Media.
There were the Jim Crow laws that declared 'seperate but equal' was good enough for our black brothers and sisters. They were not allowed to eat, drink or sit wherever a white person could. They could not go to the same schools, and the schools they were allowed to attend were delapitated. Fine choice, eh?
Then there was bussing. Who's idea was this? Oh yes. Sen. Ted Kennedy. I guess he figured that black children did not want or need their friends from home. What a foolish and evil way to treat our neighbors. What an evil way to treat our children.
I am glad to say that we are doing much better. Is it truly better? Yes. Is it equal? In some areas of life, yes, in others, no. How do you change an ignorant person's heart?
Now we have a case--in this day and time--of slavery. It is outrageous that they only received a three years maximum prison sentence.
Abdel Nasser Ibrahim, 57, was handed a three-year prison sentence while ex-wife Amal El-Motelib, 43, was sentenced to 22 months by US District Judge James Selna. [Read the complete article]Editorial: I hate slavery, and this is completey unacceptable. Three years? What? You are allowed to kidnap a child at the age of 10 in Egypt, bring her here, treat her with physical and mental abuse, and have her in servatude for four years, and you only get three years? I do believe that we, as Americans, should stand together and unseat this judge.
Maybe United States Attorney Debra Wong Yang can explain to us what went terribly wrong. If anyone has any additional information on this case, please contact me.
PS. The one thing to come out of this whole ordeal is the young lady, now 16, has been granted a visa allowing her to stay in America. I just pray she is blessed with a family whom will show her love, kindness, fairness, charity, and all the things she will need to have a successful and happy life.
Hat tip: Pajamas Media.
Monday, October 23, 2006
News from Iran
If you would care to find out what is truly happening around the world generally and Iran specifically, please go to Causes of Interest. There is a lot of news on Iran over at one of my other sites. Thank you. :)
The French Intifada
Do you remember sometime ago when we heard, slightly, about some 'youths' in France rioting? Did you think it stopped? Then I suggest you read this.
Hat tip: Little Green Footballs.
Update: My contributing editor has also been keeping up with these horrendous acts of violence. You may read his articles here: Islamization of France and The Intifada of France II. They are both great articles, and I highly recommend them. Thank you, Bos'un, and have a great day everyone.
Hat tip: Little Green Footballs.
Update: My contributing editor has also been keeping up with these horrendous acts of violence. You may read his articles here: Islamization of France and The Intifada of France II. They are both great articles, and I highly recommend them. Thank you, Bos'un, and have a great day everyone.
The Israel Project is Expanding!
The Israel Project is expanding its offices, and there are some job openings. If you are interest, you will find all the information you will need right here.
Lieberman Soars
According to Newsmax.com. Joe Lieberman Soars With GOP Support
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"Running as an independent, as you well know, was not my first choice," Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., proclaimed recently. "I honestly now look at it as a kind of . . . a blessing."
The blessing is apparently showing in the latest polls. Because it appears that Sen. Joe Lieberman is surging in the polls, thanks to tremendous GOP support and Joe's reputation, morals, values, and ethics. All of the liberals and donk lefti who tried to throw Joe under a bus because of his support on the war on terror did not sleep well last night.
Now, from what I understand, Joe is going to remain an independent democrat and will undoubtedly continue to vote with his heart and his beliefs. The great thing about Joe is that he has always been a man of integrity and conviction. He votes for what he believes is in the best interest of the country and does not allow partisan politics stand in the way. I have not always agreed with Joe's position on legislation, but, I admire his as a man of his word and a dedicated public servant.
Read the breaking story at NewsMax.com — Go Here Now.
Technorati Tags: Lieberman … Democrat … Political News … War on Terror … Jewish … International News … World News and Politics … … pro-Israel … Integrity … Leftist … Liberal … Bias Press … Media BiasBias Press … Political BiasPolitical Pundits … Media Bias
The wisdom of the survivalist crowd
Crossposted with prior permission from TSC DAILY
DISCLAIMER: The different points of views of TSC Daily or it’s contributors are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.
By Josh Manchester : BIO| 23 Oct 2006
Glenn Reynolds' last article here at TCS drew attention to the seeming growth of disaster preparedness and survivalist tendencies in the mainstream population - even though such have usually been the stuff of small subcultures outside the mainstream. Glenn noted that this is no longer the case: freeze-dried food can be bought at Costco, chic survival kits are to be had at Eddie Bauer, and state and local governments left and right are constantly telling people to be ready to survive on their own for some time.
This trend dovetails nicely with another: the mainstreaming of apocalyptic visions of the future. Consider a recent article in New York Magazine, "Why Everyone Has Apocalypse Fever." (and see an extended discussion here). The author, Kurt Andersen, argues that the number of apocalypse-seeking and expecting individuals and groups has grown dramatically, and they are going mainstream:
Five years after Islamic apocalyptists turned the World Trade Center to fire and dust, we chatter more than ever about the clash of civilizations, fight a war prompted by our panic over (nonexistent) nuclear and biological weapons, hear it coolly asserted this past summer that World War III has begun, and wonder if an avian-flu pandemic poses more of a personal risk than climate change. In other words, apocalypse is on our minds. Apocalypse is ... hot.
Millions of people—Christian millenarians, jihadists, psychedelicized Burning Men—are straight-out wishful about The End. Of course, we have the loons with us always; their sulfurous scent if not the scale of the present fanaticism is familiar from the last third of the last century—the Weathermen and Jim Jones and the Branch Davidians. But there seem to be more of them now by orders of magnitude (60-odd million "Left Behind" novels have been sold), and they're out of the closet, networked, reaffirming their fantasies, proselytizing. Some thousands of Muslims are working seriously to provoke the blessed Armageddon.
Andersen is dismissive of many of these groups. But there is an easy relation between a mainstreaming of apocalyptic thinking and a mainstreaming of formerly hard core survivalist mentalities. One might not cause the other, but they both contribute to the zeitgeist.
Whether one chooses to see all of this as paranoia or preparedness is a personal call. But allow me to make an unprovable supposition: if there is one thing that is most likely to lead to some sort of breakdown in national order, it's not avian flu, hurricanes, global warming, or Armageddon. It is the war.
Perhaps this can be dismissed given my military background. "Man who has only hammer sees every problem as nail." Didn't Confucius say that? Nevertheless of all those other maelstroms, the one that is most immediate, growing, global, and certainly getting worse is the global Islamist insurgency - and unlike the other threats, it includes an adaptable, quickly learning enemy that seeks to kill as many as possible.
There are few places in the world or spheres of life now unaffected. Pakistan has ceded Waziristan to the Taliban. A coterie of Islamist judges have taken over Somalia. Thailand's new prime minister plans to "reach out" to those in the south of his country who have killed 1500 since 2004. The French police fight an intifada every night, and recently requested armored vehicles and water cannons to bolster their efforts. The British have asked university professors to keep tabs on Muslim students - because there are so many who could be radicals that the intelligence agencies need all the help they can get. And we haven't even touched Iraq, the ambitions of Iran, or its bosom buddy Kim Jong Il, who now professes a trio of more nuclear tests shortly.
One cannot listen to the Pope; watch South Park; walk into a bookstore; enter a university campus; or of course peruse the news without being inundated by reactions to or the influence of jihad.
Americans are therefore preparing for what might come, without really knowing what it might be, only that it will probably be bad to say the least.
The French military theorist Ardant du Picq ( . . . mandatory pause for snickers about French military theorists . . .) specialized in the moral dimension of war. "It is to be noted that when a body actually awaits the attack of another up to bayonet distance (something extraordinarily rare), and the attacking troop does not falter, the first does not defend itself." That lack of defense comes from the assumed moral superiority of the attacking force, due to the fact that at some subconscious level, a force that is confident enough in itself to attack, is also confident in its reasons for attacking, and maybe even in its world view.
Du Picq once related the story of a Russian unit that waited and waited for an attack, expecting to join the fight only after being struck first:
They say that the battle of Amstetten was the only one in which a line actually waited for the shock of another line charging with the bayonets. Even then the Russians gave way before the moral and not before the physical impulse. They were already disconcerted, wavering, worried, hesitant, vacillating, when the blow fell. They waited long enough to receive bayonet thrusts, even blows with the rifle.
This done, they fled. He who calm and strong of heart awaits his enemy, has all the advantage of fire. But the moral impulse of the assailant demoralizes the assailed. He is frightened; he sets his sight no longer; he does not even aim his piece.
Back in August, when Tony Blair gave a important yet largely ignored speech in Los Angeles, he made these comments about our enemies:
Sometimes political strategy comes deliberatively, sometimes by instinct. For this movement, it was probably by instinct. It has an ideology, a worldview, it has deep convictions and the determination of the fanatic. It resembles in many ways early revolutionary Communism. It doesn't always need structures and command centres or even explicit communication. It knows what it thinks.
So it does. And while the American people may be divided on many issues, they are preparing for what is to come, practicing their own form of strategy by instinct - and rightly so, for, given our present course, the horrors visited upon us thus far may merit a mere footnote compared to those to be loosed upon us in the trials ahead.
The author, Josh Manchester, is a TCS Daily contributing writer. I would encourage you to visit TSC Daily to read more thought provoking and controversay articles.
If you are a producer or reporter who is interested in receiving more information about this article or the author, please email your request to interview@tcsdaily.com
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