Heaven Help Us

Memorial Day Tribute

2006-05-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

A Tribute to The Red White and Blue

Whenever I see our flag waving proudly; her red white and blue boldly blowing in the wind, I realize she wears the colors of our heroes. The red represent the blood shed by those heroes, our men and women in service, given to defend our freedom. It represents their pain, their ugly and disabling wounds and even their very lives all given for a greater cause. The white symbolizes the purity of heart of those men and women who served, who never took our rights for granted; they valued them and because they cherish what this country stands for they answered the call to serve. The blue reflects the true blue spirit of these patriots, the men and women we can depend on to protect America and her liberties. They are the brave souls who will remain loyal to the cause, the ones on which we can rely even when the going gets tough. So now when I see our flag being raised up the pole and see her swaying proudly in the wind, I realize how she is saluting our military men and women. As she gallantly shows her red, white and blue she is reminding us that because they were brave, we are free. So for all our military men and women, for those who have served or are serving today, for those that have gone before us: Thank you for defending our freedom, for serving our country and for protecting our liberties; for without the brave there can be no free people.

Oh, say does that Star - Spangled Banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave

Republicans, the Party of Corruption?

2006-05-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Below, in a draft form; are excerpts and headlines from news articles usually stuck on the back pages of newspapers. Obviously the media does not want to make a big to-do about such facts and hope they will be missed by the majority of Americans. Of course if such incidents involve a Republican; any wiff of a scandal--then the media would have such stories splashed across their front pages for weeks on end.

Corruption by Democrats

· A review of misconduct cases in the House of Representatives since Watergate shows many more cases involving Democrats than Republicans. Skeptics can go to the web site of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, popularly known as the House Ethics Committee. Click on “historical documents” and go to a publication called “Historical Summary of Conduct Cases in the House of Representatives.” The document was last updated on November 9, 2004 and lists every ethics case since 1798, when Rep. Roger Griswold of Connecticut attacked Rep. Matthew Lyon of Vermont with a “stout cane” and Lyon responded with a pair of fireplace tongs. There have been 70 different members of the House who have been investigated for serious offenses over the last 30 years, including many involving actual criminality and jail time. Of these, only 15 involved Republicans, with the remaining 55 involving Democrats.

. One of the most ignored Democrat scandals that recently reemerged has involved Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager, Peter Frank Paul, who filed a lawsuit against Bill Clinton, alleging that the former president reneged on a $17 million business deal. Worldnetdaily.com reported on April 8 that Paul claimed “Sen. Clinton pulled off the biggest campaign-finance fraud in history,” by “separately” preparing to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission charging the Democratic senator with submitting a false report – for a fourth time – that hides his personal donation of a multi-million dollar Hollywood gala and fund-raiser that helped put her in office.”

. Democrat Patrick Kennedy is given special treatment by police when he crashes his car while driving intoxicated. No breathalyzer test was given; instead Kennedy was conveniently driven home by the Police. While other Americans would have been charged with a DWI, Kennedy gets free taxi service.

· Georgia Democrat Rep. Cynthia McKinney strikes a U.S. Capital Police officer. Media leftists who demand endless apologies from Republicans – and slant the news against them if they don’t – aren’t demanding an apology from the unrepentant McKinney. In fact, after being cited for the fifth time in yet another round with the American patriots of the U.S. Capitol Police Department, McKinney won another free pass from her anti-American media associates who routinely look the other way whenever a Clinton Democrat breaks – and think they are above – the law.

· Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, head of the Democratic Election committee, is given a free pass when one of his senior aides illegally obtains the social security number of Maryland’s Lt. Governor Michael Steel in order to try to smear him in the upcoming election. If Schumer had been a Republican, Democrats would be shouting corruption and demanding an investigation as well as for Schumer to step down. However, since Schumer is one of their own, they look the other way.

· Democrat Alan Mollohan, has been accused of House ethics violations, was cited for committing over 250 House ethics violations by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), which filed a complaint on Feb. 28 with the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, alleging that Mollohan “failed to disclose and grossly underreported his assets, loans and interests in certain companies.” But the media would have you believe only Delay broke any rules.

. Another Democrat scandal that was also widely ignored by the elite media involved Illinois Democrat Cong. Jan Schakowsky’s husband, Robert Creamer. According to The Hill (April 5, 2006), Creamer was sentenced to five months in prison and 11 months house arrest on April 5 for a 1990s check-kiting scam when he headed the now-defunct Illinois Public Action Council, which was supposedly a consumer advocacy group.

· A former aide to Rep. William Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana, who pleaded guilty the day before to bribing the congressman. The aide, Brett Pfeffer, said that his former boss had demanded a stake in Pfeffer’s business in return for his support. He also alleged that Jefferson had insisted that two of his relatives be put on Pfeffer’s payroll. Apparently, the FBI has been investigating Jefferson for some time. It has raided his home and wired conversations with him in a sting operation.

· Jan. 12, a state assemblyman who had formerly headed the Brooklyn Democratic Party was sentenced to jail a day earlier for receiving illegal contributions. The assemblyman, Clarence Norman Jr., faces other charges as well.

· On Jan. 23, former Democratic Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell is on trial for receiving payoffs of $150,000 from companies doing business with the city, as well as $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and other gratuities.

. Senate Majority Leader Democrat Chuck Chvala of Wisconsin said he did not believe he was breaking the law when pleading guilty to two felonies. Chvala entered guilty pleas to two felony counts, using a so-called independent campaign fund to collect money from lobbyists and give it to Democrats who were in serious election fights to retain their seats. Chvala won back control of the Senate from Republicans in 1996 and held onto it until he was charged with 19 felonies in 2002, using the post to stymie Republicans who controlled the Assembly and governor's office during that period. Many of the Democrats defeated in 2002 were targeted because of their links to Chvala.

. Texas Contractors today pled guilty to illegal campaign donations to Democrats in Texas: The U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association has pleaded guilty to two counts of giving illegal corporate donations to Democratic candidates during the 2002 election. "Texas law is very clear in prohibiting campaign contributions by corporations and labor unions," Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle said.The contractors were charged with contributing money collected from businesses to political candidates. John Sharp, running for lieutenant governor, received $1,000 from the contractors, and Sam Guzman, running for state representative from Austin, got $2,000. Gee, I thought Democrats said only Delay did that.

. In East St. Louis, Illinois today, the five Democratic leaders convicted of voter fraud in July had their sentencing postponed until January. The sentencing hearings for former City Council member Charles Powell Jr. and four other Democratic Party leaders convicted of vote buying have been rescheduled for January and February.

. Democrats have yet to return "dirty money" donations from U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance, a North Carolina Democrat, was "sentenced" to four years in prison on Oct. 12.

Alabama's former Democratic Governor, Donald Siegelman, was indicted yesterday on federal charges of racketeering, fraud, bribery, extortion and obstruction of justice. Siegelman is alleged to have taken bribes while governor.

West Virginia - At least 6 Convictions of Voter Fraud this Year West Virginia Democrats Charged with Vote Buying

. St. Louis - (Missouri and Illinois) 16 convictions of voter fraud, election violations, and attempted murder of a federal voter fraud witness

· Harry Reid is in a class by himself. One of his sons and his son-in-law lobby in Washington for companies, trade groups and municipalities seeking Reid's help in the Senate. A second son has lobbied in Nevada for some of those same interests, and a third has represented a couple of them as a litigator. In the last four years alone, their firms have collected more than $2 million in lobbying fees from special interests that were represented by the kids and helped by the senator in Washington. So pervasive are the ties among Reid, members of his family and Nevada's leading industries and institutions that it's difficult to find a significant field in which such a relationship does not exist.

· Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) paid her son, a lawyer, $130,000 over four years to run her political action committee, according to her campaign filings.

· Connecticut Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman: Son Matthew received about $34,000 and daughter Rebecca about $36,000 for working on the senator's 2004 presidential campaign

· Senator Joseph Biden's youngest son R. Hunter Biden is a Washington lobbyist/lawyer connected to the National Group.

Katie Couric is a fool

2006-04-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

A comment about Katie Couric: Really I’m amazed any news station would want her or that anyone would listen to her. There was one morning where I watched her interview J.K. Rowling about her most recent Harry Potter book. Couric was claiming she had read all the books because her kids loved it. So after claiming to be an expert she then shows her complete ignorance asking Rowling about the romantic relationship developing between Harry Potter and Herminone Granger. Oh pleeeeease! She can’t even make heads or tales of a children’s book! Herminone was obviously interested in Ron Weasley. I couldn’t help but wonder how this woman can be a political analyst when she can’t even figure out a book written for children. I will never forget the look on Rowling’s face. She was absolutely aghast at Couric’s stupid comment. She looked at her and said something along the lines of, “You really think so? I would think it’s obvious she’s falling for Ron.” I wish that interview could be re-aired so that everyone could see what a nincompoop Couric really is!

NJ Students Hold a Mock Trial Against President Bush for War Crimes

2006-03-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

A mock trial is being held in a high school classroom in Parsippany over Bush’s alleged “crimes against civilian populations” and “inhumane treatment of prisoners.” School officials claim this is not about bashing Bush—sure, of course not—that’s why they didn’t hold a mock trial on human rights violations or crimes committed by terrorists.

Long ago, when I was in school we held mock trials; however, they were based on actual trials that had taken place--not on the wishful thinking of left-wing liberals. Students were able to research the presentation of both the prosecution and the defense. Such research provided students with a clear understanding of both sides of the issue.

I have heard all the inane arguments defending this classroom activity and it amounts to claptrap. Our nation is at war with terrorism and common sense tells us this is a bad idea; most especially when Osama bin Laden loves to use anti-American hyperbole on his tapes which are broadcasted around the world. And now we have a Parsippany high school adding more fodder to bin Laden’s propaganda; they might as well charge him a fee for their PR service.

Schools should be a place where students learn how to be good citizens. Part of such an education should include how to be a responsible citizen during times of war; and how to exercise free speech respectfully and responsibly. Those opposing Bush’s policies are always free to speak out against them; but there is nothing wrong with teaching kids it can be done so in a mature and respectful way—unlike the liberal members of Congress that prefer to use inflammatory remarks to incite hatred and destroy America’s reputation abroad.

Pope and Church Speak on Violence of Muslims

2006-03-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

Below Is an article from Catholic World News CWN:

>Jesuit journal challenges "moderate" Islamic leaders

Rome, Mar. 02 (CWNews.com)

- An influential Jesuit journal has challenged moderate Muslim leaders to intervene to curtail the violent protests over cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammed.

In an editorial that will appear in print later this week, Civilta Cattolica argues that Islamic fundamentalists have deliberately inflamed public protests against the Danish cartoons. The editorial also calls upon European leaders to defend the fundamental priniciples of their own culture.

Civilta Cattolica is regarded as an authoritative publication whose views reflect those of the Holy See, since all articles published in the Jesuit journal are reviewed in advance by the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The editorial appearing in the March 4 issue observes that many Muslims have been the victims of a propaganda campaign aimed to stir up outrage against European institutions. The 12 cartoons that are the focus of the worldwide demonstration were published in a Danish newspaper last September, Civilta notes. The public outrage that reached critical mass nearly four months later was the result of a concerted effort to cause religious conflict, the editorial states.

While conceding that the cartoons were clearly "blasphemous" by Muslim standards, and a deliberate offense against Islamic sensitivities, Civilta Cattolica goes on to say that "one cannot use a few caricatures as the pretext for unleashing a violent confrontation against the West."
The violent expressions of outrage in the Islamic world fail to recognize the good-faith efforts by Western countries to protect the rights of Muslims, the magazine says. The Western world, the editorial argues, "cannot accept an Islamic fundamentalism that cultivates hatred against the West in predominantly Muslim countries." Islamic propagandists, the magazine says, are attempting to blame all the current ills of the Muslim world on the West.

While it is reasonable to ask the West to avoid offending religious beliefs, Civilta Cattolica argues, it is equally reasonable:
….to ask those who profess themselves to be "pacifist" or "moderate" Muslims, who say that Islam is "a religion of peace," to oppose all forms of fundamentalism and all efforts to create or promote divisions and sentiments of hatred between the peoples of the West and those of the Islamic world, between Christians and Islam.The Jesuit journal goes on to ask Western leaders to end their "inertia and silence" regarding violations of religious freedom in the Islamic world. Citing the "principle of reciprocity" that Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) mentioned in his February 20 meeting with a new ambassador from Morocco, the editorial said that Western governments should demand that religious minorities in the Islamic world receive the same respectful treatment that Muslims enjoy in the West.

As long as leaders remain silent in the face of religious-freedom violations by Muslim governments, Civilta Cattolica says, their passive attitude will provide encouragement to both fundamentalists in the Islamic world and anti-Muslim extremists in the West. Both Islamic leaders and Western governments must accept their responsibility to ward off a "clash of civilizations," the editorial concludes.

Also in CWN:
Pope says terrorists face God's wrath

Vatican, Feb. 27 (CWNews.com) - Terrorists who kill in the name of religious faith will receive a stern judgment from God, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) warned during a public audience on Sunday, February 26.

Responding to a new spate of religious violence in Iraq and in Nigeria, the Pope said: "God, the Creator and Father of all, will be severe in his judgment of those who shed their brothers' blood invoking His name."

. . . The Pontiff referred first to the attacks on mosques in Iraq, in a conflict between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims. These attacks, he said, "spread mourning, nourish hatred, and interfere with the already difficult job of reconstruction in that country."

. . . Such violence deserves "firm condemnation" by all responsible religious leaders, he said.

Violence and bloodshed are not authentic products of religious faith, the Holy Father said. True faith, he said, produces "not destructive conflict, but the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation for the common good."

Teacher's anti US Rant Caught on Tape

2006-03-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what students are learning at the hands of radical liberals? Be sure to listen to the tape made by a student in his H.S. geography class and listen to the rants of his teacher. This you have to hear for yourself--- way too unbelievable!

No matter what one’s political view may be, all parents need to be concerned when any political views (especially radical ones) are presented in the classroom without any balance; any attempt to represent the other side under the banner of education. Children are not being “educated” they are being indoctrinated.

Here.
Just click on: Additional Resources—Listen to the taped remarks made by Overland High School teacher Jay Bennish.

Did the Oklahoma student really mean to blow himself up in a stadium with 80,000 fans?

More here.

Clintons on opposing sides
Does Sen. Clinton Believe Her Husband was Undermining National Security?

More.

Abbas: 'Signs of al-Qaida in Gaza, West Bank'Palestinian officials for months denied infiltration of global terror group

JERUSALEM – After months of denying al-Qaida had any relationship with Palestinian groups, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in remarks published today there were signs the global terror organization has established itself in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
"We have indications about a presence of al-Qaida in Gaza and the (West) Bank. This is intelligence information. We have not yet reached the point of arrests," Abbas said.

More.

Loss of Common Sense

2006-02-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

In this age of political correctness and of tolerance—we have lost all common sense. Our establishments are becoming idiotic at a rate faster than the speed of light.

The Wall Street Journal today informs us that a former Taliban spokesman is now a student at Yale. More here.

The Time article, “Like a Virgin” informs us how women are spending thousands to have their hymen restored to become a “virgin” once more and have their “innocence” restored. Married women are actually doing this as an anniversary gift for their husbands with the hope that it will bring back some of the passion in their marriage. Let’s see if we’ve got this straight—women are spending lots of money having their hymens restored which is gone after only one night of ‘passion’ while children are walking around starving? More here.

A group that calls itself “United for Peace and Justice” wants to storm the White House and overthrow our elected government by force. An SOS was sent to the UN.

U.N. SOS - We need your help to end the reign of international criminals.
It is our duty and the duty of the United Nations to rescue the people of the world from the U.S. dictators. Murder for occupation and theft of land is illegal. Murder of journalists is criminal. Remove the traitors who have stolen the U.S. budget and used it to commit international crimes against humanity.

For more on this see Captain's Quarter Beware the Ides of Marching and
also Michelle Malkin The Moonbats Plot a Coup

That’s it for today although I am sure there is more. But I think it’s all we can handle before a severe depression sets in.

Islam of Terrorists

2006-02-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

There’s no doubt that the news of late has been terribly depressing and demonstrative of the complexities involved in the terrorist threat the world is facing today. Al Qa’ida and Islamic fanatics are not stupid (albeit I wish they were) understanding their culture far better than any Western leader and knowing just what buttons to push to initiate a violent reaction. The bombing of the Golden Mosque was in a sense a stroke of genius if indeed your intent was to advance a civil war in Iraq. And its obvious we were not prepared for such a move—a move so alien, so foreign to western thought. Who could believe that these Islamic fanatics who claim that Islam must be practiced more strictly, would in their warped minds find it appropriate to blow up a house of worship, a mosque with the sole purpose of worshipping their Allah? Western logic would conclude that this is an affront to their deity—and yet in their twisted logic they see this as an act of holiness. Heaven help us—but it is so difficult to confront and fight an enemy who thinks so “outside of the box” – whose logic is so alien to ours, whose judgment is so foreign to the West, whose nature is so violent and inhumane . . . How do we remain one step ahead of irrational behavior?

Americans do need to try to understand this “out of the box thinking” better. Primarily one of the important elements to understand is that Islam is a faith that is actually used to govern, to rule as well as being military in nature. Truly it is like no other religion we have encountered before.

Here’s a little bit of history I recently read about; it’s one of those “little things” that goes a long way understanding this Muslim culture. Obviously this is a very condensed version. Apparently there was a character named Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian, who became a leading ideologue of Muslim fundamentalism and a member of the Muslim Brothers. (This is one of the Islamic fundamentalist sects which translates into fanatics.)

Qutb came to the US to study—1948-1950. After he returned from America he became one of those “fanatic Islamists.” He was sentenced to prison in 1955 for his radical writings and released in 1964. Again he was rearrested in 1965 for planning to assassinate Pres. Nasser. He was sentenced to death and executed but not before the damage was done; that is developing an ideology that is harming us to this very day.

After his visit to America he turned against us because we supported Israel what he viewed as support for ‘the Jewish onslaught on Islam.’ He also experienced a cultural clash with our lifestyle—which he found sinful, degenerate, and debauched. He even criticized our churches for holding dances where women and men “shamelessly” touched each other while dancing all under the noses of American religious leaders! He quoted the Kinsey Reports* on sexual behavior to document American debauchery.

Qutb’s writing and preaching was directed at what he referred to as the “internal enemy” the “age of ignorance.” And his philosophy that the degeneracy of America was a threat to Islam became the articles of faith among Muslim fundamentalist; in other words we were a bad influence. Of course he could have visited any Western country and drawn the same conclusions, but as fate would have it he visited America. And so the hatred was directed at us. But this ideology goes a step further. In the radical Islamist view the world of Christian unbelievers (the West) was the major force obstructing the spread of Islam—what Muslims view as divinely ordained goal to make Islam global. The United States was being recognized as a superpower of the West and so in the eyes of the Islamofanatics, America was the head of ‘The Land of Unbelievers.’ Thus in this twisted radical logic we earned the title the Great Satan among the fanatics—which later became very popular after Khomeini publicly began using it against us.

This was also the dawn of “the communication era” and so these ideas spread through the media, in pamphlets, sermons, and public speeches—and spread rather quickly at that. This ideology has become a part of the vocabulary of Islamic fanatics and now we have a clearer picture of what is meant by the term ‘the Great Satan.’

These things are important to understand because some confuse the issue trying to argue that American foreign policy is what created this anger against us. While it’s true that some of our policies and actions in the Middle East are cited as grievances against us, it is used more as ‘the icing on the cake’ but it is not the cake—the meat of the matter itself. These political grievances are merely used to further their arguments against us—it is not the basis for their hatred against us. If that were the case then why wouldn’t Russia be sharing the Great Satan title with us?

Islamofascists believe our culture, our way of life is a threat against Islam. Tremendous harm would be done to confuse this issue. Those that want to argue that it was our foreign policy that is responsible for this hatred against us are misinformed; they are guilty of thinking with “Western logic” believing that this hatred must have a logical reason. They are not thinking like a Muslim and therefore missing the mark. In truth our policies have little to do with this—they did not help—but they are not the core reason behind Muslims hatred of us. The more Americans understand this—the better—because without a clear understanding of what is going on, we cannot develop sound and wise policies.

To better understand this clear and present danger be sure to read the piece in the Wall Street Journal Today (Feb. 25, 2006). Daughter of Islam

Please note--when I refer to Muslims in this writing I am refering to fanatical Muslims and terrorists. This should not be confused with Moderate Muslims such as the one described in the article above.

*An Aside: Kinsey created false and corrupted reports—conducting inhumane experiments on children who were exploited by pedophiles under the banner of scientific research; and he studied men in prisons where there is more homosexual behavior than in the general population—so much for a control group. His methods lacked scientific structure and are considered by many to be severely immoral—such as his methods to try to bring infants to what he claims were orgasms—a very sick, sick man. Later the far left liberal groups used these scientifically flawed and corrupt Kinsey Reports to advance extremely liberal forms of sex education on our children where immoral and deviant behavior was taught as “normal.” Truly it is amazing how one evil man can spread so much evil in the world. But just as Kinsey created a spread of tremendous evil in our society; so too have individuals like Qutb and Osama Bin Laden and the Ayatollah Khomeini.

Press Corps is to liberalism what the Inquistion was to Catholicism

2006-02-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

Pat Buchanan writes:

As some of us have long argued, the Washington press corps – deeply ideologized as it is – is both a cargo vessel of news and information and a carrier of contraband. Though it flies a neutral flag, there is nothing neutral about it. The D.C. press corps is to liberalism what the Inquisition was to Catholicism: the defender of orthodoxy and scourge of heretics.

Full article here: The White House and adversary press

Press Coverage In Middle East over Mosque Bombing
Check out the Mudville Gazatte today here with some examples of the way the media is covering this story in Iraq. I hope this link works. If it doesn’t I hope you’ll forgive me—there is a link to the Mudville Gazette on the sidebar.

It is so tragic that these people have been consistently lied to and misinformed about events taking place in their own countries. What might the Middle East look like today if their media did not try to manipulate their emotions and behaviors and did not serve an agenda?

It goes without saying that this is tragic for America as well—that while trying to aid the Iraqi people to form some kind of democratic government where (God willing) all will have a better life; having sacrificed for them so dearly; only to have the media in surrounding countries continue to represent us as the great Satan. If only they would stop for a moment and recognize just where they are leading Islamic nations—but that’s a pipe dream. Sadly, I believe there are just as many Muslims as Americans that do not fully appreciate the real threat here. Ironically, if the Islamofanatics get their way, all of us will be living very miserable and oppressed lives.

Some have been awaken, but so many remain dormant—asleep or perhaps simply in a state of denial. Usama bin Laden would like nothing more than to see a civil war erupt in Iraq; forcing American troops to leave before the country is strong enough to defend itself. Some naively believe if Americans were to leave that things would settle down—that it’s all the Muslims want in the first place. While this may perhaps be true for the Ba’th Party left over from the Saddam Hussein's regime, it is certainly not true of Al Qa’ida and the terrorists.

What needs to be understood is that the terrorists would see the eviction of American soldiers not as an end but as a beginning—the first step in a much larger war for global victory of Islam. As foreign as it may be to American reasoning and logic—Usama bin Laden has declared war against us and in his mind it “marks the resumption of the struggle for religious dominance of the world that began in the seventh century.” *

Europe, the United Nations, and the Democrats need to wake up. Denial is not going to save us. “This struggle is no longer limited to one or two countries, as some Westerners still manage to believe. It has acquired first a regional then a global dimension, with profound consequences for all of us.”*

I realize I am not providing any new information. For those who are informed about this issue, there’s nothing really new here. But perhaps if it is repeated often enough maybe others will start to listen.

I think it takes a while to reach the understanding of how terrorists think—to come to the realization that their way of looking at things has nothing to do with the logic and reasoning used by the West. There are still those on the far Left trying desperately and foolishly to apply rational reasoning to the actions of the terrorists by trying to convince themselves that they must have some legitimate grievances against us to merit these attacks. (We saw this after 9/11) What they fail to realize is that in the radical Islamist view—the world of Christian “unbelievers” is the major force that is obstructing the “divinely ordained” spread of Islam. And because America is viewed as the superpower of the West, the head of ‘The Land of Unbelievers’-- they “reason” according to their logic that we are the Great Satan. The liberals still want to cling to the notion that this has to do with imagined atrocities committed against them. They really don’t get it. Obviously all our dealings with the Middle East have not been perfect, but if this truly were the reasoning behind the terrorists and fanatics labeling, then why doesn’t Russia share the title with us?

This really is more about viewing our way of life as evil and sinful; of viewing the West as infidels. Bernard Lewis explains how Islamic fanatics view American way of life as crimes and sins:

“The liberation of women means debauchery . . . Free elections mean that the American people freely chose their rulers and must therefore be held accountable and punishable for those rulers’ misdeeds—that is, there are no “innocent civilians.” Worst of all is the separation of church and state . . .” Here Lewis quotes Bin Laden:

‘You are a nation who, rather than ruling by the Shariah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws, choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire. You separate religion from your policies, contradicting the pure nature which affirms Absolute Authority to the Lord and your Creator. . . You are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind.’

Lewis continues: “This judgment is the more remarkable coming at a time when the Nazi and Soviet dictatorship are still living memories . . .”

* Statements made by Bernard Lewis, from his book “The Crisis of Islam—Holy War and Unholy Terror” Bernard Lewis is recognized as one of the best historians of the Middle East. He is the Cleveland E. Doge Professor of the Near Eastern Studies Emeritus at Princeton University and has authored numerous books on the Middle East.

Iraq's WMD and Russia?

2006-02-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

A must read:
Ex-Official: Russia Moved Saddam's WMD
Kenneth R. Timmerman
Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006
Here.

A top Pentagon official who was responsible for tracking Saddam Hussein's weapons programs before and after the 2003 liberation of Iraq, has provided the first-ever account of how Saddam Hussein "cleaned up" his weapons of mass destruction stockpiles to prevent the United States from discovering them.

. . . "They were moved by Russian Spetsnaz (special forces) units out of uniform, that were specifically sent to Iraq to move the weaponry and eradicate any evidence of its existence," he said.

Cartoon Crisis, UN, Ports & Prisons

2006-02-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

Well, apparently there is at least one person out there with some brains to see this Muslim cartoon event clearly. CWNews.com reported:

A prominent Roman prelate has complained that Western governments and international organizations are silent in the face of anti-Christian violence in the Islamic world.
Bishop Salvatore Fisichella, speaking to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, said that international leaders must "abandon the path of diplomatic silence, which is no longer sustainable." World leaders can no longer remain neutral, he said, in the face of mounting violence which has been widely reported in the press but studiously ignored in diplomatic circles.

Bishop Fisichella is a highly regarded figure in the Church in Rome. He serves as rector of the Lateran University and chaplain to the Italian parliament, as well as an auxiliary bishop of Rome. He argued that world leaders should put pressure on the leaders of the Islamic world to assume their proper responsibilities and curb violence against Christians and other religious minorities. In particular, he said, action should be expected from the Arab League, the European Union, and the UN.

Government leaders, the Italian bishop continued, must cease to count on a "myopic neutrality" and demand that Islamic states offer the same rights to other faiths that Muslims receive in the Western world.

Now that's telling it like it is!

Military Blogs
Capt. B of One Marine's View once again demonstrates common sense when he points out that with all the important events taking place in the world today our news media focuses on Cheney’s hunting accident and the Whippet at large that escaped at JFK airport. Really no one but the Captain can say it better when a four legged creature gets more front page coverage than the heroes fighting the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More Inane Proposals from UN
Personally I won’t be happy until the UN is taken apart brick by brick. This hypocritical institution is turning out to be a true menace to the world. That there are actually people out there that believe in this utopian idea that there can be a fair world government and just international laws is utterly amazing. We have all seen local politicians putting their own personal agendas above what is good for their country. They are more concern with staying in power than in what is doing best for their nation; but somehow it’s supposed to be different when dealing on the international level? Good grief: more power equals more corruption, plain and simple. How can anyone believe that leaders are going to act in such a way that benefits the world and not put their own nation’s agenda at the forefront?

The Wall Street Journal discusses the latest inane proposal from the UN.

“ . . . here's what the sages of the U.N. actually propose. Instead of a Commission composed of 53 member states, the Council would consist of 45. Now there's a bold step. The U.N. also appears ready to drop the two-thirds majority requirement in favor of a simple majority, lowering the bar to membership. And a modest proposal to exclude countries under legally binding "Chapter VII" U.N. sanctions (as Iraq was before its liberation) has been excluded, presumably because it's too tough on the world's worst regimes.

Instead, the U.N. proposes distributing seats according to what it calls "equitable geographic distribution": 12 seats to Africa; 13 to Asia (including the Middle East); eight to Latin America; five to East Europe and seven to the so-called West European and Others Group, which includes the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.

Thus the two groups that contain the greatest proportion of liberal democracies are allotted the smallest number of seats. By contrast, in 2005 only nine countries in the whole of Africa were rated "free," according to Freedom House. In Asia and the Middle East, only about a dozen of 54 countries are free, and that's if you're counting Tuvalu, Palau, Nauru and Kiribati.

Put simply, this structure not only fails to exclude abusive regimes from membership in the Council, it actually guarantees them their seats. And it is rigged against the very countries whose opinions about human rights might be other than blatantly hypocritical. As to the potential merit of those opinions, we'll leave it to posterity to decide whether what the world really needed in this decade was another platform for Scandinavian highmindedness.” More at WSJ Sins of Commission

Corruption has become imbedded in the UN. We all know about the scandal involving the Oil for Food program. Targets of this investigation include Kofi Annan’s son, Kojo; his brother, Kobina Annan, the Ghanaian Ambassador to Morocco; his son’s best friend; his former chief of staff; his procurement officer and his executive director of the program and Kofi Annan, who is in the middle of all this, remains as the head of the UN. What other time in history would the people have allowed someone like Kofi Annan to continue to hold his office? What will it take for people to realize corruption follows this man like his own shadow? He has the a certain kind of Midas touch; one that debases everything he touches.

Mark Steyn, a columnist for the Chicago Times and contributor to numerous publications, says it so eloquently:

“Whatever your bag, the UN can find somewhere that suits—in West Africa, it’s Sex-for-Food, with aid workers demanding sexual services from locals as young as four; in Cambodia, it’s drug dealing; in Kenya, it’s the refugee extortion racket; in the Balkans, sex slaves. On a UN peace mission, everyone gets his piece.”

“. . . the UN is no longer a permanent talking shop for the world’s powers but an alternative power in and of itself—a sort of ersatz superpower intended to counter the real one."

As to how efficient the UN has been Steyn reminds of us the Balkans, Sudan and Cyprus. He describes the UN as a “malign combination of empty European gesture-politics and Third World larceny.” Now this really brings it home:

“As you may have notice, the good people of Darfur in Sudan have been fortunate enough not to attract the attention of the arrogant cowboy unilateralist Bush and have instead fallen under the care of the UN multilateral compassion set. So, after months of expressing deep, grave concern over whether the graves were deep enough, Kofi Annan managed to persuade the UN to set up a committee to look into what’s going on in Darfur. Eventually, they reported back that it’s not genocide.

. . . So thank goodness what’s going on in Sudan isn’t genocide. Instead, it’s just 10,000 corpses who all happen to be from the same ethnic group—which means the UN can go on tolerating it until everyone’s dead, and none of the multilateral compassion types have to worry their pretty heads about it.”

Stupidity Not Limited to UN

Stupidity does not seem limited to the UN. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is really taking this war against terrorism seriously. Over the last couple of days we learned about the $7 billion deal giving United Arab Emirates-owned Dubai Ports World control over significant operations at six major American ports in New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Miami. This just seems to be asking for trouble.

Of course there are Arabs that are trustworthy and honest, and it’s sad that because of violent radicals coming out of their nations, that this is creating uneasiness towards all their people. (All the more reason they should be denouncing the behavior of terrorists and calling attention how they are doing more harm to the Middle East than any so called “enemy of the West.”) But we have seen how terrorists come in all shapes and sizes which renders them hidden, veiled and not easily recognized. How simple would it be for a few terrorists 'under the radar' to apply to and find themselves working for Dubai where they are able to gain access to sensitive information and management plans about our key U.S. ports? How simple it would it be to recommend their friends for jobs perhaps forming a large cell right under our noses? Common sense just screams that this would be a bad move.

And yet because this proposal was not killed in committee, it has now become public and created quite a stir. Sadly, this is a no win situation. While it’s true that America wants to nurture its relations with moderate Muslims and it’s certain that we want to develop a working relation with them—the timing for this is all wrong. We are in the middle of a war with terrorists; terrorists that primarily are coming from the Middle East. Five years down the road this may be possible but not now. And sadly, because this was allowed to get as far as it did—if we do prevent this contract from going through it will give an awful message to Muslims that do want to work with us, and have supported us in the war. Even worse it will be more fuel for radical Islamists who will argue that America is not sincere and only intends to humiliate Muslims. What a complicated mess! I sincerely hope Americans will pray for our leaders to resolve this wisely. It will take a miracle.

Also troubling is the Bureau of Prisons lack of initiative to deal with the spread of radical Islam in its prisons. Employee Joe Mansour realized that his employer was not equipped to translate Arabic correspondence of inmates. The BOP houses over 100 prisoners with ties to international Islamic terrorist organizations. More Here.

And of course we have yet to touch upon the policy for illegal immigrants. Heaven help us!

I had to add a post script about the UN after reading Captain’s Quarters today. The NY Sun writes:

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations officials are investigating a recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents against staff, including the scrawling of Nazi swastikas in an official log book which was deliberately intended to upset an Israeli security officer.

The U.N. security chief, Bruno Henn, tried to draw the investigation to an end within his department. The Israeli guard, however, demanded a more extensive investigation and that the guard who had offended him be given a severe reprimand. It was then that the Israeli was met by Nazi salutes in the guards' quarters. Mr. Henn declined to comment to the Sun. The matter was brought to the attention of other officials, but they too wanted to leave the offense as a "category 2" case, a misdemeanor that is deemed best investigated within the department.

Yup, these are the same idiots that think they can manage the world. Read more at Captain's Quarters

Cheney’s Hunting Accident; Ted Kennedy and Hypocritical Media

2006-02-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

I really can’t get over how the press is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill about how Cheney delayed reporting to the media that he had accidentally shot a man while hunting. Watching the news clips last night made me think we had entered the Twilight Zone. The news showed flashes of reporters on the television screen demanding to know from the White House why Cheney waited a day to come public about the accident. What in the Sam hill is the big deal? Why is the media trying to make this a story? What an absolute joke. Now where is this same media when Ted Kennedy runs for re-election or makes an inane statement about Abu Ghraib? Do you see the media asking why he delayed to report his accident about Mary Jo Kopechne; a delay that probably caused this woman to lose her life? And where was the outrage when the Clinton administration took over 30 hours to report the suicide of Vincent Foster?

It’s not just that the media is hypocritical—it’s that they believe the American people are stupid enough to believe Cheney’s hunting accident taking a day to be reported to the public is actually news-worthy story. Forget about the poor man sprayed with buckshot needing some privacy during his hospitalization. The media’s hatred against Bush and Cheney is so acute that they will stop at nothing to try to represent this administration in a bad light. Even if they have to make it up as they go along.

There is plenty to criticize about the Bush administration without having to resort to these ridiculous tactics. All one has to do is talk about his illegal immigration policy. But to try to make a scandal out of a “non-story” is ridiculous. God help us. The press could do so much good if they actually represented the news fairly instead of always trying to spin and slant their coverage to support their biases and agendas. They will be the end of us. They are destroying this country faster than any nuke ever invented.

Cartoon Crisis

2006-02-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

A must read about the “cartoon crisis” is the piece by David Warren,
Organized Apoplexy.

It is important for people in the West to realize how the “Danish cartoon apoplexy” was started. Contrary to the impression left by most mainstream media, most of the Muslim world does not read Danish, store Danish flags in their closets, or have sea-mail subscriptions to all the Danish provincial newspapers. Everything they needed to riot was supplied, including a large volume of hateful lies.

Riots seldom, perhaps never happen spontaneously, in the Muslim world, or in ours for that matter. You need people committed to setting the bold example -- to pitching the first rock through the first window. And as we were reminded by the recent riots in France, it takes organization to keep a riot going. Witness the young men on scooters with cellphones, scouting fresh streets for the vandals to attack.

Warren discusses how the cartoons were ignored when they first appeared and describes the orchestrated efforts to incite Muslims to riot.

From several sources, we now know that word of the cartoons was then carried systematically through the Muslim world -- to principal mosques, madrasahs, and government offices starting in Egypt. This was done by delegations sent by Ahmed Abu-Laban, the Saudi-supported Imam of Copenhagen. And in addition to the dozen cartoons that had actually appeared in that obscure provincial newspaper -- most fairly innocent, and one actually satirizing opposition to Islam -- the delegations' "media kits" included as many as 30 graphics that had never appeared, and by their nature would never appear, in a Western mainstream newspaper. For instance, a photo of a man dressed as a pig, over the caption, “This is the real Mohammad.” The fake pictures not only outnumbered the real ones, they were much nastier. (A picture of the photo Warren refers to is below in yesterday’s post.)

The fake pictures not only outnumbered the real ones, they were much nastier. Many were in the style of anti-Semitic cartoons that appear frequently in Arab papers, but turned around to target Muslims instead of Jews. And the covering letter, which I have read in translation, was full of outrageous lies about events in Denmark, and misrepresentations of what had been said by Danish journalists and politicians.
It is this document, and not any copy of Jyllands-Posten from Sept. 30th, 2005, that is at the root of the Muslim riots, the Saudi-sponsored pan-Arab boycott of Danish goods, and various fatwas and other acts that put Danes and other Europeans, who had never previously heard of Jyllands-Posten, in peril for their lives.

. . . apologies are being demanded, that would be very foolish to give.

For the whole point of this exercise is to enhance the power and prestige of radical Islam, over the great number of Muslims who have not been looking for trouble. Simply by recognizing the least reasonable Muslim voices as the legitimate representatives of Islam, terrible damage is done to moderate interests.
This has to be spelled out very plainly to people in the West who don’t get it, including ignorant scribes in the U.S. State Department, the British Foreign Office, and the Vatican, who have added their official voices in condemnation of those irrelevant Danish cartoons.

Every time we refuse a radical Muslim demand, by sticking to our sound Western principles, we strengthen reasonable Muslims against the fanatics. Every time we relent, we strengthen the fanatics.

Also worth noting is the WSJ’s editorial Clash of Civilization.

Put simply, what we have witnessed isn't the proverbial rage of the Arab street. It's an orchestrated effort by illiberal regimes, colluding with fundamentalist clerics, to conjure the illusion of Muslim rage for their own political purposes. The Iranian mullahs seek to discredit Denmark as it assumes the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council, where Iran's nuclear program is being discussed. The secular Allawite regime in Syria wants to shore up its ties with the Sunni religious establishment, especially now that Bashar Assad's former vice president has declared a government in exile. The Saudis want to put behind them the latest stampede at the annual Hajj, where some 350 pilgrims were killed.

And in Europe, clerics and self-styled "community leaders" with close links to the Saudi government or the Brotherhood want to assert their dominance over populations that have yet to find their social or economic place in the mainstream of European life, as November's riots in France showed. The fact that European governments seem easily cowed by threats of violence has only made the problem worse.

Pay special attention here:

. . . There's a lesson in this for those who would have us believe that what this cartoon conflagration represents is a conflict of civilizations. There is a conflict all right, not between civilizations, but within one, and it pits those who would make Islam barbaric and those who would keep it civilized.

Combine the latter with what Warren stated:

Every time we refuse a radical Muslim demand, by sticking to our sound Western principles, we strengthen reasonable Muslims against the fanatics. Every time we relent, we strengthen the fanatics.

On other matters today—how do we keep from becoming cynics? In this recent issue of Time:

For a law enforcement agency that works hard to be invisible, the Federal Air Marshals have been generating a lot of attention lately. On Thursday, two of the agency's several thousand highly trained traveling armed guards were taken into custody in Houston. Although the US Attorney's office would not comment beyond acknowledging that the Air Marshals were arrested by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General's office, Government sources tell TIME that the two Air Marshals, are allegedly involved with the possession or transportation of cocaine, and may have been paid several thousand dollars to move the drugs. Rest of story: here

In the Washington Times today:

Former President Jimmy Carter, who publicly rebuked President Bush's warrantless eavesdropping program this week during the funeral of Coretta Scott King and at a campaign event, used similar surveillance against suspected spies. More here.

The Cartoon Cartel Saga Continues

2006-02-10T07:34:00.001-08:00

World Net Daily reports that the Danish imam was not exactly honest with other Muslims about the cartoons being printed in the Danish paper.

One of three especially inflammatory but undocumented Muhammad images distributed by a Danish imam as an example of an "anti-Muslim environment" in the European country turns out to be a poorly reproduced copy of an Associated Press photo taken at a French pig-squealing contest.

The weblog NeanderNews pointed out the image used by Imam Ahmad Abu Laban was a faxed copy of AP's Aug. 15 photo of Jacques Barrot competing at the annual French Pig-Squealing Championships in Trie-sur-Baise. More

Just out of curiosity—aren’t Muslims offended by liars especially when its one of their own imam? Or is that the operative phrase here—one of their own?

Even more unsettling is the thought that the EU wants to discuss with the media how to ‘balance free speech with respect for religion.” Now this I find very, very scary. The EU has demonstrated in the past that it has no backbone, and I am not convinced they have the courage to stand for their rights and ideals. What I am afraid of is that they will instead find “balanced speech” that amounts to capitulation. Now there is one thing I am convinced of—any flag representing the EU should be of the color yellow. It would suit them perfectly.

Bush yesterday warned that Syria and Iran incited riots and protests over these cartoons, which isn’t difficult to believe when one considers that nothing happens in those countries that isn’t approved by their government.

The Bush administration yesterday condemned the violent response to European cartoons mocking Islam and accused Iran and Syria of exploiting the international controversy to incite unrest and protests in the Middle East.
"I have no doubt that Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to inflame sentiments and have used this for their own purposes," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters yesterday. "The world ought to call them on it." More

Charles Krauthammer writes:

A true Muslim moderate is one who protests desecrations of all faiths. Those who don't are not moderates but hypocrites, opportunists and agents for the rioters, using merely different means to advance the same goal: to impose upon the West, with its traditions of freedom of speech, a set of taboos that is exclusive to the Islamic faith. These are not defenders of religion, but Muslim supremacists trying to force their dictates upon the liberal West.
And these ``moderates'' are aided and abetted by Western ``moderates" who publish pictures of the Virgin Mary covered with elephant dung, and celebrate the ``Piss Christ'' (a crucifix sitting in a jar of urine) as art deserving public subsidy, but are seized with a sudden religious sensitivity when the subject is Muhammad.
God save us from the voices of reason
Here's another: Pursuing mayhem by Tony Snow

And the beat goes on . . .
Bill O’Reilly in his latest column asks:

Do the editors of The New York Times intentionally want to denigrate Christianity? I don't know. I can only go by the best available evidence, and the case I just made seems air-tight. Religious minorities in the USA seem to be given much more respect by the Times than the religious majority. Remember, 84% of Americans identify themselves as Christians.

Here's More:

Once again, we have a huge double standard in play in the secular-progressive press. In 1989, the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe, among others, published a picture by photographer Andres Serrano that showed the crucified Christ submerged in urine. Serrano was also featured in a New York Times fashion spread, according to reporting in The Washington Post.

And then there was the play "Corpus Christi," which featured a gay Jesus who had sex with some Apostles. The New York Times opined that folks who protested the play had "contempt for artistic expression."

Temporary link to O'Reilly Feb. 9 column

Clash of the Titans by Helle Dale

Mothers Need an Outlet Too

2006-02-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

Well, let’s face it—mother’s need to keep up with the times, so here we have our very own little ‘blog” where we can sound off and officially be ‘talking to a wall.’ Why should we waste our breath at home—where no one ever listens—why not save it for the blogsphere and have an even bigger non-listening audience?

Okay to warm up we’ll deal with a few less significant items. Number one: Have scientist been able to isolate the gene that gives our kids the inane trait that all of them seem to have inherited where they find it repugnant to make their beds? And more importantly--are they close to a cure? Geneticists take note: concentrate on the father’s genome map; if you ever intend to find this mutation, you need to look in the right place.

Number two: How many of you out there have actually gotten your kids to do their laundry? Oh sure, I can get mine to go so far as to sort their clothes and actually start a load of whites, but it pretty much ends there. Three days later, I find myself running around the house searching for the source of the mildew stench that has managed to permeate through three floors of the house. Sure enough I discover the origin of this dreadful odor in the basement coming from the washing machine that is still filled with the kids’ wet clothes which are now permanently wrinkled. This time I was determined to teach the kids a lesson that is—to finish what they started—and so I tried to ignore the stench and their load in the machine, until my own laundry got so backed up I found myself faced with only two choices: either I would have to finish their laundry for them or I would need to start wearing my underwear inside out. Okay, I confess, I capitulated. But before passing severe judgment on me keep in mind that during this time I also had to deal with the added stress of everyone complaining about the discomfort of having to wear a military-grade gas mask while indoors due to the house reeking of mildew.

Now, out of curiosity--has anyone ever made it to stage two—where they actually got their kids to put the clothes in the dryer? How about stage three where they fold the clothes that come out of the dryer? And seriously has anyone ever reached nirvana where the kids actually put their clothes away in their drawers? Yeah, I thought that was rather an elusive goal as well.

The other day the youngest one came home and said she feared she flunked her Physics Exam. (No ladies, I have not changed the subject we are still talking about clothes.) So my daughter explained how the test was on the Laws of Thermodynamics. I hit the roof! “What,” I screamed, “How could you possibly fail that when it is so clearly demonstrated in your room ever single day?” She looked at me bewildered and asked, “Mom, what are you talking about? I’m talking about physics you know like energy spontaneously tends to flow from being concentrated in one place to becoming diffused or dispersed and spread out. “ I responded, “Precisely. Haven’t you ever noticed how all the clothes you have strewn across your room over time become evenly distributed across the floor? That my dear is the Second Law of Thermodynamics!” Note to mothers: Never miss a teaching opportunity.

On a more serious note:
The laundry is starting to reek again (I know the stench is getting bad when the parakeets start falling off their perch.) So obviously I’m pressed for time since I have to get this laundry done. There are mounds of clothes all over the basement floor which have been piled so high that I find I’m getting nosebleeds when I try to maneuver this obstacle course. However, despite all our daily interruptions where it becomes difficult for us mothers to hold on to a coherent thought, and regardless of the fact that our children have convinced themselves that we don’t know anything whereas our husbands give us credit for at least knowing one thing—how to spend THEIR money; on occasion we do like to consider the serious issues as well. Okay, so let’s discuss the state of the world.

Iran is going nuclear; Hamas now controls the new Palestine government; Muslims are holding violent protests against cartoons; Europe’s population is going Islamic; Russia is veering off course; China is becoming a super-power, and when Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, made her trip to the U.S. a few weeks ago—what did she want to discuss? Guantanamo Bay. The world is going to hell in a hand-basket, and when Prince Charles visited America, what was his big concern? Global warming. Well you have to hand it to liberals; they have a funny way about setting their priorities. Take Prince Charles—he finds it much more urgent to address America about global warming, than to address Iran about polluting our air with radioactive fallout. Seriously, who the hell raised these people--trees? They must have never listened to their mothers. See that’s what happens when you don’t listen to your mother—you turn into an idiot.

All joking aside, feel free to comment on any of these issues or to recommend good reading material. I suppose what has me most concerned today is the threat of fanatical Muslims and how easily they can sway the so-called “reasonable” Muslims into violence. Do you have the sense that people are waking up and recognizing this very real threat, or do you feel they are still in a state of denial?

Just when I begin to have hope that people are starting to recognize the danger, I then learn that Iyman Faris, the terrorist who was plotting to take down the Brooklyn Bridge, is joining with the ACLU to claim he was a victim of ‘warrant-less electronic eavesdropping by the NSA.’ I guess that just shows you that asking if the far left will ever “get it” is like asking if a chicken has lips.

Currently, I am reading a book written by Bernard Lewis, a well known Middle East historian, and there is one sentence in his book that really made an impression on me: “The idea that God has enemies, and needs human help in order to identify and dispose of them, is a little difficult to assimilate.” Islam is a religion with both political and military dimensions and it has been so from its onset. Add to that fanatics, and indeed it takes on a very dangerous mantle. Now could someone please take the time to tell that to Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi? I think you can find them over in La-La Land; and if they’re not there, try Michael Jackson’s Neverland.

Turkey detains student over killing of priest

By Gareth Jones
ANKARA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Turkish security forces arrested a high school student on Tuesday over the killing of an Italian Catholic priest and Turkish television said the teenager had confessed to a crime which has shocked this Muslim nation.

The student told police he was influenced by cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad, NTV commercial television said. More here .