George Soros condones cannabis abuse

Traitorous George Soros, who betrayed Jews during the Holocaust and has bankrolled anti-Israel propaganda like MoveOn and J-Street, also supports legalizing cannabis in California, and not just the medical type. The Guardian reports:

The cash infusion, one week before Californians vote on a measure that would let anyone over 21 grow and possess up to an ounce of marijuana and allow local councils to tax sales of the drug, marks the first major investment by Soros in the mid-term elections.

Melanie Phillips provides some more info on Soros and the company he keeps, which includes a global campaign to legalize cannabis and even euthanasia, and support for Islamism. More info available here. It's truly frightening what an influence this moonbat businessman has had on western society. That's why the time has come to start speaking out against his Open Society movement, which is mainly responsible for all these awful things. Soros and his left-wing minions are a most awful bunch.

Update: Rachel Ehrenfeld has more.

Al Qaeda plotted bomb smuggling on board airplanes to USA

And the scary part is that there may be more that haven't yet been intercepted, and could still be somewhere in luggage storages. MSNBC reports (via Hot Air):

After intercepting two mail bombs addressed to Chicago-area synagogues, investigators are searching for two dozen more suspect packages that terrorists in Yemen attempted to smuggle onto aircraft in a brazen al-Qaida terror plot.

Authorities on three continents thwarted the attacks when they seized explosives on cargo planes in the United Arab Emirates and England on Friday. [...]

Several U.S. officials said they were increasingly confident that al-Qaida’s Yemen branch, the group behind the failed Detroit airliner bombing last Christmas, was responsible.

A Yemeni security official said the new investigation involved about 26 suspected packages.

And some of them may still be at large. This is a very chilling case indeed.

Netanyahu has no majority to renew a building freeze

And he'd do well to respect that. The Jerusalem Post reports:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lacks a majority to pass a new moratorium on housing starts in Judea and Samaria in any possible forum of ministers, The Jerusalem Post has established.

Netanyahu has been making an effort to gauge what kind of support he would have if he wanted to renew the freeze in order to satisfy US President Barack Obama and bring the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table.

Sources who have spoken to many ministers in recent days said Thursday, however, that Netanyahu had given no indication that he had decided whether to bring a renewed freeze to a vote at all, and if so whether he would attempt to do so before the full complement of his 30 ministers or the 15-member security cabinet.

The 10-month freeze that ended in September was passed in the latter forum.

Legally, aides to the prime minister acknowledge, Netanyahu would have to bring a further freeze to a vote in either the cabinet or the security cabinet. Such a vote would be necessary in order to require the commander of the Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria to issue another injunction barring housing starts. The seven-member inner security cabinet has no statutory role.

Multiple security cabinet ministers who voted last November for the first freeze have indicated in closed conversations that they would not now vote for another. The moratorium last year was backed by 11 of the 15 ministers, including right-wing Likud ministers Moshe Ya’alon and Bennie Begin and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of Israel Beiteinu.

It's quite a shame however, if Netanyahu feels as though he simply must go out of his way to please people who don't have any respect for him. That's something that he'd do well to change.

Media Matters is worthless trash

News Real Blog provides an example of how Media Matters, the George Soros funded "media watchdog" distorted info about a Glenn Beck hosted event in South Dakota.

I think by now, the only thing this lugubrious outfit can possibly do is admit that they're only interested in doing whatever they can to defame their conservative rivals.

Mohammed once again ranks No. 1 in Britain's naming stats

For at least the second time in recent memory, Muhammed has come in first on the list of personal names given to boys born in the UK:

The most common name given to baby boys born in England in 2009 was none other than Mohammed, in its various forms.

The name Mohammed is spelled 12 different ways. The most popular spellings were Mohammed and Mohammad, which were the given names of 3,300 and 2,162 babies, respectively. Other spellings include Muhammed, Mohamed, Mahamed, and even Mohmmed. In total, the name was given to 7,549 British baby boys in 2009 - 185 more than were named Oliver.

Regardless of the spelling - if the primary origin of the name is the same, that tells all we need to know, that something is wrong over there.

Muslim in Virginia arrested for plotting attacks on DC Metro

FOX News (via The Weekly Standard) reports:

A Virginia man has been arrested for allegedly trying to help Al Qaeda plan multiple bombings around the nation's capital, according to U.S. officials.

Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Ashburn, Va., was arrested today and charged with providing material support to terrorists and collecting information for a terrorist attack.

According to an indictment filed in U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, between April 2010 and Oct. 25, Ahmed repeatedly met with individuals he thought were affiliated with Al Qaeda to discuss "jihad."

On May 15, in a hotel room in Sterling, Va., Ahmed told one individual that he might be ready to travel overseas to conduct jihad, but only after he completed the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in November, according to the indictment.

In addition, he agreed to watch and photograph Arlington Cemetery Metrorail station and a hotel in Washington, D.C., in order to obtain information about their security and busiest periods.

In fact, on July 7, he participated in surveillance and recording images of Arlington Cemetery Metrorail station.

Truly atrocious, and it's just one of many troubling signs that the al Qaeda is infiltrating the USA.

CBS' 60 Minutes is just as bad as NPR

Rikki Hollander writes about how CBS News' 60 Minutes has shown yet again why it's a scummy program, with one the latest installments smearing Israel and delegitimizing the Jewish right to its historic capital. Or, they're one of the latest to join the pro-Fatah bandwagon in demonizing Israel.

They may not get government funding like NPR does, but they're still unworthy of any funding, that's for sure, and they've been worthless for years.

And speaking of NPR, here's a disturbing item about how they highlighted an anti-semite in their "explanation" for firing Juan Williams. Truly abominable.

UCLA shuts admission to Islamic studies program

News Real Blog reports that another victory looks to have been scored in the battle with Islamofascism on campus: the UCLA has taken a very bold move by freezing admission into its Islamic studies program, at least temporarily. Now, it remains to be seen if the Islamic studies program can be thrown out of the university altogether.

Tony Blair's sister in law converts to Islam

Will Prince Charles be next, if he hasn't secretly converted already? From the Daily Mail (via Big Peace):

Tony Blair’s sister-in-law has converted to Islam after having a ‘holy experience’ in Iran.

Broadcaster and journalist Lauren Booth, 43 – Cherie Blair’s half-sister – said she now wears a hijab head covering whenever she leaves her home, prays five times a day and visits her local mosque ‘when I can’.

She decided to become a Muslim six weeks ago after visiting the shrine of Fatima al-Masumeh in the city of Qom.

‘It was a Tuesday evening and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy,’ she told The Mail on Sunday.

When she returned to Britain, she decided to convert immediately.

‘Now I don’t eat pork and I read the Koran every day. I’m on page 60. I also haven’t had a drink in 45 days, the longest period in 25 years,’ she said.

‘The strange thing is that since I decided to convert I haven’t wanted to touch alcohol, and I was someone who craved a glass of wine or two at the end of a day.’

Refusing to discount the possibility that she might wear a burka, she said: ‘Who knows where my spiritual journey will take me?’

Oh, it's not that hard to guess. She seems to be the exact kind of person who's willing to change everything at the flick of a switch. Since she so often wears a hijab now, does it make much difference whether she wears a burka? They're so similar, it makes little difference. And no wine, not even some delicious grape juice? Sigh. Here we go with another Brit who's practically willing to sensationalize her whole experience, and signal just how stupid people of her standing really are.

Update: Booth was also part of the "Free Gaza" boat gang that sailed there 2 years ago and even bought Snickers chocolate bars at a Gazan food store.

Update 2: most amazingly, Booth has lost a debate about Israel at the Cambridge university (via The Jawa Report). It's a surprise PR achievement in what's considered Europe's most anti-Israel bastion.

Update 3: The Independent's got a column by Julie Birchill, who makes some great observations on how Booth is going about this.

Dr. Omri Nir on Iran and Lebanon's relations

Here's an interview at the Israeli Girl blog with Dr. Omri Nir, who talks about the relations between Iran and the Hezbollah/Lebanon.

Judges in Wilders show trial removed after trying to manipulate expert witness

Some more good news in the case of Geert Wilders (via Jihad Watch):

Judges in the hate speech trial of Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders have been ordered to step down by an independent appeals panel.

The move follows a request by Mr Wilders' lawyers who said they feared the judges were biased against him.

The legal process that began in January must now begin again with new judges. The trial itself started in October.

Here's more from Klein Verzet about how the judge, Tom Schalken, tried to do this. I don't suppose they might consider canceling the trial altogether and saving tons of money for better purposes?

Tower Hamlets becomes Islamic republic

Over in the dark hallways of Britain, news comes of a mayor elected who could further the transformation of a borough of London into another Muslim enclave (Hat tip: Jihad Watch):

Outside the Wellington Way polling station in Tower Hamlets yesterday, as at many other polling stations in the borough, people had to run a gauntlet of Lutfur Rahman supporters to reach the ballot box. As one Bengali woman voter went past them, we heard one of the Rahman army scolding her for her "immodest dress."

That incident is perhaps a tiny taste of the future for Britain's poorest borough now it has elected Mr Rahman as its first executive mayor, with almost total power over its £1 billion budget. At the count last night, one very senior figure in the Tower Hamlets Labour Party said: "It really is Britain's Islamic republic now."

For the last eight months - without complaint or challenge from Mr Rahman - this blog and newspaper have laid out his close links with a group of powerful local businessmen and with a Muslim supremacist body, the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) - which believes, in its own words, in transforming the "very infrastructure of society, its institutions, its culture, its political order and its creed... from ignorance to Islam." Mr Rahman has refused to deny these claims.

We have told how the borough's change from a conventional council leader to a mayoral system came about as a result of a campaign led and financed by these two groups - and how the IFE, in its words, wanted to "get one of our brothers" into the position.

We have described in detail, again without complaint or challenge by Mr Rahman, his deeply problematic two years as council leader until he was removed from that post six months ago, partly as a result of our investigations. After he secured the leadership with the help of the IFE, millions of pounds were channelled to front organisations of the IFE, a man with close links to the IFE was appointed as assistant chief executive of the council despite being unqualified for the position and the secular, white chief executive was forced out. Various efforts were made to "Islamicise" the borough. Extremist literature was stocked in Tower Hamlets' public libraries.

We have described, once more without complaint or challenge from Mr Rahman, how he signed up entire families of sham "paper" Labour members to win the party's mayoral nomination - acts which caused him to be sacked as the Labour candidate by the party's National Executive Committee.

Now, however, Mr Rahman has won as an independent - getting more than double the number of votes of the Labour candidate imposed in his place, Helal Abbas. As mayor, he will have far more power than he had as a council leader. And unlike a council leader, no-one can sack him, except the voters in four years' time.

And sadly, there may not even be a next time. There you go, that's another glimpse into the Islamic future of Britain.

Update: Pamela Geller told the NY Times that she figures that if there's any European country that'll become Islamic first, it's Britain. This is something I've figured very possible as well, and with this municipal election, we've had another clue of the likelihood (Hat tip: The Jawa Report).

Update 2: Geller is interviewed at Front Page about the subject (also via Jihad Watch).

Update 3: Melanie Phillips (via Big Peace) has more on this too.

Liberal Juan Williams fired from NPR for opining on Muslims and post-911 travel

Guess who's been thrown out of NPR for voicing his opinions on Muslims? Juan Williams, who's a liberal. This is mostly because the Huffington Post and Think Progress led the push to have him exiled. CAIR is also part of the crowd that wanted him out. Here's what the NYT reports:

NPR has terminated its contract with Juan Williams, one of its senior news analysts, after he made comments about Muslims on the Fox News Channel.

NPR said in a statement that it gave Mr. Williams notice of his termination on Wednesday night.

The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”

Mr. Williams said he concurred with Mr. O’Reilly.

He continued: “I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Mr. Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who pleaded guilty this month to trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square. “He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr. Williams said.

NPR said in its statement that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”

In sharp contrast, they didn't consider Sarah Spitz's wish of ill upon Rush Limbaugh an offense.

It's worth noting that NPR has received donations from the disgusting George Soros's companies. Big Journalism has more (via Bent Notes).

NPR, primarily a government-funded station, does not deserve any more after this abominable bias of theirs. It'd help tremendously if their funding were ceased.

Update: Megyn Kelly has really given it to one of CAIR's thugs in a debate on FOX: "You don't want dialogue, sir. You called for punitive action against him."

Others on the subject include The Sundries Shack, Riehl World View, Bucks Right, The American Pundit, Da Techguy, Protein Wisdom, Cassy Fiano, The Jawa Report, Paxalles, The Anchoress, Red State, Stop the ACLU, Betsy's Page (plus, another one).

Horrible Hugo Chavez visits Syria

Venezuela's dictator has gone to Syria, where he's met with their own dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and hopes that the Golan will be surrendered to them:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday that Israel "does not have the desire to give anything for the sake of peace."

Assad made the comments during a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Syria.

Chavez reiterated that Caracas supports Syria's right to win the return of the Golan Heights and said "I hope the day comes when I when visit the Golan after it is freed."

Chavez said that he and his Syrian counterpart are "on the offensive" against Western imperialism.

Translation: they're against America as well, as the following makes clear:

In Damascus, Chavez said that he and Syrian President Bashar Assad are building ties "to accelerate the fall of (US) imperialist hegemony and the birth of the new world of equilibrium and peace."

"We're on the offensive," Chavez said. "We're building an alternative."

The two also discussed a proposed oil project and signed several economic agreements.

Chavez arrived in Syria on Wednesday from Teheran, where he and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they are united in efforts to establish a "new world order" that will eliminate Western dominance over global affairs.

And give rise to their totalitarian ideas, right? Sickening.

On the subject of oil, maybe some people are right when they say it's corrupting: when it comes under the control of totalitarians like Ahmedinejad, Chavez, and Assad, not to mention Saudi Arabia, that's when it really spells trouble.

Brigitte Gabriel fights for Oklahoma amendment to prohibit shari'a in judicial law

FOX News (via The Jawa Report) tells that Act for America is launching a campaign to support an amendment in Oklahoma's law system to prohibit shari'a from infiltrating court rulings:

The campaign by Act! For America, founded by Lebanese American journalist Brigitte Gabriel, includes a radio ad that began airing Monday, opinion articles and robo-calls from former CIA director and Tulsa native James Woolsey urging residents to vote for the ballot initiative.

The group says the constitutional amendment will prevent the takeover of Oklahoma by Islamic extremists who want to undo America from the inside out.

"We want to make sure that the people in Oklahoma are educated about what Shariah law is all about and its ramifications," Gabriel, president and CEO of the group, told FoxNews.com. "We're not taking any chances with this initiative passing marginally. We hope it passes with great victory."

Same here. Shari'a and the US Constitution are not compatible. If you live in Oklahoma, please make sure to add your support for this initiative.

Prince bin Talal's new taqqiya

The leftist NY Times (via Big Peace) is reporting that Saudi prince al Waleed bin Talal is "opposing" the mosque at Ground Zero:

“I have been associated with this mosque in New York, but frankly speaking, I have nothing to do with it,” he said in an interview. “I’m not for putting that mosque there.”

Prince Walid offered a two-pronged explanation for why he was opposed to the project: he said out of respect for Islam, it does not belong at the proposed location because of its proximity to a strip club; and out of deference to the families of 9/11 victims who might feel antagonized, the Islamic center should not be near ground zero. “I respect all religions,” he said.

The prince’s charity, the Kingdom Foundation, has supported causes linked to the imam behind the project, Feisal Abdul Rauf, as another News Corporation outlet, The New York Post, has reported. But, he says, it does not support the Islamic center project near ground zero.”

But does it support Hamas, as Rauf does? I'm afraid this is taqqiya at its finest. If he supports some of imam Rauf's darkest dealings, why should I believe he's really against the mosque? It's just because he's worried about the controversy it's causing, that he probably didn't expect to happen, that all of a sudden he's allegedly opposing its construction. But I wouldn't be fooled so easily. Here's more about bin Talal's funding of Rauf on Raw Story and Yahoo News.

This could even tell us what to really expect of Rima Fakih, winner of the rigged Miss USA pageant this year.

Why does Bernard Lewis get to say it but not Geert Wilders?

Andrew Bostom has written about how Bernard Lewis and Geert Wilders have both been critics of Islam, yet Lewis has not been targeted while Wilders has; a real irony.

Maybe I can shed some light on the reasons why this paradox, and it's all in here, including how Lewis, most unfortunately, has made claims that European anti-semitism literally influenced Islam, something Bostom himself has noted about Lewis, and how that's simply not so.

Could that explain at least a few reasons why Lewis has gone otherwise unscathed, whereas Wilders has not?

Angela Merkel: multi-culturalism has failed

Germany's premier has admitted it (Hat tip: Big Peace).

Question is, will she and her party do anything to reverse the problem? Come to think of it, will they ever cancel that awful law they still have forbidding homeschooling?

Muslim at Disneyworld attacks bus driver and even throws his baby at said driver

You'll notice that the wife had a hijab on too. Even the disgracefully dhimmified Orlando Sentinel had to admit what happened, yet they claim that the bus driver was "put on paid leave" even though he didn't commit a violent attack (Hat tip: Atlas Shrugs):

A Walt Disney World Resort bus driver has been placed on paid leave after a physical confrontation between the driver and a guest that was captured on video and uploaded to YouTube.com.

In the video, which the YouTube poster says was shot at Disney's Hollywood Studios, a person shoves and chokes the driver of the bus in what appears to be an unprovoked attack.

According to the video description, the would-be passenger in the video was upset when the driver told him that he and his family would have to wait for another bus to take them to Epcot.

The description says the video starts in the middle of the incident, missing "the most intense part of this fight."

From the video description: "A man and his wife with her baby were waiting for the bus. There wasn't enough room on the bus so the bus driver told them he would call another one. The man was enraged and threw the baby at the bus driver. The woman got her baby and moved back away from them."

That's when the unknown cameraman started recording, the description says, capturing a brief flurry of shoving, and the passenger putting his hands around the bus driver's throat.

In the video, screams can be heard from the crowded area when the confrontation escalates. Several people in the area call for security.

After the two men are separated, the would-be passenger tells a security officer that the bus driver was blocking him and his wife from getting on.

"He see me, I was waiting here … and he tried to block me" the man says in the video. "He let everyone passing through get in first before us."

As the bus driver begins to tell his side of the story, the man interrupts. "We have a baby, you know," he says. "We're supposed to get the priorities."

A Disney spokeswoman said the bus driver had been placed on paid leave while the company reviews the incident.

Oh? If the following posting on one of the Disney company's forums is any indication, that wasn't what happened at all:

I work for bus operations and the entire incident was caught on the security cameras. Every load zone has a high def camera that sees the bus and load zone. We can actually zoom in with the cameras and read the drivers name and his hometown on his name tag on their uniform. Also in the video one of the gentleman on the bus, {I wont identify him} was one of our plain clothes security officers and was in the load zone at the time and witnessed the attack. Security was called along with the OCSO,and yes it took them a few minutes to get to him. This was because the bus was in load zone C7 which is in the charter bus lot and away from the regular Resort load zones near the entrance to Hollywood Studios. If you watch the video closely you will see flashing red and blue lights illuminating the side off the bus. When the wife saw them pull up the wife took off, and tried to hide in the crowd, and left her child with the husband. Other guests identified her to security. They were then removed from the bus and load zone and taken backstage. The gentleman was then arrested and handcuffed for assault on the driver. He is also facing charges for Terrorist threat due to the assault happening on the bus, and public endangerment. They were also ejected from the resort they were staying at,and trespassed from Walt Disney World property. They will not be returning to the Happiest Place on Earth ever again. Also everyone will be happy to hear the driver was not reprimanded for the incident, and continued with his job that evening. I actually saw and talked to him last night and he is doing fine.

Also forgot to add copy of the security tape was provided to the OCSO, they are in turn forwarding it to the state attorney for possible further charges of Felony child neglect and endangerment.

And explaining the terrorism charge:

Our buses are Federal DOT Regulated just like Airplanes and Trains. It carries the same charge as if you attacked a flight crew on an airplane in flight!!! It may not stick but he was still charged with it.

That might be the case with many bus companies around the USA too.

What makes this case particularly horrific is how the man endangered his own offspring by throwing him/her at the driver. They most definitely should NOT be allowed to ever enter the entertainment park zone in Orlando ever again. And why is the Orlando Sentinel saying the driver was put on leave for something that wasn't his fault? That is just dumb.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Douglas Murray score in a debate on Islamism

Kitman TV has a video of an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Douglas Murray on whether Islam is a religion of peace, where they really destroy their opponents (Hat tip: The Jawa Report). It's strongly recommended viewing.

Prosecutors of Geert Wilders ask court to acquit him of all charges

In a most surprising development, not only has the prosecution asked the court in charge to clear Wilders of all charges, they even condemned the higher court's decision on which to indict him (Hat tip: Pajamas Media).

Maybe they've had to take notice of the growing opposition - even overseas - to persecuting Wilders for having the courage to take on Islamofascism.

Update: Daniel Pipes has more on this, and so does Hot Air.

MSM's paparazzi damaged joy of rescue for Chilean miners

I'm glad that the 33 miners who were trapped in a mine in Chile were finally rescued from their dark tomb this week. However, it appears there's a very grave aftermath to this, as paparazzi reporters mobbed the site and made things quite unpleasant (via Big Peace):

SAN JOSE MINE, Wednesday 13 October 2010 (AFP) - The joy of family members of the first miner to be rescued in Chile Wednesday turned suddenly to horror when hundreds of journalists trampled their humble tent in a mad rush to speak to them.

The chaos and jostling marred what had been a celebratory moment shared by the relatives of Florencio Avalos, the 31-year-old miner who was the first of the 33 to be winched to the surface.

Moments before Avalos stepped out of the rescue cage to hug his son and wife, and President Sebastian Pinera and other officials, the family had been surrounded in their tent on all sides by walls of cameras and journalists.

But when Avalos appeared on the television they were watching, to cheers, applause and horns throughout the camp where the miners' families were staying, the news workers rushed forward as one to capture the historic moment.

Avalos's father Alfonso, tears running down his face, said: "It's a huge joy. I'm so happy."

Then, as Alfonso hugged his wife Maria Silva, things turned ugly.

Reporters pushed and shoved to be the first to interview them, pulling on the hair of those in the way, throwing punches and almost knocking others to the ground.

The family retreated, and a frightened-looking Maria angrily hit out at journalists close to her with the Chilean flag bunched in her hand.

But the media mob, five-deep, kept advancing, crushing furniture and finally toppling the family's humble tent.

This makes another of various stories over the years where what we call paparazzi have shown they're more interested in a press report than in the real safety of the miners. All those sick "journalists" owe an apology for practically getting in the way of medical attention to boot.

And I'd say there was irresponsibility abound here - why were the MSM allowed that near the site anyway? They should've been kept behind a line or something.

I hope the workers are all well and will be able to return to life as usual, but for now, the MSM have only done it again, and shown they're not interested in really saving lives; they're only interested in news coverage at all costs.

No partner nor broker

Rick Richman at Commentary (via Power Line) presents an interview that was conducted between PJ Crowley and a press writer, where the former really acts slow in giving a clear answer to the latter. And from that, it doesn't take much to figure out that Obama's administration is no more a broker than the PLO is a partner in "peace".

Horror right on our doorstep

Who would've thought Iran's tyrant Ahmedinejad would visit Lebanon where he'd spout more of his Israel-hating bigotry right next door? But he has, and even paid a visit to the Hezbollah, among other horrible things.

Netanyahu has given a reply to this, describing Ahmedinejad's hatemongering as "curses and ephithets". But it's clear that Lebanon is going to become a hellhole again very soon, waiting to unleash a pandora's box upon Israel, and that we'll have to fight back.

More on this at Power Line.

Barbara Boxer allowed Code Pink to contribute to terrorists in Iraq

Scott Swett at the American Thinker (via Big Peace) reported that California senator Barbara Boxer enabled Code Pink to travel to Fallujah, Iraq, and provide money to terrorists.

A fiasco of Papalian proportions

Pope Benedict XVI conducted a synod this week for discussing the persecution of Catholics in Muslim lands. But what really takes by surprise is that this platform was turned into an absurdity with attacks on Israel:

Pope Benedict XVI convened a synod (meeting) of Middle Eastern bishops to discuss the attacks on the Catholic church in Muslim lands. However, the bishops have been talking more against Israel than about Muslim aggression against Catholics – or at least, it was the anti-Israeli angle that the Associated Press news agency chose to play up.

According to the report, the pope denounced "terrorist ideologies" that spur violence in G-d's name and said they were based on false gods and should be "unmasked." However, he despite his own advice, he did not “unmask” the ideology threat by specifying that he was talking about Islamic terrorism.

On Monday, the synod's opening day, “attention focused on the decision by Israel to require new citizens to pledge a loyalty oath to a 'Jewish and democratic' state — a bill criticized by Arab Israelis as racist and a provocation,” AP reported.

The Coptic Catholic patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, Antonios Naguib, who is in charge of running the synod, said that the Israeli decision contained a "flagrant contradiction" since Israel likes to call itself “not just the most democratic but the only democratic state in the region.”

"You cannot announce, publish and affirm to be a democratic state and a civil democracy then at the same time say 'in our democracy we require such things,'" Naguib said. "In the logic of classic democracies, that doesn't work," he said.

I suppose it's possible to assume that the reason why Naguib attacked our new immigration law is because he's afraid that if not, the Islamofascists will really go after him in Egypt. But beyond that, this is truly disgusting that the Catholic Church is making fools out of themselves and taking away the impact of their whole discussion by attacking an immigration law that isn't all that different from what the USA happens to have. And if they really did this badly, then one can only wonder if they're really interested in saving the Christian world from Islamofascism.

Lesson to be learned: don't dampen the impact of the chief issue by bringing up something that's got little or nothing to do with it, and don't imply that it's to blame for the problems either.

And if Islam is the problem, say it, for heaven's sake!

The Hague wants to make Wilders show trial worse

Andrew Bostom at Big Peace reports that the court of The Hague wants to make things even worse for Geert Wilders by allowing the hateful imam Fawaz Jneid to sue Wilders for using his hatemongering as one of the examples to make the point about Islam in his documentary short Fitna. Jneid was surely one of the reasons why Theo Van Gogh was murdered. Jneid even incited against Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and has recently been radicalizing Muslim children. Wilders' response to this bigoted man in 2008 was as follows:

This hateful imam has cursed [former MP and Islam critic] Ayaan Hirsi Ali, [filmmaker and assassinated Islam critic] Theo van Gogh and [Iranian-born law professor] Afshin Ellian. And he has said the most terrible things. He shouts louder than a pig. I’m not going to pay him a single dime.

Nor should he even bother going to the kangaroo court that's collaborating with this Islamofascist criminal in an effort to stifle free speech. This does tell however, how European courts are going to need serious restructuring to prevent dangerous criminals from exploiting them. That's something Wilders' own party needs to make clear in their coalition agreements in the parliament.

Lieberman tells European foreign ministers what they need to be told

Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has told at least 2 foreign ministers from Europe something they need to think about: dealing with the problems in their own backyards before they concern themselves with Israel:

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, fresh off what was widely viewed as his “undiplomatic” address to the UN General Assembly last month, told his visiting Spanish and French counterparts on Sunday that before coming to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they should concentrate on the problems in their own backyard.

“I don’t expect you to solve the problems of the world, but I certainly expect that before you come here to teach us how to solve conflicts, you will deal with the problems in Europe and solve those conflicts,” Lieberman told French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who arrived on Sunday for a day of talks in Israel, followed by a day of talks in the Palestinian Authority.

Lieberman said that after solving the conflicts in the Caucasus and Cyprus, and after making peace between Serbia and Kosovo, then the Europeans can come here and “we will listen to your advice.”

“In 1938, the European community decided to appease Hitler instead of supporting Czechoslovakia and sacrificed them [sic] without gaining anything,” Lieberman said.

“We will not be Czechoslovakia of 2010. We will ensure the security of Israel.”

Lieberman said it seemed as if the international community was trying to make up for all its failures in solving conflicts around the world by forging an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians in one year.

“What about the struggle in Somalia, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Sudan?” he asked. “Instead of talking now with the Arab League about the future of a referendum in Sudan, or discussing the explosive situation in Iraq in 2012, the international community is applying great pressure on Israel.”

Lieberman said that while the international community was talking about bringing about calm in the region, it would likely cause the exact opposite and “bring about an explosion like what happened after Camp David in 2000.”

I think there's a point there. They probably want it to happen too.

And what problems can be found in Europe's backyard? Islamofascist enclaves, honor murders, rapes perpetrated against women for not wearing a headscarf, anti-semitism, death threats against cartoonists who draw Mohammed, and even terrorist threats, something that's become much more possible recently. Are they going to deal with those crises first, or not? Lieberman's quite right to bring that up.

Earlier in the day, Moratinos and Kouchner met with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition leader Tzipi Livni, and heard less strident messages.

Nevertheless, in those meetings as well, the two foreign ministers were told that just as the international community played a role in getting the PA to enter direct talks with Israel last month, it must convince it of the need to show flexibility on the settlement moratorium issue now.

Even before the duo’s arrival, Israeli officials relayed Jerusalem’s displeasure to Paris and Madrid at their recent decisions to upgrade the status of the Palestinian delegations in each capital to “mission” status.

The French took that step in July, following an upgrade of the PLO presence in Washington to “delegation general,” and Spain took a similar move in September.

Israel’s message to the French and the Spanish was that this was not the right time to give the Palestinians a “free prize,” and that it sent the wrong message at a time when the PA was not showing any flexibility.

It was not immediately clear whether this came up in the meetings on Sunday.

This is disgusting. And even Europe's own public needs to make this clear to its elected officials.

Barak, in a much more conciliatory statement than Lieberman’s, said before his meeting with the two Europeans that although he knew there would be disagreements with them regarding the settlement moratorium issue, “they both take a lot of time working towards a real European contribution to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“I know that they are both friends of Israel, and they are respected by the Palestinians and throughout the Arab world. Therefore, they can really help,” the defense minister said.

Yawn. He's proving lazy as usual.

In a related development, the Shas spokesman issued an unequivocal denial to a Channel 10 report Sunday that the party’s Construction and Housing Minister Ariel Attias recently told the security cabinet that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef would approve a another 60-day settlement construction moratorium if the US promises that it would be the last.

The Shas spokesman, however, issued a statement saying that Yosef told Shas chairman Eli Yishai that the party will oppose any moratorium extension, even for only two months, and will instruct the Shas ministers to vote accordingly.

They're right to oppose any such move, and besides, you can't trust Obama's administration, or any other, to respect it.

Tony Blair won't let go of his anti-Israel bias

In a speech he delivered this week for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Tony Blair made some surprisingly good points about Islamic extremism:

The former prime minister said that there had been a failure to challenge the ‘narrative’ that Islam was oppressed by the West which was fuelling extremism around the world.

He said too many people accepted the extremists’ analysis that the military actions taken by the West following the 9/11 attacks were directed at countries because they were Muslim and that it supported Israel because Israelis were Jews while Palestinians were Muslims. ‘We should wake up to the absurdity of our surprise at the prevalence of this extremism,’ Mr Blair said.

’Look at the funds it receives. Examine the education systems that succour it. And then measure, over the years, the paucity of our counter-attack in the name of peaceful co-existence. We have been outspent, outmanoeuvred and out-strategised.’

[...] Mr Blair warned that it was impossible to defeat extremism ’without defeating the narrative that nurtures it’. Moderate Muslims who believed in co-existence and tolerance were, he said, being undermined by the unwillingness of the West to take on the extremists’ arguments.

‘We think if we sympathise with the narrative -- that essentially this extremism has arisen as a result, partly, of our actions -- we meet it halfway, we help the modernisers to be more persuasive,’ he said.

’We don't. We indulge it and we weaken them. Worse, a reaction springs up amongst our people that we are pandering to this narrative and they start to resent Muslims as a whole.’

Now granted, there's a good point to be made here about how the west's appeasement has only encouraged Islamofascism's increase. And he also made a worthy note about Iran:

‘Go and read the speech of Iran's president to the United Nations just days ago here in New York, and tell me that is someone you want with a nuclear bomb,’ he said.

No way! Tyrants like Ahmedinejad are not someone anybody with common sense wants possessing a nuclear weapon.

Unfortunately, Blair then proceeded to throw all that away by repeating a canard he coughed out years ago when he was in office:

He emphasised that the achievement of a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians would remove ‘much of the poison which the extremists use’.

All this without even once considering that Fatah and Hamas are themselves Islamofascist extremists in the worst ways possible, who refuse to accept Israel's existence, and who, just like many other Muslims across the world, also condone anti-Americanism and jihad against non-Muslims. As Melanie Phillips notes, Ayman Zawahiri of al Qaeda said in April 2008:

‘We promise our Muslim brothers that we will do the best we can to harm Jews in Israel and the world over, with Allah's help and according to his command,’

And sheik Ahmed abu Halabaya said in 2000, following the lynch-murder of 2 Israeli soldiers:

‘The Jews are the Jews. Whether Labor or Likud the Jews are Jews. They do not have any moderates or any advocates of peace. They are all liars. They all want to distort truth, but we are in possession of the truth...They are the terrorists. They are the ones who must be butchered and killed, as Allah the Almighty said: “Fight them: Allah will torture them at your hands, and will humiliate them and will help you to overcome them, and will relieve the minds of the believers.’

Tony Blair's ignorance of these very horrific items - to say nothing of his fixation upon the utterly stupid notion that a "peace settlement" will solve everything, is exactly why Islamofascism will not be defeated, not in Israel, not in Europe, not even in America. All he's doing is encouraging more anti-Israelism by practically suggesting that Israel's existence is the reason for Islamofascism. No wonder his own country, no matter their opinions on Israel, won't take him seriously.

Times Square's attempted bomber gets life

Faisal Shahzad has been sentenced, and I agree with the brave vendor who alerted the police:

The Times Square vendor who alerted police to Faisal Shahzad's explosive-packed sport-utility vehicle said the failed bomber deserved the electric chair.

Shahzad instead got a life sentence Tuesday.

"Hopefully he'll make it into a supermax [prison] and never see the light of day," said Duane Jackson.

He still needs to receive the death sentence. I'd be very glad if the prosecution could make an appeal to modify the life sentence to one of death for that jihadist.

And there's another sad thing besides Shahzad not getting sent to the chair: as Diana West tells, the judge has no clear knowledge of what's in the koran:

“Allah Akbar,” Shahzad said, following a rant of jihad labeled “defiant” in the headlines.

“You appear to be someone who was capable of education and I do hope you will spend some of the time in prison thinking carefully about whether the Koran wants you to kill lots of people,” the judge said in reply.

It's a real shame this appears to be the norm of "enlightened" thinking on Islam today. This is exactly why it'll be very difficult to win the war on Islamofascism if the justice system continues to act as though Islam has nothing to do with it.

Update: what makes this really surprising is that, as Seth Mandel reports at Big Peace, the villain told the judge, “We do not accept your democracy or your freedom because we already have shariah law and freedom.” Does that not tell, if anything, that many Muslims do not accept the western concepts of democracy?

Pledge of allegiance to the Israeli state

If America's got this special pledge of citizenship, and if there's other countries that have it as well, why not Israel? Well it looks like now, we'll be able to get one:

Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he would ask his ministers to debate and approve an amendment to the Citizenship Act, which would require anyone aspiring to become an Israeli citizen to pledge their allegiance not only to Israel, but to a Jewish democratic Israel. This amendment is similar to the one previously proposed by both Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has advocated a loyalty oath to the Jewish state for all Israelis, including Arab citizens.

Rotem expressed his regret that members of the Labor Party, such as MK Avishay Braverman who called the idea “an infuriating, irresponsible decision which will only fuel the fires of delegitimization against Israel worldwide,” are opposed to the amendment.

“They knew about this clause in the coalition agreement and they did not object,” said Rotem. “It was convenient for them to take on their respective roles [in the government] and now they shout [about the Citizenship Act]. It’s not a matter of right and left, this law is meant to protect Israel as a Jewish State. The Labor ministers must have seen the polls that are predicting six seats for their party, and they thought it would benefit them if they resist the law.”

Let's hope it won't be to Labor's benefit, but you never know. What this does suggest however, is that Labor doesn't have very high respect for America's requirements along the same lines, demanding that potential citizens pledge allegiance to Old Glory and the USA. They clearly also don't want to protect the country against immigrants with less than flattering ideas of what to do in this place. And they clearly are asking to be voted down to half their current size.

Saving a synagogue

Netanyahu has made another positive step by coming to the defense of a synagogue in danger of being demolished:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has swung to the side of nationalists and ordered Defense Minister Ehud Barak to halt plans to carry out a court order to seal the El-Matan synagogue in Samaria. El-Matan is a mixed secular and religious community.

[...]

The last-minute decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu pleased Likud Knesset Member Danny Danon, who said that “sealing a synagogue is not a Zionist or Jewish” act.

Yep, that's doing the right thing.

Likud must oppose/reject Obama's latest "offer"

A bit late I'm bringing this around, but anyway, The Jerusalem Post reports that if Netanyahu is thinking of extending the "settlement freeze", there is opposition within the Likud party. And wisely so, because to accept it could be costly.

Update: that told, it's good to know that Netanyahu has spoken in defense of Jews who live in Judea/Samaria:

(Israelnationalnews.com) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu voiced support Monday for one of the most viciously maligned populations in the world – the Jews who live in Judea and Samaria. The settlers “deserve to live a normal life like anyone else,” Netanyahu said, “and this is our policy, too – to make sure they can live normal lives.”

"The most difficult decision we took was the decision to suspend new construction in Judea and Samaria for ten months", he said, adding, "The settlers in Judea and Samaria have been under unjustified attack for almost half a century.”

The message is for the MSM and the left to find something better to do.

Geert Wilders on trial

Holland's dhimmified court system are still out to get him:

AMSTERDAM — Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders appealed for freedom of expression Monday as he went on trial for alleged hate speech at a time when his popularity and influence in the Netherlands are near all-time highs.

Prosecutors say Wilders has incited hate against Muslims, pointing to a litany of quotes and remarks he has made in recent years. In one opinion piece he wrote "I've had enough of Islam in the Netherlands; let not one more Muslim immigrate," adding "I've had enough of the Quran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book."

Wilders argues he has a right to freedom of speech and that his remarks were within the bounds of the law.

"I am a suspect here because I have expressed my opinion as a representative of the people," Wilders told judges at the start of the trial.

"Formally I'm on trial here today, but with me, the freedom of expression of many, many Dutch people is also being judged," he said, referring to more than 1.4 million voters who made his party the country's third-largest in June elections.

If convicted he could face up to a year in jail, though a fine would be more likely. He could keep his seat in parliament regardless of the outcome.

Whether Wilders could keep his seat in parliament, this is a very serious test for free speech against Islamofascism and jihadism in the Netherlands.

The trial was adjourned until Tuesday shortly after Wilders' opening remarks, when he declined to answer any questions from the three judges, invoking his right to remain silent.

Presiding judge Jan Moors said Wilders is known for making bold statements but avoiding discussions, and added that "it appears you're doing so again."

Wilders' lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, said the remark showed Moors is biased against Wilders and moved to have him substituted. The move delayed the trial for at least a day as a separate panel considers the request.

The move to delay comes at a delicate moment in Dutch politics, when Wilders is close to seeing many of his policy goals realized.

Wilders' Freedom Party has agreed to support a new right-wing Dutch government set to take power with a tiny majority in parliament this month. The deal is not certain because several conservative lawmakers are hesitant to work with Wilders.

In return for Wilders' support, his political allies have promised to turn away more asylum-seekers and cut immigration from nonwestern countries in half.

They also plan to force new immigrants to pay for their own mandatory citizenship classes.

Those are some good ideas, I fully agree. It can serve as a lesson that even immigrants have to prove their worth by showing that not only can they actually work (to say nothing of uphold the law while in a workplace), but that they're willing to pay for tuitions.

9-11 conspiracy theories are rife in the Islamic world

Or, put another way, 9-11 trutherism is rife under Islam. In this report:

ISTANBUL (AP) - About a week ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared to the United Nations that most people in the world believe the United States was behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

To many people in the West, the statement was ludicrous, almost laughable if it weren't so incendiary. And surveys show that a majority of the world does not in fact believe that the U.S. orchestrated the attacks.

However, the belief persists strongly among a minority, even with U.S. allies like Turkey or in the U.S. itself. And it cannot be dismissed because it reflects a gulf in politics and perception, especially between the West and many Muslims.

"That theory might be true," said Ugur Tezer, a 48-year-old businessman who sells floor tiles in the Turkish capital, Ankara. "When I first heard about the attack I thought, 'Osama,' but then I thought the U.S. might have done it to suppress the rise of Muslims."

Compassion for the United States swept the globe right after the attacks, but conspiracy theories were circulating even then. It wasn't al-Qaida, they said, but the United States or Israel that downed the towers. Weeks after the strikes, at the United Nations, President George W. Bush urged the world not to tolerate "outrageous conspiracy theories" that deflected blame from the culprits.

However, the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan provided fodder for the damning claim that the U.S. killed its own citizens, supposedly to justify military action in the Middle East and to protect Israel. A 2006 survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that significant majorities in Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Turkey—all among the most moderate nations in the Islamic world—said they did not believe Arabs carried out the attacks.

Two years later, a poll of 17 nations by WorldPublicOpinion.org, an international research project, found majorities in nine of them believed al-Qaida was behind the attacks. However, the U.S. government was blamed by 36 percent of Turks and 27 percent of Palestinians.

Is the AP inserting any anti-war sentiment here? I'm not sure, though what this does tell is how Muslims are unwilling to recognize blame for themselves or take responsibility for what their Religion of Peace teaches.

They repeat the laughable claim that some of these mideastern countries are "moderate" when they're hardly at all so. But they do tell why such places should be avoided like the plague.

Briefings

Still more short stuff that I do every now and then.

Pamela Geller fell victim to the horrific Bob Beckel, who revealed his misogynist side while doing a debate on the Ground Zero mosque. He said to her at one point:

You better be very careful. You’re a woman, you better be very careful about who you say I carry water for, because you have no idea what you’re talking about. And don’t start putting me in the middle of your crap!

How about if I save her the trouble then, and put you in the middle of mine? I guess he really does condone the teachings of Islam, including Sura 4:24.

Caroline Glick writes about the lessons of the Stuxnet virus, which amazingly enough affected Iran's computer systems. That doesn't mean, however, that their nuclear warheards aren't still a threat.

The awful Rahm Emanuel is going to quit Obama's government and run for mayor of Chicago (via Fire Andrea Mitchell). Now we have to hope the citizenry will recognize him for the phony he is and reject him come election day.

A senoir Vatican official has said that Europeans must resume having more children again and return to church, or else Europe will become Islamicized. It's very wise advice.

J Street has been unmasked for their involvement with Richard Goldstone, the anti-Israeli judge who demonized Israel as the sole villain in the flotilla farce.

J Street — the self-described pro-Israel, pro-peace lobbying group — facilitated meetings between members of Congress and South African Judge Richard Goldstone, author of a U.N. report that accused the Jewish state of systematic war crimes in its three-week military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Colette Avital — a former member of Israel's parliament, from the center-left Labor Party and until recently J Street's liaison in Israel — told The Washington Times that her decision to resign her post with J Street earlier this year was a result in part of the group's "connection to Judge Goldstone."

"When Judge Goldstone came to Washington, [J Street leaders were] suggesting that they might help him set up his appointments on Capitol Hill," she said. Ms. Avital later disavowed knowledge of J Street's dealings with Judge Goldstone during a conference call arranged by J Street's president, Jeremy Ben-Ami.

J Street, which bills itself as a liberal alternative to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), acted on behalf of Judge Goldstone last fall, when the Obama administration was trying to tamp down the report at the United Nations.

Clearly, they are not someone to associate oneself with. They've been losing support thanks to these atrocities of theirs, and their associations with George Soros.

The group also received a total of $750,000 from George Soros and his family between 2008 and 2010. J Street had previously denied that Soros was involved in the organization. Soros is a controversial figure who has previously given to Arab groups, but not to Israel, and has funded U.S. liberal groups such as MoveOn.org. He criticized former U.S. President George Bush for refusing to accept a Palestinian Authority ruled jointly by Fatah and Hamas.

Virginia Republican Representative Eric Cantor told the newspaper that the sources of J Street's funding prove that “they are not reflecting the mainstream position of the pro-Israel community in America.”

“Nor do I think they help benefit the U.S.-Israel relationship,” he added.

Not one bit.

CNN has fired Rick Sanchez for making Jew-hating statements, including his calling Jon Stewart a bigot. This network has truly embarrassed itself, and even after they have the audacity to get rid of such an awful reporter, it's not worth wasting time upon them. There's more on this here, here and here. Good riddance.

Investigative Project has discovered that the GZM builder imam Rauf filed a false tax return (via Jihad Watch). Speaking of which, check this topic, which talks about the disturbing designs planned for the mosque.

The television producer Stephen J. Cannell is dead at 69 from melanoma disease (via Big Hollywood).