Tel-Chai Nation

Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Gul continue to make sure that things will go their way in Turkey, even arresting military officials they accuse of plotting coups, though they did release a few of them:

ISTANBUL—President Abdullah Gül of Turkey sought to assuage fears of political instability Thursday, pledging that a growing confrontation with the country's military would be resolved within the constitution.

Mr. Gül issued his statement after a rare three-hour, three-way meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and army chief Ilker Basbug. Hours later, the two most senior of some 50 military officers detained Monday on charges of plotting a coup—a former chief of the air force and of the navy—were released without charge.

But it was far from clear that the meeting would resolve tensions. Eight current and former officers were formally charged Thursday with having plotted a coup in 2003, and have been jailed pending trial. That brought the total charged to date to 20, including five admirals and three generals.

The arrests and lack of retaliation from Turkey's once-untouchable military have underlined just how dramatically the country has changed in recent years, analysts say. As recently as 1997, the army helped to push a government out of power—for the fourth time since 1960. Criminal charges were pursued in military, not civilian courts. Now, for the first time, an elected government and civilian prosecutors appear to have the upper hand.

But Monday's arrests also underscored the deepening power struggle between the Islamic leaning Justice and Development party, or AKP, and the traditional secular elite, above all the military, which has long seen itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular order. A similar battle is being fought out within the judiciary, a body that is charged with defending Turkey's secular constitution and that has become starkly split between pro- and anti-government justices and prosecutors.

Don't bet on any tensions being resolved. Sadly, if there was no opposition here, then that suggests things are changing, for the worse.

Labels: islam, military, political corruption, turkey

The Wall Street Journal (via Debbie Schlussel) has some alarming news that has unsurprisingly gotten very little attention elsewhere: a Muslim whose legs were amputated tried to plant a bomb in a NY train station in Harlem:

An amputee missing both legs was arrested Thursday after police said he was wheeled into a busy New York City train station and planted a bomb.

Police found the bomb before it could detonate, but the discovery interrupted regional train lines briefly and closed the station for several hours.

The alleged device—a bag of small explosives wrapped in shotgun shells, along with bullets, glue, lug nuts, pens and a ruler—was left in a waiting area at a station in Harlem. Police later surveyed security videos to identify suspects including, Roosevelt Terry, the amputee. Police from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the Metro-North Railroad that was shut down, arrested Mr. Terry late in the afternoon.

“If the thing blew, people would have gotten hurt … could have even gotten killed with all the stuff in there,” said Bill Morange, director of security for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The incident is still under investigation.

The NY Daily News reports that the suspect's exact name is Perry Roosevelt, suggesting he's a convert:

A law enforcement source said the device was in a black Steve Madden shopping bag. Inside, cops found a laptop bag containing a computer, wires, lug nuts, paper and three shotgun shells taped to some M-80 fireworks.

Surveillance camera footage showed the bag being left next to a waiting room bench by a man in a wheelchair, who was being pushed by a second man, according to the source.

A 57-year-old legless man was questioned by police and admitted for psychiatric evaluation.

The device was not capable of being detonated remotely, but “if it was lit, someone could have been hurt pretty bad,” a law enforcement source said.

Two MTA patrol officers spotted the package shortly after 11 a.m.

This suggests it could've been a dry run test, but with real ingredients for explosives. Again, we have the problem of the excuse for this abomination being mental illness.

Labels: anti-americanism, islam, jihad, terrorism, United States, war on terror

I wish I could've covered this earlier, but here's more about Mosab Hasan Youssef, the son of a Hamas member who served as a spy for Israeli intel for many years, and later converted to Christianity. And he did all this without even asking for pay. Because the safety of innocent lives are much more important than money.

Labels: Israel, terrorism, war on terror

This is just stupefying. A police officer who'd already been thrown out for committing an obscene act of violence against a protestor became an actor in the film called Ajami:

(IsraelNN.com) Former police officer Eran Naim has been ordered to pay 25,000 shekels to a young man he battered during a protest in 2005. Naim, who went on to act in the film Ajami, had previously argued that he could not afford to pay the victim, Akiva Vitkin.

In 2007 Naim was accused of attacking Vitkin during a 2005 protest against the expulsion of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria held in Tel Aviv. Naim put his fingers into Vitkin's nostrils and pulled backward, leaving the then-20 year old with facial injuries and bleeding. The incident took place after Vitkin was handcuffed. Vitkin had not resisted arrest.

The attack was filmed by Arutz Sheva cameraman Tuvia Lerner. Naim did not deny that he had attacked Vitkin as filmed by Lerner, but argued that his actions fell into the category of reasonable use of force by an officer – an argument rejected by senior police officers, who said the methods used by Naim were “not taught and not recommended.” The court found Naim guilty and sentenced him to six months public service. Naim was also dismissed from the police.

Following the verdict, Vitkin decided to sue Naim and another violent officer for damages. However, he was temporarily deterred when Naim responded by sending the court an emotional plea explaining that he had heavy debts, had been arrested for gambling, and was depressed and even suicidal.

Shortly after receiving the letter and feeling pity for the “depressed” former officer, Vitkin discovered that during the time when Naim had claimed to be impoverished and suicidal, he was in fact working as an actor on the set of the film Ajami. Naim's role was to play “good cop” Dando.

Vitkin expressed anger over Naim's new career, telling Channel 2, “It's like a rapist acting in a movie about rape.” He pressed forward with his claim for damages, and was awarded 25,000 shekels by Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court judge Yael Hennig, who in her verdict noted both the pain caused by Naim's actions and the fact that the former officer had never expressed regret for the attack.

That disgusting man does not deserve a career. Anyone who would commit offensive violence for money while working in a public career does not deserve to get rich at all. Add to that the fact that Naim played the victim card and never regretted his actions. People like that should be publicly ostracized. And any film career he has should be officially ended.

Exit question: does he play a Muslim in the movie? It would almost be fitting if he did.

Labels: Israel, showbiz

Rifqa Bary, apostate from Islam now living in foster care, has sent a holiday greeting to Atlas Shrugs and the audience, in thanks for the Xmas card campaign they organized for her.

via The Black Kettle.

Labels: islam, misogyny, United States

New studies show that Hamas is quite at home in the UK:

(IsraelNN.com) In the last 10 years, London has become the primary worldwide bastion of Hamas, according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the memory of fallen Israeli Intelligence Community agents.

[...]

The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report shows that these incidents are not accidental, but rather concentrated political activity by the Hamas terror organization. The findings say London has become the epicenter of Hamas' political, legal, and propaganda campaigns in Europe. Hamas operatives note that they have been particularly successful, with the assistance of the Muslim Brotherhood, in controlling the discourse regarding Arabs in Israel, and initiating widespread anti-Zionism throughout the country.

There's more at the link telling why the blighty is quite the comfy space for them. And it does not surprise one bit. Britain has long proven itself weak in knees to terrorism and antisemitism, and it's not a country worth visiting.

Labels: anti-semitism, Europe, jihad, londonistan, terrorism

Phyllis Chesler writes about how the Arizona prosecution dealing with the "father", Faleh al-Maleki, who murdered his own daughter, Noor, has actually fallen for the tragedy of PC-ness and multiculturalism: the "public defender", Billy Little, asked that the court take special precautions not to seek the death penalty because the offender is a Muslim, and that it not be made to look as though a Christian is seeking to execute a Muslim for his vile beliefs.

It goes without saying this is a tragedy of justice. The so-called public defender is an atrocity, and the court should be condemned if they go along with his wishes.

Labels: islam, misogyny, United States

Diana West notes how the government of Holland has been brought down for the fifth time in a few years. As Geert Wilders says, this is great, since the awful cabinet in charge is now gone, and there looks to be elections in a few months.

If so, let's hope a better government will be elected that can help Holland back on its feet.

Labels: Netherlands

What is going on here? I must say I was very dismayed to learn that CPAC's latest gathering included even the shady Grover Norquist, and the Tea Party may have even joined the event without question of his background.

Needless to say, this is an embarrassment. As Malkin reminds here:

[David] Keene and Norquist support the Obama/Democrat majority approach of civilian trials for terrorists. And in the name of “constitutional conservatism,” Norquist supports de facto open borders and dangerous pandering to Muslim grievance-mongers.

For a little more, read this article from the American Spectator.

If the Tea Party, which I don't follow regularly, but would like to support even from afar, continues to have any involvement with people like Norquist, or, more precisely, conservatives themselves, it's possible their efforts to resurrect the conservative majority could be hindered. Conservatives who understand the situation here must make their voices heard.

Update: Front Page Mag has an interview with Pamela Geller (via News Real Blog) about this very astounding embarrassment to the conservative movement.

Labels: immigration, islam, political corruption, United States

The Israeli government, at a session at the Tel Chai fortress (yes, where this blog gets its name from) has added the Machpela Cave and Rachel's Tomb to its list of heritage sites:

(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has added the sites where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Israel are buried -- the Cave of Machpelah in Hevron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem -- to the list of heritage sites in which the government intends to invest. The decision appears to be the result of last-minute pressure exerted on Netanyahu from nationalists who could not understand why he left out the very important Biblical Jewish holy sites, while including many Christian sites in the heritage list.

[...]

The government assembled for its weekly session Sunday morning at the Tel Chai compound, the site of a historic battle in which legendary one-armed Jewish hero Yosef Trumpeldor was killed in 1920.

Netanyahu opened the session with an explanation of the heritage site list plan. “Our existence here does not depend only on the IDF and military and technological prowess,” he said, “but also on what we pass on to the young generation and in our connection to the Land.”

Glad to see that they've done something vital to the country's existence.

Labels: Israel

CBN's website (via Hot Air) has learned that 5 US army soldiers who worship the Religion of Peace were apprehended for a plot to plant poison at Fort Jackson:

CBN News has learned exclusively that five Muslim soldiers at Fort Jackson in South Carolina were arrested just before Christmas. It is unclear whether the men are still in custody. The five were part of the Arabic Translation program at the base.

Patrick Jones, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer for Fort Jackson, confirmed for CBN News yesterday afternoon that an investigation was ongoing.

[...]

The men are suspected of trying to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson.

A source with intimate knowledge of the investigation, which is ongoing, told CBN News investigators suspect the "Fort Jackson Five" may have been in contact with the group of five Washington, DC area Muslims that traveled to Pakistan to wage jihad against U.S. troops in December. That group was arrested by Pakistani authorities, also just before Christmas.

FOX News also spoke about this, but in more muted tone (is that a surprise when Alwaleed bin Talal has such a big stake in it?). This news comes shortly after the Fort Hood massacre, and it's good someone had the sense to report about it.

Labels: anti-americanism, islam, military, terrorism, United States, war on terror

Point of no Return has a topic about a bill being proposed to protect the rights of Jews who were expelled from Arabic/Islamic countries, more on which can be read about on The Media Line (also via Point of no Return) and the Jerusalem Post. It's an important issue that needs as much attention as possible.

Labels: Israel

Barry Rubin at the Gloria Center explains another reason why there isn't peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors: nobody knows what's being offered up.

Labels: Israel

On Pajamas Media, John Rosenthal writes about how the majority of Germany's MEPs shot down the SWIFT agreement, which would've helped in the war on terrorism, including tracking terror funding:

Despite the anonymity of the voting procedure, review of the events leading up to the vote makes clear just which block of delegates led the charge against the SWIFT agreement. Members of the Socialist, Green, and “United Left” groups undoubtedly voted by and large against it, and those of the two major “conservative” groups, the European People’s Party (EPP) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), undoubtedly voted by and large for it.

But support and opposition did not run strictly along party lines. Most notably, the virtual entirety of the German parliamentary cohort — the largest national grouping comprising some 99 delegates — appears to have opposed the agreement regardless of party affiliation. The German opposition evidently included — as Germany’s paper of record, Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, has noted — “nearly all” the representatives of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). The CDU/CSU is part of the main “conservative” formation in the European Parliament, the EPP.

You know, some people who think even Merkel is a reliable ally are really exaggerating. But this is another sign of how Germany's sincerity in modern times is definitely in question.

Update: speaking of which, I just found this story (via What's Wrong with the World) from a few weeks ago related to one I'd spoken about earlier, about a German family with 5 children who've now been given political asylum in the US because German authorities were persecuting them for homeschooling. Yes, even now, Germany is still criminalizing homeschoolers (though in Austria today it's allowed). The judge who granted the family's request had some things to say:

In a case with international ramifications, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman granted the political asylum application of a German homeschooling family. The Romeikes are Christians from Bissinggen, Germany, who fled persecution in August 2008 to seek political asylum in the United States. The request was granted January 26 after a hearing was held in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 21.

“We can’t expect every country to follow our constitution,” said Judge Burman. “The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate.”

Burman added, “Homeschoolers are a particular social group that the German government is trying to suppress. This family has a well-founded fear of persecution…therefore, they are eligible for asylum…and the court will grant asylum.”

In his ruling, Burman said that the scariest thing about this case was the motivation of the government. He noted it appeared that rather than being concerned about the welfare of the children, the government was trying to stamp out parallel societies—something the judge called “odd” and just plain “silly.” In his order the judge expressed concern that while Germany is a democratic country and is an ally, he noted that this particular policy of persecuting homeschoolers is “repellent to everything we believe as Americans.”

If Merkel were really a sincere politician, why didn't she and her government try to have this abhorrent nazi-era law abolished back when she first began her premier role?

More from the Volokh Conspiracy.

Update 2: Some of you are probably aware of the "green police" commercial Audi ran in the US a few weeks ago. That suggests the Germans haven't exactly improved their sense of humor either. The advertisement was so disgusting, that I think a boycott of the Volkswagen Corp, which owns Audi, is in order here.

Labels: germany, political corruption, terrorism, war on terror

The guy who helped Rifqa Bary and is now being threatened with prosecution, Brian Williams, is determined not to plead guilty to lesser charges. Over at What's Wrong with the World, they think this could actually help bring things out in the open. Yes, I hope it does, and maybe even helps bring in some of Rifqa's own witnesses too.

Labels: islam, misogyny, United States

Sarah Netanyahu has filed suit against the libel that she was ever abusive to a housekeeper of hers:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's wife, Sarah, has issued an formal rejection of a complaint filed against her by her former housekeeper.

The complainant, Lilian Peretz, has accused Netanyahu of paying her below the minimum wage as well as exploiting and verbally abusing her during the five-and-a-half years she looked after the Netanyahu home in Caesarea.

Wednesday's response, submitted to the Tel Aviv Labor Court by Sarah's attorney, says the compaint was "baseless, malicious and full of fabrications."

Sarah also maintains that Peres received "warm and loving treatment," from her family, and that this was the reason she worked at the Netanyahu home for six years.

The prime minister's wife apparently attached several notes allegedly written by Peretz to the Netanyahu family which Sarah says proves this warm relationship.

In her response, Sarah added that "there is no basis to the claim that the housekeeper received less than the minimum wage, and was forced to work on Shabbat and be available at weekends."

Here's something to consider: if the housekeeper had ever really been underpaid, why didn't she quit her job immediately and sue for proper pay? It makes no difference how prominent a job it may be, if your employer is abusing you, don't stay in the job! All the housekeeper is doing is making herself look stupid and out to commit defamation.

Labels: Israel

The New York Daily News (via Jihad Watch) writes about Israel's fighting back against the Goldstone abomination, and rightfully calls the mock report the sham it is:

The defamation of the Middle East's lone democracy, victim of relentless terror, by the United Nations Human Rights Council has come into ever sharper focus with Israel's response to the panel's Goldstone Report.

The document is purported to be an account of alleged war crimes committed during Israel's January 2009 offensive in Gaza, as well as an assessment of atrocities by Hamas, the terror group that provoked the war by shelling Israeli civilians with rockets and mortars for more than a year.

In actuality, investigator Richard Goldstone served up what the council craved: a wholesale denunciation of Israel that, if left to stand, would outlaw its ability to fight terrorist attacks.

Goldstone's report included this venomous assertion: "The operations were in furtherance of an overall policy aimed at punishing the Gaza population for its resilience and for its apparent support for Hamas."

Israel has now answered with a sober 46-page missive to the UN secretary general. Most news reports focused on the fact that Israel announced disciplinary action against two senior military officers. But far more significant was a thorough rebuttal of Goldstone's irresponsible narrative.

To appreciate how profoundly Goldstone distorted the record, consider Israel's findings in three of the most inflammatory cases he cited - a water facility supposedly bombed intentionally, a flour mill supposedly targeted for destruction and a home supposedly demolished as part of a deliberate attack on civilians.

Regarding destruction at the "Namar wells," the Israel Defense Forces understood the site to be a military compound, not a water facility. Additionally, standing orders forbade inflicting damage on water installations. "To the contrary, the IDF made significant efforts to ensure that the population of Gaza had a sufficient and continuous water supply," Israel reported.

Or consider what happened at the El-Bader flour mill. Goldstone alleged Israel targeted the site purposely to deprive Gaza's people of food.

Never mind, as Israel points out, that "Hamas had fortified this area with tunnels and booby-trapped houses, and deployed its forces to attack IDF troops operating there."

Never mind that "IDF issued early warnings to the residents of the area, including recorded telephone calls, urging them to evacuate. Such telephone calls were made to the flour mill as well."

Never mind that "IDF troops came under intense fire from different Hamas positions in the vicinity of the flour mill."[...]

If Goldstone had any honor, he would retract his libel. If the UN Human Rights Council had any integrity, the panel would abandon its obsession with Israel to take up true abuses by its own member states. And if Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hopes to preserve his standing as a world leader, he will lead the UN away from hauling Israeli soldiers and commanders before the International Criminal Court on trumped-up charges.

And true democracies would do well to abandon their membership with this rock-bottom organization, which can and will only serve to harm their own abilities to defend themselves against the Religion of Peace. Goldstone should be shunned for his atrocities and causing all the trouble he's still causing.

Labels: anti-semitism, Israel, jihad, terrorism, UN corruption

The Jerusalem Post reports that the ZOA is asking donors not to waste time at the campus where the "dean" tolerates Muslim hatred:

IRVINE, California — The Zionist Organization of America on Tuesday asked potential students and donors to the University of California, Irvine to look elsewhere after months of growing tension between Jewish and Muslim students.

In a statement, the New York-based organization lambasted Chancellor Michael Drake for not condemning anti-Semitic speech on campus and enabling a years-long history of "bigotry, discrimination and the violation of civil rights" by the school's Muslim Student Union.

"We're not asking the university to infringe on anyone's free speech rights, but our contention all along is that the chancellor has his own free speech rights, and for whatever reason, he's refusing to exercise them," said Susan Tuchman, director of the ZOA's Center for Law and Justice. "He can come out and condemn the speech as hurtful and anti-Semitic."

Drake and the school had no comment on the statement, spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon said.

Hadeer Soliman, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Student Union, did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

For years, tension has simmered between Jewish and Muslim student groups on the suburban campus southeast of Los Angeles. But emotions reached a fever pitch earlier this month when 11 students were arrested by campus police for repeatedly interrupting a talk by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren.

The Muslim Student Union had issued an e-mail condemning Oren's appearance but said it did not organize the protest.

If they won't comment, I guess they've decided to ostracize the press as well.

Three of the arrested students were from the neighboring University of California, Riverside campus, and it was unclear if the others were Muslim Student Union members, Lawhon said.

In a Monday editorial in the campus newspaper, Soliman defended the arrested students' right to protest and called Oren the "official representative of a state that engages in war crimes and crimes against humanity."

"If the university chooses to selectively enforce its policies in order to punish these students, it is undoubtedly sending a political message and chilling all students' First Amendment rights," she wrote, referring to constitutional freedom of speech rights.

Look who's talking! Someone who denies Israel's right to self-defense, and lives on lies.

Tension around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has spilled onto campus at several other universities lately as well.

Pro-Palestinian students have disrupted speeches by prominent Israeli speakers at Oxford University, in England, at the University of Chicago and at the University of California, Los Angeles.

A talk by a group called J Street, which backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, also stirred a backlash at the University of Pennsylvania last month.

But the discourse between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students at UC Irvine has been particularly vitriolic.

The Muslim Student Union drew attention in 2004 when more than two dozen students wore green stoles to their graduation. They said the stoles symbolized their faith, but others said the clothing represented allegiance to the militant group Hamas and was meant to intimidate Jewish students.

In 2005, the Zionist Organization of America complained to federal civil rights investigators about alleged anti-Semitic speeches by speakers invited to campus and said the university was discriminating against Jewish students by failing to take action.

The investigation concluded in 2007 that while some Muslim student activities could be offensive to Jewish students, the speeches and marches were based on opposition to Israeli policies, not the national origin of Jewish students.

As are the protests against the US for its own war against Saddam, who's since been terminated by his own country's citizens. Yeah, right.

ZOA has appealed that finding and another complaint is pending, said Tuchman, head of the ZOA's law center.

Last year, the ZOA also filed a complaint with the university that the Muslim Student Union was conducting fundraising for a group called Viva Palestina at a campus event and alleged that the money was supporting terrorist activities.

Lawhon, the school spokeswoman, said UC Irvine is still investigating whether MSU violated school policy by conducting fundraising on campus and has forwarded ZOA's concerns to the FBI.

Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, did not return a call for comment.

The students arrested earlier this month face disciplinary action that could range from a warning to expulsion, Lawhon said.

The Orange County district attorney's office will decide whether to press criminal charges when it receives arrest reports from the university police, said Susan Schroeder, district attorney spokeswoman.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Council of American-Islamic Relations have both condemned the arrests.

The ZOA is right that this university should be boycotted for its pro-Islamic bias. If the university expels the students, however, they will at least have done something right, but chances are likely that they won't. And that's why UC Irvine should be avoided like the plague.

Labels: anti-semitism, CAIR corruption, islam, United States

Dr. Dore Gold has launched a new website/blog of his own, where he talks about the Iran crisis, among other pertinent subjects. Please make sure to let everyone know about it.

Hat tip: One Jerusalem.

Labels: iran

World Net Daily reports that a federal judge has made a good decision in favor of the father-son detective team who wrote the Muslim Mafia expose about CAIR:

A federal judge has dismissed an attempt by the Council on American-Islamic Relations to re-file a lawsuit against Air Force special agent P. David Gaubatz and his son Chris, the father-and-son team that investigated and exposed the group's terrorist ties.

Defense lawyers are hailing the decision as a victory over CAIR's alleged plan to "chill" free speech critical of the organization through an avalanche of court cases and legal costs.

"We briefed, counter-briefed, we spent thousands of dollars on the case," said Daniel Horowitz, one of the three lawyers for the defense. "Only then did they file this new lawsuit, which would have effectively forced us to start all over."

"But the new lawsuit didn't have anything substantively new," Horowitz told WND. "And yet, that's their whole goal. They know they can't win the case, but they can chill the First Amendment by making it so expensive to speak against them that no one can challenge Saudi-funded CAIR. In the end, they can just keep getting more and more money from overseas and burn out opposition with lawsuits."

Yes, that's something to consider: with the Saudi funding they get, they can sue till the end of time, unless proper steps are taken to shut down CAIR once and for all. This cannot go on, that offensive movements like them can be allowed to continue to operate and cost decent people tons of money for legal defense.

Labels: anti-americanism, CAIR corruption, islam, terrorism, United States

Debra Medina and Farouk Shami, both Truthers (and the latter is notably a palestinian), are running in primaries for governor of Texas. The latter has even expressed racism against "white people" (via The Jawa Report):

Race became an issue in the Democratic primary for governor today.

Farouk Shami, the millionaire hair care products maker who's running, said he doesn't find many white people willing to work, so he says he hires Hispanics and blacks instead.

He made the comments responding to a question about whether the state should crack down on employers hiring illegal immigrants.

He also said he, too, would not disavow the conspiracy theory that the U.S. government was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina said on Thursday that she has questions whether the U.S. government was involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, although she backpedaled from those remarks on Friday.

Shami declined at Monday's statewide televised debate to say if he backed a mandate on employers to use the E-Verify government database to check if new hires are in the country legally.

He was asked again during a taping of Inside Texas Politics.

Shami replied, “I find 80 percent of my employees at the factory are Hispanics. I don't find, you know, many white people really willing to work, you know, unfortunately.”

While still declining to answer the question, Shami said that at his Houston hair care products factory, Hispanics are vital to his business and the economy.

Asked to explain what he meant about not hiring many whites, he said they want special treatment. “A majority of the people are going to be Hispanic and African-American. You don't find white people who are willing to work in factories. And our history proves, you know, lots of time when they, you know, the white people come to work in a factory they either want to be supervisors or they want to be, you know, paid more than the average person. And unfortunately they exit.”

And then just a day after Medina, didn't reject the notion that the government was involved in the 9/11 attacks, Shami didn't either.

“I'm not sure. I am not going to really judge or answer about something I'm not really sure about. But the rumors are there that there was a conspiracy. True or not? It's hard to believe, you know, what happened. It's really hard to comprehend what happened. Maybe. I'm not sure.”

Shami is from Ramallah and even supports the notorious American Task Force for Palestine. And if that's how he's going to talk about white people and imply that they don't want to work in factory jobs, I don't see why anyone should buy his products either. His company should be boycotted. Medina is bad enough, but so is Shami.

Labels: anti-americanism, islam, racism, terrorism, United States

In Texas, a pair of Muslims caused a bomb scare on the Fort Worth highway, and the police were fortunately able to disable them:

FORT WORTH -- Southeast Loop 820 and East Rosedale Street in Fort Worth were reopened early Sunday morning after being shut down for five hours overnight.

The Fort Worth bomb squad detonated four charges that were found in a pickup truck that spun out on a slick road during a police pursuit.

Two people are in custody, and one of them -- Kimberly Suzanne Al-Homsi -- is well-known to police and federal agents.

The Fort Worth bomb squad worked through the evening on the threat. They sent a robot to check a possible explosive device inside the truck.[...]

It all started in Arlington as a road rage incident in the 1000 block of West Abrams Street, police said.

"Someone called to say that there was a person in another vehicle that pointed a weapon at them," said Arlington police spokeswoman Tiara Ellis Richard. "Officers found that vehicle and tried to conduct a stop. That vehicle did not stop, and as a result, the officers conducted a pursuit."

The chase continued for 20 minutes. It came to an end when the truck spun out on Rosedale at around 5:30 p.m.

Officers took two people into custody: Kimberly Suzanne Al-Homsi, 45, -- who is also known as Asma Al-Homsi -- and Yasinul Alan Ansari, 18.

Al-Homsi was charged with evading arrest, two counts of terroristic threats, and also a prohibited weapons count. Both remained in custody Sunday without bond due to federal holds.

News 8 has learned that Al-Homsi has been under government surveillance and was on the federal "no-fly" list after being involved in a road rage incident in December, 2005.

At that time, she held up an inert grenade and threatened another motorist. The Garland bomb squad found ammunition in her car.

In 2007, the FBI and the Dallas Police Department called Al-Homsi a possible danger. Police say she has explosives and sniper training.

In an exclusive interview with News 8 in 2007, Al-Homsi said she disagreed with U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Just wait till you see the video picture Jihad Watch has of the mugshots, and what Al-Homsi looks like sans burka! Simply ghastly.

Labels: anti-americanism, islam, jihad, terrorism, United States, war on terror

Atlas Shrugs and Jamal Jivanjee tell that Ohio police may be trying to arrest Brian Williams, who had the courage to help Rifqa Bary flee from her abusive parents.

This is very bad, certainly for Williams now. Who knows, the next rally may have to be for him.

Update: Jewish Odysseus thinks this could actually be a good thing. And who knows, there could be some truth to that.

Labels: islam, misogyny, United States

Following Arab "claims" that the Simon Wiesenthal Center's planned Museum of Tolerance in west Jerusalem is supposedly built on a Muslim cemetary, the MSM has launched a smear campaign. First:

(IsraelNN.com) A group of Arabs joined by European human rights activists have joined forces to demand that the United Nations halt the building of a Jewish "Museum of Tolerance" on a plot of land they say is an ancient Muslim cemetery.

This is just the latest in a series of attacks made on the project, which is run by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, since 2004. Islamic groups and various Arabs have complained that the museum is slated to be built on the Ma'aman Allah (also known as Mamilla) cemetery. They say the burial site contains thousands of graves and dates back hundreds of years. Some gravestones are present today in the area.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center replied to the Arab outcry by saying the museum would be built adjacent to the cemetery, on a plot which is currently a parking lot. The Center said the parking lot, which was built 50 years ago, was not protested at the time of construction.

It's obvious they just don't want one built even near the cemetary. And by the way:

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem has allowed building over gravesites in the past, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Jewish/Christian cemetaries, to be sure.

Some of the most distasteful MSM attacks have been from the UK Times, The Examiner, Metro Santa Cruz, McClatchy, and another from the Los Angeles Times, which even perpetuates the lie that "palestinians" were expelled, and not a single mention of those Jews who were driven out of Jerusalem's Old City and such places during 1948. At least they allow for a counterpoint made by Marvin Hier about the real location:

Listening to the few vocal opponents of our Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem project -- among them the notorious Sheik Raed Salah, leader of the extremist Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel -- you would never know that the Israeli Supreme Court deliberated for almost three years before unanimously rejecting all their claims and authorizing the Wiesenthal Center to begin construction. Just six weeks ago, Chief Justice Dorit Beinish also rebuked those who re-petitioned the Supreme Court for an "abuse of court proceedings," ordering them to pay professional costs.

Still, our opponents would have you believe that in the name of tolerance, our bulldozers actually have invaded the adjacent Mamilla Cemetery, desecrating ancient Muslim tombstones and historic markers.

They don't want you to know the real facts. The museum is not being built on what can rightfully be called the Mamilla Cemetery, but on a three-acre site in the heart of West Jerusalem that, for more than half a century, served as the city's municipal car park. Each day, hundreds of people of all faiths parked in the three-level underground structure without any protest from Muslim religious or academic leaders or interest groups. Additionally, telephone and electrical cables and sewer lines were laid deep below ground in the early 1960s, again without any protest.

As the Supreme Court noted in its ruling, "for almost 50 years the compound has not been a part of the cemetery, both in the normative sense and in the practical sense, and it was used for various public purposes." It also noted: "During all those years no one raised any claim, on even one occasion, that the planning procedures violated the sanctity of the site, or that they were contrary to the law as a result of the historical and religious uniqueness of the site. . . . For decades this area was not regarded as a cemetery by the general public or by the Muslim community. . . . No one denied this position."

In fact, the entire area of the Mamilla Cemetery had long been regarded by Muslim religious leaders as mundras -- abandoned. A cemetery not in use for 37 years is considered mundras and without sanctity. That explains why in 1946 the most prominent Islamic religious figure of the day, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, presented plans to build a Muslim university on a large portion of the Mamilla Cemetery itself (a rendering of which we presented to the court). Today, the concept of mundras is widely accepted and practiced in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian territories and throughout the Arab world.

[...]

Recent critics such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Americans for Peace Now and the Center for Constitutional Rights argue that the Museum of Tolerance should abide by a higher standard than the letter of the law. We do, as the above quote from the court confirms. When we first heard of protests against our plan, in January 2006, our lawyers attempted to meet with Salah but were rebuffed. Once a legal case was filed, the Supreme Court's mediator tried, but fared no better. We offered solutions to build without disturbing the bones -- also rejected. We offered to restore the neglected and virtually abandoned nearby Mamilla Cemetery -- not interested.

And that's just another sign of how this only stems from anti-semitism.

The Jerusalem Post also makes clear the real picture here, as does the Jerusalem Dispatch. Those MSM publications who've lent themselves to the attacks here should retract and apologize for helping cause all the trouble they're going to cause.

Labels: anti-semitism, CAIR corruption, islam, Israel, Jerusalem, msm foulness, UN corruption

The Weekly Standard writes about the current efforts to ban the niqab/abaya in some parts of Europe:

Proposals to ban niqab, the face veil worn by some Muslim women, are gaining support in France and Britain. France saw its first crime by “burqa bandits” on February 6, when two men wearing head-to-foot female “Islamic” garments robbed a post office in the Parisian suburb of Athis-Mons. The men gained entrance by convincing the clerks that they were women, then lifted their veils to disclose that they were not, drew at least one firearm, and stole about $6,000.

Three days earlier, French prime minister François Fillon rejected an application for citizenship by a man who compelled his wife to wear the face veil. The petitioner was not identified, but was reported to be Moroccan and a supporter of the radical fundamentalist Tabligh-i-Jamaat, which originates in South Asia but has gained a noticeable presence among French Muslims. French authorities have proposed a specific law against women wearing extreme coverings while riding on public transportation, and are pondering a general regulation against the practice.

Westerners often group together all forms of so-called Islamic female covering as “the veil,” which properly refers only to hiding the face. The face veil or niqab should not be conflated with the headscarf or hijab. Niqab usually accompanies the full-body abaya or burqa. The difference between the latter two is small – the abaya covers everything except the hair and face, but in Saudi Arabia and other places dominated by fundamentalist Islam, it is worn with a headscarf and a face veil, concealing all but a woman’s eyes. The infamous Saudi morals patrols, or mutawiyin, harass any woman who lets her abaya slip, even to exposing a millimeter of ankle. The burqa is a single garment covering the body, hair and face, with a mesh panel allowing the wearer partial vision, and it is mainly found in South Asia. But both are now seen in Britain more often than in the past.

You can read the rest. Any Muslims who support terrorist cells like the Jamaat, which if memory serves are also running rampant in Britain, should be shunned outright if their views are discovered, and others already there should be deported/exiled.

Labels: Europe, France, islam, londonistan

Haaretz reports that while giving a speech at the California University, Muslim students predictably went out of their way to be nasty:

California police reportedly arrested 12 people Monday after a speech by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, descended into chaos.

Hecklers interrupted Oren's lecture at University of California, Irvine more than 10 times, shouting "killers" and "how many Palestinians did you kill?"

Oren took a 20-minute break after the fourth protest, only to be interrupted again by young men yelling at him every few minutes, local press reported.

Many members of the audience also applauded Oren.

The arrested students were apparently members of the university's Muslim Student Union, which had publicly condemned Oren's visit earlier in the day.

Just out of curiosity, do these university lectures ever come with security staff to check that the troublemaking students don't bring objects to throw like pies and stones? And do they guard all doors to the auditorium? Or, does the university staff collaborate?

These varsities are a bad lot.

The Jawa Report has a list of those arrested.

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel, United States

Yes, it's just as we feared - rapists who adhere to Islam are turning up in the United States. From the AP/Washington Examiner, which predictably won't mention the Religion of Peace:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A 26-year-old Buffalo man remained jailed Monday on charges of holding a 13-year-old runaway in his house for six months, having sex with her more than 100 times and making her baby-sit his 1-year-old son.

Michael Abdallah pleaded not guilty in Buffalo City Court to second-degree rape, unlawful imprisonment and custodial interference Saturday, a day after being arrested at his home.

[...]

A police report said Abdallah's apartment had no doorknobs and the exit door could only be opened by using a key to unlock two deadbolts. Police also found marijuana inside the home, the report said.

The neighbors didn't even hear anything. What this means is that people are going to have to start being wary, no joke, and keep their eyes and ears open when it comes to characters like this.

Also disturbing is that a man this dangerous had an infant son in his care. They better make sure to confiscate all custody from him.

There's a video available here.

Labels: islam, misogyny, New York, United States

The interior minister has confirmed he'll be working to legalize a Jewish-owned building in Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood, which is mainly Arabic:

The Jewish-owned Beit Yehonatan building in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan moved a step closer to becoming legal on Monday, as Interior Minister Eli Yishai authorized the Jerusalem District Building and Planning Committee to hold a vote on the building’s status next week.

Yishai said he had been assured that a majority of council members would vote in favor of declaring the seven-story structure, which was built without the proper permits, to be legal, but that an agreement had been reached with the building’s inhabitants to vacate the top two stories.

[...]

Beit Yehonatan, which is named for imprisoned Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, has been at the center of an ongoing struggle between Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Chief Prosecutor Moshe Lador. In late January, Lador had demanded that Barkat uphold an existing court order to evacuate and seal the building off, which Barkat refused to do.

City Attorney Yossi Havilio also joined Lador’s efforts to force Barkat to act, prompting the mayor to declare last week that he would evacuate and seal Beit Yehonatan, and then begin carrying out demolition orders for more than 200 illegally-built Arab-owned homes in the neighborhood.

While that move was widely seen as a bluff tactic to halt Lador and Havilio’s demands, Havilio responded to Barkat’s assertions with a letter he sent to Lador last Friday, calling into question a number of the details contained in Barkat’s declaration.

[...]

Monday’s apparent error on behalf of the municipality, however, sent right-wing supporters of the eight families who live in Beit Yehonatan into Silwan’s narrow streets, singing and dancing out of sheer joy that the evacuation orders did not find their way to the building’s front door.

City councilman Elisha Peleg along with Jerusalem Deputy Mayor David Hadari were among the supporters, and told reporters that they were pleased with the mix-up and hoped that the issue of illegal building in Silwan – for Jews and Arabs alike – would be settled once and for all.

“We’re opposed to the eviction of Jews from their homes,” Peleg told The Jerusalem Post later on Monday. “And we would like to see this situation resolved without anyone having to be evicted.”

If you'd like a little history on Silwan itself:

(IsraelNN.com) Interior Minister Eli Yishai confirmed Monday night that an agreement has been reached that may prevent the expulsion of Jews from the Jewish-owned Beit Yehonatan building in eastern Jerusalem. The multi-story residence is located in an Arab area formerly populated by Jews who owned the properties but were forced out under the British Mandate.

Just a reminder of the repugnant anti-Jewish bias the British had when they occupied this country.

Yishai is right to deal with this. And as for the Arab residents, well, they're going to have to learn one way or another that not only is this Jewish land we're talking about here, and that Jews have a right to decide where they'll live within it.

Labels: Israel, Jerusalem

Again, Islam disrespects law and order in this country:

(IsraelNN.com) Arabs challenged Israeli authority in eastern Jerusalem on Monday, hurling rocks in violent riots that wounded five policemen, one of whom was hospitalized. Arab journalists also suffered injuries.

The riots followed a large-scale police operation that was aimed at “putting some order” in place in the Arab locality of Shuafat. Police staged house-to-house midnight searches for weapons and for non-resident Arabs from Judea and Samaria staying in eastern Jerusalem without work permits.

Arabs responded by hurling rocks and broken bottles at the police and at soldiers at a checkpoint bordering the area. The clashes escalated Monday afternoon when Muslim school children joined the violence, also taking aim at nearby Jewish residents.

[...]

The mood on the Arab street has grown angrier the past several months, as Arab leaders have discarded the original American proposal that the status of Jerusalem be negotiated between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas recently called for a resumption of talks with a pre-ordained agreement that the entire area, including the Jewish Quarter in the Old City, will fall under PA sovereignty.

So let's see, we have returns to common themes among Islamofascists like violence, children with corrupted minds playing hooky, and more political taqqiya in motion. Really, with "friends" like these...

Labels: islam, Israel, Israeli Arabs, Jerusalem, jihad

Well wouldn't you know it, Dubai's colossal skyscraper, said to be the tallest in the world (undeservingly), has closed within a month from opening:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.

Electrical problems are at least partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform — the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building — including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's more than 160 floors — was affected by the shutdown.

The indefinite closure, which began Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.

And surely that isn't one of the reasons why they closed, because of their economic falldown? I've got a feeling few foreign businesses would be willing to open an office there now for many good reasons, and not just because Dubai could be funding terrorism, but also because there's really little to invest in there. It's such a shady country behind the scenes, it'd be foolish for anyone to do business with them.

Labels: UAE

The Weekly Standard reviewed From Paris with Love recently, and the director Pierre Morel, just like with his previous movie called Taken, he's shown the bravery to make the villain here an Islamic extremist:

There’s also something to be said for the film’s willingness to make the face of international terrorism that of a Muslim extremist. All too often – as with last weekend’s Edge of Darkness – a plot will unravel only to show that the real culprit is either a corrupt member of the United States government, or a black hearted corporation, or some other malevolent Western force in search of filthy lucre.

That willingness to deal in moral absolutes – terrorism bad, killing terrorists good – is one of the reasons that Morel’s films have been such a success. In Taken it was human traffickers, and in Banlieu 13 it was rival drug dealers and corrupt politicians, while the calculus remains roughly the same. Structuring a picture around archetypes will always leave certain critics sniffing about simplistic stories, but sometimes all the audience is looking for is a piece of entertainment, something rousing to get the blood pumping.

I may not watch that many movies today, but From Paris with Love is something I'll certainly have to find the opportunity to see.

Here's 2 more reviews from Debbie Schlussel and Big Hollywood.

Labels: islam, jihad, showbiz, terrorism, war on terror

Diana West has brought up the subject of Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal's shareholding in Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp, and how that's come with a price:

Should Fox News register with the State Department as a foreign agent -- an agent of Saudi Arabia?

First off, is that a farfetched question? Not when a leading member of the ruling family of the Sharia-totalitarian "kingdom" of Saudi Arabia, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, has made himself the second-largest shareholder of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., Fox News' parent company.

Just as Steven Emerson believes that American universities using Saudi mega-millions (many from Alwaleed) to set up Islamic studies departments should register as Saudi agents, I believe an American news channel part-owned and part-influenced by the Saudi prince should, too.

You know, I think that's a very worthy idea. One more reason I'm shocked that quite a few conservatives have spectacularly failed to make any light of this.

Alwaleed's long march through U.S. institutions is a mainly post-9/11 progression greased by his purchase of about a 5.5 percent stake in News Corp. in 2005, and his purchases, I mean, gifts, of $20 million apiece to Georgetown and Harvard Universities, also in 2005.

There have been other eye-catching displays of Alwaleed's largesse -- $500,000 in 2002 to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Hamas- and Muslim-Brotherhood-linked entity, and a whopping $27 million, also in 2002, to the families of Palestinian "martyrs," aka suicide bombers. These, along with Alwaleed's self-described "very close relationship" with Murdoch son and apparent heir-apparent James, a left-wing global-warmist with virulently anti-Israel views, should only deepen Americans' concerns about Fox's ties to "the prince." Recently, Murdoch and Alwaleed have discussed expanding their business relationship through the Murdoch purchase of a substantial stake in Rotana, Alwaleed's huge Arab media company.

[...]

Meanwhile, spokesmen for terrorism-linked and Alwaleed-endowed CAIR still appear on Fox shows, for example, while Dave Gaubatz and Paul Sperry, likely Fox guests as conservative authors of the sleeper-hit book "Muslim Mafia" (an expose of CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood), get zero airtime. The more important question becomes: How does Alwaleed's stake in News Corp. affect what Fox News doesn't cover?

If they don't report, we can't decide. This, for a Sharia prince, could be worth millions.

Correct. And if conservative reporters don't report this more widely, we still won't be able to decide. I'm glad West brought this up. But there's many more who're disappointing by not doing so, undoubtably because they don't want to jeopardize their chances of getting air time on FOX News. And that's a very serious problem.

Labels: anti-americanism, anti-semitism, CAIR corruption, communications, House of Saud, terrorism, United States

YnetNews reports on how anti-semitism in the UK has reached frightening levels. Gordon Brown condemns it, but honestly, I can't be moved to take his word at face value.

And while it's not too hard to guess what kind of fiends are behind these attacks, I still think it'd be a good idea to clearly identify them, which this article fails to do (nor in fact does this short item by the AP on the Wash. Post). Are there any vile Pakistanis doing this? Or even native Brits? Or both? It's not too hard to guess what kind of people are doing this, but, only if you clearly identify the problem will it be possible to figure it out.

I fear the number of recorded incidents (924 to date) will cross 1000 very soon, as Britain continues its slow path to self-destruction.

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, londonistan, msm foulness

The J-Weekly in San Francisco (via Jihad Watch) writes about how the MSM has repeatedly quoted CAIR as a "reliable" source representing Islam, yet almost entirely refuses to say anything about their being an unindicted co-conspirator in terror funding, nor do they mention how many of their workers have been convicted of criminal offenses.

Labels: CAIR corruption, islam, msm foulness, terrorism, United States

In this report, we receive no surprise whatsoever:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday said that the Palestinians would not accept Abu Dis, a town between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim that is currently controlled by the PA, as the capital of their future state, but would insist on receiving control over east Jerusalem.

In an interview with an Arab-language Russian TV channel, Abbas explained that while he feels east and west must not be divided in practice, it was important that it would be clear which part of the capital belongs to the Palestinians and which part belongs to Israel.

The PA president said that the Israeli demand to be recognized as a Jewish state appeared only in the 1947 partition plan, hinting that Israel would have to implement that plan in order to gain recognition as a Jewish state.

Abbas went on to explain that he could not resume peace talks with Israel without agreeing on basic issues and while Israel continued construction in east Jerusalem, because the peace process would suffer a serious blow already after the first meeting.

“What if they say in this meeting that they do not accept the ’67 borders and are not prepared to discuss [the issues of] and the [return of Palestinian] refugees? What would we talk about?” Abbas was quoted as telling the Russian TV channel. “If I engage in negotiations while construction in goes on – they will say that is theirs, since I was willing to resume talks while construction continued.”

[Note: there's some kind of cutoff here, probably an error made by the online editors] has rejected two ideas about resuming the peace talks, consolidated by the PA, and , Abbas claimed. Those ideas reportedly included a short building moratorium in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Israeli recognition of international decisions and the resumption of peace talks from the point they were halted in December 2008, under then-prime minister Ehud Olmert.

I see he even had the gall to tell all this to a Russkie TV company that produces in Arabic, which suggests the influence Islam could have in the neo-USSR. In any case, he's a most atrocious man who's already done more than enough to make himself illegitimate as a politician.

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel, Russia

Michelle Malkin presented a press release 2 days ago that C-SPAN did a report on how the role Islam played in Malik Nidal Hasan's massacre of Fort Hood was not mentioned in the Pentagon's report:

(WASHINGTON, DC) – House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter and fellow House Members will address the politically-correct scrubbing of the Department of Defense Report on the Fort Hood Shootings tonight on the floor of the House, after the 52-page DOD report was found to never mention “radical Islam” even once.

[...]

“The report flagrantly fails to admit the nature of the attack we suffered at Fort Hood,” says Carter, “and that failure bore immediate fruit on Christmas Day when we failed again to head off a planned attack by the same radical Islamic terror network, this time on a U.S. airliner. We even had similar forewarnings as with Major Nidal Hassan, which we ignored again. Had it not been for the misfiring of the terrorist’s bomb we would be mourning hundreds more today.”

The former Texas judge wrote Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates last week that he was “deeply disappointed” that the DOD report on the attack “not only ignored the clear radical Islamic facet of the incident,” but also failed to designate the attack as either an international terrorist attack or an act of combat by an enemy of the United States. Either designation by the Secretary would make all casualties of the action eligible for combat-related benefits and awards, including the Purple Heart.

Let's not forget that Gates was defense secretary under the Dubya administration, and now is continuing his pretentiousness under Obama's.

Labels: anti-americanism, islam, jihad, racism, terrorism, United States

Jihad Watch gets word that of the 18 witnesses Geert Wilders wants to be heard at his trial, only 3 were enabled to attend. Although Hans Jansen's work on the subject of Islam is wonderful, ditto that of Admiraal and Wafa Sultan, this shows how the Dutch court lording over this ludicrous trial is clearly setting the railroad tracks in place for Wilders.

Labels: dhimmitude, Europe, islam, jihad, Netherlands

What was reported 3 days ago about Rifqa Bary's parents reneging on their end of the deal may not be as bad as it sounded. As the Jawa Report now tells:

The Ohio court overseeing Rifqa Bary's case convened yesterday to hear an emergency motion by CAIR attorney Omar Tarazi attempting to circumvent a counselor's finding that Rifqa should be allowed to talk with the Florida couple, Blake and Beverly Lorenz, who took her in last summer after her flight from an allegedly abusive home in Ohio. The counselor recommended that Rifqa be allowed unsupervised telephone contact with the Lorenzs.

Notwithstanding the hyperventilating by the amateur legal strategists over at Atlas Shrugs yesterday, this is yet another legal win for Rifqa and deals a stunning setback for CAIR attorney Omar Tarazi. The magistrate allowed Rifqa to have supervised conversations with the Lorenzs until Judge Gill can rule on the counselor's recommendation on Feb. 16th. The magistrate also expressed skepticism at Tarazi's attempt to back out of the deal made last month that would allow Rifqa to remain in state custody until she turns 18. The magistrate made it clear during the hearing yesterday that it is highly unlikely that Judge Gill is going to reverse her previous order securing Rifqa's dependency deal. Is it possible that the judge is going to undo everything she put into place just two weeks ago to try to salvage Tarazi's crumbling media narrative? As with any case before a judge, it is possible, but doesn't seem likely. Apart from the hearings to address the recent flurry of bizarre motions by Tarazi, who is under considerable attack from his CAIR overlords for effectively losing this case, the next regularly scheduled hearing in Rifqa's case is August 10th - Rifqa's 18th birthday.

So as this tells, things are far from being as bad as told in the prior reports from a few days ago. What this means then is that, while Stemberger may not be without flaws, he too has done a sufficiently good job, and nowhere near as bad as what Atlas may have argued. In that case, we probably do owe Stemberger an apology, and hope he'll continue to do as good for the next few months. Of course, the magistrate and judge are surely the ones to whom we owe the most thanks if they understand that the approach the parents/lawyer are using is dishonest.

For now, I'm hoping there'll be more info available on any charges Tarazi may be facing for his role in the theft of Blake Lorenz's mail by Brian Smith and 2 cohorts. What surely needs to be done, is to file motions requiring Tarazi to testify.

Labels: islam, misogyny, United States

This was surely bound to happen, and is just as probable - and dangerous - a threat as those Islamic terrorists have used previously. The Daily Mail (via Eye on the World) has the story on the new crisis Britain is now warning about:

Britain is facing a new Al Qaeda terror threat from suicide ‘body bombers’ with explosives surgically inserted inside them.

Until now, terrorists have attacked airlines, Underground trains and buses by secreting bombs in bags, shoes or underwear to avoid detection.

But an operation by MI5 has uncovered evidence that Al Qaeda is planning a new stage in its terror campaign by inserting ‘surgical bombs’ inside people for the first time.

Security services believe the move has been prompted by the recent introduction at airports of body scanners, which are designed to catch terrorists before they board flights.

It is understood MI5 became aware of the threat after observing increasingly vocal internet ‘chatter’ on Arab websites this year.

The warning comes in the wake of the failed attempt by London-educated Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up an airliner approaching Detroit on Christmas Day.

One security source said: ‘If the terrorists are talking about this, we need to be ready and do all we can to counter the threat.’

A leading source added that male bombers would have the explosive secreted near their appendix or in their buttocks, while females would have the material placed inside their breasts in the same way as figure-enhancing implants.

Experts said the explosive PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate) would be placed in a plastic sachet inside the bomber’s body before the wound was stitched up like a normal operation incision and allowed to heal.

A shaped charge of 8oz of PETN can penetrate five inches of armour and would easily blow a large hole in an airliner.

Security sources said the explosives would be detonated by the bomber using a hypodermic syringe to inject TATP (Triacetone Triperoxide) through their skin into the explosives sachet.

This is very scary, and even suggests that female terrorists could be used for the first time in recent memory in attacks on planes, not just in suicide bombings on the ground in Iraq, where it's happened in past years.

What security forces are going to have to do now is to build body scans that can detect suspicious chemicals and substances inside the body, and even check for syringes hidden in their carry-on luggage.

I might also add that this is an absolute insult to big breasts, but then that's no doubt what the terrorists want to do anyway.

Labels: islam, jihad, londonistan, terrorism, war on terror

Atlas Shrugs has some more to say about Rifqa Bary's attorney, John Stemberger, as well as a response to said lawyer from Jamal Jivanjee, and you know what? If Stemberger, if anyone, is botching the job here, then yes, I do think that he should be given the pink slip for failure to properly defend Rifqa against those blatant parents of hers. Especially if he's only in it for the money.

What should be done now is for Rifqa to have the ill-advised plea withdrawn, and witnesses should be allowed to come forward and say whether they think she's in danger. And Stemberger should be told to skedaddle.

Update: Jewish Odysseus makes some counterpoints.

Update 2: as told here, I think I'm going to have to take back what I've said here, and apologize to Stemberger for any misunderstandings.

Labels: CAIR corruption, islam, misogyny, United States