Category: Law

Judging Iraq, in the rearview mirror

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I am not much one for armchair quarter backing. However, I am speaking the non-partisan truth about a subject.

This one happens to be one, that was central to my foray in to the world of blogging.

The Iraq War.

It seems that there are some, that are really trying to put a “Tire Shine” on the Iraq War. In that process, they are basically trying to rewrite facts and basically distort realities. Which is quite common for the Neo-Right. They have been doing that since Buckley arrived on the scene many years ago.

Here is David Brooks basically either trying to recover any Conservative credentials that he might actually still have, either that or trying to suck up to President Obama….. again:

The U.S. venture into Iraq was a war, but it was also a nation-building exercise. America has spent $53 billion trying to reconstruct Iraq, the largest development effort since the Marshall Plan.

So how’s it working out?

On the economic front, there are signs of progress. It’s hard to know what role the scattershot American development projects have played, but this year Iraq will have the 12th-fastest-growing economy in the world, and it is expected to grow at a 7 percent annual clip for the next several years.

“Iraq has made substantial progress since 2003,” the International Monetary Fund reports. Inflation is reasonably stable. A budget surplus is expected by 2012. Unemployment, though still 15 percent, is down from stratospheric levels.

Oil production is back around prewar levels, and there are some who say Iraq may be able to rival Saudi production. That’s probably unrealistic, but Iraq will have a healthy oil economy, for better and for worse.

Living standards are also improving. According to the Brookings Institution’s Iraq Index, the authoritative compendium of data on this subject, 833,000 Iraqis had phones before the invasion. Now more than 1.3 million have landlines and some 20 million have cellphones. Before the invasion, 4,500 Iraqis had Internet service. Now, more than 1.7 million do.

In the most recent Gallup poll, 69 percent of Iraqis rated their personal finances positively, up from 36 percent in March 2007. Baghdad residents say the markets are vibrant again, with new electronics, clothing and even liquor stores.

[…..]

Of course, to be honest, he’ll also have to say how fragile and incomplete this success is. Iraqi material conditions are better, but the Iraqi mind has not caught up with the Iraqi opportunity.

There is still very little social trust. Iraq is the fourth-most-corrupt nation on earth, according to Transparency International’s rating system. The role of women remains surprisingly circumscribed. Iraqi politicians clearly find it very hard to compromise (though they may be no worse than American politicians in this regard).

Human capital is lagging. Most doctors left Iraq after the invasion, and it is hard to staff health clinics. The engineers left too, so American-built plants lie dormant because there is no one with the skills to run them. Schools are suffering because of a lack of teachers.

Ryan Crocker, the former ambassador, recently wrote an article in The National Interest noting that fear still pervades Iraq. Ethnic animosities are in abeyance, but they are not gone. Guns have been put in closets, but not destroyed.

If he is honest, Obama will have to balance pride with caution. He’ll have to acknowledge that the gains the U.S. is enabling may vanish if the U.S. military withdraws entirely next year. He’ll have to acknowledge that bottom-up social change requires time and patience. He’ll have to heed the advice of serious Iraq hands like Crocker, Michael O’Hanlon of Brookings and Stephen Biddle of the Council on Foreign Relations, and shelve plans to withdraw completely.

Such a move may rob him of a campaign talking point. But it will safeguard an American accomplishment that has been too hard won.

Okay, that is fine. But what about the Billions of dollars that were lost in Iraq, that cannot be accounted for? Plus, since when is nation building something that is a cool thing to do? I know, as a Tax Payer, that I am not too happy about my tax dollars going to build a Country that will most likely turn against us again in the future. What brooks also fails to mention is the person that was responsible for the entire Iraq debacle, and that is President Bush.

On the subject of Nation building; Some are trying to make the comparison to to Japan and Germany. That is ludicrous on its very face.  The difference is, that the war on Japan and Germany were constitutionally declared wars, after the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. On the other hand, Iraq never attacked us directly, and there was not a constitutionally declared war on Iraq. Just a decision by congress to authorize Bush to use Military action on Iraq, based upon a few pieces of what is now known as faulty information.  Oh, the Neo-Right will trot out some letter written to the second in command of Al-Qaeda about wanting to move against Kuwait. But there is no proof that Al-Qaeda even received the letter. Further more, Osama Bin Laden could not stand Saddam. Besides, that letter was written back in the 1990’s, after the first gulf war. So, that so-called evidence linking Saddam to 9/11 is weak, very weak.

Ed Morrissey also flirts with the subject as well, and also gets it wrong:

When the story of this war gets written, most will lay the responsibility on the President who fought it the longest, George W. Bush, and we will see a slew of analysis over the next week that insist he paid too high a price for his neoconservative adventure.  However, perhaps later, cooler minds will prevail and put this in proper perspective.  We had two choices in 2003: either remove Saddam Hussein or abandon Iraq to him.  The coalition that imposed military limits on Saddam was falling away, and the sanctions regime had become so corrupt that it made Saddam a multibillionaire in his personal fortunes.  His sons were poised to succeed him in this reign of terror.  Our twelve-year truce had been repeatedly violated by Saddam, who also attempted to assassinate a former President, and we had done nothing to  address any of it.

The follow-up nation building in which we engaged can also be debated, but again, we had little choice in the matter.  We either needed to stay in Iraq to raise up a new government and army, or watch as Iran seized control through the Mahdi Army or Iraq became a Somalia in Southwest Asia.  Either of those outcomes would have been orders of magnitude worse than our occupation over the last several years.  The management of the occupation was certainly debatable, but once we invaded, we had no other choice but to see it all the way through.

In fact, the die was cast in this case twenty years ago when the George H. W. Bush administration stood up to Saddam Hussein and demanded his withdrawal from Kuwait.  The decision to leave Saddam in place created the twelve-year Phoney War that followed, and left the choice of either surrender or victory to one of Bush’s eventual successors.  In the end, the war removed a brutal dictator who was murdering his own people at a far faster rate than the war did and over a much longer period of time and who, left to his own devices, would have beaten the Iranians to a nuclear weapon with equally disastrous implications.  The freely-elected but still dysfunctional government in Baghdad is at least a bright spot of hope in a dismal region, if we can remain committed enough to nurture it through friendship.  That is what our men and women fought and bled to create, and it’s to their honor that it exists today.

Where he gets it wrong is here:

The coalition that imposed military limits on Saddam was falling away, and the sanctions regime had become so corrupt that it made Saddam a multibillionaire in his personal fortunes.  His sons were poised to succeed him in this reign of terror.

…..

We either needed to stay in Iraq to raise up a new government and army, or watch as Iran seized control through the Mahdi Army or Iraq became a Somalia in Southwest Asia.

See the problem with all that is this here. We overthrew a dictator, and broke up that Ba’ath Party leadership. However, we created a quasi-unity Government over there, which is very fragile. We also installed, or as the Neo-Right likes to call it; voted in, another basic dictator, who is friendly to the United States. The Iraqi Government, I personally predict, will collapse once all of the American military units, of all sorts, are out of Iraq come 2011. What will happen then, is this, there will be an all out civil war in that Country. The faction there that is loyal to Iran will win, and Iraq will align itself with Iran and will then begin the process to harboring terrorists to mount attacks on Israel and ultimately the United States.

So, in closing, we did not stop Iran from invading Iraq and creating havoc in the region. We just made it a little more difficult to carry out. But know this, it will happen and someday, someone is going to say, “Why didn’t we just leave that Country alone?” and when the next huge terrorist attack happens here in America, and we discover that the terrorists trained in Iraq. We will have no one to blame — but ourselves.

BREAKING NEWS: Two Men on United Flight from Chicago Arrested on ‘Preparation of a Terrorist Attack’ charges in Amsterdam

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The system worked again, is what they will say….

Via ABC’s Brian Ross, the most awesome damned reporter on the planet:

Two men taken off a Chicago-to-Amsterdam United Airlines flight in the Netherlands have been charged by Dutch police with “preparation of a terrorist attack,” U.S. law enforcement officials tell ABC News.

U.S. officials said the two appeared to be travelling with what were termed “mock bombs” in their luggage. “This was almost certainly a dry run, a test,” said one senior law enforcement official.

Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi, left, and Hezem al Murisi

A spokesman for the Dutch public prosecutor, Ernst Koelman, confirmed the two men were arrested this morning and said “the investigation is ongoing.” He said the arrests were made “at the request of American authorities.”

[….]

In addition, officials said, al Soofi was found to be carrying $7,000 in cash and a check of his luggage found a cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, a box cutter and three large knives. Officials said there was no indication of explosives and he and his luggage were cleared for the flight from Birmingham to Chicago O’Hare.

Instead, officials say, al Soofi was joined by the second man, Al Murisi, and boarded the United flight from Chicago to Amsterdam.

When Customs and Border officials learned al Soofi was not on the flight from Dulles to Dubai, the plane was ordered to return to the gate so his luggage could be removed. Officials said additional screening found no evidence of explosives.

The two men were detained by Dutch authorities when the United flight landed in Amsterdam, according to the officials.

AllahPundit Opines:

Basically, it sounds like this guy wanted to see just how many red flags he could send up and still be allowed to board an intercontinental flight. Answer: Quite a few, as it turns out. Which was also true of Flight 253, of course, another attempted terror attack that involved a bomber trained in … Yemen, the new number-one hot spot of international terrorism

That sounds about right; so to my readers who read this blog and travel abroad. (as opposed to traveling with broads. 😉 ) —- anyhow, seriously folks. Be careful. If you see something, anything — SAY SOMETHING! If they do not listen, demand to see their boss and keep raising hell, until someone does something! The only way that we can prevent terrorism, is to be on the look out.

There has been a lull in the activity and people are beginning to forget about the Christmas Day Terrorist attempt. That, my friends, is what terrorists do. They wait for people to do lulled back into complacency and that is when they strike. We must ALWAYS be on our guard for these bastards to strike. We are now in the global war on terror; and they want to come here to finish the job.

I may be a Moderate between Paleo-Conservative and Neo-Conservative; I may not be as far to the right as some might think that I should be. However, one thing CAN NEVER be said about this blogger —- and that is that I have my head up my arse about the global war on terrorism. I know the risks, and I am more than willing to take the hard knocks to stand against those who wish to commit Jihad against America. Further more, I am more than willing to be called a “Neo-Conservative” blogger, if that is what it means to be one, who feels that Terrorism, and terrorist activity is more than just some lowly criminal activity —- as Democrats believe it to be.  It is an act of war and should be treated as such.

In Closing: Terrorism is a real thing. If you are traveling, be aware of what is going on around you and be careful. If you see anything suspect; tell someone!

Others: CBS News, Politics Daily, New York Times, The Jawa Report, Hot Air, AMERICAN DIGEST, New York Magazine, Sister Toldjah, Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, msnbc.com, NPR Topics and National Review

My Follow Conservatives: We must help this man

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My Fellow Conservatives, if we are the people that we claim to be; a group of people that does distinguish between moderate Muslims and radical Muslims who wish to destroy America. It is time to put our money, where our mouths are.

This man was a victim; A victim of someone who, although intoxicated, was caught up in the euphoria surrounding the Mosque that the backers of park51 want to build. While I feel that the backers of park51 project ought to be covering this man’s bills. I also feel that we, as Conservatives, ought to take the higher plane and ought to at least contribute to this man’s cause and help him cover his bills until he can get back to work. Because, whether we want to admit it or not; there are some on our ranks, that actually created this mess. We ought to be the honorable ones, and help this man. He is an innocent bystander in a war, between those who want to destroy America and those who wish to preserve it.

From CNN:

(CNN) — New York cab driver Ahmed Sharif cannot bring himself to talk about the young man who allegedly cut his throat and nearly killed him last week, a taxi union representative said Sunday.

“Ahmed is a strong man, but mentally he has limits,” said Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. “The trauma he’s experienced will last for a long time.”

Desai spent time this weekend with Sharif. She said his most pressing worry is how he’ll provide for his wife and four children — including a 10-month-old –without a job. Sharif is receiving 2/3 of his salary, about $30,000 a year, in workers’ compensation. Union members do not get health insurance or disability payments, Desai said.

“My guess is that he’ll be unable to work for at least four months,” Desai said. “He can’t even pick up his baby because of the wounds to his arms. He can’t turn his neck.”

There’s been so little money raised over the past few days for Sharif that it would “barely cover baby formula,” said Desai who, along with Sharif, held a widely publicized press conference Friday announcing the union was creating a fund for the family. The union’s website indicates how to mail a donation or give online.

There is also an address that you can send your checks and money orders to, it is:

Ahmed Sharif
c/o New York Taxi Workers Alliance
250 Fifth Avenue, Suite 310
NY, NY 10001

Further more, I do not want to hear any idiotic griping about how this place is some sort of a union or progressive organization. Who cares? They are helping this man, and that my friends is all that matters. In fact, when this posting goes live. I will be sending a small donation, along with the link to this posting. Because I do want to show, that unlike some people out there, calling themselves Conservatives, I am not ate up with hatred of those of another race. I want to show, that my battle is not against those of the Islamic Faith or those of Arab decent; but that my battle is against radical Islam and Jihad — against those who have hijacked a religion to further an agenda of hate. Sort of like these guys here.

I encourage my fellow Conservatives to for once, to put aside our feelings of mistrust; and help someone, who was quite honestly, caught in the crossfire. If we do this, we can rebuild an image that was tarnished the day this man was stabbed. Do it now; go, give and give abundantly.

Other Great Americans, who feel this is just the right thing to do: Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, New York Magazine, Suburban Guerrilla and Gawker

The Feckless Far Christian Right: Exhibit GH for Gay Hatred

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I hate to even place these buffoons in with the Christian Right for two reasons. For one, in the past; they have supported Democrats and For two; these idiots are beyond just your typical nutty far right wingers. They are just straight up hatemongers.

Pictures:

Via CNN:

(CNN) — A motorist fired pepper spray Saturday at a group of demonstrators and counter-protesters outside a funeral for a U.S. Marine in Omaha, Nebraska, police said.

The incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m. (11 a.m. ET) as members of a small Kansas church that protests at military funerals and counter-protesters stood nearly a block away from First United Methodist Church during services for Staff Sgt. Michael Bock, 26, who died August 13 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

A man in a Ford-150 pickup truck drove by, extended his arm and sprayed with a large can, police said. His vehicle was stopped a few minutes later.

“Initial indications are he was probably targeting the Westboro Baptist Church” protesters, said officer Michael Pecha, a spokesman for Omaha police.

George Vogel, 62, who lives just north of Omaha, was booked for 16 counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of felony assault on a police officer for the pepper-spray exposure, police said. Vogel also faces one count of child neglect because his child was in the truck, Pecha told CNN.

[….]

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of Westboro Baptist Church, said Omaha police did not adequately control roughly 30 counter-protesters, who she said jostled with church members. She also challenged Knudsen’s and Pecha’s account, saying a few Patriot Guard members were among the counter-protesters.

The group was about 1,000 feet from the church when the driver came by. “Of course it was directed at us,” Phelps-Roper, who is Fred Phelps’ daughter, said of the pepper spray.

None of the 16 Westboro members on the corner were affected because they raised signs to shield themselves or turned away, Phelps-Roper said. The group returned home shortly afterward.

Extra officers were on hand for any possible altercations, but there were only verbal exchanges before the truck drove up, police said.

They should be glad it was just mace. Because folks, they are jacking with our United States Military. They are militant haters who have, like the terrorists on 9/11, have hi-jacked a Religion to further their religion of hate. I am all for having a Religious opinion; I too believe that Homosexuality is a sin. But to protest the funerals of dead United States Soldiers? That my friends is an act of terrorism.

In the past, I have tried to at least explain these people and their thinking. No more. I am done trying to explain them. Baptist? Calvinist? Absolute Predestination? Meh. Screw them — They just haters, hiding behind theology. They are no different than Al-Qaeda; they are Terrorists, Christian Terrorists, who are using our first amendment for protection. Just like Revolution Muslim does; and the only thing that a true-blue, dyed in the wool terrorists understands —- is the end of gun. They are also Anti-American Zealots, who rail against everything that America stands for. They should be arrested on terrorism charges, that Church seized and sold and the funds given to families of dead United States Soldiers.

My Name is Patrick and I am the owner of this blog and I endorse this message. Because nothing is worse than stupid Christians and than is, Hate-mongering Stupid Christians. Terrorists they are; and they should be stopped.

President Obama, is there is one thing you COULD do right and that would be to end this group and end them now. America would be so much better off. However, If I know Shrimpy McWaffle like I do; he would rather have them around to use as a prop to campaign against the Right. Which is about par for the course for this President. However, to be fair, President Bush did excatly nothing about these idiots and I really do not expect President Obama to either. Cowardice in Government is such a tragic thing.

Corruption of the Democrats strikes again!

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Man, there are just no honest Democrats anymore are they?

Longtime Dallas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson has awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and a top aide’s two children since 2005, using foundation funds set aside for black lawmakers’ causes.

The recipients were ineligible under anti-nepotism rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which provided the money. And all of the awards violated a foundation requirement that scholarship winners live or study in a caucus member’s district.

Johnson, a Democrat, denied any favoritism when asked about the scholarships last week. Two days later, she acknowledged in a statement released by her office that she had violated the rules but said she had done so “unknowingly” and would work with the foundation to “rectify the financial situation.”

Initially, she said, “I recognized the names when I saw them. And I knew that they had a need just like any other kid that would apply for one.” Had there been more “very worthy applicants in my district,” she added, “then I probably wouldn’t have given it” to the relatives.

via Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson violated rules, steered scholarships to relatives — Dallas Morning News.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Said just those by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Okay, so I will. Throw that black bitch in jail and throw away the key!

BREAKING NEWS:VICTORY FOR GUN OWNERS!: EPA HAS REJECTED THE PETITION TO BAN LEAD AMMO!

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Remember that petition that I reported that the EPA was considering?

Well, the word spread rather quickly and the EPA acted accordingly. (H/T HotAir)

The News via NRA-ILA’s Blog:

Responding to a grassroots outcry from gun owners, the Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has denied a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and other radical groups that had sought to ban the use of lead in ammunition.

Agreeing with the position of the NRA and the firearms industry, the agency explained in a news release that it “does not have the legal authority to regulate this type of product under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).”  Further crushing the hopes of anti-gun and anti-hunting activists, the release added: “nor is the agency seeking such authority.”

“It’s outrageous that this petition even went this far,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA-ILA Executive Director.  “We applaud the EPA for its understanding of the law and its common sense in this situation — both of which were totally missing in the petition filed by these extreme anti-gun and anti-hunting groups.”

Because the EPA has no power to regulate ammunition, it will not move ahead with a public comment period on the petition.  However, a comment period will remain open until September 15 on the other part of the petition, which asks EPA to ban the use of lead in fishing sinkers.

It is a victory and it is cause for celebration. However, we must always be on our toes for crazy stuff like this. Because liberals know no bounds and they will continue to pull stuff like this.

My thanks to the EPA for acting swiftly and rejecting such a ridiculous petition.

Unbelievable: US Department of Justice halts prosecution of U.S.S. Cole Bomber

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I do believe I might have been wrong about this President…..and terrorism. You know, I tried to give this President a break and not take the hardcore stance against him, when it came to this issue —- mainly because of the stupidity around the Birther issue. However, I am really starting to wonder, if that might have just been a tragic mistake. I mean, seriously? Shelve a trial of a sub-human farking animal that killed 17 of our brightest and best serviceman?

The Washington Post reports:

The Obama administration has shelved the planned prosecution of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged coordinator of the Oct. 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, according to a court filing.

The decision at least temporarily scuttles what was supposed to be the signature trial of a major al-Qaeda figure under a reformed system of military commissions. And it comes practically on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attack, which killed 17 sailors and wounded dozens when a boat packed with explosives ripped a hole in the side of the warship in the port of Aden.

In a filing this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department said that “no charges are either pending or contemplated with respect to al-Nashiri in the near future.”

The statement, tucked into a motion to dismiss a petition by Nashiri’s attorneys, suggests that the prospect of further military trials for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has all but ground to a halt, much as the administration’s plan to try the accused plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in federal court has stalled.

Only two cases are moving forward at Guantanamo Bay, and both were sworn and referred for trial by the time Obama took office. In January 2009, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the Convening Authority for Military Commissions to stop referring cases for trial, an order that 20 months later has not been rescinded.

Military officials said a team of prosecutors in the Nashiri case has been ready go to trial for some time. And several months ago, military officials seemed confident that Nashiri would be arraigned this summer.

It’s politics at this point,” said one military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss policy. He said he thinks the administration does not want to proceed against a high-value detainee without some prospect of civilian trials for other major figures at Guantanamo Bay.

A White House official disputed that.

“We are confident that the reformed military commissions are a lawful, fair and effective prosecutorial forum and that the Department of Defense will handle the referrals in an appropriate manner consistent with the interests of justice,” said the official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Defense Department issued a statement Thursday saying the case is not stalled. “Prosecutors in the Office of Military Commissions are actively investigating the case against Mr. al-Nashiri and are developing charges against him,” the statement said.

With the 10th anniversary of the Cole bombing approaching on Oct. 12, relatives of those killed in the attack expressed deep frustration with the delay.

“After 10 years, it seems like nobody really cares,” said Gloria Clodfelter, whose 21-year-old son, Kenneth, was killed on the Cole.

In case you have forgotten, these are the names of those killed on the U.S.S. Cole on Oct. 12, 2000: (H/T and thanks to Michelle Malkin)

Electronics Technician 1st Class Richard Costelow
Mess Management Specialist Lakina Francis
Information Systems Technician Tim Guana
Signalman Seaman Recruit Cherone Gunn
Seaman James McDaniels
Engineman 2nd Class Mark Nieto
Electronics Warfare Technician 3rd Class Ronald Owens
Seaman Recruit Lakiba Parker
Engineman Fireman Joshua Parlett
Fireman Apprentice Patrick Roy
Electronics Warfare Technician Kevin Rux
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ron Santiago
Operations Special 2nd Class Timothy Sanders
Fireman Gary Swenchonis Jr
Ensign Andrew Triplett
Seaman Apprentice Craig Wibberly
Hull Maintenance Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Clodfelter.

All because of politics, because he was supposedly “Tortured”. How is it, that sub-human animals like this have more rights than say your average person on the street?

AllahPundit is not impressed one bit:

If, however, the unnamed official quoted is right about the administration’s motives, it confirms what we’ve assumed all along about The One’s tribunal/civilian court protocol: Ain’t nothing but politics. For all his grandiose talk of due process, prosecuting the detainees has always been a game in which he balances the likelihood of conviction with the likelihood of civil-liberties political pageantry. If he can get a guilty verdict in a federal district court so that he can crow about the Constitution, he’ll do that; if he can’t, as is likely in the case of Nashiri, he’ll simply dump the guy in a tribunal so that at least he can crow about the conviction. See? He really is a pragmatist. And speaking of grandiose talk, go read Slublog’s recap of statements Obama made during the campaign — and directly to families of the Cole victims — about not dragging our feet in prosecutions. Just words?

Heck, even a liberal is not impressed; Blogger EmptyWheel over at FireDogLake Blog is not impressed:

Which of course means that our government (though the article suggests this is a distinction between the Bush and Obama Administrations, since Gates–though he spans both Administrations–has not ordered the Convening Authority to start referring cases) has decided it’s okay to try Omar Khadr, who was 15 and arguably acting in self-defense for his alleged crime, in a military commission. But not to try al-Nashiri, at least allegedly a genuine terrorist.

To be fair, the WaPo suggests the Administration is holding off until it can have civilian trials for other High Value Detainees (presumably, still the 9/11 conspirators). So it may well be a supportable goal. But it all seems to add to the Kangaroo stench around the military commissions.

You know, I am just going to say it; and if anyone wants to call me some sort of a right wing extremist, feel free. I just do not give a flying fark at this point. This Administration has got it’s damned head on backwards about terrorism. I mean, U.S.S. Cole? Seriously Guys? This was an obvious case of terrorism and they are going shelve a case; because some idiot got a little water up his nose?  17 people innocent people, who were doing their jobs for the United States Military were killed on a boat and we’re worried about some towel-head getting a fair trial? How damned tone-deaf and stupid can you be?

In Closing: Conservatives and yes even some Republicans have said that the Democratic Party is soft on terrorism; even sympathetic to the terrorist cause. Democrats have denounced this assertion repeatedly in the past. However, now that the Democrats are now in power; it seems that they are ready and even in come cases eager to prove the Republicans and Conservatives to be absolutely correct.

I believe I speak for the good majority of Americans when I say that November 2, 2010 cannot come fast enough. It is time for change. Real Change. American cannot wait much longer.

Others: Weekly Standard, Politics Daily, Michelle Malkin, National Review, Hot Air, For The Record, Wake up America, Firedoglake, Weasel Zippers, Gateway Pundit and Commentary

GUN OWNER ALERT!: EPA Considering Ban on Traditional Ammunition VICTORY! EPA BACKS DOWN!

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This is a red alert to ALL GUN OWNERS!

The News via the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Blog:

All Gun Owners, Hunters and Shooters:

With the fall hunting season fast approaching, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Lisa Jackson, who was responsible for banning bear hunting in New Jersey, is now considering a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) – a leading anti-hunting organization – to ban all traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, a law in which Congress expressly exempted ammunition.  If the EPA approves the petition, the result will be a total ban on all ammunition containing lead-core components, including hunting and target-shooting rounds. The EPA must decide to accept or reject this petition by November 1, 2010, the day before the midterm elections.

Today, the EPA has opened to public comment the CBD petition. The comment period ends on October 31, 2010.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) — the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry — urges you to submit comment to the EPA opposing any ban on traditional ammunition.  Remember, your right to choose the ammunition you hunt and shoot with is at stake.

The EPA has published the petition and relevant supplemental information as Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0681. If you would like to read the original petition and see the contents of this docket folder, please click here. In order to go directly to the ‘submit a comment’ page for this docket number, please click here.

There are some who believe that this will never fly and that it will never pass. Well, I say let’s not take any chances whatsoever! Click the links and let your voice be heard NOW!

Do not let them take our GUNS; that is the last line of defense, if they get those, we are done for! Sound the alarm! Pass this message on to everyone you know!

If I sounds like I am overreacting; look at England/The British; they have no guns and no freedom. We must take a stand, NOW!

What to do:

Contact your local Senators and House Members, and send this letter to them: (Remember, no profanity and no threats!)

Dear Congressman / Senator:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering banning all traditional ammunition — ammunition containing lead-core components. This is something that would affect all hunters, target shooters and law enforcement.

A petition filed with the EPA by several agenda-driven groups including the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), erroneously claims that the use of traditional ammunition poses a danger to (1) wildlife, in particular raptors such as bald eagles, that may feed on entrails or unrecovered game left in the field and (2) that there is a human health risk from consuming game harvested using traditional ammunition. Also falsely alleged in the petition is that the use of traditional ammunition by hunters is inconsistent with the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, Congress expressly exempted ammunition from being regulated as a “toxic substance.”

As your constituent, I am urging you to do whatever you can to stop the EPA, which has no jurisdiction over such matters, from banning our ammunition. Please consider the following points:

  • There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.
  • Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the 50 state wildlife agencies.
  • A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on blood lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk.
  • A ban on traditional ammunition would have a negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding. The bald eagle’s recovery, considered to be a great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition – the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.
  • Recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service show that from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

Thank you for your time. I will be watching your actions on this matter closely.

Above all, the most important thing to remember is, STOCK UP! If were all gun owners; I would be stocking up on ALL Ammo at the point, because there is NO TELLING what the EPA might also do here. I hate to sound like I am promoting fear, but when it comes to the second and first amendment, you could say that I am bit of extremist. 😀

Here is a Gun Dealer, in which I have an affiliate relationship with, I just never used them, because I never moved any product at all. I ask you to give them your business:


UPDATE! The EPA has REJECTED the petition!

UPDATED: The Obligatory Cab Driver Stabbed because he is a Muslim Posting New York Post shows its stupidity

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I really did not want to touch this, until ALL of the facts are out. There are many on the right, who are distorting this story badly. Further more, there are some on the left who are as well.

Here is the truth. A Cab Driver picks up a man; the cab driver is a Muslim. The man asks driver if he is a Muslim, the driver says yes, and the man proceeds to stab him rather badly. The Cab Driver locks his car and calls 911.

The man who did it, worked for a production company as a volunteer and went to Pakistan. He also did work for the Park51 group as well, as did the company he worked for.

The problem with these stories is this; both sides, left and right, rush to make it one of their own —- instead of waiting for the facts to come out.

The facts are, my friends, that a Muslim man was stabbed and is in the hospital; and there is a lone nut in a jail cell somewhere. I think that both sides of this debate need to take a step back and relax a little. Because this is going to keep on, until someone ends up dead; and that my friends, is the last thing we need right now.

I believe that both sides, left and right, both need to cool it. Before the unthinkable happens.

Memorandum Thread here.

Update: The New York Post shows it’s damned inane stupidity, their headline:

Driver claims his throat was slashed after telling passenger he was Muslim

Claims? CLAIMS??!?!? Wow. 😯

Pardon my sarcasm here, but, “Yeah we put claims, because you cannot ever trust those stupid sand nigger towel heads, they never tell truth….”

Oh.My.God I cannot believe Murdock would stoop that low. 🙁

I am ashamed of being even a moderate-minded Conservative at this moment. 😡

Update: Fixer Grammar error in title of posting. Thanks to commenter Blog Responder. 😀

Unreal: Mosque Supporter says Holocaust Survivor “Didn’t learn his lesson”

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You know, I have expressed my dismay at those on the far right, that are using that Mosque in New York as a political issue; and are fanning the flames of extremism  — not to mention are just grandstanding this issue to death.

Well, I regret to report, that it is happening on the left or at least among the Mosque supporters too:

The Video via JammieWearingFool: (CONTENT WARNING – LANGUAGE)

Obviously a Michael Bloomberg and Barack Obama supporter. Classy guy. He calls the old man an unpatriotic, treasonous piece of garbage. A shame how the lamestream media ignored this.

The left loves to call anyone who disagree with them bigots and haters. Just get a look at the vein-popping rage of this man and tell me he’s not consumed with hatred.

While Mr. JWF’s opinion may be slightly over the top; telling or saying that Holocaust survivor “Didn’t learn his lesson,” is just beyond the pale. I may support this Mosque’s LEGAL right to build this building, (Moral right is another story…) I do not support that sort of hatred.

My message to the Mosque supporters; if you think that spewing this sort of garbage and allowing yourself to be taped is going to help your cause, you are very highly mistaken. Bashing anyone, especially Jews; that are opposed to this Mosque only hurts your cause. I will not rush to judgment and call this man a leftist, because I do not know this, neither does JWF; but I digress. Therefore, I will just file this under general stupidity.

Video: I Fought For You

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This is great, have your hankie’s ready.

Fixed typo… more coffee…. 😛

Video: “Those voices don’t speak for us”

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One word…. Awesome. 😀 (H/T HotAir)

The Classless Left: Exhibit P for Pie

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Now this is different:

Ahlam Mohsen - Unhinged Pie Thug

Washington — Sen. Carl Levin was hit in the face with a pie this morning at a question-and-answer session on what should’ve been friendly ground in Big Rapids.

The Democrat from Detroit was speaking to members of the Mecosta County Democratic Party when a young man — who described himself as a student — began chastising Levin for his work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which helps direct military and war policy.

After a few minutes of speaking at Pepper’s Café and Deli, a woman who accompanied the student to the event walked up to Levin and hit him in the face with a pie, a source with Levin’s office confirmed.

Big Rapids Police arrested the woman on assault and battery charges.

via Levin hit in face with pie in Big Rapids — The Detroit News.

Interesting. I thought it was the Tea Party folks who were supposed to be the violent ones? Do you expect to see wall to wall coverage of this event on CNN and MSDNC MSNBC? Me either. 🙄 It just does not fit the narrative.

Because according to MSNBC and CNN, only the Teabagging white racist bigots can be violent pie throwers. 🙄

Uh-Oh: House Oversight Committee says Obama Administration did Propaganda Campaigns for Agenda

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Ouch, this one is blistering… 😯 (H/T HotAir)

The said document here

Excepts:

Since the beginning of the Obama Administration on January 20, 2009, ordinary Americans have financed and been exposed to an unprecedented number of public relations and propaganda efforts. Federal spending for public relations contracts rose to historically-high levels during the Bush Administration. Under one-party rule in 2009, the White House used the machinery of the Obama campaign to tout the President’s agenda through inappropriate and sometimes unlawful public relations and propaganda initiatives. Congress buoyed the Administration’s propaganda efforts by increasing federal spending on public relations for the first time since 2005.

The Obama Administration frequently used federal resources to promote the President’s agenda. In many cases, the Administration relied on the reach and resources of federal agencies and their personnel to promote certain of the President’s favorite programs. The White House also leveraged ties to the arts and entertainment community to embed propaganda in the content of television programming and artwork. These propaganda efforts violated appropriations riders and federal law prohibiting the use of appropriated funds for publicity or propaganda purposes.

The White House also used its inherent visibility advantages to multiply the effectiveness of websites containing misleading and controversial information. The White House used its resources to push visitors to websites that urge grassroots activism based on false and misleading information. The President’s right to sell his policy recommendations to Congress and the public is not disputed; however, using the resources of the federal government to activate a sophisticated propaganda and lobbying campaign is an abuse of office and a betrayal of the President’s pledge to create “an unprecedented level of openness in Government.”

Instead of facilitating openness, the public relations and propaganda activities of the White House have had precisely the opposite effect. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has historically deemed activities involving “covert propaganda” to be unlawful. In those cases, the source of the public relations or propaganda materials did not disclose his or her identity as a federal employee or contractor. Many of the Obama Administration’s propaganda activities are unlawful because they are covert. Furthermore, several programs closely resemble those decried by Democrats and ruled unlawful by GAO during the Bush Administration.

This report examines several of the most visible public relations and propaganda efforts during the first year of the Obama Administration. Viewed collectively, these activities reveal an Administration better suited to campaign-style self-promotion than to providing transparent and honest leadership.

[…]
In October 2008, the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs (OPA) added Tracy Russo to direct the Department’s “new media efforts.” Russo, the Chief Blogger and Deputy Director of Online Communications for the John Edwards for President Campaign,58 was given the title “New Media Specialist.”59 Since October, Russo has served as the author of the Justice Department’s official blog.60

Shortly after Russo was hired, reports surfaced that indicated she was covertly attempting to shape public opinion by searching online for articles, blogs or other entries critical of the Administration and then anonymously, or through the use of a pseudonym, posting comments to those sites attacking the author or contents.61

The blogging and campaign communities refer to this propaganda tactic as “astroturfing.”62 Astroturfing is the action of using fake and anonymous postings on message boards and blogs to push a point of view or to create the appearance of grassroots support for a particular agenda.63

I’d go read the rest of that report. There is a ton more in that report that I did not quote for space reasons.  If the Republicans take back both houses of Congress; we could be looking at a HUGE investigation of this Administration.

You tell me the difference between these two quotes

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There is something eerily familiar about this quote:


“This is not about freedom of religion,” Cornyn said. “I do think it’s unwise to build a mosque in the site where 3,000 Americans lost their lives as the result of a terrorist attack.”

Voters “sense that they’re being lectured to, not listened to” by Democrats, he said. “The American people will render their verdict.”

Is it just me, or does that that sound much like:

Today I have stood, where once Jefferson Davis stood, and took an oath to my people. It is very appropriate then that from this Cradle of the Confederacy, this very Heart of the Great Anglo-Saxon Southland, that today we sound the drum for freedom as have our generations of forebears before us done, time and time again through history. Let us rise to the call of freedom-loving blood that is in us and send our answer to the tyranny that clanks its chains upon the South. In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny . . . and I say . . . segregation today . . . segregation tomorrow . . . segregation forever.

I am just saying….

This issue will be the death the Republican Party, if they are not very careful. They are giving the Democrats the talking point that they need to defeat them in 2010…and 2012. At this point, as much as it pains me to say it —-They deserve it.

Update: Seeing that no one seems to get what I am trying to say. I will explain it. What is happening here is this; the Republican Party is pandering to the irrational fears of the general public towards Muslims. Just like George Wallace did with the southern Democrats, when they pandered to the White people in the South and their irrational fears of black people back in 1963. It is the same hate, the same pandering and the exact same bigotry. The only difference is, one was directed at blacks and this one is directed at Muslims and more broadly toward Arabs.

I have seen all of the rationalizations for all of this nonsense, and it is nothing more than vary nuanced bigotry. Only difference is that we did not use Arabs for slaves and did not lynch any of them. At least not yet. But I believe if the Republicans had their way; we would be lynching them, all of them, for what happened on 9/11.

Now this is not to say that I am not aware of the danger of Islamic terrorism or unaware or unwilling to accept the fact that there are Muslims who wish to impose Sharia Law in this Country. I am quite aware of that. But there is a big difference between awareness and bigotry; and this nonsense here is nothing more than nuanced bigotry. Period.

WTF?!?!?: Council Worker fired for mentioning God

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As a rule, I usually do not link to stories presented by WND. But this here; is a load of crap! 😡  — (H/T to WorldNetDaily)

There is widespread shock following the news that Duke Amachree has lost his case, having been sacked for mentioning God in the workplace. An employment tribunal has ruled that it was reasonable for Wandsworth Council to dismiss Duke, after he was sacked for gross misconduct for suggesting to a client with an incurable illness not to give up hope and to try putting her faith in God. The tribunal also found that the Council had not discriminated against Mr Amachree on the basis of his religion. In addition, the tribunal took the view that Duke had breached confidentiality by publicizing his case. The decision has come as a huge surprise to Duke and to his legal team.

Duke, a father of two and committed Christian, had worked for Wandsworth Council for 18 years and had an unblemished record. Yet, as a result of the comments he made in one 45 minute housing interview, he was subject to 6 months of investigations and three interviews with the Council. His solicitor was even told by the Council that saying “God bless” to a client would require an investigation if the client complained.

Gross misconduct usually covers such behaviour as violence in the workplace, theft or other such serious conduct. Yet the client herself expressly stated that she did not want Duke to be dismissed for what he had said and Duke had never been told that such small talk in a housing interview was prohibited. The Council have always accepted that Duke’s motivation in speaking to the client was purely one of compassion

via Shock decision against Council worker sacked for mentioning God – Christian Legal Centre.

It goes on to say that they are appealing the case. But, that is what this Nation is coming to. God is being taken out of the public square.

Welcome to Obama’s America.

Remember this come November 2, 2010 and in 2012.

The Feckless Far-Right: Exhibit C for Collectivism

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Here is another example of why I distance myself from the Christian Far-Right in this Country.

A person by the name of Bryan Fischer over at a Blog named Focal Point at the American Family Association writes the following:

Permits should not be granted to build even one more mosque in the United States of America, let alone the monstrosity planned for Ground Zero. This is for one simple reason: each Islamic mosque is dedicated to the overthrow of the American government.

Each one is a potential jihadist recruitment and training center, and determined to implement the “Grand Jihad” of which Andy McCarthy has written.

Here is the strategy, in their own words, in the words of “An Explanatory Memorandum” circulated by the Muslim Brotherhood in 1991 which outlines “the General Strategic Goal” for the Islamic movement “in North America.”

He proceeds to quote the following:

Read it and shudder:

Muslims “must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions…It is a Muslim’s destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny…” (emphasis mine)

Here is where Mr. Fischer goes astray; he is quoting from The Muslim Brotherhood, A Muslim extremist group, who has been banned in other Muslim Countries. What he is doing here, is something that is common in Far-Right, Conservative Christian circles and that is the use of collectivism; assuming that ALL Muslims believe exactly the way that the Muslim Brotherhood believes. The question is, does the Muslim Brotherhood speak for all Muslims? The Muslim Brotherhood might believe that they do; but the question is, do they actually speak for the entire Muslim Community?  Some would say that Fischer is a bigot, I will not assume that, I do not know Mr. Fischer’s heart. But, I will say that the attitude that this man is portraying here is the same attitude that was displayed towards the black race in the south during the Jim Crow era.

Fischer continues:

Because of this subversive ideology, Muslims cannot claim religious freedom protections under the First Amendment. They are currently using First Amendment freedoms to make plans to destroy the First Amendment altogether. There is no such thing as freedom of religion in Islam, and it is sheer and utter folly for Americans to delude themselves into thinking otherwise.

Ask the Hutaree Christian militia how much good it did them to plaster Bible verses all over their website while plotting attacks against government officials. They are currently pondering the limits of the First Amendment, as they should, from the inside of a jail cell. The First Amendment cannot be used as a cloak for subversive activity.

Again, Mr. Fischer is assuming that all Muslims agree with the Muslim Brotherhood, which again is a faulty reasoning.

Another point I would like to make here. It is a point that I am sure that Mr. Fischer most likely did not think about. The idea of the United States Government banning the new construction of Religious building is not a smart one. The reasoning is this; that whole idea can be a two-edged sword. The same United States Government that would tell Muslims that they could not build Mosques —- is the same Government that could suddenly decide that new Churches should not be built either. Do you see where I am going with this? The less that the United States Government gets involved with the Religious affairs of America, the better. We have that first amendment for a reason; and I, as a Fundamentalist Baptist Christian, would prefer if it stayed that way!

This whole idea, that we have to treat Muslims different than any other religion is flawed on it’s face. Yes, I know that Islamic terrorism is an issue. If and when the Government finds these people, we should arrest them. But it is the Muslim community’s job to insure that extremism is rooted out of it’s ranks. Not the United States Government’s.

If we being to allow the Government to exercise any sort of control over ANY aspect of ANY religion at all, we will be putting ourselves unto a slippery slope that we will never be able to reverse.

Why do Christians do stupid stuff like this?

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Good Lord. 🙄

Pastor Donald Crosby - Bible-Thumping Moron at large

Warner Robins police say they arrested Pastor Donald Crosby Monday morning as he and a group of supporters protested Warner Robins High School’s “Demon” nickname and mascot.

Warner Robins police spokeswoman Tabitha Pugh says 36-year-old Crosby was arrested after police told him he didn’t have a picketing permit, as required by the city.

Crosby and the group set up the protest outside the school on the opening day of classes because of their opposition to the school’s Demon team nickname.

The pastor says his son attends the school and he doesn’t want him exposed to the name’s evil connotations.

via Warner Robins Pastor Arrested After Anti-‘Demon’ Protest | 13WMAZ.com | Macon, GA.

Meanwhile family members are mourning the passing of their own, who was a Mennonite Medical Missionary, who was killed in Afghanistan:

AKRON, Pa. (AP) — A Mennonite international aid group based in central Pennsylvania says a medical worker gunned down in Afghanistan is only the third person killed in its 90-year history.

Representative John Williamson of the Mennonite Central Committee describes 40-year-old Lancaster, Pa., resident Glen Lapp as a “very kind, loving, respectful person.”

Williamson says Lapp was due to finish a two-year assignment in Afghanistan in October.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the Thursday shooting deaths of Lapp and nine other volunteers, saying the workers were trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.

But Williamson says any claims that Lapp’s group was proselytizing in the region are “rubbish.”

Lapp was working with a charity that was providing eye care and other medical services in the country.

I ask you, which one of these two sounds more like an actual Christian to you? A man who gave his life, so he could help others; or some idiotic freak who think it’s his God-Given mandate to protest some schools Mascot?

…and they wonder why I will not attend Church anymore…

Daughter of 9/11 victim who is Muslim says, Build your mosque somewhere else

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A very heart rending story. 🙁

On the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I watched as terrorists slammed United Flight 175 into the South Tower of the World Trade Center, 18 minutes after their accomplices on another hijacked plane hit the North Tower. My mother was on the flight. I witnessed her murder on live television. I still cannot fully comprehend those images. In that moment, I died as well. I carry a hole in my heart that will never be filled.

From the first memorial ceremonies I attended at Ground Zero, I have always been moved by the site; it means something to be close to where my mother may be buried, it brings some peace. That is why the prospect of a mosque near Ground Zero — or a church or a synagogue or any religious or nationalistic monument or symbol — troubles me.

via A Muslim victim of 9/11: ‘Build your mosque somewhere else’.

Go read the rest of this; it is heart wrenching.

Anyone, with any sort of common sense would agree with this; but it is quite obvious that this common sense in not found in liberal circles. This is evidenced by this idiotic tripe, written by some moronic asshole on the liberal left. Which tends to make me believe that liberals are supportive, even sympathetic to the cause of those who flew those planes into the trade center, and the pentagon. Hell, after all, did not some of the liberal left accuse George W. Bush of ordering the attacks; and basically say that the United States deserved the attacks because of “Bush-Hitler” and his capitalistic society?

Leave it to the liberal left, to collectively piss on the graves of those who died on 9/11. It is what they are about good for. That and disrespecting those who’ve died in wars.

Conservative Bloggers and Conservatives on general, have been condemned by the liberal bloggers for referring to the liberals in this Country, as Anti-American. Well, as a former “Left of Center”, who woke up and smelled the coffee about the Democratic Party and those within it; let me say this —- Yes, they are Anti-American. Anyone who would support a Muslim Mosque within 25 or more miles of where those on 9/11 died, is nothing more than traitor to America. Plain and simple; you cannot claim to support America, its ideals and its freedoms; and then at the same damned time hand a token of victory to the Muslims; by allowing them to build this sort of a building. It just is not possible.

As I said once before; In the name GOD; do not allow this to happen.

Others: Sister Toldjah, JammieWearingFool, Liberty Pundits Blog, Hugh Hewitt’s TownHall Blog, Jihad Watch, and Weasel Zippers

Here it is: My official opinion on the New York Mosque that is being built near the 9/11 site

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Two Blocks, four blocks, it does not damn matter…

Here is my opinion: (STRONG CONTENT WARNING!)

I saw the above video with the following comment under it:

“And we’re suppose to not think nothing of letting a Mosque to be built near ground zero. These people are really quite arrogant and cruel to us…and they have the gall to say we’re arrogant. The people who suffered because of 9/11 deserve to thought of better than this”

…Let me go on the record as saying….

That I totally and wholeheartedly agree. This is not about religious freedom, nor is it about hating Muslims or Islam. It is about protecting the memories of those who died on September 11, 2001; all 2,976 victims.

United We Stand, divided we fall.

In the name of the God — Do not let this happen.

Update: Memeornadum Thread

Senate confirms first Jewish Lesbian to SCOTUS

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Another activist Liberal makes it to the SCOTUS:

The Senate has confirmed Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama’s solicitor general, as the newest Supreme Court justice.

Kagan, the former dean of Harvard Law School, replaces retiring Justice John Paul Stevens and becomes the fourth woman to serve on the court in its 121-year history. The vote confirming Kagan, who also served in the Clinton administration, was largely along party lines, with just a handful of Republicans voting with Democrats to confirm her – and one Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), voting no. She is expected to join the court when it reconvenes after its summer recess

via Senate confirms Kagan – Josh Gerstein – POLITICO.com.

I figured that this would end up happening. This is just proof that elections matter. When you vote for a personality, without checking into his background thoroughly; this is what you get.

Remember this come 2010 and 2012 folks.

BREAKING NEWS: 14 Charged with Aiding Terrorists in Minnesota, California and Alabama

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This is some big breaking news:

Via Washington Post:

Federal indictments unsealed Thursday in Minnesota, Alabama and California charge 14 people with terrorism offenses for allegedly aiding the radical Islamist al-Shabab organization in Somalia.

In announcing the indictments, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said the charges reflect a disturbing trend in which al-Shabab, which has links to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network, has appealed to U.S. citizens of Somali descent to join the group’s battle against a weak U.S.-backed transitional government and African Union peacekeeping forces in Somalia.

Holder said there was no direct evidence that al-Shabab is threatening the United States, although a terrorist attack last month in Uganda “gives us pause.” Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, in which dozens of civilians were killed in coordinated bombings at two locations in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Among the victims was an American aid worker from Delaware.

Some Conservatives are being a bit harsh on Obama about this one. I will not do that. Kudos to the Justice Department for busting this ring. Hopefully they are charged and spend some good time behind bars.

Others: The Jawa Report, Hot Air and Weekly Standard