As Iran approaches what could be the defining moment in an uprising that few thought would last this long or become this strong, perhaps Iran’s leaders should keep their gaze focused on the earth. It’s shifting beneath them.
Tag: World News
Obama Administration to Iran, ‘Saber rattle this douche nozzle’
I have to give President Obama credit, he does have his head on straight with Iran. It seems that President Obama’s overtures to that regime in Iran fell on deaf ears; and the President knows it. So, when Iran came out with some saber rattling the President decided enough is enough and is taking the battle to Iran.
The Story Via The U.K. Guardian:
Audio Report:
[podcast]http://download.guardian.co.uk/audio/kip/standalone/world/1265010933312/1925/gdn.new.100201.tm.Chris-McGreal.mp3[/podcast]
Story:
Tension between the US and Iran heightened dramatically today with the disclosure that Barack Obama is deploying a missile shield to protect American allies in the Gulf from attack by Tehran.
The US is dispatching Patriot defensive missiles to four countries – Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait – and keeping two ships in the Gulf capable of shooting down Iranian missiles. Washington is also helping Saudi Arabia develop a force to protect its oil installations.
American officials said the move is aimed at deterring an attack by Iran and reassuring Gulf states fearful that Tehran might react to sanctions by striking at US allies in the region. Washington is also seeking to discourage Israel from a strike against Iran by demonstrating that the US is prepared to contain any threat.
The deployment comes after Obama’s attempts to emphasise diplomacy over confrontation in dealing with Iran – a contrast to the Bush administration’s approach – have failed to persuade Tehran to open its nuclear installations to international controls. The White House is now trying to engineer agreement for sanctions focused on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, believed to be in charge of the atomic programme.
Washington has not formally announced the deployment of the Patriots and other anti-missile systems, but by leaking it to American newspapers the administration is evidently seeking to alert Tehran to a hardening of its position.
The administration is deploying two Patriot batteries, capable of shooting down incoming missiles, in each of the four Gulf countries. Kuwait already has an older version of the missile, deployed after Iraq’s invasion. Saudi Arabia has long had the missiles, as has Israel.
An unnamed senior administration official told the New York Times: “Our first goal is to deter the Iranians. A second is to reassure the Arab states, so they don’t feel they have to go nuclear themselves. But there is certainly an element of calming the Israelis as well.”
President Obama’s domestic policy might be that of Jimmy Carter’s class; but it when it comes to foreign policy, The President is no idiot, that is for sure. President Obama knows that if Iran strikes against Israel that The United States would be drawn into the conflict. This is simply a measure of protection for Israel, The United States AND other Arab Nations as well. As the L.A. Times points out:
The presence of additional forces should not be a major issue within the four countries accepting the stepped-up defenses. Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait all host major U.S. bases, and the government of the United Arab Emirates has a long-standing relationship with the American military.
U.S. officials also are working with allies in the Gulf to ensure freedom of navigation in the region. Arab countries worry that during a crisis, Iran could try to prevent their ships from traversing the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off their oil export business.
Obama administration officials also hope to head off an expanded nuclear arms race in the region. If Tehran acquires a nuclear weapon, or is seen as making progress toward acquiring one, wealthy Arab Gulf governments could seek their own weapons, a scenario Washington views as potentially volatile.
Karl (who’s subbing for AP and Ed, who are at meetings) adds:
Allahpundit/McLaughlin-esque exit question: Do these moves signal that Pres. Obama is taking the Iranian threat seriously, or are they another sign that he is planning for the day that the “international community” failed to stop Iran from getting the bomb?
I hate to say it, but I believe Ed has a point. The Obama Administration does see that this guy crazy man is not playing. President Obama knows that if he does nothing, it will show a sign of weakness. That is something that this President just cannot afford to let happen, for the United States sake and for the sake of the international community as well. While the Paleo-Conservative part of me laments the fact, that this could actually turn into another damned war. I also realize that the Country of Iran, is being ruled by a nut job, who is hell bent on confrontation with the rest of the World. I realize that this is a gamble that the United States and the rest of the World cannot afford to make. It encourages me to see that Obama realizes this and is upping the ante. I just pray that Iran sees this and blinks. Because the last thing we need right now, with our economy and involvement in other theaters; is another damned war.
WOW – For once, I agree with Jack Hunter
This week the US Senate is debating whether to raise the national debt ceiling by $1.9 trillion, totaling a whopping $14.3 trillion, which is about the same size as the nation’s overall economy. Some estimate the cost of national healthcare would be in the ballpark of $1 trillion. The initial relief donation to Haiti by the US government was a relatively measly $100 million while the cost of the Iraq war alone has been estimated at $3 trillion dollars. Regardless, our government, and the debt to maintain it, keeps growing astronomically.
The old fashioned, biblical concept of charity is that it begins at home, and once a man has taken care of his family, property and immediate surroundings he can then afford to address greater concerns. Increasingly and sometimes tragically, America can no longer afford to address greater concerns—not that affordability will prevent our government from continuing to do so. The conservative’s task should be to prevent it from doing so, or “limiting” government–and not promoting its unlimited use at home or abroad, and certainly not to save the world.
For once; I actually agree with Jack Hunter. I am very glad that he spoke out on this. I mean, we’re fighting wars and our economy is in the toilet. But yet, we are sending millions of dollars into a Country that is so damn corrupt that they cannot even feed their own people? Give me a break. We need to deal with our own and stop trying to be the World’s rescue dog. It is not like those people even appreciate what we are even doing there. Because we have already been accused of occupying the Country.
Bottom Line: Jack Hunter is correct, Let private industry deal with that problem in Haiti and stop using the United States Government to deal every little situation that comes up.
Countdown to being called a RAAAAACIST!!!!! in 5……4…..3…..2….
Course Change: White House Orders New Location for 9/11 Mastermind Trial
That was quick:
The White House ordered the Justice Department Thursday night to consider other places to try the 9/11 terror suspects after a wave of opposition to holding the trial in lower Manhattan.
The dramatic turnabout came hours after Mayor Bloomberg said he would “prefer that they did it elsewhere” and then spoke to Attorney General Eric Holder.
“It would be an inconvenience at the least, and probably that’s too mild a word for people that live in the neighborhood and businesses in the neighborhood,” Bloomberg told reporters.
“There are places that would be less expensive for the taxpayers and less disruptive for New York City.”
via White House asks Justice Department to look for other places to hold 9/11 terror trial.
I think the word Cluster Fark would be about the right word to use. 😛 Glad to see the White House coming to its senses on this one. What really needs to happen is the President needs to say, “Never Mind” and let the idiot be tried in a military court.
Others: Michelle Malkin, Big Government, , Tammy Bruce, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, New York Times, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, Don Surber (H/T Memeorandum)
Obama announces spending freeze, Liberals heads explode
I am sure that you have already heard about President Obama’s proposed spending freeze. I’m sure you also have read the reaction of the Blogosphere as well. To be blunt, the left is not happy at all. To see a representation of this, check out this video of Rachel Maddow going toe to toe with Biden’s economic guy.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I have to give Rachel Maddow credit; She might be as left wing-dingy as a I am a right wing-dingy — But she sure as hell can make the Obama Administration explain themselves and defend their policies very well. So, I give her credit for that, she handled herself very well and did not give this guy a pass or go light on him. Color me quite impressed. Now, as for her politics, I disagree with it. Further more, the spending thing is nothing more than good political theater. See Rachel Maddow maintains that Obama would be pulling a Hover, sorry, that is just wrong. There are many things that have changed in way Wall Street and further more, the United States handles its affairs, since the big wall street crash of 1939 and the subsequent depression. Further more, it would help stop this out of control deficit that we have on our hands. Now, I will give her credit, she does rightly (Um, sorry, just a figure of speech) observe that this politically for the Obama Administration is a political blunder; because basically, Obama is doing what John McCain ran on in the 2008 election and lost. However, Obama’s guy explained that the cuts are not across the board. Hence my idea that it is nothing more than political slight of hand.
Further more, as much as I know this is going to make me sound like Pat Buchanan; (NTTAWT!) we need to repeal NAFTA and TAFTA and the rest of those Free Trade agreements with all these Countries. We need to go back to imposing tariffs on ALL imports from around the world. That would raise capital that our Nation so desperately needs. Now politically, that could cause us problems; but it would put a huge dent in our Nation’s debt to China. It would also encourage manufactures to build their products here in America, instead of overseas — and as an “America First” type of Conservative, that would make me extremely happy. 😀
Bottom Line: While Rachel might be good at interrogation, her hypothesis is just flat out wrong or at the least, overstated.
New Bin Laden Tape Surfaces
Him again?
A new audio tape allegedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden claims responsibility for an attempt to blow up a plane en route to Michigan on Christmas Day and warns the United States of more attacks.
The tape, which aired on the Arabic-language news Web site Al-Jazeera on Sunday, says “the United States will not dream of enjoying safety until we live it in reality in Palestine.”
The tape continues: “It is not fair to enjoy that kind of life while our brothers in Gaza live in the worst of miseries.”
CNN could not independently confirm the authenticity of the message, but the CIA has in the past confirmed Al-Jazeera reports on tapes from the al Qaeda leader.
President Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that while there was no immediate confirmation that the message was authentic, it “contains the same hollow justification for the slaughter of innocent people.”
In another section of the audio tape that Al-Jazeera broadcast, the voice says: “God willing our attacks will continue as long as you support the Israelis and may peace be on those who follow guidance.”
Bin Laden also claims responsibility for the foiled attack on Delta flight 253 in December.
“The message intended to be sent to you was through the hero fighter Omar Farouq, may God release him, confirming an earlier message that the [September] 11th heroes delivered to you and it was repeated before and after [that event],” he says.
A Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has been charged with attempting to blow up the Delta Airlines plane as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
“Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was behind the failed attack on Christmas Day. That’s clear,” a U.S. counterterrorism official — who is not authorized to speak publicly — told CNN. “So a message like this — no matter whose voice it may be — should come as no surprise. Al Qaeda has, from time to time, tried to build support for its program of murder by talking about the Palestinian issue. That line’s never gotten them much in the past, and it’s unlikely to now, either.
Here is the audio in question:
Here’s the full audio:
As many of my fellow Conservative Bloggers have asked; I thought all of this was going to, um, change after the election of Barack Hussein Obama? So much for that idea eh? As always, Osama Bin Laden blames the United States of America’s relationship with Israel for the attacks or in this case, botched attacks. Which shows you how bad the Al-Qaeda organization is demoralized since 9/11. Which was, in part, due to the efforts of President George W. Bush. President Obama has basically just continued his policies, which by the way Liberals, WORKED; no thanks to them of course. President Obama, on the other hand, has tried to play footzies with those bastards and look what it has gotten him —- Nowhere!
So, anyhow, the fight goes on and no amount of Hope and Change, Unicorns and rainbows is going to stop that. So, wise up Liberals and realize that the terrorists are not your friends.
Now having said all that; for some oddball reason, I somehow doubt that is actually Osama. I believe it might be someone within the Al-Qaeda group that sounds much like him. But as to that being him, I have my doubts.
Trijicon stops the Bible verses on the rifle scopes
(H/T Say Uncle)
I wrote about this here and here… and now the company has put a halt to it.
A company under fire for etching biblical references on rifle scopes used by the U.S. military said Thursday it will stop the practice, and offered to provide modification kits to the Pentagon to enable their removal on existing optics.
Michigan-based Trijicon Inc. made the announcement in a statement released by Levick Strategic Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that specializes in crisis management.
“Trijicon has proudly served the U.S. military for more than two decades, and our decision to offer to voluntarily remove these references is both prudent and appropriate,” Trijicon president Stephen Bindon said in a statement. “We want to thank the Department of Defense for the opportunity to work with them and will move as quickly as possible to provide the modification kits for deployment overseas.”
Trijicon also said it will remove the inscriptions from all products it has made for the military, but not yet shipped, and that it will provide foreign military services that purchased Trijicon products the same options.
via Trijicon: No more Bible references on rifle scopes – Navy Times.
A wise-choice for that company indeed. All around, I believe that this decision will be good for all involved. Because the last thing we need, is the enemy using our own weapons for propaganda purposes.
America tries to help Haiti, gets accused of occupation
No, I am not kidding.
I have two stories, first this story via the U.K. Telegraph:
Video:
The Story:
The French minister in charge of humanitarian relief called on the UN to “clarify” the American role amid claims the military build up was hampering aid efforts.
Alain Joyandet admitted he had been involved in a scuffle with a US commander in the airport’s control tower over the flight plan for a French evacuation flight.
“This is about helping Haiti, not about occupying Haiti,” Mr Joyandet said.
Geneva-based charity Medecins Sans Frontieres backed his calls saying hundreds of lives were being put at risk as planes carrying vital medical supplies were being turned away by American air traffic controllers.
But US commanders insisted their forces’ focus was on humanitarian work and last night agreed to prioritise aid arrivals to the airport over military flights, after the intervention of the UN.
The diplomatic row came amid heightened frustrations that hundreds of tons of aid was still not getting through. Charities reported violence was also worsening as desperate Haitians took matters into their own hands.
Let me get this straight —- The United States of America’s last two Presidents get together, put political differences aside and begin to raise all sorts of funds for people of Haiti and now we are the bad guys? Unreal. 🙄
And then, there’s this by Paul Goodman:
The humanitarian catastrophe in Haiti is turning out to be a classic illustration of anti-Americanism in seven easy steps.
- Calamitous events take place in a chaotic place (think Bosnia, think Somalia, think Iraq in 1991).
- The U.N and the U.S intervene.
- The civil government proves to be useless or malign, or both. The U.N isn’t up to the job. The only effective force in sight is the U.S. According to today’s Guardian, John O’Shea, the head of Goal, a medical charity, has called on the U.S to take charge of the whole operation. So has a major U.S aid agency (“which declined to be named for political reasons”).
- There are only two possible outcomes.
- The U.S takes over. If this happens, it will be accused of “creating a military occupation under the guise of humanitarian aid” and “occupying” the country outright. (Apologies, my memory’s failing me. These criticisms have been aired already. The first quote’s from President Chavez of Venezuela. The second’s from Alain Joyandet, France’s “Co-operation Minister”.)
- The U.S doesn’t take over. If this happens, it will be criticised for “not doing enough” – and isolationism.
- So either way, the U.S loses.
I’m not a fully signed-up member of the Stars-and-Stripes fan club. But there are times when I think: who’d be an American?
Sorry, I am just going to say this, and I know that some identity politics type of jackass or some minority serial complainer will bitch about it; fine, screw ’em, I just don’t give a damn anymore. What needs to happen right about now, is this — The United States of America needs to get all those supplies off of those ships and planes and get back on their ships and planes and get the hell out of Haiti now. I mean, we have ponied up for these people and other such people long enough, let them idiots deal with their problems themselves, why the hell should WE have to be the ones to go in and play captain? Not like they are going to appreciate what we do any damn way. If the U.N. does not like our forces being there, LET THE U.N. TAKE OVER THE MISSION AND LEAVE!
Yeah, I know, some liberal asshat is going to call me a racist bigot for saying it. I got two words for you: Screw You. The United States of America has wasted more money on Countries that do not like us, for whatever reason and we are doing it again; and again we are being fingered as the bad guys. Enough is Enough! It is time for the United States to say home and take care of its own problems and stop trying to help everyone who has a Earthquake or other kind of natural disaster.
It just so happens that the United States of America is going through its own sort of disaster, A man-made one, its called our Economy — and instead of us watching what we spend and keeping what we have, which is not much, when you figure that China is buying our debt, we are sending it off to a bunch of idiots, who really do not like us anyhow! No, this is not sarcasm, I am quite serious. What do we get for all this sort of charity? The above nonsense that I just quoted.
Bottom Line: I believe it is high time that the United States of America reevaluated its role abroad and got out of the rescue and charity business for Countries that really do not like us anyhow.
Others: Mudville Gazette, Fausta’s Blog, Neptunus Lex, and The Jawa Report
Military Scopes being sold by Michigan supplier have Holy Scriptures references on them, liberals horrified
The idiot story of the day:
Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found.
At the end of the serial number on Trijicon’s ACOG gun sight, you can read “JN8:12”, a reference to the New Testament book of John, Chapter 8, Verse 12, which reads: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The ACOG is widely used by the U.S. military.
The sights are used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. The maker of the sights, Trijicon, has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps, and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army.
U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious “Crusade” in its war against al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents.
One of the citations on the gun sights, 2COR4:6, is an apparent reference to Second Corinthians 4:6 of the New Testament, which reads: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Other references include citations from the books of Revelation, Matthew and John dealing with Jesus as “the light of the world.” John 8:12, referred to on the gun sights as JN8:12, reads, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
via U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret ‘Jesus’ Bible Codes – ABC News.
UPDATE: I had some stuff written here, that I wish I had never written. Snark is fun, but only if everyone else is laughing. I blew it and I apologize. Please, go read this….NOW.
Others: Winds of Change.NET, Townhall.com, The Jawa Report
10 year old Haitian Girl who was rescued on live TV, has died
I remember watching a little of the video over on HotAir and I had to stop, I just could not take watching the video.
This is such a heartbreaking video:
I hope Rush Limbaugh is damn satisfied. 😡
Video: New Footage shows Haiti Earthquake as it happened
This Video comes via The Daily Caller:
Unbelievable. This earthquake will go down as the worst ever.
Updated – Conservative Christianity’s resident idiot yowls out his butt, again – CBN Issues Statement, White House Shocked at comments
Oh Brother…. 🙄
Video: (H/T AP)
Transcript:
“And you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it.
“They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know Napoleon the 3rd and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil.
“They said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.’
“True story.
“And so the Devil said, ‘Okay, it’s a deal.’
“And, uh, they kicked the French out, you know, with Haitians revolted and got themselves free.
“But ever since they have been cursed by, by one thing after another, desperately poor.
“That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti on the other side is the Dominican Republican.
“Dominican Republic is, is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etcetera.
“Haiti is in desperate poverty.
“Same island.
The problem is, what “uncle Chuckles” is saying, is, of course, wrong. 90% of Haiti is Christian. Further more, the story of the Satanic pact story, is, of course, Wrong. Even a Christian from there says so.
As a Born-Again Christian, and a Baptist. I encourage ALL Christians who read this blog, and DEMAND that Pat Roberson either apologize and resign from his position. Here’s the contact info:
Mailing Address
The Christian Broadcasting Network
977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach, VA 23463
CBA Canada
680 Progress Avenue – Unit #2
Scarborough, ON M1H3A5
Canada
CBN Main Switchboard (757) 226-7000
You know what to do… Light the phones up!
Update: CBN has issued a Statement:
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., January 13, 2010 — On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them. His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year, and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster. They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.
Chris Roslan
Spokesman for CBN
The White House, as expected, is quite shocked at Robertson’s idiotic behaviour:
Robertson’s words instantly triggered a firestorm across the country, including a rebuke from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who told reporters “at times of great crisis there are always people who say really stupid things.”
Earlier today, senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said on “Good Morning America” that she is “speechless about that kind of remark.”
“Our heart goes out to the people of Haiti. … That’s not the attitude that expresses the spirit of the president or the American people, so I thought it was a pretty stunning comment to make,” Jarrett said.
I think that his non-apology apology is just not good enough. He must resign, a penalty must be paid for this sort of foolishness.
Keith Olbermann is fighting mad about this, and rightly so:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I know what Rush Limbaugh said and I chose and still chose to ignore it. That is one of sad parts of being here on the right; is to have to be associated with the idiots like Limbaugh, Beck and Hannity. It is a part of the American experience, and the byproducts of a Free Republic. Freedom of speech does, at times, have it’s bad points.
I cannot, and will not apologize for Pat Robertson, nor can I explain his idiotic remarks. However, I can and I will say, publicly; that I wholeheartedly disagree and reject Pat Robertson’s and yes, even Rush Limbaugh’s idiotic and asinine comments — They do NOT reflect my feelings at all, about the situation in Haiti.
Google Says to China, ‘If you keep hacking our servers, We will leave China’
I cannot blame them one bit.
We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results. At the time we made clear that “we will carefully monitor conditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on our services. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectives outlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China.”
These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
The decision to review our business operations in China has been incredibly hard, and we know that it will have potentially far-reaching consequences. We want to make clear that this move was driven by our executives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvement of our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to make Google.cn the success it is today. We are committed to working responsibly to resolve the very difficult issues raised.
Which totally destroys the Conservative Meme that Google is some sort of evil socialist company. In actuality, Google strikes me as being more of a civil libertarian type of a group. Because Google is very big on privacy and has fought in court against privacy invasion; they also support many organizations that fight for privacy. The reason why Google is hammered by the right, is because they refuse to show deference to the American Christian Holidays. The reason they do this is to be fair to all of the faiths and because Google is not solely an American Company, but an international company with people from many faiths and backgrounds. Personally, I would like to see good be a bit more friendlier towards America, it’s Holidays and Customs, but, I do understand their position on the matter.
I personally commend Google’s stance on privacy and I am extremely happy to see Google stand up for the privacy of the people of China, especially those who are fighting against that Communist Government in China.
Updated – Latest News on Haiti Earthquake – As many as 100,000 feared dead
As I reported last night, a 7.0 Earthquake hit Haiti.
Now the death toll and damage tolls are being shown. Reader GWSSDelta told me about a video, that comes via CBS News:
CNN, MSNBC and Fox News all have in depth coverage. Memeorandum has an excellent Blog roundup on the political front.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper is in Haiti now:
No word on death tolls yet; but this does sound very bad. I will have more in a bit.
Update: Here is how you can help with the relief effort, via DIPNote:
For those interested in helping immediately, simply text “HAITI” to “90999” and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill.
Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps Mercy Corps to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747. We’ll provide more details and opportunities to help as we learn more. To stay up-to-date, follow us on state.gov.
Update #2: The Anchoress Reports a list of Relief Organizations helping: (H/T Malkin)
Catholic Relief Services
United Methodist Committee on Relief
The Red Cross
Salvation Army
Providence in Haiti
American Jewish World Service
Lutheran World Relief
Cross International
World Vision
International Orthodox Christian Charities
Ya’ll know what to do. 😀
Update #3: As Always, our awesome Military is “on it!” Military Times is reporting:
The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson was rerouted Wednesday to support humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti, according to U.S. Southern Command. The carrier is expected to arrive off the coast of Haiti Thursday.
The command confirmed additional Navy ships are underway to Haiti, but did not specify what vessels would be going.
The command, based in Miami, also deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to work with U.S. Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, U.N. and international officials to assess the situation and facilitate follow-on U.S. military support, according to the press release. The team includes military engineers, operational planners, a command and control group and communication specialists. They will arrive in Haiti today on two C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Elements of the Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing were deploying to the international airport at Port-au-Prince to provide air traffic control capability and airfield operations. They are expected to arrive in Haiti on Wednesday afternoon.
Early Wednesday morning, Coast Guard helicopters evacuated four critically injured U.S. Embassy staff to hospital at Naval Station Guantanamo, Cuba, for further treatment.
A U.S. P-3 Orion from the Forward Operating Location at Comalapa, El Salvador, also conducted aerial reconnaissance of the affected area.
SouthCom has supported 14 major relief missions in the region since 2005, including assistance to Haiti in September 2008. During that mission, forces from the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge and other units airlifted 3.3 million pounds of aid to communities that were devastated by a succession of major storms.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Haitian people and all those affected by this devastating earthquake,” said Army Col. James Marshall, SouthCom spokesman.
Vinson and its crew of approximately 3,200 sailors left Norfolk on Tuesday en route to their new homeport in San Diego. The carrier, which is commanded by Capt. Bruce Lindsey, was joined by Carrier Air Wing 17 and the cruisers Lake Champlain and Bunker Hill. As flagship of the newly established Carrier Strike Group 1, Vinson was to provide maritime security as it circumnavigates South America and provide humanitarian assistance or disaster relief, if required.
The call came fewer than 24 hours later.
Major Kudos on our Armed Forces for being ready for the call; wherever it might be from. Good Job men!
Update #4: The Daily Caller is linking to a story in the Daily Mail in the U.K. that as many as 100,000 are feared dead.
It is times like these, when I do wish that my Ham Radio Station was Operational… 🙁
Fox News also gives the background as to why this happened. Simply put, the earth is just old.
Update #5: The Anchoress links in. Thank you! 😀
Update #6: ….and of course, the Stupidity of the Christian Right Starts.
Update #7: Man, 2 two days and about 5K viewers later and I realize, I have the Country misspelled in the headline! D’oh! 🙄
BREAKING NEWS – 7.0 quake hits Haiti
Uh, Oh… This is not good.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A huge quake measuring 7.0 rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti Tuesday toppling buildings and causing widespread damage and panic, officials and AFP witnesses said.
A tsunami alert was immediately issued for the Caribbean region after the earthquake struck at 2153 GMT.
An AFP correspondent said the ground shook for more than a minute. Just minutes later two aftershocks measuring both 5.9 and 5.5 on the moment magnitude scale hit, US officials said.
“I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions,” the country's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN television.
The US Geological Survey said the powerful quake was initially measured at 7.3 on the scale and struck 16 kilometers (ten miles) from the capital Port-Au-Prince, and 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Petionville.
An AFP correspondent in Petionville said one three-story building, housing two offices, was toppled, and a tractor was already at the scene trying to dig out victims as people fled onto the streets in panic.
The up-scale area is home to many foreign diplomats and members of a major United Nations mission to the country.
via AFP: Fears of major catastrophe as 7.0 quake rocks Haiti.
Oy… California Yesterday, Hati today…
Thoughts and Prayers for the people down there. Stay tuned for updates, if any.
Breaking News: London Police Board Plane due to passanger making threats
Man, decide to take the weekend off and all hell breaks loose… Oy!
The Video, Via Sky News:
The Story, via Sky News:
Armed police have boarded a plane at Heathrow airport and are believed to have arrested two men after a “verbal threat”.
Passenger Cameron McLean said: “Police just swarmed the guy and rushed him out.
“I think he was a white male. There was another one but I didn’t see him.”
He said the man was taken out in handcuffs then sniffer dogs were brought on board.
An airport spokesman said: “I can confirm there has been an incident on the EK004 flight to Dubai.
“Police are attending. It’s not affecting the rest of the airport which remains opens.”
Sky’s crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: “A verbal threat of some description was made. It was overheard. It was reported to members of the crew.
“They were understandably very concerned.
“They stopped the plane. The plane was taken back to some part of Heathrow, at which point anti-terror police boarded the plane.
“I think, at the moment, this was just a verbal threat but, of course, an investigation ensues until police are satisfied.
“It’s an indication of how jumpy airlines and anti-terror police are.”
Fox News is now reporting that it was group of drunken passengers. But it does show how jittery the authorities are here in America and in England.
Folks, if you’re flying, do not, I repeat, DO NOT make a stupid remark while flying. You will go to jail. It is being reported that these guys were trying to be funny. How stupid. They should be jailed for making false terror threats.
It is being reported that the Heathrow Airport is back to normal.
Update: Fox News is now reporting that three men have been arrested in London.
Updated Obama Says, ‘Ultimately, the buck stops with me’ Briefing Video Added
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
It was a good speech, but lacking any specifics. There is a security briefing going, I will get video of it, as soon as it is available.
Via Politico:
President Barack Obama on Thursday accepted responsibility for intelligence shortcomings that led to a failed Christmas Day bombing plot on a Detroit-bound airliner, saying, “Ultimately, the buck stops with me.
“As president, I have a solemn responsibility to protect our nation and our people, and when the system fails, it is my responsibility,” Obama said.
Obama said an intelligence review found that the U.S. government had the information needed to thwart the plot but failed to do so because of a series of compounding shortcomings, including that intelligence analysts didn’t focus heavily enough on information warning that al-Qaeda in Yemen wanted to strike the United States.
“The U.S. government had the information scattered through the system to potentially uncover this plot and disrupt the attack. Rather than a failure to collect and share this intelligence, this was a failure to connect and understand the intelligence we already had,” Obama said at the White House.
Obama’s buck-stops-here message marks a change in tone from earlier statements in which Obama and other officials repeatedly noted that the watch-listing system that failed to flag the suspect, Umar AbdulMatallab, was put in place under the Bush administration.
I am glad to see that the President is taking the hit for it and not passing the buck. I look forward to seeing what the Government does. Speeches are nice, but let’s see what the action is.
Update: As promised, here it is:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Update #2: Ace is not impressed, at all:
I’m not, and was talking about it with cobloggers (similarly unimpressed) and figured why talk about it in email.
He dodged responsibility for a week. He minimized it and claimed it was just an independent actor, unconnected to anything bigger, even when it was pretty firmly established it was Al Qaeda.
I don’t think he made this statement because he believes it, or because he wanted to. I think he made this statement because polling and focus-groups told him that if he didn’t make it, he was risking an even bigger loss in his poll numbers than anything he’d seen before.
So it’s a case — I am 99% confident — of “doing the right thing when there are no other options left.”
Good point.
Are the Democrats jumping from the ship?
It is a plausible question, and an interesting one at that. Are the Democrats now jumping from the bloated ship of socialist waste ever known to humankind? Are Democrats preparing themselves for the “Nuclear Option” on healthcare? The questions abound, the speculation is running rampant, and internet meme’s are burning up the bandwidth. I, on the other hand, will tell you what I do know.
First off, let us start with the local story; Michigan Lt Governor John Cherry was expected to be the person to succeed Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm at the helm of Michigan Governorship. However, Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm’s performance as Governor of this state has been less than stellar. I ought to know this, I have lived here all of my life. Double-digit unemployment, a one state recession that towered over the national recession for many years now; put quite bluntly, there are no jobs here in Michigan. Sure, there are jobs, if you want to work in a fast food joint, making minimum wage. However, if you happen to be a 37-year-old man, looking for a decent paying, full time job, with health insurance — you are frankly out of luck.
However, to be fair, some of Michigan’s woes cannot be laid at the feet of the Democratic leadership. GM’s credit crisis cannot be blamed entirely on the Democrats, at least not the current ones in office here in Michigan. GM and Chrysler’s troubles are a direct result of the mortgage crisis, which was caused by President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton and that idiotic piece of legislation that opened up the mortgage market to high-risk individuals. When the credit markets froze up, due to the stock market crash and subsequent credit freeze, the big three found themselves in the middle of it. This is my biggest issue that I have with the “Republicans” or those within the Conservative movement. They always, without fail, blame the unions for the troubles of the big three; when in all honesty, unions had zero to do with the meltdown or its effect on the automakers. The entire mess was, in fact, lack of proper regulation in the mortgage industry and the stock market in regards to credit swaps that caused this whole mess in the first place. Sorry to my fellow Conservatives, but I am just not buying that talking point.
However, it would be fair to mention that the unions did play a role in the financial woes of the big three, as did the big three’s failure to listen to the automotive experts, who saw what Japan was doing in the 1970’s and their arrogant attitudes. The big three could have saved themselves much heartache, by building smarter, higher quality vehicles. However, by the time the big three got around to embracing the ISO standards, it was too little, too late. As for the talking point of Union workers making too much money, I find it amazing how many Conservatives have axe to grind with those who simply want to make a decent working wage. Most of the people that make these idiotic claims are those who are making more than two hundred and fifty thousand a year and have no financial worries at all; but they want to rip away the comfortable living of others. Do you see now why I have not voted “Republican” yet?
Another point that I feel that is important to make, is the fact that the big three are just designing some of the most god-awful looking car nowadays. Heck, even the trucks are now getting just plain butt-ugly. Does it make any damned sense to build cars for every day Americans that look like they taken from the pages of a twenty fifth century comic book? Whatever happened to graceful, classic designs from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s? Those were real cars back then, now all the big three can produce is glorified garbage — and do not even get me started on the idea of an electric car, now that is a idea that is going to go right straight were the Chevy EV1 went, right straight into the scrap heap.
Now back on the subject of politics, it seems that Chris Dodd, going to retire. Getting sweetheart deals on a house mortgage can do that to a fellow, especially when people in your district are losing their houses left and right. I also notice that Bryon Dorgan is also retiring; he supported Obama’s healthcare plan, which made him damaged goods. I also notice that Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is withdrawing from that race — corruption will do that to a fellow.
Now what is my personal take on these retirements and how it affects the 2010 elections? My take is this; I believe that there are going to be some very big upsets come election time. Now, I do not necessarily see a Republican wave or anything like that. However, I do see a drastic change in Washington D.C. I do also see a “defanging” of the socialist monster that exists on Capitol Hill right now. As for the Governor’s race here in Michigan, I believe that the Republicans can win Michigan, but they are going to have to work to earn the trust of the American people. It would take some very hard work and some massive breaking of some very established political rules to do it. However it can be done. The people of Michigan want real answers, real results, not political grandstanding, and platitudes.
It is going to be a very interesting 2010. I look forward to writing about it and giving you my take.
BREAKING NEWS: Michael Yon arrested at Seattle airport
(H/T Ed @HotAir)
That’s right, Michael Yon, famed independent war corespondent was detained at the airport, handcuffs and all.
For not disclosing how much money he makes…. 🙄
From his facebook fan page:
Got arrested at the Seattle airport for refusing to say how much money I make. (The uniformed ones say I was not “arrested”, but they definitely handcuffed me.) Their videos and audios should show that I was polite, but simply refused questions that had nothing to do with national security. Port authority police eve…ntually came — they were professionals — and rescued me from the border bullies.
and…:
Got arrested at the Seattle airport for refusing to say how much money I make. (The uniformed ones say I was not “arrested”, but they definitely handcuffed me.) Their videos and audios should show that I was polite, but simply refused questions that had nothing to do with national security. Port authority police eventually came — they were professionals — and rescued me from the border bullies.
and….:
When they handcuffed me, I said that no country has ever treated me so badly. Not China. Not Vietnam. Not Afghanistan. Definitely not Singapore or India or Nepal or Germany, not Brunei, not Indonesia, or Malaysia, or Kuwait or Qatar or United Arab Emirates. No county has treated me with the disrespect can that can be expected from our border bullies.
Jazz Shaw asks, “WTF??!?!”:
Very strange. Even if you’re into profiling, Yon would hardly fit one you’d be interested in. Of course, his passport, by now, doubtless has a list of countries stamped into it which could give an inspector pause, but that’s no excuse. Very, very strange. I expect this one will be high profile enough that you’ll see an apology coming from the government.
Ed Morrissey weighs in:
Unless there is more to this story, an apology would be the least owed to Yon. When an American citizen with a valid passport presents himself for travel, there should be some reasonable screening to verify identity and to determine whether there is a physical risk, ie, weapons and the like. Why should border security be interested in Yon’s annual income? How does that relate to national security and border protection? Unless this is an arm of the Internal Revenue Service, it doesn’t, and Yon was right to refuse to answer the question.
Instead of hassling American citizens about their income or watching the ice melt, how about paying attention to actual security and intelligence issues? Please?
I must say that I agree with both of these assessments, and I personally believe those responsible for detaining Mr. Yon, ought to be fired. I honestly have to ask this question, that neither Jazz nor Ed would even ask. If Michael Yon had been, say, Arabic or even black; would he have been detained? I somehow doubt it. But, because he’s a White American, he gets asked a stupid question and because he refuses to answer it, which was well within his rights; he gets detained. Welcome to Obama’s America people. Where white men are oppressed, interrogated and harassed; by the black power establishment. You say this isn’t about race? I disagree. This is all about race and as long as Barack Hussein Obama is President, you will continue to see this sort of nonsense happening in America. Bank on it.
Others: Michelle Malkin, Outside The Beltway, Gateway Pundit, Mudville Gazette, The Jawa Report, Atlas Shrugs, JammieWearingFool, Moonbattery
Breaking News: At Least Six Americans Killed in American Afghanistan Base Attack
In Case anyone has forgotten; Yes, we are still at war:
KABUL — At least six Americans were killed Wednesday when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest made his way into an American base in Khost Province in southeastern Afghanistan, according to NATO military officials.
The bomber managed to elude security and reach the base’s gym, said one official, who did not want to be identified because the official was not authorized to speak about the incident.
The official said the attack took place at Forward Operating Base Chapman, which one official described as “not a regular base,” meaning that it was used by American intelligence agencies. It was unclear exactly where on the base the explosion occurred.
The suicide bomber died in the blast and six Americans were also wounded, some of them seriously, suggesting that the death toll could climb, the officials said.
Khost Province borders Pakistan and has been prime operating ground for insurgent groups with links to Al Qaeda and for other extremists hiding in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
via At Least Six Americans Killed in Afghan Attack – NYTimes.com.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the injured and those who were killed. I think it would be a nice time for everyone to say a prayer for those men, who put their lives on the line on the front lines of the battle against terrorism and for freedom.
Update: Socialist liberals use Detroit attempted Terrorist attack to sound the horn to cut and run
As skeptical as I am; these morons are just pure bat shit crazy:
What is needed now are not partisan fights about whether the Obama Administration was doing enough to guard against terrorist attacks in the wake of shootings last month at Fort Hood, Texas. Instead, we should question whether our overreaction to the crimes against humanity on 9/11–including the creation of an endless “war” against terrorism–has done more to undermine our security than enhance it. American safety will be better ensured through common-sense counterterrorism and homeland defense measures, including extensive intelligence cooperation expert police work and border control.
via Are US Wars Fueling Domestic Terrorist Threats?– The Nation.
Oh yes,Katrina, let’s just cut and run and stop trying to fight the war on terror — so, that Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan can regroup and come back stronger. Not only in the Afghanistan region, but also in Yemen and other regions as well. What a pathetic bitch. 🙄 What more living proof do we need, that the Socialist Far-Left Liberal Democrats are nothing more than terrorist sympathizers? Which is why I will never vote for them again, ever. Give me a politico that gives a flying flip about National Security, please. Not some terrorist coddling asshat.
Oh, and… Police Work. Police work?!?!?!? That is another little bitch and gripe that I have with the Socialist Liberal Democrats. They see some Negro Muslim terrorist, who tried to blow up a damned plane, most likely at sixty thousand feet over my damned house, as nothing more than some common criminal thug. Sorry Liberals, this stupid idiot negro terrorist, was an non-uniform combatant. He should be at Gitmo. Actually, he should be strung from a damned tree! 😡 But, I digress.
There is much hubbub about why the system to failed. There is also news that the Government knew about this dude, and did nothing at all. All of the media outlets; including Fox News are asking, “why?” Hello! It does not take a damned rocket scientist to figure that little problem out. It is the elephant in the room, that nobody and I mean NOBODY wants to talk about. Has anyone else in the world bothered to notice the skin color of this terrorist suspect? Uh, Duh. He is a black person. Our President is also a black person. One plus one usually equals two! It seems that nobody is either willing or even possibly able to make that connection. Our Government officials new about this guy and knew that plans were being made; but they did not do anything about it. Why? I will tell you why! Because they knew, that if they acted upon this little piece of evidence, that it would possibly upset the President; because the mean ol’ United States Government was picking on some poor young black man — of whom the the white man oppressed and the Government did nothing about it for so many years. I mean, if you were employed by the NSA or CIA and you were aware of this situation, would you want to risk angering a black President, who was all down with “The Struggle”(tm)? I think you all know what I mean.
There is your answer, the reason this piece of intelligence slipped by, was the same reason the Ft. Hood shooter went by, unstopped. political correctness gone horribly bad.
Update: It seems that my resident gay stalker from Grand Rapids does not like what I wrote. Sorry fag boy, but some of us, do not have our heads stuck up the socialist Democratic Party’s “P.S. Police” ass; Unlike you. Because of this, some of us can see things for what they really are. Unlike some men with homosexual tendencies.
Updated: Symphony of stupid: Terrorism continues to be a threat, Politicians play blame games
I do not always agree with him on the finer points of Conservatism; but my friend Ed Morrissey scored a nice catch here. Seems that our attempted plane bomber fiend has friends:
American officials have cause to worry there may be more al Qaeda-trained young men in Yemen planning to bring down American jets.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, charged with the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253, told FBI agents there were more just like him in Yemen who would strike soon.
And in a tape released four days before the attempted destruction of the Detroit-bound Northwest plane, the leader of al Qaeda in Yemen boasted of what was planned for Americans, saying, “We are carrying a bomb to hit the enemies of God.”
Yemen has become a principal al Qaeda training ground and the accused suicide bomber told the FBI he was trained for more than a month in Yemen, given 80 grams of a high explosive cleverly sewn into his underpants, undetected by standard security screening.
This comes on the heels of another lovely piece of news, that Mr. Plane Bomber might have had some help:
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch military police are investigating the possibility that an accomplice may have helped the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, a spokesman said on Monday.
A U.S. couple on the flight, Kurt and Lori Haskell, told Reuters and other news agencies that they saw a tall, well-dressed man aged about 50 with the suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Friday morning at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
The Haskells have claimed the man spoke for Abdulmutallab and attempted to get him aboard Northwest flight 253 without a passport.
“At this moment we have no information on whether there was another guy,” the military police spokesman said. “We are checking all clues and information we get.”
In light of all this, is this the best that the Democrats and Republicans can do in Congress? Sit and blame one another? Lame response folks, lame, lame, lame, response. Oh yes, lets play the idiotic and childish blame game on each other, while tens of millions of lives are at stake. No wonder the American people have turned against this Congress and this President; because they are too damned busy trying to blame others, instead of trying to fix the damned problem in the first place!
The elections of 2010 and 2012 cannot come fast enough; because it is quite obvious that this Congress and this President are more interested in playing politics with terrorism, just like the last President did during his tenure in office and the American people, present company included, are sick and tired of the damn political shell games. Al-Qaeda is a serious threat to the United States of America’s National Security, and we need more than just Washington D.C. Politics of blaming one another, we need action and we need it now, before some plane is blown up over my damned house in Lincoln Park, Michigan, which is about 10 miles from the Detroit Metro Airport. Having said all that, to Congress and the President and his Cabinet — Enough of the god damned political games people. I want to be secure in living this house by the airport. I do not care who is to blame for what. I just want it fixed and I wanted it fixed now, please. Thank you.
I swear, there are days, when I believe that I am blogging about schoolchildren!
Update: Al-Qaeda has taken responsibility for the attempted attack. Here is a google translated view of the page. Not the best of good enough to give you an idea.
Yemeni Cleric Who Reportedly Inspired Ft. Hood Shooter supposedly not killed in Airstrike
Here’s some pee on your holiday news:
A U.S.-born radical cleric is alive and well following reports he may have been killed in a Yemeni airstrike against suspected al-Qaida hideouts, friends and relatives said Friday.
The government said it targeted a meeting of high-level al-Qaida operatives in Thursday's airstrike in the remote Shabwa region. It claimed at least 30 militants were killed, possibly including Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric who has been linked to the shooter in last month's attack at the Fort Hood military base in the U.S.
On Friday, a friend of the cleric, Abu Bakr al-Awlaki, told The Associated Press he was not among those killed. He refused to say if the cleric was attending the meeting.
via Yemeni Cleric Who Reportedly Inspired Ft. Hood Shooter Believed Unhurt in Airstrike – ABC News.
Yeah, I was quite thrilled to hear this news. Guess they were wrong. Ah well, try again later, I suppose.
How long before the left starts using this as a Meme to say that we should just pull out and forget about getting these guys?
Updated: BREAKING NEWS: ATTEMPTED TERRORIST ATTACK ON PLANE BOUND FOR DETROIT BY AL-QEADA OPERATIVE WXYZ-TV SAYS SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED AS WELL “DRUNKEN PASSANGER” GOES CRAZY – Washington Post Edits Story to make President look good
On Christmas Day, no less. For those who do not know, I am in the Detroit-area. The Airport in question is in Romulus, Michigan, (Not Detroit…) and less than 10 miles from my house. So, now, it’s personal, the bastards tried to hit MY town! You can imagine how I feel, at the moment. 😡
All the major news sources in Detroit are reporting it. The National lame stream media, as usual is asleep at the wheel, including Fox News.
First Video Via WJBK- TV Fox 2 in Detroit:
Update # 5: WXYZ-TV‘s coverage at 11:00 P.M. coverage, they report that there was a second incident was well of another passenger going crazy as well. Supposedly a drunken passenger… are they possibly covering up under orders from Obama?
The Video:
ROMULUS, Mich. (WJBK) – A senior U.S. official says a Northwest Airlines passenger from Nigeria claims h e was acting on behalf of al-Qaida
when he tried to blow up a flight Friday as it landed in Detroit.Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., identified the suspect as Abdul Mudallad, a Nigerian. King said the flight began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit. One of the U.S. intelligence officials said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.
The passenger was being questioned Friday evening. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. Fox 2 spoke with passangers as they were released from that flight.
WXYZ TV, The Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, WDIV-TV all have continuing coverage on this story..
The Detroit Free Press Reports:
The passenger created a disturbance by lighting what was reported to be firecrackers — or perhaps a “powdery substance” — onboard the flight, injuring himself and several other passengers, according to Delta Airlines
The passenger was subdued. FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold confirmed today that agents are at Metro.
ABC News reported on its web site that the man is Nigerian and claimed he was directed by Al Qaeda to explode a small device in flight over U.S. soil.
The man was apparently already on the government’s no-fly list of suspected terrorists, ABC News said a senior intelligence official told them.
[….]
But later, Syed Jafry of Holland, Mich., a U.S. citizen who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, emerged from the airport and said he was a passenger on the flight. He said people ran out of their seats to tackle the man.
Jafry was sitting in the 16th row when he heard “a pop and saw some smoke and fire.” Then, he said, “a young man behind me jumped on him.”
Jafry said there was a little bit of commotion for about 10 to 15 minutes.
He said the way passengers responded made him proud to be an American.[….]
His wife and daughter, who had been waiting for him at the airport since about 11:40 a.m., said they saw a person they believe to be the suspect being transported from the airport. Dawn Griffith said he was “young looking” and was handcuffed to a stretcher, with his hands bandaged.
A photo of the said plane:
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on the runway after arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Amsterdam on Friday.
More to information to come, as I get it. Anyone with any information for me; please contact me via e-mail via the Blog. You Anonymity is guaranteed.
Update #1: Memeorandum is now covering.
Update #2: The only reason I am not in the car and down there taking photos is the following: 1. It’s dark outside now, and there’s most likely not much to see. Also, that place, that is Metro Airport is most likely crawling with cops. I just do not want to risk getting in the way and possibly getting tossed in jail. I will be monitoring all news outlets and passing what I know on. Plus, I do have this shaggy beard. I do not want to be mistaken for another terrorist! 😯
Update #3 What royally tweaks me off, is how the MSM is trying to under rate the story. No terrorism here, just a arab trying to light off fireworks, while shouting “Allah Akbar!” Idiots. 🙄
Update #4: Now for your obligitory Democrat slam… where’s the President?
President Obama in Hawaii "Recharging" while terrorists are striking planes in Michigan.
If that’s leadership? We’re in deep trouble folks.
Yeah, that’s right, I said our Democratic Party President is more interested in having time off; than he is leading the Country. If he were a real leader, he would cut short his little vacation and get his idiot butt back to Washington D.C. and be on top of the situation. But, nah, he’s too busy. Remember this come 2010 and 2012.
Update #6: Ace over at Ace of Spades HQ has some VERY interesting information on how the story over at the Washington Post was changed to make the President look better. Someone got a phone call and told to make a change.