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

Transcript Here:

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 ZippersDon Surber (H/T Memeorandum)

President Barack Hussein Obama to 9/11 rescuers: Piss off

(H/T AP)

Via New York Daily News:

The state’s two senators and 14 House members met with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius just hours before President Obama implored in his speech to the nation for Congress to come together and deliver a government that delivers on its promises to the American people.

So the legislators were floored to learn the Democratic administration does not want to deliver for the tens of thousands of people who sacrificed after 9/11, and the untold numbers now getting sick.

“I was stunned — and very disappointed,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who like most of the other legislators had expected more of a discussion on how to more forward…

“She made it clear that the administration does not support any kind of funding mechanism that goes into the bill,” said Bronx Rep. Eliot Engel. “I think it’s fiscal restraint… but you know what? They find money for everything else, they need to find money for this,” Engel said…

The legislators did hold out hope, though. McMahon and others said they would appeal to the President to consider adding 9/11 money to the list of mandatory items, rather than discretionary measures subject to the White House planned budget freeze.

You know, I am just going to say this, and if it upsets anyone — I got two words for you. Too Bad. 😡 For a President, who’s country of origin, religious leanings, and cultural alliances  is up for public debate and the subject of much controversy; this does not look good for him. For all the American people know, this bastard sympathies with the so-called “Arab struggle” against Israel and possibly thinks that 9/11 was totally justified. I am not saying that I believe that personally. However, this sort of tone deaf stupidity does add fuel to that narrative.

I hope like hell, that the President and his administration rethink this decision, because it might just undermine, not only for the President to get elected, but also to for Democrats in general to get reelected come the 2010 and 2012 elections.

Bottom Line: This has to be one of the most stupid, tone deaf, out of touch, liberal elitist things that this Administration could ever do. It speaks volumes for President Obama’s mindset and of whom he is in support of and it is not America and those of whose responsibility it is to defend its citizens. Obama had better back this little bus up, or his Party could pay dearly.

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.

via Report: New bin Laden tape emerges – CNN.com.

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.

A bit more on the Gun Scopes and Bible Verses

Yes, I do know what I wrote here. I assumed everyone would know this, but in case not; I was referring to the Arabs who attacked us on 9/11 and those who are down with the whole idea of Jihad, not all of them.

However, I happened to read something over at a blog, of who’s author has criticized me in the past. Which, by the way, is his right to do. Anyhow, I happened to read this here and I felt the need to quote it here.

Ed Brayton writes about a message sent to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation:

To: Mikey Wenstein and MRFF:

I am a U.S. Army infantry soldier with the rank of (rank withheld). I am married with children. I am stationed at Fort (installation name withheld). I have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times. I have been awarded medals for direct combat engagement as well as for injuries and wounds received in hand-to-hand combat. I am a Muslim American. My family converted when I was very young. I am caucasian and have a last name that does not sound ethnic. Therefore, few of my fellow soldiers know that I am a Muslim. My wife comes from a Christian tradition but rarely practices or attends church. I have witnessed terrible religious persecution in the my (number withheld) years in the Army. Most of it comes from “angry” conservative Christians in my unit chains of command and occasionally from my fellow infantry soldiers. I am very familiar with the Trijicon ACOG gunsights and have often had them as part of my personal weapons; both my M-4 and my M-16. In my first 2 deployments I saw and experienced no incidents regarding the New Testament bible quotes that are written on the metal casing of the gun sights. Many soldiers know of them and are very confused as to why they are there and what it is supposed to mean. Everyone is worried that if they were captured in combat that the enemy would use the bible quotes against them in captivity or some other form of propaganda. As an American soldier I am ashamed that those bible quotes are on our primary weapons. As a Muslim American I am horrified. As one who swore his oath to the Constitution, I am driven to fight this Christian insanity but I know if I try to do so in a visible way that I will suffer at the hands of my military superiors. I am of low enlisted rank and can be crushed easily. I am prepared to suffer, but I am not prepared for my wife and children to suffer. So I have reached out to MRFF because there is nowhere else safe to go to try to fight this thing of disgrace. There are many other soldiers who feel as I do. Many are Protestant and Catholic and they fear reprisal just as much as I do for trying to stand up to the Christian bullies in uniform who outrank us. But if you try to fight back, you are not “asking” for trouble, YOU ARE IN TROUBLE from the start. And if you are a Muslim American, the hatred is always just below the surface and ready to explode at a moment’s notice. After the Fort Hood shootings, it was so bad, even for a low profile Muslim like me, that I had to ask MRFF for help.

Nothing in my first 2 deployments prepared me for what happened with the Trijicon ACOG gun sights during my 3rd deployment to Afghanistan. I will never forget the day it occurred. It was morning and there was a mandatory formation of several companies. A very senior NCO was yelling at us which is not that unusual. He asked a private what it was that he (the private) was holding in his hand and the private said it was his “weapon” several times to which the senior NCO replied “and what ELSE is it”? FInally, the senior NCO said that the private’s rifle was also something else; that because of the biblical quote on the ACOG gunsight it had been “spiritually transformed into the Fire Arm of Jesus Christ” and that we would be expected to kill every “haji” we could find with it. He said that if we were to run out of ammo, then the rifle would become the “spiritually transformed club of Jesus Christ” and that we should “bust open the head of every haji we find with it.” He said that Uncle Sam had seen fit not to give us a “pussy ‘Jewzzi’ (combination of the word ‘Jew’ and Israeli made weapon ‘Uzi’) but the “fire arm of Jesus Christ” and made specific mention of the biblical quotes on our gun sights. He said that the enemy no doubt had quotes from the Koran on their guns but that “our Lord is bigger than theirs because theirs is a fraud and an idol”. As a Muslim and an American soldier I was fit to be tied but I kept it in. There were many Afghans, both civilian and military, on base within earshot of what was being yelled at us and I can only wonder in shock what they must have thought. This senior NCO was apparently also the head person of a conservative, crazy Christian group called the “Christian Military Fellowship” and made a big deal about the importance of joining to everyone. He told us all that we MUST read a book called “Under Orders” in order to make it through this combat deployment and said he had many copies for everyone. Some of my friends went and got their copies. I refused. Finally, this senior NCO ended his yelling by warning us that if we did not “get right with Jesus” then our rifles would not provide spiritual strength despite the bible quotes on our ACOG gunsights and that we would be considered “spiritual cripples” to our fellow units and soldiers. He didn’t say it in so many words, but the message was clear; if anything bad happened in a combat situation, it would be the fault of anyone who had not accepted Jesus Chris in the “right way”. I have never felt so ashamed and scared in my life. I have never hated myself so much for not speaking out. So I thought of my wife and children and endured. Every time I looked at my rifle with that Trijicon ACOG gunsight/scope with the biblical quote from the book of John (8:12), it would make me sick. If I had tried to protest, it would have made me dead. And if I’m dead I’m of no use to my wife and children.

To which Ed adds:

I’m at a loss for words. “Appalling” seems inadequate.

Now, I realize that what I wrote at the other posting was a bit rough, okay? For the most part, I was being quite snarky. Further more, I was referring to the Arabs who are in the arena of Jihad against America. Yes, I do believe that this a war of ideals and yes, it does happen to involve “Christian Americans” (Not in the sense of CHURCH per se, but rather of culture and ideals.) However, as someone that does believe quite highly in the SEPARATION of Church and State —– Yes, I do realize that the actual wording is not found in the Constitution, however, our founding fathers did believe in it and the concept is there. In fact, Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists the following:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

Thomas Jefferson believed that, and so do I. Therefore, I believe, on constitutional grounds that these sights with the scriptures on them should be removed. We must remember that there are AMERICANS fighting this war on terror, not just Christian Americans; but Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans, and Americans of ALL Faiths are fighting against a backward ideology that seeks to destroy our Country.

I realize that some Christians and some Conservatives will not agree with me and might even accuse me of being a phony for writing this. But, Hey, it is the price one must pay to stand for something that is absolutely right.

So, to Ed Brayton, I say this, you might not like me one bit and that is your right. But this time, you are absolutely correct.

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.NETTownhall.com, The Jawa Report

Michelle Malkin gets it wrong

I hate to be the one to do this; but, seeing she’s not answering my e-mail.

Michelle Malkin royally screws one up.

She links to this story here, about a container of PETN getting punctured with the comment of:

Okay, how does this just happen?

However, if you actually click to the website and look, you will see this:

Morehead City Mayor Jerry Jones says a forklift operator accidentally punctured at least one container filled with PETN, forcing the port to shut down.

Has Malkin corrected the damn story? No. 🙄

Do not misunderstand me here, I am all for the reporting and exposing of Islamic Jihad. But, I am not for the stoking of irrational fear and that is what Malkin is doing here; she’s feeding a damned talking point.

My feeling is, either report factual information and responsible enough to post updated info, or don’t bother posting at all.

Michelle is better than this; but yet, she does it anyway. It is quite disgusting. Color me unimpressed.

Countdown to Malkin-bots calling me a racist, sexist, and whatever else in 5….4….3…2…

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.

What? No Terrorism Charges? Some Turban-Headed Twerp from Toledo gets stupid on a plane

Oh good lord. 🙄

The Toledo man who Wednesday yelled racial slurs and caused a Detroit flight from Miami to turn around is being held in a Florida jail today.

Mansor Mohammad Asad, 43, has been charged with threats against a public servant, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after the incident aboard Delta Airlines flight 2485, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Witnesses told investigators that Asad yelled anti-Semitic references such as, “I’m Palestinian and I want kill all the Jews,” in Arabic. The pilot turned around as the plane was taxiing for take-off at 6:35 p.m., according to police.

Officers then escorted the Asad off and performed a safety inspection of the plane before it continued on to Detroit.

But Asad charged officers while he was in custody, using racial slurs and threats while he chanted, leading police to use a Taser to subdue him.

via Toledo man charged in flight fracas – Detroit Free Press.

Wow. Looks like the crazies are out in force. Wonder if President Hussein is on top of this one too?

Mansor Mohammad Asad

Can one be charged and imprisoned for being a FUGLY Arab too?

Ship ’em to GITMO, water board his ugly ass. Better yet, just shoot the asshole between the eyes! One less terrorist, one less Arab, one less of “THEM“.

Others: Atlas Shrugs

It is nice to know that Michael Leiter was on top of the situation

Remember what I wrote hereScratch that. They’re still idiots… sigh… 🙄

WASHINGTON – The top official in charge of analyzing terror threats did not cut short his ski vacation after the underwear bomber nearly blew up an airliner on Christmas Day, the Daily News has learned.

Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center since 2007, decided not to return to his agency’s “bat cave” nerve center in McLean, Va., until several days after Christmas, two U.S. officials said.

“People have been grumbling that he didn’t let a little terrorism interrupt his vacation,” said one of the sources.

The NCTC, the post-9/11 clearinghouse for intelligence to detect terror plots against the U.S., is under intense scrutiny for failing to “connect the dots” on Nigerian bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

Leiter’s spokesman declined to say when the terror-center chief returned to Washington and fully retook the helm of his analysis agency, which is near CIA headquarters just outside the nation’s capital.

“It is our policy to not make our director’s schedule available to the public,” center spokesman Carl Kropf said in an e-mai

via NCTC director Michael Leiter remained on ski slopes after Christmas Day airline bombing attempt.

Indeed the monkeys are running the zoo! Psychos are running the nuthouse, ect… and so on.

I ask you all publicly, where the hell is our leadership in Washington D.C.?

Remember this come 2010 and 2012.

Others:  JammieWearingFool, Another Black Conservative, Hot Air, ThreatsWatch and Gateway Pundit

(Fixed stupid misspelling in the headline…I need more coffee….)

President Bambi Teleprompter Says, ‘Yeah, We screwed up’

(H/T HotAir)

Yeah, Where the hell were you on Christmas Eve?  🙄

An aside, This agency, National Counterterrorism Center, was slated for budget cuts, before this little incident happened:

The highly touted intelligence fusion center at the heart of the nation’s counterterrorism establishment was preparing for deep budget cuts across 2010, senior intelligence officials said. According to one official, who asked not to be identified because intelligence budget matters are classified, the administration and Congress slashed the budget for the National Counterterrorism Center by at least $25 million. Those affected, the official said, included employees responsible for maintaining the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) system, which contains the list of about 550,000 known or suspected terrorists…

“Without question, recent events will cause those proposals to be re-considered,” an intelligence official said.

As I wrote before, “Government Incompetence? Yes, We haz it!” 🙄

Updated: It is official, Keith Olbermann and MSNBC have gone off the cliff!

Two Words for this video clip…. Holy hell…. 😯

The Video, which comes to us via Olbermann Watch: (H/T to Ace)

No wonder I quite watching that idiotic network. 🙄 As an extra added bonus, a 9/11 truther at the end this video; makes for a great one.

Update: Reader Rich Writes in to say:

I think that Olbermann Watch is connecting dots that aren’t there on this one.  Several reasons:

1)  The theory is based on Wolffe’s statement about what the White House is examining.  Unless you hear this type of claim coming from a White House spokesman, I wouldn’t put a lot of faith in it.  I’m sure the White House is looking at lots of things but that doesn’t mean they have drawn any conclusions;  perhaps Wolffe is hearing only what he wants to hear.

2)  Obama calls this episode the result of a “systematic failure.”  That sure doesn’t sound like a statement from someone who wants to duck responsibility for it.

3)  Does one intelligence agency not share complete information with the other agencies?  Probably.  But the reason is likely related to competition between the agencies, not any conspiracy plot.

TV, be it Olbermann or Fox, is always looking for  controversy;  that doesn’t make it true.  Same goes for the “Obama wasn’t out there” (after the event) line;  I understand that Bush took six days to make a statement after the Richard Reid episode and that, at Bush’s next press conference, the neither the President or the press even spoke about Reid until well into the press conference.  It is all about stirring up conflict, which makes for a more engaging story.   Unfortunately, doing so only distracts from the genuine problem that we face here, which is best addressed though bipartisan action rather than political bickering.  Very sad, IMHO.

BTW, I just discovered your blog;  I like to read a wide range of political views, so I will be back!

Best regards,
Rich


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

Updated: Did Obama knowingly allow Al-Qaeda Terrorists to attack the United States? New Info

The short answer is, well, No.

Was Obama briefed on a possibly attack? Yes.

From Newsweek:

President Barack Obama received a high-level briefing only three days before Christmas about possible holiday-period terrorist threats against the US, Newsweek has learned. The briefing was centered on a written report, produced by US intelligence agencies, entitled “Key Homeland Threats”, a senior US official said.

The senior Administration official, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, said that nowhere in this document was there any mention of Yemen, whose Al-Qaeda affiliate is now believed to have been behind the unsuccessful Christmas Day attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down a transatlantic airliner with a bomb hidden in his underpants. However, the official declined to disclose any other information about the substance of the briefing, including what kind of specific warnings, if any, the President was given about possibly holiday attacks and whether Yemen came up during oral discussions.

According to the senior official, the holiday threat briefing, one in a series of regularly-scheduled sessions with top counter-terrorism officials, was held in the White House Situation Room on December 22. Present were representatives of agencies involved in counter-terrorism policy and operations, including Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller. The CIA and National Intelligence Directors Office were represented by deputy agency heads: CIA deputy director Steven Kappes, and David Gompert, the principal deputy to National Intelligence Czar Dennis Blair. Also present was Michael Leiter, director of the National Counter-terrorism Center, a unit of the Intelligence Czar’s office which was created after 9/11 to ensure that intelligence reporting about possible terrorist plots was shared quickly among all US agencies who might have some capability to do something about it.

The senior official said that beginning in early December, based on reports coming in from intelligence agencies, policy-makers had begun tracking a stream of information which alluded to a possible holiday-period plot against the US orchestrated from somewhere in Pakistan. However, the official said, this reporting later turned out to be “garbled” and it was determined that the threat probably was a washout. The official denied that the White House received any report, representing the concensus of US intelligence agencies, warning that a Holiday-period plot originating in Yemen and targeting the US homeland could be in the works.

In a background briefing for reporters on December 29, also attributed in an official White House transcript to a “senior administration official”, that official asserted that in the wake of the attempted underpants attack, it had become clear to the President and top advisers that before Christmas, the US government was in posession of “bits and pieces” of information, which, if they had been properly knitted together, “could have…allowed us to disrupt the attack or certainly to know much more about the alleged attacker in such a way as to ensure that he was on, as the President suggested in his statement, a no-fly list.” In the briefing, the official identified three rough categories of information that the government had which could have been relevant to foiling the attack: information about Abdulmutallab and his plans, info about Al-Qaeda and their plans, and info “about potential attacks during the holiday period.”

Asked about what kind of intelligence reporting was circulated to senior officials about possibly holiday period attacks before the failed underpants attack, a US intelligence official, who also asked for anonymity, explained: “As everybody knows, terrorists often speak in coded language, especially when they think their communications might be intercepted.  There was no clear discussion of an attack, on Christmas or any other time, in the Middle East or anywhere else.  But as veiled as the message was, it was spotted, processed, analyzed, and presented to senior policymakers as a warning sign-however vague-of a holiday attack.  While this was handled properly, there were, to put it mildly, virtually no details at all.  That happens.”    When Newsweek asked a senior Administration official about this characterization of a warning which was passed to White House policymakers,  and whether it tracked what was presented at the December 22 Presidential briefing, the official would not comment.

I quoted a good lot of that; because I think that it is important to note, that United States Government, in particular, the President; cannot look into a crystal ball and tell the American people where we are going to be hit next. Also too; there seems to be a bit of rumbling amongst the Conservative Bloggers about how Obama handled the attacks. Yes, I know, it looked horrible. In fact, it kind of pissed me off as well. But, Bush did the same stuff, prior to 9/11.

Remember this? From Salon.com:

We’ve known for years now that George W. Bush received a presidential daily briefing on Aug. 6, 2001, in which he was warned: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” We’ve known for almost as long that Bush went fishing afterward.

What we didn’t know is what happened in between the briefing and the fishing, and now Suskind is here to tell us. Bush listened to the briefing, Suskind says, then told the CIA briefer: “All right. You’ve covered your ass, now.”

The point that I am trying to make here guys, is that while it might be fun to try and tag this President and blame him directly for the attempted terrorist attack; I am afraid that I just cannot play along here. President Obama just cannot sit and predict when something like this is going to happen. Blaming Obama for this sort of a thing is just plain stupid. Was the ball dropped? Yes. Did someone screw up? Yes. Can Obama be blamed for any of that. Sorry, I’m afraid that is just plain wrong. President Obama cannot predict when one of the Governmental agencies is going to make a mistake, much less when a terrorist attack is going to happen.

Now, if you are one of those people that believes that Obama is somehow trying to undermine the Nation’s intelligence; because he is some sort of pseudo-Muslim. Then, you are just a plain idiot that believes every damned e-mail that you read, then you have issues that is beyond the scope of this blog, much less this blog entry.

So, in short, while this might not look good. I am afraid this finger pointing by the right — is just plain silly.

Others in the Conservative, “Obama is a terrorist” Meme Machine: Gateway Pundit, Erick’s blog, The Strata-Sphere, Outside The Beltway, YID With LID, Riehl World View, Laura Rozen’s Blog and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Update: Since I originally wrote this earlier today; there has been some new information come to light. I have funny feeling, that after the Holiday and the weekend are past. You are going to see some resignations of some posts within Obama’s cabinet. I could be wrong though. We will have to wait and see. But, from the looks of this; someone’s head is going to roll, when Obama gets back from his Holiday vacation.

Rocket Launcher Found In Apartment, and the Government does nothing about it

If this does not make your blood boil nothing will:

HOUSTON — Police went to a southwest Houston apartment to break up a disturbance but ended up finding something else, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.

rocket launcher

A woman called police on Monday and said a man was forcing his way into her apartment in the 5300 block of Elm Street.

When officers went inside, they found something that made them concerned enough to call the bomb squad.

They found an AT-4 shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. It can shoot a missile nearly 1,000 feet through buildings and tanks.

“It gives infantrymen the advantage with an ultra-light weapon that can stop vehicles, armored vehicles as well as main battle tanks and fortifications,” said Oscar Saldivar of Top Brass Military and Tactical on the North Freeway.

That type of rocket launcher has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The renter of the apartment didn’t want to talk to KPRC Local 2.

“This is my house,” the woman said. ” Get away from here. I don’t want to talk to nobody.”

via Rocket Launcher Found In Apartment – KPRC Houston.

You can check out the video here.

You want to know why this totally pisses me off? I will tell you why. Have these idiots noticed that there was an attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Eve? Further more, there is another reason; it is called political correctness. Had this been a white man, just fresh out of the United States Military, the Government would have been all over this one. But because it was some turban-wearing fuck, who most likely was a Jihadist; he gets off with just local charge of Breaking and Entering. Oh yes, we would not want to offend CAIR, now would we?

I will tell you all this; if there is another major terrorists attack in this Country, it will be because of the inane stupidity of the Government officals on all levels; City, State and Federal. The Democrats will not be able to pin it on Bush anymore; this is their baby now. They will have no one to blame —– but themselves.

Others: Jihad Watch and Wizbang

Late Night at the PB Pub Presents, Frausun

First of all, let me say, that the following is NOT my kind of music at all. But this fine gent contacted me and asked to put it on my blog.

Here is the press release in full:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12/30/2009 Dallas, TX: Frausun, the old-world, experimental, gothic music project by Kurtz, has just released their first music video about spousal abuse in Muslim marriages called “Thunder in Your Veins.” The single is off of their new album “1000,” which debuted in late October.

Inspired by such musical influences as Dead Can Dance, Death in June, Peter Murphy, and David Bowie, Frausun is a one-man project representing the masculine expression of feminine energy, hence the name Frau (Woman) Sun (Male Strength). Kurtz, the sole performer of the group, is influenced by a variety of literary sources, from Kate Chopin and Keats, to Nietzsche and William S. Burroughs. The songs cover a variety of subjects from Tibetan Sky Burials and Goddess worship, to female empowerment and Alchemical love.

Kurtz was motivated to begin his project after reading a story about a woman killed in Afghanistan for being too “westernized.” Her crime was wearing lipstick.

“Thunder in Your Veins” tells the story of a woman who endures physical and mental torture at the hands of her husband, justified by his faith. Seeing no way out but death, she takes his life and walks free to help other women in their pain.

“I want my music to be a call for revolution. If just 1% of the women who saw the video and their reaction was to unite, putting knives to the throats of their abusers, then I know my work has succeeded.”

Music samples and the video can be experienced at www.frausun.com. Kurtz can also be reached at 214-883-3277 or thunderinyourveins@yahoo.com

With that, here is “Thunder in your veins”

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.