Tag: foreign policy

Get this: Our Smart-mouthed wanna-be shoe bomber, will NOT be charged

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Un-farking-believable. 😯

Looks like our little smart-mouthed jerk off, is going to skate charges. (H/T Ace)

Via ABC’s Good Morning America:

The Video:

The Story:

The Qatari diplomat who caused a midair security scare won’t face charges after claiming he was trying to light his shoes on fire when it appears he was simply smoking in the bathroom.

Federal officials said Mohammed al Modadi was on official business when he boarded United Airlines Flight 663 from Washington to Denver, giving him diplomatic immunity. A law firm spokesman told The Associated Press that al Modadi has been released and was headed back to Washington.

More than 160 passengers and crew were onboard when flight attendants noticed smoke coming from the bathroom and notified federal air marshals on the plane, government sources said.

When the marshals demanded to know what he was doing, the man identified himself as a diplomat from Qatar and responded, perhaps sarcastically, “I’m trying to light my shoes on fire.”

It was a comment reminiscent of shoe bomber Richard Reid and also the so-called underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who successfully smuggled explosives onto a Christmas Day flight, but failed to detonate them.

“None of this is going to be taken as anything less than dead seriousness,” ABC News aviation analyst John Nance told “Good Morning America” today. “If you make the wrong comment at the wrong time and you’re going to come off the airplane in chains.”

Al Modadi’s comments Wednesday set off a chain reaction of security and terrorism responses, including F-16 fighter jets that scrambled from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado to accompany the flight during its descent into Denver. The plane was met by the FBI and local law enforcement.

“If this was an overreaction, it was not only an understandable one, it was a good one,” Nance said.

Al Modadi’s shoes were examined once the flight landed, government officials said, but no traces of explosives were found.

But, Oh, it was a big, huge, misunderstanding! 🙄

A statement was posted on the Qatar Embassy’s Web site in response to the incident, defending al Modadi and calling it a mistake.

“We respect the necessity of special security precautions involving air travel, but this diplomat was traveling to Denver on official embassy business on my instructions,” Ambassador Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri wrote in the statement, “and he was certainly not engaged in any threatening activity.”

“The facts will reveal that this was a mistake,” the statement continued, “and we urge all concerned parties to avoid reckless judgments or speculation.

The only damned mistake we made, was allow those jerks into our damn Country. If I were running that show; this little turban wearing prick would be on a flight back to Qatar, with a BILL for everything that happened to the Government last night. If it was not paid, I would be telling Qatar to close that embassy and get the hell out of our Country for good! I just wonder, what sort of business was he on? Approving visa’s for terrorists? I mean, they did bust a ring of terrorists out in Colorado. I wonder if he had any connections to them? It is to wonder. But, we’ll never find that out, seeing we have a President who is friendly to these sort of vermin.

BREAKING NEWS: Air Marshalls stop attempted ‘Shoe Bomber’ on flight from D.C. to Denver

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Oh Boy, here we go again…. 😯

(H/T Ace of Spades HQ)

The Report from ABC NEWS, The story is yet to break National News or they’re working on it:

Federal air marshals subdued a man who authorities say attempted to “light his shoes on fire” on a United flight from Washington Reagan to Denver Wednesday night, federal law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Authorities say an explosive team is on the way to the airport, and that while the presence of explosives has not yet been confirmed, they believe it was an attempted “shoe bomb.”

The suspect was identified by authorities as a diplomat in the Qatar embassy in Washington, Mohammed al Modadi. The FBI said the man had full diplomat immunity as the 3rd secretary and vice-consul.

Authorities said two jet fighters were scrambled from Buckley Air Force Base to accompany United flight 663, a Boeing 757, as it flew the final 40 miles to Denver where it landed safely.

Authorities said the man, identified as from Qatar, was restrained by the air marshals who were on the flight.

The United jet was reportedly being directed to a remote location at the Denver airport.

A spokesman for the FBI in Denver declined to comment.

This is not good at all. This could cause some serious problems for Obama’s strategy on the war on terror.

Update: Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN story alerts up. Update #2: all have stories up now.

MSNBC (ugh!) is now reporting, that this dude was in the bathroom, and was smoking in the can. When someone, not sure whom, asked him what he was doing. He replied, “Well, I was setting my shoes on fire…” Apparently, the douche nozzle was kidding around. Well, the only one laughing was him! 😼 Anyhow, looks like this idiot is going back Qutar. MSNBC is giving the name of the person. I will print it, when it comes up. Update #3: Mohammed al-Modadi is his name. (H/T AP)

Gabe over at Ace reports:

ABOVE THE POST UPDATE (11:00): According to CNN, another diplomat is saying that this is a misunderstanding. The story is that the man was smoking in the lavatory and when challenged by an air marshal, he mouthed off sarcastically “I was trying to light my shoe on fire.”

So they nabbed him and scrambled the jets.

D’oh! 🙄

Um, Just a thought… But, terrorism ain’t funny. 😡

Update #4: Josh Marshall wonders:

I mean, are we really to believe that this guy took his having diplomatic immunity as free rein to crack a joke about need to light his shoe bomb? I’m curious whether under international law a diplomat can be expelled from a host country simply for being a raging c@#k.

Heh. Good question. 😛

Update #5: AllahPundit Snarks:

What we may be looking at here is the scariest smoke break in aviation history.

Ha! I wonder if AllahPundit will represent him in Court, if he sues the United States Government for false arrest? If he does, somebody better let Liz Cheney know, after all, we have to know who’s defending terrorists; whether real or wanna-be smart asses. 😉 I mean, that is the McCarthyism way, is it not? 😀

Update #6: Our Assclown of the day can be seen here. He is on the right. (H/T to Wizbang for the find…)

Ouch: Stephen Green lays the smackdown on Obama’s Nuke policy

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I figured some were not going to be happy about Obama’s change in policy, I was right: (H/T Insty)

Well, yesterday Obama — facing no pressure or need to change anything at all — quite recklessly turned over the strategic initiative (operational, too, for that matter) to the other guys.

Little countries can now act, with chemical or biological agents, sure in the knowledge that however we respond, we will respond with less. The other guy now gets to determine how much punishment he is willing to take. Before yesterday, we determined how much punishment we were willing to dish out (plenty).

President Johnson (and to a lesser extent, Nixon) made the same mistake in dealing with North Vietnam. “Escalation,” tit-for-tat, let Hanoi dictate the pace of the war, while simultaneously learning how to deal with, and obviate, our military might. Result: We lost the initiative and eventually the war. Sucky, that.

via Vodkapundit » What, Me Worry?.

I highly suggest you go read the full article. Some would dismiss this as propaganda. But, I think it warrants a full read.

President Limits Nuke Usage

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I have mixed feelings about this, I will explain after the quote:

Via the NYT:

President Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons.

But the president said in an interview that he was carving out an exception for “outliers like Iran and North Korea” that have violated or renounced the main treaty to halt nuclear proliferation.

Discussing his approach to nuclear security the day before formally releasing his new strategy, Mr. Obama described his policy as part of a broader effort to edge the world toward making nuclear weapons obsolete, and to create incentives for countries to give up any nuclear ambitions. To set an example, the new strategy renounces the development of any new nuclear weapons, overruling the initial position of his own defense secretary.

Mr. Obama’s strategy is a sharp shift from those of his predecessors and seeks to revamp the nation’s nuclear posture for a new age in which rogue states and terrorist organizations are greater threats than traditional powers like Russia and China.

It eliminates much of the ambiguity that has deliberately existed in American nuclear policy since the opening days of the cold war. For the first time, the United States is explicitly committing not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states that are in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack.

Those threats, Mr. Obama argued, could be deterred with “a series of graded options,” a combination of old and new conventional weapons. “I’m going to preserve all the tools that are necessary in order to make sure that the American people are safe and secure,” he said in the interview in the Oval Office.

As I said above, I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, the idea of America being stoked to the hilt with Nukes on a hair trigger is not my idea of a good time. On the other hand, the idea of the United States not being able to defend itself is not a very comforting thought. Because I am not a partisan blogger, I will simply say this; I believe Obama is trying to strike a balance and trying to keep all parties happy. Which is not easy, when the people you are trying to make happy are not your biggest fans. Either way, it has to be a tough order.

Other Bloggers from ALL sides on this: Political Punch, CBS News, Ben Smith’s Blog, Power Line, The Corner on National 
, Beltway Confidential, The Caucus, PoliBlog, Commentary, ATTACKERMAN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Jihad Watch, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Independent, Fausta’s Blog, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Scared Monkeys, Atlas Shrugs, Liberty Pundits dot net, Another Black Conservative, The Confluence, The Moderate Voice, The Atlantic Online, Israel Matzav, Guardian, News Hounds, Don Surber, YID With LID, Pundit & Pundette, The American Pundit, Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, The Page, And So it Goes in Shreveport, The Anchoress, The Lonely Conservative, JammieWearingFool, Gawker and Riehl World View

Is the Afghanistan/Pakistan mission unraveling?

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It seems that way. 🙁

The Story via Stratfor.com:

Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.

There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area — possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. Consulate.

[….]

UPDATE:

One attacker was able to blow up in the U.S. Consulate premises, AAJ TV reported April 5. The front side of the U.S. Consulate has been totally destroyed. Reports indicate that seven or eight security personnel in the consulate are dead. The consulate’s communication system is down.

Many people are wondering why this has happened. I think I know why. It could very well be because of this here:

The Story via Washington Post:

KABUL — President Obama’s visit to Kabul last week, intended in part to forge a closer working relationship with President Hamid Karzai, has helped produce the opposite: an angry Afghan leader now attacking the West for what he perceives as an effort to manipulate him and weaken his rule.

Karzai’s relationship with his U.S. backers in the past week has taken a sharp turn for the worse after his two anti-Western speeches in three days, remarks that some officials see as a rehearsed, intentional move away from the United States.

In remarks to parliament members Saturday, Karzai said that if foreign interference in his government continues, the Taliban would become a legitimate resistance — one that he might even join, according to lawmakers present.

“When I heard Karzai’s remarks, it really shocked me. It scared me,” a senior Afghan official who works closely with Karzai said. “We should not take this lightly. This is a golden opportunity to have the West here; we can’t squander it.”

Karzai’s comments have angered U.S. officials and some of his prominent Afghan colleagues in the government, who fear he is jeopardizing international funding and military support because his pride has been injured.

“That guy’s erratic, he’s unpredictable. I don’t get him,” said a senior U.S. military official in Kabul.

However, if you read a little deeper, you will see this:

But the next day, Karzai told a gathering of lawmakers that foreign interference fuels the insurgency. One lawmaker said Karzai made the point that if he is compelled to obey foreigners, “I’ll join the Taliban.”

“I know he’s cooperating with the U.S., but he just wants to give us a wrong perception. He’s trying to prove himself as a hero, a nationalist,” the lawmaker said.

Some of the presidents’ supporters said that people overreacted to the statements, and that Karzai is well aware of how reliant he is on the United States and other countries fighting in Afghanistan. The United States pours billions of dollars monthly into Afghanistan, and 30,000 new troops are arriving to fight the Taliban.

Speaking at a meeting of about 1,200 tribal leaders and local officials in the southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, Karzai again suggested that U.S. pressure is counterproductive.

“Afghanistan will be fixed when its people trust that their president is independent and not a puppet,” he said. “We have to demonstrate our sovereignty. We have to demonstrate that we are standing up for our values.”

I think this guy needs to make up his mind. Trying to play to his people and be friends with the west is not going to work. The United States of America is NOT interested in owning that Country, no more than it is interested in owning Iraq. We are, or at least we were, there to get rid of Al-Qaeda terrorists who wanted to attack and destroy America. It seems that our focus is shifting and we are now trying to play “Paddy Cake” with Afgan Leaders who want to be friendly with the the U.S. and the Taliban. The President of the United States needs to firm with Karzai, and tell him either choose the Taliban and possibly being killed by the United States in military action or choose true freedom and democracy. You cannot have it both ways, terrorism and democracy cannot co-exist.

Just a personal aside, I had a sinking feeling that this sort of a thing would happen, if we elected a Democrat for a President. For all of his failings, for all of the stuff that I did not like about him; George W. Bush knew exactly how to deal with these sorts of things. He was seen by the Afghan people and the Iraqis as a firm strong leader, who was willing to risk it all to stand against terrorism, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. President Obama just does not have that same stance. President Obama and by default, the Democrats see terrorism as a juvenile criminal behavior; and it is not; it is a war against freedom and democracy in the name of a backward and dangerous religion.

I guess the only hope at this point is that Obama realizes what he is dealing with here and changes his focus. However, I just do not see that happening at all. Needless to say, the next year few years is going to be interesting, when it comes to the war on terror and this entire situation.

Your Daily War Porn Video

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(H/T Zip)

Video: America’s Comeback

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This Comes via The Other McCain:

RGA 2009 Chairman’s Report

Republican Governor’s Association HQ

The revolution starts today. What are you doing?

President Barack Obama and Fox News’s Bret Baier politely spar over Healthcare and Foreign Policy

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Here’s Part 1 and 2 of that:

You can go read the entire transcript of this interview by going here and reading it.

I have to give President Obama credit, after bashing Fox News and calling it “nothing more than a propaganda outlet”; he did show some guts by going into the lion’s den and going head to head with Bret Baier. That took some serious guts. It could help his image too; not with those on the hard right, but the independents, who voted for the guy with the “spine of steel”, as Vice President Joe Biden called it. Truthfully, the President has not been showing that so-called “Spine of Steel” here as of late. Maybe the White House is trying to improve the President’s image a bit, seeing that his poll numbers are down. Hence the interview.

I saw the interview on T.V. myself; I would not call it “combative” as I have seen it called on other blogs. I would call it politely testy, at times. I mean, there was no swearing and no calling the President an out liar, when he was obviously lying. I mean, If I would been running that interview, and he would have started in on the talking points; I would have stopped him and told him he was flat out lying and full of shit and would have demanded short and straight answers out of him. I would have also demanded that he answered the question of just who the hell does he think he is, to just swagger into the White House and start changing the established Heathcare system in this Country. I would have said, “You can do this, why? because you are black and entitled to it?” Which is probably why the interview was not giving by me. It would have lasted all of about five minutes. The next thing I would have asked him, was why he will not produce his original birth certificate and I would have brought up the fact that EVERY last damned President since the United States started keeping birth records has produced a birth certificate; and I would have asked him why the hell he feels exempted from this practice. Again, I would have asked him if he felt it was because he was black that he could bypass such things. I would have also brought up the fact that the so-called document that his campaign produced was, in fact, a forgery, which was pointed out by several well-known bloggers and was proven to be by three different forensic experts. None of whom would publicly identify themselves, for fear of reprisal from Obama’s campaign and from the Government itself.

So, in closing, it was a decent interview, not nearly as tough as it should have been. But it was and still is worth watching.

The Reality Report #36

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In this report:

Does Obama want your DNA?

How far will the IRS go to extract the peoples blood?

What the heck is Chris Dodd thinking about the FED’s monetary power? Gary answers those questions and
welcomes SpyChips co-author and RFID expert Katherine Albrecht to the show to discuss the latest in
RFID and implantable human tracking technology.

New Conservative Blog

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Richard Spencer, formerly of Taki’s Magazine has finally got his own project going.

Here, he explains it:

[podcast]http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3651/episodes/17841/media_files/43982/download/5/file_128kb.mp3[/podcast]

Click here to check out the site.

Countdown to being called an Anti-Semite by the normal players for linking to either of these blogs in 5….4….3…2

Fixed rather funny typo…. Sorry Richard! 😛

UPDATED – Adam Yahiye Gadahn Caught – It was not Adam Yahiye Gadahn It was Abu Yahya

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Three Words:

Good, Good and Good.

I wonder if President Obama will want to give this guy a civilian trial too?

Round up Here.

Update: Perhaps Not. You’d think they would be able to do this a little better… Oy. 🙄

Video: America Rising Part 2, A Call for the Republican Party

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(H/T The Left Coast Rebel)

Oh.Lordy President Obama is now Homey?

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Good Lord.

Via ABC:

ABC’s Jonathan Karl and Z. Byron Wolf report from Washington D.C.:

It is one of the biggest annual gatherings of conservatives in Washington.  The yearly CPAC convention hosts everyone from Sen. Scott Brown to Mitt Romney.  Even former Vice-President Dick Cheney made a surprise appearance today.

The crowd was full of frustration towards President Obama and his administration, and the words “Tea Party” seemed to be flying out of every Republican’s mouth.  One big agenda item for the Republicans?  Galvanizing the youth vote.

And one of the people leading the youth charge is Stephen Baldwin.  One of the famous Baldwin brothers, Baldwin hosts a conservative radio show and has enlisted himself in the youth recruitment effort.  Baldwin told our Jonathan Karl that he blames Obama for the state of the country, but also prays for him.

“I am not happy about the way things are.  I pray for President Obama every single day.  But tell you what.  Homey made this bed, now he has got to lay in it,” said Baldwin.

Uh…. Um, I should have this under this heading here. But, I figured it could stand on its own. I mean, Homey? I think you can now guess why I did not attend CPAC. I mean, I am all for the defending of the Constitution, limited Government, and the defense of the Christian Faith. But what I am not for, is going to some Convention; where a bunch of wealthy and some not-so wealthy white people; sit around and bitch about the evil black socialist President. I give them credit, some of them nuance the racism, and do it very well; but most do not, and some do not even nuance it at all. This is one of worst examples of nuanced racism ever. Nothing says I have a problem with the black race better, than a pasty white guy calling a black man,”Homey”,  much less the President of the United States, who just happens to be black.

I will be honest with you, I do not like President Obama’s politics whatsoever. But I do respect the office. This is why you do not see me writing about stupid kooky conspiracy theories on here. I’ve done it in the past and got burned hardcore; after that I said that until the birthers can provide me some solid proof that Obama was not born here, other than the opinions or half-baked claims of some attention-whoring, black-hating, harpy Jew with an attitude; I just will not write about it anymore, period.  Anyhow, Orly Taitz aside; that is why I do not write about the nonsense. Because I respect the man’s office. Some cannot; but I can and do try to. That does not mean he is above criticism, because you know that I do that well. Although here as of late, he is scoring some brownie points with me on the Afghanistan war.

Anyhow, it just irked me, because both of these guys, especially the bug-eyed jack ass in the middle are supposedly Christians —- Evangelical Christians no less.  But yet, they make idiotic statements like this. You know see why I left the Evangelical circles for good. Because of ignorant crap like this. Which is, incidentally, forbidden by the Bible.

I have said this in the past and I will say it again. If the Republican Party thinks that embracing this sort of nuanced racism is going to do anything for them in the coming elections in 2010 and 2012, they had better think again. Because I will warn them; the American people are just much too smart for that and they will suffer in the coming elections. because I will tell you, that I WILL NOT VOTE for a party that embraces this sort of anti-black, nuanced racism. I will vote libertarian; I did it once and I will do it again. It is seriously time to get real folks, and this is not doing that at all.

Video: The Confession of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed ‘From A to Z’

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I posted this once, but the man’s video got taken down by the video service.

So, here it is again.

Please, if you like this, put it on your blog or website and promote it. Everyone who believes that the War on Terror is a real thing, should watch and promote this.

MILD CONTENT WARNING

Official Site

Alex Jones on Sarah Palin

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(H/T The Daily Paul)

Obama Administration to Iran, ‘Saber rattle this douche nozzle’

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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

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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

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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)

New Bin Laden Tape Surfaces

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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

Posted on

(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

Posted on9 Comments

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.

America tries to help Haiti, gets accused of occupation

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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.

  1. Calamitous events take place in a chaotic place (think Bosnia, think Somalia, think Iraq in 1991).
  2. The U.N and the U.S intervene.
  3. 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”).
  4. There are only two possible outcomes.
  5. 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”.)
  6. The U.S doesn’t take over.  If this happens, it will be criticised for “not doing enough” – and isolationism.
  7. 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

BREAKING NEWS: Michael Yon arrested at Seattle airport

Posted on

(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