Dearbornistan, Michigan: June 21, 2009. Our Nation's Capital: July 4, 2009

(Hat tip to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, via Infidel Bloggers Alliance, for the video in this posting)

First, some background for the video.

According to the Detroit News on June 17, 2009, an evangelical group called Arabic Christian Perspective has filed a law suit against the city of Detroit for violating the group's access to the 14th annual Dearborn Arab International Festival:

A group that aims to convert Muslims to Christianity has sued the city of Dearborn and its Police Department, claiming the city is violating its free speech and religious rights by limiting its access to patrons at this weekend's 14th annual Dearborn Arab International Festival.

The group, Arabic Christian Perspective, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, alleging its rights were violated when Dearborn police told the group its members would not be able to walk freely through the festival's four- to five-block area passing out literature promoting Christianity over Islam. Organizers want to confine the group to a designated area, the lawsuit said.

[...]

The group says the city and festival organizers have no legal right to block them from public sidewalk....

Please take the time to watch all ten minutes of the following video portraying an occurrence at the festival:



The YouTube text is below the fold:

This is a video of David Wood and Nabeel Qureshi asking questions at Arabfest, Dearborn. The date is June 21st, 2009. There was a booth at the festival which had a banner titled "Islam: Got Questions? Get Answers." From their table, we picked up a pamphlet claiming that Islam promotes peace. We noticed that it was full of poor logic and errors, so we decided to make a video refuting it. We went to the booth that gave us the pamphlet to give them the opportunity to defend their claims. Security, however, stepped in and forced us to turn off our camera.

We left the booth, received advice from police, and found out that the actions of the security guards were illegal. We went back to the booth to record a potential answer again. Realizing that the Muslims present had no answer, we left.

When we came outside, we were asked some questions by two young men, who had been sent by security to entrap us. While we responded to them, festival security started assaulting us, as you will see in this video. The conclusion of this video is a mob of festival security attacking our cameras, pushing us back, kicking our legs, and lying to the police.

We ask you, is it a coincidence that the city with the highest percentage of Muslims in the United States is the city where Christianity is not allowed to be represented (let alone preached) on a public sidewalk? Is it coincidence that in this city, people will say "No way!" when we say "This is the United States of America"?

Is this what will happen when Islam takes over the United States?

I understand that Moslems resent having their worldview challenged. But if that's the case, then why put up a banner advertising answers about Islam and thereby challenge passersby to question Islam? Of course, if only Moslems are permitted to take up the challenge, then no real challenge has been issued.

The UK is often cited and even vilified by counter-jihadists for its dhimmitude in the face of Islamic supremacism and displays thereof.

I say, "America had better not be so smug." Today, the United States is on a similar path, albeit earlier on that path. Is it unreasonable to assume that Dearborn, Michigan, will become a no-go area for all infidels and that American rights there will no longer be recognized or upheld?

Lest one thinks that special treatment for Islamic supremacists is limited to Deabornistan, see THIS. Excerpt:

Former Federal Agent: "Then CAIR had cropped my head shot onto a Nazi uniform"

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), unindicted co-conspirators in a jihad terror funding case and an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is dedicated in its own words to "eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within," is holding its annual convention in Washington.

Dave Gaubatz, the first U.S. civilian (1811) Federal Agent deployed to Iraq in 2003 and owner of DG Counter-terrorism Publishing, registered to attend the convention, paid his fee, and showed up....

The rest HERE and more at Atlas Shrugs.

I previously posted on "evangelical" Rick Warren's dhimmitude with regard to the ISNA. By partnering with ISNA in dhimmitudinal interfaithing on July 4, the birthday of our land of freedom, he has given his tacit approval to Islamic supremacism, thus lulling even more people to sleep, if not into comas.

Wake up, America! The Islamist Fifth Column is making quiet headway.

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Independence Day 2009: The Fifty-Six Who Signed

(Posted July 2 and stuck here through Independence Day Weekend)

Something we should meditate upon as we celebrate our nation's birthday:



Watching the above video got me to thinking about the state of our commitment to patriotism today. How many of us right now would be brave enough and committed enough to put everything on the line for the sake of the ideals of freedom? How many of us right now are willing today to emulate our Founders and to step outside our comfort zone so that the ideals we claim to hold dear can be upheld and passed to our posterity? We are the heirs of the sacrifices and the dedication of our Founders — and of those patriots who came after them. Today I'm wondering how many Americans are worthy to be rightful heirs.
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We see our President and commander in chief constantly undertaking apology tours both abroad and online, speaking in demeaning terms of our nation. Indeed, BHO has harshly criticized America for being arrogant. I won't defile this Independence Day by embedding the video on a posting dedicated to the upcoming celebration of our nation's birthday, but if you need a reminder, you can watch the video HERE as the President of the United States shamed our nation with his words. In an excellent counter-argument, my good friend Mustang has some thoughts on the matter in his Independence Day posting "Arrogant Americans." I urge you to check it out.

On this Independence Day, as I celebrate our nation's birthday by watching the traditional fireworks, I will be celebrating the "arrogance" of our daring Founders, our patriotic ancestors, and our present-day patriots. I will dare to be an "arrogant American"!

I will put aside my anger and frustration with this present administration and will focus instead on what is right with America and on what those fifty-six signers passed down to me from over two centuries ago.

And I will say yet another prayer for America:

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Musical Interlude

From back in the day, James Cagney (1942), with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland toward the conclusion of the video:



And another, this one (1955) featuring James Cagney and Bob Hope:

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Harve Presnell: Rest In Peace

A lot of people probably don't even recall the name of this performer, who passed away from pancreatic cancer on June 30 at the age of seventy-five. He did both Broadway and film work. In fact, he was once a leading man.

Perhaps, however, you'll recall hearing this singer's rich baritone in the following YouTube version of the song "They Call the Wind Maria," which he performed in the film version of Paint Your Wagon:

Below is another video, in which Harve Presnell sings a duet with Julie Andrews:



The complete Washington Post obituary for Harve Presnell:

Leading Man Traveled From Broadway to 'Fargo'

Harve Presnell, a tall, strapping baritone who was the leading man in the 1964 Broadway musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," spent 10 years touring the country as Daddy Warbucks in "Annie" and flourished as a Hollywood character actor, notably in "Fargo" as an outrageously bullying father-in-law, died of pancreatic cancer June 30 at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 75.

Mr. Presnell, a 6-foot-4 former rodeo rider, made several well-received folk and opera recordings in the 1950s and early 1960s and performed at Carnegie Hall and on other leading stages.

His full-throated voice and virile good looks inspired Broadway composer Meredith Willson to write for him the romantic lead of Johnny "Leadville" Brown in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" (1960).

The show ran two years, with Tammy Grimes in the title role of a self-made society matron who survives the Titanic disaster. Mr. Presnell sang "Colorado, My Home" and "I'll Never Say No" and repeated the performance in the 1964 film version, with Debbie Reynolds replacing Grimes.

Mr. Presnell hoped to make a career as a star of Hollywood musicals, but the genre had long passed its prime. He was reduced to the teen musical "When the Boys Meet the Girls" (1965), with Connie Francis, Liberace and Herman's Hermits, and the risible film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe horse opera "Paint Your Wagon" (1969) starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg.

In "Paint Your Wagon," Mr. Presnell was singled out for critical praise as a bordello manager who sings "They Call the Wind Maria."

Afterward, Mr. Presnell began an active career with touring stage productions, including "Annie Get Your Gun" as sharpshooter Frank Butler and "Carousel." He also played a singing and dancing Rhett Butler in a 1972 musical version of "Gone With the Wind," staged in London. Critics did not give a damn.

Then came "Annie," in which he replaced another actor on Broadway in 1980 as the baldheaded tycoon Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks and then toured in the show for a decade. He told USA Today, "From 1979 to '89, I shaved my head every day."

Older but still intimidating, Mr. Presnell began working regularly in films and on television in the 1990s, often in menacing roles. The work that most impressed audiences and critics was his supporting part in the Coen brothers' film hit "Fargo" (1996) as a rich and miserly businessman whose daughter is kidnapped.

"Mr. Presnell has just the gruff, booming manner to explain why Mr. Macy, as his son-in-law, looks scared to death," New York Times film critic Janet Maslin wrote.
George Harvey Presnell was born in 1933 on a ranch in Modesto, Calif., and participated in rodeos as a young man. He briefly attended the University of Southern California on a sports scholarship until a music teacher, impressed by Mr. Presnell's voice, urged him to focus on a career in opera. He later said he "ended up going into music because it was easier than being a jock."

He left school to train in Europe and then sang with the Roger Wagner Chorale on albums including "Joy to the World" and "Folk Songs of the New World."

He sang with the San Francisco Opera in an acclaimed 1957 staging of Francis Poulenc's "The Carmelites" and on the 1960 Columbia recording of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana," with Eugene Ormandy conducting. Willson, the Broadway composer best known for "The Music Man," heard him sing "Carmina Burana" in Berlin.

Survivors include his wife, Veeva, and several children. His agent was unavailable to provide a complete list of survivors.

After the success of "Fargo," Mr. Presnell saw his career revitalized. He appeared in films including Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) as Gen. George C. Marshall and Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006) as an Iwo Jima survivor whose voiceover about war starts the film.

In a comic twist on such authority figures, he played a university administrator in "Old School" (2003) starring Will Farrell and a congressman in the Steve Carell comedy "Evan Almighty" (2007).

On television, he had recurring roles on "Andy Barker, P.I.," "The Pretender" and "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," among other shows.

"I started as a star, and now I have to climb the ladder again," he told USA Today in 1996.

A recently-taken photo to the right shows what Mr. Presnell looked like in his later years.

Now do you remember him?

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"Mad Tea Party"

Quickie link: If you enjoy political satire, you absolutely must read this story over at Blunt Politics.

Brief excerpt below the fold.

Alice America’s Adventures in Liberal-land by Leslie Lynn King
(Adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)

CHAPTER VII
A MAD TEA-PARTY

A table was set where the March HareNapolitano and the Obama Hatter were having tax tea. The Pelosi Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, while the two used her as a scapegoat, rather, a cushion to rest their feet.

“A very uncomfortable position,” said Alice America as she accessed the scene. “Still, the Dormouse is in a stupor, so I suppose she doesn’t mind.”

The table was very long, but all three were crowded at one end.
“No room for you! No room for you!” the three cried as Alice America arrived.

“There’s plenty of room! I paid for this party anyway!” she said and sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

The Obama Hatter offered, “Would you like some whine or free money, with a side of hope?”...

Read the entire story HERE. It's a gem and has a call to action at the end.

(crossposted to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS)

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Weekly Blog Talk Radio: July 3 — Patriots' Show

(This post is a weekly promo. Please scroll down for other posts)

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

This week, as we approach the celebration of our nation's birthday, we will have with us three guests to discuss the meaning of patriotism: The Beak, Colonel Gordon Cucullo, and Midnight Rider. Each of these guests has chosen a different path to show their love of America. Listeners are invited to phone in to share their own views of patriotism.

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Listen to the July 3, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
July 10: IQ al Rassooli and The Merry Widow
July 17: Yid With Lid
July 24: Robert Spencer
July 31: IQ al Rassooli and Pamela Geller

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Outrage and Financial Ruin

(Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance)


Pay attention and find out what Cap and Trade could do to the prospects of selling your home!

It's the Nanny State on eco-steroids!

Excerpt below the fold:

The 1,400-page cap-and-trade legislation pushed through by House Democrats contains a new federal policy that residential, commercial, and government buildings be retrofitted to increase energy efficiency, leaving it up to the states to figure out exactly how to do that.

This means that homeowners, for example, could be required to retrofit their homes to meet federal “green” guidelines in order to sell their homes, if the cap-and-trade bill becomes law.

Read the entire posting HERE.

If you've been planning to use the equity in your home to finance your Golden Years or some other worthwhile endeavor, you might need to rethink that strategy if the Senate passes Cap and Trade.

In the above excerpt, note that individual states will be roped into this mess. Can Cap and Trade, if passed by this Congress, be challenged on the state level on the basis of the Tenth Amendment? Maybe. The Tenth Amendment, known as The States' Rights Amendment, reads as follows:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Now is the time to start looking at your state government and candidates there who support limited government.

The state level may well be the last stand to combat Cap and Trade. Who is serving as your state attorney general is critical in this matter.

To that end, over the next few months, I'll be spending some time working for limited-government candidates running in the November 2009 elections here in Virginia. Some of my blogging time will likely go by the wayside as I focus on local politics as the last political bastion to curb the growth of The Nanny State. I urge you to do the same, that is, look to your local and state levels for your freedoms!

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The Islamic Saudi Academy — In The News Again

Previous Always On Watch postings about the Islamic Saudi Academy are HERE and HERE.

Photo Credit: the Washington Post
Not a flattering recent development, to say the least.

From this article at The Investigative Project:

A Saudi Arabian man living in Tampa is being held without bond after being arrested June 4 for attempting to board a US Airways flight carrying a concealed weapon. Raed Abdul-Rahman Alsaif was trying to fly to Phoenix.

According to a criminal complaint by Gregory J. Mertiz, Special Agent with the Transportation Security Administration in Tampa, Alsaif submitted three bags for screening to TSA officers. A Transportation Security Officer saw a large butcher knife inside one of the bags. The knife was "artfully concealed between the outside fabric and the expandable pull handles of the bag," the complaint said, and the weapon was stored in a way that would have been "accessible to him [Alsaif] in flight."

[...]

Raed Alsaif is a 2003 graduate of the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in Alexandria, Virginia, the same high school that was the subject of a report in June 2008 by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which alleged that ISA was using radical Saudi textbooks. According to the report, passages in the textbooks used at ISA justify violent actions and intolerance to the reader including killing Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, apostates (converts from Islam) and adulterers. School officials say they have deleted the offending passages.

In 2003, the same year that Alsaif graduated from ISA, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, a U.S. citizen and ISA graduate and valedictorian was arrested in Medina, Saudi Arabia on terrorism related charges. In 2005, Ali was convicted on nine counts including providing material resources to Al-Qaeda and conspiracy to assassinate President George W. Bush. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Alsaif has been previously arrested on drug charges and driving without a license in Hillsborough County.

In addition to his current concealed weapon charges, authorities found that Alsaif has been living in the country illegally....

Go HERE to read the entire article, which has embedded links.

Meanwhile, on July 13 at 6:00 PM, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing to consider allowing expansion of the Popes Head Road location of the Islamic Saudi Academy, owned by the Roayl Embassy of Saudi Arabia.

When Fairfax Christian School held that same property, the Christian school was never allowed to expand nor even to rebuild one of the structures which burned to the ground in the early 1980's. Much of Popes Head Road remains a country lane, the reason given for previously denying expansion to Fairfax Christian School. Apparently, different rules now apply, never mind that the safety issues remain the same.

In fact, when the issue of the expansion of the Islamic Saudi Academy came before the Zoning Board this spring, the board unanimously approved the expansion over the objections of the neighborhood. The Zoning Board wasn't the least interested in the Wahhabist ideology being espoused at the Islamic Saudi Academy, and the board so stated.

Will the Board of Supervisors even care at the upcoming hearing that yet another graduate of the Islamic Saudi Academy has shown himself to be something less that the supposedly wonderful students which the school graduates?

Furthermore, why is Fairfax County rolling over for a group whose 12th grade textbooks teach that it’s fine and dandy to kill homosexuals, adulterers, or anyone who leaves Islam?

Meanwhile, the Wahhabist school operates with impunity, just a few miles from our nation's capital.

As my best friend in Texas is wont to say about the Islamic Saudi Academy, "For all we know, Bin Laden is hiding in there in a burqa!"

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Farrah Fawcett (1947 - 2009): Rest In Peace

Private services today at 4:00 PM, Pacific Daylight Time, at the Cathedral at Our Lady of the Angels.

Her long-time lover Ryan O'Neal made the arrangements. Her son Redmond will be released from prison and will attend, in handcuffs.

According to Find A Grave, her mother Pauline and her sister Diane preceded her in death. Diane also died of cancer.

Find A Grave has an excellent biographical sketch of Farrah Fawcett's life and accomplishments. Not mentioned is Ms. Fawcett's final work of film, Farrah's Story:

Most of all, it takes inner strength to fight cancer, which “Farrah’s Story” emphasizes. At the end of the movie, Fawcett aims a camera at the audience. “How are you? What are you fighting for?” she asks.

Without speaking the words, the suggestion seems to be that all anyone can ask is to fight as hard as she has.

Read the entire article and watch some excerpts from Farrah's Story HERE.

Part One of the documentary can be viewed HERE.

Ms. Fawcett thought of Farrah's Story as her mission and her message. Watch and listen to the above portion of her final work of film as a tribute to her. She deserves that ten minutes of your time as a final tribute to her.

I also recommend watching the full version of Farrah's Story, which has been recently re-run on NBC-TV and MSNBC. In fact, I wasn't going to post about the passing of Farrah Fawcett until I watched the film:



Note to viewers: The film itself tends to run more smoothly than the commercials.

In case the above embed doesn't work, HERE is the Hulu the Hulu link for the full-length version of the film.

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We're Stuck With Snollygosters For Leaders

image credit

Above is pictured a snollygoster. According to Blasting Caps and Dynamite, a wonderful new blog which I highly recommend that you check out, a snollygoster is defined as follows:

"One, especially a politician, who is guided by personal advantage rather than by consistent, respectable principles."

Because I love word study, I went looking for some more information about snollygosters and found this at The Word Detective:

"Snollygoster" is an American invention, first appearing in print, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), in the mid-19th century.

The most likely origin of "snollygoster" is another, very similar, word -- "snallygaster." From the German "schnelle (quick)" plus "geister (spirits)," a "snallygaster" was a mythical monster (a giant reptilian bird, according to one source) said, among residents of Maryland, to attack and eat livestock as well as the occasional child....There is a slight dating problem with this theory, in that "snallygaster" has (according to the OED) first been found in print in 1940 (versus 1846 for its presumptive descendant "snollygoster"), but it's entirely plausible that the "snallygaster" had been used to cow disobedient children for at least 100 years before the word made it into print.

If I weren't graphically challenged, I'd put the faces of certain politicians as the face of the image at the top of this post. I'd create several different snollygosters. We have a plethora of them!

Today's snollygosters on Capitol Hill, in the White House, and throughout this government bureaucracy are eating more than the occasional child. In various ways (Care to name some in the comments section?), this government, filled with snollygasters, is robbing our children of their heritage of freedom and their right to property.

Generational Theft is what this present administration is all about.

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A Victory For Freedom Of Speech!

The law suit against Joe Kaufman has been dismissed!

Such wonderful news as we approach this coming weekend's celebration of Independence Day!

The last paragraph of the press release:

From the start of the case, Kaufman has called the lawsuit “entirely frivolous” and stated that it was only brought to harm Kaufman financially and to stop him from writing about the terrorism ties of the plaintiffs’ friends. In the end, the case was an important victory for Freedom of Speech.

Read the details about the case HERE.

Just last Friday, June 26, WC and I interviewed Joe on The Gathering Storm Radio Show and discussed the case. You can listen to the interview HERE, during the last half hour of the show.

Addendum, June 29: Joe's interview today about the case - in Front Page Magazine.

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Musical Interlude: Kenny Rogers

The most popular YouTube rendition of "Coward of the County":



If you want a political-social commentary to go along with the above video, please read "A Culture of Helpless Idiots" over at Karen's blog.

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Rick Warren To Partner With ISNA?

I'll admit something up front: I've never much cared for Rick Warren. I can't explain why I had that reaction to him from start.

A lot of Christians hold him in high esteem and love his preaching and his writing. I can't say the same from my own perspective. Instead, I find his message hollow and filled with the social gospel.

Now comes this:
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Rick Warren, author of the best-selling book The Purpose-Driven Life and one with some weight among Christians, appears to be promoting Christo-Islam, i.e., syncretism, another manifestation of delusional and self-delusional kumbaya.

From this source:

The Indiana-based Islamic Society of North America will be holding its annual convention -- the largest yearly gathering of Muslims on the continent -- in Washington, D.C. over the Fourth of July weekend.

And while convention leaders are holding out hope that President Barack Obama might make the convention his latest stop in his outreach to the Muslim world, the convention has landed another pretty big fish as a featured speaker.

Purpose-Driven pastor Rick Warren has agreed to appear at the convention and be part of its main session discussing the convention's theme -- "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Joining Warren for the session is ISNA President Ingrid Mattson and noted Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf.

Warren's scheduled visit to the convention follows ISNA leader Sayyid Syeed's appearance last December at Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on Public Health. Warren was unavailable this week to comment about the appearance.

His involvement with ISNA follows the Muslim organization's attempt to build partnerships with people of other faiths, including the Union of Reform Judaism and the American Baptist Churches....

Please see Front Page Magazine's index of articles about the ISNA. What a web of Islamist connections!

Excerpt from this FPM article by Joe Kaufman:

Both the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) present themselves as mainstream Muslim organizations, yet in reality they are part of a radical Muslim movement which exists for the purpose of doing harm to America and Western interests abroad.

[...]

ISNA, said to be the largest Muslim organization in North America, has its roots in the extremist Muslim Brotherhood overseas, the same group responsible for the formation of Hamas and most other international terror entities.

[...]

Besides its connection to Hamas, ISNA is involved in the propagation of hate materials. ISNA and its sister organization, the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), run an Islamic Book Service for the United States and Canada. The service consists of texts written by leaders of the Brotherhood and a version of the Quran, The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an, which has been banned by the Los Angeles school system for having numerous anti-Semitic commentaries....

What purpose is driving Rick Warren to partner with a group with terrorist ties? Is he ignorant of those ties? Is he planning to preach the Gospel to ISNA? Not likely.

Rick Warren has previously been criticized for buddying up with Islamists before. From this source, back in 2006:

In his Tuesday, November 28th column, the sixth in a blistering barrage, critical of Warren, Joe Farah had some less than cordial things to say about the Saddleback padre's Purpose Driven powwow with the leader of a terrorist nation:

"Let's be clear about what Rick Warren did and why he is being criticized.

It's not because he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. In fact, I would encourage any Christian leader who can get in Assad's face to do so. He needs to be called to account for keeping Christians in Syria in a state of "dhimmi" status. He needs to be called to account for murdering Christian political leaders like Pierre Gemayel. He needs to be called to account for his continued repression of his own people as well as those of Lebanon. He needs to be called to account for his support for the terrorist organization Hezbollah. He needs to be called to account for allowing his country to play host to more terrorist organizations than any other country in the world.

So, I did not criticize him for meeting with Assad. I criticized him for playing footsie with the dictator, for giving him cover to continue his atrocities against believers and non-believers alike, for lying to the world about the state of the church in Syria and for not even mentioning Assad's bellicose threats to the very existence of the state of Israel."

But you see, what Warren was doing in Syria is what he's been doing all along here in America and around the world with the dialectic church - withholding inconvenient truths about sin and the call to repentance for the sake of Results and Relationships. Going soft on sinners is his specialty! That's how you "build bridges," exponentially grow churches and dialectically achieve "unity in diversity" - by putting absolutes aside and dialoguing differences away until everyone's conscience is seared and conviction vanishes in the ambiguity of religious relativism.

Somebody, tell Rick Warren, "When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas."

As I was doing research for this posting, I stumbled across this interview of Rick Warren in the Atlantic. The title of the interview is "The Rick Warren Interview: No Compromise With Evil." In my view, Rick Warren isn't living up to the second part of that title with his upcoming speaking engagement at ISNA's upcoming convention.

Additional reading: "Jumping Jihad!" by Dr. Paul L. Williams. I'm linking to that essay via Infidel Bloggers Alliance because Dr. Williams's web site periodically goes down. Final paragraph of the essay:

At President Barack Obama’s Inauguration, Rev. Warren offered an Invocation in which he quoted the Koran and spoke of Jesus as “Isa,” the Muslim’s name for the founder of Christianity.

Is Rick Warren ashamed of the very Name of Jesus, Whom he has professed as Lord and Savior? Or does he believe that all faiths lead to the one true God? Warren seems to be coming dangerously close to that kind of apostasy. And how many Christians will follow Rick Warren's lead?

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Iranian Version of "Beat It!"

(Note: two posts today)

Hat tip to Gateway Pundit, a montage of Iran's protest photos:



[END OF THIS POSTING]

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Some Perspective On Michael Jackson

(See yesterday's political post below this one)

For decades, I liked and continue to like much of Michael Jackson's music. In fact, I wore out two cassette tapes of Thriller and finally got the CD, to which I still listen from time to time.

Michael Jackson was indeed a great musical artist and an amazing dancer (although Sammy Davis, Jr., could dance just as well and so proved in a live concert I attended). Certainly Michael Jackson enjoyed a lot more than fifteen minutes of fame. He was indeed a talented performer.

And, yes, it is a shame that Michael Jackson has died at such a young age. Of course, once the autopsy is completed, we may learn something scandalous as to his cause of death, and his image may be tarnished yet again. Furthermore, if one is honest, one has to admit that he was downright weird: dangling a baby from a window, uttering that "share your bed" line in a nationally televised interview some years ago, and undergoing plastic surgeries until his face no longer resembled himself but rather a decomposing cadaver.

Hat tip to Bloviating Zeppelin for the following video:



Read Bloviating Zeppelin's post HERE.

And let's face it. As Mustang points out in "Commensurate Honorarium," Michael Jackson was not a hero in the same category as Major Ed Freeman or Major Bruce Crandall, both of which are names which few Americans recognize.

Michael Jackson may deserve the title "The King of Pop." But unlike "The King," Elvis Presley, I don't recall this latest fallen superstar's singing one single patriotic song. Correct me if I'm wrong about Michael Jackson's lack of patriotism. (continued below)
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I will enjoy listening to and watching the tributes to Michael Jackson over the next several days. I'll probably even put Thriller on the stereo for another listen, sing along, and dance around the room. I may even get the film Thriller from NetFlix — after a long wait, of course.

It is also interesting to note that, once news of Michael Jackson's death became public, Twitter's ratings of most-frequent Tweets changed: information about what's been happening in Iran, the world's only Islamic theocracy being challenged, dropped way down on the list of "Trending Topics."

In my view, however, Michael Jackson was no American hero. Also in my view, the way America today chooses heroes speaks to the superficiality of our nation and of our culture.

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A Call To Serve

Even though I have little hope of having "The One" heed my voice, I do write to the White House. Indeed, we as responsible citizens should communicate with all our elected representatives, if for no other reason than to show them that they don't live in a ivory tower.

Writing to the White House apparently puts one on a mailing list.

On June 22, I got the video below embedded in an electronic missive from the White House. Swallow your gorge, and force yourself to watch:



Text of the electronic missive from the White House below the fold:

Dear Friend,

Last week, I announced United We Serve – a nationwide call to service challenging you and all Americans to volunteer this summer and be part of building a new foundation for America.

And when I say “all,” I mean everyone – young and old, from every background, all across the country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort.

Today, for the official kick off of United We Serve, members of my administration have fanned out across America to participate in service events and encourage all Americans to join them.

The First Lady is rolling up her sleeves and getting to work too. But before she headed out today, she asked me to share this message with you.

Our nation faces some of the greatest challenges it has in generations and we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get us back on track.

While Michelle and I are calling on every American to participate in United We Serve, the call to service doesn’t end this fall. We need to stay involved in our towns and communities for a long time to come. After all, America’s new foundation will be built one neighborhood at a time – and that starts with you.

Thank you,
President Barack Obama

Why am I reminded of "To Serve Man," one of the classic episodes from The Twilight Zone?



By the way, the previous electronic missive I received was a link to BHO's Cairo Speech.

You know how that one made my heart leap for joy. [sarcasm]

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Observation From A BHO Supporter

Today in the Washington Post, the day after BHO issued his most-strongly worded statement about the recent protests in Iran, Richard Cohen's column, "President Cool Plays It Right," has many words of praise for BHO's restraint with regard to those protests. Mr. Cohen, as usual, cites history as proof that BHO's restraint in his statements about the Iranian protests was the correct path for a President of the United States to take. In my view, many of the points in the article are well taken and deserve consideration.

Nonetheless, the next-to-last paragraph of the essay brings up an interesting point about BHO:

[I]f McCain, Graham and others have a valid complaint, it is not with Obama's words but with his music. The President of Cool seems emotionally disconnected from events in Tehran -- not unconcerned but not particularly upset, either. This is a quality that will cost Obama plenty in coming years. He can acknowledge your pain, but he cannot feel it.

I typed in "lack of empathy" for a Google search, and up came an article about Narcissistic Personality Disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, 1994, commonly referred to as DSM-IV, of the American Psychiatric Association. The article makes the following nine points about NPD:

1. An exaggerated sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
2. Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

3. Believes he is "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

4. Requires excessive admiration

5. Has a sense of entitlement

6. Selfishly takes advantage of others to achieve his own ends

7. Lacks empathy

8. Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him

9. Shows arrogant, haughty, patronizing, or contemptuous behaviors or attitudes

Each of those points has a "translation." Read the entire article HERE. For your convenience, the following is the translation for Point 7, "Lacks Empathy":

They are unwilling to recognize or sympathize with other people's feelings and needs. They "tune out" when other people want to talk about their own problems.

In clinical terms, empathy is the ability to recognize and interpret other people's emotions. Lack of empathy may take two different directions: (a) accurate interpretation of others' emotions with no concern for others' distress, which is characteristic of psychopaths; and (b) the inability to recognize and accurately interpret other people's emotions, which is the NPD style. This second form of defective empathy may (rarely) go so far as alexithymia, or no words for emotions, and is found with psychosomatic illnesses, i.e., medical conditions in which emotion is experienced somatically rather than psychically. People with personality disorders don't have the normal body-ego identification and regard their bodies only instrumentally, i.e., as tools to use to get what they want, or, in bad states, as torture chambers that inflict on them meaningless suffering. Self-described narcissists who've written to me say that they are aware that their feelings are different from other people's, mostly that they feel less, both in strength and variety (and which the narcissists interpret as evidence of their own superiority); some narcissists report "numbness" and the inability to perceive meaning in other people's emotions.

For additional reading, please see this essay (9/22/08), "Understanding Obama: The Making of a Fuehrer," by Ali Sina.

In my view, most political leaders are narcissists to some degree. That said, BHO seems to be more self-centered than most. Furthermore, I did note something disconcerting in yesterday's scripted press conference; please read Dana Milbank's "Stay Tuned for more of The Obama Show" — an article worthy of a separate post: BHO came most alive when (1) talking about his personal battle with quitting smoking and (2) when perceiving disagreement with his statements. Otherwise, his delivery and responses were flat and indeed evidenced a lack of empathy even as his words "appalled," "outraged," and "condemn" were strong.

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Weekly Blog Talk Radio: June 26 — Joe Kaufman

(This post is a weekly promo. Please scroll down for other posts)

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Our guest today at the bottom of the hour is Joe Kaufman, Chairman of Americans Against Hate, the founder of CAIR Watch, and an investigative journalist for FrontPage Magazine. Read more about Joe and his work HERE.

----------------

Listen to the June 26, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
July 3: Patriots' Show with Beak, Colonel Gordon Cucullo, and Midnight Rider
July 10: IQ al Rassooli and The Merry Widow
July 17: Yid With Lid
July 24: Robert Spencer
July 31: IQ al Rassooli and Pamela Geller

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Virginia Man Has Meltdown Over Verizon's Service

I've had my own woes with Verizon's service. See HERE and HERE from last year when, twice within a month, Verizon delayed in accomplishing repairs to my phone line.

I was understandably fed up with Verizon and having a mini-meltdown from the frustration of being cut off from the outside world and sitting here in my house day after day as I waited for the Verizon repairman to come. Finally, one the second of the two cutoffs from service within a month's time, Mr. AOW spliced the line and dared Verizon to complain. Verizon didn't complain. After all, hell hath no fury like a blogger disconnected from the worldwide web, and the Verizon technician noticed that fact, likely because of the expression of rage on my face and in my voice.

Last week, an elderly man in Vienna, Virginia had a negative experience with Verizon, and the story made all the local news stations as well as coverage in the newspapers here in the D.C. area. He won't be having any more such negative experiences:

A 79-year-old Vienna man who was fed up with his Verizon service died after trying to stop a technician's van from pulling out of his driveway.

The man, identified by neighbors as William Cornelius, fell after grabbing the steering wheel of the van late Wednesday afternoon and died hours later at a hospital, police said.

[...]

Cornelius was upset and followed the technician to his van. Cornelius "continued to express his dissatisfaction and tried to block the technician's van from leaving his driveway," said Vienna police spokesman Bill Murray.

The technician got inside his van. Cornelius moved out of the way, and the technician began to drive away, according to police.

That was when Cornelius "reached in through the van window and grabbed the steering wheel," Murray said. Cornelius fell to the ground. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

[...]

"I bet this Verizon situation is the straw that broke the camel's back," [a neighbor] said....

Read the entire article HERE.

Mr. Cornelius clearly acted foolishly, and other factors contributed to his actions, including the death of his wife and struggling with his disabled daughter's care. But I have to say that I completely understand his frustration. Verizon has the habit of telling customers that the repairman will come on a certain date. Many times, the repairman doesn't show, comes some ten days after the customer's request for service, and sometimes doesn't even accomplish the repair. In my own case, one repairman did reconnect the telephone line but disconnected my DSL line! I had to wait several more days to get Internet service restored.

Most of us realize that the days of good customer service ended quite a long time ago. That realization, however, doesn't always prevent or ameliorate one's frustration. Feel free to vent your frustrations about today's customer service in the comments section.

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