Check Out This Picture

(hat tip to Atlas Shrugs)


Pamela cites a story from American Thinker:

...Sergeant Crowley, the sole class act in this trio, helps the handicapped Professor Gates down the stairs, while Barack Obama, heedless of the infirmities of his friend and fellow victim of self-defined racial profiling, strides ahead on his own. So who is compassionate? And who is so self-involved and arrogant that he is oblivious?...

BHO is all about himself.

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This Administration Giveth, And This Administration Taketh Away

(hat tip to Yid With Lid)

According to the LA Times, Cash for Clunkers, apparently a stimulus that really worked, may be suspended.

Well, the Cash for Clunkers stimulus worked for me, and that fact may help to explain my recent cutting back on blogging.

White House reviewing 'cash for clunkers' program

WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday it was reviewing the government's popular "cash for clunkers" program amid concerns the $1 billion budget for rebates for new auto purchases may have been exhausted in only a week.

Transportation Department officials called lawmakers' offices earlier Thursday to alert them of plans to suspend the program as early as Friday....

The White House said auto dealers and consumers should have confidence that transactions under the program that already have taken place would be honored.

The program, called the Car Allowance Rebate System, known as CARS, offers owners of old cars and trucks $3,500 or $4,500 toward a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle.

Congress last month approved the program to boost auto sales and remove some inefficient cars and trucks from the roads. The program kicked off last Friday and was heavily publicized by car companies and auto dealers.

Through late Wednesday, 22,782 vehicles had been purchased through the program and nearly $96 million had been spent. But dealers raised concerns about large backlogs in the processing of the deals in the government system, prompting the suspension....

But, hey, I got my new car last week, when Cash for Clunkers first began, traded in an old truck for $4500, and got this 2009 Hyundai Elantra:


Sticker price = $17,725

I paid $10,412.80, which includes upcoming protective treatment for the seats and the exterior -- some kind of armor, I think.

My first brand new car! Probably my last, but whatever.

As part of the Cash for Clunkers deal, I traded in my nearly-25-year-old Dodge Ram pickup truck, given to me outright well over a decade ago by my dad. The truck had low mileage on the odometer, but was suffering from wiring problems and not enough power to get out of its own way (slant 6 engine). No AC. Real gas mileage about 10 to the gallon. Some lights didn't work, and the carburetor was screwed up beyond repair. In fact, that truck was a lemon from the git go, but Dad put up with all the towing bills as it was his one and only red truck.

You should have seen the looks on the faces of the dealership's personnel when I drove that truck up to the door: bird droppings all over the vehicle, dessicated and staining wild black cherries from bumper to bumper, body parts rattling, valves rattling, exhaust smoking, rust — the whole nine yards.

The truck had been parked in the back yard for so long that an ant colony was living in the truck bed.

I'm not exaggerating!

We did manage to save the hood ornament as a memento.

No, I'm not giving thanks to the BHO administration for my new car. Call me "Ingrate!" and I don't care.

This article in the Washington Post covers the down side of Cash for Clunkers — for the car dealers:

Tammy Darvish, another major auto dealer in the Washington area, said her more than two dozen dealerships have had lots of interest in the program but its success has left dealers strapped for money as they wait for payments from the government.

Under the program, dealers credit the amount of the voucher to customers who buy new cars. They then get reimbursed by the government.

"There's a whole lot of money out there that dealers haven't collected on," said Darvish, who noted that she's taken in about 200 clunkers. "We've sold the cars and we've processed the paperwork, but we haven't been reimbursed. I'm out about $1 million. The government is supposed to reimburse me for that."

Of course, car dealers will not be reimbursed for all the costly advertisements which have been running ever since Cash for Clunkers officially launched last week. The ads are still running today. Kaching, Kaching.

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One of FDR's Fireside Chats

Listen carefully (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):



Tell me your observations in the comments section. Do you notice something disturbing? If not, see the information from the post at Infidel Bloggers Alliance below the fold.

Note that at the beginning he speaks of the rights to life and liberty. He goes on to list the other basic rights from our in the Bill of Rights including "free speech, free press, free worship." What he doesn't mention is the right of private property, with good reason. He then goes on to assert "that we have accepted a second bill of rights." These so called "rights" are economic in nature. Roosevelt also had the audacity to explicitly state that the "normalcy" of the 1920s, i.e. liberty, was the cause of fascism. Of course, Roosevelt spent his time in office stealing from some in order to provide these "rights" to others. These so-called rights include, but are not limited to:

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

This form of legalized theft under the guise of providing "rights" is now the main function of American government at all levels. Now the nation is reaping the fruits of becoming a giant "robbers' den," just as Rome did.

And now you know how BHO got elected and why he is often compared to FDR.

Is it even possible now to educate the American electorate now as to what the meaning of "rights" is? After all, several generations have embraced FDR's "new Bill of Rights."

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BHO's Race Baiting Has Backfired

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

As my friend Warren recently pointed out when discussing with me on the telephone BHO's comments about the Cambridge Police, "Obama was trying to re-energize his base."

Now comes the following video (hat tip to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS), indicating that BHO may well have done the opposite. Please listen carefully to what the black woman says:



Of course, we shouldn't be surprised about BHO's views on "white folks." Consider the following video posted on YouTube in April of 2008. Even if you have viewed the video before, please watch it again in light of the recent Gates controversy:



In my view, BHO showed himself to be a racist during a scripted press conference on July 22, 2009, and his recent attempts to squirm out of the situation without any sincere apology serve to illustrate even further that BHO is not a post-racism American President. He just might turn out to be a one-term President after all!

The sad thing, of course, is that BHO's recent race baiting may do damage to race relations here in America.

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UK: MP Simon Hughes, Dhimmi Of All Time?

From Infidel Bloggers Alliance, the following video is dated October 25, 2008, and a must-watch:



Is it any wonder that voters in the UK are moving to the right?
-----
By the way, comments for the above video are disabled at YouTube.

I wonder why. [sarcasm]

Dhimmi Simon Hughes needs to take a look at the very short video embedded in this post at Creeping Sharia. For that matter, so does every citizen and leader of a Western nation.

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Maybe BHO Holds A Grudge Against The Cambridge Police Department

(Note to readers: If you're sick of politics, please scroll down for a musical interlude)



Oh, this is rich (with thanks to The Merry Widow):

...According to the Somerville Times in 2007, as a Harvard Law School student, Obama got 17 parking tickets during 1989-1991 from the Cambridge Police Department that he left unpaid until just weeks before he announced his bid for the presidency.

"In other words, as a practicing lawyer in Chicago, he allowed these tickets and penalties to remain unpaid; as an Illinois state senator he allowed these tickets and fines to remain unpaid; and as a United States senator he allowed these almost-two-decade-old signs of his disdain for the law to remain unpaid," commented John LeBoutillier on Newsmax.com....

Read the entire article HERE. If you don't trust World Net Daily as a source, HERE is the story from the Associated Press; the story is dated March 8, 2007.

So, our Chief Executive BHO is a scofflaw.

Typically, the mainstream media love to dig up dirt like this. Why didn't that dirt on BHO get exposed? Undoubtedly, such information about a conservative candidate or elected official would have been released.

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Musical Interlude

CAR SONGS: AN EVEN DOZEN

Crank it up!

CLICK HERE to see why I chose "Mustang Sally" as the first song on the above PlayList.

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Pastor James David Manning On Race Relations In The United States (Bumped)

(This post bumped because of the recent controversy surrounding BHO's statement that the police "acted stupidly" when arresting Henry Louis Gates, Jr.)

Just in case you're not familiar with Pastor Manning, he is the one who called BHO a "long-legged Mack Daddy." That controversial video is HERE (over 2 million viewers), and the explanation is HERE.

However, what I want readers to consider is the following video:



YouTube link, which also has comments.

So, is Pastor Manning accurate in what he's saying?

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En Una Boca Cerrada, No Entran Moscas (With Addendum)

Literal translation of the title of this post: "Into a closed mouth, flies do not enter."

BHO would do well to learn that lesson, especially before commenting on an incident about which he himself admits not knowing the facts.

I am referring, of course, to his recent comment at a scripted press conference: "The police acted stupidly," in reference, of course, to the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who acted the fool by mouthing off to police investigating a possible break-in at his home. In a recent essay in the Washington Post, journalist Neely Tucker put it this way:

When the Cops Are Called In, Anger Is a Dangerous Weapon to Brandish

One of the common-sense rules of life can be summed up this way: Don't Mess With Cops.

It doesn't matter if you are right, wrong, at home or on the street, or if you are white, black, Hispanic, Jewish, Muslim or whatever. When an armed law enforcement officer tells you to cease and desist, the wise person (a) ceases and (b) desists.

The End.

Like Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., I am interracially married, currently live in a predominantly white neighborhood, have a healthy respect for armed men wearing uniforms, and have had the police come to my house in a confrontational manner, doing the job they're paid to do....

Mr. Tucker goes on to tell a personal story. A must-read!

Today's Washington Post offers some facts about James Crowley, the officer whom BHO accused of acting stupidly:

Crowley grew up in a predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhood, where his family attended Mass regularly. The Boston Globe reported that in 1993, when he was working as an officer with the Brandeis University police force, he tried to resuscitate Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis, who suffered a heart attack during a practice and died.

Crowley joined the Cambridge Police Department and was eventually tapped to teach a class on racial profiling at a police training academy.

Thomas Fleming, director of the police academy at the Lowell Police Department, which has a partnership with the Cambridge Police Department, said Crowley has taught the course for five years and has trained 300 recruits, none of whom have complained about him.

The same Washington Post article states the following:

Sgt. James Crowley said Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was combative from the moment the officer arrived at his house last week to respond to a call about a possible burglary. As the confrontation escalated, Crowley said he warned Gates that he risked arrest.

"The second warning was with me holding a set of handcuffs in my hands -- something I really didn't want to do," Crowley said in a radio interview. "The professor at any time could have resolved the issue by quieting down and/or going back inside his house."

[...]

When Crowley arrived and questioned whether Gates lived in the home, the 58-year-old academic became upset, eventually demanding the officer's name and badge number so he could file a complaint. Crowley said Gates referred to Crowley's mother as a way of showing his displeasure.

When the officer repeatedly asked Gates to speak with him outside, the professor responded, "Ya, I'll speak with your mama outside," Crowley wrote in a police report.

Charges against Police Officer Gates have been dropped, but further investigation into the entire record of this officer continues. Officer Gates also refuses to apologize for his actions at the Harvard scholar's home.

Meanwhile, Police Officer Crowley is making saner comments than BHO:

Of Obama, Crowley said in an interview with Boston's WBZ-AM: "I support the president of the United States 110 percent. I think he's way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts as he himself stated before he made that comment."

BHO showed the racist chip on his shoulder and would do well to listen to this sermon by Pastor James David Manning. And instead of blabbing on from the bully pulpit in reference to a matter about which he admits that he doesn't know the facts, BHO should remember that all his words should be worthy of the office he holds.

Particularly when one doesn't know the facts, "Silence is golden," or, in Spanish, "En una boca cerrada, no entran moscas."

Addendum: Please see this post of some personal observations by Revere Rides Again over at Infidel Bloggers Alliance. Excerpt:

This afternoon I drove to Cambridge, MA, in order to view the site of the 7/16/09 arrest of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates for disorderly conduct. Specifically I wanted to try to spot any visible signs of agitation in the immediate neighborhood connected with this story. I am very familiar with the area, having attended night classes at the university some years ago....

Read the rest HERE.

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Fact Check On ObamaKare

(Two postings today. Please scroll down)

Text about ObamaKare below the fold:

Via this posting citing the Associated Press at Infidel Bloggers Alliance:

FACT CHECK: Obama's health care claims adrift?

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's assertion Wednesday that government will stay out of health care decisions in an overhauled system is hard to square with the proposals coming out of Congress and with his own rhetoric.

Even now, nearly half the costs of health care in the U.S. are paid for by government at all levels. Federal authority would only grow under any proposal in play.

A look at some of Obama's claims in his prime-time news conference:

OBAMA: "We already have rough agreement" on some aspects of what a health care overhaul should involve, and one is: "It will keep government out of health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your insurance if you're happy with it."

THE FACTS: In House legislation, a commission appointed by the government would determine what is and isn't covered by insurance plans offered in a new purchasing pool, including a plan sponsored by the government. The bill also holds out the possibility that, over time, those standards could be imposed on all private insurance plans, not just the ones in the pool.

Indeed, Obama went on to lay out other principles of reform that plainly show the government making key decisions in health care. He said insurance companies would be barred from dropping coverage when someone gets too sick, limits would be set on out-of-pocket expenses, and preventive care such as checkups and mammograms would be covered.

It's true that people would not be forced to give up a private plan and go with a public one. The question is whether all of those private plans would still be in place if the government entered the marketplace in a bigger way.

He addressed some of the nuances under questioning. "Can I guarantee that there are going to be no changes in the health care delivery system?" he said. "No. The whole point of this is to try to encourage changes that work for the American people and make them healthier."

He acknowledged then that the "government already is making some of these decisions."
___
OBAMA: "I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade, and I mean it."

THE FACTS: The president has said repeatedly that he wants "deficit-neutral" health care legislation, meaning that every dollar increase in cost is met with a dollar of new revenue or a dollar of savings. But some things are more neutral than others. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag told reporters this week that the promise does not apply to proposed spending of about $245 billion over the next decade to increase fees for doctors serving Medicare patients. Democrats and the Obama administration argue that the extra payment, designed to prevent a scheduled cut of about 21 percent in doctor fees, already was part of the administration's policy, with or without a health care overhaul.

Beyond that, budget experts have warned about various accounting gimmicks that can mask true burdens on the deficit. The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget lists a variety of them, including back-loading the heaviest costs at the end of the 10-year period and beyond.

I watched BHO's speech last night and found him quite convincing. For one thing, he cited some real problems those of us searching for affordable health insurance experience once we're out there searching for private coverage, particularly those of us with pre-existing conditions, never mind that Mr. AOW and I have been enrolled in health insurance plans and getting prompt and proper care for those pre-existing conditions for over thirty years. I tell you right now that our rates, even for catastrophic coverage, are extortionary! But going without coverage is unthinkable as there is no way to shield one's assets from medical bankruptcy.

Advisory: My above statements are not an endorsement of ObamaKare but rather my quick personal observations before I head out to work, then on to the car dealers to see what kinds of deals I can obtain. I have at least one clunker to turn in. For the first time in our lives, Mr. AOW and I may buy a new car and at a used-car price!

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Is Islam Evil?

Like many involved in the anti-jihad, I began at Jihad Watch. In the course of reading the articles at there, I "met" various commenters, one of whom was Jason Pappas. When I visited his site, Liberty and Culture, I discovered this essay. I now want to call my readers' careful and brain-engaged attention to that excellent essay, also listed in my sidebar:

Is Islam Evil?

by Jason Pappas

March 5, 2004
"Sophisticated" critics usually react to the word "evil" with condescension and derision. Describing something as "evil," in their view, generally brands one as an unenlightened throw-back to the dark ages -- or the equivalent of a televangelist preaching hellfire and damnation. Who forgets the outcry when President Reagan described the Soviet Union as the "Evil Empire?" Or today, when President Bush refers to the "Axis of Evil?" Commentators unequivocally condemn the word as an outmoded judgmental term unfit for today's multi-cultural world. Unless, of course, one wants to use it to describe the United States of America or Western Civilization itself.

The question, "Is America evil?" is routinely discussed not just on message boards and in chat rooms -- the Internet equivalent of bathroom walls -- but by tenured professors and in respected newspapers. A New York Times book review on January 11, 2004, quotes author Lance Morrow from his book: "Evil, An Investigation". "Americans are struggling now with the possibility that their country may be evil -- or, to be more practical, that their country may be doing evil in the world." Just two weeks later, the front page of Book Review section reads: "Is America an evil empire? Seven new books seem ready to think so."

Most Americans are shocked at the notion of an evil America. Considering our history, the attack on our country's character is hard to fathom. Over the last two centuries immigrants came in droves, seeking refuge from tyranny and poverty. They found unequalled freedom and opportunity secured by a stable democracy. During that time, totalitarian barbarity threatened to consume the world. America played a crucial role in defeating European and Japanese fascism in WWII. However, Europe was left in ruins and half enslaved by Communism. In Asia, Japan was in ruins and China soon became Communist. We then faced the Communist strain of totalitarianism; one that would result in the deaths of 100 million people and threatened to engulf the world. Once again, our military might was crucial. We contained Communism until it fell of its own internal contradictions. In short, America has saved civilization.

Given the recent worldwide attacks by Islamic terrorists, why isn't the question "Is Islam evil?" With few exceptions (Turkey, for example), Islamic countries are fascist, autocratic or theocratic, where women are subjugated and minorities persecuted. Islamic countries are rife with poverty and have been for centuries. Polls show that in many Islamic countries a majority of Muslims lionize the man responsible for the atrocities of September 11th and the terrorist gangs who routinely slaughter civilians in Israeli buses and restaurants. In Arab schools and on Arab television, children are taught the glory of becoming suicide bombers. Almost everywhere that Islam borders other cultures, there is violence.

The idea, then, that Islam is evil has far more plausibility than the idea that United States is evil. But merely, raising the question, "Is Islam evil?" provokes an instant, inevitable outcry: "Bigot!" "Racist!" "Zionist!" Indeed, the attempt to suppress debate on this question is so intense that few people in the mainstream will ask it.

The level of banality goes beyond the empty name-calling. Typical knee-jerk questions are: "How can you call all Muslims evil?" "Have you ever met a Muslim?" "Don't you think Muslims have children, too?" Notice the switch from the religion to the demographic group. Muslims, as individuals, range from lapsed to devout, from "in name only" to fully practicing Jihadists. As in all religions, some individuals retain the label even if they don't practice the religion. Indeed, knowledge of the religion varies from person to person. It is not at all unusual to find members of a religion who don't understand the doctrines, practice, or history of their religion. As a broad label, "Muslim" is nothing more than a meaningless demographic term. To judge a religion, one considers those who understand and practice the religion. Would we judge Catholicism by someone who, following the tradition of their parents, calls themselves Catholic but has no knowledge of the teachings of the Church, the Pope, the Saints, and the Bible?

Why is Islam exempt from critical analysis? In Western society, there is no shortage of critics of Christianity. Indeed, on many college campuses it is open season on anything that has the faint odor of Western Civilization -- Christianity included -- even though Christianity, like Islam, originated in the Middle East. One might wonder why Islam, which sees itself as a continuation or fulfillment of Judeo-Christianity, is not subject to the same intense criticism. Instead, multi-culturalism treats Islam as a protected species -- an indigenous ethos inseparable from a people. Consequently, self-appointed Politically Correct thought-police stifle debate on Islam by shamelessly playing the race card -- even though Islam is not a race.

We Americans are incredulous to hear the vilification of our country, our traditions and our principles. Yet, we hesitate to publicly condemn Islam as evil when that is far more plausible. Or even raise the question! Yet, it is clearly on people's mind. So much so that it is often answered in a pre-emptive manner. "Don't blame Islam for the acts of a few", we are told. "Islam has been hijacked by militants," say our leaders. No discussion. No one explicitly asks the question. No one dares. We must not allow ourselves to be deterred by this intimidation. The question is both legitimate and important: "Is Islam evil?"

Negative moral pronouncements – bad and evil – are unavoidable if we are to take the requisite actions to avoid what is harmful to our lives and well being. Belief systems and ideas should be judged in the similar manner. Ideas have consequences; if they lead to inimical results they are harmful. If, by their very nature, they are blatantly horrific in their implications, are they not evil? Tyranny, slavery, subjugation, and irrationalism are clear cases. However, most evil ideologies are packaged to sell – including religions. Let’s dissect Islam and ask if it is inherently evil.

How shall we address this question? To understand how a belief system, like Islam, can be evil, we have to start by asking: what do the ideas mean in practice? When Islam is practiced, what kind of person does one become? What kind of society is an Islamic society? Islam has 1400 years of history to help us answer these questions. And we should compare Islam to other religions and philosophies. However, let us proceed with caution. Merely listing historical atrocities by demographic group -- whether Christian, Jews, Muslims, or secular -- tells us little. We need to provide an attribution analysis to determine whether it was because of the religion or despite the religion. By carefully considering the interplay between ideas and events, we can understand what ideas mean in action.

To get to the heart of Islam, start with its founder: Muhammad. Like Christianity, Islam's essence is tied to the nature of a central figure who gives the religion its distinctive soul. Muhammad's professional life as a religious leader can be divided into two, roughly equal periods. In the first, he preached tolerance while he struggled for acceptance in Mecca. But in the second period, after he rises to power in Medina, he became increasingly harsh, mean-spirited and warlike.

In Medina, he inaugurated his reign of terror by assassinating two critics who posed no physical threat: an elderly man and a poetess. Unaccustomed to the farm life of Medina, he tried his hand at raiding caravans traveling to and from Mecca. After several failed attempts he finally succeeded -- during the holy month. (As usual, he conveniently had a revelation to justify this breach of regional ethics.) Muhammad had found his calling: plunder.

The mere existence of the Jewish tribes in Medina threatened Muhammad’s authority. Muhammad packaged his religion as the completion and perfection of the monotheistic religions: Judaism and Christianity. His converts were Arabs; Jews refused to accept him as an authentic prophet of their religion. In a policy of ethnic cleansing, he banished two of the three Jewish tribes and slaughtered the third. Of the several dozen battles fought either by Muhammad or in his behalf, only one, the Battle of the Ditch, was defensive. Islam, however, classifies them all as defensive, virtually removing any meaning from the word. Muhammad had perfected his technique: slaughter.

The chapters in the Koran, called "Suras", are Muhammad's "revelations" from God. The Suras from the Medinan period reflect the corruption of Muhammad's rule. Sura 9, one of the last revelations, contains some of the most uncompromising doctrines of aggression and belligerence. The progression from the early Meccan Suras to the latter Medinan Suras transforms the nature of the religion. The Koran and the Hadith (the collection of Muhammad's deeds and sayings, often called "the living Koran") paint a bleak but unmistakable picture: Islam is a warrior religion of conquest and oppression.

Compare and contrast Muhammad's life to the life of Jesus. Is Jesus a violent warrior? His worst act of violence is overturning the tables of the money-changers in the Temple. In fact, in one part of the Gospels he appeared to be advocating pacifism. Although he is called "King of the Jews," he never ruled and gave no indication of ever wanting earthly rule. According to the followers who recorded his deeds and sayings, Jesus' career consisted of a few years as an itinerant preacher ending with his crucifixion. According to the Gospels, he didn’t rise to power but rose to heaven.

As a devout Jew, Jesus' holy book was the Old Testament, which does have some harsh passages and violent episodes. But the Jesus of the Gospels is more concerned with the spirit of the law than with the letter. (Witness his preaching on the Sabbath.) He boiled his religious beliefs down to two essentials: love God, and love thy neighbor. In effect, Christianity modified the religion of the Old Testament's ever-jealous, ever-vengeful, take-no-prisoners Yahweh and his never-ending rules and regulations (see Leviticus and Deuteronomy) with a more benevolent and less legalistic message. Paul solidified this transformation by exempting converts from Jewish law.

By contrast, Islam is a more of a throwback to the harsh old days when, for example, Moses (acting on God's orders) had a man stoned to death for gathering wood on the Sabbath. It is true that Muhammad's early revelations have the more tolerant and peaceful aura we associate with the New Testament. (Interestingly, it is these early passages that are often shown to American audiences and university students, creating a distorted picture but one that more closely matches the Western view of a religion.) But his revelations grew more "Old Testament," as it were, as his power grew.

Christianity began as a reformation of Judaism. Early Christians didn't focus on living well in this life but on saving their souls before the impending return of the Messiah. As a result Christianity has no political doctrine, except, perhaps, "Render unto Caesar, What Is Caesar’s." Thus, the Roman Empire could become Christian while remaining an empire. Many centuries later, Christian apologists for the monarchy preached the doctrine of the “Divine Right of Kings” to justify royal supremacy, but John Locke could argue for individual liberty and against the divine right doctrine while still remaining a devout Christian. The lack of an explicit Christian political doctrine enabled Christians to consider differing political forms and philosophies without clashing with the authority of a revealed text. Muslims have no such advantage.

Of course, both Christianity and Islam share the problems of dogma and authority, elements that lend themselves to illiberal societies. In suppressing Christianity, Roman Emperors were fighting what they considered an intolerant monotheistic cult. After the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in 312 AD, Christians rose to power in the empire and by the end of the century nearly suppressed all other religions. It wasn't long before pagans were fed to the lions. It would be more than a thousand years before religious tolerance returned to Christianized Europe.

In theory, Islam allowed for some toleration for Christians and Jews. But they were subjected to slavery and a second-class status called Dimmis, which was far worse than “Jim Crow”. Due to Islamic proscriptions on domestic slavery, Islam invented a large-scale race-based slave trade. Arab Muslims imported slaves from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic slave raids were common in southern Europe and sometimes reached the shores of Ireland.

Christians and Jews are called "People of the Book" in the Koran, and as such are allowed to live and practice their religion in subjugation. Polytheists, atheists, pagans and idolaters aren't so lucky: they must convert or be killed. One of history's bloodiest atrocities, prior to the 20th Century, took place during the Muslim conquest of India. Hindus were massacred wholesale. India’s Buddhists, no military and political threat to anyone, were virtually wiped out. The vast destruction of Buddhist buildings, art and culture was a terrible loss to history.

It is true that the 1400 years of Islamic history were punctuated by periods of tolerance, in which Muslim scholars, with the aid of Christian and Jewish scholars, managed to salvage some of the ancient Roman and Greek wisdom. Under Islamic rule, mathematicians adopted Hindu numerals and advanced algebra. However, the greatest minds of the Islamic world, Avicenna and Averroes, were persecuted.

Averroes (ibn Rushd), one of history's preeminent Aristotelian scholars, was banished by the Caliph; his books burned. Aquinas did for Christianity what Averroes couldn't do for Islam: he reconciled Aristotle with Christianity -- thus setting the foundation for the secular, rational, scientific (and Hellenic) worldview, with its emphasis on living well in this world, that, with the Renaissance, became the dominant worldview in Europe; and via the Enlightenment, America. Along with the growth of secularism, religion also transformed. The work of Aquinas reformed Catholicism and ultimately set in motion the questioning spirit that led to Protestantism.

Why was the Christian West able to move forward while the Islamic East proceeded to decline? Although not without his critics, Aquinas did not suffer the same fate as Averroes. Instead, Aquinas was canonized within 50 years of his death. Western Christendom was able to benefit from the Philosopher, as Aristotle was called. Christianity was able to reform but only in the West. The Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions stagnated without an Aquinas.

Proponents of a moderate Islam point to a time when Muslim countries allowed the study of philosophy and science. But given its history, one has to wonder if Islam can furnish the environment for the stable and long-term development of modern civilization -- or if it is just a place to occasionally hide the great works and great thinkers during an otherwise vast period of darkness.

What is undeniable is that, over the centuries, the Islamic world decayed. For a while the stagnant systems Muslims lived under were limited in their harmfulness because the authorities had only primitive means of forcing submission. As soon as modern technologies became available, Muslim leaders had the tools to increase the oppression. They did so by adopting the modern collectivist policies of fascism and socialism while marginalizing Islam. The failure of this faux modernization sparked an Islamic revival. Instead of turning to the individualism and freedom welcomed in Eastern Europe and the Pacific Rim, Muslims turn backwards. With the Islamic revival came a renewed interest in the full practice of the religion -- including its bellicosity and its imperial ambitions of world conquest.

We are told that the answer to fundamentalist Islam is moderate Islam. The word "fundamentalist" comes from Protestantism, but used in a generic sense means a literal interpretation of a religion. In Christianity, fundamentalist denominations are considered different sects of Protestantism. In Islam, fundamentalism is called "Islamic Revivalism." Is this a different kind of Islam, or just a different degree of devoutness? Do moderate Muslims belong to a different Islamic sect, or are they just less dedicated (or perhaps even lapsed)? If by "moderate," we mean "reformed to reflect moderation and modernity" -- like reformed Christianity -- where are the reformed Muslim theologians and texts like there are in Christianity? Is there a "moderate Islam," or is this just an oxymoron?

Perhaps, in theory, there could be a reformed, tolerant Islam, based on the revelations of Muhammad's early Meccan period; but an omission of intolerant, political Islam could merely leave young Muslims enraged at the hypocrisy of the reformers who deviate or ignore the true Islam. We are left with the following problem: it only takes a few true Muslims, who want to practice Islam in its entirety and heed the call to Jihad, to take weapons of mass destruction into Western cities and destroy civilization. At this point in time, these weapons can only be created with state sponsorship – a temporary limitation. Thus, we must return with some urgency to our original question: Is Islam evil?

Please note that Jason is not a Christian, but rather an Objectivist. Nevertheless, he understands more about the evil of Islam than professed Christian Rick Warren, who recently partnered with the Islamic Society of North America. Christians, of all people, should know better than to bargain with evil.

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Health-Care Reform And Political Malpractice

image credit
The House version of the health-care reform bill runs over 1000 pages. Is that wacko, or what? The bill is as long as War and Peace or Gone with the Wind — and much drier reading, too.

Let Freedom Ring has created a pledge for our elected representatives to sign. The text of the pledge and the list of signatories are available HERE. As of my last viewing of that list, only 72 have signed the pledge.
-----
In my view, any elected representative who votes for a bill has a duty to read that bill. In fact, I would further state that any representative who hasn't studied and read proposed legislation and still votes for that legislation should be brought up on charges of political malpractice:

Political malpractice is an instance of negligent or unethical conduct on the part of an elected official. Like medical malpractice and legal malpractice, political malpractice involves a breach of duty, and a failure to offer professional services as expected....

There are a number of different kinds of political malpractice. The most innocent, though not necessarily the least harmful, is negligence. If a politician fails to fully review a bill, for example, and it later turns out to be a disaster, this could be viewed as negligence by the voters....

On the more sinister end of things, political malpractice can involve improper or unethical conduct undertaken deliberately....In some cases, this type of political malpractice can result in criminal charges for corruption.

Citizens rely on their elected officials to advocate for them in legislative bodies, and to make good choices which will benefit their communities. When politicians fail to hold up their end of the bargain, this can have unfortunate consequences for the citizens. An accusation of political malpractice indicates that citizens are deeply unhappy with the way in which a politician has handled a situation, and it can threaten a political career.

In some cases, political malpractice can be the grounds for a tort suit. In the law, a tort is a civil wrong, and if proved, such a suit can result in fines and other consequences for the convicted party. When the citizens feel that they have experienced direct harm as a result of political malpractice, many nations allow them to bring suit against their elected officials to recover damages or remove those officials from office....

The drawback to filing charges of political malpractice, of course, would likely tie up our court system until the end of this century. And, of course, suing for political malpractice could be used as a political agenda by a particular party. I don't actually advocate such law suits. But I do mention political malpractice in letters to my elected representatives and always get a personal response instead of the usual form letter.

Today, we largely have a body of politicians who have forgotten that they are elected representatives with duties to perform FOR on behalf of their constituents instead of on their on behalf and on behalf of their political party. Our leaders today are mostly Snollygosters, like the one pictured at the beginning of this post.

Note: I did have an image of the Master Snollygoster, created by RaDena and sent to me some time ago, but PhotoBucket has deleted that image. I'm sure that you can guess on one try who the Master Snollygoster is.

Addendum: Aha! I have retrieved the image of the Master Snollygoster from my files! My policy of "Save everything!" pays off again.

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Greenie Coercion

A recent edition of the Washington Post dropped a hint that the government would like nothing better than to force us to buy a new car in the name of the better good, both for the environment and for our own health.

From this article in the Washington Post:

Older Cars Fouling Region's Air Quality
Agency Study Links Recession, Pollution

The recession is contributing to higher levels of air pollution in the Washington area as new car sales plummet and older, dirtier vehicles remain on the road longer, according to a recent study by regional planners.

[...]

"If you trade in a 1995 Jeep Cherokee for a new one, that's a big difference in emissions," said Ronald F. Kirby, COG's transportation planning director. "We can't keep emissions going down unless we get newer vehicles in the fleet."

[...]

Kirby said he was particularly troubled that aging vehicles are predicted to cause increased emissions even as motorists are expected to cut their driving by 2.5 percent...The finding is at odds with a basic tenet of transportation planning, that tailpipe emissions drop when people drive less.

The article also indicates that the problem is a national one, albeit not yet widely recognized:

Rich Denbow, director of technical programs for the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, said the COG study is the first in the country to document the connection between older vehicles and worsening air pollution. However, Denbow said, he expects other areas will find the same problem when they update their air quality forecasts.

"We're the first ones to see it, but I think it will be a national issue," said Denbow, whose organization is based in the District. "Our economy is better than a lot of others, so the [older vehicle] problem isn't as bad here as it will be in other areas."

We also read the following statement from Joan Rohlfs, chief of air quality planning for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, as she emphasizes how controlling emissions is a health mandate:

"Anything that contributes to pollution is not good for anyone's health"...

Perhaps most significantly, we read the following money quote from the aforementioned Kirby:

"How can you expect us to meet our targets for emissions when we have no control over the economy and the rate at which people buy new vehicles?"

In other words, "If we, your government overseers, are going to meet the federal requirements and get our federal subsidy, we must tell our citizens to shape up right now and head on over to the car dealer."

As one whose newest vehicle dates from year 2000, I can see what's coming sooner or later: I, and others like me, will be taxed or fined for driving older vehicles and thereby coerced into buying a newer vehicle.

Such coercion will, of course, have a negative effect on independent automotive-repair garages as car owners will be forced to obtain service at car dealers. The dealers, often the only facilities with the kind of equipment needed to effect certain repairs and types of maintenance, are fewer now, thanks to BHO's meddling in the automotive industry. I guess that it's fine and dandy to have to drive further, pay more, and wait longer for those repairs. After all, doing so is all for the greater good — never mind the good of my wallet or yours.

After all, we must save Mother Earth, even at the cost of enslavement and not being able to enjoy her bounty:

There are no slaves so willing as those who don chains and shackles of their own accord and in the name of the greater good.

Additional reading: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Junk Science.

Oh, and just so you know, Anthony “Van” Jones, BHO's "Green Czar" is an admitted Communist with an arrest record:

...The East Bay Express, an Oakland area Black on line magazine reported Comrade Czar Jones...became a communist when he became enchanted with “these young radical people of color — I mean really radical, communists and anarchists. And it was, like, … I need to be a part of[them].”

[...]

Jones proudly says he spent the next ten years working with the people he met in jail in April, and “by August I was a Communist.”

His website “Green for all” carries this telling quote from Comrade Jones on his new position, “… we’re going to be in an economic slowdown for a couple of years. So to take three months, four months, six months to spend this money the right way-we’re not going to get a chance to spend a trillion dollars again! Ever. So let’s do it the right way!”

This is the kind of appointee BHO wants as a close adviser. Telling, very telling.

Of course, Greenie coercion isn't limited to your cars. Nosirree! From this posting at THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, citing this essay:

...[T]he Waxman-Markley energy bill has a requirement that forces the entire United States to use a National Building Code based on the green building standards of California. Regardless of whether your house is in Miami, Florida or Bangor, Maine, you’ll have to adhere to the standards used in a state that has one of the most moderate climates in the U.S. The construction industry is really going to suffer.

The bill forces sellers to have an energy inspection prior to being able to sell their home. Windows, appliances and insulation will have to be inspected and approved by a government inspector and modifications would have to be made for compliance before you can close the sale.

Basically, you won’t be able to sell until you go through the expense of bringing your house up to the new code. This will cost a prohibitive amount in many cases.

So much for our right to property, be it the right to own our present automobile or to sell our homes. That right will be yielding to the right of Big Brother to snoop into every aspect of our lives.

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Musical Interlude

Yes, I know it isn't the Fourth of July.



A few more by the Cactus Cuties below the fold.





web site with more

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Walter Cronkite (1916 - 2009)

Like many of my generation, I grew up listening to the unique vocal tones of Walter Cronkite. He undoubtedly had one of the best voices in all of broadcasting.

I best recall him from watching that often-blurry image on my parents' black-and-white television set. The following is permanently etched into my memory, perhaps for you as well:


Of course, today's newpapers are filled with stories about the passing of Walter Cronkite, particulary as a witness to history. No doubt, we'll be seeing lots of television specials on the topic of this man, particulary on CBS. Most of what we will see will be a rehashing for those of us who grew up hearing the voice of Walter Cronkite as news anchor. We'll experience nostalgia which the present generation cannot possibly feel about this man.

In today's Washington Post, I noticed this interesting portion:

In later years, as he watched from the sideline, Cronkite became a critic of the evening news. "Nobody's asked me, which is strange, but I think the networks ought to be doing the headlines -- compressed as they must be -- and no features," he told me in 2002. "Drop that 'Your Pocketbook and Mine,' 'Your Beauty and Mine,' 'Your Garbage Can and Mine.' "

He also decried the staffing cutbacks as the networks shrank their evening news staffs, saying: "It's a dollars-and-cents issue with the ownership. There's not the sense of responsibility of the old-timers who were taught this was their duty."

Walter Cronkite's views and mine did not always agree. And I recognize that, even as an anchor, he had an agenda. On this topic of the deterioration of broadcast news, however, I believe that he was spot on. Viewers today want flash, not substance. Furthermore, the anchor's voices sound pretty much the same and not unique.

"And that's the way it is" with the media today, some twenty-eight years after Walter Cronkite retired.

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Hizb ut-Tahrir To Hold Khilafa Conference In The Chicago Area This Sunday, July 19, 2009

Let's start with a video (hat tip to Yid With Lid):



The conference will be held in at Hilton Hotel from 11AM - 5 PM in the Grand Ballroom, 9333 South Cicero Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL 60453.

web site for the conference

The topics at the conference are as follows:

***Session 1: Failure of Capitalism***
Lecture 1: Capitalism is Doomed to Fail
Lecture 2: The Suffering Under Capitalism

***Session 2 : Islamic Perspective on Economy***
Lecture 1: How Wealth is Distributed Justly
Lecture 2: Life Under the Islamic Economic System

***Session 3 : Rise of Islam***
Lecture 1: Global Activism for Islamic Revival
Lecture 2: Role of Muslims in America

Now, let's move to some excerpts from a recent article at Fox News:

A group committed to establishing an international Islamic empire and reportedly linked to Al Qaeda is stepping up its Western recruitment efforts by holding its first official conference in the U.S.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global Sunni network with reported ties to confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Al Qaeda in Iraq's onetime leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. It has operated discreetly in the U.S. for decades.

Now, it is coming out of the shadows and openly hosting a July 19 conference entitled, "The Fall of Capitalism and the Rise of Islam," at a posh Hilton hotel in a suburb of Chicago.

[...]

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is one of the group's most famous alumni, New Statesman journalist Shiv Malik reported, citing intelligence sources. In addition to plotting the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he also is implicated in the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, the Bali nightclub bombings and the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

...Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq until he was killed in June 2006, also was once a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

...[O]ther former members include Asif Muhammad Hanif, a British man who blew himself up outside a bar in Tel Aviv, killing four people (including himself) and wounding more than 50; and Omar Bakri Mohammed, a radical cleric currently banned from Britain who praised the 9/11 attacks, raised funds for Hezbollah and Hamas and called for attacks on the Dublin airport because U.S. troops transfered there on their way to Iraq....

[...]

Hizb ut-Tahrir's official ruling on the permissibility of hijacking planes says, "If the plane belongs to a country at war with Muslims, like Israel, it is allowed to hijack it, for there is no sanctity for Israel nor for the Jews in it."

And one of the organization's more recent leaflets, published in March, calls for the declaration of "a state of war against America."

Read the entire article HERE. There is much more!

If someone had told me on September 12, 2001, that such a conference would be held here in America less than eight years after 9/11, I'd have said, "You're CRAZY!" Yet, that very insanity is exactly what's happening.

Over three years ago at my first web site, I posted this. That posting, which discussed everyday, average Moslems' yearnings for the caliphate, received over 200 comments, was based on a front-page article in the Washington Post and mentioned Hizb ut-Tahrir as follows:

an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Nevertheless, Hizb ut-Tahrir is welcomed to the Grand Ballroom of a Hilton Hotel right outside Chicago? I suppose that we should be grateful the conference is not being held right outside two 9/11 targets: New York City and Washington, D.C.

I'll end conclude this posting in the same way I ended "The Caliphate" three and one-half years ago:

Are we standing before an abyss which we cannot comprehend and refuse to admit the very existence of?

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ObamaKare Will Force You Into Managed Care

The title of this posting is not a come-on. It's the real deal, folks. Or should I say "raw deal"?

Lifted from this posting at Yid With Lid, citing today's New York Post:

And as soon as anything changes in your contract -- such as a change in copays or deductibles, which many insurers change every year -- you'll have to move into a qualified plan instead (House bill, p. 16-17).

When you file your taxes, if you can't prove to the IRS that you are in a qualified plan, you'll be fined thousands of dollars -- as much as the average cost of a health plan for your family size -- and then automatically enrolled in a randomly selected plan (House bill, p. 167-168).

It's one thing to require that people getting government assistance tolerate managed care, but the legislation limits you to a managed-care plan even if you and your employer are footing the bill (Senate bill, p. 57-58). The goal is to reduce everyone's consumption of health care and to ensure that people have the same health-care experience, regardless of ability to pay.

Nowhere does the legislation say how much health plans will cost, but a family of four is eligible for some government assistance until their household income reaches $88,000 (House bill, p. 137). If you earn more than that, you'll have to pay the cost no matter how high it goes.

The price tag for this legislation is a whopping $1.04 trillion to $1.6 trillion (Congressional Budget Office estimates). Half of the tab comes from tax increases on individuals earning $280,000 or more, and these new taxes will double in 2012 unless savings exceed predicted costs (House bill, p. 199).

One troubling provision of the House bill compels seniors to submit to a counseling session every five years (and more often if they become sick or go into a nursing home) about alternatives for end-of-life care (House bill, p. 425-430). The sessions cover highly sensitive matters such as whether to receive antibiotics and "the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration."

Think about the above points. Is this the kind of health care you would choose in a free society?

If you have a health-insurance policy, you already know how often copays change. And the change is just one loophole to force you into ObamaKare.

ObamaKare will negate BHO's words:

"No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people," Obama said addressing the American Medical Association. "If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what." He didn't let up."If you like what you're getting, keep it," Obama said. "Nobody is forcing you to shift."

And now, for your viewing nightmare and framed in Communist red, is the video Yid With Lid used to conclude his post:



Welcome to CHANGE. Not much hope, though.

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What Makes America Special

You absolutely must listen to what transpired in the following video. He is testifying before a committee in the Texas House of Representatives. The committee is considering HB 2746, a bill to establish a school of Ethics, Western Civilization and American Traditions at the University of Texas.



Note: If the video above won't play, CLICK HERE and go to YouTube.

I wish the above video had been available to post for this year's Independence Day celebration!

(Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance for the above video)

[END OF THIS POSTING]

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Sotomayor And La Raza

First, a bit of background on Atzlan and La Raza, from this source:

La Raza teaches that Colorado, California, Arizona, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon and parts of Washington State make up an area known as “Aztlan” — a fictional ancestral homeland of the Aztecs before Europeans arrived in North America. These areas belong to the Latinos and Latinas and must be surrendered to “La Raza” once enough immigrants, legal or illegal, come to constitute a majority, as in Los Angeles. Once this is achieved, the current borders of the United States will simply be obliterated.

But the “reconquista” won’t end with territorial occupation and secession. The final plan for the La Raza movement includes the ethnic cleansing of Americans of European, African, and Asian descent out of “Aztlan.”

Miguel Perez, a La Raza spokesman at Cal State-Northridge, has been quoted as saying: “The ultimate ideology is the liberation of Aztlan. Communism would be closest [to it]. Once Aztlan is established, ethnic cleansing would commence: Non-Chicanos would have to be expelled — opposition groups would be quashed because you have to keep power.”

And what is Sonia Sotomayor's connection to La Raza?

Senorita Sotomayor served on the governing board of La Raza for six years.

I fail to understand why this association alone disqualifies Sonia Sotmayor from serving as a justice on the Supreme Court. For that matter, why is she sitting on ANY court?

Of course, the left will say that it is racist for me even to bring up that Sonia Sotomayor has connections with a racist organization.

Meanwhile, the circus (aka Senate hearings) to confirm her nomination continues. And Republicans so far refuse to ask the tough questions about the nominees connections to the Latino KKK.

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Video: Glenn Beck On The Islamic Saudi Academy

(Two postings today. Please scroll down)



A video from some time back and my commentary are below the fold.



As a native of Northern Virginia, I have done extensive research on the Islamic Saudi Academy. In fact, it was this 2005 bus accident which brought me into the blogosphere:

"In yesterday's crash of the private school bus, the driver, Abdelrazeg Abdalla, 31, of Falls Church, was charged with several counts, including operating the Islamic Saudi Academy bus on a suspended license."

"Investigators said Abdalla's driving privileges had been suspended at 12:01 a.m. yesterday because of insurance-related issues. He was fired by school administrators shortly after the charges -- including citations for reckless driving and driving a vehicle with faulty equipment -- were issued.

"They determined that the bus had little or no brakes at all and that the tires were in fact bald," said Alexandria Police Capt. John Crawford, adding that investigators found skid marks to suggest that Abdalla tried to apply the brakes.

[...]

Abdalla was hired as a driver in August after a comprehensive background check that he said included a search for any past convictions and "points on his license."

But a check of court records in Virginia revealed seven past charges, including several traffic violations for speeding and crossing a double yellow line. Several of the charges had been dismissed.

Abdalla also had a misdemeanor conviction in Fairfax for abducting his estranged wife and 3-month-old daughter at knifepoint. He had originally been charged with felony kidnapping, but friends and family -- including his wife -- wrote letters of support to the court on Abdalla's behalf, and he agreed to plead guilty in May 2003, after nearly three months in jail, to a reduced charge of misdemeanor assault and battery.

After his release, Abdalla was picked up by Department of Homeland Security officials and detained for about six months, according to court records. It could not be determined why he was detained.

There are plenty of skeletons in the ISA's closet and plenty of grounds not to allow the school's expansion.

Indeed, the school should never have been allowed here in the first place.

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Hamas Whines About Aphrodisiacs

Yesterday, I came home from a few relaxing hours at the swimming pool, booted up the computer, and visited Jihad Watch to catch up on the latest news about the Islamic jihad.

Some days, in spite of the seriousness of the topic, I simply have to smile at the whining and ludicrous claims of Moslems.
---------
From AFP:

Hamas suspects that Israeli intelligence services are supplying its Gaza Strip stronghold with chewing gum that boosts the sex drive in order to "corrupt the young," an official said on Tuesday.

"We have discovered two types of stimulants that were introduced into the Gaza Strip from Israeli border crossings," Hamas police spokesman Islam Shahwan told AFP.

"The first type is presented in the form of chewing gum and the second in the form of drops," he said.

[...]

The story came to light after a Palestinian man filed a complaint that his daughter had experienced "dubious side effects" after chewing the offending gum, Israeli media reported....

I won't speculate on what those "side effects" entail. Commenters, please remember that this web site is not rated "Adults Only."

Mr. Spencer points out that Hamas's accusation is a serious one as far as Moslems are concerned:

...When Hamas levels such a charge, it is aware of the significance it will have for Muslims who know their Qur'an, situating the modern-day Jews as those meriting divinely-mandated retribution.

Still, I couldn't help but smile at the asinine absurdity of Hamas's complaint. Will Moslems really believe that Israel would waste time and resources distributing aphrodisiacs in Gaza? Probably so. After all, Moslems believe some strange things about intestines and eyeballs.

Note: This post illegal in Ireland?

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Yet Another Update On The Islamic Saudi Academy (Links To Videos Added)

(Two posts again today. Please scroll down)

Photo Credit: the Washington Post
Background HERE and HERE - and plenty of it.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors hasn't yet made a decision about the school's expansion. The decision will be made on August 13.

But on this morning's news I heard that the Board will base its decision strictly on zoning regulations - not on the school's curriculum, which has been shown to be Wahhabist in orientation.
-------
Indeed, barely anyone at the governmental level want to do a damn thing about the school's curriculum. Not the state, not the Virginia Department of education, not the county, not the State Department. Each of those wants to pass the ball to someone else. Consequently, the Islamic Saudi Academy continues to operate with impunity.

The exception: U.S. Representative Frank Wolf. See this posting of September 28, 2008, over at Northern Virginiastan.

I do note this morning that FNC is covering the story. FNC interviewed Frank Gaffney about the Islamic Saudi Academy (aka "Terror High"). Mr. Gaffney recently wrote an essay about the school. The essay is entitled "Welcome to Faisal County." Read the essay HERE.

Must-see videos over at Atlas Shrugs.

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The BHO Adminstration Admits Failure

(Hat tip to Kris Eveland's Truth Be Told for the first video and the graphic in this posting)

From the RNC:



YouTube text below the fold:

The Obama administration is devoting $18 million dollars to create a government website to show Americans just where their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent. This is unreal and outrageous.

Welcome to the Age of Political Surrealism.


It is the responsibility of the present electorate to prevent, or at least mitigate, the generational theft portrayed in the graphic to the left!


Throw the incompetent and thieving political bums out in 2010 and 2012!

To end this post, another short video (hat tip to Velvet Hammer's Ironic Surrealism:

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Weekly Blog Talk Radio: July 17 — Denise & Yid With Lid

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, our guests are Denise and Yid With Lid. Denise will discuss with us the Islamic Saudi Academy and the school's request for expansion at last Monday's public hearing of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Yid With Lid will discuss with us his views on recent national and international political developments.

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

Listen to the July 17, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
July 24: Robert Spencer
July 31: IQ al Rassooli and Pamela Geller

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